Standing at the entrance of the hall, Zhang Zongnian felt the chaotic Demon Power within him surging through his meridians.
His Serpent Core was on the verge of collapsing at any moment; he knew he didn’t have much time left.
He fought to stabilize his Serpent Core and gripped the long sword he had snatched from a Yang family guard. Raising his eyes, he looked into the hall.
As he witnessed the repulsive scenes unfolding inside the room, Zhang Zongnian’s eyelids twitched.
His gaze fell particularly on Yang Zhen, who was seated in the primary seat.
Despite his advanced age and his appearance as a transcendent immortal, he had a young dancer crouching at his knees, engaged in a ridiculous and depraved act.
A torrential rage surged within Zhang Zongnian’s heart.
These were the people who controlled the cultivation resources of Xichuan, suppressed every cultivator in the County, and fattened their own family.
They were supported by the commoners, yet they oppressed and preyed upon them, treating them as less than human.
For the sake of their family interests, they would massacre the people of an entire village at the drop of a hat.
Every one of these young dancers was a child from a poor family, but in the hands of these men, they were treated as mere playthings to be insulted at will.
These people of the Yang family all deserved to die!
In a panic, Yang Zhen kicked the young dancer away.
When Zhang Zongnian saw her profile, he realized the girl actually bore a slight resemblance to Lin Xue, making the fire of his rage burn even hotter.
‘There isn’t much time left. I’ll kill this old man first to avenge Mother, then I’ll deal with the rest of this trash!’
He didn’t plan to let a single member of the Yang family in this room escape.
Clutching his sword, Zhang Zongnian suppressed the discomfort in his body and stepped into the hall. His bright eyes fixed coldly on Yang Zhen as he walked toward him.
Though his pace was slow, his footsteps were heavy, each one sounding like a drumbeat against Yang Zhen’s heart.
A Yang family cultivator at Qi Refining Level 9 had drunk too much wine.
slapped the table, stood up, and roared, “Where did this wild bastard come from? Have you eaten a bear’s heart and a leopard’s gall? You dare to come to our Yang family and act wild? Seeing our Ancestor in Foundation Establishment and yet you don’t kneel? Do you have a death wish?”
He rushed toward Zhang Zongnian drunkenly, intending to teach this blind brat a lesson and show off in front of the Ancestor.
Zhang Zongnian didn’t even look at him. With a casual wave of his hand, the Yang family cultivator let out a miserable scream and was sent flying.
He crashed through the window, following a parabolic arc before smashing into and collapsing half a courtyard wall.
The screaming stopped abruptly. The Yang family cultivator lay face down on the ground, motionless, his life or death unknown.
The cultivators of the Yang family in the hall were filled with shock.
They were all in the Qi Refinement Stage and lacked spiritual vision, so they couldn’t discern Zhang Zongnian’s cultivation.
However, the fact that a cultivator at Qi Refining Level 9 had been effortlessly waved away by this young man was enough to prove that his realm far exceeded their own.
A few Yang family juniors who were tipsy and had been about to step forward were instantly frightened sober.
They abandoned any thought of intercepting him, their wine turning into cold sweat that poured down their bodies.
Everyone instinctively retreated, desperate to avoid catching the attention of this powerhouse.
As Yang Zhen watched Zhang Zongnian approach step by step, he finally realized that this late-stage Core Condensation Grand Demon was coming specifically for him.
The man stared at him with eyes full of bone-deep hatred, as if they shared a profound grudge.
Yang Zhen racked his brain but couldn’t remember when he had ever offended such a powerful figure.
However, having lived for over 200 years, he had seen many storms. After a brief moment of panic, he quickly calmed down.
He raised his hand to gesture to the group of juniors in the hall and asked in a heavy voice, “Who are you, and why have you intruded upon the Yang family’s private residence?”
Zhang Zongnian didn’t answer. Ignoring the Yang family juniors around him, he continued to walk forward, his cold gaze fixed solely on Yang Zhen.
Seeing that Zhang Zongnian had no intention of wasting words, Yang Zhen grabbed the dancer in front of him and threw her violently toward Zhang Zongnian.
At the same time, he barked an order, “Form the array!”
When he had made the gesture, several Yang family juniors had already understood that the Ancestor wanted them to activate the Heavenly Thunder Demon-Subduing Formation.
When facing a powerful enemy like Zhang Zongnian, a Magic Formation was the only way for these Qi Refinement Stage cultivators to resist.
On that day, He Yuancheng had died within this very Heavenly Thunder Demon-Subduing Formation.
Immediately, several Yang family members secretly pulled out their Array Flags.
Upon hearing Yang Zhen’s command, they instantly poured their Spiritual Power into the Array Flags.
Lingqi surged within the hall as the framework of the Heavenly Thunder Demon-Subduing Formation began to take shape.
Zhang Zongnian had already reached the center of the hall.
Holding the long sword he had taken from the servant, he stared intently at Yang Zhen, wary of him escaping.
Noticing Yang Zhen’s movement, he leaped forward, rushing toward him.
Just as he was about to thrust his sword to take the old man’s life, he saw the dancer who resembled Lin Xue being hurled toward him.
Zhang Zongnian instinctively halted his attack. He reached out to catch the dancer and placed her steadily on the ground.
That face, so similar to Lin Xue’s, caused him to linger on her for an extra two looks.
By the time he snapped back to his senses and prepared to attack Yang Zhen again, he found himself surrounded by a golden barrier of light.
Through the combined efforts of dozens of Yang family members, a rudimentary Heavenly Thunder Demon-Subduing Formation had been formed.
A screen of light manifested in the hall like an inverted bowl, trapping Zhang Zongnian inside.
