"Let's go, brat. Don't compare yourself to that fellow. He's only a bit stronger than you now, but who knows how long that will last? I might not even be a match for him then!"

Zhang Yang's progress had shocked even Zhang Pinglu.

Zhang Pinglu no longer doubted whether Zhang Yang could surpass him. At the peak of the early Fourth Layer, Zhang Yang already possessed a profound understanding of the Way of Nature, making his eventual attainment of Great Perfection a certainty.

Furthermore, he had mastered sword techniques only achievable by Fifth Layer experts, adding another layer to his strength.

Most importantly, he was young. He wouldn't need to wait for his body to age before reaching Great Perfection, thus negating the need for Bigu Dan (Grain Abstinence Pills) to maintain bodily functions.

Without relying on Bigu Dan, the limitations imposed on the body by the supreme abilities of a Great Perfection master would be significantly lessened. An average Great Perfection expert could, at most, exert seventy percent of their strength, whereas Zhang Yang could command at least eighty percent.

The difference between "highest" and "at least" was clearly apparent.

Not to mention, Zhang Yang was young. When he truly reached Great Perfection, he would dare risk bodily injury to unleash his full power. His body wasn't like those of old fossils such as himself; once damaged, it couldn't easily repair itself. As long as Zhang Yang didn't die, his youthful body would naturally regenerate—that was the advantage of youth.

While Zhang Pinglu and Zhang Yuan'an walked slowly behind, Zhang Yang had already put over a thousand meters between himself and Zhang Daofeng.

From afar, Zhang Daofeng could only glimpse the silhouette of Zhang Yang. No matter how much he pushed himself, he couldn't catch up or even close the distance.

He even noticed that the gap between them was steadily widening.

This result left Zhang Daofeng deeply shocked and somewhat dejected.

He was a mid-stage Fourth Layer cultivator. In the Fourth Layer, those in the early stages, even at their peak, simply couldn't compete with the mid-stage. Every subsequent advancement past the Fourth Layer was immensely difficult.

It could be said that the internal energy within his body far exceeded Zhang Yang's.

Despite this, he was losing in terms of speed to his own grandson—a person with inferior internal energy strength.

What he didn't know was that Zhang Yang was currently very relaxed, not even pushing his speed to the absolute limit.

His body, augmented by the system, meant Zhang Yang's inherent speed was already comparable to a mid-stage Fourth Layer expert. When facing Chu Yuntian previously, Zhang Yang could keep up relying solely on his speed.

Zhang Daofeng was slightly stronger than Chu Yuntian, but only marginally; their speeds were comparable.

While moving at top speed, Zhang Yang also discovered that the energy borrowed by the Potian Sword Art could offer him supplementary aid, further boosting his velocity. This enhancement was enough to keep Zhang Daofeng completely at bay; he could shake off the pursuer whenever he wished.

Fortunately, Zhang Daofeng was unaware of this, or he might have been depressed enough to spit blood.

"Hiss! Hiss!"

Zhuifeng cried out again. It was having the easiest time, as it was running too, but nowhere near full throttle.

Zhuifeng, having advanced to the Fourth Layer, was capable of matching a Great Perfection master when running at full speed—neither Zhang Yang nor Zhang Daofeng could catch it.

"Zhuifeng, stop fooling around. We'll be there soon. Wait until we see that old fellow Hu Yanfeng, and then we'll get revenge for you!"

Zhang Yang smiled faintly. Being able to converse while moving at top speed was proof enough: he was definitely not exerting his full strength.

Zhuifeng immediately nodded. Hearing the promise of revenge, the little creature instantly became spirited. It clearly remembered the feeling of being cornered and chased by Hu Yanfeng.

Don't assume spirit beasts have good tempers; they hold grudges even more fiercely than humans.

"Almost there!"

Zhang Yang muttered to himself, then his body instantly accelerated. Zhang Daofeng, who could barely see Zhang Yang's shadow moments before, was horrified to notice the surge of energy emanating from Zhang Yang and his even greater speed.

In a flash, he was left far behind again.

Dejected, Zhang Daofeng slowed his pace, just as Zhang Yuan'an had. He had completely lost hope of catching up to Zhang Yang.

However, one thing distinguished him from Zhang Yuan'an: while he felt some frustration, excitement was the dominant emotion. Zhang Yang's displayed strength exceeded his expectations, making him feel even more reassured.

The current Zhang Yang demonstrated immense potential; becoming a Great Perfection master was virtually guaranteed, and he even showed signs of breaking through to the Fifth Layer.

But not every family was like the Long family, which chose to cultivate goodwill when resistance seemed futile. The Long family was powerful, and their Ancestor was extremely old. For the Long family now, the priority was the succession of their Guardians. The eldest Long family Guardian was aging, and without the emergence of a late-stage Fourth Layer disciple, they faced a gap in their ranks.

This was the Long family’s greatest issue.

Other families were not like the Long family. For instance, the Huajia Guardian was very young and had grasped the Way of Nature through self-comprehension. They might not welcome Zhang Yang's growth. Although there was the precedent set by Hu Yanfeng, no one could rule out the possibility of a Great Perfection expert acting in secret to eliminate Zhang Yang and extinguish the Zhang family’s hope entirely.

This possibility was real. Once Zhang Yang truly matured, he was bound to affect the entire landscape of the cultivation world.

