"Another day?"
Just as she reached the doorway, Qiu Dong'er glared, a fierce wave of killing intent surging directly at Han Feng's face. The terrifying aura forced Han Feng to stagger back repeatedly.
Han Tian instantly rushed in front of Han Feng, his whole body erupting with vital energy to block the pressure, which placed an extraordinary strain on the already injured Han Tian.
Just as Han Tian was about to suppress Qiu Dong'er's aura, the two Ziqiong Sword Sect attendants flashed in front of Han Tian with ghost-like speed.
Before Han Tian could even react, one of them sent him flying with a single punch, his body crashing heavily to the ground.
"Father!"
Han Feng roared in agony as he ran toward Han Tian. Seeing him lying unconscious before him, rage flared in Han Feng's heart, and he stared with vicious eyes at the three bullies who were leveraging their power to oppress others.
The rest of the Han Family members could no longer hold back either, and one after another, they began to voice their condemnation.
Yet a single glance from the second attendant instantly silenced everyone present, leaving them too terrified to utter a single sound.
"A cowardly family like yours is not worthy of marrying me!"
Triumphant, Qiu Dong'er turned and left with the two attendants.
Han Feng clenched his fists so tightly that his fingertips dug into his palms, and drops of blood began to flow.
"Qiu Dong'er, I won't forget what happened today!"
After the three of them left, the crowd hypocritically began to show concern, carrying Han Tian inside to his room.
Han Feng stayed steadfastly by his seriously injured father's side, refusing to leave.
Han Tian remained unconscious for a day and a night. It wasn't until the following night that he showed signs of improvement, slowly opening his eyes. Enduring the pain, he lifted his heavy eyelids, looked at Han Feng's tear-stained face, gently stroked the boy's head, and said, "Fenger, don't be upset. I'll say it again: your father believes in you. You will never remain like this forever!"
At that moment, Han Feng was weeping profusely, his eyes filled with self-reproach. "Father, it's all my useless fault that the Han Family has suffered such deep humiliation."
Han Tian waved a hand, a look of disappointment crossing his face as he motioned for Han Feng to leave.
Seeing his father's expression, Han Feng knew he couldn't stay any longer. He kowtowed to Han Tian and left.
Back in his room, Han Feng felt an incomparable agony within. He had watched helplessly as Qiu Dong'er bullied them with impunity, utterly powerless to do a thing.
He hated his own incompetence; he hated his inability to protect his father; he hated himself for bringing shame upon the family.
Yet what could he do?
Han Feng himself found it all utterly baffling. His cultivation had always been smooth-sailing, yet exactly a year ago, he had suddenly lost all his power, and over the past year, no matter what methods he tried, he had remained entirely unable to gather Qi.
Just as Han Feng was wallowing in self-pity, bolts of lightning suddenly flashed across the sky. Such a spectacle had never been seen in all of Han Feng's life, and the roaring thunder seemed to boom right beside his ears.
Han Feng pushed open the window to find the lightning in the sky unimaginably massive, as if trying to tear the dark night apart until it was as bright as day.
Because this phenomenon was far too bizarre, powerful figures across the East Continent stared up in awe.
Back at the Ziqiong Sword Sect, Sect Master Zhou Yanghong was chatting with Qiu Dong'er when she was similarly startled by the heavenly anomaly. Gazing up at the sky, Zhou Yanghong couldn't help sighing, "The Heavenly Dao?"
Beside her, Qiu Dong'er was completely bewildered, looking at her master with utter incomprehension.
Zhou Yanghong patiently explained, "This is the Heavenly Dao choosing the Chosen One of the future. The person chosen by the Heavenly Dao will receive its blessing and inevitably become the ruler of the Five Continents in days to come. But what's strange is..."
Seeing her master trail off, Qiu Dong'er hurriedly asked, "What's strange?"
Zhou Yanghong pondered for a moment before slowly speaking, "The Creation Emperor still lives. How could the Heavenly Dao choose another Chosen One?"
