Chapter 176: Chapter 111: Perfection of the Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber, Cao Feng’s Shock; The Name Seven Stars Castle, Chu Fan’s Horror

"Ah!"

The White Tiger Gang disciple, who had been sneering just a moment ago, was scared out of his wits and turned to flee!

When the others saw that even their Incense Master, a Bone Tempering Realm expert, couldn’t take a single blow, how could they dare continue the fight?

In a chaotic rush, they all scrambled toward the cliff’s edge!

"There’s no escape for any of you!"

Chu Fan threw the White Tiger Gang’s own words right back at them.

With a few quick kicks, he sent several stones from the ground flying.

The stones whistled through the air, catching the desperately fleeing men and striking them so hard they spat blood as they were knocked off the cliff!

WHOOSH!

Chu Fan moved in a flash, coordinating with Zhao Tianxing to block the last four men from the front and back.

CLANG!

The scarred man’s Long Saber fell to the ground, striking a stone with a sharp ring.

His knees slammed onto the ground, the dull thud mingling with his panicked gasps for air.

His voice was hoarse as he begged for mercy, "Spare our lives, heroes! The burning, killing, and looting—that was all the Gang Leader and the Hall Masters! We’re just grunts, it has nothing to do with us!"

"Please, show mercy, you two!"

Seeing this, the other three men scrambled to their knees, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

"Mercy?"

Zhao Tianxing’s voice was ice-cold.

He slowly removed his mask with his right hand. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared death at the scarred man. "Do you recognize me?"

The moment the scarred man looked up, his pupils contracted and he forgot to breathe. "You... you’re that young Hunter from Zhu Xi Manor? Impossible! Three months ago, you were... How can this be..."

"Three months is long enough for a man to crawl his way back from hell." Zhao Tianxing gritted his teeth, raised his Long Saber, and roared, "This is for my father!"

The blade flashed, swift as tearing silk.

A head hit the ground!

The remaining three men, terrified, tried to scramble away, but Chu Fan kicked them down one by one!

Zhao Tianxing rushed forward and cut them down, one by one!

Blood pooled on the ground...

Zhao Tianxing stared at the bodies on the ground, his entire body trembling.

The Long Saber fell from his hand. With a THUD, he collapsed to his knees, which smashed heavily against the stone.

"Father!"

He suddenly cried out to the heavens, "I’ve avenged you!"

"Father! Did you see it?!"

His mournful cries echoed through the mountain forest.

Tears streamed down his cheeks like a bursting dam.

The wind swept past, carrying the stench of blood. His shoulders trembled violently—like a child who could no longer bear the weight, letting out all his suffering in a flood of tears.

「The morning sun began to rise...」

Sunlight bathed the cliff, mingling death with hope.

Chu Fan stood silently to the side, neither speaking nor offering consolation.

The taste of revenge was as sweet as honeyed poison, yet as bitter as chewing on thorny weeds.

Even a man of iron will has a tender heart.

Though the people of the martial world value strength, they do not shun true emotion.

A man who fights for his life with blade and sword would lose his vitality if he were to lock away his heart like Cold Iron.

A man’s tears are not a sign of weakness, but a sign that he still possesses a pure heart and true character.

Zhao Tianxing cried for a long time before wiping his face on his sleeve and standing up.

He turned to Chu Fan with a faint smile. "Without you, I don’t know how long I would have had to wait to avenge my father."

Chu Fan gently patted his shoulder.

Between men, no more words were needed.

「Two hours later...」

In Chu Fan’s room at the Seven Stars Gang’s headquarters.

The two of them finished counting a pile of silver and silver notes, which they divided into two shares and put away.

This White Tiger Gang Sub-Branch had a good amount of silver, but for a group guarding White Tiger Mountain, it was surprising they didn’t have a single decent Treasure Plant.

Zhao Tianxing returned to his room and took out a lustrous white Jade Box.

When he lifted the lid, a wisp of pure, refreshing Spiritual Breath wafted out, condensing into fine, cyan-blue specks of light in the air.

Inside the Jade Box was the Treasure Plant they had acquired from Corpse Handling the previous night.

"I asked Master Cao..."

Zhao Tianxing pointed at the Treasure Plant. "This is a ’Cyan Snail Entwined Jade Vine.’ It’s at least one hundred and thirty years old. It can enhance one’s Qi and Blood, and aid in Bone Marrow Forging and Bone Tempering. You have to chop it up and simmer it over low heat for an hour before you can eat it."

He then pointed to the fruit that looked like a shrunken red date. "This is a ’Red Scale Flame Date.’ It’s special. While it can also enhance Qi and Blood and aid in Bone Marrow Forging and Bone Tempering, its greatest use is for breaking through to the Mortal Transformation realm."

"Good for breaking through to the Mortal Transformation realm?" Chu Fan’s eyes lit up.

Zhao Tianxing nodded. "Because after reaching the Entering the Realm of Strength, you have to condense a ’Tree of Qi and Blood’ to break through to the Mortal Transformation realm."

"Master Cao said that condensing the Tree of Qi and Blood is much more difficult than condensing Qi Blood Power..."

"Many Martial Artists reach the Entering the Realm of Strength and even condense seventy-two wisps of Qi Blood Power, but find that turning those seventy-two wisps into a Tree of Qi and Blood is harder than climbing to the heavens."

"The biggest problem is that your Qi and Blood will be depleted very quickly, causing you to fail at the last second."

"But this Red Scale Flame Date can significantly boost a Cultivator’s Qi and Blood in a short amount of time."

"You’re progressing quickly. I estimate it won’t be long before you’ll need to attempt the breakthrough to the Mortal Transformation realm... You should keep this Red Scale Flame Date."

"It’s best to store it in this Jade Box."

With that, he picked up the Cyan Snail Entwined Jade Vine from the Jade Box. "I’ll take this Treasure Plant. I estimate I’ll be able to break through to the Bone Marrow Forging Realm within a couple of days."

"Alright." Chu Fan nodded slightly.

He picked up the Red Scale Flame Date. As his fingertip brushed against the fruit’s scales, he found they weren’t sharp at all.

He gave it a light sniff before placing it back in the Jade Box and closing the lid.

He let out a heavy breath, walked into the courtyard, and began to practice the Twelve Forms Fist.

’In his nightmare last night, the little girl’s cries and the bodies of the children still clung to his mind like a shadow he couldn’t shake.’

Seeing him like this, Zhao Tianxing wanted to say something, but ultimately held his tongue.

Just then, footsteps sounded from outside.