Feng Xianglin, who had come to collect farm tools, was scared witless. Righteous Gang men poured out from all directions, each fiercer than the last, weapons in hand as they charged straight into the Yan estate.
He was merely an honest tenant farmer. How could he ever have seen such a scene? His legs immediately went weak, and he slumped against a wall onto the ground, not daring to so much as glance at what was happening around him.
Fortunately, these vicious Righteous Gang men paid no attention to a tenant farmer like him. Instead, they clashed with the Yan estate guards who had rushed out at the first moment.
Crisp clashes of metal rang continuously throughout the inside and outside of the Yan estate. Though the Righteous Gang did not hold the advantage in numbers, they had plotted this for a long time and caught the Yan estate guards off guard, faintly gaining the upper hand in momentum.
Chaos erupted everywhere!
The Yan family, which had stood tall in Obsidian City for many years, encountered such a catastrophe for the first time.
Inside the estate, the Yan family's two martial artist Guest Elders had already rushed out and confronted Tian Long and Li Qing.
In order to find out what had happened, the Yan family patriarch also hurried over.
When he saw his younger son's throat pinned beneath Zhao Kou's short blade, fury immediately rose within him.
"Such audacity, causing trouble in my Yan family! Tian Long, are you tired of living?!"
Yan Qitian roared. His hair was entirely white, and he looked quite old, yet his bearing was still as intimidating as that of a male lion.
Tian Long, who had been confronting one of the Yan estate's Guest Elders, grinned and planted the Golden Ring Saber into the ground. "Old Master Yan, you came at just the right time. If you want your second son to live, have Mo Nan and Yan Xu each cut off an arm."
Before the Yan family patriarch could speak, the Yan family's two martial artist Guest Elders sneered.
"Hmph, Tian Long, that is wishful thinking. You want us to cut off our own arms? Why don't you go die first?"
The first to speak was Yan Xu. He looked only a little over thirty, with a long, shovel-like face. Most striking of all were his hands—they were so long that when they hung down, they could reach his knees.
The other, Mo Nan, was an elderly man with a steady temperament and sparkling vigor. Even in the face of this shocking upheaval, he remained as calm as an ancient well without a ripple.
"Master Yan, leave this matter to the two of us. We will rescue Second Young Master," the old man said in a deep voice.
Upon hearing these words, Zhao Kou sneered. The hand gripping the short blade tightened slightly, cutting a red mark across Yan Gui'an's throat, with faint threads of blood seeping out.
Feeling that icy chill at his throat, Yan Gui'an trembled all over and cried out helplessly, "Father, save me!"
At such a distance, forget an Outer Strength expert—even an Internal Energy expert could not forcibly save him.
Yan Qitian fiercely struck his cane against the ground. So angry that he laughed instead, he said, "Fine, fine, fine! Tian Long, what exactly do you want? State your demands. Do you want grain or land? My Yan family admits defeat today."
The Yan family's current position in Obsidian City was deeply tied to grain and land. For him to make such an offer showed just how much resolve he had mustered.
Yet Tian Long was no fool. Things had reached this point, and he and the Yan family were locked in a struggle to the death, with no room for reconciliation.
"Hahaha, I will say it again. Have your family's two Guest Elders each cut off an arm, and I will spare Second Young Master."
Yan Xu advised, "Master Yan, we cannot agree to this. Once we cut off an arm, would we not simply be left for Tian Long to slaughter?"
Yan Qitian understood that without Yan Xu needing to say it.
After a long while, he closed his eyes. In the end, he made an exceedingly difficult decision.
"Kill them!"
Hearing this, Li Qing's entire body tensed slightly. Even a vicious tiger would not eat its cubs. For this Yan family patriarch to go so far, he truly was no ordinary man.
Boom!
As Yan Qitian's order was issued, the Yan family's two martial artist Guest Elders came to life at once, charging toward Tian Long and Li Qing.
Both were Outer Strength experts. Over so many years, their strength had long been honed to an incomparably robust level, and their killing intent was naturally terrifying.
Clang!
Li Qing's expression turned solemn as he began to fight. This was his first time properly facing an opponent of the same level, and the pressure was not small.
His opponent was Yan Xu. This man's hands were very long, and the martial arts he practiced were also related to his hands, making him exceptionally difficult to deal with.
His palms were much larger than those of an ordinary adult. Every time they struck Li Qing's Peerless Hammer, tremendous force rebounded through it.
Facing such a formidable enemy, Li Qing chose to advance steadily and fight securely. He did not rush in greedily for merit, instead earnestly blocking every one of his opponent's attacks.
The Peerless Hammer rang loudly from Yan Xu's strikes. Yan Xu sneered disdainfully. "To cultivate Outer Strength at such a young age, you are truly no simple man. But today, you will still fall into my hands."
He tried to provoke Li Qing with his words, but Li Qing did not fall for it. His expression remained unmoved as he carefully blocked every palm strike from Yan Xu, searching for a chance to attack and counterattack.
Li Qing's footwork was steady. Not only had he trained in horse stances, he had also specifically practiced Light Silk Leg, so his lower stance would not easily be broken.
"What an iron turtle. Today, I will smash your turtle shell to pieces!"
As the words fell, the strength within Yan Xu surged once more, and both hands launched forward at the same time.
Li Qing's expression did not change. He gripped the iron hammer's handle with both hands, then smashed back with the hammerhead.
Bam!
The powerful force knocked Li Qing back several steps, and a trace of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
What a troublesome enemy. If he had not used a scheme to first cut down one of the Yan family's Guest Elders, today's situation would likely have been extremely dangerous.
On the other side, Tian Long faced even greater pressure than Li Qing.
His opponent was Mo Nan, an old man.
Yet this old man's fist and foot techniques were not lacking in the slightest. Every move was sharp and fierce, forcing Tian Long back step by step, leaving him with no room to strike back.
Anyone who could make Tian Long feel so stifled was naturally no ordinary old man.
Mo Nan practiced internal martial arts. His martial arts had not declined as age increased and his qi and blood weakened. Instead, the Internal Energy within him had grown ever more profound, to an extraordinarily powerful degree.
"Heh, children, if you do not make your move now, when are you waiting for?"
Tian Long, who had been badly shaken by a punch, revealed a cruel, savage grin.
As his words fell, more than ten ghostlike figures charged out from every shadowy corner of the Yan estate.
Three of them charged toward the Yan family patriarch, while the other ten rushed to support Tian Long and Li Qing.
"Not good! Master Yan, be careful!" Yan Xu shouted in alarm, his face drained of color.
Unfortunately, it was already somewhat too late.
The three people charging toward Yan Qitian each had eyes that had turned faintly red. They moved with extreme speed, as though exhausting all the strength of their lives.
"Yan! Qi! Tian! Return the lives of my family of three!"
"Kill! I want to tear you apart alive, old ghost Yan!"
In the blink of an eye, the three had rushed before the Yan family patriarch, preparing to tear this old man apart alive.
Yet the Yan family patriarch's expression did not change much. At once, he reached into his robes, pulled out a Yellow Talisman Paper that looked extremely worn, and placed it on himself.
Buzz!
A circle of hazy golden light instantly emerged from Yan Qitian's body, turning into a round barrier that enclosed Master Yan within.
The three Seven Kill Squad death warriors who had charged at him struck the suddenly appearing Golden Light Barrier as though they had crashed into a solid wall, and were forcibly stopped in their tracks.