"Could this legendary shadow retainer really exist?"
"Fantastic! If the legendary shadow retainer is real, no matter how arrogant this Yun Feng is right now, he'll be utterly miserable in a moment!"
Behind Yun Feng, Zhou Ling also caught her breath, worriedly saying:
"Yun Feng! Be careful!"
"There's always been a rumor in Haicheng that the Chen Family has a mysterious shadow retainer who comes and goes like a dragon. Though at the Nine-Stage realm, he once killed a Grandmaster!"
"It's precisely because of this elusive shadow retainer that the Chen Family has remained firmly among Haicheng's prominent families for so many years!"
"Even the City Lord of Haicheng has to show Chen Shan a measure of respect!"
Chen Shan cast a cold glance at Zhou Ling, who stood behind Yun Feng offering a continuous stream of warnings.
Chen Shan recognized Zhou Ling and knew that this beautiful woman was supposed to have been engaged to Chen Shuo today.
Yet here she was, helping Yun Feng deal with her own Chen Family!
"Bitch!" Chen Shan cursed inwardly.
He turned his head and whispered in an extremely low voice to Chen Yin beside him:
"Go to the dungeon and drag Zhou Ling that bitch's parents out."
"I'll have great use for them in a moment!"
A pitch-black figure suddenly darted out from behind a rockery in the Chen Family Estate.
The figure flashed, striking straight at Yun Feng's vital neck!
"Careful!"
Zhou Ling cried out in alarm, terrified that Yun Feng would come to grief against this shadow retainer capable of slaying Grandmasters.
Yet Yun Feng merely sneered, not even bothering to look at the figure attacking him from the front.
Instead, he twisted his waist and spun around, his powerful hands snapping out like an eagle's talons or a dragon's claws to grab behind his back!
Zhou Ling was stunned.
The next moment, she watched as Yun Feng's palm caught hold of a wrist in empty air that had not been there a fraction of a second before!
Someone had been hiding right there!
Meanwhile, the figure rushing at the front of Yun Feng's body simply dissolved into thin air!
An illusion!
"Such petty tricks, and you dare come out to make a fool of yourself?"
Yun Feng's sneering voice echoed across the entire Chen Family Estate.
Bang!
Yun Feng threw a punch.
The chest of the shadow retainer—who had attempted a sneak attack only to have his wrist seized by Yun Feng—instantly caved inward!
Bleeding from all seven orifices, he flew backward through the air!
And crashed against the inner wall of the Chen Family Estate!
By the time the shadow retainer slowly slid down the wall to the ground, all life had left him; he was nothing more than a corpse!
Gulp!
Chen Shan swallowed hard, his voice nearly completely distorted:
"This... How is this possible?"
***
Chapter 11: The Rules of the Wealthy!
Yun Feng looked at Chen Shan not far away, whose eyes were split with rage, and asked with a mirthless smile:
"Is this the strongest retainer your Chen Family has to offer?"
"Truly pathetic."
"Chen Shan, are you ready to offer your own dog's life as a sacrifice to the spirits of my parents in heaven?"
Having weathered many storms through his years in Haicheng, Chen Shan was a man who had seen it all. Faced with the overwhelming pressure emanating from Yun Feng, out of the entire Chen Family, only he—the old family head—could manage to retain a shred of composure.
Chen Shan took a deep breath and said in a deep voice:
"Yun Feng, don't be too arrogant."
"Don't forget, Zhou Ling's parents are still in my Chen Family's hands."
"Someone come!"
Chen Shan barked:
"Bring Zhou Ling's parents up here!"
Chen Yin had been waiting nearby, still frozen in sheer disbelief after seeing Yun Feng effortlessly dispatch the shadow retainer with a single move. Hearing Chen Shan's voice jolted him back to his senses with a start.
He led two younger members of the Chen Family, brandishing gleaming broadswords, and pushed and shoved two middle-aged people out, the blades pressed against their necks.
The moment Zhou Ling saw the two middle-aged people held at knifepoint, she was struck with terror and cried out in anguish:
"Dad! Mom!"
