Above the Si residence,a figure clad in black robes materialized silently.
Although it was high noon, an icy, sinister aura emanated from him.
Even his face was blurred, a sight that stirred unease.
"A formation?" he murmured.
He stood in mid-air, yet it was as if no one in the entire Hantian City could perceive his presence.
"Damn it, the Young Master is in danger!"
A terrifying aura spread inexplicably.
Like the arrival of a harsh winter, it shook the heavens.
All the powerful experts in Hantian City looked up instantly, only to see a black sun hovering over the Si residence, radiating a dark light.
The sun and moon reversed, the starry river dimmed.
Space crumbled layer by layer, presenting a scene akin to doomsday.
"Who... who is that?"
"How dare someone cause trouble in our Hantian City?"
"But... this aura... could it be... Emperor Realm?!"
"Who has the Si family offended? Why isn't the Ling Clan taking action?"
Boom!
Under the horrified and shocked gazes of the onlookers, the black sun finally descended, crashing down and tearing a hundred-zhang long crack directly into the ancient formation enveloping the Si residence.
"Young Master!!"
Only then did the two Divine Marquis experts snap back to reality. They stared blankly at the black-robed figure who had appeared before them in a flash, their faces turning pale.
"Gh-Ghost Lord..."
"Where is the Young Master?!" The black-robed figure's voice was extremely cold. The two Divine Marquis experts trembled, then turned and frantically rushed towards the main hall.
"If anything happens to the Young Master, I will make you beg for death."
Boom!
A myriad of fierce lights shot towards the sky, yet the entire Si residence was eerily quiet.
Well, of course it was quiet.
By now, probably only the ancestor, who had been in secluded cultivation for who knew how long deep in the backyard, remained alive in the Si family.
The black-robed figure and the two Divine Marquis experts stared dumbfounded at the countless corpses strewn haphazardly across the Si family main hall, a chill rising from the soles of their feet.
"Hmm? Uncle Gui, what brings you here?" Ling Xiao kicked aside the corpse of a Si family expert in front of him and walked up to the three men, a bright smile on his face.
Ghost Shadow, the most loyal servant by Ling Tianlin's side.
Few knew his true cultivation level because he almost never showed himself in public.
Even the name 'Ghost Shadow' was spread by the Ling Clan members. His real name was unknown.
Mysterious summed him up entirely.
No one knew when he started following Ling Tianlin.
No one knew what techniques he cultivated.
But whenever Ling Tianlin wanted someone dead, he never had to act himself. Wherever Ghost Shadow went, the world became the netherworld.
Some said he had long broken through to the Emperor Realm; others claimed he hadn't.
But those who had seen him make a move... were all dead now.
Ling Xiao hadn't expected Ling Tianlin to send him to follow behind him.
But it was just as well. Mi Yong couldn't appear publicly, and his own Heavenly Demon True Body couldn't be exposed lightly either.
The Myriad Worlds Glazed Demon-Suppressing Pagoda involved too many complications. Dealing with the Si family ancestor, Ling Xiao wasn't entirely confident.
"The Ling Sovereign was worried about you. He sent me to follow." Seeing Ling Xiao was safe, Ghost Shadow and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
But then, doubt crept in.
Now, the entire Si family only had one faint aura left, likely that secluded Si family ancestor.
Everyone else lay dead in the main hall.
But...
Where was Si Lin?
Where were the Si family's Divine General experts?
Why were only the weak, old, and infirm left in the main hall?
But since Ling Xiao didn't offer an explanation, they naturally didn't dare ask.
Besides, the Young Master cultivated not only the Ling Clan's Profound Heaven Great Evolution Scripture but also the techniques of the Ten Thousand Daos Demon Sect. He probably possessed some sinister and ruthless methods.
Of course, given the Young Master's status, it wasn't strange at all if he had a few trump cards capable of killing Divine Marquis experts.
