At that moment, a large hand grabbed him from behind and directly lifted him into the air.
Lin Shiguo flailed his arms and legs, but he couldn’t do anything about the hand gripping his neck.
"Don’t kill me, I’m willing to surrender. I know many of Wei Hongbin’s secrets, I have a lot of..."
Before he could finish the last word, Zhao Ya applied a bit of force with his wrist.
Crack.
Lin Shiguo’s neck was snapped.
His pleas for mercy were cut short, his arms and legs went limp, yet there was still a faint glimmer in his eyes, proving he wasn’t completely dead.
Zhao Ya casually threw him to the ground, and then that flicker of light completely extinguished.
"Later, use ropes to hang both his and Yuan Chenfeng’s corpses in front of the Martial Arts Hall, let Wei Hongbin and his followers take a good look." Zhao Ya said.
"Understood." Several disciples who had rushed upstairs immediately responded.
As for the remaining guard cavalry, naturally, they couldn’t be left alive, all were swiftly sent to the Western Paradise by Zhao Ya and several others, including Shen Dao.
After finishing all this, Zhao Ya and the group prepared to leave.
Before leaving, Zhao Ya looked at Sun Yingkui, who wore a sullen expression, and spoke.
"You now have no way out, either leave with us or go back and be executed by Wei Hongbin. The choice is yours."
Sun Yingkui’s expression was gloomy.
But he knew that Zhao Ya was entirely correct.
If he went back, he would undoubtedly die.
Conversely, following Zhao Ya offered a glimmer of hope.
"Fine, I’ll go with you."
"Very good, it seems you’ve made the right choice." Zhao Ya nodded with satisfaction.
Leaving someone to take care of the injured Old Man Zhai and his son, the other tea guests dispersed quickly after Zhao Ya’s reassurance.
After handling these trifles, Zhao Ya led the group back to the Dingtai Martial Arts Hall in a grand procession.
By then, news had already spread.
Pan Xuexian from the Hundred Steps Martial Arts Hall, accompanied by several of his brothers, had already escorted Shi Qingqing to the Dingtai Martial Arts Hall.
Besides them, many others from Mountain Guardian Boxing Hall, Black Tiger Boxing Hall, and other boxing halls had come to lend support.
Of course.
Quite a few boxing halls weren’t present.
This was akin to tacitly acknowledging that they had already allied with Wei Hongbin.
The two camps became clearer than ever for the first time.
Zhao Ya had anticipated this, so he wasn’t surprised.
Someone erected tall poles in front of the Martial Arts Hall, hanging the corpses of Lin Shiguo and Yuan Chenfeng on them.
People had mixed reactions to this.
Some felt it was satisfying, after all, both Yuan Chenfeng and Lin Shiguo deserved such an end.
But some thought this action was too brutal. The individuals were already dead, why insult their corpses?
Zhao Ya offered an explanation.
He didn’t mean to vent his anger by humiliating the corpses. He wasn’t that despicable.
He was merely using this method to silently declare his stance to the entire city’s citizens.
Especially after so long under Wei Hongbin and his followers’ oppression, the city’s citizens had long harbored anger, previously lacking the opportunity to express it.
This pole served as encouragement for everyone.
Telling them that Wei Hongbin wasn’t as formidable as imagined, he was human too, and could die if killed.
This could significantly incite a unified sense of resistance among the people, serving the purpose of utilizing public sentiment.
After hearing Zhao Ya’s explanation, everyone realized, with some even giving him a thumbs-up, praising his actions.
Zhao Ya merely smiled at this, then busied himself arranging accommodations and meals for the disciples from various martial arts halls who had come to support.
He had a premonition that this would be a prolonged battle.
It wouldn’t drag on as long as a beast tide assaulting the city, but it was not something that could be resolved quickly.
Fortunately, Dingtai Martial Arts Hall had a vast area and many rooms, though it couldn’t provide a room per person, three to five people could still fit in one room.
Moreover, the supplies Zhao Ya had been purchasing in large quantities recently finally came in handy.
Basic supplies like rice, flour, and oil aside, things like healing elixirs and exotic beast dried meat were well-prepared, enough for everyone for at least ten days if a battle commenced.
