The bodies of the two Black Iron Centipedes burst apart, showering gore everywhere, yet Teng Yongfan strained his eyes, watching the figure hurtling toward him—a strong silhouette amidst the shattered remains, appearing like a demon god, possessing familiar features marred by eyes tinged with red. It was his son, Teng Qingshan, the one he was most proud of.

“Qingshan!” Teng Yongfan swayed, a sharp dizziness blooming in his head from his earlier exertion, but his heart soared with wild, unrestrained joy.

He saw his son!

Teng Qingshan lunged forward, enveloping his father in an embrace. His worn clothes were soaked in blood, and numerous wounds were visible even to the naked eye. Yet, none of this could mask the sheer excitement surging through Teng Qingshan. He had believed his father dead, consumed by despair and fury, only to find him alive now!

The transition from profound sorrow to intense elation overwhelmed Teng Qingshan, rendering him unable to control his emotions.

“Father, Father!” Tears blurred Teng Qingshan’s vision; he couldn't hold them back.

“Qingshan,” Teng Yongfan’s heart trembled slightly.

He had watched his son grow up and knew his temperament well. His son had always been exceptionally resilient. He had never once seen him weep. Even before the age of ten, Qingshan had fought and killed packs of wolves. In his father’s eyes, his son was the strongest, bravest, and most fearless man alive!

But today…

He saw his son’s tears!

“Don’t cry,” Teng Yongfan managed to say before a sudden wave of dizziness struck his head.

“Father,” Teng Qingshan noticed his father’s distress immediately.

“The water here is freezing,” Teng Qingshan instantly channeled his innate true essence. A surge of fiery crimson innate true essence spread outwards, forming a protective shield that enveloped Teng Yongfan.

Whoosh! The bottom of the cavern shook violently, and Teng Qingshan rocketed upward.

Like a phantom of the Fire God, he traversed the seemingly bottomless pit. Using only four leveraged leaps, he soared out of the abyss, descending a hundred zhang deep before landing softly on the weedy ground. Teng Qingshan gently lowered his father.

Teng Qingshan’s gaze swept over his father’s legs, and his expression darkened drastically: his father’s left leg was severed just above the thigh.

“Father’s leg!” Teng Qingshan’s preceding joy plummeted to the abyss. Earlier, consumed by the urgency of the rescue, Teng Yongfan’s upper body had been above the water; the broken leg and lower half remained submerged. Thus, Teng Qingshan hadn't realized the extent of the injury. Now, the truth was undeniable.

Teng Yongfan, however, opened his eyes and managed a smile. “The sun on my skin… it truly feels wonderful!”

It was high noon now, the sun blazing in its most brilliant phase. The winter sun felt wonderfully warm.

“Father’s leg is broken, and he has so many wounds. Severe blood loss! He must have escaped to the bottom of the Abyss Cave around dusk yesterday. The ground was icy, he lost so much blood, and he had nothing to eat…” Teng Qingshan, a former assassin, possessed some basic knowledge of emergency care. With so many injuries and a severed limb, any ordinary person would have succumbed to blood loss already. His father had survived only due to his naturally robust physique.

“Father, eat,” Teng Qingshan immediately produced the bundled steamed buns and held one near his father’s mouth.

“I’m starved,” Teng Yongfan revealed a slight smile, opened his mouth, and began devouring the food fiercely. While submerged in the flooded cave, thirst hadn't been his main issue; hunger was overwhelming. The extreme hunger following massive blood loss left him dizzy and weak.

Teng Yongfan consumed all three steamed buns and two flatbreads in Teng Qingshan’s bundle.

Watching his father eat, a pang of sharp sorrow struck Teng Qingshan.

Teng Yongfan laughed heartily. “Qingshan, look at you! The commander of the Black Armored Army! Don’t worry, your old man is in great shape. That was only about thirty percent full! But much better now; the dizziness is gone.” Excessive blood loss inevitably caused dizziness and physical decline.

This was vital essence (Jing Xue), which had to be replenished through food! While ample vital essence could generate internal energy (Nei Jin), internal energy could not reverse the loss of vital essence. Too much vital essence depleted meant only consumption—meat, fowl, fish, grains, and all sorts of foodstuffs—could replenish it.

“Father, what other issues do you have?” Teng Qingshan pressed. “The sooner we treat it, the better. We can’t delay.”

Teng Yongfan pointed to his waist. “The sword wounds on my body are minor, but I took a heavy slash across my lower back. From the waist down, I have absolutely no sensation; I can’t move at all. Even when that Black Iron Centipede bit off my left leg, I felt no pain.” Teng Qingshan’s face changed drastically upon hearing this. “Paralysis?” He immediately rolled his father over.

There was a hideous gash across his father’s waist, deep and ragged.

“It hit the spine,” Teng Qingshan’s face paled. Based on the depth of the wound and his father’s symptoms, Teng Qingshan understood immediately.

Spinal injury meant paralysis! In his previous life’s world, with advanced technological medical facilities, there might have been a slim chance of recovery. But here, on the Nine Provinces Continent, it was an impossibility.

“If I’m paralyzed, I’m paralyzed,” Teng Yongfan said dismissively with a smile. “My leg is already gone; being paralyzed doesn’t make much difference.”

“Father.”

A sharp pain pierced Teng Qingshan’s heart. No difference?

The difference was enormous! If it were just a missing leg, a prosthetic limb crafted from steel might allow him to stand and walk roughly. But paralysis of the lower half meant his father’s entire future life would be fraught with difficulty.

“It’s all because of me!” Teng Qingshan seethed inwardly, filled with unwillingness. “I wanted my parents to live well, but… This time, Qinghu Island specifically targeted Father. It must be because of me!”

