Chapter 234: Teng San

Teng San did not appear young; his temples were already white, and his face showed signs of wear, making him seem to be around forty or fifty years old. Upon closer inspection, one could notice that Wang Zhuo’s wife bore a striking resemblance to him.

He possessed an exceptionally handsome face, flawless, with eyes brighter than sparkling gems in a deep black ocean.

“Xiuxiu, our Teng Family is now facing a powerful enemy, and Old Ancestor hasn’t appeared. There’s something strange about this. If we return safely to Teng Family City this time, you and your sister must not go out again,” Teng San said calmly.

Teng Xiuxiu was Teng San’s daughter. In fact, the reason Teng San emerged from his secluded cultivation chamber was precisely to protect Teng Xiuxiu on her return to Teng Family City.

Teng Xiuxiu nodded gently.

“If… if I, your father, cannot escape this calamity and die, then do not go to Teng Family City to find your sister. Leave the State of Zhao immediately and go as far as you can,” Teng San said gravely after a moment of hesitation.

Wang Zhuo listened to these words from the side, his expression calm, but a cold sneer formed in his heart.

Teng San's eyes seemed capable of seeing through people's hearts. He coldly swept his gaze over Wang Zhuo, his face betraying no emotion, making it impossible to tell if he was pleased or angry.

He reached out and stroked Teng Xiuxiu’s hair, a tempest of emotions rising in his heart.

Many years ago, after the Old Ancestor forcibly separated him from his wife, he knew that even if he lived, he could only survive in the Old Ancestor's shadow. All of this was because his wife was a Mortal, and he, as a direct descendant of the Teng Family, and one of the Old Ancestor's most valued great-grandsons, absolutely could not marry a Mortal.

Because his descendants must possess the qualification to Cultivate Immortals!

If he wanted to change anything, he needed immense power, cultivation exceeding that of the Old Ancestor.

Many years later, his cultivation achieved success. Although his two daughters had entered the Cultivation World with his help, his wife's Lifespan had long since ended. The sorrow in his heart had not diminished for a moment, even to this day.

Throughout these countless years, he disciplined himself with extreme strictness, devoting himself wholeheartedly to the Dao, because only in the pursuit of the Dao could he suppress the devouring longing for his deceased wife.

To some extent, Teng Xiuxiu, who resembled his deceased wife the most, was not only his daughter but also a substitute for the longing he held in his heart for his departed wife. Therefore, he would never allow anyone to harm Teng Xiuxiu or let her suffer even the slightest grievance.

Casting a cold glance at Wang Zhuo, Teng San said indifferently, “Wang Zhuo, for Xiuxiu’s sake, I won’t kill you. Get out! From now on, Teng Xiuxiu has nothing to do with you.”

Wang Zhuo’s eyes flickered as he stared at Teng San and sneered, “What a temper!” With that, he retreated, preparing to leave immediately.

Upon hearing this, Teng Xiuxiu's expression changed. She immediately stepped forward, grabbed Wang Zhuo's arm, then turned with tear-filled eyes to look at her father, biting her lower lip without a word.

Teng San’s gaze remained icy, but slowly, he sighed inwardly and turned his head away. Teng Xiuxiu’s eyes were almost identical to those of his deceased wife back then. He couldn't bring himself to kill Wang Zhuo in front of Teng Xiuxiu, because he didn't want her to live a life of sorrow.

“Wang Zhuo, even if the Teng Family did great wrongs to your entire clan back then, I hope you will not harm Xiuxiu. You two… are Dual Cultivation partners after all. Your parents may not accompany you your entire life, but your wife is the only one who can walk with you through the rest of your days. Wang Zhuo, take care of yourself.”

Wang Zhuo fell silent, glancing at Teng Xiuxiu, his heart filled with complex emotions. In truth, even he didn't know what choice he would make if that day truly came.

Teng Xiuxiu looked at the two men who were most important to her and softly said, “Father, Wang Zhuo won’t, he won’t.” By the end, her voice was filled with conviction. This woman, even at this moment, still stubbornly believed that Wang Zhuo would never harm her.

Although Teng San's expression remained unchanged, the murderous intent in his heart not only did not diminish but intensified. If the Teng Family had been powerful before, Wang Zhuo's life or death would have held little significance, and Teng San would have been fully confident that Wang Zhuo would not act rashly.

But now, with the Teng Family facing a crisis, everything was very different. Teng San had already decided that after returning to Teng Family City, he would find an opportunity to kill Wang Zhuo.

Because he always had a feeling that if Wang Zhuo didn't die, Teng Xiuxiu would definitely be in danger.

However, he no longer had that chance.

A day of black clouds surged from the horizon, covering the surrounding sky in an instant, a heavy, oppressive mass that seemed ready to fall at any moment.

Teng San’s gaze immediately sharpened. Without any hesitation, he pointed his right index finger at his abdomen, spat out a mouthful of Nascent Soul essence blood. At the same time, a speck of light flew out from his Storage Pouch, merged into the essence blood, and immediately transformed, forming an oval halo that appeared before him.

Teng San grabbed with his large hand, and Teng Xiuxiu immediately cried out in alarm, her body involuntarily thrown by Teng San into the halo. She looked at Wang Lin, her voice filled with desperate pleading: “Father!!!”

