Zhang Yang got to his feet, a lingering grimace of pain still etched on his face, though he looked significantly better than before.

Zhang Yang’s physical resilience far surpassed that of other experts at the same initial stage, granting him a stronger resistance to the life-draining Shihun (Soul Devourer) than others in the early Fourth Level.

Anyone else would have been severely injured by now.

Vitality is an intangible essence, the culmination of one’s entire spirit, qi, and consciousness—akin to the soul. Just imagine the sensation of having your very soul bitten by an external force.

The agony surpassed even the torment of a thousand ants gnawing at the heart.

“Old Sir, this Shihun is truly formidable. You mustn't take this risk. Just assist me from a distance; I will keep him occupied. He is already gravely wounded and absolutely cannot escape!”

Zhang Yang spoke with a smile. Though he was young and perhaps rash, he was not ignorant of the horror that the Shihun represented.

His prior all-out clash with Huyan Feng, even risking mutual destruction, wasn't entirely recklessness; he had his own compelling reasons.

His reason was simple: he had to protect Zhang Pinglu. No matter how glorious his own future might be, it was still the future. Zhang Pinglu was crucial to the Zhang family’s present, and he guaranteed that present.

Without him as a guardian, the number of people eyeing the Zhang family, coveting their medicinal arts, would surely multiply.

For the sake of the Zhang family, and for himself, Zhang Yang fought fiercely. At least he could potentially enhance his strength after suffering the Shihun. If Zhang Pinglu had taken it, the cost would have been far too great; the entire Zhang family might truly have to go into hiding.

“Yangyang?”

Having lived for so long, Zhang Pinglu was as sharp as ever. He quickly discerned Zhang Yang’s thoughts and true objective.

At this moment, he understood that Zhang Yang had risked mutual annihilation solely to save him, and saving him meant saving the entire Zhang family.

This filled him with complicated emotions. He wanted to scold Zhang Yang, but the words wouldn't come. In his heart, Zhang Yang’s standing far surpassed his own; Zhang Yang was the most vital person in the Zhang family.

But regardless, Zhang Yang acted for his sake, and to rebuke him now would seem heartless and unreasonable.

Furthermore, the deed was done; dwelling on it was useless.

“Good!”

After a long pause, Zhang Pinglu finally nodded heavily. His heart still ached—a bleeding, stabbing pain. Zhang Yang being afflicted by the Shihun felt like the truncation of the Zhang family’s incomparably brilliant future hope.

This felt worse than death. He even regretted bringing the entire family to seek revenge against the Huyan clan.

If not for revenge, they wouldn't have forced Huyan Feng to use the Shihun, nor would Zhang Yang have suffered the Shihun, possibly forfeiting his chance to advance. If he couldn't advance, how could he ever break through to the Fifth Level?

The Fifth Level—who knew how long it would take for the Zhang family to see such hope again.

Alas, it was too late for regrets. Zhang Pinglu was a rational man, understanding that he must be even more cautious now, absolutely forbidden from letting the Zhang family suffer any further blows.

Today’s battle had to be swift.

“Old Man Zhang, you’ve lost. Hiding behind a junior—are you even a Great Perfection master anymore?”

Huyan Feng also managed to stand, laughing loudly, though his condition was rather tragic. He was far more severely injured, especially his abdomen, where a gaping wound revealed his intestines. If not for his profound internal energy, making him more than just an ordinary cultivator, such an injury would have stripped him of all combat ability, or even killed him outright.

Mutual destruction—the exchange had truly been a fight to the death. Zhang Yang’s final sword gleam had nearly ended his life.

“Old Man Zhang, you are a coward! You shame the title of Great Perfection master! I feel contempt for you!”

Huyan Feng continued to rant. Zhang Pinglu’s expression remained utterly unchanged; he stood silently behind Zhang Yang.

However, a closer look would reveal a fierce killing intent in his eyes. Huyan Feng’s goading had no effect. Zhang Pinglu harbored anger, but the stronger the fire, the more fiercely he could control it; two centuries of life hadn't been lived in vain.

He knew perfectly well that he could afford no further mishaps at this crucial juncture.

“You are Great Perfection, yet you repeatedly attack juniors. Today, you are wounded by a junior at the early Fourth Level. I say you are the one who disgraces the Great Perfection title! I feel shame for you!”

Zhang Yang suddenly shouted. The Hanquan Sword flickered, his body dissolving into an afterimage as he instantly reached Huyan Feng’s side.

Before the words fully left his mouth, Zhang Yang’s assault had already begun. Huyan Feng’s Shihun was an unforeseen danger; keeping this man alive was too perilous for any of them. For his own sake and for those around him, Zhang Yang needed to eliminate this threat quickly.

“Hoo!”

As Zhang Yang attacked, gusts of powerful wind surged in from all directions. This was Zhang Pinglu mobilizing the surrounding ambient energy for his attack. These winds carried energy storms. Normally, a Great Perfection master struck by them would be unaffected, but Huyan Feng was currently grievously wounded, and these blasts were enough to inflict many more serious injuries.

These wounds alone couldn't kill Huyan Feng, but Zhang Pinglu hadn't intended to kill him yet; Zhang Yang was the primary attacker, and his role was simply to restrain.

Huyan Feng's strength was currently less than thirty percent of his usual power. If not for the Shihun, which gave Zhang Pinglu pause, Zhang Pinglu was confident he could crush him completely within minutes.

“Despicable!”

