Covered in blood and in intense pain, his chest ribs completely shattered by the sonic wave, Ye Han picked up a sword from the ground and walked toward Elder Liu Shi, lifting his eyelids to say coldly,
"Didn't you want to skin me alive?"
Though his voice was flat, it seemed imbued with a bone-chilling frost, as if rising from the depths of the underworld.
Looking at that grim face, Elder Liu Shi felt as though he had plunged into an abyss, trembling all over with overwhelming terror.
He was utterly horrified, never expecting to fall into the hands of a junior from the Ye Family!
"Don't celebrate too early! My Liu Family will slaughter your entire Ye Family sooner or later!"
BOOM!
A dark, cold glint flashed deep in Elder Liu Shi's eyes as a surge of Spiritual Power erupted in his palm. He wanted to use his very last shred of Spiritual Power to launch a sneak attack!
Yet Ye Han had seen through it all along; how could he possibly let this old bastard succeed?
Without a moment's hesitation, Ye Han swung his sword down as a silver streak cut through the void!
SPLAT!
"Aah—!"
With a piercing scream, a fountain of blood surged several meters into the air, and then Elder Liu Shi's head rolled onto the ground with a dull thud.
"Elder Liu Shi is dead!"
Nearby, the Liu Family disciples currently locked in fierce combat felt chills crawl down their spines as they watched Liu Shi's severed head roll across the ground.
They stared at the cold, expressionless Ye Han, from whose silver sword blood was dripping onto the floor drop by drop.
"He killed Elder Liu Shi!"
"How can this be?! Elder Liu Shi was a powerhouse who had stepped into the Late Spirit Sea Realm!"
The Liu Family disciples cried out in absolute panic.
Not far away, the Second Elder and the others, who were also locked in combat, gasped upon seeing Liu Shi fall dead, struck by profound shock.
Elder Liu Shi was formidably powerful; even the Second Elder might not have had the confidence to cut him down.
"Good! Brilliantly killed!"
The Second Elder roared with laughter, his palm driving forward once more toward a Liu Family disciple.
BANG!
A surge of spiritual light burst from the aged palm, blasting the Liu Family disciple into a mist of blood.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Across the entire Ye residence, hundreds of figures clashed in fierce battle. Sword lights and blade flashes flickered as violent shockwaves of Spiritual Power battered the surroundings, cracking the stone floors.
Before long, the jade plaza was already slick with flowing blood and piled high with corpses.
Yet Ye Han raised his head to gaze at the two figures confronting each other high in the air.
He knew that while the slaughter below was brutal, the outcome of the entire battle rested on the two Spirit Soul Realm powerhouses!
BOOM—
Spiritual light radiated from the First Elder's entire body as vast surges of Spiritual Power took shape behind him, forming a roaring golden spirit tiger.
This was a Rank Seven spirit essence—the King Kong Flaming Tiger!
BOOM—
The golden spirit tiger roared like thunder, its four limbs kicking off into mid-air as it lunged forward with wide, thick claws, seeking to tear Liu Zhentian apart.
Seeing the ferocious tiger charging in, Liu Zhentian's eyes flashed with solemnity. Spiritual light burst from his palm, turning it crystalline and brilliant like polished jade.
"Heaven-Overturning Hand!"
He pressed his palm downward toward the void, sending a crystalline handprint hurtling forward.
THUD!
The spirit essence of the King Kong Flaming Tiger collided with the handprint in a dull crash, sending faint ripples distorting the space as if it might cave in.
Liu Zhentian was knocked back several hundred meters, his internal blood churning wildly.
"Hmph! You aren't the only one with a spirit essence!"
Liu Zhentian snorted coldly as blue Spiritual Power swept across his body, an icy chill instantly freezing the surrounding air.
SCREECH!
His icy blue Spiritual Power surged upward, condensing into an arctic bird shrouded entirely in frost!
A Rank Eight spirit essence—the Polar Snow Eagle!