"You bastards! Let my parents go right now!"
"Bullying two ordinary people who can't even truss a chicken—your Chen Family really has no shame!"
Chen Shan gazed at Zhou Ling's parents and narrowed his eyes slightly.
Originally, he had planned to have the shadow retainer capture Yun Feng and use Zhou Ling's parents to force Zhou Ling to strip on the spot, thoroughly humiliating Yun Feng.
Never had he imagined that Yun Feng would grow to such terrifyingly powerful heights.
Naturally, his plans had to shift accordingly.
Chen Shan said coldly:
"Yun Feng, there is indeed some misunderstanding between you and the Chen Family."
"As for what happened seven years ago, my Chen Family was merely acting on orders."
"Today, for the events of seven years ago, I, Chen Shan, offer my deepest apologies to you and to all those from the Yun Family who died so tragically."
"In this card, there are fifty million."
As he spoke, Chen Shan drew a bank card from his breast pocket:
"Along with ten percent of the shares in the Chen Corporation."
"And, your Senior Sister's parents."
"I hope the Chen Family can earn your forgiveness."
Chen Shan looked earnestly at Yun Feng and said:
"As the saying goes, it is better to resolve grudges than to add to them, and the waters in Haicheng run very deep."
"With the backing of the Chen Family, I believe my young friend Yun Feng will be able to walk a much steadier path."
These words were spoken with utmost decorum.
Including ten percent of the Chen Corporation's shares, this move by Chen Shan surpassed even Chen Jin's previous offer.
Had anyone else been standing in his shoes, they likely would have been blinded by a lifetime of effortless wealth and luxury.
Who would even remember old grudges?
Yet in Yun Feng's eyes, Chen Shan's words were no different from a humiliating insult.
"A misunderstanding? An apology?"
Hearing this, Yun Feng burst into wild laughter as if he had just heard the greatest joke in the world:
"Fine! Once I slaughter every last member of the Chen Family, I'll go to your ancestral graves and offer an apology to you there, too!"
"I only hope you'll be able to forgive me when that time comes!"
Hearing the intensifying murderous intent in Yun Feng's words, Chen Shan's expression shifted, and he shouted angrily:
"Yun Feng! If you don't care about your own future, do you care nothing for your Senior Sister's parents either?"
"If you don't stop right now, I'll have no choice but to kill Zhou Ling's parents!"
"When that happens, the debt for their lives will rest entirely on your shoulders!"
Behind Yun Feng, Zhou Ling's pupils constricted sharply, her face a mask of tension and panic as she looked toward him.
Her heart was torn by agonizing conflict.
Naturally, she could not simply stand by and watch her parents die at the hands of the Chen Family.
Yet...
How could she ever ask him to let go of Xiaofeng's sea of blood and deep vengeance?
That would be far too selfish!
Just as Zhou Ling was caught in a painful dilemma, trembling and helpless, she saw Yun Feng turn his head to flash her a comforting smile:
"Senior Sister, don't be afraid."
"With me here, no one can lay a finger on Uncle and Auntie."
Upon hearing these words, Chen Shan felt every hair on his body stand on end!
He instantly whipped his head around and roared at the top of his lungs:
"Kill them! Kill Zhou Ling's parents right now!"
"Do it immediately!"
Yet before Chen Shan's words had even faded, two piercing screams rang out in quick succession right beside Zhou Ling's parents.
They came from the two armed young members of the Chen Family!
With two crisp clattering sounds, the two gleaming broadswords fell limply to the ground.
Both Chen Family youths clutched their wrists as they collapsed to the earth, turning deathly pale and wailing in agony.
As the rest of the Chen family members looked closer, they saw two golden needles deeply embedded in the wrists of the two youths before anyone could even register it!
"This?!" Chen Shan's pupils instantly shrank to pinpricks!
Yun Feng was more than ten meters away from Zhou Ling's parents!
How could blades held right at their targets be slower than Yun Feng's golden needles?
What kind of speed was this?
A Grandmaster—he was definitely a Grandmaster!
