Huyan Feng's appearance was the same as before, yet his face was perpetually shrouded in a black mist, giving the impression that he couldn't be clearly seen.

This state of his made him seem utterly bizarre, and looking at him involuntarily stirred a strange urge in observers to look away, as if they dared not meet his gaze.

It wasn't just others; Zhang Yang felt a similar compulsion, though he forcibly resisted it. Yet, whenever he looked at Huyan Feng, a brutal restlessness surged within his heart.

"Hah! What does it matter if I've cultivated this way? What does it matter if all the Great Perfection masters join forces to encircle me?"

Huyan Feng threw his head back and laughed, his eyes suddenly turning incredibly venomous. He said slowly, "The reason I look like this is all thanks to you! Do you have any idea how agonizing the cultivation of Soul Devouring is? Do you think I wanted to practice it? Zhang Pinglu, I told you, even if I die, I won't let you have an easy time. I know that with Soul Devouring, I might not be your match, but hurting you will be no problem. Then, I’d like to see who can protect your Zhang family's genius then!"

Huyan Feng laughed maniacally, his expression becoming even more ferocious.

Zhang Pinglu seemed to be seeing him for the first time, finally shaking his head with deep regret.

"I truly never imagined you would become this. Cultivating Soul Devouring is painful, yes, but that was your choice. Furthermore, you started cultivating it long ago; from the moment you began, you were already corrupted by the demonic path, not because of me!"

At this point, Zhang Pinglu paused, gazing quietly at Huyan Feng, then slowly continued, "Though we are enemies now, the bond of over a hundred years between us remains. I specifically brought wine and food, hoping to share one last drink with you before the battle. Now, it seems unnecessary. Regardless of our families, the mere fact that you cultivated Soul Devouring is enough to bring utter ruin upon your Huyan family!"

Zhang Daofeng and Huyan Ming had stopped their exchange by now, each retreating to stand beside their respective patriarchs.

Both men were somewhat bewildered. This was the first time they had heard the name Soul Devouring; they had no idea what this so-called demonic art truly was. However, judging by Zhang Pinglu's words, this Soul Devouring was extraordinary, so much so that anyone practicing it risked being jointly hunted by all Great Perfection masters.

It wasn't just them; Zhang Yang was equally confused.

Zhang Yuan'an was absent. Had he been present, even if he didn't understand Soul Devouring, he would at least have recognized the roasted chicken and Erguotou liquor—items the old master intended for a nostalgic toast with Huyan Feng.

"Enough of this nonsense. Regardless of their reactions, I only hold you responsible—you are the reason my Huyan family is in this state! Since you wish to destroy my Huyan family, I shall destroy your Zhang family, bringing your Zhang family's one thousand eight hundred years of lineage to an end!"

Huyan Feng spoke through gritted teeth, his voice low, the resentment toward Zhang Pinglu and the entire Zhang family palpable in his tone.

"Old Ancestor, what exactly is Soul Devouring?"

Zhang Yang suddenly spoke up. Zhang Daofeng and Huyan Ming both turned to look at their patriarch, equally curious about the question.

"Soul Devouring is the paramount forbidden demonic art in the current cultivation world. It is banned not only by the Orthodox Path but also by all practitioners of the Demonic Path..."

Zhang Pinglu began to speak slowly, his eyes growing somewhat icy as he talked.

Huyan Feng merely maintained his strange, cold smile, standing silently, seemingly in no hurry.

Soul Devouring was a demonic art, or perhaps, the demonic art among demonic arts, shunned even by those of the Demonic Path. The cultivation itself was not overly difficult—with the secret manual, many could learn it. However, the process of cultivation was incredibly troublesome and utterly vicious.

Practicing Soul Devouring required devouring massive amounts of vital energy (Sheng Ji) for sustenance. But not just any vital energy would suffice; only the vital energy of Inner Force cultivators could be used.

Generally, a practitioner at the second layer would need to devour the vital energy of a first-layer cultivator to advance. A third layer required devouring the vital energy of a second-layer Inner Force cultivator, and the fourth layer demanded the life force of a third layer. For a Great Perfection master, they needed the vital energy of a fourth-layer powerhouse.

This devouring was not a one-time event; it required continuous sustenance.

For someone like Huyan Feng, a Great Perfection master, he needed at least three fourth-layer powerhouses to have their vital energy consumed by him annually just to maintain his cultivation and prevent him from succumbing to qi deviation due to insufficient life force.

Since Huyan Feng cultivated Soul Devouring without outwardly showing distress, it meant he had imprisoned at least three fourth-layer experts, keeping these three individuals penned up like livestock solely to provide him with the vital energy he needed to devour.

Three fourth-layer powerhouses—what an astonishing number. Even a powerful family like the Long family only possessed three fourth-layer elders. The Huyan family itself only had two. No one knew who these three unfortunate fourth-layer experts were or how they tragically fell into his grasp.

And that wasn't all. Beyond the need to devour vital energy, the most unacceptable aspect of this demonic art was its destructive power.

No matter whom he fought, if they were struck by his Inner Force or a palm wind or similar attack, their vital energy would suffer damage—damage that could never be recovered.

In severe cases, vital energy could be completely destroyed, instantly aging even a young person into a corpse. Even if death was averted, the impact would be immense; the most direct consequence was that due to damaged vital energy, any future advancement would become impossible.

