Lin Tian’s face and body were covered in blood; it was impossible to tell whether it was his own or someone else’s.

No one else could tell either whether he was dead or alive right now.

Everything had happened too fast; from the Grand Elder’s first move to his final strike was just a few brief motions, and that was all it took to beat the once awe‑inspiring Lin Tian to the point where his life or death was uncertain.

"Lin Tian isn’t gonna die, right?" the Second Elder asked, looking on.

"He probably won’t..." the Sixth Elder said, extremely unsure. In truth he had no confidence in his heart, because Lin Tian had been beaten too miserably—so miserable it was hard to look at.

The Sixth Elder only felt a ball of air stuck in his chest that desperately needed venting. He clenched his fists, wanting to rush up and pull Lin Tian down to save him, but in the end he didn’t act recklessly.

Those two weren’t a match for Mr. Wang either; if he went up, he’d just be cannon fodder. In a situation like this, Mr. Wang was not going to show mercy—going up meant certain death!

The disciples of the Wang Family watching from the side were also making all kinds of guesses.

Someone asked, "Is that guy dead or not? Why does it look like he’s not even breathing?"

"He probably isn’t dead. Even though this brat chopped off one of our elders’ arms, he knows a lot of pill recipes. If we just killed him now, wouldn’t that be letting him off too easy?"

"Hmph! Even if he’s not dead, after taking a full set of the old ancestor’s moves, he’s lost half his life at least. Maybe he’ll be a cripple from now on. What cultivation genius? He’ll just be a joke."

Mr. Wang grabbed Lin Tian by the collar with one hand and lifted his whole body up, his face dark and gloomy. Without saying a word, he turned and started walking back.

"Mr. Wang!" Finally, the Sixth Elder couldn’t hold back and shouted, "If you just take him away like this, the other eleven families will never let the Wang Family off!"

Everyone understood that this was definitely not an empty threat.

The pill recipes Lin Tian had taken out earlier were precious beyond words, and that was only the tip of the iceberg. Everyone wanted to get more from Lin Tian. Mr. Wang just walking off with him like this meant he’d offended everyone.

"Hmph. So what?" Mr. Wang snorted disdainfully and walked on without looking back, still dragging Lin Tian by the collar.

"Gather up the bones of all the sons of the Wang Family! Today’s hatred will be repaid in full another day!" Mr. Wang’s voice echoed above True Martial Hall, ringing in everyone’s ears like thunder.

In reality, far more people from the Alliance had died than from the Wang Family, and the players were the ones who had come looking for trouble. If anyone should be talking about revenge, it should have been the elders of the Alliance. This Mr. Wang was simply too arrogant.

The disciples in the Alliance erupted into a wave of harsh curses. Their brothers and friends had died in battle, and that grief in their hearts had nowhere to go.

Mr. Wang turned around and glared fiercely. The cursing stopped in an instant, as if someone had hit pause.

What could they do? The man’s strength was absolute, and he killed without batting an eye. Who wasn’t afraid of him?

The corpses of the Wang Family disciples were quickly gathered up, and the Wang Family people, carrying themselves like they’d returned victorious, headed home.

"Old Six, what do we do now?" the Second Elder asked. This matter was too big and there were too many variables; he couldn’t make up his mind for the moment.

"What else can we do?" the Sixth Elder gritted his teeth. "With Mr. Wang here, no one can stop them. Send a few disciples with better Lightweight Skill to tail them and report their movements at any time. And call together the people from the other eleven families. Something’s happened to Lin Tian—given those pill recipes, they definitely won’t be happy about this either."

The Second Elder nodded. "Fine, we’ll do it that way."

...

Spring Equinox had already passed; in a few more days it would be Qing Ming. This year’s spring was quite warm, the snow had melted relatively early—who knew if it was because of global warming.

When Mr. Wang and the others had come, there were more than seventy of them. On the way back, over thirty were dead or wounded, nearly half their number. Even though they’d technically "won," their mood wasn’t high at all.

Although Lin Tian had been captured alive and brought back, the pressure the Wang Family would face in the future would be unprecedented. This time they’d basically offended everyone.

Leaving True Martial Hall, they passed through a roughly hundred‑meter‑long alley and then a stone bridge. That was considered the edge of the great families’ Alliance territory.

Mr. Wang raised his head and glanced at the sky. The weather was very good today; the sun’s warmth soaked into his bones.

On a day like this, the best thing would be to brew a pot of good tea, call a few old friends over, and sit around bullshitting and playing chess.

Unfortunately, spoiling the mood was the fact that he had too many troublesome matters on his hands right now.

"Manzi, how’s your arm?" Mr. Wang asked softly.

Wang Manzi’s entire right arm had been chopped off, the cut unnaturally clean. It was now wrapped round and round with white cloth, already soaked red with blood. It was a shocking sight and the smell was harsh.

"It’s nothing," Wang Manzi answered in a buzzing voice, head lowered.

His mood was rotten. First he’d lost two fingers; now an entire arm. The taste in his heart was a hundred flavors mixed together, impossible to describe. What he wanted most right now was to use a stone mill to grind Lin Tian’s body back and forth alive a thousand times over, grinding him into powder and then scattering his ashes to truly vent his anger.

"Don’t worry. When we get back, I’ll definitely make that brat Lin Tian come up with a workable method to reattach your arm. This kid’s got a huge reputation in the mortal world and all sorts of treasures. Putting an arm back on him shouldn’t be a big deal."

Wang Manzi kept his head down, his voice low and heavy. "What’s the point of reattaching it? It’s broken once; it’ll never be what it was. This arm is ruined, and the Barbaric Bone Nine Transformations has a flaw now. Big Brother... from here on out, the Wang Family will have to rely on you alone."

Mr. Wang stayed silent for a long while. In the end, he lifted his head again, looked up at the sky, and said, "We really can’t stay in Kanyue City anymore. From today on, pack up everything. We’re withdrawing from the world."

This answer was something everyone in the Wang Family had already anticipated. After poking such a huge hornet’s nest, if they didn’t go into hiding, the Wang Family really would be wiped out!

Think back to the Xu Family: even when the eleven families joined forces, they still hadn’t managed to break them, all thanks to the Xu Family’s Charming Skill.

And the Wang Family? Their burst power was strong enough, but after a burst came a period of weakness. They might withstand one or two waves, but there was no guarantee they could withstand a third.

If it were theTang Family, they could use poison to hold the fort and wouldn’t have much to worry about.

"Hopefully that brat Lin Tian can bring some surprises to the Wang Family."

Just as Mr. Wang was sighing, suddenly the scout with good Lightweight Skill who had gone ahead came rushing back.

"Old ancestor, bad news! There are cars from theTang Family up ahead, about twenty people. All unfamiliar faces I’ve never seen before—their strength is unclear."

"Report~ Old ancestor, the Xu Family and the Yue Family’s cars are heading this way too. The road ahead’s completely blocked."