Chapter 8: The Great Annihilation Fist

Chu Feng's gaze turned ice-cold at those words, a flash of killing intent crossing his eyes.

A short while later, Chu Feng stepped out of his room to find a middle-aged man in purple robes charging toward him with murderous intent.

Chu Feng recognized the man — he was Chu Jian's father, Chu Hongyuan, whose cultivation was at the seventh level of the Spirit Entry Stage.

"Chu Feng, you're dead!" Chu Hongyuan closed in and slammed a ferocious palm strike at him without any hesitation, clearly aiming for a one-hit kill.

Chu Hongyuan had just returned from outside and, upon seeing the sorry state Chu Jian was in, had flown into a rage and come to kill Chu Feng.

Chu Feng had neither father nor mother, had just been expelled from the Qinglan Sect, and yet he still dared to injure his precious Jian'er — he truly had a death wish!

He was going to kill Chu Feng and avenge his son.

His own father, Chu Maode, was the Grand Elder of the Chu Clan. Even if he killed Chu Feng, any punishment from the clan afterward would be light.

And with Chu Feng dead, his son Chu Jian could take over as the Young Clan Master of the Chu Clan.

As his palm drew ever closer to Chu Feng, Chu Hongyuan had already begun to fantasize about Chu Feng's death and Chu Jian ascending to the position of Young Clan Master.

Suddenly, Chu Feng let out a low cry and slowly thrust his fist forward.

"Great Annihilation Fist!"

In an instant, a terrifyingly powerful force erupted from Chu Feng's fist, shattering Chu Hongyuan's palm strike and crashing squarely into his chest.

Boom!

Chu Hongyuan immediately spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward.

He crashed hard onto the ground and tumbled a great distance before coming to a stop.

"Ah! Master!"

The servants who had accompanied Chu Hongyuan cried out in alarm at the sight of him lying motionless on the ground, barely clinging to life.

Chu Feng cast a cold glance at the unmoving Chu Hongyuan.

The Great Annihilation Fist was a demonic martial art that directly annihilated the life force of its target.

Normally, the Great Annihilation Fist required demonic energy to execute, but Chu Feng could now channel Spiritual Energy through the Chaos Art to replicate its effect.

Though its power was somewhat diminished, it was more than enough to deal with Chu Hongyuan, who was only at the seventh level of the Spirit Entry Stage.

That single punch had likely sealed Chu Hongyuan's fate — he wouldn't last much longer.

Chu Hongyuan had dared to call him a bastard child. That would cost him his life.

Before long, the Second Elder, Chu Wenshan, was informed by a servant and hurried over.

After examining Chu Hongyuan's injuries, Chu Wenshan looked at Chu Feng with a mixture of shock and fury.

"Chu Feng, you've gravely wounded Chu Hongyuan. When the Grand Elder returns, he won't let this go!"

"Hmph. The Grand Elder's faction is nothing but a plague upon the Chu Clan. I'm simply helping the clan rid itself of these cancers," Chu Feng said calmly.

Grand Elder Chu Maode, relying on his strength as a True Spirit Stage cultivator, had long tyrannized the Chu Clan, and even the Clan Master, Chu Tianyue, sometimes had to defer to him.

Three years ago, when Chu Feng was named Young Clan Master of the Chu Clan, Chu Maode had obstructed the process at every turn, trying to install Chu Jian in the position instead.

In the end, it was only because Chu Tianyue joined forces with the Second Elder and pushed the decision through that Chu Feng became Young Clan Master.

Chu Tianyue had no sons of his own. If Chu Maode's tyranny went unchecked and Chu Jian became Young Clan Master, Chu Tianyue's position as Clan Master would soon be in jeopardy.

That was why Chu Tianyue had stood firm and made Chu Feng the Young Clan Master at the time.

Chu Feng would be leaving the Chu Clan soon.

The Chu Clan was, after all, the family of his predecessor. Before he left, Chu Feng wanted to help cleanse it of its cancerous elements.

His life ahead would be drenched in blood and strewn with corpses — the Chu Clan's association with him was not necessarily a blessing.

Before departing, helping the Chu Clan one last time would settle whatever karmic debt he owed them.

"Chu Feng, wasn't your cultivation supposed to have been crippled?"

Chu Wenshan stared at him with a puzzled expression.

Earlier, a servant had reported that Chu Feng had killed Chu Hongyuan with a single punch.