This was why he and Zhang Pinglu insisted on retaliation against the Huayan family—not just to vent Zhang Yang's anger, but also to send a clear message: anyone who dared to touch Zhang Yang would be fought to the death, leading to the annihilation of their entire clan or sect.

"We're here!"

After running for less than twenty minutes, Zhang Yang stopped. Five Pillars Peak was right before his eyes, and Zhang Daofeng had been completely cast aside.

On the other side of Five Pillars Peak lay a considerable gorge. Several cave entrances had already been manually carved into the mountain walls of the gorge; they ran deep inside and were now decorated, even equipped with electricity.

Deepest inside, in the most secret room, an old man suddenly opened his eyes.

A terrifying aura of killing intent and rage burst forth from him. His eyes shone with a piercing light in the darkness.

"Ming'er, immediately summon all disciples and prepare for battle. The Zhang family has arrived!"

The old man's lips moved slightly. On the other side, Hu Yanming, who had been in secluded cultivation, snapped his eyes open, his face etched with shock.

The old man slowly stood up. Upon rising, one could see he only had one arm; his other hand possessed only three fingers.

This was Hu Yanfeng, returned severely wounded. Although heavily injured, he was still a Great Perfection expert. Zhang Yang had not concealed his aura earlier, allowing Hu Yanfeng to detect him, and Hu Yanfeng was intimately familiar with Zhang Yang’s presence, hence his intense fury.

However, he quickly calmed down. This was their newly relocated base. Zhang Yang would never arrive here without reason.

The idea that Zhang Yang was merely passing by while sightseeing would not fool even a three-year-old.

If his arrival wasn't aimless, it meant he was coming for them—Zhang Yang was here for revenge, retribution for the earlier chase and for his entire family.

Since it was a vengeance mission, the opponent must be confident and would never foolishly rush in alone to die. Even in his current state, Hu Yanfeng was not someone an early Fourth Layer Zhang Yang could casually match.

After regaining his composure, Hu Yanfeng realized that the Huayan family faced its greatest trial.

There was no large bell installed in the valley. The Huayan family had just moved, prioritizing a low profile. Even Hu Yanming hadn't anticipated that the enemy would track them down before they were even familiarized with the new location.

When notifying all the disciples, his first thought was that there must be a traitor.

However, he quickly dismissed this notion himself. Everyone who could be brought here was an elite of the Huayan family, core disciples raised from childhood with minimal contact with the outside world. Betraying the family would offer them no benefit and gave them no reason for treason.

Furthermore, in the few days since they moved, none of them had left, nor did they possess any means of contacting the outside world. The idea of an insider was untenable.

If there was no mole, yet the Zhang family had found them, it truly puzzled him.

He could never have guessed that the Zhang family's ancestor often resided in the secular world, staying current with modern technology, using satellites to locate them and pinpoint their new relocation site.

A dark shadow rapidly left the valley, shooting outward.

As the energy signature appeared, Zhang Yang’s expression tightened slightly. He was familiar with this energy; it had pursued him for nearly a day and a night previously.

Without hesitation, Zhang Yang mounted his horse. Zhuifeng was the fastest, and he could use Zhuifeng's speed to engage Hu Yanfeng.

At this moment, Zhang Yang was secretly lamenting. Hadn't the Old Master said he would wait for them here? Why were the Huayan family members emerging first, while the Old Master was nowhere to be seen? This was ridiculous!

Zhang Yang was unaware that his own Old Master had secretly gone out to buy roast chicken and was currently strolling leisurely with Zhang Yuan'an.

"Zhang Yang!"

Hu Yanfeng, clad in black, soon appeared before Zhang Yang. A deep resentment flickered in his eyes.

His current state was entirely Zhang Yang’s fault.

It was a pity he never considered that if he hadn't relentlessly chased Zhang Yang for a thousand miles, refusing to let him go, he wouldn't have ended up in this predicament. Having been a major figure for too long, his contact with the outside world had diminished, causing a subtle shift in his mindset.

In his view, those who submit thrive, and those who oppose perish—that was the only proper way.

"Old bastard, you actually escaped at Yinlong Mountain. You have nine lives!" Zhang Yang shouted directly. Hu Yanfeng’s heart clenched sharply, and his eyes instantly turned red.

Being hunted by the Phantom Mouse, and then being wounded by the two energy blasts the mouse unleashed, was the very thing he most wished to forget and never recall. Zhang Yang saying that deliberately was like sprinkling salt on his wound and tearing it open anew.

This only deepened his resentment.

"Brat, are you alone?" Hu Yanfeng asked slowly through gritted teeth. He longed to kill Zhang Yang immediately, but he understood that in his current injured state, he couldn't keep up with Zhang Yang's celestial steed.

The Heavenly Horse's speed was simply too great.

"So what if I'm alone? I can still turn your Huayan family upside down!" Zhang Yang replied softly, though a hint of anxiety was creeping into his heart.

His Old Master had truly set them up this time. He was absent, yet this old fellow Hu Yanfeng had already arrived, and Zhang Daofeng would soon follow. Even if he joined forces with Zhang Daofeng, they might not be a match for this Hu Yanfeng.

"Well said, turning things upside down. Zhang Yang, after this is settled, I vow to slaughter your entire lineage, leaving not a soul alive!" Hu Yanfeng declared coldly. Zhang Yang paused slightly, his expression tightening, his face growing grim, and a killing intent gradually emanated from him.

Third update, making up for the previous two thousand-word chapter update. RQ