At that moment, a wave of sheer disbelief surged through the hearts of every Chen Family member present.
"But... How is this possible?"
"When has there ever been an eighteen-year-old Grandmaster in this world?"
"Unheard of! Unseen!"
Yun Feng completely ignored the terrified, aghast expressions of the Chen Family members.
In his eyes, these people were nothing more than corpses still capable of drawing breath.
What did it matter what a corpse was thinking?
With the blades dropped, the mortal threat to Zhou Ling's parents was instantly neutralized.
Escaping the jaws of death, the middle-aged couple were overcome by a sudden wave of sorrow as hot tears streamed down their cheeks!
Looking at Zhou Ling's parents, Yun Feng felt as though something had violently twisted his heart!
If his own parents were still alive, they would probably be around the same age as Zhou Ling's parents, wouldn't they?
Back then, when facing those cold-blooded, ruthless men in black, had his parents wept in this very same way?
Yun Feng took Zhou Ling's delicate, boneless hand and stepped forward toward her parents.
As he passed one of the Chen Family youths who had previously held a blade, Yun Feng casually, almost offhandedly, brought his foot down lightly upon the man's head.
Crack!
Accompanied by an unsettling, crunching sound of fracturing bone, the youth's wrist-clutching wails were cut abruptly short!
Both of the man's eyeballs burst under Yun Feng's single step!
"Uncle, Auntie, it's alright now." Yun Feng arrived before Zhou Ling's parents and spoke in a low, comforting tone.
Zhou Ling's parents felt an overwhelming, boundless wave of terrifying pressure instantly envelop them.
Yet rather than suppressing them, it felt like an ironclad defense!
This profound sense of security instantly pierced through the layers of panic and helplessness that had bottled up inside them for days, turning their weeping into heart-wrenching sobs.
Thinking back on everything that had happened—how both she and her parents had been poisoned by the Chen Family and even forced into marrying trash like Chen Shuo—Zhou Ling's beautiful eyes welled with tears as well.
She threw her arms around her parents, trembling and sobbing:
"Mom, Dad..."
"It's over now..."
"Xiaofeng is my junior brother, he's going to protect us..."
"It's alright..."
The family of three wept in each other's arms.
Pain pierced deeper still in Yun Feng's heart, turning his expression glacial as he turned his gaze to Chen Yin, who stood nearby paralyzed with terror.
"Hah... hah... hng..."
Overwhelmed by the terrifying aura radiating from Yun Feng, Chen Yin felt as though a massive boulder were pressing down on his chest, his face swelling to the color of a pig's liver.
Yun Feng had seemingly done nothing at all, yet Chen Yin found himself entirely unable to draw his next breath!
"You're the one who helped the tyrant do evil?"
Yun Feng's voice was icy as he raised his hand and gently placed it atop Chen Yin's head...
***
Chapter 12: Yun Feng's Rules!
"It wasn't... It wasn't me..."
Using the last of his strength, Chen Yin shook his head frantically, forcing out a plea for mercy from between his lips:
"I didn't do anything... It was all Chen Jin and Chen Shan..."
"Spare my life... I'll be your dog..."
Yun Feng gave a cold chuckle, his voice dripping with sarcasm:
"You want to be my dog? Do you even deserve it?"
He curled his five fingers like five steel needles, instantly driving them deep into the crown of Chen Yin's head!
"Ah!" A piercing, unearthly scream tore from Chen Yin's throat.
It was his final shriek before death!
The next instant.
Yun Feng lashed out with a kick to Chen Yin's stomach.
Chen Yin's body was sent flying backward instantly.
Yet Yun Feng's hand remained tightly clamped onto the crown of Chen Yin's head!
The blood-drenched scalp and skull bone in Yun Feng's hand presented a stark contrast of red and white, mirroring the murderous sneer on his face like a scene straight out of hell!
A dead silence fell over the Chen Family Estate.
Suddenly, someone in the crowd shrieked in terror:
"A demon! This is a demon!!"
"Help! Help me! Someone save me!"
Yun Feng gave a faint smile:
"I'll save you."