Huyan Ming roared, charging toward Zhang Yang. He was also injured, but far less so than Huyan Feng.

As soon as he moved, Zhui Feng and Wuying also rushed forward. Wuying unleashed his powerful internal energy continuously, while Zhui Feng’s phantom-like movements materialized and vanished, immediately denying Huyan Ming the chance to engage Zhang Yang.

Zhang Daofeng also closed in, resuming his fight with Huyan Ming.

The battle reignited, plunging immediately into a fever pitch.

Under the combined assault of Zhang Yang and Zhang Pinglu, Huyan Feng was soon rendered speechless. His drastically reduced strength could no longer withstand their joint attack.

While his Shihun was formidable, Zhang Yang had already paid the price once and refused to engage it head-on. Zhang Pinglu, meanwhile, watched vigilantly, effectively suppressing the Shihun.

The Shihun was Huyan Feng’s final trump card; once this recourse was neutralized, his situation could only worsen.

“Bang!”

Zhang Pinglu slammed a massive surge of internal energy into Huyan Feng’s abdomen, sending his entire body flying backward.

It was a perfect opportunity. As Huyan Feng soared away, Zhang Yang’s Hanquan Sword split into three dazzling beams, piercing directly toward Huyan Feng’s heart.

A sword through the heart—if it connected, Huyan Feng was certain to perish.

Forget a Great Perfection master; even a Fifth Level expert would be finished if impaled through the heart by a Divine Weapon. No matter how powerful, a cultivator is still flesh and blood, not a god.

“Pfft!”

The sound of the Divine Weapon piercing flesh was crisp. Huyan Feng let out a roar, using his one remaining hand to forcefully block the Hanquan Sword.

His palm was pierced, but the deflection succeeded in diverting the sword from its fatal path through the heart.

Though he avoided being skewered through the heart, his condition was dire.

This strike cost Zhang Yang the greater half of Huyan Feng’s remaining hand. Where he once had three fingers, only a pathetic stump of a pinky remained. Furthermore, he was immediately struck again by Zhang Pinglu’s attack, sending him careening far across the ground again.

“Cough, cough!”

Falling and struggling back to his feet, Huyan Feng was spitting blood. He was utterly spent, his body swaying precariously. His hand still gripped his stomach, from which his intestines spilled out.

The successive heavy blows had compounded his injuries; even a Great Perfection master had little fighting capacity left in this state.

Yet, even with a mouth full of blood, he was still grinning. He had succeeded in destroying Zhang Yang. For him, that was enough.

Destroying a potential Fifth Level master—the thought alone thrilled him; it was worth dying for.

“Chirp chirp chirp!”

While Zhang Yang held his attack, a white shadow suddenly leaped over, flashing quickly onto Zhang Yang’s body.

During the preceding fight, Zhui Feng and Wuying had been deployed by Zhang Yang. Only Shandian (Lightning) remained without a mission, having been ordered by Zhang Yang to stay far away earlier.

This current confrontation involved Great Perfection and Fourth Level masters; Shandian was the weakest among them. Moreover, Shandian was not a defensive spirit beast; either Huyan Ming or his kin could have easily wounded or killed it.

For its safety, Zhang Yang had forcibly kept it distant.

Its time to unleash its power would come later, when they assaulted the Huyan family stronghold.

“Chirp chirp chirp!”

Circling Zhang Yang, Shandian chirped incessantly. After a moment, Zhang Yang froze, his expression slowly softening into one of pleasant surprise.

After a short bout of chirping, Shandian suddenly hopped onto Zhang Yang’s head and bit down hard on the Baihui acupoint atop his skull.

“Old Sir, no!”

As soon as Shandian bit down, Zhang Yang cried out urgently. Seeing the spirit beast attack Zhang Yang, Zhang Pinglu’s heart leaped, and he almost intervened directly.

Shandian perched on Zhang Yang’s head, its mouth clamped onto the Baihui point. Simultaneously, another loud crash echoed—Huyan Ming had been struck again by Zhang Daofeng, collapsing halfway over, spitting out a large mouthful of blood.

Zhui Feng certainly wouldn’t miss such an opening. He delivered a kick directly to Huyan Ming’s face, knocking out every tooth and using the immense force to stun the mid-Fourth Level expert into unconsciousness.

After suffering continuous heavy blows, Huyan Ming was in a worse state than his ancestor. He was now unconscious, allowing Zhang Daofeng to secure him, entirely missing the strange event involving Zhang Yang.

“Chirp chirp chirp!”

After sucking at Zhang Yang’s scalp for nearly a minute, Shandian hopped down.

After one final chirp, it simply collapsed straight onto the ground. Its snow-white fur was covered in a layer of gray dust, giving it a distinctly eerie appearance.

Zhang Yang picked up Shandian and slowly stood up. Both Zhang Daofeng and Zhang Pinglu frowned, but Zhang Yang showed no worry.

Shandian had passed out, but before losing consciousness, it had managed to tell Zhang Yang that it needed a long sleep, and would awaken once its body recovered.

Standing up, Zhang Yang extended his hand, the Hanquan Sword still grasped within it. A potent surge of internal energy flowed from his palm, shooting out through the blade. This was not borrowed ambient energy; it was Zhang Yang’s own inner power.

The mighty internal force struck the ground directly at Huyan Feng’s feet. Huyan Feng’s previously smiling face froze instantly, staring at Zhang Yang with sheer terror.