Ransoming the Hostages (2)

His hands, crossed over his abdomen, slowly opened. His fingers gradually spread, forming a claw-like grip, and a faint, shimmering energy began to flow between them. Yin Baikang's black robes billowed without wind, and he remained as still as a mountain, yet one could sense something terrifying brewing within him, about to erupt!

"Not good! Yin Baikang seems about to make a move!" The words from one of the Spirit Transformation stage at the top had barely left his mouth when the others quickly rose into the air; they had clearly noticed as well. It was no joke; given Yin Baikang's cultivation level, if he started fighting, anyone standing close would be caught in the crossfire—wouldn't that be unfair?

The surrounding cultivators also noticed something amiss. Seeing the Spirit Transformation stage in the air fleeing into the distance, they knew all too well the terrifying power Yin Baikang was unleashing. In an instant, figures flew about, each faster than the last.

Enraged to the extreme, Yin Baikang did indeed want to take action. He wanted to destroy the cave in one fell swoop to vent his anger. However, just as the powerful True Essence within his body was being channeled and before it could be unleashed, a faint groan suddenly came from inside the cave.

Yin Baikang was slightly taken aback, his Divine Sense moving with lightning speed, instantly filling the entire cave. There, he saw the heavily wounded Yin Wufeng, who had appeared inside at some point, getting up and looking around blankly, slowly making his way towards the light outside, supporting himself against the cave wall...

The powerful aura he had been building up vanished in an instant, and Yin Baikang's forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat. His opponent's cultivation was far too high, far beyond what he could possibly achieve. They treated him like dirt, able to toy with him however they pleased—it was terrifying!

Yin Baikang had never felt such fear, not even when facing Bi Changchun, the Number One Expert Under Heaven. His newly ignited anger was instantly extinguished. His opponent completely ignored his existence, Yin Baikang dared not act rashly again, for the consequences of destroying the cave were unpredictable.

The group of Spirit Transformation stage in the air couldn't help but gasp in surprise. They had just noticed Yin Baikang's power gathering, seemingly on the verge of exploding, but now he had instantly concealed his aura. A figure staggering out of the cave immediately drew everyone's attention...

Having not seen strong light for several days, Yin Wufeng instinctively shielded his eyes as he approached the cave entrance. After a moment, he let go and discovered Yin Baikang, dressed in black robes, standing outside the cave. He immediately ran over to him.

"Grandpa!" With a sorrowful cry, Yin Wufeng collapsed to his knees, kowtowing repeatedly and weeping, "I am an unfilial son, disturbing your presence, Grandpa."

"It's good that you're back. It's Grandpa who dragged you into this." Yin Baikang's face showed a rare hint of kindness, but when he saw the tattered clothes with cuts and lacerations underneath, he couldn't suppress his anger and his eyebrows twitched incessantly.

He then roared into the cave, "Who exactly are you, Your Excellency? With your cultivation level, why do you need to torture a mere mortal?" His voice, like an invisible blade, scraped away layers of rock from the cave walls, sending fragments of rock crashing to the ground.

The Spirit Transformation stage in the air were all filled with doubt and uncertainty. The people in the cave did not know how high their cultivation level was, that they could make Yin Baikang so wary and angry, yet they were able to restrain themselves from making a move.

Seeing no one respond from inside the cave, Yin Baikang looked around. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he knew that if he didn't stand up for himself today, he would be ridiculed as a coward who bullies the weak. He knew that submitting to Bi Changchun, the number one martial arts Bi Changchun in the Number One Expert Under Heaven, was not shameful, because no one in the world dared to disobey him. But if he submitted to this Yin Baikang, his lifelong reputation would be ruined.

With this in mind, and disregarding the other party's unfathomable cultivation level, he immediately shouted again, "Since you have come to my aid, I, Yin Baikang, will not back down. Do you dare to come out and fight me?"

The people around and in the air immediately started whispering among themselves. Yin Baikang had taken the initiative to challenge them, and the excitement that everyone had been looking forward to was finally about to happen. It had been a long time since they had seen a master at the late Spirit Transformation stage make a move.

However, after waiting for a long time, the thing everyone was looking forward to never happened. The mysterious and unpredictable master never appeared. Instead, they heard Yin Wufeng's pleading voice. "Grandpa, please calm down. Your granddaughter-in-law and great-grandchildren are all in his hands. Please, Grandpa, save them."

"I'll take you to the side first. This place is dangerous, not a place for you." Yin Baikang ignored his words, glancing around warily as he spoke, and raised his hand to send him away.

Unexpectedly, Yin Wufeng knelt down and hugged his leg, pleading again, "Please, Grandpa, save them, save them! If you don't agree, they're doomed."