Entering the Spirit Soul Realm required cultivating with the spirit essence of a fierce beast. The spirit essence Liu Zhentian had cultivated was a notch stronger than the King Kong Flaming Tiger cultivated by Ye Baili!
Wrapped in icy blue Spiritual Power, the Snow Eagle whipped its wings.
WHOOSH—
The icy blue Spiritual Power was compressed into a freezing torrent that roared forward, freezing the pavilions along its path into solid ice.
Seeing this, Ye Han's expression shifted slightly.
This Liu Zhentian certainly had some real tricks up his sleeve!
BANG!
The King Kong Flaming Tiger was blasted back several hundred meters by the freezing torrent, its body coated in a thin layer of frost, though the frost melted almost instantly.
Ye Baili's King Kong Flaming Tiger seemed to possess an elemental advantage that restrained the icy bird, so even with a slightly lower rank, it didn't fall into a disadvantage!
This caused Liu Zhentian to frown slightly.
He glanced down and saw the forces of the two great families locked in a chaotic melee, though the Ye Family seemed to hold a slight upper hand.
Seeing the look on Liu Zhentian's face, Ye Baili sneered coldly,
"Liu Zhentian, for your Liu Family to swallow up my Ye Family is sheer wishful thinking! My Ye Family is no persimmon for anyone to knead as they please. As for your Liu Family, you've just lost another elder. If you stubbornly persist in fighting on, the one who falls in defeat will surely be your Liu Family!"
Hearing this, Liu Zhentian's expression grew even darker. Losing an elder was like losing an arm to the Liu Family; it was a severe blow!
He could not drag this out any longer, or else, as Ye Baili had said, the losses to the Liu Family would be even greater.
At this thought, Liu Zhentian took a deep breath and suddenly sneered,
"Is that so? Ye Baili, I advise you not to celebrate too early!"
HUM—
An ancient jade talisman appeared in his palm.
With a grim smile, Liu Zhentian decisively crushed it.
RUMBLE!
The moment the talisman shattered, a terrifyingly powerful aura swept outward, and the entire estate began to shake violently!
"What is happening?"
Everyone looked toward the center of the plaza, where the stone floor was splitting apart as if something was about to burst out from beneath the earth.
BOOM!
A beam of crimson ghostly light burst from the ground, and a massive scorpion clawed its way out from beneath the earth!
Everyone in the Ye Family froze in utter shock.
This scorpion was over ten meters tall, shrouded in gray mist. Its entire body resembled brownish rock, the surface as rugged and uneven as stone.
Its blood-red pupils resembled red lanterns, eerie and bizarre.
It crawled upon the ground, its massive pincers drawn in against its chest, while its tail held a sharp, venomous stinger pointing straight up into the air.
A terrifying pressure rolled outward from its body!
"Th-this is a Spirit Soul Realm late-stage fierce beast?"
The First Elder and other Ye Family powerhouses could not help looking startled, crying out in dismay.
"Ye Baili, you didn't expect this, did you? This is the spirit beast my Liu Family's patron has kept and raised for over a dozen years—the Giant Rock Scorpion!"
Liu Zhentian raised his brow, looking down proudly at the Giant Rock Scorpion.
"What?!"
Hearing these words, the faces of the Ye Family members and powerhouses turned instantly pale.
They certainly had not expected the Liu Family to possess such a trump card!
"The Ye Family is finished!"
A Ye Family elder's lips trembled uncontrollably, his eyes brimming with terror.
If the Liu Family only had Liu Zhentian as a Late Spirit Sea Realm powerhouse, the Ye Family wouldn't have been overly fearful. But with the addition of a Late Spirit Soul Realm spirit beast to the Liu Family, the balance of power between the two clans would be instantly shattered, tipping overwhelmingly in favor of the Liu Family faction!
"The Liu Family still has a trump card like this?"
At that moment, a strange look flashed in Ye Han's eyes as his hand stealthily retrieved a yellowed talisman paper.
The Black Demon Lightning Talisman!
Yet he wasn't certain whether this Black Demon Lightning Talisman could deal with the Giant Rock Scorpion!
