Hao Qi's words sounded rather harsh, but they actually carried deep meaning. Up to this point, the Ryodan had achieved massive growth in strength. Every single member was at least in the Inner Qi Realm, and they even had an Inner Qi Realm powerhouse like Puzhi—not to mention the Captain, whose strength surpassed even Puzhi's. This was already a super martial group, no longer some mere prototype. But by the same token, whether it was meeting Pan Liuhai this time or heading to the Purple Sea later to revive the survivors of the Primordial Era, every single endeavor would be fraught with danger. The enemies they would face would only grow stronger one after another: the Human Alliance, the Nine Martial Kings, and very likely even the Four Emperors of the Four Directions. In battles like those, even Hao Qi would struggle to protect himself, let alone Zhang Heng and Su Shiyan.
Although Su Shiyan had explicitly stated that she would return to the Su Family once this operation concluded, Zhang Heng was one of the core members of the Ryodan. Su Shiyan could just pack up and leave without a care, but he could not do that. If he failed to raise his strength further... then all the thrilling adventures and legendary escapades of the Ryodan's future would have nothing to do with him anymore...
Furthermore, as mentioned before, apart from this group of companions, he had nothing left in the world...
Chapter 270