"Gong Luyun, the sins you committed against my Chu Family are too great. Killing you ten thousand times would hardly quell the hatred I have for you. My hatred for you alone cannot be appeased. I want everyone related to you to be buried alongside you!"
Chu Feng tightly gripped Gong Luyun's hair, looking at his blood-obscured face, and spoke with vicious menace. Although Gong Luyun looked terrifyingly grim, it was nothing compared to the ferocious, demonic expression on Chu Feng's face.
The fury that had built up within him for so long had now fully surfaced. It could not be soothed by a few simple words or the killing of a few people. A blood debt must be repaid with blood. The debt of the Chu Family's destruction naturally had to be repaid many times over. This price meant that all of Gong Luyun's relatives had to be buried with him.
"Heh, Chu Feng, you truly overestimate yourself. Do you really think you can kill me? If you think you can, why don't you try?!" Gong Luyun actually laughed, a laugh full of confidence.
"You think I can't? Fine, I'll show you whether I can or not!"
Chu Feng lifted his leg and delivered a powerful kick to Gong Luyun's chin. The immense force sent Gong Luyun flying high into the air, where he flipped several times before crashing to the ground with a thud.
"Ugh—!" The moment he hit the ground, Gong Luyun let out a miserable wail. Chu Feng's kick had shattered his jawbone, and the piercing pain was unbearable.
At the same time, Chu Feng stomped down on Gong Luyun's arm. Clenching his right hand into a fist, a golden great saber materialized. His expression was demonic, a sinister, cold smile hanging at the corner of his lips as he looked down at Gong Luyun and said faintly:
"You said I wouldn't dare touch even one of your fingers, and that doing so would bring disaster, right? Very well, I'll touch all five of them right now."
As soon as he finished speaking, the great saber in Chu Feng's hand transformed into a golden streak and landed on Gong Luyun's hand, hacking off all five fingers in one brutal stroke.
"Ahhhhhhhh!"
The pain of severed fingers made Gong Luyun, who had only just stabilized, wail anew. As the saying goes, all ten fingers are connected to the heart; the pain was beyond what any ordinary person could imagine.
More importantly, fingers were precious. For someone of Gong Luyun's stature, having five fingers chopped off was something he absolutely could not tolerate. At this moment, the pain in his heart likely far outweighed the physical agony.
Gong Luyun was now beyond words, able only to wail continuously. But within his eyes, killing intent overflowed and cold light surged. He glared viciously at Chu Feng, as if saying: You're dead! You're dead! You dare do this to me—you're absolutely dead!!
"What? You like it? Good, I'll grant your wish and make you a man without fingers." However, how could Chu Feng fear him? The great saber swung down again, and the five fingers on Gong Luyun's other hand were chopped off as well.
"Heavens! This... this... this..."
The scene on the platform left the spectators shocked to their core. Although everyone knew the outcome was decided and the overall situation was set, they hadn't expected Chu Feng to refrain from finishing Gong Luyun off quickly. Instead, before everyone's eyes, he was slowly, methodically destroying Gong Luyun's body.
For Gong Luyun, this was not merely physical torture, but spiritual torment. After all, Gong Luyun was now a figure of some renown in Qingzhou. Yet Chu Feng was merely famous within the Azure Dragon Sect; in the wider Qingzhou, he was practically an unknown nobody.
Now, such a self-proclaimed important figure was being publicly brutalized by a nobody. For Gong Luyun, this was the ultimate humiliation.
"This Chu Feng is truly ruthless! If word of today's events gets out, Gong Luyun will never be able to hold his head up in Qingzhou again."
"Speaking for myself, Chu Feng is being too crazy. Has he really forgotten Gong Tianping? Forgotten Lin Ran? Will these people really stand by and watch as Chu Feng tortures Gong Luyun like this without lifting a finger?"
"Today, Lin Ran isn't even here. And while Gong Tianping is formidable, didn't you see those bigwigs from the Spirit World Association? If Gong Tianping dares to break the rules and interfere, he'll have to consider carefully whether he can afford to offend those Spirit World Association people."
By this point, the spectator stands were in complete chaos. With the duel having reached this stage, people were eager to see if it would really end like this, or if the major powers backing the two geniuses would be drawn in.
Many looked forward to a grand show, anticipating the forces behind the two geniuses stepping in to protect their own.
But some thought it impossible. Although both factions were powerful, it was precisely because of their high status that they couldn't afford to lose face by breaking the rules of this life-and-death duel. Today's battle only involved Chu Feng and Gong Luyun as the main actors; everyone else was merely an observer.
Yet others believed that in the face of kinship, anything was possible. Gong Tianping would absolutely not stand by and watch his son die. If Chu Feng truly intended to deliver the killing blow, Gong Tianping would act even if it cost him his life.
As for Lin Ran, he doted on Gong Luyun so heavily, having passed on all the ultimate techniques of the Qilin Prince's Manor to him. How could he possibly watch silently as his godson was brutalized and killed?
"Stop!!"
Finally, an angry roar suddenly erupted from one of the VIP viewing boxes. Then, a large group of people stood up from the stands and charged toward the combat platform. This group was from Xuanwu City, and the one shouting was none other than Gong Luyun's father—the City Lord of Xuanwu City, Gong Tianping.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Simultaneously with the movement of the Xuanwu City forces, Zhuge Liuyun and the Six Elders of the Guardian Pavilion also swept down from the viewing stands, blocking the path of the Xuanwu City army.
"Gong Tianping! That is a life-and-death duel platform. There, their lives and deaths depend entirely on their own abilities. No one is permitted to interfere! Your actions now—are you trying to break the rules?" Zhuge Liuyun demanded loudly.
"To hell with your rules! I'm taking my son away today. Whoever tries to stop me, I'll cut them down! I don't care who it is!"
However, Gong Tianping seemed to have lost all reason. With a sweep of his massive sleeve, a powerful gust of wind blew Zhuge Liuyun and the Six Elders of the Guardian Pavilion flying. He was truly resolved to take Gong Luyun away at any cost.
But immediately after, a gentle breeze descended from the sky, catching the tumbling figures of Zhuge Liuyun and the others and lowering them safely to the ground without a single scratch.
"Look! What's happening?"
This sudden turn of events shocked everyone, including Gong Tianping, who paused in surprise. This was clearly the work of a hidden expert intervening to save Zhuge Liuyun and the others.
At this moment, most eyes turned toward the Spirit World Association members, only to find them still seated in their original positions, utterly unmoved. Their posture suggested they had no intention of getting involved in the matter at hand.
Just as everyone was guessing who had intervened, an ancient yet resonant voice suddenly echoed across the sky:
"Gong Tianping, if you think you can ignore the rules of my Azure Dragon Sect, you'd better have the ability to back that up!"