HUM—
A surge of Spiritual Power poured into the spirit talisman, yet this time, the Black Demon Lightning Talisman showed no reaction whatsoever!
"What is going on?"
Ye Han roared inwardly, his expression changing.
At this critical moment, this Black Demon Lightning Talisman actually wouldn't work!
What on earth was happening?
"Giant Rock Scorpion, slaughter the entire Ye Family for me!"
Liu Zhentian swept his sleeve, his overbearing and merciless voice echoing across the entire Ye residence.
BOOM!
At that moment, the Giant Rock Scorpion crouching on the ground violently lashed its tail, and that barbed venomous stinger struck straight toward the First Elder first.
"King Kong Flaming Tiger!"
ROAR—
The First Elder's robes snapped and whipped wildly around him, his gaze resolute as he prepared to make a desperate final stand, releasing his Spiritual Power to the absolute limit.
The King Kong Flaming Tiger burned with flames as it pounced toward that venomous stinger.
Yet the stinger pierced the void like a streak of silk, and with a *splat*, it pierced straight through the chest of the Flaming Spirit Tiger, shattering it to pieces!
BOOM!
The venomous stinger didn't lose momentum; instead, its speed suddenly surged as it struck toward Ye Baili!
The First Elder's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly swung the staff in his hand to block the stinger.
Unexpectedly, with a *clang*, the staff rebounded and slammed heavily into his chest.
With a spurt of fresh blood, Ye Baili plummeted straight down from the void like a bird with broken wings.
At that moment, the hearts of everyone in the Ye Family seemed to sink to the absolute bottom, despairing and gray as ash...
Chapter 23: The Powerful Black Demon Lightning
BANG!
Ye Baili's body crashed heavily straight down onto the stone floor from the void.
That loud crash plunged the hearts of almost everyone in the Ye Family into the icy abyss of despair!
Countless Ye Family members turned as pale as paper, panic gripping their features.
They knew that once the pillar that was the First Elder fell, it meant the Ye Family had fallen.
What awaited them would undoubtedly be the ruthless slaughter of the Liu Family!
"Hahaha, the Ye Family is now a tiger without teeth, showing utter decay!"
"From this day onward, one of the Four Great Families of Flaming City will be gone, and the Ye Clan will cease to exist."
In stark contrast, the Liu Family disciples were ecstatic, their morale soaring.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
They brandished their spirit weapons once more, launching a counter-attack and butchering the Ye Family forces as the chaos descended anew.
SPLAT, SPLAT, SPLAT—
"Aah!"
"Aah!"
Screams rang out one after another, and rivers of blood ran across the plaza, a terrifying and shocking sight.
"Patriarch, that brat is hiding over there; he killed Liu Shi!"
Behind them, the white-robed Elder Liu Xi pointed at Ye Han and said sinisterly.
Liu Zhentian's gaze surged with monstrous murderous intent as he looked over, the air around him boiling from his Spiritual Power. Ye Han had killed his only son, Liu Ming, and now he had killed the Fourth Elder of the Liu Family. Even at a heavy price today, he was determined to cut Ye Han down right here!
With a gloomy glare at the crouching Giant Rock Scorpion behind him, he said in a deep voice,
"Giant Rock Scorpion, cut that brat down!"
RUMBLE!
The massive rock scorpion crawled slowly forward. With every step it took, a loud crash echoed, the stone floor unable to bear its weight and shattering inch by inch.
That immense pressure also forced Ye Han back a few steps.
The Spiritual Power within his body surged like a tidal wave, wrapping around his legs until they looked as if they were cast of pure gold, glowing with brilliant light.
With a loud boom, a massive venomous stinger lunged downward fiercely.
Ye Han leaped backward with his legs, his speed skyrocketing as he dodged like a blur. The venomous stinger slammed into the floor with a boom, blasting out a massive crater.
Having dodged the blow, Ye Han didn't retreat; instead, he darted alone toward the left side of the venomous stinger.
SWISH!
