CHAPTER 1048: THE OLD FATHERS CHICKEN SOUP

Xiong Zhong erupted with an overwhelming aura, his confidence soaring to new heights.

Dozens of people stared up at him with wide eyes, seemingly frozen in fear—or so it appeared in his eyes. This was his first taste of true power, and it was intoxicating. Yet, inexperience left him unsure of how to command the scene.

As he hesitated, Xiong Fen’s encouraging voice reached him through a secret transmission.

"Son, don’t be afraid."

"On this Cloud Star, you and I are like gods. If you see a treasure you want, just take it. The strong rule—that’s the only law that matters!"

Bolstered by his father’s words, Xiong Zhong’s arrogance surged, his eyes brimming with disdain.

"Hmph! Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance. In three breaths, if you don’t hand over your weapons, you’ll be buried here alongside these demon corpses!"

With that, he placed his left hand behind his back and raised a single finger with his right.

"One."

Xiao Zhan and the others exchanged glances, their expressions twisting into looks of sheer disbelief, as if they were staring at the village idiot.

"Two."

The young man continued counting, but no one paid him any mind. They simply ignored him, too busy to humor his nonsense.

Xiao Zhan rolled his eyes and waved dismissively at the crowd.

"Alright, alright, back to work! Nothing worth seeing here."

The crowd chuckled and resumed their tasks—some shoveling demon corpses, others hauling away remains—all focused on their duties.

The brief silence shattered as the scene returned to bustling activity.

Xiong Zhong’s face darkened with fury.

"Three!"

He spat the word through clenched teeth, yet still, no one acknowledged him.

Humiliation burned through him, his face flushing with rage. The sheer disrespect was unbearable.

"Fine, fine!"

"A bunch of ignorant fools, too blind to see their own doom! Today, I’ll teach you what it means to face true power!"

With a furious roar, he unleashed a full-force palm strike!

Terrifying Dao energy surged outward like a tidal wave, unmistakably revealing the might of a Saint.

Finally, Xiao Zhan glanced over—but not with the fear the father-son duo had expected. Instead, he merely frowned in annoyance.

As the devastating wave of energy approached, Xiao Zhan threw out a single, casual punch.

"Boom!"

A punch so effortless, yet its power blotted out the sky!

Like a storm sweeping away dry leaves, the fist’s might purified the air, obliterating all traces of the attack. The shockwave sent both father and son flying into the horizon, their faces frozen in stunned horror.

"Whoosh!"

Two figures streaked across the sky like shooting stars. Xiao Zhan watched them vanish into the distance, muttering under his breath.

"Unbelievable. What kind of trash dares to rob people these days?"

A single punch had sent them packing—such was the terrifying gap in their strength.

Truly, Xiao Zhan lived up to his reputation as a direct disciple.

The workers gazed in admiration, though they barely paused in their tasks. They were used to witnessing the island’s supreme experts in action. A quick glance was enough before they returned to work, already dismissing the two clowns from their minds.

"Whoosh…"

The two "shooting stars" traced a sorrowful arc across the sky before crashing into the distant mountains.

They flew for half an incense stick’s worth of time before finally slamming into the earth, shaking the ground and carving out a crater several meters deep.

"Boom!"

The impact sent birds and beasts fleeing in terror.

Dust swirled in the deep mountain valley as the two figures lay in the crater, motionless. After what felt like an eternity, they finally crawled out, covered in dirt and blood, their faces twisted in shock.

Xiong Zhong’s nose bled freely, his face ghostly pale. His entire body trembled as if he had just escaped death itself.

"H-how… how is this possible?!"

"That punch… it was too terrifying…"

His mind replayed the scene—that single, world-shattering fist. His voice shook uncontrollably.

He couldn’t even stand, his legs numb with fear.

Swallowing hard, he turned to his father—only to find Xiong Fen in the same sorry state, his face equally horrified.

"What a monstrous punch!"

Even his father was shaken. That alone spoke volumes about the opponent’s strength.

No doubt about it—that man was at least a Heaven-tier expert!

Their confidence shattered in an instant. Xiong Zhong’s voice cracked with disbelief.

"Gulp…"

"Father!"

"You said Cloud Star had no experts, that Yi Feng was the only one who might approach Heaven-tier! So how… how could that man be so strong?!"

Xiong Fen’s face stiffened, his throat dry.

