"Get lost," Dao Feng said, taking a sip of his liquor. "From now on, you are forbidden from using my name for anything. Remember, I have nothing more to do with the Zhang family."
"Heh, that won’t do! Alright, we’re leaving," said the second madam of the Zhang family, preparing to depart with her entourage.
Yet, their intention to exploit Dao Feng’s name remained unchanged. The high-grade monster steeds and the exquisite clothes they wore today had all been obtained by invoking his name. Those shopkeepers had provided the goods out of respect for "Dao Feng" and the weight carried by the title "disciple of Wu Tian."
"You’re going too far," Dao Feng said, his fists clenched. "I’ll count to three. Change your minds." He was unwilling to let his name be used for their schemes. If the Zhang family committed any misdeeds in his name, the karmic consequences would surely find their way back to him. Having been a Monk for a time, Dao Feng was a devout and unwavering believer in karma.
With a snort, the second madam began to lead the Zhang family members away. "You’re asking too much of me," she said dismissively as she walked. It was clear they still intended to use Dao Feng’s name for things like business deals and borrowing money. As for repaying their debts? They would surely push the blame onto Dao Feng.
"Three!"
"Two!"
However, the second madam didn’t stop or change her mind. She knew Dao Feng’s character all too well. He might shout and scream, but she believed he would never dare to kill. When Dao Feng was bullied as a child, he would only yell, never fighting back. This was why she dared to be so brazen.
"One!"
"Why must you force my hand?"
What the second madam didn’t understand was that even an honest man will eventually snap. A cold glint flickered in Dao Feng’s eyes, and seeing this, Wu Tian nodded in approval.
At that moment, Dao Feng unleashed his technique on the second madam and every other member of the Zhang family. "Arhat Overturning Heaven Seal!"
A palm imprint formed of condensed spiritual energy instantly shot toward them.
"Block it!" the second madam shrieked, stunned that Dao Feng had actually attacked. One by one, they scrambled to use their spiritual power to defend themselves.
"AAARGH!"
Despite their efforts, three or four of them were struck by the full force of the Arhat Overturning Heaven Seal. They screamed in agony as their flesh was blasted away and their bones were pulverized, killing them instantly.
The surviving Zhang family members stared at the four corpses in horror. They turned to Dao Feng, their faces masks of disbelief. He wasn’t just making empty threats? He actually dared to attack?
"How could you do this? We are your family!" the second madam and the others cried out, accusing him of wrongdoing.
"Family?" Dao Feng snarled through clenched teeth, his childhood memories flooding back. "What kind of family deliberately knocks your food to the ground, then mixes dirt with rice and feeds it to you with a fake apology? What kind of family secretly tapes insults to your back so everyone laughs at you? What kind of family spits on you and claims it was an accident? To hell with family like that!"
He was a monk, but he was a monk who could feel rage and who would kill.
"Arhat Overturning Heaven Seal!"
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
One by one, the Zhang family members who had once tormented him coughed up blood and collapsed under the power of the technique as Dao Feng strode forward.
Terrified by the power of the Arhat Overturning Heaven Seal, the remaining disciples began to beg for their lives. "No, don’t kill me!"
"I was wrong!"
Seeing the gruesome state of the others, the second madam was also terrified and finally bowed her head to Dao Feng. "I... I was wrong. I... I won’t use your name for my own gain anymore."
"Good," Dao Feng said, sighing in relief. "For the sake of our past connection, I will spare you this once. But remember, don’t you ever cross me again."
"Yes." The second madam nodded, and the other Zhang family disciples breathed a collective sigh of relief. They silently thought how fortunate they were that Dao Feng still held onto some sentiment and hadn’t killed them all.
Now, all the second madam and the others wanted was to leave as quickly as possible. There was no gratitude in their hearts, only rage. In their view, they had saved themselves by begging for their lives. While it was good to be alive, it came with a burning sense of shame—a shame that had already festered into a grudge. They knew they had no chance for revenge now, but they swore that if even the slightest opportunity arose, they would strike without hesitation.
"You’re making a mistake," Wu Tian said. He could read their faces; they were ingrates, through and through. These people are incapable of gratitude. The moment Dao Feng falls on hard times, they’ll be the first to bite him.
"A mistake?" Dao Feng was taken aback.
"You’re not ruthless enough," Wu Tian said coldly, and with that, he attacked.
"Arhat Overturning Heaven Seal!"
Wu Tian had learned the technique as well. His version manifested as a colossal golden palm imprint, so immense it seemed to blot out the sky itself, casting the world below into shadow.
"This..." Dao Feng was speechless. He realized that comparing his Arhat Overturning Heaven Seal to Wu Tian’s wasn’t just comparing a firefly to the moon—his wasn’t even worthy of being in the same sky.
"No, we were wrong!"
"We were wrong!"
"Spare us! We’ll never have such delusions again!"
Facing the massive palm seal, the Zhang family’s bravado shattered. Some were so terrified they lost control of their bladders and bowels, a foul stench filling the air. Si’er and the others watched, stunned, feeling a profound sense of relief that this terrifying power was on their side. The common folk near the Xiuyuan Country Royal Palace were equally speechless with shock.
Wu Tian, however, simply shook his head at their pleas. "A man of mercy cannot command troops," he stated. "There can be no quarter given."
He stepped forward, this truth etched into his very being. He had spent time in the Immortal Emperor Realm once, and in that life, he had shown mercy, revealing a compassionate and generous side to his enemies. And the result? Those very people had seized upon his leniency to hunt him down relentlessly. He had dodged, fled, and hidden. Three times his kindness had nearly cost him his life. After that, he learned to be ruthless.
Now, Wu Tian snorted. The golden palm seal began its descent, and the air filled with the stench of annihilation.
The second madam couldn’t believe it. Begging had worked on Dao Feng, but it was completely useless against Wu Tian. Faced with certain death, she and the others shrieked at Dao Feng, "Quick, tell your master to stop!"
"Yes, we already know we were wrong! Let us go!"
Dao Feng looked at Wu Tian but remained silent. Should I speak up? Should I try to stop him, for the sake of people who were never truly my family?
Seeing his hesitation, the Zhang family members behind the second madam erupted in a torrent of curses, their fear twisting into blame.
"You useless piece of trash, say something!"
"Still not begging for us? I’ll haunt you even in death!"
"You idiot! Are you just going to stand there? Plead with him for us!"
Deep down, they blamed Dao Feng for everything. If he hadn’t suddenly grown so powerful, they wouldn’t have been tempted to come to the Xiuyuan Realm for a piece of the action. And if they hadn’t come, they wouldn’t be about to die.