He glanced down at the young man lying on the ground, and Zhang Yun'an let out a slow breath. All six youths who had secretly fled, each possessing an Inner Strength level of at least Mid-stage Second Layer, and none older than thirty, had been tracked down and captured by Zhang Yun'an. These six were the individuals Huyan Ming had secretly ordered to escape; they represented the future hope of the Huyan family, ensuring its continuation if they survived. The men on the ground were breathing faintly, yet their mouths were stained with blood, their consciousness lost. In the end, Zhang Yun'an had not used excessive force; he had merely crippled their Inner Strength, rendering any further cultivation impossible, though he spared their lives for the moment. But this was temporary; taking them back meant submitting to the Old Master's decree. If the Old Master ordered no quarter given, these men would ultimately meet their end in the Halls of Yama.

"Do you truly expect me to believe what you say?" After a while, Huyan Feng’s complexion stabilized somewhat, and he spoke slowly. "Believe it or not, you know better than I do. I can tell you with absolute certainty: even if I, Old Man Zhang, die, my Zhang Yang will still grow to Great Perfection. Once he achieves Great Perfection, advancing to the Fifth Layer will be just around the corner. No one can obstruct the glory of my Zhang family!" Zhang Pinglu appeared calmer than Huyan Feng; he had just revealed a secret to Huyan Feng. This secret was previously unknown even to Zhang Daofeng, but circumstances had shifted, and releasing this secret now would actually benefit the Zhang family, compelling him to speak it. The secret was their connection, their bond, with the Phantom Rats. Just now, Zhang Pinglu had told him that if anything happened to him, Zhang Yang was to go cultivate on Yinlong Mountain and not emerge until he reached Great Perfection. Huyan Feng verbally professed disbelief, yet in his heart, he had already accepted it. He had found it strange when Zhang Yang chose to flee to Yinlong Mountain earlier; now, he finally understood why. It turned out the Zhang family had such a relationship with the Phantom Rats. No wonder he was unharmed upon entering Yinlong Mountain, while the terrifying Phantom Rats had turned to attack him. At this moment, he finally grasped everything. Of course, his understanding differed significantly from the full reality, but what Zhang Pinglu stated was fact, and that was sufficient. After a moment of hesitation, Huyan Feng chose not to divulge this secret. He knew clearly that even if this matter became public, it would only add a protective talisman to Zhang Yang, deterring the Great Perfection masters from rash action. If this word came from his mouth, it would be far more convincing than if Zhang Pinglu had said it himself. If that were the case, he would only end up assisting Zhang Yang.

"Now that you know I have no lingering worries, it is time to send you on your way!" Zhang Pinglu spoke again, and before his voice fully faded, a surge of powerful energy shot skyward. Zhang Pinglu had expended his preparation and was now unleashing the full might his body could endure. Five streams of formidable Inner Strength roared out first, carrying vast amounts of Heaven and Earth energy—their power far surpassed the sword glows Zhang Yang had previously unleashed. However, initiating the attack with Inner Strength suggested Huyan Feng’s Soul Devouring technique still caused Zhang Pinglu significant apprehension.

"Boom! Bang! Crash!" With a series of thunderous impacts, Huyan Feng moved his body with uncanny agility. His severe injuries heavily impacted his stability, but his foundation remained intact. Aided by his superb movement technique, he managed to evade these Inner Strength attacks. The five clusters of Inner Strength all struck the surrounding area, carving out deep pits. Huyan Feng’s speed was high, but Zhang Pinglu’s retreat was faster. He rapidly backed away; he understood the horror of the Soul Devouring technique better than anyone—a single touch was tantamount to a death sentence. The Zhang family possessed no one at the Late-stage Fourth Layer of Inner Strength; his death would forcibly interrupt the Zhang family's protective lineage. Even if Zhang Yang later achieved Great Perfection, or even reached the Fifth Layer, an interruption was an interruption, regardless of the time passed.

"Running? Are you afraid too?" Huyan Feng burst into uproarious laughter again, but his body moved even faster. He no longer cared about his physical condition, embracing a suicidal determination to fight Zhang Pinglu to the death, so he naturally didn't hold back. The two Great Perfection masters clashed once more. The surrounding Heaven and Earth energy churned anew. The battle between the two Great Perfection masters stirred all the ambient energy within a ten-mile radius, forcing every creature around the Five Pillar Peaks to prostrate themselves, daring not to move. Zhang Daofeng and Huyan Ming also retreated slightly, but after retreating, they began to tremble again. The battle of their respective Ancestors had begun, and they could not afford to stand idly by. They already held deep-seated grievances, and now was the time to settle them all at once. This settlement would be a matter of either your death or mine.

Zhang Yang also backed away a little, and Chasing Wind, along with Shadowless Lightning, returned to his side. "Chasing Wind, Shadowless, go assist your Grand-uncle; make it quick!" Observing the two separate battles, Zhang Yang immediately gave the command. Huyan Feng, severely injured, was at a disadvantage against Zhang Pinglu, yet Zhang Pinglu avoided direct engagement due to fear of his demonic technique, making it appear as if Huyan Feng were chasing him. As long as Zhang Pinglu remained cautious, his immediate situation was fine. Zhang Daofeng and Huyan Ming were evenly matched, and a definitive victor would not emerge soon. It was better to send Chasing Wind and Shadowless to help. The two young beasts were now Fourth Layer Spirit Beasts; their contribution in a Great Perfection battle might be limited, but when coordinating an assault on a Mid-stage Fourth Layer opponent, they could certainly apply considerable pressure. Spirit Beasts, by nature, were inherently stronger than human cultivators of the same level. The combat strength of these two was equivalent to three Early-stage Fourth Layer cultivators combined. In a battle between two Mid-stage Fourth Layers, the sudden addition of three Early-stage Fourth Layers supporting one side would clearly dictate the outcome.