"You bastards! You don't even know where they are, where am I supposed to go to rescue them?" Yin Baikang scolded.

"Spirit Stones, Spirit Stones will do. He said if I pay another 100 million high-grade Spirit Stones as ransom, he will release all my family members." Yin Wufeng clung to his leg and wouldn't let go.

"You actually believe this nonsense?" Yin Baikang felt an urge to slap him to death. He shouldn't have said it, but now that he did, he remembered paying two hundred million high-grade Spirit Stones just to release one person. And now he wanted another hundred million? This was simply outrageous! It was utterly outrageous!

A group of Spirit Transformation stage in the air were intently watching everything that was happening below. The conversation between the grandfather and grandson left them speechless. These kidnappers were far too greedy. They weren't satisfied with just two hundred million spirit stones; they were releasing the kidnappers in batches and still wanted another one hundred million. Did they really think Spirit Stones were just rocks that they could pick up at will?

"Grandpa, please, try one more time. He promised me he would release everyone once he got the Spirit Stones," Yin Wufeng pleaded.

"Let go!" Yin Baikang said in a deep voice, "If you don't let go, I'll kill you too."

"No, that person is ruthless. If they don't get the Spirit Stones, they will die." Yin Wufeng cried bitterly, "Grandpa, please, for the sake of my dead grandmother, for the sake of my mother, try one more time, just one more time."

Yin Baikang's expression froze, and the image of that gentle, tender woman appeared before his eyes. He had countless women in his life, but because of his profound cultivation and long lifespan, he could only watch helplessly as those women aged and withered.

After the women's beauty faded, they naturally lost their appeal to him. One by one, they were kept in luxury and left to die, and he couldn't even remember how many there were. Only one woman, who was also his last woman, died a violent death, but her most beautiful face remained forever in his heart.

Afterwards, Yin Baikang, knowing that his lifespan was limited and that he wouldn't have time to nurture any offspring with cultivation talent, gave up the idea of having more children. Therefore, among all these women, the last one was the woman he considered to be his favorite.

This woman bore him a son before her death, and this son, in the prime of his life, followed in his mother's footsteps, dying a violent death as well. The son then left behind another son, the grandson kneeling before him.

Yin Wufeng was the only child of the woman he loved most deeply in his memory, and Yin Wufeng's children were naturally considered to be part of that woman's lineage.

As life goes on for so long, the woman who left the deepest impression on Yin Baikang was suddenly brought to the forefront, and he suddenly felt overwhelmed and his breathing became rapid.

Based on the assessment of Yin Baikang's character by the group of Spirit Transformation stage in the air, it was already an extraordinary act of mercy for Yin Baikang to take out two hundred million to save his grandson; how could he tolerate repeated extortion? However, the result was quite unexpected: Yin Baikang silently took out a Storage Bag and threw it at his feet.

Yin Wufeng picked up the Storage Bag and kowtowed repeatedly. Then, he turned around and scrambled back into the cave. Once inside, he realized it was a dead end. In desperation, he frantically groped around at the end. Then, remembering the masked man's instructions, he quickly put the Storage Bag down and looked around, hoping the masked man would keep his promise.

Yin Baikang's Divine Sense followed his grandson to the very end. This time, he used his Divine Sense to seal the entire cave completely, determined to find out where the other party's Divine Sense came from, so that he might be able to find where the other party was hiding.

However, another unexpected event occurred. That Divine Sense suddenly appeared, and Yin Baikang's Divine Sense trapped and killed it. But that wisp of Divine Sense not only came without a trace, but also disappeared without a trace, vanishing into thin air along with the Storage Bag on the ground.

How is this possible? Yin Baikang was dumbfounded. Even if someone with a Bi Changchun used teleportation, he could still detect where they came from even with his Divine Sense sealed!

What... what level of cultivation is this? Has he already surpassed the realm of teleportation with just his Divine Sense? Yin Baikang suddenly felt a cold sweat break out on his back. He could only speculate wildly without understanding, but understanding it too clearly only terrified him.

It should be noted that teleportation requires a path to be traversed. Now, the opponent's ability, relying solely on Divine Sense, has already surpassed previous understanding. If he were to personally witness this, it would be unimaginable just how high their cultivation level had become. Yin Baikang felt a cold sweat pour down his back; he had never heard of such Divine Ability before.

"Bang!" A loud explosion suddenly rang out from the distant mountaintop, startling Yin Baikang awake. He looked up and saw a streak of light soaring into the sky before exploding into countless tiny stars.

