Chen Ye didn’t make a decision immediately; it wasn’t the worst time yet.
He walked to the edge of the courtyard wall and listened intently.
"Kill them! Take all their Spirit Stones!"
"Jade Lizard Association scum, your lives are mine!"
"Help! Demon Beast! It’s a Wind-Splitting Leopard!"
The mixed voices were filled with madness and despair.
The gang fight had spiraled completely out of control, with some Loose Cultivators looting amidst the chaos, making the scene extremely chaotic.
And the roars of the Demon Beasts were getting closer, evidently, the western defense line had indeed faced a serious issue!
"Look at the sky!" Li Dageng suddenly exclaimed.
Chen Ye quickly looked up, only to see several streaks of light piercing the dusky sky, flying toward the Market’s central area—those were Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators!
"Have people from the Lingyin Sect taken action?" Li Dageng felt a glimmer of hope.
Chen Ye shook his head: "Maybe not... They might just be escaping amidst the chaos."
In such a massive turmoil, expecting the Lingyin Sect to immediately stabilize the situation was almost impossible.
The sect might prioritize protecting the core areas and important figures of the Market, while peripheral areas like Shunshui Street mostly had to fend for themselves.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Just then, heavy knocking sounds erupted from outside the courtyard gate!
Yuanyuan immediately started barking madly at the gate!
"Someone’s breaking the gate!" Li Dageng’s face changed drastically; he grabbed his Mountain-Cutting Saber and charged forward.
Chen Ye’s heart tightened, and he immediately followed, golden light flickering at his fingertips.
"Listen inside! Open the door quickly, or we’ll smash it down!"
"I heard from Brother Tian there’s a couple of cute little girls in there..."
The rough voices and a few jeers came from outside.
"It’s Tribulation Cultivators!" Chen Ye’s eyes turned cold.
These looters dared to target them!
But... who is this Brother Tian?
Could it be Tian Feng?
"What do we do, Brother Chen?" Li Dageng gripped the saber handle tightly, his palms sweaty. There was more than one presence outside the door, and they didn’t seem weak.
Chen Ye didn’t answer, just gestured for Li Dageng to step back.
He walked to the door, took a deep breath, and performed the Qi Concealment Technique, concealing his aura to the extreme.
At the same time, he concentrated Limit Break level Geng Metal Qi at his fingertips, a point of golden light more refined and hushed than ever before, yet it held terrifying lethality.
Under the dual augmentation of Master-level Cultivation Technique and Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, the power of Geng Metal Qi also surged explosively!
The banging outside the door grew louder, and the door plank groaned under the strain, with the gate bracing stones shaking.
"Damn it! This gate is pretty sturdy! Boss, let’s use a Talisman!"
"Fine! Save some energy!"
Voices exchanged outside, followed by a surge of scorching Mana.
It’s a Fireball Talisman!
Chen Ye’s gaze sharpened; it’s now or never!
He suddenly opened a crack in the door!
Almost simultaneously, a flash of fire outside, and a head-sized fireball came crashing through with a roar!
The scorching wave rolled in!
Cloud Chasing Step!
Chen Ye’s figure slid aside ghost-like, evading the direct hit of the fireball!
Meanwhile, the golden light at his fingertips, poised and ready, silently shot through the narrow door crack like a venomous snake!
"Pfft!"
A muffled groan, sharp and suppressed, came from outside, immediately followed by the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground.
"Third brother?!"
"Not good, watch out, this person’s Geng Metal Qi is incredibly strong!"
The Tribulation Cultivators outside clearly hadn’t anticipated such an outcome, their exclamations laced with a trace of panic.
Taking advantage of their momentary shock, Chen Ye flipped his wrist.
Twenty strands of Geng Metal Qi swirled in his palm.
Like a storm, transforming into a rain of gold.
Again piercing through the door crack, targeting the presence of another Tribulation Cultivator!
"Ah!"
Another agonizing scream!
The outside quieted instantly.
