Chapter 1: Deep Hatred

"Go ahead and scream! Go ahead and scream... No one will come to save you even if you scream until you’re hoarse!"

In the dark alley, Du Fei pressed his right hand against his chest to prevent the blood frothing in his throat from spilling out. His gaze, however, was coldly fixed on the white-robed young man not far in front of him, his eyes filled with an extremely complex emotion.

At this moment, the white-robed young man clearly didn’t take Du Fei seriously, and the words he spoke weren’t directed at him. The white-robed young man’s slightly lecherous gaze was instead fixed on the slender figure in front of Du Fei.

The figure’s owner was probably around fifteen or sixteen years old. Although only a back view was visible, it was clear that she was a beauty. However, rather unattractively, the young girl was holding a large sword, which was bigger than her petite body, and she exuded a faint but sharp killing aura.

"Xiao Ai..."

Looking at the young girl’s figure, Du Fei subconsciously murmured, and after a moment, he sighed softly, "Xiao Ai, go. I, Du Fei, am destined for this. You are not a member of the Du family, so why should you risk your life for a cripple like me..."

Hearing Du Fei speak, the young girl’s figure trembled slightly. After a moment, she slowly shook her head and said softly, "Young Master, since Master Du instructed me to escort you back to the main family, I will do so even if it costs me my life. Please rest assured, Young Master!"

Although her voice was low, it carried an unyielding tone.

Upon hearing this, Du Fei’s pupils couldn’t help but constrict, and a hint of hidden pain flashed in his eyes.

That day was Du Fei’s father, Du Tian’s, fortieth birthday.

Although the Du family wasn’t large, they were the dominant force in that small town. However, on that day, just as the guests were enjoying themselves, a black-robed stranger suddenly appeared!

One move!

Just one move!

Without any reason or nonsense, the black-robed stranger extended his hand in a strange laugh... In that single move, the hundreds of people present, including the eight elders supported by the Du family, the carefully trained guards, and the guests who came to celebrate, all spat blood and died! Apart from a few who had the chance to react, most were already lying on the ground like dead dogs the moment the black-robed stranger appeared.

Du Fei and Xiao Ai were spared in the hall due to Du Tian’s protection.

But upon reflection, it might not have been because of Du Tian’s protection that they survived, but rather because the black-robed stranger deliberately held back... "Go! Escort the Young Master back to the main family; that is the only way to survive!" After leaving these words, Du Tian threw Du Fei and Xiao Ai out of the hall, and the hall subsequently exploded.

Faced with this sudden change, the two were unable to react, but fortunately, in that nearly hopeless situation, Xiao Ai strictly followed Du Tian’s orders and forcibly took Du Fei away, despite his resistance. Du Fei, who had been diagnosed with blocked meridians and was unable to practice martial arts from a young age, naturally had no strength to resist Xiao Ai, who had already started practicing martial arts.

After the incident, when the two secretly returned to the Du family, they found that not only the entire Du family but the entire town had been completely wiped out, with no survivors or even bodies left, as if the town had always been a ghost town.

Du Tian, who was already an Eighth Rank Martial Master, clearly had no chance of survival in that situation. Although the eight protectors supported by the Du family were not as strong as Du Tian, they were all Eighth Rank Intermediate Martial Masters. If even they had no chance to resist, Du Tian’s fate was likely no better!

The black-robed stranger, who could treat Eighth Rank Martial Masters like ants and take countless lives with a wave of his hand, must have had the strength of a Fifth Rank Martial Ancestor!

In the Xuanwu Continent, all martial practitioners were divided into nine ranks and three levels. Seventh to Ninth Rank were called Martial Masters, Fourth to Sixth Rank were Martial Ancestors, and First to Third Rank were Martial Saints.

Within the nine ranks, each rank was further divided into upper, middle, and lower stages. The difference in strength between each stage was already significant, and the gap between each rank was even greater!

There were only a few Fifth Rank Martial Ancestors in the entire Daan Dynasty! Although Du Fei couldn’t practice martial arts, he was well-versed in the classification of martial practitioners from a young age. Understanding the black-robed stranger’s strength, a deep sense of powerlessness swept over Du Fei, and he feared he would never be able to avenge his family in this life!

No matter why the black-robed stranger attacked the Du family or what happened to Du Tian, Du Fei would likely never know.

In a world where the strong prey on the weak and the powerful are revered, strength was the only law and the standard by which everything was measured. Without strength, he could do nothing... Clenching his hands slightly, Du Fei pursed his lips in the alley, his eyes flashing with determination.

