"Please, don't kill me, don't kill me!"
"No—ahhh!"
Facing an inescapable situation, many people inside the grand hall dropped to their knees, snot and tears streaming down their faces, kowtowing to
Chu Feng and Zi Ling felt no pity for people like this, because they knew what these people truly were. Even now, groveling and pleading, the moment they left this place they would go right back to committing evil deeds. People like this had to die.
Chu Feng and Zi Ling cut them down with thunderous efficiency. In the blink of an eye, the majority of the villains in the hall lay dead.
But Chu Feng saved
"Back when you came after me, did you ever think today would come?"
"Heh… hahaha…" Yan Yangtian didn't answer. Instead, he suddenly burst into laughter.
His smile told Chu Feng that he no longer feared death, nor did he fear torture at Chu Feng's hands. It told Chu Feng that he had already steeled himself for every possible outcome.
So he cast aside every trace of servility. Even the fear in his eyes receded somewhat as he tried to maintain the bearing of a man who had once been king. He spoke to Chu Feng:
"Think of it—I, Yan Yangtian, dominated Qingzhou for decades. How magnificent I once was. Back then I truly never imagined that this day would come."
"Even less did I imagine I would fall at the hands of a teenager."
"But the winner takes all, and the loser has no excuses."
"You, Chu Feng, are stronger than me and more ruthless than me. I, Yan Yangtian, accept my defeat."
"But I don't feel ashamed. Even the
"If you want to ask whether I regret what I did back then, I can tell you—yes, I regret it. I regret it deeply. I regret ever provoking you…"
"If I could choose again, I would have tried to win your favor and curry your goodwill."
"But what's done is done. What good is my remorse now? All I can do is envy the Azure Dragon Sect's Master. His eye for talent was extraordinary. His vision was better than mine, and he was smarter than me, because he bet on you."
"Now here I stand before you. Though my cultivation is still above yours, my strength is already far below yours."
"Kill me or mutilate me—I won't have a single word of complaint. Go ahead. If I, Yan Yangtian, beg for mercy even once today, then in my next life I'll be your son."
Looking at Yan Yangtian like this, Chu Feng first closed his eyes as memories of the past flooded back. Then he suddenly laughed, as though something had clicked into place. He said to Yan Yangtian:
"You really have a clear head about this. But don't worry—I won't kill you, and I won't torture you. I will, however, strip you of your strength, so that you can no longer harm common folk or bully the weak." Chu Feng smiled faintly, then thrust a single hand forward like a blade, plunging it straight into Yan Yangtian's Dantian.
"Ugh—aaah!" With a rush of blood gushing from his Dantian, Yan Yangtian let out a miserable scream. His face went deathly pale as he collapsed to the ground, his body convulsing.
Chu Feng had not killed Yan Yangtian. It wasn't that his heart had softened, nor was it that he wanted to give the man a chance to reform. He simply didn't feel like killing him anymore.
If Yan Yangtian's strength had still been above Chu Feng's, or if he could still pose a grave threat, Chu Feng would have killed him without a moment's hesitation—to eliminate future trouble.