Chapter 243: Accidentally Kicked Off Great-Grandpa's Head

"Terrifying."

Lin Xiaoran stared at Yan Jing in the photo she had just taken.

"Absolutely terrifying."

Beside her, a girl in twin-tails chomped on a lollipop, her expression completely serious.

"You could even say it's downright terrifying!"

Lin Xiaoran repeated herself for emphasis.

She looked at the twin-tailed girl.

"Do you believe it now?"

"I believe it."

The twin-tailed girl looked sweet and innocent, but curses flew the moment she opened her mouth. "He's a fucking monster! A Third Tier beating a Fourth Tier! It looked like he didn't even break a sweat. He didn't even summon a Ritual phantom, which means he held back at least half his fucking strength!"

She yanked the lollipop out of her mouth and waved it emphatically.

"That old hag Shen really hit the jackpot!!!"

"Yeah, she did," Lin Xiaoran sighed. "When will I ever get to pick up someone like that?"

She glanced over at Shen Youran, who was frantically tilting her phone to find the perfect selfie angle, and spoke in sheer exasperation.

"Give it a rest, Big Sister Shen. We know he gave you flowers. You're acting like a lovestruck teenager—it's honestly making me sick."

"Hehe."

Shen Youran narrowed her fox-like eyes and lifted her snow-white neck.

"Don't you think white flowers suit me perfectly?"

"Oh, please. When he used his ability, only two colors of flowers fell from the sky. You have black hair, so it's not like you could pair it with the black ones, right?"

The twin-tailed girl shot Shen Youran a sideways glare before letting out a malicious snicker.

"Don't tell me this is the first time you've ever received flowers?"

"..."

Shen Youran froze. The other two instantly started snickering, leaning in to whisper.

"I knew it."

"She's twenty-eight or twenty-nine and she's actually never..."

"Hahaha!"

The two dissolved into a fit of giggles, shoving at each other until Shen Youran's sustained, frosty glare finally forced them to settle down.

"Seriously, old hag, you need to lock him down."

The twin-tailed girl patted Shen Youran on the shoulder and sighed. "When it comes to men, eight out of ten are bastards. Of the remaining two, one's a pervert and the other's impotent. A top-tier specimen like him? If you don't snatch him up soon, someone else is going to steal him right out from under you."

"..."

Shen Youran didn't reply, her expression shifting slightly. The twin-tailed girl completely missed it and rambled on.

"With my years of experience, that monster of yours is definitely going to be a hot commodity. Xiaoran heard the Fourth Ring Domain Precognition Society has already set their sights on him. Think about it—Xu Qiao'er already had a great body, and now that she's lost her mind, she perfectly fits the standards for what ninety-nine percent of men like!"

Shen Youran remained silent, head lowered as if she were just checking her phone.

But Lin Xiaoran noticed something was wrong and hurriedly tried to grab the twin-tailed girl.

She was a step too slow. "Think about it," the girl continued. "He's absolutely going to take off in the future. Who knows, he might even reach the very end of Yueyin. Are you really going to rely on a mere contract to tie him down? If you ask me, as a woman, you can't let your man have other women. And what advantage do you have over the competition? You're older, and—mmph, mmph—"

Lin Xiaoran clamped a hand over the girl's mouth and laughed awkwardly.

"I told you not to drink so much orange soda, Tongtong. Look at you, you're completely drunk, hehehehe..."

"It's fine."

Shen Youran lifted her head and smiled.

"I never planned on having any kind of romantic relationship with Xiao Yanzi anyway."

She looked at the two stunned girls.

She smiled again.

"Xiao Yanzi is my investee! He's definitely going to reach the Summit! When that time comes, whether he wants a sole heir from a major faction or some holy maiden, it'll be a walk in the park for him. And when that happens, I'll just sit back comfortably as his Investor and reap the rewards. I'll be the one taking off!"

"You said it yourselves, I'm older than him. When it comes right down to it, we're not a good match in any aspect whatsoever."

"I only see him as a companion."

"Alright, alright, let's go! Let's go watch my Xiao Yanzi punch his way through Ling'an!"

With that, Shen Youran clasped her hands behind her back and walked off with light, brisk footsteps, looking as if her mood hadn't been affected in the slightest.

"You idiot! You made Big Sister Shen sad!"

Watching her go, Lin Xiaoran reached out and smacked the twin-tailed girl's forehead.

Knowing she was in the wrong, the girl clutched her forehead and stayed silent.

Lin Xiaoran sighed.

"That's why the ironclad rule makes sense. There can be no feelings between an Investor and an investee, or between team members. Sigh... it's better to nip it in the bud anyway."