Being humiliated in front of his son, misjudging the situation so badly—it was beyond embarrassing. But Xiong Fen was no ordinary man. As he brushed the dirt from his disheveled white hair, his expression steadied.

The calm of decades of experience settled over him, a thousand times more composed than his son.

With a wave of his hand, he dispersed the dust around him, his voice firm.

"A minor miscalculation, but the situation is still under control."

Xiong Zhong’s eyes bulged.

"Father, we just got sent flying across the continent! How is this ‘under control’?!"

"Maybe… maybe we should just return to Misty Star. Cloud Star isn’t as weak as we thought. This trip might be more dangerous than we anticipated."

His voice grew more frantic, his nerves frayed.

"If we run into another expert like that, how are we supposed to survive? That divine weapon might be impossible to take!"

Seeing his son’s shattered confidence, Xiong Fen’s face hardened.

"Fool!"

"Such a small setback, and you’re already giving up? How will you ever achieve greatness?!"

The scolding jolted Xiong Zhong slightly out of his panic. Shame and stubbornness flickered across his face.

Noticing the change, Xiong Fen’s tone softened.

"Son, I’m not being harsh. You’re still young. You must steady your heart and strive for progress."

As Xiong Zhong nodded silently, Xiong Fen continued with authority.

"True, we misjudged the situation. It seems Cloud Star has more than one expert. Qing Yin Xianyun must have been too focused on slaying demons to notice the others."

"But think—Cloud Star has been isolated for 100,000 years. Logically, there can’t be many experts here. At most, one or two might approach Heaven-tier."

"We were unlucky, running into their strongest fighter right away. But remember—when fortune hits rock bottom, it can only rise. From here, our path will be smooth!"

"My son, true greatness comes from perseverance!"

Xiong Zhong’s eyes gleamed with renewed determination.

"I understand, Father."

His father’s words made him realize his own shortsightedness. The image of Qing Yin Xianyun flashed in his mind, fueling his resolve.

Even in defeat, his fighting spirit burned brighter.

Wiping the blood from his face, he swallowed a healing pill and steadied his breathing.

"Father, what should we do now?"

Pleased by his son’s recovery, Xiong Fen smiled approvingly.

"No rush."

"First, we heal. Then, we gather information about treasures and Yi Feng’s whereabouts. We’ve already met Cloud Star’s strongest—what are the odds we’ll run into another expert like that?"

"Every setback has its silver lining. By encountering their best early, we can avoid them from now on."

"Aside from that man, every living thing on Cloud Star is an ant. We can still do as we please!"

Xiong Zhong was fed a bowl of motivational wisdom, and all his fears and hesitations vanished. His spirits lifted instantly, his eyes brimming with newfound confidence.

He rose and bowed deeply to his father, his gaze filled with reverence.

"Father's profound insight has enlightened me greatly. I shall carry these lessons with me for life!"

Father and son exchanged a knowing smile, their excitement for the future palpable. Without delay, they began meditating to heal their wounds.

"Haa…"

With the aid of the Moon God Pavilion's sacred medicine, their injuries healed significantly within just half a day. Their vigor returned, their bodies surging with power.

When they opened their eyes again, their confidence burned even brighter.

Just as they prepared to set out, a flying vessel streaked across the heavens like a fleeting beam of light, rippling through the void. Its mere sight was enough to captivate the soul.

Xiong Zhong's eyes sparkled with awe as he gazed upward greedily.

"That vessel moves with extraordinary speed and can even part the void. Though it may pale slightly compared to the Moon God Pavilion's treasures, it far surpasses the common holy ships of Lanxing. What a fine artifact!"

Xiong Fen stroked his beard and chuckled, confidence gleaming in his eyes.

"My son, do you recall your father's words? When misfortune reaches its limit, fortune follows—the ancients spoke true. Our luck has already arrived…"

"Come, let us seize this vessel and add it to our legacy!"

With a shared grin, the two tore through the void.

In the blink of an eye, their voices faded.

They reappeared high above the clouds, flanking the flying vessel from both sides. Hands clasped behind their backs, they looked down with domineering pride.

"Hand over the vessel, or face annihilation!"

Aboard the ship, Fang Zaowu was reviewing a new blueprint when the disturbance made him scowl in irritation. He lifted his head, scanning his surroundings.