Slap!
The old man delivered a fierce slap to the face of the simple-minded middle-aged man, scolding him with bitter disappointment.
“Shitou, how many times have I told you?
As an assassin, you must never let your emotions cloud your judgment!” A crimson palm print instantly materialized on Shitou’s cheek.
Far from daring to harbor resentment, Shitou immediately knelt respectfully, kowtowing and begging forgiveness.
“Lord, this subordinate knows he was wrong!” The old man’s expression finally softened.
He swept a cold glance across the assembled assassins and warned, “Humph, until the secret agents from the other Eight Prefectures arrive, any of you who dare to act rashly, provoke trouble, or jeopardize His Majesty’s grand plan will suffer the same fate as Shitou!” With that, he unleashed a palm strike.
Boom!
A deafening roar echoed as a towering boulder beside them, taller than a man, shattered instantly, disintegrating into a swirling cloud of stone dust.
The assassins recoiled in shock.
With their cultivation levels, shattering the boulder itself wouldn’t be difficult.
But to pulverize it into dust?
This level of mastery over Spiritual Energy was beyond their capabilities.
The assassins, who had harbored personal ambitions moments ago, instantly suppressed their thoughts, falling silent as if turned to stone.
In the Ye Clan’s small courtyard, Ye Feng, having just finished his hotpot dinner, didn’t immediately retire for the night.
Instead, he stood solemnly in the center of the yard, his expression grave.
Tonight, to secure his peaceful life, he had a crucial task to accomplish.
That was: annihilate Old Wu.
Originally, after obtaining enough Salted Fish Points, Ye Feng had intended to act.
But unfortunately, Elder Liuli and Yue Wu were still staying at the Ye Clan at the time.
Ye Feng worried that their cultivation level and insight might reveal something amiss, so he delayed until they departed.
In the original story, Old Wu had imparted many martial techniques to Ye Feng.
But his ultimate goal was to have Ye Feng avenge him.
Moreover, he constantly brainwashed Ye Feng, making him believe that the life-or-death trials he had endured for Old Wu were invaluable training experiences.
That he should be grateful to Old Wu.
Yet the original Ye Feng never considered that Old Wu had been parasitically draining his Spiritual Energy for seven years, like a parasite within his body.
Had it not been for this, given the original Ye Feng’s talent, he would likely have already broken through to the Martial General Realm.
Furthermore, with the original Ye Feng’s innate luck, he might have reached the pinnacle without even facing too many life-threatening situations, had Old Wu not been present.
In Ye Feng’s view, this was like being able to take a free cable car up the mountain, yet Old Wu insisted on making the original Ye Feng climb treacherous cliffs.
After he had been battered and bruised, Old Wu even demanded gratitude.
Are you trying to kill me?!
If you stay too close to such a person, you’re likely to get struck by lightning along with them!
“System, exchange for a Soul Destruction Talisman.
Also, extract Old Wu’s Remnant Soul.” Ye Feng’s eyes were filled with icy resolve as he silently chanted in his mind.
The next moment, a system notification instantly rang in Ye Feng’s ears: [ Ding!
1000 Salted Fish Points consumed.
Stripping successful.
] A hazy, semi-transparent humanoid phantom had already materialized before Ye Feng.
It was Old Wu’s Remnant Soul!
Simultaneously, a jet-black talisman covered in golden inscriptions appeared in the System Space.
Old Wu was utterly dumbfounded!
He had once been a member of a mysterious Ancient Clan from the Endless World.
During a family feud, his elder brother ambushed him, shattering his physical body and leaving behind only a wisp of Remnant Soul.
Just when he thought his Remnant Soul was about to dissipate, his existence extinguished forever, he suddenly encountered a prodigiously talented young man with extraordinary fortune.
He immediately took up residence within the youth’s body, using the Spiritual Energy the young man had painstakingly cultivated to repair his Remnant Soul.
Old Wu never felt any shame about this freeloading behavior.
