Whoosh, the old guy bounced on his feet and dashed toward the inner courtyard.
"You old scoundrel!" Zhou Heng bellowed angrily, knowing that Zhou Xianming intended to use Zhou Dinghai to threaten him.
Sky-soaring First Form!
In an instant, he entered a wondrous realm; the waterfall-like Sword Qi instantly vanished, and the entire courtyard seemed to shift from tumultuous waves to calm seas, but a sense of ominous calm before the storm enveloped everyone's minds. They all knew that what was coming next had to be a thunderous strike!
Zhou Xianming bore the brunt of it, with the greatest pressure naturally!
It was as if the entire heaven and earth were pressing down on him, giving him the impression that even moving a finger was incredibly difficult! It was at this moment that he finally understood why his son had been killed by Zhou Heng's sword. Such pressure could even affect him!
Zhou Heng roared and swung his sword.
Clouds follow the dragon, and the wind follows the tiger, as the Frost Cold Sword shot out, dragging along the sun and the moon, as if heaven was collapsing and earth was sinking, with stars plunging from the sky! Faced with such a phenomenon, those with less determination could only moan powerlessly from the depths of their hearts, and resign themselves to their fate.
——In this critical moment, Zhou Heng unleashed his potential, gaining a deeper mastery of the Sky-soaring First Form, and the power grew even stronger!
The sword light cut through the air, striking towards Zhou Xianming.
Facing such an assault, Zhou Xianming had long since turned around, not daring to have his back towards Zhou Heng! However, this was also his intent, to force Zhou Heng into a head-on confrontation!
The old scoundrel let out a sinister laugh and lunged forward, transforming his hands into claws, reaching out to grab Zhou Heng.
At the lofty heights of the Blood Refinement Realm, unless faced with a true divine weapon, no other weapon could surpass one's own hands and feet! Zhou Xianming's claws had once torn apart a Tenth Layer of Body Refinement ferocious beast, and if Zhou Heng got caught by him, it would be certain death!
Swipe, a sword passed by, spraying blood in its wake.
Zhou Heng's right hand held the sword, while his left hand was on his lower abdomen, where blood seeped through his fingers. He had sustained a cut on his stomach by Zhou Xianming, and luckily, he had dodged in time using the Cloud Flying Step; otherwise, his abdomen would have been torn open!
Zhou Xianming was not entirely unscathed; his left arm had an injury, with blood rolling down, forming a long streak.
This was the power of the Sky-soaring First Form; this was the sharpness of the Frost Cold Sword!
Hisss!
The people in the courtyard once again plunged into deep shock!
When was the last time Zhou Xianming was wounded? Zhou Heng was indeed no match for Zhou Xianming, yet one sword strike had made Zhou Xianming pay with blood, and he himself had only sustained a minor injury; how terrifying was that strength!
Indeed, the lad relied on the power of a sharp sword, but could another Bone Refinement Realm person have even grazed Zhou Xianming's clothes with it?
A terrifying young man, with limitless potential!
Could it be that he had been holding back all this time, honing his sword for ten years, and finally, he erupted with a brilliance that illuminated the heavens and earth!
At this moment, no one dared to underestimate Zhou Heng; although he had just stepped into the Bone Refinement Realm, everyone treated him as a top expert of the Blood Refinement Realm level!
——Those who dared to underestimate Zhou Heng were already lying on the ground; Zhou Kan and Zhou Jianming were prime examples.
Zhou Heng had achieved his spectacular rise to fame in an even more stunning manner!
"You shameless old scoundrel," Zhou Heng sneered, sweat on his forehead, as this one sword strike had directly drained nearly one-fifth of his strength.
"Victors become kings; losers are forgotten. As long as the goal is achieved, what's wrong with being unscrupulous?" Zhou Xianming said grimly. At this point, no amount of playing the magnanimous part could conceal his despicable actions, so why bother hiding them?
As long as he killed Zhou Heng, he would still be the Great Elder of the Zhou Family, whose word was law—who would dare to speak against him?
In a few years, everyone will have forgotten Zhou Heng and Zhou Dinghai. Losers have no place in history!
"Fight me fairly, and I will not harm your father," Zhou Xianming declared loudly, his Blood Refinement Realm aura fully unleashed to its peak, rumbling like thunder and nearly causing people to faint!
Despicable!
Everyone couldn't help but curse inwardly; to call that a fair fight, it was preposterous that the old fox could say such a thing! But under Zhou Xianming's oppressive might, who would dare to stand up?
Without the burden of Zhou Dinghai, Zhou Heng might have been able to escape on his own, but now? Zhou Heng was indeed powerful and possessed terrifying potential, but he had just entered the Bone Refinement Realm, and facing Zhou Xianming head-on, defeat was certain!
To lose meant death!
This prodigy who rose rapidly was doomed to be a flash in the pan!
Zhou Heng held his sword diagonally, readying his final stand!
Sky-soaring Second Form! He was ready to unleash the Sky-soaring Second Form; even if it couldn't severely injure Zhou Xianming, he intended to make him wounded. If the other Elders were still intimidated by the Lustful Thief and dared not "rebel," then he would have nothing more to say!
A man of valor fears not life or death.
Zhou Heng had a moment of enlightenment, as if he suddenly understood something. His right hand trembled lightly, and the Frost Cold Sword buzzed with an incredibly profound rhythm—so faint that no one noticed.
