Ding Shan Jia thrust out his arm. A black dot shot from his sleeve at incredible speed, flying straight for Xiao Ye's face!
An ordinary person would never have been able to catch it.
But the man he faced was no ordinary person!
Xiao Ye raised a hand and effortlessly snatched the black dot from the air.
"And here I was, wondering what it could be. After all that, it's just a single Poisonous Insect."
"Hahaha! Boy, that's my Lifebound Gu!"
Ding Shan Jia threw his head back and roared with laughter. "You actually dared to touch it with your bare hands? You're courting death!"
"It will burrow into your body and reach your heart. Then, with a single command from me, you'll feel a bone-deep, agonizing pain before bleeding from all seven orifices and dying!"
"Is that so?"
Xiao Ye, completely unconcerned, slowly opened his palm.
'A mere Poisonous Insect. Does he really think this is some kind of divine weapon?!'
The filthy little bug was indeed struggling desperately to burrow into his palm, but unfortunately for it, it was completely unable to!
Xiao Ye glanced at the frantically writhing bug, then suddenly clenched his fist!
The Poisonous Insect was instantly squeezed into pulp!
Ding Shan Jia's smile froze on his face, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
That was the Lifebound Gu he had spent his entire life nurturing! It was supposed to be savage and indestructible!
It couldn't possibly be destroyed so easily!
Ding Shan Jia pointed furiously at Xiao Ye, opening his mouth to curse him.
But as he did, he sprayed out a mouthful of fresh blood instead!
The surrounding crowd scrambled back in fright.
"What's going on?"
"That kid never even touched him. How is he spitting up blood?"
Han Buqun's heart sank. "Master Ding, are you alright?"
Ding Shan Jia was unable to answer. Excruciating pain wracked his body as his meridians snapped one by one!
He had previously relied on the ferocity of his Lifebound Gu to be treated as Han Buqun's most honored guest, enjoying a life of prestige.
But now, its violent death had triggered a terrifying backlash!
When the man lives, the Gu lives!
When the Gu perishes, the man dies!
THUD.
Ding Shan Jia collapsed stiffly to the ground.
Blood streamed from his seven orifices. He was dead, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief!
The sight made Han Buqun's legs tremble, and his heart pounded with shock.
Ding Shan Jia's vicious Gu arts were infamous. He had done much of the Han Family's dirty work over the years, and his power was enough to intimidate all of Jiangcheng.
Yet now, after a single encounter with a country bumpkin, he was dead?!
How was this possible!
Xiao Ye pulled out a tissue and disgustedly wiped the pulped, filthy remains of the Poisonous Insect from his hand.
"What a pain, running into something so filthy. Looks like I'll need a good long wash when I get back."
With that, he tossed the tissue aside and advanced on Han Buqun step by step. "Whatever other tricks you have, bring them out. I'll be happy to play with you today!"
Only then was Han Buqun certain: the young man before him was a stone-cold killer.
The memory of the Celestial Profound Expert's power made his legs tremble uncontrollably.
"Young man... no, Master! Please, listen to me..."
He stumbled back step by step, but Xiao Ye's aura was so overwhelming that it crushed him, making it hard to even breathe.
THUMP!
Han Buqun could no longer withstand the immense pressure. His knees gave out, and he collapsed heavily to the ground.
"Master, I was wrong! I was momentarily bewitched to have believed that scoundrel Ding Shan Jia's lies!"
"He was the one who told me not to return the Golden Saber! It wasn't my idea!"
"I'm willing to return the Golden Saber! Please, Master, spare my life!"
Xiao Ye walked up to him and looked down with a sneer. "You have a rather rosy outlook, don't you? You think just returning the Golden Saber will settle this?"
"Don't forget, the pact from all those years ago had another condition: you must hand over half of all the wealth you've amassed using the Golden Saber!"
"I'm giving you three days. If you fail to honor the agreement, every last member of your Han Family will die a violent death. Not one will be spared!"
"No, no, please! I'll do it!"
Han Buqun's heart clenched. He whirled and roared at his son in a panic. "Jianye, what are you standing there gawking for? Go get the Golden Saber! Now!"
"Dad..."
"Shut up! Just go!"
A few minutes later, Han Jianye returned with a grim expression, carrying an incense altar with the help of the butler.
A red cloth was draped over the altar. As it stirred in the wind, a sharp, golden glint could be seen beneath it.
