When Thirteen-Niang saw that Lin Ye could actually kill a Tianxiang Realm expert, her eyes widened like eggs. She had only thought Lin Ye was a wealthy big spender, but she never imagined he was also a terrifyingly powerful one. Anyone who could kill a Tianxiang Realm expert had to be Tianxiang Realm themselves.
"One versus two… this rich guy is finished," Fat Sun muttered, holding ten meat buns in his hands. He had made a decent amount lately, so he was enjoying himself without restraint.
"Shh! Stop talking!" Thirteen-Niang hissed. "He's our lucky star!"
Her gaze was locked onto Lin Ye. Now that she understood how terrifying his strength truly was, and knowing he had an interest in certain dangerous things, she began thinking there might be opportunities for long-term cooperation. In her eyes, Lin Ye's character was reliable: few words, decisive actions, strong focus, and absolute efficiency. Working with someone like that was how you made real money.
On the drill ground, Yin-Yang Sword and Snake Elder did not hesitate.
Snake Elder tapped his cane lightly against the ground, and instantly heavenly meridian energy gathered around him.
Tianxiang Second Realm!
Snake Elder's cultivation was even slightly stronger than Granny Slashmoon's. Heavenly meridian energy formed a massive phantom serpent behind him, radiating horrifying pressure. With a single point of his cane, the serpent surged toward Lin Ye.
At the same time, Yin-Yang Sword unleashed both blades. His twin swords crossed and carved forward in a violent, interwoven strike.
Both of them chose ranged attacks for one reason: to prevent Lin Ye's hidden force from ambushing them. As long as they kept their distance and relied on strong protective qi armor, they could defend against Lin Ye's schemes. The boy's tactics were vicious and unpredictable, and they had no intention of falling into a trap.
Lin Ye faced the two Tianxiang Realm experts without panic.
"Shura Blood Armor!"
Boom!
Both attacks struck the Shura Blood Armor at the same time. A powerful shockwave erupted outward, and a cloud of dust shot into the sky, swallowing the entire drill ground.
Murong Ao and the others were astonished. Tianxiang Realm experts truly were terrifying. Their power was overwhelming.
"That kid is dead for sure. No one can survive an assault from two Tianxiang experts," Commander Wang Shu said from above, watching the scene with a sigh of admiration. With combat strength like this, the Murong family could dominate the entire region.
But then—
Murong Ao's eyes narrowed as he stared down.
A figure burst out from the dust cloud and shot straight toward him like a blade.
"What!?" Murong Ao's face changed. "Everyone, stop him!"
He never expected Lin Ye to use the dust as cover and charge directly at him, as if it had been planned from the beginning.
Whoosh!
Behind Lin Ye, heavenly meridian energy condensed into form.
"Tianxiang Realm… he's Tianxiang Realm!" Wang Shu shouted in shock.
Lin Ye was charging alone into their formation, revealing Tianxiang-level power. For a moment, everyone panicked. Whoever stepped forward would die.
Snake Elder and Yin-Yang Sword were stunned. They never imagined Lin Ye would dare to do this.
"Damn it!" Both of them stomped down and gave chase.
"Blood Slaughter Nine Strikes!"
Lin Ye's Cold-Iron Sword erupted with nine streams of blood fiend sword energy, slashing mercilessly toward Murong Ao.
His primary target was Murong Ao.
That old bastard had been acting arrogant, trying to posture in front of Lin Ye. Lin Ye decided to cripple him first.
No one could have imagined Lin Ye would prioritize killing Murong Ao immediately.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The nine sword energies slammed down and completely engulfed Murong Ao. Murong Ao's face turned pale in shock. He did not even react in time before the sword energy swallowed him.
But in that instant, a golden bracelet on Murong Ao's wrist erupted with brilliant light.
A golden defensive barrier formed around him.
The blood fiend sword energy crashed violently against the golden shield, producing deafening impacts. Yet Murong Ao remained calm and composed. He had paid an enormous price to obtain this defensive treasure. It was his life-saving trump card.
A trace of mockery appeared in his eyes.
"Boy, you're still not qualified to kill me."
Then his expression froze.
The sword energy had ended, all blocked… yet the bracelet continued trembling violently, warning him that Lin Ye's assault was not over.
Buzz!
The golden bracelet shook again.
Murong Ao looked down—and saw the bracelet cracking rapidly.
Bang!
Lin Ye's hidden force shattered the defensive treasure completely.
At the same time, Lin Ye extended a finger.
Heaven-Shattering Finger!
Boom!
The strike landed precisely between Murong Ao's brows.
Murong Ao was only at Earth-Shift Fifth Realm. How could he possibly resist?
Boom!
His head exploded.
Behind him, the three great clans and Wang Shu all stood frozen in horror.
They watched Murong Ao's headless corpse fall from the sky.
For a moment, the entire world went silent.
The Murong family patriarch… the ruler of Jinlong City… was dead.
To Lin Ye, Murong Ao's life was worth nothing. In the eyes of others, Murong Ao was a figure of status and power. To Lin Ye, he was simply another corpse.
Yin-Yang Sword and Snake Elder caught up—and went rigid.
What shocked them most was seeing Lin Ye seize Murong Ao's storage ring.
He really dared to kill Murong Ao?
That was an act that would normally bring endless consequences. The entire Murong family should have hunted him forever.
But to Lin Ye, that threat was a joke.
With Murong Ao dead, the Murong family was leaderless. Whether it could even remain intact in Jinlong City was uncertain. They would be struggling to survive, not seeking revenge.
The three great clans immediately retreated. They had no reason to provoke Lin Ye.
Snake Elder exchanged a glance with Yin-Yang Sword, then spoke slowly.
"Boy, hand over the storage ring and the Heaven-Stealing Forbidden Art. We can consider sparing your life."
Since Murong Ao was dead, they no longer needed to serve the Murong family. Better to take the treasures and disappear into the world. They were lone wolves. The world was vast. They could go anywhere.
But first, they needed what Lin Ye held.
Otherwise this trip would be meaningless.
The Murong family had relied heavily on a handful of Tianxiang experts to stand strong. Now their fate was irrelevant to Snake Elder and Yin-Yang Sword.
"Since when did I ever say I would let you two leave?" Lin Ye replied coldly.
His eyes flashed with murderous light. He killed Murong Ao first because Murong Ao was richer. The way these two stared at the ring told him everything.
The two elders froze.
Did Lin Ye truly believe that even when they joined hands, they still could not defeat him?
"Arrogant!" Snake Elder growled. "Today I will teach you what it means that the strong rule the world!"
Murong Ao had been killed right in front of them—already a humiliation. If they failed to kill Lin Ye now, their reputations would collapse completely.
They had intended to take the treasures and grant Lin Ye a swift death. But clearly, Lin Ye had no intention of dying quietly.
"Blood Curse!"
Lin Ye stared at them and formed rapid hand seals.
Boom!
The power of the Shura Blood Sea poured into his body.
Violent heavenly energy wrapped around him like a storm.
Boom!
Tianxiang First Realm!
His aura rose again—
Tianxiang Second Realm!