"Die!" Zhou Xianming's face twisted with ferocity as he lunged at Zhou Heng.
Shadows flickered, and a loud thud echoed, filling the air with dust.
Everyone's vision blurred momentarily, and as the dust settled, they saw two figures standing face-to-face. Zhou Xianming, white hair and eyebrows, exuded a blood energy so intense it seemed it could ignite!
Opposite him, there was another expert with blood energy soaring to the heavens!
Had Zhou Heng been hiding his true power? Was his real cultivation level at the Blood Refinement Realm?
No!
It wasn't Zhou Heng but the honored guest mentioned by Zhou Xianming, the elder in the green robe!
Why, why would this person suddenly jump out to help Zhou Heng?
It made no sense to anyone! It would be understandable if the Second Elder, Third Elder, Fourth Elder, or Fifth Elder stepped forward, but this was an outsider—what in the world was happening?
"Brother Feng, why are you protecting this junior?" Facing the elder in the green robe, Zhou Xianming dared not be careless, his words even carried a hint of fear!
The elder in the green robe smiled faintly, hands behind his back, and said, "I was sent by the Sect on a mission to find a youth with outstanding talent, and this young man, who just entered the Bone Refinement Realm and can contend with the Blood Refinement Realm, is precisely whom I am looking for!"
Zhou Xianming's face flashed with anger, but he quickly suppressed it, "Brother Feng, if you give me this favor, this rebel has killed my only son and grandson; I must cut him down!"
The elder in the green robe's expression turned cold and unyielding, "Zhou Xianming, if the Sect learns that I missed such talent, can you bear the responsibility for this crime on my behalf?"
"Give you a favor? Why should I give you any favor? What are you, exactly?"
The elder in the green robe was truly uncompromising, not only directly calling Zhou Xianming by his name but also filling his words with contempt, as if he was not facing the Great Elder with the most authority in the Zhou family, but any random cat or dog.
Everyone was immensely shocked, and couldn't help but wonder where this "Brother Feng" came from and why he was so formidable?
"Feng Tengyuan, I have no descendants left to worry about—are you sure you want to turn against me?" Zhou Xianming was clearly very wary of the man in the green robe; even at this moment, he did not attack rashly but only threatened with his words.
"So what if we turn against each other?" Feng Tengyuan said indifferently, an unconcerned expression on his face, yet his hands drew back from behind him, clearly not as relaxed as he sounded.
"Hmph, I must see this rebel dead today!" Zhou Xianming snorted angrily, his figure lunged forth, attacking Zhou Heng once more.
Thump, thump, thump—Feng Tengyuan stepped in to block, and the two mightiest experts at the Twelfth Layer of Body Refinement began a fierce close-quarter battle, their power surging outward, making everyone stagger and retreat continuously.
Oddly enough, Zhou Heng stood still, like an idiot, not moving an inch!
Although Zhou Xianming made his move, he was very cautious of Feng Tengyuan, only trying to push him back. Upon seeing Zhou Heng dazed at such a critical moment, he was delighted and suddenly struck out, forcing Feng Tengyuan to step back and then pounced to kill Zhou Heng.
"Damn it!" Feng Tengyuan couldn't help but curse, not clear whether he was cursing Zhou Heng or Zhou Xianming. With a roar, he hurriedly swept back, his face flushed red, and he slammed a palm towards Zhou Xianming's back.
He had used some secret technique to abruptly stop his unchecked momentum, which clearly caused significant damage to his body, maybe even injury!
Zhou Xianming, of course, was aware of this and couldn't help sneering, "Feng Tengyuan, this rebel has no relation to you, why are you fighting so desperately for him!"
He had to twist his body and turn back to brace against Feng Tengyuan's palm; otherwise, even though he could kill Zhou Heng, he would have been struck with a blow. Being hit by a palm from a Twelfth Layer Body Refinement expert, he wouldn't die but would surely be gravely injured!
If he were severely injured, wouldn't the several vicious wolves eyeing his position pounce to attack? Weren't those old fiends just waiting for such an opportunity?
He was not prepared to perish alongside Zhou Heng.
Clink, clank, clang, the two experts entangled once more, but with Zhou Heng, an immobile target, Zhou Xianming had absolute initiative, forcing Feng Tengyuan to go all out in defense, fighting desperately to protect.
At that point, who could still believe Feng Tengyuan was merely cherishing talent? Even a biological father wouldn't do more in the face of danger!
"Zhou Xianming, for your crimes against your kin, I've teamed up with several other Elders to relieve you of your duties and confine you to the clan's Punishment Hall for punishment. Surrender now or face death!"
Several figures leaped forth, and as soon as they stood firm, they immediately shouted their demands.
Finally, they arrived!
These four were the other Elders from the Zhou family; they only appeared at this moment because they had a powerful individual upfront, ensuring that their joining at this point would give them a full guarantee of defeating Zhou Xianming!
The members of the Zhou family all sighed inwardly; no wonder Zhou Xianming could dominate as the Great Elder—look at the courage of these four, could they ever have overthrown Zhou Xianming on their own?
At that instant, Zhou Heng suddenly opened his eyes, two black swords flashed away in his pupils, and he exuded a terrifying aura of murderous intent.