"Fatty, let's move!" Lin Feng ordered, his tone cold and sharp.
"The Captain has arrived!" a soldier shouted as they entered the battered courtyard.
"Captain! Where have you been?" one of the guards asked breathlessly, face streaked with ash and blood.
"What's the situation?" Lin Feng asked, scanning the shattered walls and broken banners around him.
"We're in serious trouble," the man said grimly. "The Sun family's daughter has been captured, and Patriarch Sun Yang is gravely injured. All of our Mortal Realm experts have fallen, and even two Legend-grade elders have been slain. We're barely holding out using the defensive formation, but it won't last beyond a day."
Lin Feng's eyes darkened. "Take me to Sun Yang."
"Yes, Captain."
---
Inside the hall, Sun Yang sat slumped against a chair, his face pale as paper. His breath came shallow, his robes soaked with blood.
"Damn it, Lin Feng," he rasped when he saw him. "Where were you? My daughter has been taken!"
Lin Feng crouched beside him, his expression calm but firm. "You're badly wounded — and I can sense poison and a blood-sucking parasite in your veins. Don't move. I'll deal with it."
He sent a thread of divine sense into Sun Yang's body and frowned. "Before I help you, tell me the truth."
Lin Feng glanced at the soldiers. "Everyone, out. I need to speak with him privately."
The guards hesitated, then obeyed. The heavy doors shut, leaving only the two of them.
"Now," Lin Feng said softly, "are you ready to tell me everything?"
Sun Yang's eyes flickered with hesitation, then resignation. "Sun Mei possesses a Nine-Star talent and a rare Ice Exquisite Body."
"What?" Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat. A Nine-Star talent… Ice Exquisite Body? That's beyond heaven-defying.
Even among the geniuses of the higher realms, such bodies were legendary.
"You're shocked, aren't you?" Sun Yang gave a bitter smile. "I don't even know how the Evil Sect found out."
"How many people know about this besides you and me?" Lin Feng asked quietly.
"The First Elder… and her mother. But her mother died long ago."
"Where is this First Elder now?"
"He's been missing for a month. We declared him dead."
Lin Feng's expression hardened. "When did the Evil Sect begin their attacks?"
"About a month ago."
Lin Feng's gaze sharpened. "Then it's clear."
"You mean— the First Elder betrayed us?" Sun Yang stammered. "That's impossible! He—"
"You're too naive," Lin Feng cut him off coldly. "But I might have a way to confirm it."
He raised his hand, and a flash of light appeared. A young man materialized from within Lin Feng's small world, his body bound by spiritual chains.
Sun Yang's pupils shrank. "Zhao Yun?! The Young Master of the Blood Sect? You actually captured him— Lin Feng, you're truly fearless."
Lin Feng's eyes glinted like steel. "Zhao Yun, tell me the truth. How did you know about Sun Mei, and why did you target her?"
Zhao Yun laughed weakly. "It was your First Elder who told us."
"What!" Sun Yang's voice trembled.
Lin Feng's expression turned icy. "And what do you need her for?"
"We need her blood essence… to awaken our ancestor," Zhao Yun said, eyes filled with fear and defiance.
"Your ancestor?" Lin Feng asked. "Who?"
"Old Man Zhao Fei," Sun Yang said softly, face paling. "It can't be…"
"Who is Zhao Fei?" Lin Feng demanded.
Sun Yang took a long breath. "Zhao Fei was a Transcendent Realm expert— stronger than any of the Six Powerhouse ancestors. During the Great War, when the Evil Sect was on the brink of destruction, Zhao Fei had a fortuitous encounter that allowed him to break through to the Transcendent Realm. The tide turned instantly."
As he spoke, his voice grew heavier, shadowed with memory. "He slaughtered the ancestors of the Jiang family and the Fire Pavilion. The remaining four united against him, but even together they couldn't kill him. Two fell, and the others were gravely wounded. In the end, the Martial Sect and the Sword Sovereign Sect's ancestors sacrificed their lives to destroy Zhao Fei's body — but his soul survived, heavily wounded, and sealed away."
"The last two ancestors used their lives to set a seal to imprison his spirit. That's why the Warzone exists — it's the land shaped by that ancient battle."
Lin Feng listened in silence as the weight of history pressed over them.
"After the deaths of four half-step Transcendent Realm experts," Sun Yang continued, "the strength of the Eastern Continent plummeted. Even now, after thousands of years, no one has reached that realm again. At best, we have peak God Realm cultivators."
"And now the Evil Sect wants to resurrect Zhao Fei," Lin Feng muttered. "All for the sake of one girl's blood."
Sun Yang nodded grimly. "They also need this." He took out an old, icy-blue scroll. "A cultivation manual to awaken the Ice Exquisite Body. Her mother entrusted it to me."
"Let me see it," Lin Feng said.
Sun Yang hesitated, then handed it over.
'This is just a low-level Ice manual,' the ancient voice in Lin Feng's mind remarked. 'When you rescue her, I'll grant you a better one.'
Lin Feng frowned inwardly. He seems awfully interested in Sun Mei…
Without another word, he summoned Zhao Yun back into his small world. The young master vanished like mist.
Sun Yang blinked. "Where did you—"
"No need to worry," Lin Feng interrupted. "Now hold still. I'll remove the poison and the blood-sucking parasite."
He pressed his palm to Sun Yang's back. A golden light rippled through his meridians, purging the dark energy that had rooted within. The poison hissed out in a wisp of black smoke.
After several breaths, Lin Feng withdrew his hand. "Done. Take this pill to restore your vitality."
Sun Yang swallowed it, feeling warmth flood his limbs. His complexion began to recover.
"How old are you, Lin Feng?" he asked suddenly, still breathing heavily.
"Fifteen," Lin Feng replied.
Sun Yang's eyes widened slightly. "Fifteen? And already this strong? My daughter is sixteen. If you were a little older…" He stopped himself and sighed.
Lin Feng chuckled. "Age doesn't matter, you know."
Sun Yang raised a brow. "Oh? Is that so?"
"Yes. Where I come from…" Lin Feng laughed lightly. "Things are a bit different."
Moments later, he rose. "Let's go. It's time to bring her back."
Before they could step outside, a guard burst in, face ashen.
"Captain! The formation— it's shattered!"