In the grand hall.
A group of Zhou family disciples parted, and from among them emerged an elder with silver hair.
The elder, clad in a luxurious robe, exuded an aura of authority without needing to be angry.
His every move was like a dragon walking, as if he was constantly prepared for both offense and defense.
Zhang Mo, observing this elder, narrowed his pupils.
Master!
An absolute master!
The elder's strength far surpassed that of the demonic beast, Hong Fei.
"Who… is this?"
Unconsciously, Zhang Mo asked Wang Sheng standing beside him.
"He is Zhou Yuan."
Wang Sheng explained, "It's normal that you don't know him. This is the Zhou family's patriarch, whose fame dates back more than a hundred years. I only learned of his existence by chance."
"So that's how it is!"
Zhang Mo nodded in understanding.
Once a martial artist reaches the Fourth Rank, their lifespan increases significantly.
Living to be over a hundred years old is nothing unusual.
At that moment, Zhou Yuan's gaze swept across the room, stopping on Zhang Mo's face. He said, "You're a fine young man. I never imagined that our Zhou family's thousand-year legacy would fall into your hands."
"Collaborating with demonic beasts—this is your own doing." Zhang Mo responded calmly.
Zhang Mo wasn't surprised that Zhou Yuan knew he was the cause. If even the wolves could find him, it's not uncommon for the Zhou family, with their influence, to know that he's the origin of the events.
"Heh, that's true."
Zhou Yuan chuckled. "We should blame those fools. We could have seamlessly provided them with meat, but they couldn't hold back and went hunting in the city center."
Though he smiled, his gaze towards Zhang Mo was filled with venom.
A thousand years of legacy destroyed in a single day—how could he not be angry, how could he not hate.
Tang Shou spoke up, "Zhou Yuan, it's not too late to turn back. Surrender, and maybe you can save your entire clan."
"Turn back, surrender?"
Zhou Yuan's words seemed squeezed out between his teeth. "Tang Pifu, do you believe that? Collaborating with demonic beasts is a crime of the utmost wickedness. Even if we could live, my entire clan would be ostracized for life. What's the difference between that and being dead?"
Tang Shou’s face remained calm, "At least, some will survive."
"Bullshit!"
Zhou Yuan roared, "Our Zhou family, a clan with a thousand years of history, cannot endure such humiliation. It’s better to fight our way out—there might be a glimmer of hope. This world isn't ruled solely by you, Great Xia."
His words were like thunder, amplified with internal energy, causing a gust of wind to swirl in the hall.
"Seems there's no point in talking."
Tang Shou sighed softly. His aura rose to the heavens.
The enemy still had considerable strength. If they fought to the death, there would be heavy casualties on their side. Otherwise, why would he have wasted words with them?
But it seemed they had to resort to force.
"Heh, there never was any point in talking."
"Zhou Laodi, you made the right decision."
Accompanied by a cruel, brutal laughter, a wolfman, towering nearly three meters tall, stood beside Zhou Yuan and sneered, "As long as we join forces and fight our way out, once we're in the wilds, the sky's the limit. They won't be able to touch us."
The wolfman's aura, while not as strong as Zhou Yuan's, was still terrifying.
"Good. Brother Black Wind, we'll charge together."
Zhou Yuan nodded, his gaze becoming increasingly sharp.
Seeing this, Bai Cangsheng couldn't hold back. "Zhou Yuan, have you fallen this far? You're actually calling a demonic beast 'brother'?
Zhou Yuan sneered in response, "What difference does it make if it's a demonic beast? In this world, only profit is eternal. When our Zhou family business was in trouble, no humans came to our aid."
"Enough talk, let's fight!"
As Zhou Yuan's words echoed in the air, they acted like a signal. The wolfmen and the Zhou family disciples within the grand hall charged.
"Kill!"
Tang Shou let out a long roar, and his City Guard and Beast Hunter forces, assuming battle stances, charged forward to meet the enemy.
"Finally!"
Excitement filled Zhang Mo's eyes. He stepped with the Nine Steps of the Spirit Serpent, his palm wind like a splash of ink, engaging the three-rank demonic beasts he had targeted.
At the same time!
Tang Shou and Bai Cangshan surged into the crowd, their auras, both genuine Fourth Rank martial artists, as powerful as they should be.
They were like tigers descending from the mountains, crashing through the crowd.
In an instant!
More than a dozen Zhou family disciples and demonic beasts were sent flying. They didn't even have time to cry out before they were lifeless.
At this moment!
Working in concert, the power of the Fourth Rank masters was on full display. Even three-rank peak demonic beasts couldn’t withstand a single exchange of blows against them.
It could be said without exaggeration.
Given time.
These two could completely slaughter all the demonic beasts and Zhou family disciples.
This is the terrifying nature of martial artists—the higher the rank, the more they transcend human limitations.
Witnessing this scene, Zhou Yuan’s face contorted in rage. He stomped the ground, shattering it, and his not-so-tall frame exploded with a force like a mountain collapsing, unleashing two powerful punches aimed at the two masters.
These punches!
Made the wind in the hall swirl like a tornado, as if a hungry tiger descended from the mountains.
"You two, die!"
Facing this, Bai Cangshan and the other man roared back, "You're the one who will die!"
"Zhou Yuan, you think you can scare us?"
They instantly knocked aside the surrounding people, then charged towards Zhou Yuan.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The three clashed, each punch and kick possessing the power to shatter mountains. Every move was a killing blow.
Under the unrelenting gale, the surrounding ground cracked and crumbled.
Humans and demonic beasts alike, unable to retreat, were sent flying, vomiting blood.
"This is what a Fourth Rank martial artist is like?"
As he casually killed a wolfman, Zhang Mo's gaze couldn't help but fix on the three.
He could see.
Zhou Yuan was slightly stronger than the other two.
But under the onslaught of Bai Cangshan and the other man, he was at a clear disadvantage.
It was only a matter of time before they won.