The Tyrannical Thunder's third form had transformed into countless slender thunder serpents. They were tearing his skin inch by inch, refining his muscles thread by thread, destroying his bones, ravaging his internal organs, running wild throughout every part of his body. The agony was beyond description — only those who had experienced it themselves could truly understand.
"Ahhhhh~"
Screams like a pig being slaughtered rang out without end, startling birds into scattering in all directions and beasts into fleeing in panic. This was exactly what Chu Feng had intended — he wanted the man to remain conscious, to feel every moment of the torture being inflicted upon his body. Chu Feng wanted him to taste every last drop of suffering before finally ending his life.
Under the ravaging thunder, this expert at the first level of the Xuan Martial realm was ultimately reduced to something resembling a lump of charcoal. Not a single inch of his body remained intact. This period of time had undoubtedly been the most nightmarish stretch he had ever endured — the hardest stretch of his entire life. Fortunately, by now he had long since drawn his last breath.
After finishing this one off, the fury in Chu Feng's heart only burned hotter, because he knew that while these people were the ones who had massacred his Chu Family, they were not the true mastermind. So he extended his thunder-wreathed hand toward another captive.
"It was Gong Luyun — Gong Luyun from Xuan Martial City! He hired us to wipe out Purple-Gold City!" This time, before Chu Feng could even make a move, the man confessed.
"Please, young hero, spare us! This is the payment Gong Luyun gave us — we'll give it all to you." The leader of the Five Tigers removed his Universe Bag and shot a meaningful glance at the other three survivors.
"Young hero, we beg you to spare our three lives. This is everything we've accumulated — please accept it." Hearing this, the other three struggled to sit up and, with groveling deference, offered their own Universe Bags to Chu Feng.
"You slaughtered my family and still dare hope I'll spare your lives? 'A debt of blood must be paid in blood' — weren't you the ones who wrote those words? Do you not understand the meaning behind them?" Chu Feng laughed coldly, and the sound of it was utterly terrifying.
"You — you're that Chu Feng?" The words had barely left his lips when the remaining four Tigers all changed dramatically, their faces draining to a ghastly white as they collapsed limply to the ground. They knew, in that instant, that they were truly doomed.
Chu Feng did not bother to reply. He clenched his fist, and a golden longsword materialized in his grasp. A flash of golden light swept across, and eight arms came tumbling to the ground.
"Ahhhhh~" Watching their own arms get severed right before their eyes, the four Tigers screamed in unison — but it was far from over. In fact, it was only the beginning.
Shua, shua, shua!
Chu Feng gripped the golden sword and unleashed a flurry of thrusts upon the four Tigers, slicing open their skin and severing their tendons. He kept stimulating their most sensitive nerves while ensuring they stayed conscious, letting wave after wave of unbearable agony crash through their bodies, subjecting them to the cruelest torment the world had to offer.
"You beast! If you've got the guts, just kill us!"
In the blink of an eye, the once-feared Four Tigers had been reduced to mangled, bloody messes by Chu Feng's hand. Life had become more agonizing than death itself — they were actually begging Chu Feng to end them.
"You want to die? It's not that easy. I'm going to make you wish you were never born!" But Chu Feng, burning with rage, was in no mood to grant them such mercy. Not only did he refuse to stop — he intensified his efforts.
"Chu Feng, that's enough. If you calculate the timing, the main army of Vermilion Bird City should be arriving soon. We need to leave this place quickly." Watching the four Tigers, now completely drenched in their own blood, Su Rou felt a twinge of pity.
"If they're going to die, they'll die without leaving a whole corpse behind." Chu Feng gave a cold snort. The golden sword in his hand danced wildly, and amid the flashing golden light, the four Tigers' remains scattered in every direction. Even their life essences were absorbed by the little egg inside Chu Feng's body. They truly died without a single intact piece left.
"Gong Luyun, I never expected you to be this vicious — secretly targeting my family. I was going to let you live a while longer, but now it seems not only will you die, your entire Gong Family will die as well."
After completely dispatching the four Tigers, Chu Feng surveyed the surroundings. Once he confirmed that not a single survivor had been left behind, he released the barrier formation, mounted Little White, and rode off into the distance.
Now that he knew the true mastermind behind the attack on his family, Chu Feng could not wait another single moment. He wanted to slaughter Gong Luyun as soon as possible, as an offering to the spirits of his Chu Family and the tens of thousands of citizens of Purple-Gold City. What Chu Feng needed to do now was track down Gong Luyun's whereabouts.
The day after Chu Feng and Su Rou departed, the main army of Vermilion Bird City finally arrived outside the Five Tiger Stronghold.
Knowing that the people inside were nothing but desperadoes, they had prepared a tight formation beforehand, establishing an encirclement that could not be broken, and gradually closing in on the stronghold.
But the nearer they got, the more uneasy the Vermilion Bird City army became. The Five Tiger Stronghold, which should have been bustling with noise, was deathly quiet — unnervingly, abnormally quiet.
At first, they suspected it might be a trap. But they soon realized it was no trap, because they caught a scent — the smell of blood.
"My Lord, what should we do?" The smell of blood was always something to fear, for it was a signal of danger. The experts of Vermilion Bird City grew wary, and all eyes turned toward the City Lord, Su Hen.
Su Hen was also deep in thought. Such a strong stench of blood meant many had died — at the very least, a massive battle had taken place inside the stronghold. He had no idea what dangers lurked within.
But after weighing his options, he issued the command: "Kill!"
"Kill~!"
The moment the word left Su Hen's mouth, everyone roared it in unison. The single word echoed through the surrounding forest, shaking the very earth with its thunderous rumble.
The army of Vermilion Bird City, led by Su Hen and the other experts, charged into the Five Tiger Stronghold in a single decisive rush. But when they burst through the gates, every last one of them froze, utterly dumbfounded by the scene before their eyes.