Huo Zongming, one of the Spirit Transformation stage cultivators, glanced at the scene and frowned, saying, "That's strange. Why would someone set off fireworks in this desolate wilderness? Something's fishy about today. Let's go take a look." The five people beside him quickly followed him.

The six men landed on a hilltop, where they found eight or nine unconscious women and children lying on the bare summit, each bearing whip marks. On a nearby rock were written words, "Yin Baikang, I keep my word. I took the money and released them. The debt is settled. We'll meet again if fate allows."

A small black triangular Squad Commander fluttered in the wind atop the rock, the golden word "Hero" on it glaringly conspicuous. Its arrogant gesture seemed to mock the crowd.

Will we ever meet again? Yin Baikang must be spitting blood! Huo Zongming and the other six looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Yin Baikang, bring your grandson over. There are nine unconscious women and children here. Let him see if they are his family members," Huo Zongming transmitted his voice towards the distant valley.

A moment later, a sharp sound of air being torn apart came, Yin Baikang dragged a transparent ball of light in one hand, inside which was Yin Wufeng. As soon as the two landed, Huo Zongming asked, "Yin Wufeng, do you think these people are your family members?"

"Yes, yes!" Yin Wufeng knelt down and picked up a seven or eight-year-old child, anxiously asking, "What happened to them? What happened? Grandpa, please save them!"

Yin Baikang completely ignored him, his gaze shifting from the few lines of writing on the rock to the arrogantly fluttering Squad Commander. Shu Xin, standing to the side, shook her head slightly and said to Yin Wufeng, "They're fine, they've just fainted temporarily."

A group of Spirit Transformation stage rushed over and, after witnessing the scene, were all speechless. They all thought to themselves that Yin Baikang had lost face big time this time. He had thrown out 300 million high-grade Spirit Stones and hadn't even seen the other party's face. They wondered who this "hero" was and decided it was best to avoid provoking him in the future.

With a "whoosh," Yin Baikang waved his palm, unleashing a powerful surge of energy that instantly pulverized the inscribed rock, leaving the small black Squad Commander in his hand. His face was ashen as he stared at the word "Hero" on the Squad Commander, completely disregarding whether Yin Wufeng's family could withstand the residual force of his palm strike.

Fortunately, Shu Xin, out of compassion for the children, stepped in front of them in time and used her slender hand to unleash a wave of light to block them. Otherwise, Yin Baikang's three hundred million high-grade Spirit Stones would have been wasted, and he would have only gotten a pile of flesh scraps in return.

Suddenly, Yin Baikang soared into the sky, his voice booming and echoing through the surroundings, shaking the clouds. "Sneaky and cowardly, using a few mortals as a pretext, what kind of skill is that? If you have the guts, come out and fight me!" He was now blinded by rage and didn't care whether his opponent was a peerless master or not; he only wanted to fight to the death.

The sound echoed through the mountains, startling birds and beasts into flight, but no one came forward to answer him. The group exchanged glances, thinking to themselves, perhaps the kidnapper had already left.

"Ah..." Yin Baikang let out a furious roar, his figure trailing a dark shadow as he rose and fell rapidly, bouncing between heaven and earth. In an instant, a deafening rumble resounded, and the earth trembled incessantly.

Yin Baikang's figure crashed into six towering mountain peaks in First Company, instantly flattening the six interconnected, undulating peaks. The mountain springs were still, the streams disappeared without a trace, and in the blink of an eye, they were covered by the soil that filled the ravines, transforming the land into a vast plain with overwhelming force.

The surrounding mountains also suffered; towering trees, like helpless withered grass, were uprooted by the powerful air currents and scattered everywhere. A perfectly good deep forest was instantly and forcibly transformed.

The Spirit Transformation stage experts also released their protective Gang Qi to defend themselves. Huo Zongming naturally wouldn't let Yin Wufeng get into trouble at this moment; if this madman turned around and found an excuse to cause trouble, it would be a real problem. He immediately formed a circle with the other five people, protecting the family.

Although everyone was somewhat intimidated by the power of this Spirit Transformation stage expert, they weren't particularly surprised, as they had all witnessed Bi Changchun's prowess before. That Number One Expert Under Heaven could ascend to the heavens and seize lightning to use as a Heaven-Slaying Sword; his rage was even more terrifying. Yin Baikang, relatively speaking, paled in comparison. Therefore, everyone's mental fortitude was far greater than before.

However, for the dumbfounded Yin Wufeng, only today did he realize just how powerful his grandfather truly was, and how much injustice his grandfather had suffered today. This was an act born from pent-up anger with nowhere to go! The hardships his own family had endured had been completely forgotten...

.