Not just Divine Marquis experts; even a Divine King might not escape unscathed from the Young Master.
After all, behind Ling Xiao stood two Emperor Realm experts!
"Uncle Gui, you came just in time. The Si family ancestor is still alive. Help me capture him." Ling Xiao's familiar address of 'Uncle Gui' caused a flicker of confusion on Ghost Shadow's face.
Was this still the Ling Clan's eldest young master he knew?
The former Ling Xiao looked down not only on servants like them but even on the Ling Sovereign himself.
But now...
"As you command, Young Master!" Ghost Shadow bowed slightly and walked towards the source of the aura.
Ling Xiao and the others followed closely behind, arriving in front of a mountain peak behind the residence, towering with ancient trees.
Ghost Shadow glanced at Ling Xiao, then suddenly pressed his palm forward. A black light palm print tore through the air, instantly reducing the entire mountain peak to dust.
"Who is it! Who dares to run wild in my Si family?!" A furious, aged roar erupted as rubble and dust billowed upwards.
Simultaneously, a terrifying Divine King's aura surged out, instantly dispersing the cloud of dust.
All eyes in Hantian City were now fixed above the Si residence.
A red-robed, white-haired old man stood in the air, his aura overwhelming, roaring in anger.
"Who! Who dares to slaughter my Si family to the last member?!"
By now, he could clearly sense the bloody aura emanating from the main hall.
Moreover, the entire Si family compound had been reduced to ruins.
"Is it you?!" Finally, the Si family ancestor, Si Zhengnan's gaze fell upon Ling Xiao and his group. The anger on his face suddenly froze.
"You are from the Ling Clan?"
"Insolence! Si Zhengnan, the direct-line Young Master of the Ling Clan, Ling Xiao, is present! Kneel!" the two Divine Marquis experts shouted angrily.
But Si Zhengnan cast a wary glance at Ghost Shadow. Although he couldn't sense the slightest fluctuation of aura from the latter, that was precisely what frightened him.
He was a Divine King himself. Who could completely conceal their aura before him?
"May I ask, Young Master, why have you slaughtered my Si family to the last member?!" Si Zhengnan gritted his teeth fiercely. He had only been in seclusion for thirty years. He never expected to open his eyes to find his family exterminated.
"Because they deserved it!" Ling Xiao sneered.
Beside him, Ghost Shadow's figure vanished without a trace, without even causing a ripple in space.
Si Zhengnan's heart trembled. He suddenly let out a cold laugh. "A good slaughter! Since the Young Master says they deserved it, then there must be a reason they deserved it!"
"Hmm?" Ling Xiao was momentarily stunned. Ghost Shadow's outstretched hand paused awkwardly in mid-air.
"You know how to adapt to circumstances. However, I don't believe Si Lin would act without consulting you. Unless... you open your mind and let me search your soul." Ling Xiao shook his head, his tone calm.
Although Si Lin was the head of the Si family, Si Zhengnan was clearly the true mastermind. Betraying the clan was a grave matter; Si Lin absolutely couldn't have decided it alone.
"Young Master... a soul search won't be necessary. I've been in seclusion for thirty years! I truly didn't know these unfilial descendants would commit such a heinous act!" Si Zhengnan wore a look of deep remorse, as if he wished he could have crushed Si Lin and the others himself.
"A heinous act? Did I say they committed a heinous act?" The smile on Ling Xiao's lips widened.
Si Zhengnan's face instantly stiffened.
"Hehehe, since the Young Master has exterminated my Si family, they must have committed a heinous act. Does the Young Master even need to say it?"
"Not necessarily. I exterminated the Si family purely for my own amusement. So... Ancestor, please make your journey." Ling Xiao laughed coldly.
No matter how convincing the old thing's act was, it was useless.
You might not be bad, you might be loyal, but damn it, you're more useful to me dead than alive!
It's like saying: I'm ugly and poor, but I love you sincerely.
Do I lack love?
I lack money!