"Kill him!" Zhang Xing'an said calmly, looking at Feng Yue.
"Hall Master Xiao, show some mercy!" a voice called from afar. However, Xiao Kun's movements did not pause. He poured his immense spiritual energy into Feng Yue's body, shattering his physical form into a mist of blood. Within that mist, a nascent soul floated, which Xiao Kun grasped.
Seeing a figure rapidly approaching in the sky, Xiao Kun smiled slightly at him and, before the approaching figure's astonished gaze, crushed Feng Yue's nascent soul. Thus, a cultivator at the Six Tribulations realm met a complete end.
"Hall Master Xiao, to act with such impunity and slaughter on the territory of my True Fire Grotto-heaven, do you not place us in your eyes at all?" The newcomer was a bald old man. Although his strength was inferior to Xiao Kun's, he had reached the Nine Tribulations realm.
"Haha! Brother Xiao Kun, it seems you haven't been doing too well these past ten years. Even a cultivator newly entering the Nine Tribulations realm in True Fire Grotto-heaven dares to question you?" Zhang Fan let out a hearty laugh, his voice like thunder, resounding across the entire World Heart Continent, causing tremors everywhere.
A group of people descended from the void onto the street. Seeing these familiar figures before him, Xiao Kun's eyes widened, his whole body trembling with excitement. He suddenly knelt down and exclaimed, "Hall Master of the Fengyun Hall, Xiao Kun, greets the Grand Elder!"
Zhang Fan gently raised his hand. Before Xiao Kun could fully kneel, he was involuntarily made to stand. Zhang Fan looked at Xiao Kun's demeanor and felt a pang of emotion. He smiled and said, "Brother Xiao Kun, there's no need for this. Every one of us in the Six Kings' Estate is a brother. No need for formalities."
The bald old man from True Fire Grotto-heaven saw the familiar face and was filled with shock. He quickly stepped forward, prostrated himself on the ground, and respectfully said, "Yang Bu, Hall Master of the Enforcement Hall of True Fire Grotto-heaven, greets Senior Zhang Fan!"
Zhang Fan glanced at him but did not respond. Instead, he cast his gaze upon the wine building, where three of his closest kin resided.
"Brat, you don't even say hello when you suddenly come back." Zhang Xing'an's eyes inexplicably welled up with tears. He shouted, "Hurry up and come up! Come and see your sister quickly!"
Hearing this, Zhang Fan immediately stepped into the air and ascended to the wine building. At this moment, Su Yun's eyes were also filled with emotion. She pushed a little girl leaning beside her forward and said, "This is your sister, Zhang Lueying. She is thirteen years old."
Zhang Fan looked at the little girl before him, who bore a slight resemblance to him. He felt a sense of closeness stemming from their bloodline. He crouched down, scooped Zhang Lueying into his arms, his eyes filled with tender affection.
"Are you my brother Zhang Fan? Why have you taken so long to visit me?" Zhang Lueying leaned into Zhang Fan's embrace, looking at his handsome face, and asked with a clear, crisp voice.
"It is I. Before you were born, brother went to a very distant place, which is why I returned so late." Zhang Fan replied with a hint of apology.
"Then, can brother take us all with him when he goes on a long trip in the future? That way, our family can always be together." Zhang Lueying asked again.
"Alright, I promise you, sister. From now on, wherever I go, I will take you all with me. Family should be together."
On the broad street, silence reigned. Only the laughter of the young man and the little girl could be heard.
The Blood Demon Flood Dragon turned its head and saw the middle-aged man lying on the ground, his arm severed by Zhang Xing'an. It strode over and stepped down. Its footfall was light, making no sound, yet an invisible pressure emanated, crushing him into a mist of blood, leaving even his nascent soul no chance to survive.
The Hall Master of the Enforcement Hall from True Fire Grotto-heaven, kneeling on the ground, caught sight of this scene. His scalp tingled, and his body trembled uncontrollably. Only cultivators at his level could understand how terrifying it was to control such precise force.