Dark Old Man was speechless with shock: "Brother Chen, did your cultivation break through again?"
Granny Li witnessed Chen Ye’s magical battle for the first time.
Only then did she understand why, recently, Li Dageng had been singing Chen Ye’s praises at home!
Chen Ye temporarily ignored them.
His fingertips still swirling with Geng Metal Qi, he listened intently with caution.
Outside, only the sound of the whistling wind and snow remained!
...
Chen Ye was not one to sit back and wait.
Not knowing the external situation left him uneasy.
At home, there were still two little ones!
Chen Ye proactively opened the courtyard gate, the cold wind tinged with the smell of blood rushing in.
He focused the Geng Metal Qi at his fingertips, his gaze scanning over Shunshui Street.
Sure enough, there was still a Tribulation Cultivator stumbling away.
"Whoosh!"
The Geng Metal Qi flew from his fingertip, piercing the last one who managed to escape.
Chen Ye’s expression was icy.
He had confirmed that these three Tribulation Cultivators were not genuine Tribulation Cultivators.
They came for him!
One of them, he had seen behind Tian Feng, was a member of the Stone Mirror Association!
"Senior..."
Chen Ye looked in the direction of the voice.
The neighboring courtyard gate was wide open, with two corpses lying on the ground—no, one wasn’t quite a corpse yet.
Xue Chengjun had a small sword through his chest, his eyes wide open, unwilling to accept death.
Lin Qiongyu leaned against the wall, her abdomen run through by a Red Flood Dragon Spear, clutching a Talisman in her hand.
She looked at Chen Ye pleadingly: "Senior Chen... I beg you..."
Chen Ye immediately furrowed his brow,
What happened between this pair of Daoist companions?
The Tribulation Cultivators came for him, how did Xue Chengjun die?
Lin Qiongyu coughed up a mouthful of blood, smiling tragically: "He said... the Market would fall for sure, why not before dying..."
It was then that Chen Ye noticed Lin Qiongyu’s half sleeve was held tightly in Xue Chengjun’s hand.
And Xue Chengjun’s other hand rested on his belt...
Clearly, he was caught off guard by Lin Qiongyu’s betrayal and, in his dying moments, killed Lin Qiongyu with the Red Flood Dragon Spear.
"At home, there are Spirit Stones... Qiongyu can only pay back some Spirit Stones..."
Lin Qiongyu struggled to lift the blood-stained Storage Bag, her voice trembling,
"I don’t ask you to save me, only to give the Profound Yin Pill inside to my little sister..."
Chen Ye turned and walked away,
As he left, the sound of nails scratching the ground screeched behind him: "Senior!"
Chen Ye didn’t look back: "Lingyin Sect disciples are already here... they’ll save you."
Returning home.
As he latched the door, he happened to hear the roars of approaching Demon Beasts and Lin Qiongyu’s screams.
Only...
Rather than fear, her voice carried more of despair and sorrow.
But did this neighbor not trust him?
Chen Ye shook his head.
"What’s wrong? Did Xue Chengjun’s family get killed by those Tribulation Cultivators?" Li Dageng’s hand holding the saber was shaking.
"No..."
Chen Ye hesitated, unsure how to explain.
Couldn’t really say that Xue Chengjun was cowardly and impulsive.
Thinking he was doomed, but unwilling to accept dying without gaining anything despite licking boots for so long, right?
Just then.
Suddenly, dozens of streaks of light appeared in the sky!
"These are cultivators from the Lingyin Sect!"
Dark Old Man forgot about the street situation as he felt relieved,
"So many Foundation Establishment True Men!"
Chen Ye suddenly felt something was off.
The Lingyin Sect’s timely arrival clearly indicated they were prepared!
And on Shunshui Street, Lingyin Sect disciples were also arriving in a hurry!
Soon, a clear sword hum echoed through the street: "Lingyin Sect is cleaning up the Market, unrelated persons must withdraw quickly!"