The guests immediately craned their necks, eager to get a clear look.
"Dad, the Golden Saber," Han Jianye said, his face etched with reluctance.
Han Buqun rose to his feet and snatched the red cloth away.
The Golden Saber was revealed!
The massive dragon coiled around the body of the blade looked astonishingly lifelike!
The scene fell silent.
Everyone stared at the Golden Saber, their faces masks of pure shock.
"I never would have believed it... The legends of the Golden Saber are actually true!"
"No wonder the once-obscure Han Family suddenly rose to prominence over a decade ago. So this Golden Saber was the reason for their meteoric rise."
"Why didn't the Golden Saber choose me back then? I would have honored the agreement, I swear it!"
Han Buqun gazed at the Golden Saber, his heart aching at the thought of giving it up.
It was the very foundation upon which the Han Family had built its fortune!
But right now, staying alive was more important!
After taking a deep breath, Han Buqun carefully lifted the Golden Saber from the altar and turned to face Xiao Ye.
"Master, the Golden Saber is here. I shall return it to you today!"
"I hope that you will be magnanimous and show mercy, and spare the Han Family!"
Han Buqun clutched the Golden Saber, approaching Xiao Ye step by step, each footfall as painful as having his own flesh carved from his bones.
Without the Golden Saber, the Han Family would struggle to advance any further.
And what's more, they would have to give up half their fortune!
The Han Family had struggled for so long to become a great family in Jiangcheng. If he did this, all of that effort would be for nothing!
'This saber... I can't return it!'
A sinister glint flashed in Han Buqun's eyes. He stared intently at Xiao Ye. "Master, take the saber!"
Xiao Ye reached out to take it.
Suddenly, Han Buqun raised the Golden Saber high and swung it down viciously at him. "Go to hell!"
'Want the Golden Saber? In your dreams!'
'No one takes what belongs to the Han Family!'
The onlookers squeezed their eyes shut in terror, already imagining the gruesome, bloody scene.
However, the expected scream of agony never came.
When they slowly opened their eyes, they saw Xiao Ye, a look of contempt on his face, holding the Golden Saber's blade pinched between two fingers.
No matter how Han Buqun strained with all his might, he couldn't move the blade a single inch!
"Such insatiable greed... like a snake trying to swallow an elephant."
Xiao Ye shook his head slowly, then snatched the Golden Saber away with a flick of his wrist.
The blade swung down.
A head hit the floor.
Han Buqun's head rolled a few times on the ground before his body crashed down.
The onlookers shrieked in terror. "Ah! He killed him!"
"Patriarch Han is dead!"
Xiao Ye, holding the Golden Saber, strode arrogantly toward the high platform.
No one dared to block his path.
Deep crimson blood dripped from the tip of the blade, a jarring, scarlet sight.
SWOOSH!
The people around him backed away rapidly, terrified of getting caught in the aftermath.
In just a few strides, Xiao Ye was on the platform, pulling the dazed-looking Lin Chuyue into his arms.
She immediately leaned against him, her slender, pale hands greedily slipping inside Xiao Ye's Daoist Robe. Her doe-like eyes were filled with craving. "Give it to me..."
"Not right now. I don't like having an audience."
Xiao Ye lifted Lin Chuyue into his arms and bent down to kiss her delicate cheek. "Be good. We'll do it when we get home."
With that, he carried her and strode off the high platform.
The crowd immediately parted to form a path. Not a single person dared to utter a word of protest.
Even Han Jianye could only clench his fists in stifled rage.
'In the span of half a day, both his son and his father had died at Xiao Ye's hands. What an absolute, utter humiliation!'
'But he didn't dare to make a move!'
'Even Master Ding had been no match for Xiao Ye. His own useless subordinates wouldn't even be a footnote.'
'To act rashly without absolute certainty of success would be nothing more than suicide!'
'Once he found a true expert, he would have Xiao Ye torn into ten thousand pieces!'
Han Jianye's stare was so venomous that Xiao Ye, who had already reached the door, suddenly turned his head.
SWOOSH!
The guests scrambled backward again, terrified of drawing his attention.
Xiao Ye sneered. "Listen up, all of you. Anyone who dares to make a move against the Lin Family will suffer the same fate as the Han Family!"
"Before you come looking for trouble, you'd better know your own limits!"
"And you, Han Jianye," he added, "if you want revenge, you have three days."