"Is it you, kid?" The Blood Demon Flood Dragon then approached Feng Wuji. Feng Wuji had already collapsed on the ground, terrified, his eyes vacant. Seeing the short, stout man before him, a flicker of dread appeared in his eyes.
Looking at Feng Wuji's state, the Blood Demon Flood Dragon shook its head and said, "With such little courage, you still dare to provoke people everywhere. You're really a disgrace!"
After saying this, to everyone's astonishment, the Blood Demon Flood Dragon swallowed Feng Wuji whole.
"You really aren't picky, are you?" Zhang Fan walked down from the wine building, holding Zhang Lueying, and shook his head at the Blood Demon Flood Dragon.
Hearing Zhang Fan's remark, the Blood Demon Flood Dragon seemed a bit embarrassed. It forced a smile and said, "I just couldn't help myself."
"Let's go back to the Six Kings' Estate first." Zhang Fan finished speaking and looked at Zhang Lueying hanging on his body. He asked gently, "Lueying, do you want to try what it feels like to ride a flood dragon?"
"Okay, but where is there a flood dragon?" Zhang Lueying blinked, her eyes full of confusion.
"Isn't this one right here?" Zhang Fan looked at the Blood Demon Flood Dragon and said with a smile.
"Brother, you're lying. What flood dragon looks like this?" Zhang Lueying exclaimed.
The Blood Demon Flood Dragon, with no other choice, transformed into its true form. Instantly, a blood-red flood dragon, kilometers long, coiled on the street, causing a commotion.
"Wow, it's really a flood dragon!" Zhang Lueying exclaimed, her bright eyes full of curiosity. She climbed onto the Blood Demon Flood Dragon from Zhang Fan's shoulder, her delicate face beaming with pure joy.
After Zhang Fan and his party left riding the Blood Demon Flood Dragon, the Hall Master of the Enforcement Hall of True Fire Grotto-heaven, Yang Bu, finally dared to stand up. He looked in the direction they had disappeared, the fear in his eyes not yet fully subsided.
"After only being away for a dozen years, he has become even more terrifying than before." Yang Bu took a deep breath, recalling the battle from over a decade ago, his heart heavy.
"This matter concerns the survival of the sect. It must be reported to the Sect Master immediately." Yang Bu thought to himself and transformed into a streak of light, rushing towards the sect grounds of True Fire Grotto-heaven.
Extreme Wind City belonged to the territory of True Fire Grotto-heaven, and Feng Yue was also one of their people. If it were merely a conflict with a disciple of the Six Kings' Estate, it would be manageable. But the fatal point was that Feng Yue had offended Zhang Fan's parents. He wondered what kind of rage the Sect Master would unleash upon receiving this news.
Moreover, the group that had accompanied Zhang Fan previously possessed extremely terrifying auras, far surpassing even their Sect Master who had entered the Half-step Nascent Soul realm. Thinking of this, Yang Bu couldn't help but quicken his pace.
At this moment, cultivators within Extreme Wind City were still recalling the previous scene, lingering on its magnificence. It was truly shocking that even the Enforcement Elder of True Fire Grotto-heaven could only prostrate before them and did not even stand up throughout the entire encounter.
Many cultivators were speculating about the identities of Zhang Fan and his entourage. Only a very small number of powerful cultivators harbored guesses and dared not discuss further. If it were truly who they suspected, then the World Heart Continent would once again face tremendous upheaval.
The current landscape of the World Heart Continent had completely changed. The once dominant Ascendant Immortal Mansion, Black Sand Grotto-heaven, and Sun Shadow Grotto-heaven had been destroyed. The only entities that could be called top-tier powers were the Six Kings' Estate, Vast Sea Palace, and True Fire Grotto-heaven.
And the Six Kings' Estate, with the vast cultivation resources left behind by Zhang Fan, had expanded rapidly over the past decade, already surpassing the Vast Sea Palace and subtly showing signs of becoming the number one sect on the World Heart Continent.
...