Casually, he tossed the scalp he was holding.
The skull cap spun through the air like a frisbee, tracing a graceful arc as it flew straight into the crowd.
It grazed the neck of the screaming man, instantly tearing through skin, flesh, and bone!
Blood spurted in a violent arc!
Clutching the horrific wound at his throat with both hands, the man's eyes bulged wide before he collapsed heavily to his knees with a dull thud.
Dead with his eyes wide open in grievance!
The last line of psychological defense among the members of the Chen Family was thoroughly shattered by Yun Feng's terrifying methods of slaughter.
Someone screamed in panic, taking the lead and turning to flee!
Chaos!
The Chen Family members scattered like startled birds, running wildly in all directions like headless flies!
Yun Feng's merciless voice reverberated across the entire courtyard:
"Flee?"
"Where do you think you can run?"
"Today, every single member of the Chen Family—down to the last one—is going to die."
With that, Yun Feng tapped his toe lightly against the ground.
The pristine flagstones of white marble shattered instantly beneath his foot.
Pebble after pebble was swept up by an invisible wave of qi into Yun Feng's palm.
Before being flicked away one by one with a casual wave of his hand.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Accompanied by terrifying sonic booms, the stones tore relentlessly back and forth across the Chen Family Estate!
With every single pebble thrown, another head was pierced right through, dropping them dead on the spot with their eyes wide open in lasting grievance!
Scarcely thirty seconds passed.
Every single person who had attempted to flee within the courtyard lay dead on the ground.
Without a single exception!
Behind Chen Shan, only five people remained standing!
It wasn't that these five didn't want to run; their legs had simply turned to jelly, leaving them unable to take even a single step!
Chen Shan's eyes were glazed, the whites shot through with a dense web of red bloodshot veins.
Terror was no longer sufficient to describe the state of Chen Shan's mind.
This monster from the Yun Family really was a fiend returned straight from the depths of hell...
Deep inside, a wave of intense regret surged through Chen Shan.
Had he known it would come to this, the Chen Family never would have meddled in the destruction of the Yun Family seven years ago!
After a long moment, Chen Shan snapped back to reality. Looking at the blood-soaked courtyard, he knew that at this stage, no room for negotiation remained.
The Chen Family was doomed tonight.
And as the old head of the family, he had no escape from Yun Feng's demonic clutches.
A bitter laugh escaped Chen Shan's lips as he spoke:
"Fine! Today, my Chen Family accepts our defeat!"
As he spoke, Chen Shan pulled a porcelain vial from his inner pocket.
Viciously, he hurled the vial to the ground, shattering it so that the medicinal liquid and blood inside mingled into one indistinguishable pool.
"This is the antidote for the deadly poison in Zhou Ling's parents!"
Pointing at the mixture of medicine and blood at his feet, Chen Shan let out a manic, hysterical laugh:
"This poison is a secret formula belonging exclusively to the Chen Family!"
"And I am the only one holding this unique antidote!"
"Since you're slaughtering my entire family today, within three days, Zhou Ling's parents are guaranteed to die!"
"Let's see how you plan to explain that to your precious Senior Sister when that time comes!"
Yun Feng glanced down at the liquid pooled on the ground and twitched his nose twice, answering with utter calm:
"Three qian of Oolong root, one qian of Biluoguo fruit, two liang of Golden Feather cicada shell, a single piece of Huashan Snow Bodhi..."
The manic laughter spilling from Chen Shan's mouth abruptly cut off.
He looked like a goose caught mid-neck by a chokehold!
"You... How could you possibly know?"
Staring as though he had seen a ghost, Chen Shan's eyes were filled with utter disbelief.
What Yun Feng had just rattled off was precisely the formula for the antidote!
This was one of the Chen Family's most closely guarded secrets!
Across the entire world, only Chen Shan and Chen Jin knew of it!
How on earth could Yun Feng know?
Chen Shan found himself utterly baffled.
Yun Feng smiled:
"I smelled it out."
"If my Second Master were here, she could have smelled it just as easily."
"What's so strange about that?"