Such a malicious technique was unacceptable not only to the Orthodox Path but also to the Demonic Path. Who would willingly accept a future where advancement was permanently blocked?

Furthermore, there was a crucial point—and this was the very reason all Great Perfection masters forbade anyone from practicing Soul Devouring—leading them to cooperate years ago to eradicate all existing practitioners and destroy all secret manuals.

Damaged vital energy was fatal to Great Perfection masters. Many relied on Bigu Pills (Grain-Rejection Pills) for sustenance. Once their vital energy was compromised, the Bigu Pills would cease to function, effectively limiting the remaining lifespan of a Great Perfection master to, at most, one year.

It was precisely because of this threat that all Great Perfection masters, Orthodox and Demonic alike, cooperated in the rare instance to wipe out everyone practicing Soul Devouring at that time. It was their only joint effort.

But no one expected that a Great Perfection expert would secretly preserve the manual and successfully cultivate it.

"Old Ancestor, have you truly cultivated such a technique?"

Before Zhang Pinglu could finish, Huyan Ming cried out in utter astonishment.

"I cultivated this technique for the sake of the family!"

Huyan Feng turned back and glared at Huyan Ming with clear displeasure. Huyan Ming immediately lowered his head, though his heart was reeling from shock.

Such a vicious and terrifying demonic art—just hearing the description was enough to understand why both the Orthodox and Demonic Paths forbade it. For both factions, the continuation and development of their lineage were the most critical tasks. Many families and sects meticulously cultivated their most talented disciples, allowing them to grow slowly. This demonic art could effortlessly destroy all such hope, naturally earning universal hatred.

"In that case, why didn't you use this demonic art against me last time?"

Zhang Yang suddenly interjected. Huyan Feng's primary motivation for hunting him down was his potential. If he had used this demonic art then, he could have easily destroyed that potential.

"I didn't use it because you possess the Celestial Horse spirit beast. I couldn't guarantee pursuing you without sustaining injury. If you managed to escape to a location where other Inner Force cultivators were present, my cultivation of Soul Devouring would be exposed. Then, not only I, but my entire Huyan family would face disaster!"

Huyan Feng stated coldly. Hearing this, Zhang Yang finally understood the situation. Huyan Feng hadn't been unwilling to use it; he had been afraid to. At that time, Zhuifeng was by his side. If he had risked everything to flee, escaping to the vicinity of major influential families would have been achievable—for instance, the Long family or the Li family of Shushan. Both places housed Great Perfection masters. Once they learned Huyan Feng was practicing Soul Devouring, those masters would inevitably unite to annihilate his entire Huyan clan. Their Huyan family would then face only one path: annihilation.

Based on Zhang Pinglu's explanation, Zhang Yang deduced that while Soul Devouring was vicious—damaging life force and destroying hope—it didn't grant a significant boost to true combat power. Otherwise, Huyan Feng wouldn't have resorted to this technique now; he only mentioned injuring Zhang Pinglu, not defeating him. As for why he used it now, Zhang Yang easily understood without needing to ask.

This was the moment of life or death for the Huyan family. Using it meant death; not using it also meant death. He might as well use it for one final gamble, hoping to injure Zhang Pinglu in the process.

This technique sounded devastating against ordinary disciples, but upon closer examination, its most devastating impact was reserved for Great Perfection masters. Once injured by it, a Great Perfection master was effectively sentenced to death. If a family or sect lacked an heir, they would immediately drop a tier in standing and face precarious survival. This was a result the Great Perfection masters could never tolerate.

This explained why Zhang Pinglu mentioned the collective action of the Great Perfection masters. Only by multiple masters joining forces, directly overwhelming the opponent with sheer power, could they eliminate the practitioner of the demonic art without risking damage to their own vital energy from Soul Devouring.

"I have finished speaking. Today, you may indeed destroy my Huyan family, but your Zhang family will inevitably suffer the same fate soon after!"

Huyan Feng sneered again, his demeanor growing even more odious.

Devouring the vital energy of others was akin to swallowing their very souls; the name Soul Devouring was truly apt. As Zhang Yang looked at the faint black mist on Huyan Feng's face, it was as if he saw countless vengeful spirits swirling there.

"I have said what I needed to say. Unfortunately, your scheme is entirely futile!"

Zhang Pinglu shook his head lightly, remaining extremely calm.

"Futile? When you are dead, and I spread the word that Zhang Yang can materialize energy, I don't believe those Great Perfection masters will remain seated! Since they personally strike down a Zhang family successor, they certainly cannot allow the Zhang family to persist!"

Huyan Feng suddenly shouted, displaying extreme rage. He embodied the typical mindset of wanting to drag someone down with him upon his demise. Seeing that Zhang Pinglu was not reacting as he expected, he erupted in fury.

"You are mistaken. Even if I die, no one will be able to harm Zhang Yang!"

Zhang Pinglu shook his head again. His lips parted, but no sound emerged.

Huyan Feng first sneered, then revealed sheer horror. He turned back to look at Zhang Yang, his expression filled with disbelief, even tinged with despair. No one knew what Zhang Pinglu had said to him that caused such a drastic change.

My condition isn't great today, and I have to wake up early tomorrow. I'll post this one chapter first, catching up on the two overdue chapters soon! RQ