"Yi Mingcheng, a wise man knows when to yield. Give me the rest of the pills, and I promise to let you live." Ma Sanpao didn’t attack rashly. Instead, he stared at Yi Mingcheng, his gaze burning.

A cunning smile touched Yi Mingcheng’s lips. "Fine," he said. "Kill them, and the pills on me are yours."

At his words, the other four men immediately grew wary.

"Yi Mingcheng, don’t try to sow discord! Once you’re dead, the pills will be ours!"

"Is that right? If I’m not mistaken, you’re only here because Lin Zheng gave you the nod. When all is said and done, you’ll have to hand the pills over to him, and I doubt there’ll be anything left for them. Listen to me, you four—you’re just being used as his weapons! How about I give the pills to you? With these, you won’t have to be anyone’s lackey."

Every word from Yi Mingcheng struck a chord with the four men.

Now, the other four were clearly wavering.

"Hahaha! Yi Mingcheng, you’ve got some nerve. But do you think they can actually escape? The Lin family’s death squad will hunt them to the ends of the earth! Besides, I’m just one Martial Artist at the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm. How could I possibly take on four others at the same layer? Your attempt at sowing discord is rather clumsy."

"We’re not that shortsighted. We know everything you did at the Treasure Hunting Pavilion. There’s someone behind you who knows Alchemy. Why would we kill each other over a few measly Body Forging Blood Coagulation Pills and give up an even greater prize?!"

"Tell us who’s behind you, and we’ll grant you a whole corpse!"

Ma Sanpao, using a mix of threats and reason, diffused Yi Mingcheng’s gambit with just a few sentences.

Seeing the murderous glint in the five men’s eyes, Yi Mingcheng knew his chances of turning the tables were gone. He abruptly swallowed the other four pills. His battle intent flared, and his aura began to climb steadily.

"Come on! To think that I, Yi Mingcheng, would get the chance to fight one against five in my lifetime! How exhilarating! How satisfying!"

"One against five? You flatter yourself. Following that fool Lin Hao has made you an idiot too! Since you’re seeking death, I’ll be happy to oblige!" Ma Sanpao jeered.

With that, he took the lead and lunged at Yi Mingcheng.

The other four moved at the same time.

Ten palms from five men rained down on Yi Mingcheng from all directions. Standing at the center of the storm, he was like a lone boat, moments away from being capsized.

Yi Mingcheng’s eyes blazed with battle intent. Ignoring everyone else, he fixed his gaze on Ma Sanpao and frantically channeled his Palm Force.

Fear flashed in Ma Sanpao’s eyes as he hastily retreated.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

The palm strikes from the other four men hit Yi Mingcheng almost at the same instant, followed by the sound of snapping bones.

"I may be seeking death, but you’re not qualified to be the one to grant it." Yi Mingcheng was bleeding from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, but his gaze remained fixed on Ma Sanpao, his contempt unconcealed.

"You... you... You old bastard! I’m done wasting my breath on you! Tell me, who gave you the pills! If you don’t talk, I guarantee you’ll be refined into a death warrior!"

Being scorned by a dying man, Ma Sanpao’s face turned livid with rage. He felt utterly humiliated.

"Go on, refine me! I trust the Young Master will avenge me! Your own deaths are not far behind!" Yi Mingcheng, bleeding from every facial orifice, swayed on his feet but refused to collapse.

"Stubborn fool! Then I’ll grant you your death!" Ma Sanpao’s palm shot toward the top of Yi Mingcheng’s head.

Yi Mingcheng was holding on by a single thread of life, with no strength left to resist. A bitter look on his face, he closed his eyes, awaiting his end.

Just then, a furious gust of wind kicked up.

Yi Mingcheng’s eyes flew open, his expression one of pure shock.

Ma Sanpao glanced back and was stunned as well.

A figure, not particularly tall, was sprinting toward them, kicking up a long plume of dust that trailed behind like a dragon’s tail.

In the blink of an eye, the figure was upon them.

Then, Ma Sanpao heard a voice that seemed to claw its way out of the Nine Netherworld Hell. "Today, all of you will die!"

The voice was so cold it chilled them to the bone, and Ma Sanpao and his men instinctively fell back as one.

The figure stopped, still shrouded in dust, its features obscured. It was a mysterious and intimidating sight.

"Who’s there?!" The five men stood together, on high alert as if facing a powerful foe.

The dust settled, and the person stepped out.

His slight frame was ramrod straight, his young face an icy mask, and his eyes filled with a chilling indifference.

The pupils of Ma Sanpao and his men widened in disbelief, as if they had seen a ghost.

Who else could this person be but that fool, Lin Hao.

"It’s you!" Upon seeing it was Lin Hao, Ma Sanpao quickly recovered his wits, a cold sneer forming on his lips.

"I can’t believe you were pretending to be an idiot! Lin Hao, you’re quite the schemer! What was that you said? That we’re all going to die? How are you going to kill us? With your mouth?"

"Hahaha! Lin Hao, I heard you slapped the Patriarch in the face at the assembly hall today. What do you think the Patriarch will do to you if we capture you and return you to the Lin family? I can’t wait to find out."

"Our Young Master originally arranged for five death warriors to deal with you, but it looks like the glory will be ours instead."

The five men stared at Lin Hao as if he were a piece of meat on the chopping block.

"Young Master, you shouldn’t have come! You must leave, quickly!" Tears streamed down Yi Mingcheng’s old face.

He never imagined Lin Hao would risk exposing himself and rush all this way just for him. It was a debt of gratitude he could never repay.

Besides, he knew Lin Hao’s cultivation level all too well. One person at the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm stood no chance against five.