All strength drained from Chen Shan's limbs, causing him to collapse helplessly onto the ground.
With a dull gaze, saliva leaking from the corner of his mouth, he began to mutter to himself in a low voice:
"This is impossible..."
"This has to be a nightmare..."
"Yun Feng, you should have died seven years ago... How could you possibly be here?"
"I don't believe it... Wake up..."
"Wake up, damn it!"
Yun Feng arched a brow, sneering and shaking his head:
"Are my methods too harsh, I wonder?"
"The old man has actually lost his mind..."
"Yet seven years ago, the methods your Chen Family used against my Yun Family were far worse than this."
"If I haven't gone mad, what gives you the right to?"
Taking two strides forward to stand beside Chen Shan, Yun Feng flicked a golden needle straight into the center of the old man's brow.
The rambling nonsense pouring from Chen Shan's lips was cut abruptly short.
His eyes drifted into a vacant blankness.
This needle was known as the Soul-Seizing Needle.
It was one of the secret techniques within the medical heritage of the Yaochi Sect's Second Branch, known as the *Yaochi Golden Needle Arts*.
It could lock down the consciousness of its recipient, reducing them to an absolute idiot.
An effect that was entirely irreversible.
Combined with the *Spirit-Capture Heavenly Sound*, one of the supreme secret techniques from the fifth branch chanting heritage of the Yaochi Sect:
An idiot whose soul had been seized would speak without reservation, answering every single question put to them.
The effect was far more potent than the strongest truth serum available.
Had his Second and Fifth Senior Sisters pooled their efforts, they could have achieved a similar result.
Yet Yun Feng, that freak of nature, had managed to master the inheritance of all nine branches of the Yaochi Sect by himself, allowing him to coordinate seamlessly with his own abilities.
Behind him, Zhou Ling had finally stopped crying and was in the midst of composing herself when she suddenly watched Yun Feng casually execute such a technique.
She was left completely dumbstruck.
Little Junior Brother... has he already reached such heights without her even realizing it?
Terrifying beyond measure!
"What is your name?" Yun Feng asked coldly.
"Chen Shan." Chen Shan's eyes lacked focus as he answered truthfully.
Nodding in satisfaction, Yun Feng asked another question:
"Seven years ago, who ordered you to hunt down Yun Feng of the Yun Family?"
Chen Shan replied:
"It was the Li Family that shared the intel with me."
"As long as we dispatched assassins raised by the Chen Family to hunt down Yun Feng, we would be granted ten years of tax exemptions in Haicheng, along with one unconditional instance of protection from the City Lord of Haicheng."
"The City Lord of Haicheng?"
Yun Feng narrowed his eyes and sneered:
"I knew it."
"With something as major as the destruction of the Yun Family back then, there's no way the City Lord of Haicheng could have stayed entirely out of it."
"That being said, the sea of blood and deep vengeance of my Yun Family was orchestrated right behind the scenes by this very City Lord of Haicheng?"
To Yun Feng's surprise, the glazed-eyed Chen Shan shook his head and said:
"No..."
***
Chapter 13: The Head of the Li Family? Slay Them Together!
"Just like my Chen Family, the City Lord of Haicheng only provided cooperation and assistance..."
The vacant-eyed Chen Shan stated:
"The one truly pulling the strings behind this matter was a major figure standing behind the Li Family."
Yun Feng raised an eyebrow and asked:
"A major figure? Who on earth could that be?"
The blank-faced Chen Shan shook his head:
"I never had any direct contact with them."
"However, judging by the actions of the Li Family and various clues left behind, the influence wielded by this major figure is terrifyingly vast..."
"Even someone like the City Lord of Haicheng—an imperial viceroy of Shenzhou—had to bow and scrape before them."
Chewing over the information provided by Chen Shan, Yun Feng nodded slowly:
"Someone behind the Li Family."
"Very well."
"That being said, as long as I go and kick down the gates of the Li Family, I should be able to get the answers I'm looking for."
"Back then, the Li Family put far more effort into hunting me down than your Chen Family ever did."