Chu Wenshan had refused to believe it.

Chu Hongyuan was at the seventh level of the Spirit Entry Stage — even a cultivator at the first level of the True Spirit Stage would struggle to kill him with one blow.

Before his cultivation was crippled, Chu Feng had only been at the fourth level of the Spirit Entry Stage — there was absolutely no way he could have killed Chu Hongyuan with a single punch.

Yet he had just learned from Chu Hongyuan's attendants that Chu Feng had indeed struck Chu Hongyuan down with one punch, leaving him critically wounded and near death.

Chu Wenshan was utterly stunned.

"It was indeed crippled before, but I encountered a Fortuitous Encounter and my cultivation has recovered to the first level of the Spirit Entry Stage," Chu Feng said evenly.

"First level of the Spirit Entry Stage?"

"Then how did you manage to injure Chu Hongyuan?"

Chu Wenshan was clearly unconvinced, though he could sense that Chu Feng's aura was indeed only at the first level of the Spirit Entry Stage.

"He was simply too weak," Chu Feng said flatly.

"You..."

Chu Feng's words left Chu Wenshan feeling thoroughly deflated.

Chu Wenshan's own strength was only marginally greater than Chu Hongyuan's — if Chu Hongyuan was weak, then wasn't he barely any better?

"Your cultivation is only at the first level of the Spirit Entry Stage. How do you plan to deal with Chu Maode?"

Chu Wenshan frowned deeply as he looked at Chu Feng.

Chu Maode's cultivation was at the second level of the True Spirit Stage — an entire major realm above Chu Feng.

By any conventional measure, ten Chu Fengs combined would be no match for Chu Maode.

"That's not your concern. When Chu Maode returns, I'll kill him myself," Chu Feng said coldly.

"You... fine. Just be careful when the time comes."

"If things go south, run," Chu Wenshan said, still unconvinced that Chu Feng could handle Chu Maode.

"Understood," Chu Feng replied without another word.

There was no point in saying more — Chu Wenshan would find it nearly impossible to believe that someone at the first level of the Spirit Entry Stage could kill a cultivator at the second level of the True Spirit Stage.

But once Chu Maode was dead, Chu Wenshan would know that every word he had said was true.

"Rest for now. I'll take Chu Hongyuan to get treatment."

"The Clan Master and Chu Maode went to the Han Clan to discuss important matters — they should be back soon. Make up your mind about what you want to do."

The implication in Chu Wenshan's words was still that Chu Feng should consider fleeing.

Chu Feng merely smiled faintly at that, turned around, and walked back into his room.

Chu Hongyuan had been struck by the Great Annihilation Fist — there was no saving him. But Chu Feng made no move to stop Chu Wenshan from attempting treatment.

As the Elder left behind to oversee the Chu Clan, Chu Wenshan had a responsibility to protect its members.

With Chu Hongyuan critically wounded and near death, taking him for treatment was simply Chu Wenshan fulfilling his duty.

Before long, Chu Wenshan had Chu Hongyuan carried to the Chu Clan's physician.

The physician was still in the middle of treating Chu Jian and Chu Tianqi, who had been injured by Chu Feng earlier.

Seeing Chu Wenshan arrive with yet another patient, the physician looked up in bewilderment.

"Second Elder, has something major happened in the clan today? Why do people keep coming in injured?"

"Never mind what happened — just treat him first," Chu Wenshan said, immediately urging the physician to attend to Chu Hongyuan.

The physician glanced at Chu Hongyuan, recognized who he was, and hurried over to examine his injuries.

"Second Elder... Master Hongyuan's life force has already dissipated. There is nothing I can do to save him," the physician said with a sorrowful sigh.

"What? My father isn't going to make it?"

Chu Jian, lying nearby, had overheard the physician's words and only now realized that the man who had just been brought in was his father, Chu Hongyuan.

Not long ago, Chu Hongyuan had come to see Chu Jian and declared that he would go kill Chu Feng to avenge him.

Chu Jian had been thrilled — with Chu Feng dead, he could take over as Young Clan Master.

And so Chu Jian had waited eagerly for news of Chu Feng's death, already lost in fantasies of his future as the Young Clan Master of the Chu Clan.

But the news that reached him was not what he had expected — his father was not going to survive.

How could he possibly accept this?

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Edited by Fat Goose