Inside the Peng family's council hall, the atmosphere was tense and on the verge of boiling over.
Though compensation was the goal, how much to pay was still up for fierce debate.
"Patriarch Feng, I have made myself clear. This matter is Peng Yu's personal affair. Our Peng family is willing to compensate out of respect for the many years of good relations between our families. Your demands are unreasonable," Patriarch Peng sneered.
A group of elders stood at his side, each gripping a weapon. One word from him and they would strike immediately.
The Feng family members also held their weapons silently, standing around Feng Jinchuan with hostile expressions.
Only Feng Jinchuan remained calm, his face showing indifference.
Song Wanníng tugged at the corner of her mouth, recalling what had been said earlier. She stepped forward to speak.
"Patriarch Peng, Feng Liuguang was a top disciple of the Feng family's new generation. Do you realize how important he was to us? We are willing to accept this compensation only because of the longstanding friendly ties between our two families.
And there's something I'm not sure if I should say. Peng Yu turning out like this, is the Peng family completely without responsibility? If you had restrained her behavior from the start, how could things have gotten this bad?"
Song Wanníng unleashed her full firepower, speaking relentlessly.
"Just recently, Peng Yu destroyed someone from the Sima family and you did nothing. Now that a life is lost, you still want to shirk responsibility? This cannot be covered up just because you say so. Am I right?"
She lifted her chin defiantly, completely unyielding.
"That's right. It is Peng family's fault. Don't try to avoid it!"
"If the compensation is too low, we will never accept it!"
A group of Divine Transformation cultivators argued like commoners, faces flushed red, none of the grace or dignity one might expect.
Song Wanníng scoffed inwardly. She was the loudest of them all.
The Peng family members' faces burned with anger. They had no comeback to Song Wanníng's accusations and could only find excuses.
Soon, the two sides clashed, sparking a physical confrontation.
At first, there was some restraint, but after a few pushes, the fight escalated quickly.
Just like Feng Youming's memories recalled, fights breaking out over small conflicts was common.
As the skirmish threatened to spiral out of control, Song Wanníng suddenly received a signal from her communication talisman.
Inside her storage ring, Bai Yang's talisman pulsed urgently, begging to be opened.
Her heart sank and her eyelids twitched.
She had instructed Bai Yang to wait on the spot. If he sent a message now, something must be wrong.
What happened?
Just as the thought formed, her Primordial Soul trembled, detecting something strange with the formation. Though it was a subtle disturbance, because she had deliberately left a mark on it, she sensed it immediately.
This is bad!
Someone is going into the mountain cave!
Bai Yang cannot be exposed.
Song Wanníng's expression tightened. Her heart raced.
But the argument was at its peak. She could not slip away, especially with Feng Jinchuan standing nearby, watching her every move, waiting for her to make a mistake...
She was truly trapped between a wolf in front and a tiger behind. One wrong move and it would be over.
Silently, she clenched her fingers and threw a punch at the person in front of her.
"Aaah!"
The opponent cried out, then cursed loudly.
"Damn it, Feng Youming, are you playing dirty? Are you deliberately taking revenge on me?"
"Hmph, so what if I am?"
Song Wanníng grabbed the man's collar and, without giving him time to react, swung another punch.
Feng Youming's body had been tempered by training. This clone, formed from Xi Rang, had a strong body. It was the perfect time to use it. If she delayed using spiritual power by even a second, she would risk exposing herself.
But with battle about to erupt, there was no avoiding it... Feng Jinchuan's cunning was deep.
Song Wanníng cursed silently as her fist struck the cultivator.
The man had no body tempering. Being hit by such a solid punch, he winced in pain.
Song Wanníng's speed was too fast. The opponent never got a chance to use spiritual power and was beaten mercilessly.
The moment she struck, the rest exploded into action.
"Damn you, Feng family! Don't bully people like this!"
"I'll beat you bastards to death. Trying to avoid paying compensation? I hope you all rot!"
"If you have guts, go find Peng Yu. Why come after us?"
"Peng Yu or not, we'll beat you first and vent our anger!"
"..."
Various spells erupted all at once. The Peng family's clan-protection formation activated, dispelling most of the magic.
Yet the ground still trembled as if the mountain itself was shaking, terrifying everyone.
People poured out of their houses and looked toward the Peng family residence, astonished by the furious energy that nearly tore the place apart.
The battle flared in full force. Song Wanníng fought with all her strength, thinking about how to get through this mess.
Meanwhile, Feng Jinchuan's eyes blazed as he watched the fierce fighting "Feng Youming" in the crowd.
Every punch landed solidly, repeatedly interrupting the opponent's spiritual power, leaving them unable to counterattack.
This was indeed Feng Youming's usual style.
But Feng Jinchuan wanted to see "Feng Youming" use spiritual power. If he could see familiar techniques, he could finally drop his suspicions.
His gaze locked unflinchingly on Song Wanníng. If there was truly something wrong with her, there would be signs.
Boom!
Song Wanníng swung another punch toward her opponent, the wind from her fist sharp as a blade.
The opponent had barely regained footing before being forced back, tumbling on the ground to dodge the blow just in time.
As he tried to cast a spell, Feng Youming jumped on him, interrupting again.
This time even worse, Feng Youming straddled him and pounded down mercilessly.
Bang!
Fists rained down like heavy raindrops, relentless and painful.
"You talk big. Just now, you were spitting trash, weren't you? How dare you act so arrogantly when it was your Peng family at fault? You were the ones acting all proud first! Let me teach you a lesson today!"
Song Wanníng cursed while attacking, creating the illusion of releasing anger. This helped explain why she did not use spells.
After all, hand-to-hand combat was more thrilling.
The beaten man spat blood, his face swollen like a pig's.
A proud Divine Transformation cultivator had never been humiliated like this before.
"Feng Youming, stop it! If you have guts, let go of me and fight me properly! This is clearly personal revenge! Let me go!"
Hearing the fight, others glanced over.
They saw the old grudge between the man and Feng Youming and nodded in understanding. Feng Youming was indeed venting personal anger.
But no one could say he was wrong. Now that chaos had erupted, who cared about whom?
They turned back and dived into their own battles.