After setting everything up, Zhao Ya breathed a slight sigh of relief.
By this time, he had done all he could, and the outcome depended on everyone’s efforts.
But at that moment, the martial arts hall disciples who came to help were full of high spirits.
Moreover, as the news spread, courageous locals even secretly sent supplies to the Martial Arts Hall.
Though things like eggs and dry food were trivial, it at least showed the people’s support.
After he finished his tasks, Shang Tiefeng, Jin Zhenming, Shen Dao, and others surrounded him.
First, Shang Tiefeng and Jin Zhenming appraised Zhao Ya from head to toe.
After a moment, they exchanged glances, and both showed expressions of amazement.
"It’s indeed true; he’s broken through to the half-step Fifth Realm." Shang Tiefeng said.
"When I first heard the news, I thought it was a joke; now it seems I was shallow." Jin Zhenming also remarked.
"Tell me, kid, when did you break through two barriers to reach the half-step Fifth Realm?" Shang Tiefeng asked.
Zhao Ya smiled, "To be honest, I just broke through this afternoon."
Zhao Ya’s words weren’t untrue.
This morning, after practicing, Zhao Ya felt something unusual in his body, with frequent urination.
Moreover, the urine was dark gray, with residues, and smelled foul and fishy.
Zhao Ya immediately understood that he was on the verge of breaking through.
Sure enough.
By noon, with the final bout of urine expelled, Zhao Ya felt an inexplicable sense of ease, as if a thin barrier binding him was lifted, leaving him feeling refreshed.
Along with this sensation came immense strength.
Zhao Ya felt that even with a simple minor realm advancement, his strength increased more than two-fold.
While it might sound inconspicuous, don’t forget the terrifying level of Zhao Ya’s foundational strength.
With the blessing of several organ talents, Zhao Ya’s strength far exceeded martial artists of the same level, and he could even suppress those a full realm higher.
This advantage became more pronounced as he progressed.
After this breakthrough, Zhao Ya’s strength surged to unprecedented levels.
Additionally, the Great Stone-Throwing Hand and Great Vajra Fist both reached the stage of Peak Performance.
With these two martial arts reaching new heights, his prowess became even more formidable.
That’s why Zhao Ya could easily kill Yuan Chenfeng.
After hearing Zhao Ya’s account, everyone fell silent.
Then Shang Tiefeng and Jin Zhenming patted Zhao Ya on the shoulder.
"Your master may not be awake, but I can imagine his smug smile upon hearing this news." Shang Tiefeng remarked.
Jin Zhenming grinned, "Kid, want to spend some time at my Guangrui Martial Arts Hall? My Horizontal Refining Technique might be beneficial for you."
Zhao Ya felt intrigued.
The Golden Body Technique he practiced had shown slow progress lately. Gaining insight from this master of Horizontal Refining could be incredibly beneficial to him.
But this wasn’t the time for such discussions, so Zhao Ya expressed courteously, "Thank you, Master Jin, for your offer. Once this turmoil settles, I will definitely come to visit."
"Haha, no problem."
Shang Tiefeng then added, "My Ren Yong Martial Arts Hall may not have Old Jin’s Horizontal Refining Technique, but our swordsmanship is decent. Come practice sometime if you get the chance."
Their words had shifted from treating Zhao Ya as a junior to acknowledging him as a worthy sparring partner.
Shen Dao, Jiao Yousong, and Nie Jingnian watched with envy.
Yet, all they could do was envy.
They understood that from the moment Zhao Ya, at barely twenty, stepped into the half-step Fifth Realm, their fates diverged.
Zhao Ya achieving the Fifth Realm before thirty appeared inevitable, and with some fortune, Meridian Opening by forty was plausible.
Such a talent, even in Great Yan or martial art-renowned places, should not be underestimated.
Fortunately, Zhao Ya remained humble even after his advancement, respecting Shen Dao and others as always.
This attitude raised their estimation of Zhao Ya even higher.
Meanwhile, in the faraway government office on Lion Street, the atmosphere was extremely heavy.