Upon the barrier, currents of electricity meandered like snakes. Bolts of lightning began to take shape, flickering as if they would strike at any moment.
Zhang Zongnian didn’t recognize this formation.
Training for the Heavenly Thunder Demon-Subduing Formation was only accessible to those who reached the rank of the Heiyi Wei.
Previously, Zhang Zongnian had only been a small-town Constable and had never encountered it.
However, he could feel the immense power contained within those flashes of lightning.
Zhang Zongnian snorted coldly and lunged, thrusting his sword toward Yang Zhen.
The long sword struck the barrier with a violent force.
The array buckled under the wave of energy, causing some of the Yang family cultivators supporting the Heavenly Thunder Demon-Subduing Formation to stumble and nearly fall.
The formation swayed precariously, almost breaking on the spot.
Yang Zhen was startled.
He hadn’t expected the attack power of a late-stage Core Condensation Grand Demon to be so terrifying.
He turned to the juniors in the hall who were still standing there in a daze and shouted, “What are you waiting for? Strengthen the formation! This creature is a late-stage Core Condensation Grand Demon! Use the full array—the maximum power! Everyone, get in position! Otherwise, we all die!”
The slower-reacting members of the Yang family finally snapped out of it.
They pulled out their Array Flags and took their positions to reinforce the Heavenly Thunder Demon-Subduing Formation.
The golden light of the barrier immediately strengthened significantly.
Failing his first strike, Zhang Zongnian stepped back a few paces, preparing to launch another attack.
Suddenly, several bolts of golden lightning struck down from the barrier simultaneously, lashing toward him.
Bursts of electrical light exploded against his body.
In an instant, Zhang Zongnian was covered in wounds.
He gritted his teeth and endured the pain, his eyes still fixed on Yang Zhen.
‘It’s just like going through another Lightning Tribulation.’
Suppressing the churning blood within him, he launched another fierce assault against the barrier.
The formation shook violently once more.
However, because more people were acting as focal points, the array was much sturdier. It didn’t look like it was about to break as it had before.
Yang Zhen felt much more at ease.
He looked at Zhang Zongnian with a cold smirk and said, “Since you’ve entered the Heavenly Thunder Demon-Subduing Formation of the Xichuan Yang family, you should just accept your death! Several of my family’s juniors are looking to reach the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, and I was worrying about how to get them high-grade Po Zhang Dan from the superiors. You’re quite sensible, demon, coming here specifically to deliver your Serpent Core.”
“With the Serpent Core of a late-stage Core Condensation Grand Demon, exchanging it for a few high-grade Po Zhang Dan will be no trouble at all. My Yang family will be able to gain a few more experts at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining.”
“To think this demon brother would be willing to sacrifice himself and travel a thousand miles to deliver his core just to strengthen my Yang family. I truly cannot thank you enough, hahaha!”
Seeing that Zhang Zongnian was firmly trapped within the Heavenly Thunder Demon-Subduing Formation, the Yang family juniors finally relaxed. They joined Yang Zhen, laughing wantonly.
Zhang Zongnian remained silent, enduring one lightning strike after another as he launched several more attacks against the barrier.
Yet every attack was firmly blocked by the light screen. He couldn’t harm Yang Zhen, who stood a mere ten steps away.
The smugness on Yang Zhen’s face grew. The way he looked at Zhang Zongnian was filled with mockery and disdain.
‘A demon is just a demon—utterly stupid and only capable of using brute force.’
‘These wilderness boors are only fit to be materials and stepping stones for us human cultivators!’
He sat back in his seat and picked up his wine glass. He enjoyed the sight of Zhang Zongnian struggling within the Heavenly Thunder Demon-Subduing Formation and drained his glass in one gulp.
Just as he set the glass down, he suddenly noticed that the Demon Aura surrounding Zhang Zongnian had surged in density, and his momentum was skyrocketing.
A late-stage Core Condensation Grand Demon was now faintly displaying the power of a Core Condensation Demon King.
Yang Zhen’s eyes widened.
‘What’s happening? What is this?’
‘How did this demon suddenly become so much stronger?’
Zhang Zongnian looked up at Yang Zhen, his gaze freezing cold.
He had burned his Serpent Core once again.
After several probing attacks, he had discovered that while the formation before him was sturdy, it could only withstand the attacks of Foundation Establishment cultivators and Core Condensation Grand Demons.
It could not stop the attack of a Core Condensation Demon King or a Golden Core Stage cultivator.
In any case, he was already going to die. Dying a little sooner or a little later made no difference.
Zhang Zongnian felt the overwhelming, tyrannical power belonging to a Demon King return to his body.
He gave Yang Zhen a cold smile, gripped his long sword, and attacked the array once more.
The intense vibration made the ground shake several times.
Debris fell from the ceiling.
A crack appeared in the golden light of the Heavenly Thunder Demon-Subduing Formation.
More than a dozen Yang family members with lower cultivation were hit by the backlash from the Array Flags.
They collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth and losing consciousness.
Yang Zhen’s face turned pale instantly.
Acting decisively, he immediately chose to abandon his family’s juniors and flee alone!
He turned and crashed through a window, transforming into a streak of light as he flew away.
Seeing that their Ancestor had actually fled, the Yang family descendants in the hall descended into chaos.
They scrambled through windows and doors, crying out for their parents as they fought to escape.
Those who couldn’t get away in time knelt before Zhang Zongnian on the spot, begging for forgiveness for their previous insolence.
Zhang Zongnian snorted. Without even a glance at the pathetic Yang family juniors, he charged out of the building.
He glanced in the direction Yang Zhen had fled, transformed into a streak of light, and gave chase.