"Clap, clap, clap..."

Gently clapping his hands, the white-robed young man seemed to notice Du Fei only now. His slightly lecherous gaze slowly shifted from Xiao Ai to Du Fei, his eyes flashing with an indescribable expression.

"Truly worthy of being a descendant of one of the five families of Yunshui, the Du family. Although you, Young Master Du Fei, are a distant relative, to be able to survive after taking a palm from me, Long Aotian, you are not the waste that people say you are." Long Aotian’s thin lips curled slightly, and he said in a slightly approving tone.

"Considering this, I will say it again." Long Aotian smiled faintly, "Hand over the Du family’s Ice Heart Technique, and I will spare your life!"

"Du family, Ice Heart Technique..." As these words left Du Fei’s mouth, his right hand involuntarily clutched the jade pendant hanging from his chest.

This jade pendant had been hanging from his chest since he was ten years old, and apart from himself and Du Tian, no one else knew. He, a cripple who couldn’t practice martial arts, actually carried the Du family’s ancestral technique with him.

The Du family was originally a powerful clan within the Daan Dynasty. Although Du Tian had little contact with the main family, as a descendant of the Du family, he still knew some of the family’s techniques. The Ice Heart Technique was a rather profound technique within the Du family, and it was not surprising that someone would covet it. However, why did Long Aotian know that the Ice Heart Technique was in his possession? How could he be so sure?

Without giving Du Fei a chance to react, Long Aotian seemed to care little about Du Fei’s response. His indifferent gaze swept over Du Fei, and he muttered, "Since you don’t know your place, I will send you on your way. As for your charming servant, I will take her for myself!"

His words were cold, and he already treated Du Fei as a dead man.

As he finished speaking, Long Aotian’s figure soared, and his right hand extended in the air, creating a chaotic air current that pulled Du Fei towards his palm.

"You think so!"

Xiao Ai, on the side, let out a fierce cry, and with a powerful step, she charged towards Long Aotian, her large sword swinging horizontally.

"Like a mantis trying to stop a cart, overestimating your own strength, and seeking your own death..." Long Aotian smiled coldly, and with his left hand, he formed a strange finger seal in front of him, while his right hand grabbed the air... "Puff..."

Xiao Ai’s figure in mid-air suddenly wavered, and she spat out a mouthful of blood, falling to the ground, her face pale, and her condition unknown.

At almost the same moment, Du Fei, who had been preparing to close his eyes and die, saw a flash of determination in his eyes!

He had seen this move before!

Although the power was vastly different, the move Long Aotian used was eighty percent similar to the one the black-robed stranger used that day!

"Is that so!" Hatred filled Du Fei’s eyes, and although his body was already being pulled into the air by the palm wind, his teeth were grinding together, "Long Aotian, if I, Du Fei, do not die today, even if I have to go to the ends of the earth, I will master supreme martial arts! I will not rest until I destroy your entire family and exterminate your nine generations! No matter the obstacles, I will drag out the person behind you and avenge my family! If the person behind you is a god, I will kill the god; if it’s a Buddha, I will kill the Buddha! If it’s the heavens, I will swallow the heavens!"

Long Aotian’s figure trembled slightly, and a cold expression quickly flashed across his face, "Young Master Du Fei, what a keen eye! What a strong spirit! Therefore, I cannot let you live!"

As he finished speaking, Long Aotian’s right hand curved into a claw, and several gray energy streams emerged from his fingers, aiming for Du Fei’s chest and abdomen... "So this is how it ends? What a pity, the blood feud remains unavenged! If I, Du Fei, could practice martial arts! If I, Du Fei, could practice martial arts!!!"

As Long Aotian’s claw shadow descended, this thought flashed through Du Fei’s mind, and all his hatred turned into helplessness!

He couldn’t believe that he would live two lives, and both would be in vain... "Beep... Detecting Level 3 crisis, threat level 100%, system automatically activating."

"Warning, do you want to activate automatic protection? Do you want to activate! Do you want to..."

"Beep! Automatic protection activated!!!"

A cold electronic voice instantly sounded in Du Fei’s mind, and in the split second before he could react, it seemed to have made a decision.

Subsequently, Du Fei clearly felt a cold chill surge from his lower abdomen, rushing to his right palm. At the same time, his body spun in mid-air, and he fiercely slapped towards Long Aotian’s claw.

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End of Chapter 1

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