"Lightning, you stay here; I will go help!" The Cold Spring Sword flashed silver in Zhang Yang’s hand, and before his words finished, he vanished, rushing toward the area where Zhang Pinglu and Huyan Feng fought. Though he was only Early-stage Fourth Layer, the solidification of his energy provided him with considerable combat power, giving him the capital to tangle with a Great Perfection master—though only to entangle, fighting a fully powered Great Perfection master remained somewhat beyond his current capability. The Great Perfection realm was the pinnacle of human existence currently; this was not mere hyperbole. However, Huyan Feng was injured and could not utilize his full strength, making it much easier for Zhang Yang to engage him. This was the perfect opportunity to kick a dog while it was down.

"Yang Yang, go back!" As Zhang Yang approached, before he could even launch two sword glows, a roar echoed out. While continuously retreating, Zhang Pinglu had not forgotten to warn him. Had it been any other situation, Zhang Yang joining the fray would have met no objection, but now that Huyan Feng had deployed the demonic Soul Devouring technique, Zhang Pinglu absolutely forbade Zhang Yang from risking danger. Soul Devouring might not kill Zhang Yang, but it could certainly consume his vitality, forever barring him from future advancement. Zhang Yang was the greatest hope of the Zhang family; Zhang Pinglu could not allow him to take this risk under any circumstances. Huyan Feng's face broke into a sliver of delight. Initially, he had only been concerned with eliminating Zhang Pinglu or damaging his vitality; he hadn't considered attacking Zhang Yang at all. Previously, Zhang Yang had been accompanied by the Celestial Horse spirit beast. During the earlier confrontation, he had realized the Celestial Horse had advanced; before its advancement, he couldn't catch it, and afterward, there was no chance. That was why he hadn't pursued that course of action. Now, Zhang Yang had delivered himself to his doorstep. More importantly, the Celestial Horse was assisting Zhang Daofeng, far away from him, handing Huyan Feng an opportunity. This opportunity was the chance to utterly destroy the Zhang family genius, the hope of the Zhang family's future. Naturally, he would not let such a golden chance slip away. He immediately abandoned Zhang Pinglu in front of him and sped directly toward Zhang Yang.

"Smack! Crack! Pop! Snap!" The two sword glows Zhang Yang had already sent out were followed by two more. Huyan Feng ignored these four sword glows entirely. Streams of foul, fishy palm winds howled forth from his dual palms, the sheer force sweeping numerous pebbles from the ground. Even nearby clumps of grass withered rapidly as the palm winds passed over them, turning instantly into dead straw. This demonic art was truly vicious.

"Impossible!" Zhang Pinglu’s eyes instantly turned blood-red, and the power surging from him reached its apex; blood began to flow from his ears and nose. Facing the danger to Zhang Yang, he disregarded his own physical limits; even if his body couldn't sustain it, he had to exert maximum power to stop Huyan Feng. Zhang Yang failed to notice Zhang Pinglu’s deteriorating condition. Regardless of how severe his injuries were, Huyan Feng was still a Great Perfection master, and no Great Perfection master should be underestimated. Three of the four sword glows struck Huyan Feng, leaving his arm and thigh deeply lacerated and bleeding. However, he managed to dodge the strike aimed at his head. Huyan Feng’s injuries worsened, but he used this distraction to close the distance to within ten meters of Zhang Yang. Ten meters—Zhang Yang could even smell the noxious, foul palm wind. With no time for further thought, Zhang Yang raised the Cold Spring Sword and executed a pattern resembling Tai Chi. An even stronger, purer form of energy visibly coalesced around the sword’s body. This energy was significantly more potent than before, reminiscent of the Heaven and Earth energy drawn forth when Zhang Yang forcibly attempted the Second Layer of the Heaven-Shattering Sword Style, yet this energy possessed a higher purity and greater destructive force. Such energy was beyond the grasp of even a Great Perfection master to utilize, yet it held the power to deliver a fatal blow to one. Regrettably, as the energy began to condense, Zhang Yang’s face flushed an intense crimson, forcing him to eject the still-unformed energy blast. This powerful wave of Heaven and Earth energy belonged to the scope of the Second Form of the Heaven-Shattering Sword Style, which Zhang Yang still lacked the mastery to control. This condensation attempt had failed again. However, this attempt was far stronger than the last. Although it failed to fully form, some energy was condensed, making it considerably more powerful than the sword glows from the First Form. This burst of energy flew directly towards Huyan Feng.

"Bang!" "Boom!" Two consecutive massive explosions sounded, sending two figures flying backward. Zhang Pinglu’s eyes turned even redder as he rushed in horror toward one of the figures. Before that figure hit the ground, Zhang Pinglu caught it, but beneath it, his expression shifted to one of profound horror mixed with despair and agony. The other figure crashed heavily onto the ground. As soon as it landed, a burst of maniacal laughter erupted—a sound piercingly harsh. (Recommending a good brother's book: The Beauty's Personal Martial Doctor, Book ID 2575165. He is the God: He is the divine physician respected by all good people. RQ)