“Qingshan, where is the body of your Uncle Yongxiang?” Teng Yongfan looked around, his eyes alight with urgency.

“The people from Qinghu Island cremated him. The ashes were likely scattered by the wind,” Teng Qingshan replied in a low voice.

The man died, and not even his ashes remained.

Teng Yongfan closed his eyes, and tears slipped down his cheeks.

“Qingshan, your uncle grew up with me; he was my dearest brother.” Taking a deep breath, Teng Yongfan looked at his son. “Is his fine iron spear here?”

“It’s in my bundle.” Teng Qingshan took out the disassembled spear, separated into four sections.

“These two sections belong to your Uncle Yongxiang.” Teng Yongfan reached out a slightly trembling hand, grasping the spear shafts, his voice heavy. “When we return, dismantle the spearheads and place them into the urn, then inter them in the ancestral hall.” Without ashes, the deceased’s weapon and clothing had to suffice as substitutes.

Teng Qingshan nodded. “Father, wait a moment.”

Using his hands encased in the Skyhawk Claw gloves, Teng Qingshan swiftly chopped down several branches in the woods and quickly constructed a rudimentary armchair.

“Father, please sit here.” Teng Qingshan helped his father onto it.

Then, Teng Qingshan lifted the entire makeshift chair, cradling it against his chest. Weighing nearly two hundred jin, it posed no burden to him whatsoever.

“Hoo!”

Teng Qingshan executed the Tianya Xing movement technique. He shot away like a wisp of green smoke. Although Teng Qingshan’s body undulated as he navigated the forest terrain, relying on his hands for balance, his father, Teng Yongfan, seated in the chair, barely registered any vibration. The reason for using the Tianya Xing technique was that relying purely on brute strength would create significant jarring shocks, inevitably disturbing his father.

…

In one stretch, he covered over thirty li.

“Qingshan, the road you’re taking isn’t right. This isn’t the way back to Teng Family Village,” Teng Yongfan noted.

“Father, I have already arranged for all clan members to head toward Jiangning Prefecture City. From now on, the members of the Teng Clan will reside in Jiangning Prefecture City.” Teng Qingshan moved with lightning speed, yet his speech was completely steady.

“Jiangning Prefecture City?” Teng Yongfan paused, then sighed softly. “Leaving the ancestral land… but it is for the best; the clan members will no longer have to live in fear.”

“Yes,” Teng Qingshan confirmed with a nod.

Sitting in the chair, feeling the surrounding forests rapidly recede, Teng Yongfan reflected inwardly: With a son like this, what more could a man ask for?

“Hmm?” Teng Qingshan’s gaze swept toward the distance.

In the distant woods, he noticed a man—his hair wildly disheveled, resembling a wild savage—riding a pitch-black leopard. This beast stood a full eight chi tall (nearly two meters) and was over a zhang long. The black leopard strolled leisurely through the forest, its rider equally relaxed.

“Black Cloud Leopard?” Teng Qingshan inwardly startled.

Black Cloud Leopard: An exceedingly formidable demonic beast originating from the savage lands of the South. Once fully grown, its strength rivaled that of a peak Xiantian expert. An adult Black Cloud Leopard possessed astonishing speed, significantly surpassing even the Three Great Dragon Horses. It could travel thousands of li in a single day, making it arguably the finest mount among beasts.

“Who is that capable of riding a Black Cloud Leopard?” Teng Qingshan wondered, surprised.

The savage’s eyes shifted toward him with a trace of astonishment.

“This must be a powerful master attracted by the news of Qinghu Island excavating the Yu Emperor’s treasure. Anyone who can ride a Black Cloud Leopard must be a Xiantian expert, and judging by appearances, not an ordinary one. Still… I need to get Father to Mother first.” Teng Qingshan chose not to engage and instead increased his speed.

Whoosh! In an instant, he vanished from the man’s sightline with his father in tow.

“Hmm?” Astonishment flickered in the savage’s eyes. “Such speed! Moving this fast while carrying a person. Even a peak Xiantian Shi Dan master would only achieve this velocity.”

…

“Creak, creak!” The sound of wheels filled the air. Over two thousand inhabitants of Teng Family Village rested on a desolate patch beside the official road. They had set off early that morning. By noon, they had covered barely fifty li. After all, the Teng Clan was large, burdened with dependents. Even pulled by a hundred Mottled-Patterned Horses, they would likely cover only eighty li a day—which was already quite fast, considering the circumstances, and this was due to the generally excellent physical condition of most villagers.

“Mother, have something,” Qingyu urged beside a wooden cart. Her mother, Yuan Lan, wrapped tightly in blankets, lay on the cart.

“I can’t eat,” Yuan Lan offered a strained smile. “You eat instead.”

Seeing her mother’s pale complexion, Qingyu’s heart ached. She knew the shock of her father’s death had devastated her mother.

“Qingyu, you eat,” Yuan Lan looked at her daughter with deep affection. “Mother is resting motionless on the cart; I’m not hungry. You’ve been running for over three hours; you must be starving.”

“Mother,” Qingyu’s eyes reddened.

From last night until now, a heavy sorrow had weighed on Qingyu’s heart.

“Qing—Qingyu!” Yuan Lan suddenly widened her eyes, staring westward, shock radiating from her gaze. Seeing her mother’s expression, Qingyu immediately turned to look west.

A blurred shadow was rapidly approaching from the distance.

There seemed to be another figure just ahead of that blurred shadow.

Yuan Lan strained her eyes, trying desperately to make out the indistinct shape drawing nearer…