Her voice reached Teng San's ears, and he couldn't bear to be cruel. He sighed inwardly, and with another grab of his right hand, this time, Wang Zhuo's body was seized by him and fiercely thrown into the halo.

Both he and Teng Xiuxiu vanished within the halo.

All of this happened extremely quickly; almost the instant the black mist enveloped them, Teng San, at the cost of lowering his cultivation and expending a large amount of Nascent Soul essence blood, had sent Teng Xiuxiu and Wang Zhuo away.

Having done all this, he had no regrets in his heart. His body stood tall, and he looked up at the sky. Beside him, a stream-of-light-filled orange Flying Sword appeared silently.

This Flying Sword was forged by him personally. Its name was 'Dao Yun,' and his wife's name contained the character 'Yun.'

He polished this sword with spiritual energy daily, never allowing anyone but himself to touch it, not even Teng Huayuan.

He never used this sword when fighting others.

The extent to which he cherished this Flying Sword was no less than that for Teng Xiuxiu, because when he forged this sword, his wife had left a drop of her fresh blood within it.

It was precisely because of this drop of Mortal blood that the sword's power was significantly reduced, but Teng San didn't care in the slightest. In his heart, as long as this sword existed, he existed; if this sword shattered, he would perish.

At this moment, a strong Battle Intent surged in Teng San’s heart, for he knew that today, he would surely die.

If he were to choose the method of his death, he hoped it would be to perish with this sword.

He gently caressed the Flying Sword, this being the last time in his life he would polish it with spiritual energy. Then, his eyes suddenly flashed with a look of resolute determination. Without a word, he slapped the Flying Sword, and it immediately hummed, soaring towards the black mist in the sky.

Teng San’s body immediately leaped, following closely behind the Flying Sword. His entire spiritual energy was pushed to its limit, and he, along with the Flying Sword, transformed into a meteor, charging with resolute determination towards the black mist in mid-air.

Within that meteor, Teng San vaguely saw his wife, smiling at him, sending him waves of summons.

The meteor streaked across the sky, passed through the black mist, and landed a hundred li away.

Amidst the surging black mist, it all condensed together, forming a translucent figure that gradually revealed Wang Lin's appearance. He gazed thoughtfully in the direction where the meteor had vanished.

In that moment, the middle-aged man had charged at him without the slightest fear, dying under the extreme realm. However, at the moment of his death, a trace of lament was felt by Wang Lin.

Wang Lin remained silent for a long time. He did not extract this man’s Soul, even though this Soul, if refined, would become a top-grade Devil Head. He had not expected that even within the Teng Family, there would be such a person of deep emotion and righteousness. However, this person had to die, because he should not have been born into the Teng Family!

A hundred li away, the meteor landed. Teng San’s body bore no injuries. His eyes were open but unblinking, his breathing ceased, and his life force was extinguished.

In his hand, the Flying Sword named Dao Yun, after its final gleam, shattered into pieces… Teng Family City.

Teng Huayuan stood on the top floor of the ancestral residence, staring blankly at a row of Jade Slips before him. There were nine Jade Slips in total, five of which had already shattered. As Teng Huayuan watched, the Jade Slip representing Teng San emitted a

Teng Huayuan's body trembled, and his figure suddenly aged considerably. He tremblingly reached out and touched each of the shattered Jade Slips, finally stopping at Teng San's Jade Slip, tears, never shed in four hundred years, streaming from his eyes.

“Hai’er…” Teng Huayuan murmured.

Teng Hai was Teng San's birth name.

The nine Core Disciple members of the Teng Family, upon inheriting their respective titles, would leave a trace of their Soul in specially made Jade Slips within the ancestral residence. In just two days, these Jade Slips shattered one by one, and with each breakage, Teng Huayuan's heart was pierced with pain.

Especially Teng Wu; Teng Huayuan had almost personally witnessed his death. This feeling of being ten zhang away yet separated by an insurmountable distance caused even Teng Huayuan’s iron-hard heart to ache.

Teng Wu, in terms of appearance, was the most similar to Teng Li in his youth, apart from Teng Yi. It was precisely for this reason that he was deeply cherished by Teng Huayuan.

Teng Jiu’s bitter childhood resulted in his twisted personality, which led him to an extreme path of cultivation, overdrawing his life. Teng Huayuan had already prepared top-grade Medicinal Pills for him, but unfortunately, those pills were no longer needed.

Teng Ba, Teng Liu, and Teng Si also held positions in Teng Huayuan's heart, but compared to them, Teng San's weight was the heaviest.

Teng San, whom Teng Huayuan once considered the disgrace of the entire Teng Family, was a Core Disciple who, instead of pursuing cultivation, became infatuated with a Mortal woman. For this, he forcibly intervened, breaking them apart and letting the ruthless passage of time take the woman's life.

Teng Huayuan knew that Teng San hated him!

However, this did not diminish Teng Huayuan's fatherly love for Teng San, this unique member of the Teng Family. In fact, he vaguely felt some regret about what happened back then, but this trace of regret no longer had a root, because Teng San was already dead!