"Back then, didn't the glorious Shang Zhou fall apart precisely because of messy relationships? She just doesn't want to repeat their mistakes."

"Alright, let's go! Let's go apologize to Big Sister Shen!"

With that, Lin Xiaoran hefted her camera and ran after her.

Behind her, the twin-tailed girl didn't immediately follow.

Lin Xiaoran's mention of Shang Zhou had stirred up a certain memory. She hadn't been a member, but she had witnessed that radiant, sun-like team's entire journey from their dazzling rise to their lonely fall.

Indeed, compared to some things, feelings were just far too fragile.

Those six figures who had looked down on every hero and laughed about being invincible—hadn't they fallen apart in the end, too?

She pursed her lips, deciding to give Shen Youran a proper apology.

...

Under the veil of night.

On a highway in the city suburbs.

A dense crowd of figures stood gathered.

A yellow standing sign blocked the entrance to the branch road, a strange symbol plastered across it.

This crowd had forcibly seized the road, and absolutely no one dared object. Every driver who approached and saw that symbol was terrified into making an immediate detour, acting as if they had seen a ghost.

Because these people were the de facto rulers of the city.

Eight teams, lined up in neat, orderly formations, stood by in full combat readiness.

This level of mobilization hadn't happened in hundreds of years. They claimed they were here to exterminate a traitor, eradicate a dangerous individual, and execute a sinner.

These were heavy labels to slap on someone, and they pinned them on securely.

At least, that was what they believed.

"Mu'er..."

An old man sitting in a Coffin struggled to turn his head. His neck was so aged it seemed rusted, letting out stiff clicks as he looked toward a man in his fifties.

"Yes, Great-Grandpa, I'm here."

The man spoke in the gentlest, most affectionate voice possible, immediately leaning closer with a purely fawning expression.

Even though yesterday was the very first time he had ever met this great-grandfather.

"Has Jing'er... replied to the message?"

The old man was like a candle in the wind, his sparse strands of hair fluttering in the breeze. Compared to a living human, he looked more like a mummified corpse.

Which was only natural. He was, after all, a hundred and sixty or seventy years old.

Even for a Third Tier existence, that was an incredibly old age.

"Not yet, no."

Hearing the old man mention Jing'er, the man's expression darkened.

He couldn't fathom why his unfilial son wasn't answering the phone or replying to messages. He had made it perfectly clear: as long as he came back to serve the family, the family would still protect him.

"Mm... alright..."

The old man nodded.

"Then it can't be helped... We'll see if there's a chance to negotiate later... Have Mr. Tao... hand the boy back to us... Of course... the prerequisite is... he needs to be taught to be a bit more obedient..."

"Yes! Yes, of course. It's my fault for not disciplining him properly!"

Sensing the old man's sharp gaze, Yan Mu immediately lowered his head to admit his mistake.

"Mm..."

The old man was quite satisfied with Yan Mu's attitude.

"I heard... about Lei'er... Without her Mental Immunity Value... an accident was unavoidable... At least... she only lost two legs and an arm... Keeping her life... is a great fortune..."

"After this is over... the family will help find her a good, obedient man..."

"I understand. Mu'er understands completely."

Yan Mu replied instantly.

In truth, Yan Lei hadn't just lost an arm and her legs; her nervous system was damaged as well. Now, she couldn't tolerate hearing any words containing the syllable 'Jie,' or she would clutch her head and scream.

This was all that unfilial son's fault!

He clenched his fists.

Aside from the Xu Family Patriarch, the ancestors of the other families were all present. Three of them had brought Coffins just like the Xu Family Patriarch. The remaining two were still in decent health—one sat in a wheelchair, and the other leaned on a cane.

They were the Wang Family Patriarch and the Mu Family Ancestor, respectively.

Meanwhile, the even healthier Lin family ancestor and An family ancestor had already followed Tao Long into the villa district earlier.

"Why haven't they returned yet?"

the Wang Family Patriarch asked in confusion, leaning on his cane.

"I don't know... Perhaps... they haven't found him yet..."

In his wheelchair, the Mu Family Ancestor tried his best to steady his breathing. He was already incredibly old.

In his youth, he had been a handsome man everyone adored. Even though he was old now, he still wore a sharp suit and leather shoes, and he had even had someone apply hair wax before coming.

"I hope they aren't inside looting all the good stuff off that brat..."

the Wang family elder muttered with some concern.

"Don't worry... We have the numbers... Even if they try to buy off Mr. Tao... we can... match their price..."

the Mu Family Ancestor stated.

The Wang family elder thought this made sense and nodded. Just as he was about to speak again, he keenly caught sight of a figure emerging from the thick darkness far down the highway, walking toward them.

"They're back!"

