Bang!
A deep, muffled explosion echoed through the room.
Chen Long's face was instantly crushed into a gaping hole through his skull, and he collapsed to the ground.
Dead.
The dozens of guards behind him were already pale as death, sweat pouring down their foreheads.
This boy was far too terrifying!
Lin Yi had no intention of sparing them. Anyone who stood in his way was an enemy—and Lin Yi never went easy on enemies.
His figure flickered like white lightning, tearing through the night and plunging into the group of guards.
"Ah!"Ugh!"e…"
Lin Yi moved like a tiger among sheep, his fists striking like solid iron. The guards had no chance of resisting.
Bloodcurdling screams pierced the night.
Some were smashed through the chest in a single punch, their innards sprayed across the ground.
Others were kicked through the abdomen, their bodies flying like broken kites before slamming into walls.
One by one, bodies exploded inside the county mansion, limbs and fragments scattering in all directions.
The night sky seemed to be painted crimson—the scene shocking, like a realm of carnage.
In mere moments, all dozens of guards were dead.
[Violently killed Body Tempering Realm cultivators, Violence Points +200][Violently killed Bone Forging Realm cultivators, Violence Points +400][…]
Lin Yi walked calmly out of the blood-soaked scene.
He had witnessed such sights too many times to feel any negative emotion—if anything, he was slightly exhilarated.
He did not continue deeper into the mansion. Instead, he stood still and closed his eyes.
At this moment, every sound inside the county mansion reached his ears with perfect clarity.
There were snoring sounds. Heavy breathing. Shouts.
…
Then he heard a familiar voice coming from one room.
"Let's go there."
Lin Yi murmured to himself.
…
Inside the county mansion, in Tang Xuan's room.
Tang Xuan's father, Tang Qiu, furrowed his brow.
"What on earth is going on outside? Why is there so much noise?"
Beside him, Jiang Yu smiled lightly.
"It must be that the young master has returned with some Lin family captives, and he's teaching them a lesson."
She had absolute confidence in her father, Jiang Yunzhou, and never imagined he could fail. So naturally, she assumed the best.
Tang Qiu looked uncertain.
"I'll go check what's happening."
Jiang Yu quickly said, "Please go, Uncle Tang. I'll stay here and watch over Tang Xuan."
Tang Qiu nodded and was about to rise.
At that moment, a soft knock knock knock came from the door.
Jiang Yu's face lit up with a smile. It must be the young master returning.
This room was Tang Xuan's recovery space, and his father had specifically forbidden anyone else from entering. Who else could it be?
"He's here, young master!"
Jiang Yu walked forward and slowly opened the door.
There, standing quietly in the doorway, was a boy.
His face bore a faint smile, his white clothes already soaked crimson with blood.
He looked like a demon god stepping out of hell.
"Ah—!"
Jiang Yu let out a piercing scream. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor in terror.
Tang Qiu's face darkened. He asked sternly,
"What's wrong?"
Jiang Yu pointed at the boy, her voice trembling.
"Lin… Lin Yi! It's Lin Yi!"
She had never imagined it—this eldest young master of the Lin family appearing here.
Hadn't her father gone to exterminate the Lin family? What was going on?
On the bed, Tang Xuan's body trembled violently at the mention of Lin Yi's name.
It was him! The boy who had tortured him so mercilessly!
Wasn't he supposed to be dead?
Tang Qiu's face turned an iron-cold shade.
He never imagined that the boy who had crippled his son was still alive.
Lin Yi looked at Jiang Yu, collapsed on the floor, and his lips curved into a faint smile.
"Yes, it's me."
Tang Qiu slowly stood, and an invisible pressure radiated from him, making the air in the room feel heavy and oppressive.
"The noise outside just now… was that you?"
Lin Yi nodded once, his expression unreadable.
"Yes."
Tang Qiu's voice dropped, grave and flat. "Jiang Yunzhou and the others… all dead by your hand?"
Lin Yi smiled faintly and nodded again. "They were weak."
The words landed like a thunderclap. Jiang Yu froze as if struck; all the light in her eyes dimmed. Her father was the strongest man in Qingshan County, and he had led nearly a hundred veterans to crush the Lin family—now they'd all fallen to this boy? It made no sense. Her certainty teetered on the edge of collapse.
Tang Qiu's face went as dark as ink. Lin Yi's strength far outstripped anything he'd imagined. How could such a terrifying talent have arisen in little Qingshan County?
Lin Yi steadied his gaze on Tang Qiu and asked calmly, "Who are you?"
"You're not worthy to know my name." Tang Qiu snarled, swallowing the fury that boiled inside him. "Since that useless Jiang Yunzhou failed to kill you, today I will personally slaughter you, you little beast!"
At the last syllable, Tang Qiu's aura detonated. He unleashed every scrap of power—a terrifying eruption from an eighth-stage Bone Forging cultivator. His eyes bled red; murder flooded his voice.
Before another word left his mouth, Lin Yi tore through the air and was suddenly before him. Too fast—Tang Qiu never had a chance.
Slap.
Lin Yi's palm crashed into Tang Qiu's face like a flat, inexorable hammer. The sound snapped through the room. Tang Qiu's cheek erupted—blood and flesh launched outward as he was hurled back, slamming into the stone wall with such force the masonry crumbled. Dust and splinters filled the air.
Tang Qiu's complexion drained to deathly gray. He had believed that with his eighth-stage rank he might at least resist, might buy time; instead, even a casual blow from this youth had shattered him utterly.
Jiang Yu sat frozen, her mind gone blank. How could Lin Yi be so strong that even Tang Qiu, a pillar of the Tang family, was crushed beneath him? The truth the room now showed her left no room for doubt: her father and others had truly fallen.
Tang Xua, on the bed, though blinded, stiffened at Tang Qiu's scream. If his father—his protector—was no match for this boy, then what hope remained? A cold, bone-deep terror rose in him.
Lin Yi walked up to Tang Qiu, planted his boot on the ruined face, and said without warmth, "Now—have I earned the right to know who you are?"
Tang Qiu dared no longer bluff. He stammered, voice shaking, "Y-yes… yes, Young Master, I— I am—"
"I don't want to hear it." Lin Yi cut him off. With a sudden, brutal stomp—
Thud.
Tang Qiu's skull collapsed beneath his foot. He breathed his last in an instant.
[You have slain an eighth-stage Bone Forging cultivator. Violence Points +400]
Jiang Yu's eyes glazed over. She whispered, "He's… he's dead—Uncle Tang is dead…"
She lifted her head and fixed Lin Yi with loathing. "You monster! Uncle Tang was the Tang family's Third Elder! The Tang family will not let this pass—"
Before she finished, Lin Yi's fist struck her mouth.
Crack.
Half of her face caved in; blood carved a hole through her lips and cheek. Her words were choked off and spilled into silence.
[You have slain a Body Tempering cultivator. Violence Points +200]
Lin Yi folded his fingers coldly. "I will not spare you either."
He ignored Jiang Yu then and moved to the bed. He grabbed the blanket that covered Tang Xuan's head and, with a single, clean motion, smashed a fist down.