"Back then, the Five Continents was a land consumed by endless war. The Chosen One of that era later became the Creation Emperor—the one and only genius to reach the Emperor Realm. With his astounding strength, he united the continent. Later, for ease of governance, he dispatched his five disciples to divide the land into five domains, each managed by one of them."
"A thousand years have passed since then, and the Five Continents have remained at peace for all this time. Why would the Heavenly Dao make a new choice today? Could it be..."
Zhou Yanghong thought for a moment, then instantly dismissed the notion from her mind.
"Impossible. The Emperor Realm is already immortal and indestructible; how could that be!"
Zhou Yanghong turned back to Qiu Dong'er with a solemn expression and said, "Dong'er, you must find this Chosen One and recruit them before anyone else does. If we nurture this child of destiny properly, our Ziqiong Sword Sect will surely become the supreme power in the East Continent!"
Zhou Yanghong sneered, then immediately ordered her subordinates to make inquiries.
Inside Guiyuan City, Han Feng gazed up at the sky, watching the roaring lightning draw steadily closer, yet his eyes held not a trace of fear.
Han Feng roared at the sky, "Come on then! Strike me dead with lightning and put an end to this humiliating life of mine!"
The moment his voice fell, the thunder grew even louder, and the lightning descended closer still.
The bolts of thunder gradually gathered above the Han Family estate, shrouding the entire sky like a massive web of electricity.
Suddenly, without warning, a bolt of lightning converged and struck directly toward the room where Han Feng stood.
Boom!
Amidst the flashing lights and roaring thunder, the roof above vanished completely. In the empty room, only Han Feng remained, sprawled on the ground and covered in wounds.
"Father!"
Han Feng murmured inwardly. An unyielding will guided him as he struggled to his feet, lifting his head to gaze up at the night sky.
Yet now, the night sky featured a solitary full moon casting a faint white light, accompanied by twinkling stars, making the whole ordeal feel like a dream.
Yet Han Feng's pain was all too real. He pointed at the sky and roared in fury, "Everyone bullies my Han Family, and even you want to bully me!"
Han Feng erupted with vital energy, causing the shattered rubble around him to dance. A powerful aura swirled, unleashing a sudden gust of gale-force wind.
Yet upon seeing this, Han Feng was struck with utter astonishment, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"This is Qi! My Qi has returned!"
Han Feng looked down at his trembling hands, unable to believe what was happening right before his eyes.
He steadied his breath and focused his mind, discovering that his current realm was at Peak Qi Condensation!
Han Feng opened eyes that felt as though he had just awakened from a dream. The corners of his mouth curled upward involuntarily, and in his surging emotions, two lines of tears streamed down his face.
Thinking back on his plight over the past year, which had stripped him of any goal to strive for—because no matter how hard he practiced, he could never sense even a shred of Qi—he now felt a renewed drive. At the very least, he could now genuinely perceive it.
Just as Han Feng was still immersed in the joy of his recovery, a long sword pierced the sky and thrust straight into the ground before him.
The sudden turn of events frightened Han Feng into taking a few steps back.
Before Han Feng could recover his senses from this cascade of bizarre phenomena, a gentle, moist white light began to emit from the sword's blade.
A long moment later, the white light converged, and the illusory figure of an elderly man materialized.
Gazing at the old man floating above the sword, Han Feng was initially fearful, but after careful observation, he realized the figure harbored no malice.
Only then did Han Feng relax his guard and walk up to the old man.
Looking at the youthful young man before him and sensing the power surging within his body, the old man stroked his beard, which reached all the way to his legs, and nodded approvingly at Han Feng.
"Not bad, not bad!"
Hm?
Han Feng wore a blank expression, his eyes filled with doubt as he looked at the old man.
"To think that this time, the one chosen by the Heavenly Dao is actually the God-King Physique, which hasn't appeared in a thousand years!"