"Master Chang, what happened?"

As Chang Yuanyi finished trying to persuade Ji Yi, a grim-faced Chen Jinlong strode over, his brow tightly furrowed. Upon hearing the news from his subordinate, Chen Jinlong had immediately dropped everything. One of the men involved was a monstrous youth whom even Master Chang respectfully called Master Qin. The other was an unexpected interloper who had spent ninety-five million on the three Human Body Banquets without batting an eye. If anything happened to either of them inside his Dragon Palace of the East Sea, he couldn’t bear the consequences. He hadn’t even had a chance to celebrate the one hundred thirty-five million yuan earned from the auction before this trouble landed in his lap, making him deeply uneasy.

"It’s nothing! Don’t ask what you shouldn’t know," Chang Yuanyi said coldly, his handsome eyebrows slightly furrowed. "Also, arrange for a place. I’m taking Miss Ji and a few friends to rest."

Even he wasn’t qualified to know what was happening, so how could a mere Chen Jinlong possibly get involved? 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Just then, a man hurried to Chen Jinlong’s side and whispered, "Lord Dragon, the rooftop door was kicked in. And that man who bought the three Human Body Banquets has taken down many of our men. We saw it on the surveillance footage; we don’t know if they’re alive or dead. How should we handle this, sir?"

"What!" Chen Jinlong exclaimed, his eyes wide. Before he could get angry, he instinctively looked toward Chang Yuanyi.

"If you don’t want to get dragged into a mess, then do as I say. Don’t look, don’t ask, and don’t interfere. Just pretend nothing ever happened," Chang Yuanyi warned again in a cold voice, though he didn’t know exactly what Chen Jinlong had just heard.

After a brief hesitation, Chen Jinlong gritted his teeth. "Yes, Master Chang!" He then turned to his confidant and ordered, "Handle this according to Master Chang’s instructions!"

"Yes, Lord Dragon! Master Chang! I’ll have the security department stand down immediately!" After receiving a solemn nod from Chen Jinlong, the man dashed away.

Having seen his share of storms in the Martial World, Chen Jinlong quickly composed himself despite his racing thoughts. He concealed his distress and spoke gently to Ji Yi and Chang Yuanyi, "Master Chang, Miss Ji, this way, please. I’ve already had some light refreshments prepared. Let’s eat while we wait for Master Qin to come down!"

Following Chen Jinlong’s words, Chang Yuanyi turned to a visibly flustered Ji Yi and pleaded, "Miss Ji, let’s go. Master Qin ordered us to wait for a bit. Please don’t make my job impossible!"

Ignoring Chang Yuanyi for a moment, Ji Yi turned to Chen Jinlong. "Mr. Chen, can I see the live surveillance feed from the rooftop? I want to know what’s happening!"

"Miss Ji, I’m afraid—! We don’t have any surveillance on the rooftop," Chen Jinlong said, looking at her with an embarrassed expression. "Why don’t we just do as Master Chang suggested and wait for Master Qin’s return? Shall we?"

Without answering immediately, Ji Yi bit her lip, her heart burning with anxiety. Although the uncertainty was making her immensely uneasy and worried, she knew this wasn’t the time to be willful. "Alright," she finally said.

「On the rooftop.」

The setting sun bathed half of Jinling in its golden glow.

Qin Fan stood in the center of the rooftop with his hands behind his back, gazing at the distant city lights. Hearing footsteps behind him, he spoke. "From the moment you released your aura, the countdown to your reunion with those evil beasts began!"

"Hahaha! You killed my family, slaughtered my entire clan!" A crazed, venomous rage twisted Bai Zhantang’s features as his internal power surged violently. "Even if you hadn’t come for me, I would have scoured the ends of the earth, vowing to take your life to appease the one hundred and thirty-two souls of my Bai Clan branch in the heavens!"

He moved as he spoke. Wreathed in a consummate power of Yin and Yang, Bai Zhantang closed the distance in the blink of an eye. He curved his fingers into a claw and lunged, his talons slashing viciously toward the crown of Qin Fan’s head.

"You think you can kill me?" Qin Fan asked, slowly turning around, unmoved by the attack.

Even with the formidable power behind the claw strike, in Qin Fan’s eyes, he was nothing more than a posturing buffoon. Months ago, in the Late Stage of Qi Refinement, he had annihilated that branch of the Bai Clan, leaving no human or animal alive. Months later, the former Late-Stage Qi Refinement cultivator was now at the Golden Core realm. Against him, how was this man from the Bai Clan any different from an ant?

As he turned, Bai Zhantang’s eagle claw was just three inches from the crown of his head. Seeing this, Bai Zhantang couldn’t help but smirk coldly.

"Die!" he bellowed, putting his entire weight into the attack.

He’s being arrogant. What is the price for such arrogance? Does he really think he can withstand my unrestrained clash of Yin and Yang energies? In his dreams! Even a Transformation Realm Grandmaster couldn’t escape this assault unscathed. He’s just a boy, not even twenty. No matter how monstrously talented he is, could he possibly be a Transformation Realm Grandmaster? What a foolish fantasy!

At that moment, washed over by the thrill of impending revenge, he was struck by a wave of overwhelming regret.

If only... if only I hadn’t been away that day, could this monster have succeeded? Would my entire village have been wiped out, with not a single human or animal left alive?

However, blinded by hatred, he had overlooked one thing. If his revenge could be achieved so easily, how could his branch of the Bai Clan have been wiped out without a single survivor?

"Scram!"

Without waiting for his Prison Suppressing Body to activate on its own, Qin Fan scoffed. With a shout, he raised his hand and swiped at the claw, now barely an inch from his head.

CRACK!!!

The forceful clash of their Qi Forces made the very air tremble. With that one dismissive swipe, Qin Fan sent Bai Zhantang tumbling backward. His entire body skidded rapidly across the rooftop, his feet carving two deep grooves into the surface and sending sparks flying.

"The Yin Yang Balance Technique should never have existed in this world," Qin Fan said coldly, eyeing the two tracks on the ground. "It uses the Yin essence of virgins for cultivation, inflicting trauma that causes lifelong infertility. In a prosperous Huaxia, any time such an evil art appears, it must be stamped out!"

As he finished speaking, before Bai Zhantang could even come to a stop, Qin Fan shot forward like a meteor, arriving in an instant.

Bai Zhantang was still struggling to recover from the impact of Qin Fan’s casual swipe when he saw the blur of a figure already upon him. His heart seized in terror!

"How is this possible!"

Before one shock could fade, another crashed over him. The moment the cry left Bai Zhantang’s lips, he felt his right arm go light.

Then, a gruesome RIPPING sound tore through the air!

"AHHH!!!"

A bloodcurdling scream erupted from Bai Zhantang’s throat.

Under the fading light of the setting sun, blood splattered everywhere. Qin Fan had torn Bai Zhantang’s entire right arm clean off.

"GO TO HELL!"

The next moment, amidst the searing pain of his severed arm, Bai Zhantang roared hysterically.

FSSSHHH!

The face that had been slick with cold sweat from the pain began to change rapidly. One half turned frosty and cold, the other as blazing as fire.