A shadow flashed, and the sword in Ye Han's hand struck fiercely against the venomous stinger. Unexpectedly, with a single clang, the sword cracked apart.
RUMBLE!
The Giant Rock Scorpion moved again, gray mist churning all over its body. It raised its two massive pincers, which hissed as they rubbed against the air, and swept them around in a smashing arc.
"Not good!"
Ye Han cursed inwardly, instantly darting away to dodge. Behind him came a loud crash as the two massive pincers actually smashed a palace to pieces!
"What a mantis trying to stop a chariot, utterly overestimating oneself! The Giant Rock Scorpion has already reached the Late Spirit Soul Realm, and its physical body is impervious to blades and spears, as hard and indestructible as rock and iron. Let alone a tiny Spirit Sea Realm cultivator like him, even that Ye Baili couldn't take a single blow from this fierce beast!"
Liu Xi scoffed coldly, unable to resist mocking him.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
In the distance, the Giant Rock Scorpion's massive pincers resembled two giant tongs, launching wave after wave of attacks.
Ye Han, meanwhile, sped through the void like a starlight blur. Pursued by the Giant Rock Scorpion's ferocious onslaught, he found himself in near-constant mortal peril!
RUMBLE!
Palace after palace was reduced to ruins, and even a few Ye Family members were directly crushed into mists of blood by the Giant Rock Scorpion.
This Giant Rock Scorpion was brutally vicious!
"Great Sun Scorching Palm!"
WHOOSH—
Ye Han soared into mid-air, a rising miniature sun appearing in his palm before condensing into a golden flame palm that struck outward.
BANG!
That blazing sun flame palm slammed fiercely into the back of the Giant Rock Scorpion, instantly bursting into scattered flames and being extinguished.
Ye Han's gaze grew exceptionally solemn at that moment. He hadn't expected this Rank Seven spirit art to fail to harm it in the slightest!
SWISH—
While Ye Han was deep in thought, the venomous stinger struck out once more like a hidden weapon lying in wait, cutting a blurred trail through the void.
Ye Han's pupils constricted sharply as he caught the scent of death.
Not good, he had been too careless!
The sudden sneak attack from the venomous stinger gave him no time to dodge!
"Young Patriarch, get away!"
BOOM—
Yet at that moment, a figure wrapped in raging Spiritual Power whistled through the air, blocking his path.
Ye Han looked forward to see an elderly man in gray robes.
The Fourth Elder of the Ye Family, Ye Kai!
With bloodshot eyes, Ye Kai roared as he brandished his longsword, charging directly toward the venomous stinger.
SPLAT!
Yet that venomous stinger pierced straight through Ye Kai's body, blasting him into a mist of blood with a loud *bang*!
"Elder Ye Kai!"
Ye Han's eyes turned icy cold as he clenched his fists tightly.
Yet at that moment, he had yet to notice that the blood dripping from his palms was continuously seeping into the Black Demon Talisman, being absorbed by the patterns etched upon the talisman!
As the blood poured in, the spiritual markings grew increasingly clear, and the spirit talisman in his palm finally burst into light, floating upward.
HUM—
"This is..."
As that talisman hung suspended in mid-air, a mysterious and terrifying fluctuation instantly enshrouded the entire Ye Family estate!
Even Liu Zhentian, a Late Spirit Soul Realm powerhouse, experienced a drastic shift in expression under those fluctuations, his eyes filled with terror!
"It's... a talisman!"
The First Elder also wore a look of shock, his pupils contracting.
Furthermore, the fluctuations of this talisman were at least of the quasi-Mystic Grade!
He never expected Ye Han to possess such a powerful trump card!
Ye Han was also stunned for a moment, glancing down at his blood-stained palm. Only then did he realize that this Black Demon Lightning Talisman had been activated by his vital blood!
"Now, let's see if the Liu Family can withstand my wrath!"
The corners of Ye Han's mouth lifted as he spoke in an icy voice.
HISSSSS—
That terrifying fluctuation spread as the talisman rose, transforming into a curtain of black light that enshrouded the entire estate.