"Run? He couldn’t escape today even if he sprouted wings!" Ma Sanpao sneered as the other four men moved in sync to surround Lin Hao.

"Uncle Cheng, don’t say another word. They can’t touch me."

Yi Mingcheng’s hair was a mess, his face was covered in blood, and he looked like a vengeful spirit. Lin Hao could see his condition with a single glance: all of Yi Mingcheng’s bones were broken, and he was barely hanging on to his last breath.

’The reason he’s in this state is ultimately my fault.’ Lin Hao stared at the five men, murderous intent raging in his heart.

"Young Master, I..."

Yi Mingcheng tried to speak again, but with a wave of his wide sleeve, Ma Sanpao sent a gust of energy that knocked him to the ground.

"Like master, like servant, indeed. A moment ago, that old bastard was shamelessly boasting about fighting one against five, and now look at him. Lin Hao, I’d love to let you and your servant have a reunion, but my master repeatedly stressed that he wants your limbs. Now, the time has come!"

The man to Lin Hao’s right let out a fierce shout. In a flash, he whipped out his right leg in a kick.

A fierce wind howled as afterimages of the kick filled the air. It was the Lin family’s Yellow Level Middle Grade martial technique—the Snake King Whip.

The instant he moved, the other three attacked as well.

The man to Lin Hao’s left lashed out with a kick of his own, aiming for Lin Hao’s left leg, also using the Snake King Whip.

The remaining two men formed their right hands into claws and lunged for Lin Hao’s arms. The air seemed to tear with a hissing sound. They were using the Lin family’s Yellow Level Low Grade martial technique—the Thunder Leopard Claw!

All four men, each at the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm, attacked simultaneously. Their combined, full-powered strikes carried a ferocious force of over three thousand pounds—enough to shatter not just a person, but a solid boulder.

Their attacks were lightning-fast, striking Lin Hao’s body in the blink of an eye.

Lin Hao remained motionless, as if he hadn’t even noticed.

The four men could almost hear the sound of bones shattering, and cruel smiles spread across their faces.

But then, they heard a cold snort.

Lin Hao’s body suddenly went rigid, and he clenched his fists, sinking his weight.

CRACK!

The sound of breaking bones echoed.

Ma Sanpao, watching coldly from the sidelines, felt his smile widen—but then he saw the four attackers recoil violently. Two clutched their legs and two clutched their hands, letting out blood-curdling screams almost in unison.

"My leg—it’s broken!"

"My hand—it’s ruined!"

The four men stared at Lin Hao, their eyes wide with an unspeakable horror.

They all shared the same sensation. What they had struck was not a human body, but a meteorite—the hardest substance on the continent, something that could only be broken by a Spiritual Artifact.

"H-How is that possible?!" Ma Sanpao cried out, stumbling back several steps. His eyes bulged wide as saucers. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

’He took the full-force attacks of four Martial Artists at the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm without doing a thing, and *they* were the ones whose limbs were broken! Doesn’t that mean his physical strength is terrifyingly boundless?!’

Ma Sanpao swallowed hard, a boundless chill creeping into his heart.

Yi Mingcheng was equally, if not more, shocked.

’My cultivation is also at the Third Layer. I just faced them myself, and I know better than anyone the kind of pressure they can exert. It’s simply not something a Martial Artist at my level can withstand.’

’But Lin Hao, also at the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm, just took their combined attack head-on. Not only is he completely unscathed, but *they* are the ones with broken limbs! He’s a living weapon!’

’Forget the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm; even a Martial Artist who had awakened their bloodline and reached the Blood Coagulation Realm Fourth Layer couldn’t have pulled this off.’

’This is simply the stuff of legends!’

"Now, it’s your turn." Lin Hao was quite satisfied with the result of channeling the Godslaying Celestial Slash Skill and infusing his limbs with its power. A cunning smile touched his lips as he stared at the backpedaling Ma Sanpao.

Four of them together were no match for Lin Hao; how could Ma Sanpao dare to face him alone? He let out a terrified shriek and turned to flee.

"Hmph!"

Lin Hao snorted coldly. His body moved like a lightning bolt as he swept out his leg.

CRACK!

With a sharp crack, Ma Sanpao’s body suddenly dropped lower before he collapsed to the ground.

Ma Sanpao howled in agony.

"You wanted my limbs? Let me return the favor!" With a sinister smile, Lin Hao stomped down.

CRACK!

Two more sharp cracks sounded as Lin Hao’s foot stomped Ma Sanpao’s hands into a bloody pulp, shattered beyond repair.

Then, Lin Hao turned his burning gaze to the other four men.

"Lin Hao—no, Young Master! Spare us! We were just following orders! You are a man of great magnanimity; please spare our worthless lives!"

Ma Sanpao’s piercing wails gnawed at their courage until their already frayed nerves finally snapped.

"I won’t take your lives," Lin Hao said with a brilliant smile. Then his face turned cold. "However, for daring to touch my people... you can be spared a death sentence, but you cannot escape your punishment."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Lin Hao lunged forward.

The next moment, a series of sickening cracks filled the air.

In a short while, all five men had their limbs broken. Worse, many parts of their bodies had been stomped into a bloody paste by the immense force of Lin Hao’s kicks. The scene was gruesome and terrifying.

Yi Mingcheng, who had witnessed it all, had grown numb to the violence. But Lin Hao’s final words still sent a jolt through his heart.

’So all of this... was for my sake.’

Yi Mingcheng felt that with a Young Master like this, he could die without any regrets.

His eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Yi Mingcheng could feel his life rapidly slipping away.

Suddenly, a warm current flowed into his body...