“Elder Hanxun, can you break the Heavenly Thunder Ancient Formation?” the Zuoqiu Heavenly Clan patriarch asked, his voice laced with gritted teeth.
He could no longer endure it and wanted to personally kill Chu Feng.
But the Heavenly Thunder Ancient Formation’s power was too strong for him to breach.
“Clan Leader, once the Heavenly Thunder Ancient Formation is activated, it can only dissipate on its own. It cannot be undone,” Zuoqiu Hanxun replied. “However, the formation only blocks us. Those under a hundred years old can enter it with this.”
As he spoke, he produced a stone token.
The token shared the same aura as the Heavenly Thunder Ancient Formation, as if they were one.
Zuoqiu Hanxun turned his gaze to Zuoqiu Daoyi.
Though Zuoqiu Daoyi’s talent was inferior to Zuoqiu Tiansheng’s, he was undeniably a genius.
Not only was he still a junior, but he also possessed Third Rank Supreme cultivation.
With most of the Zuoqiu Heavenly Clan unable to save Zuoqiu Tiansheng, Zuoqiu Daoyi was clearly the only one capable.
“Daoyi, are you confident?” the patriarch asked.
“Father, rest assured. If I can enter, I won’t let Chu Feng leave alive,” Zuoqiu Daoyi replied, taking the stone token.
“Keep him alive. I want him to suffer a fate worse than death,” the patriarch said.
“Understood.”
Zuoqiu Daoyi prepared to enter the formation, but Zuoqiu Hanxun stopped him, holding a Qiankun Bag.
“Young Master Daoyi, just in case, take this,” Zuoqiu Hanxun said.
“Heh…” Zuoqiu Daoyi chuckled.
He recognized the Qiankun Bag and knew its contents.
It was meant for Zuoqiu Tiansheng.
The bag’s contents couldn’t help withstand the Heavenly Thunder Ancient Formation but could boost Tiansheng’s combat power within it.
Yet Tiansheng had deemed it unnecessary against Chu Feng, who couldn’t use barrier techniques, and left it behind.
Zuoqiu Daoyi was confident he could defeat Chu Feng with his own strength and disdained using such aids.
Zuoqiu Hanxun, aware of Daoyi’s strength, still offered it.
To Daoyi, this felt like an insult.
“Elder Hanxun, my brother didn’t need this, and you want me to take it?” Zuoqiu Daoyi asked. “Do you think I’m no match for Chu Feng?”
“Young Master Daoyi, I didn’t mean that,” Zuoqiu Hanxun said. “It’s just a precaution. Besides, the Heavenly Thunder Ancient Formation could collapse anytime. If you don’t use it now, it’ll go to waste.”
Zuoqiu Daoyi grew more irritated.
You didn’t say anything when my brother refused it, but you lecture me when I don’t want it?
Don’t you just look down on me?
Though he and Tiansheng were close, Daoyi felt unbalanced.
The clan had spent immense resources to activate the Heavenly Thunder Ancient Formation for Tiansheng, not him.
He knew the future clan leader would be his brother, not him.
Initially, it wasn’t like this.
Daoyi had once been a prodigy, the clan’s hope, its future leader.
But as Tiansheng’s talent shone, especially after mastering the Divine Punishment Technique, everything changed.
Though Daoyi’s cultivation still surpassed his brother’s, in the clan’s eyes, he was no longer the top genius.
Tiansheng was.
Despite accepting it outwardly, Daoyi harbored deep resentment.
He trained tirelessly to avoid being outdone, to prove he was still the clan’s greatest genius.
If his brother disdained the bag, so did he.
“Take it. Better to have it and not need it,” the patriarch said.
Zuoqiu Daoyi froze, caught in a dilemma.
Though reluctant, he didn’t dare defy his father.
“Understood.”
He took the Qiankun Bag and tucked it away.
Holding the stone token, he approached the Heavenly Thunder Ancient Formation.
When he placed the token against the formation’s barrier, it vanished, and so did he.
When he reappeared, he was inside the formation.
Seeing Chu Feng torment his brother up close, Daoyi felt both heartache and a secret thrill.
But he knew he couldn’t linger—his father was watching.
“Chu Feng, kneel and beg for mercy, and I might let you live a bit longer,” Zuoqiu Daoyi said.
Chu Feng, engrossed in torturing Tiansheng, only noticed Daoyi at his voice.
“Another one?” Chu Feng said with a smile. “You brothers really share your troubles.”
Zuoqiu Daoyi’s brows furrowed in anger.
Even you, who knows nothing about me, think I’m like my brother?
His rage surged.
Whoosh—
Without further words or martial power, Zuoqiu Daoyi charged at Chu Feng with a primal attack.
His speed was blinding, reaching Chu Feng in an instant.
His hand, sharp as a blade, sliced through the air, aiming for Chu Feng’s dantian.
Though his father wanted Chu Feng alive, Daoyi thought keeping him breathing was enough—no need to preserve his cultivation.
Most importantly, he wanted to prove himself, to show everyone that, at the same cultivation level, his combat power surpassed his brother’s.
His strike hit Chu Feng as intended.
But when his hand struck Chu Feng’s dantian, Daoyi froze.
Chu Feng’s clothes were undamaged, while Daoyi’s fingers were mangled and broken.
His hand felt like it had struck a steel plate, shattered by his own force.