He perked up with excitement, but confusion soon seeped into his aged eyes.

"Why is there only one...?"

"Something isn't right."

The Mu Family Ancestor had also noticed the figure. He carefully shifted his hand and steered his wheelchair backward slightly.

Regardless of which of the three had returned, as long as there was only one, something was definitely wrong.

Soon, the others noticed the figure as well.

"Who is that...?"

A terrible premonition rose in the hearts of the gathered patriarchs.

"So many people."

A voice that sounded like tens of thousands of overlapping voices echoed from Yan Jing's mouth. He grinned.

"Welcome, everyone."

"..."

"..."

The crowd was dead silent. No one had expected that after those three walked into the villa district, the one to walk out would actually be Yan Jing.

It should be Yan Jing.

In truth, the patriarchs had only ever seen portraits of Yan Jing. The person in front of them merely had a similar build, and his degree of mutation was far higher, making it impossible to be certain.

But none of that mattered.

What mattered was where the other three had gone.

An extremely bad feeling welled up in everyone's hearts.

Yan Jing smiled and offered a slight bow.

"Greetings, elders. My name is Yan Jing."

"This is a welcoming gift I brought for all of you."

With that, Yan Jing tossed the head of the Lin family elder, which he had been holding behind his back, onto the ground. It hit the dirt with a dull thud and rolled several times.

The patriarchs blanched!!!

The Lin family ancestor was dead!

He had been the youngest among them, the one with the most vitality!

"As for what I plan to do next."

Yan Jing said, "Please look forward to it, patriarchs."

The moment he spoke, Yan Jing vanished from the spot with a loud bang. Reduced to a blur, he dashed straight toward the leading Wang Family Patriarch and Mu Family Ancestor.

!!!

"How audacious!" the Wang Family Patriarch roared, bracing himself. He immediately looked at the Mu Family Ancestor beside him. "Brother Mu, we will meet this enemy together!"

But when he looked, his eyes went wide. The Mu Family Ancestor had already fled far into the distance. The wheelchair beneath him was clearly some sort of Inner World item, moving at breakneck speed.

"It's fine."

Yan Jing's ghostly voice echoed right beside the Wang Family Patriarch's ear. "No one can escape."

In the next instant, a sky full of threads surged from Yan Jing's eyes, blanketing the surrounding area and forming a razor-sharp barrier.

Streaks of white silk followed suit, latching onto the threads. Failing to notice, the Mu Family Ancestor drove his wheelchair right into it.

A second later.

"Ah!!! Ahhh!!!"

A miserable shriek rang out from afar. The Mu Family Ancestor tumbled from his wheelchair, clutching his face in agony, his entire body covered in blood.

"Restrain him! Use control abilities!!!"

The Wu Family Patriarch, who had been slumbering inside his Coffin, unexpectedly snapped his eyes open and rallied the members of his family who had followed along.

Instantly, the crowd snapped to their senses and frantically scrambled to summon their Rituals.

But they were too slow. Yan Jing swung a fist at the Wang Family Patriarch right in front of him, smashing it directly into his head.

Crack!

It sounded as if something had shattered. The Wang Family Patriarch was sent flying backward in a spray of blood.

The punch left his head ringing violently. His skull was nearly fractured, and blood spurted wildly from his face.

Buzz—

Fighting through the excruciating pain, he summoned his Ritual.

Yellow, yellow-purple, purple.

He pointed a finger at Yan Jing from afar, intending to unleash his Ritual ability right then and there. But his vision simply blurred, and a moment later, he watched in horror as Yan Jing appeared right above him.

"You're the first!"

Yan Jing reached out with a grin. This time, he used his full strength. Weird Energy surged around his body—a single punch layering Heracles with the Fear Stance, the Fear Bird Form, and the Power of the White Stone.

The terrifying Weird Energy seemed to manifest into a gargantuan phantom within this punch. Reaching from heaven to earth, it crashed down heavily onto the Wang Family Patriarch's head.

Boom!

The ground fractured beneath the strike, spiderweb cracks spreading outward in concentric rings. A headless corpse slumped limply to the dirt, a cane still gripped in its hand.

In the next second, the abilities unleashed by the crowd surged in from all directions, blasting toward Yan Jing's position.

Yan Jing's figure flickered, reappearing in the air above the first Coffin on the left. Without time to see which patriarch this was, he manifested the Bi-Colored Thorn Spear in his palm, plunged it straight into the elder's neck, and launched a vicious flying kick!

With a dull thud, an aged head with barely any hair was kicked right off and sent flying, landing on the ground in the distance.

"Great-Grandpa!!!"

Yan Mu's terrified scream rang out.

Yan Jing paused. Now he seemed to know exactly which patriarch that was.