On the road leading to Kaoshan Town, Chu Renyi and a group of Chu Family members were being surrounded and attacked by a crowd of enemies.
At this moment, most of the Chu Family members were already gravely wounded, lying collapsed along both sides of the road. Several among them had already succumbed to their injuries. Only Chu Renyi, a Spirit Martial Eighth Level cultivator, was still barely holding on.
However, facing six Spirit Martial Eighth Level enemies and several at the Spirit Martial Seventh Level, Chu Renyi was clearly outmatched. His body was already covered in wounds, and he was gasping for breath in ragged heaves, the powerlessness of his situation seeping into his eyes.
"Chu Renyi, didn't see this coming, did you? We've been waiting here for you for quite some time. Today, no one can save your Chu Family. However many of you come back from the Chu Family — that's how many will die!" the man leading the group said viciously.
"Ma Zhong, the Chu Family has never had any grudge against your Ma Family. Why would you team up with the Xu Family to turn against us?!" Chu Renyi shouted, demanding an answer.
"Haha, why did we join forces against your Chu Family? You know the answer to that yourself. Did you really think you could hide this from everyone?" Ma Zhong sneered as he closed in on Chu Renyi, killing intent radiating from every step.
"Join forces against my Chu Family? That all depends on whether you're even capable of it." But just at that moment, a clear, resounding voice suddenly rang out like a clap of thunder.
The sudden voice startled the members of the Ma Family. They quickly turned to look — and what they saw left every one of them stunned.
A young man was riding a large white horse, slowly approaching their direction. And this young man was none other than Chu Feng.
"That's the boy from the Chu Family — Chu Feng. How did he come back?"
"No, wait — look at his clothes. Those are… the robes of an Azure Dragon Sect Core Disciple."
All of them had witnessed Chu Feng at the Chu Family clan competition, so they recognized him at a glance. But when they saw the Core Disciple uniform he wore, they were stunned.
It hadn't even been a full month since the end of the clan competition, yet Chu Feng — who had clearly been merely an Inner Sect disciple at the time — had somehow become a Core Disciple in such a short period. It was almost impossible to believe.
Even though everyone already knew that Chu Feng's talent was extraordinary and that he was bound for greatness, they had never imagined his talent could be this monstrous. It had far exceeded anything they could have conceived.
"Chu Feng, run!" Chu Renyi suddenly shouted.
"Surround him — don't let him escape!" Ma Zhong quickly snapped to his senses and ordered his men to form a circle around Chu Feng.
As for Chu Feng, he didn't take this group of people the slightest bit seriously. He simply sat atop his tall horse, remaining exactly where he was, looking down with contempt at the crowd of nervous enemies who were blocking off his retreat.
"Haha, you're quite the impressive little brat — becoming an Azure Dragon Sect Core Disciple at your age. If we let you grow any further, who knows what you'll become." Only after seeing that Chu Feng's escape route was sealed did Ma Zhong finally laugh with relief.
"That's right. Today we must wipe the Chu Family out completely, or there'll be endless trouble down the road."
The others echoed his sentiment. After all, Chu Feng's talent was simply too terrifying — so great that it filled them with fear. If they didn't kill Chu Feng now, the trouble he'd cause them in the future would be unimaginable.
"Bastards — you think you can wipe out my Chu Family? Keep dreaming!" At that moment, Chu Renyi charged forward as if he had gone mad.
Today, the Chu Family faced imminent catastrophe. Nearly all of Kaoshan Town was on the verge of destruction. The family's hopes rested entirely on the younger generation — and clearly, Chu Feng was the greatest hope among them. Though Chu Renyi himself didn't particularly like Chu Feng, as a member of the Chu Family, he had to protect him, even if it meant sacrificing his own life.