CRACKLE, CRACKLE~
Dancing across the curtain of light were streaks of black lightning carrying an aura of obliteration, making everyone's hearts leap with panic.
Every single bolt of Black Demon Lightning was infinitely terrifying!
"This is... Black Demon Lightning?! Not good! Fall back!"
Staring at the pitch-black demonic lightning, Liu Zhentian trembled all over, his scalp tingling as he yelled out in a roar.
"Want to run? Too late..."
Standing tall in the void with a grim gaze, Ye Han also wanted to witness just how powerful this Black Demon Lightning was!
RUMBLE!
At that moment, an ancient thunderous roar echoed across the skies above the estate, gathering a violent surge of thunderous might.
WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH~
Everyone looked up in shock as thunderclouds gathered densely across the light curtain, black lightning occasionally cutting across the sky like the dragon heads of black dragons peering out.
Every single bolt of lightning possessed an aura comparable to the Late Spirit Soul Realm!
"Impossible! How could the Ye Family possess a high-grade talisman?!"
Liu Zhentian's face turned pale as ash, a chill running down his spine as his eyes lost focus.
As for Liu Xi and the others, they swallowed hard in sheer fright, as if enveloped by the aura of death.
Those bolts of Black Demon Lightning were simply too terrifying!
"Break the barrier, quickly!"
Spiritual light erupted from Liu Zhentian's entire body as he burned seemingly every ounce of power within him, frantically pounding away at the barrier light curtain.
Yet beneath the Purple Palace Realm, absolutely no one could break this barrier light curtain!
BOOM!
At that moment, black lightning suddenly plummeted from the heavens!
A terrifying flash of lightning cleaved downward, instantly turning the entire Ye Family as bright as day!
Amidst gazes of absolute terror, that bolt of Black Demon Lightning struck straight down from the crown of Liu Zhentian's head.
"No!"
With a heaven-shaking crash, the Black Demon Lightning slammed into Liu Zhentian's physical body. Liu Zhentian roared in terror, but the very next instant...
BANG!
His physical body exploded into a mist of blood!
"Patriarch..."
Across the Liu Family, bodies went limp and collapsed.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The second, third, and fourth bolts of Black Demon Lightning descended in dense succession.
BANG, BANG, BANG—
"Aah!"
The Black Demon Lightning acted like a mechanical meat grinder of death, blasting figure after figure into mists of blood.
Even that Giant Rock Scorpion had its physical body pierced through under the bombardment of several bolts of Black Demon Lightning!
Cries of ghosts and howls of wolves echoed across the entire Liu Family estate!
Chapter 24: Reckoning!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Accompanied by deafening explosions, streaks of black lightning radiating an aura of destruction rained down from the sky!
Acting like the scythes of the grim reaper, they wreaked havoc and slaughtered the members of the Liu Family.
With every streak of lightning that landed, a figure burst into a mist of blood with a loud *bang*!
BANG, BANG, BANG—
"Aah!"
Piercing screams, wails of despair, and terrified cries echoed across the entire plaza. The scene resembled a living hell, incomparably bloody and gruesome!
Inside the array, corpses were already piled like mountains and blood flowed like rivers.
"Too terrifying..."
Even the members of the Ye Family swallowed hard at the sight, their hearts brimming with terror.
Gazing at the black magic array, Ye Han was inwardly shocked as well; he hadn't expected this Black Demon Lightning Talisman to be so terrifying!
Even someone as formidable as Liu Zhentian couldn't withstand a single blow from the Black Demon Lightning, bursting into a mist of blood on the spot.
Before long, the stone platform was already a river of blood and shattered limbs, the air thick with a violent yet bloody stench.
Only then did the members of the Liu Family learn what true despair and helplessness meant!
This near-cruel slaughter lasted merely a few minutes before the members of the Liu Family had all fallen one by one into pools of blood, dying without an intact corpse.
Fresh blood splashed and seeped into the stone floor, while severed body parts lay scattered about in disarray—a horrific and shocking sight.