As for wasting the youth’s potential and hindering his breakthroughs, Old Wu considered it perfectly justified.
If a man doesn’t look out for himself, heaven and earth will destroy him.
Besides, the youth’s luck and aptitude were both promising.
Under Old Wu’s manipulation, the youth might even become the perfect tool for his revenge.
What was there to lose?
Old Wu had planned to continue freeloading Spiritual Energy from Ye Feng’s body for a few more years, informing him of his existence only after his soul had stabilized.
To his surprise, today a force as mighty as Heavenly Might had directly ejected him from Ye Feng’s body.
Even more astonishing to Old Wu was that Ye Feng’s cultivation level had somehow broken through to the Early-stage Martial Spirit Realm.
“How is this possible?” Though his face remained calm, Old Wu’s heart churned like a stormy sea.
Under his relentless spiritual energy drain, Ye Feng should have been utterly incapable of absorbing any Heavenly Spiritual Energy.
How could he have achieved this breakthrough?
Still, as a former powerhouse in the Martial Emperor Realm, Old Wu’s Martial Path instincts were sharp.
He immediately adopted a warm, approachable smile and spoke slowly.
“Young man, your extraordinary talent is one in ten thousand.
Would you be willing to become my disciple?” “Ah, I forgot to introduce myself.
I’m Wu Tianxiu, a Late-stage Martial Emperor Realm expert.” “You can call me Old Wu!” With that, he lifted his head, patiently awaiting Ye Feng’s pledge of discipleship.
After all, not only in Wulian Prefecture, but throughout the entire Great Qin Imperial Dynasty, the number of Martial Emperor Realm experts could be counted on two hands.
For a Martial Artist, being accepted as a disciple by a powerhouse of the Martial Emperor Realm was a dream beyond their wildest imagination.
Hearing Old Wu’s words, Ye Feng’s eyes flashed.
To simply annihilate Old Wu with the Soul Destruction Talisman would be letting him off too easily.
Better to drain him of all his benefits first, then eliminate him.
With this thought, Ye Feng instantly feigned a look of intense excitement, eagerly asking, “Xiu’er, is that really true?” Old Wu’s face darkened, a flicker of displeasure crossing his features.
The last time someone had called him “Xiu’er,” it had been his clan brother mocking him during a surprise attack.
Yet now, Old Wu dared not show his anger.
After all, whether seeking revenge or returning to Ye Feng’s body as a parasite, he needed Ye Feng’s consent.
Forcing a strained smile, Old Wu nodded proudly.
“Of course.
A Martial Emperor Realm powerhouse can briefly shatter the spatial barrier, traverse the void, and cross thousands of miles in an instant.” As he spoke, Old Wu’s Remnant Soul formed a palm with one hand and made a gentle slicing motion.
Where his palm passed, a pitch-black rift materialized in the empty void.
In the blink of an eye, the rift had vanished without a trace.
Old Wu maintained a facade of composure, but his heart ached inwardly.
Now reduced to a mere wisp of Remnant Soul, this strike had consumed a significant portion of his spiritual power.
All that effort to put on a show, and now over a year of hard work had gone to waste!
But what truly infuriated him was Ye Feng’s slow, deliberate shake of his head.
“I still don’t believe you!” “I’ve been through anti-fraud training.
You can’t fool me!” “Unless…
you perform that another eighty to a hundred times!” Old Wu’s face darkened completely.
Forget eighty to a hundred times—just six more demonstrations would exhaust his remaining spiritual power, causing his Remnant Soul to dissipate entirely.
“What will it take for you to believe me?” Old Wu asked, suppressing his anger, his voice now lacking the gentle warmth it had held moments ago.
“Believe you?” Ye Feng pondered for a moment, then feigned a sudden epiphany.
“I’ve heard that experts in the Martial Emperor Realm are as wealthy as entire nations!” “You can’t possibly take on a disciple empty-handed, can you?” “Just give me eighty to a hundred million high-grade Spirit Stones as an introductory gift, and I’ll believe you!”