The main gate of the Ling Clan estate loomed ahead, towering and imposing, but its grandeur had been tainted by chaos. Fallen warriors littered the courtyard, some sprawled in twisted poses, others frozen in mid-motion as if time itself had paused. Two shadow disciples who had saved Ling Feng lay unconscious on either side of the entrance, their dark robes torn and smeared with dust and blood.
Ye Tian's eyes swept over the scene, calm but calculating. He knelt briefly, tossing a small talisman over the nearest disciple. It landed softly, glowing faintly as the wound-healing qi seeped into the unconscious warrior.
Not bad, he thought. These two held the line.
Xiuying lingered behind him, observing silently. In her mind, admiration grew. A single talisman could feed a family for a year… he truly values them.
"Patriarch is absent," Ye Tian muttered, scanning the empty estate. "Likely left to hide his incompetence. Can't even eliminate one girl, yet still wants to maintain appearances."
The air shifted. A faint ripple of qi heralded the arrival of the old man. He strode forward with measured steps, a sinister calm radiating from him. In his hands, he carried the artifact containing Ling Feng, its subtle hum vibrating with suppressed energy.
Ye Tian's eyes narrowed. The Realm Scan feature activated, a holographic chart displaying the man's power.
Mid Core Formation Realm, Ye Tian mused, his lips curling into a faint smirk. Not too high. This is manageable… and after this, I'll level up further.
The old man's voice was cold, deliberate, echoing faintly through the courtyard:
"Ye Tian… the Nightlord. You think you can just barge in and claim what is not yours?"
"That girl is under my protection. Stand aside, or face consequences," Ye Tian replied calmly, his voice carrying a quiet authority.
"Consequences?" The old man chuckled, lifting the artifact slightly. "Do you even comprehend the weight of what you're facing? Mid Core Formation Realm. You and your little troupe cannot hope to overcome me."
Ye Tian's fingers flexed, night qi subtly pulsing around his form. "Then let's see."
He motioned lightly, and Yuhua, Mu Qingyao, Xiuying, and the shadow disciples fell into formation. The courtyard became a stage of imminent chaos, tension humming like a taut string.
Yuhua whispered, "He's strong… but he underestimates us."
Mu Qingyao added, "Focus on the artifact! That's our priority."
Ye Tian, smirking, replied, "Patience. Strike together. Observe the battlefield."
With a subtle movement, Ye Tian initiated Blade Walk, floating on psychokinetically controlled daggers scattered across the courtyard. His form became fluid, almost ethereal, striking from unexpected angles as the artifact-bearing old man's defenses were tested.
Simultaneously, he unleashed Killing Intent Spree, a wave of concentrated Night Qi that radiated outward, slamming into Ling Clan warriors who had lingered nearby. The pressure was crushing; many fell unconscious, some blown across the courtyard as though by a force of gravity itself.
The old man snarled, frustration flashing in his eyes.
"Bold… but foolish. You think mere tricks can break my control?"
He launched a series of attacks, forming qi blades and energy arcs with mid Core Formation precision. Each strike was calculated, relentless.
Ye Tian countered, using Psychokinesis to manipulate debris, shifting weapons in midair to block incoming attacks. Yuhua and Mu Qingyao pressed forward, launching elemental and martial bursts, while Xiuying coordinated support, deflecting smaller attacks and ensuring the battlefield remained under control.
Ye Tian, muttering to himself, "Should I buy Basic Night Core Swordsmanship? Enough points… might as well."
He spent 30,000 fear and reputation points, acquiring the skill. A faint sigh escaped him. "Only basic for now… but it'll help."
The battle intensified. Ye Tian soared above the courtyard, walking on dagger points mid-air, blades of psychokinetic energy spinning around him. Shadow disciples flanked him, converging with his wives in coordinated bursts of strikes. Every attack was deliberate, every movement precise, but the old man's skill pushed them to adapt continuously.
A sudden system notification blinked red:
> [REALM UPGRADED]
• Body Tempering Realm
• Qi Refinement Realm
• Foundation Establishment Realm:
— Low
— Mid
— High
→ Peak
— Absolute Peak
• Core Formation Realm
• Mid Core Formation Realm
• Nascent Soul Realm
• Void Transcendence Realm
• Soul Refinement Realm
• True Ascension / Immortal Realm
• ABSOLUTE NIGHT QI MASTERY
Ye Tian felt the surge immediately, a subtle tightening of his inner qi, his muscles humming with newfound potential.
"Peak Foundation Establishment… not huge, but enough. Let's see how you fare now," he murmured, a faint smirk curling his lips.
The battle continued in a fluid, chaotic rhythm. Ye Tian mixed Killing Intent Spree, Psychokinesis, and Blade Walk, each move flowing into the next. Shadow disciples and his wives executed combinations, layering martial strikes with energy bursts, keeping the old man off-balance.
Old man, gritting teeth, shouted, "You… you are far stronger than I imagined!"
Ye Tian replied calmly, "And you underestimated what a little coordination and foresight can do."
As the fight drew on, Ye Tian scanned the artifact. The system's countdown continued: 43 minutes remaining for disposal.
He adjusted, launching another Killing Intent Spree, the night qi pressing forward with immense weight, causing the courtyard stones to crack and shatter under the invisible force. Enemies fell, staggered, and some became unconscious from the sheer qi pressure
The wives and shadow disciples moved seamlessly around him, creating a symphony of deadly precision. Yuhua struck with controlled bursts of qi, Mu Qingyao's strikes were fluid and precise, and Xiuying anticipated openings, guiding the flow of the battlefield.
Finally, Ye Tian leapt high into the air, spinning along a line of floating daggers. In mid-flight, he glanced at the artifact's holder.
> "Round two… let's see who lasts," he whispered, the faintest smirk on his lips.
The courtyard became a storm of qi, blades, and martial precision, a dance of controlled destruction. Every enemy that dared approach was met with Night Qi, psychokinetic strikes, or the relentless pressure of Killing Intent Spree.
The system's notifications glimmered faintly, the artifact ticking down toward Ling Feng's liberation—or destruction.
Ye Tian's mind was calm amid chaos, observing patterns, adjusting movements, calculating strikes. Even in the maelstrom of battle, he remained the eye of the storm—controlled, lethal, and ever watchful.