Chapter Seventy-Five: Root and Branch, No Mercy!

“He won. He actually won!”

“Qin Wudi, unmatched among his peers!”

...

Qin Feng stood motionless on the battlefield, taking a brief moment to rest before searching the bodies of Zhao Weichuan, Zhao Hongzhong, Zhao Taotu, Qian Yun’gao, and others for spoils of war.

Zuo Taoming, Lin Xiaozhong, Huang Ningbing, Chen Yunlong, and Liu Xiang hurried to the scene. Their eyes landed on the ravaged battlefield and the proud, blood-soaked figure of Qin Feng standing amidst the carnage, filling them with shock.

They saw Qin Feng’s blood-drenched form, his robes entirely crimson, his whole presence steeped in blood.

“That looks like Qian Yun’gao.”

Zuo Taoming, Lin Xiaozhong, Huang Ningbing, and the others quickly approached Qin Feng, spotting a headless corpse clad in familiar armor. The sight made them pause with puzzled expressions.

“That’s Zhao Weichuan.”

“And Zhao Hongzhong.”

“This one is Zhao Taotu.”

They leaped over corpse after corpse, recognizing each one.

When they looked again at Qin Feng, their eyes brimmed with disbelief and awe.

As they drew closer, a sense of fear and reverence welled up within Zuo Taoming, Lin Xiaozhong, and Huang Ningbing; none dared approach him lightly.

In this battle, Qin Feng had slain four commanders. Counting the Chen family from before, he had executed five commanders in succession.

Their gazes toward him were now filled with respect, apprehension, and profound admiration.

“Brother Qin—no, Commander Qin—did you kill all these men?”

Lin Xiaozhong cautiously approached, observing Qin Feng’s injuries—there was hardly an unmarred spot on his body. He sucked in a sharp breath and asked in a low voice.

“Brother Lin, you’ve arrived just in time. Help me collect the spoils,” Qin Feng said quickly, his eyes lighting up as he strode away.

“Brother Qin, where are you going? What you need most now is to tend your wounds—your injuries are far too severe!”

Qin Feng’s familiar address brought Lin Xiaozhong back to himself, easing some of his awe. Seeing Qin Feng about to leave, he hastened after him, questioning urgently.

“The Chen family is annihilated. Though Zhao Weichuan, Zhao Hongzhong, and Zhao Taotu are dead, the Zhao clan still stands. I must hurry to their estate and wipe them out completely! By the way, Brother Lin and Master Huang, once I’m done, I’ll need your help tallying the spoils.”

With these brief instructions to Lin Xiaozhong and Huang Ningbing, Qin Feng strode off toward the Zhao estate.

“Commander Qin, wait!”

Zuo Taoming rushed ahead to block his path.

“Lord Prefect, do you mean to stop me? Today, the Zhao clan must fall—anyone who stands in my way will die! Please step aside!”

Qin Feng stopped abruptly, fixing Zuo Taoming with a steely gaze and speaking in a low, commanding tone.

“Commander Qin, you misunderstand me,” Zuo Taoming stammered, legs trembling under Qin Feng’s piercing glare. “You’re gravely wounded. Why not let me summon the Tiger Guard, the Wolf Guard, and the Mighty Guard to eradicate the Zhao clan?”

Qin Feng replied in a steady voice, “Lord Prefect, could you muster the Tiger Guard, Wolf Guard, and Mighty Guard to hunt down the fleeing remnants of the Chen and Zhao clans?”

“Very well! Send my command: Seal the city gates—let no one escape! Order the Tiger Guard, Wolf Guard, and Mighty Guard to scour Yuntian Commandery and exterminate every last Chen and Zhao survivor!”

Now that he had seen Qin Feng’s terrifying prowess, Zuo Taoming was all the more eager to win his favor. He agreed immediately, without a trace of hesitation.

“My thanks, Lord Prefect,” Qin Feng said with a respectful bow, then hurried off, vanishing from the sight of Lin Xiaozhong, Zuo Taoming, Huang Ningbing, and the others.

“Kill!”

“Destroy him—avenge our master!”

“The Zhao clan has treated us well; now is the time to repay that debt!”

By the time Qin Feng reached the Zhao estate, only those prepared to live and die with the family remained; the others had already fled.

The Zhao clan’s diehards, catching sight of Qin Feng striding toward them, roared with fury and charged him with weapons drawn.

Leading the charge were two martial artists of commander rank, their faces contorted with hatred.

“Boom!”

“Die, all of you!”

Qin Feng met their charge without a hint of mercy, unleashing his fists in a blur.

With a thunderous crash, his blows erupted with terrifying force—two hundred and sixty-four thousand jin—obliterating both commanders on the spot.

...

Boom! Boom! Boom!

After dispatching the two commanders, Qin Feng did not pause, but pressed on into the heart of the Zhao estate, slaughtering as he went.

He charged into the ranks of the Zhao loyalists, his fists flying, shattering one martial artist after another.

Their blades, slashing at his body, could not pierce his defenses for lack of sufficient strength.

At last, with a deep exhale, Qin Feng annihilated the entire Zhao clan and waited for Lin Xiaozhong, Zuo Taoming, Huang Ningbing, and the others to arrive.

He asked Lin Xiaozhong for assistance, then requested that Huang Ningbing appraise the Chen and Zhao estates, intent on selling everything.

Of course, he gave special instructions: if any thousand-year-old spirit herbs, rare medicinal ingredients, or secret manuals were found, they were not to be sold.

Afterward, Qin Feng found a room at random within the Zhao estate, sealed the door, and plunged into cultivation.

“These wounds are truly severe,” he thought. As he cultivated, the formidable regenerative power of his body accelerated his recovery, sealing wound after wound.

“If the fortunes of the Chen and Zhao households, as well as Qian Yun’gao’s estate, are great enough, perhaps I can break through again—reach the late commander level. Then, no matter how much my strength increases, I’ll truly possess the power of a Human King.”

“Cultivate!”

Clearing his mind of all distractions, Qin Feng operated the Ninefold Raging Tide Art and sank into deep cultivation.

“Search!”

“Go from house to house! If any remnants of the Chen or Zhao clans are found, slay them on sight!”

The Tiger Guard, Wolf Guard, and Mighty Guard—over seventy thousand strong—swept through Yuntian Commandery in search of survivors.

Lin Xiaozhong led a contingent of the Mighty Guard to inventory the estates of the Chen and Zhao families, as well as Qian Yun’gao’s. As per Commander Qin’s instructions, all rare medicinal ingredients, secret manuals, and thousand-year-old spirit herbs were to be kept; everything else was to be sold.

Huang Ningbing summoned five stewards from the Treasure Pavilion to appraise and acquire the valuables of the Chen and Zhao clans and Qian Yun’gao.

Meanwhile, in Xuanzhou City, Yan Chonghu and Shi Tie had broken through to the commander rank, while Zhao Hu and Liu Qing had advanced to the refined strength level. Chen Xuanhao and Qin Yuntian had also reached the refined strength class, and Qin Zhongkai, his wife Murong Wei, his elder and younger aunts and their husbands had all advanced from dark strength to higher ranks.