"If Tang Yan doesn't show his face today, you will all learn what it means to beg for death!" Yun Zhonghe had waited for half the day without seeing a trace of Tang Yan. A flicker of impatience began to burn in his heart.

Suddenly, his gaze shifted to Wan Fei and Lin Dongxue. A lecherous laugh escaped him as he abruptly changed his tune, "These two pretty girls, however, might have to sacrifice a bit more. Brothers, you have wasted so many days waiting for Tang Yan. Let them use their bodies to properly compensate you!"

"The gang leader is wise." Many men of the Immortal Sword Gang snickered upon hearing this, their eyes lingering on the two women with naked hunger.

Such rare beauties were hard to come by. If they could enjoy a taste, it would be a blessing for three lifetimes!

Hidden within the crowd, Tang Yan's pupils violently contracted. His gaze locked onto Lin Dongxue's face.

On that fair, delicate face, a series of stark red handprints made Tang Yan's heart ache fiercely.

And Yun Zhonghe's words just now were undoubtedly adding oil to the fire.

The killing intent he had desperately suppressed could no longer be contained. It unfurled like invisible threads, rapidly weaving into a massive, suffocating net that blanketed the entire area.

Those standing close to Tang Yan, regardless of their cultivation, shuddered inexplicably.

Even those further away sensed a sudden, biting chill.

"You were looking for me?" A cold voice drifted from the crowd, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

Hearing this familiar voice, Lin Dongxue's eyes reddened. Yet, she stubbornly held back her tears and shouted, "Tang Yan, hurry and leave this place!"

"Want to leave? It won't be that easy!" Yun Zhonghe waved his hand. The members of the Immortal Sword Gang immediately moved, sealing off Tang Yan's retreat.

Tang Yan had no intention of leaving. The moment he saw these people bind his friends and hang them from a tree, he had already decided that only one side would leave this place alive!

He took wide strides toward the four. With a swing of his Unblemished Sword, he severed the ropes binding them.

"I'm sorry. I came late," Tang Yan said, his voice laced with self-reproach.

"You really shouldn't have come!" Du Shu let out a heavy sigh. "If you stayed away, those bastards wouldn't dare do anything to us. Now that you're here, their scheme has succeeded."

"It matters not. They don't dare do anything to you, but I certainly dare to deal with them!" Tang Yan grinned, but the icy edge to his smile made hearts tremble.

"Tang Yan, to be perfectly honest, I admire your courage. However, that natural spiritual treasure is not something you are qualified to hold. Hand it over yourself, and I might consider sparing your Star Token." A grating voice echoed from behind.

"Dongxue, who struck your face?" Tang Yan glanced at Yun Zhonghe, then returned his soft gaze to Lin Dongxue.

Lin Dongxue pursed her lips in silence. Her already reddened eyes finally betrayed her, and she buried her face in Tang Yan's chest, her tears falling like broken pearls, pattering against his clothes.

Seeing Tang Yan completely ignore him, a vicious glint flashed through Yun Zhonghe's eyes. "Tang Yan, I will give you one chance. Do not pretend you cannot hear me."

"Was it you who struck her face?" Tang Yan finally addressed Yun Zhonghe, though he entirely ignored the man's threat.

"Oh, that was me. Why, from the look of you, do you intend to take revenge for her?" Leng Ning's mocking voice chimed in from the side.

Patting Lin Dongxue's back gently, Tang Yan turned to face Leng Ning. The killing intent radiating from his body surged toward her like a tidal wave.

The killing intent of a Ninth-Grade Alchemist was enough to strike profound terror into the soul of a Black Rank Ninth Grade martial artist.

Feeling that bone-piercing cold, Leng Ning's heart violently trembled. Was she actually feeling fear?

"Take him down!" Yun Zhonghe barked, and two cultivators immediately lunged at Tang Yan.

Watching the attackers close in, Tang Yan ordered Fang Xuan and the others to step back before his figure shot forward like an arrow.

The two rushing him were only at the Black Rank Seventh Grade. It wasn't that Yun Zhonghe was being careless; although Tang Yan had defeated Li Kuanglan, Yun Zhonghe hadn't seen the battle himself. He simply assumed it was a fluke. After all, the gap between cultivation grades was like a towering mountain.

Tang Yan's current cultivation was only Black Rank Seventh Grade. Two peers should be more than enough!

An instant later, everyone's eyes widened in sheer disbelief at the sight before them.

Tang Yan moved like a phantom, closing the distance in a flash.

Bang! Just as their attacks were about to land, Tang Yan's body tilted at an impossible angle. The trajectory of his own strike seamlessly shifted, and his fist slammed brutally into one man's armpit.

Without losing a sliver of speed, Tang Yan shifted his stance again, launching a fist at the second attacker.

Just as before, the moment their moves were about to clash, Tang Yan twisted away, altering his punch's path to strike the cultivator's exposed opening.

In a mere two moves, he effortlessly dispatched two Black Rank Seventh Grade martial artists.

Whether in speed or power, Tang Yan completely crushed cultivators of the same rank!

Yun Zhonghe frowned. No wonder Tang Yan had defeated Li Kuanglan; the boy truly possessed the strength to contend with an Eighth Grade.

Yet this kid was simply too bizarre. Defeating peers of the same grade in a single strike? Even Yun Zhonghe himself would find that exceedingly difficult.

Having swiftly eliminated the two grunts, Tang Yan ignored the shock of the onlookers. His gaze locked back onto Leng Ning. Activating Phantom Step, he darted straight toward her.

"A mere Black Rank Seventh Grade dares to act so arrogantly. Do you truly believe you can defeat me?" Forcing down the unease Tang Yan's aura had provoked, Leng Ning channeled her True Qi and met his charge head-on.

Everyone stared nervously at the center of the conflict.

Black Rank Seventh Grade against Black Rank Ninth Grade. How many exchanges could Tang Yan endure?

Yun Zhonghe and Bai Yu, meanwhile, were perfectly content to watch. If these two fought to a mutual standstill, then the natural spiritual treasure would no longer be Leng Ning's concern.

Bang!

Only after Leng Ning clashed directly with Tang Yan did she realize, to her astonishment, that the power she projected was partially dissolved by the profound aura of his technique.

Furthermore, despite this kid only possessing a Black Rank Seventh Grade cultivation, the explosive force he unleashed was absolutely on par with a Black Rank Eighth Grade.

"Decent strength, but still lacking." Seeing Tang Yan forced back a step, the apprehension in Leng Ning's heart finally settled.

"Is that so?" A cold smirk curled the corner of Tang Yan's lips. "Then try this."

With those words, Tang Yan surged forward once more!

Combat Heart circulated to its absolute limit in that very instant.

Hmm? Although she knew Tang Yan could alter his attack trajectories, trading blows with him finally revealed just how deeply troublesome he was.

She simply could not predict the angle of his strikes. His speed was terrifying; even when she seized the initiative to attack, the kid would miraculously evade and counterattack with vicious precision.

More importantly, his techniques flowed seamlessly together, practically flawless. In merely a few exchanges, relying on rapid and devious strikes, Tang Yan clawed his way out of a disadvantage and began suppressing Leng Ning.

"Thousand Mountains Fist!" Tang Yan growled, finally unleashing a martial skill!

Leng Ning was already scrambling to defend against Tang Yan's frenzied assault. At this moment, the pressure crashing down upon her abruptly multiplied.