"Your father is so powerful — why didn't he save your mother?" the old cat asked.
"I don't know either. My father's actions have always been beyond my comprehension. But regardless of his reasons, I must go find my mother."
"Old Cat, I don't know what level of cultivation you've reached now, but I know you're incredibly powerful — which is why I want to ask for your help."
"This is what I wanted to say."
"If you help me, I'll remember your kindness."
"If you don't help me, that's perfectly understandable. I won't hold it against you."
Chu Feng's gaze was utterly sincere, and these were his true feelings.
Even though the old cat's bones had been the source of his father's restored power.
Even though he could have killed the old cat just moments ago, yet had chosen to save it instead.
Whether it was his father or himself, the old cat owed them both.
But Chu Feng still felt the old cat had every right to refuse.
Because at the end of the day, his decision not to kill the old cat had also been driven by his own considerations.
As for the old cat, it lowered its head in silence and remained quiet for quite some time.
Chu Feng didn't rush it. He simply waited in stillness for the old cat's answer.
Finally, the old cat raised its head and looked at Chu Feng.
"There's no rush. I'll give you my answer shortly. But first, let me deal with those ungrateful brutes."
With that, the old cat commanded the Patriarch of the Ancient War Clan to use the formation's power to issue a command, summoning all clan members to assemble.
The Patriarch of the Ancient War Clan was a coward who cared only about his own survival — he naturally didn't dare resist.
After all, he was still hoping that obeying the old cat might earn him a sliver of a chance to live.
And so, all the unaware clan members of the Ancient War Clan gathered like ants, densely packing the clan's central plaza.
The raised platform at the center of the plaza was empty — it had been reserved for their Patriarch. They were all waiting for him to arrive.
They still believed their Patriarch was hosting a celebration banquet, and every one of them was grinning from ear to ear.
But when several figures plummeted from the sky above and then crashed onto the central platform like dead dogs — Every single member of the Ancient War Clan was stunned.
Because those wretched, broken figures were none other than the Patriarch they had been eagerly awaiting, along with all of the clan's top fighters.
But how had their esteemed Patriarch and so many honored Elders ended up in this state?
Just as they were reeling in confusion and panic, another figure descended from the heavens, landing in the plaza.
It was Chu Feng and the old cat, along with the others.
The old cat landed directly on the Patriarch's body and drove one paw straight through his torso, shattering his Dantian.
The Patriarch's agonized screams echoed across the plaza.
The clan members were jolted awake from their shock. In an instant, every last one of them took to the air — but they split into two factions.
One group charged toward the platform, attacking the old cat in an attempt to rescue their Patriarch.
The other group flew outward, clearly trying to flee.
But no matter what they intended, they had barely risen into the air and hadn't even had time to act before every single one of them was frozen mid-flight.
Then the old cat leaned down slightly, extended its paw, and with a wet thrust — blood sprayed in every direction as its claw pierced through the Patriarch's skull, though it didn't take his life.
"AARGH —"
The Patriarch let out an even more gut-wrenching scream.
His body convulsed violently as some kind of special force was drawn out of his soul and absorbed into the old cat's body.
"Chu Feng, something feels off about this. It doesn't seem like simple torture," Eggy said.
"Why does it feel like it's not just his soul being absorbed — his origin power too? That old mangy cat isn't a Spirit — how is he refining origin power?"
"It really isn't simple torture. That power is fusing with the old cat, and it's a perfect fit — as if it were born for him. But that power is unmistakably the War Clan's strength."
"This old cat really is a sly one," Chu Feng said.
"What do you mean?" Eggy asked, confused.
"I suspect that all members of the Ancient War Clan carry this power within them — it comes from their bloodline, from their inheritance."
"The old cat may have genuinely intended to help the War Clan back then, but it wasn't purely out of goodwill."