Fierce Battle

Without a moment's hesitation, Lin Changqiang and Lin Dong both burst into motion at the same time, charging at Payne and Old Eight respectively.

That's right—the reason Lin Changqiang had suddenly swapped the Thunderclap Blade for Cloth Armor and suppressed his Yuan Power to the early Earthly Yuan Stage was that this time, he didn't plan to instantly kill his opponent with Fire Dance Whirlwind. Instead, he wanted to hone his combat skills through a life-or-death struggle!

Although Lin Changqiang preferred to overwhelm his enemies with absolute power through sheer firepower, in his view, he could dislike fighting, but he couldn't afford to be incapable of it.

"Cleaving Wind Claw!" Seeing Lin Changqiang charging at him, Payne quickly unleashed his own Third-grade martial art, a fierce claw wind sweeping toward Lin Changqiang.

Lin Changqiang solemnly executed the Returning Wind Soft Hand, but unexpectedly, despite both being Third-grade martial arts, he—who had perfectly mastered the Returning Wind Soft Hand—found himself at a disadvantage from the start!

In an instant, he understood the reason: all his combat experience came from sparring with Lin Dong. But since the two had no deep-seated grudges, they naturally held back during practice, even deliberately avoiding each other's vital points.

Payne, however, was utterly ruthless, every move aimed straight at the vitals without the slightest mercy, which threw Lin Changqiang completely off balance.

Realizing the key issue, Lin Changqiang immediately abandoned his earlier defensive approach and turned vicious instead. With Holy Light Protection in play, he didn't have to worry about getting hurt.

Payne's face darkened. He could tell that the other party had been flustered at first, but before long, he had calmed down considerably.

As the battle progressed, Lin Changqiang kept evolving. After several dozen more exchanges, he gradually brought out the subtle advantages of his martial art and grew even more ferocious. Sometimes, even if it meant letting the enemy claw a bloody gash across him, he would still slam a palm into the opponent's chest!

"Damn it, where the hell did this kid come from?" Watching Lin Changqiang's increasingly practiced offense and his ever more excited expression, Payne's face turned extremely ugly.

After another bout of grappling, Lin Changqiang was delighted to find that he could now force Payne back step by step! This filled him with a sense of accomplishment. Of course, he also knew that a late Earthly Yuan Stage cultivator beating an early one was nothing to brag about...

Realizing he was losing ground fast, Payne made a snap decision. After exchanging a full-power blow with Lin Changqiang, he immediately leaped backward, trying to flee.

Lin Changqiang just raised an eyebrow at the retreating figure, completely unbothered.

"Don't want to play anymore? Then I guess it's time for me to get serious."

"Killing Move: Serious Fireball!"

Five maximum-power fireballs, tinged with a ghostly blue Yin Fiend Qi, streaked through the air and slammed into Payne's back one after another.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom—"

The five impacts rang out almost simultaneously. Payne's body was blasted into a bloody mess, flying three or four meters before crashing to the ground. He skidded a long way further before finally stopping, motionless.

The next moment, a dull thud rang out as Old Eight's body flew backward and landed not far from Payne. A fist-sized hole gaped in his chest, blood gushing out—clearly, Lin Dong had taken him down with Pure Yuan Finger.

Yan Shuangying, who had been brutally taking down the other guards nearby, turned at the sound and saw the two men lying in pools of blood. His mouth twitched.

"Damn, you two are beasts..." Yan Shuangying was full of admiration but also a little helpless. "I never thought that after only a year of training, the young masters would already surpass me."

"Payne is dead. Surrender and live; resist and die!" At that moment, Lin Changqiang felt his heart pounding almost as fast as the Emperor Engine, and his breathing grew labored.

Whether in his past life or this one, this was his first time killing someone. Though he didn't throw up as he'd imagined, it was still deeply unsettling. He had to turn his head away, forcing himself not to look at Payne's corpse.

Hearing Lin Changqiang's shout, the remaining Lei Family guards' faces changed drastically. The laborers who hadn't managed to escape earlier were already lying on the ground, too scared to speak.

"What bastard dares to raise a ruckus on my turf? You're asking for death!"

Just then, a thunderous roar rang out, and a burly figure came rushing over at breakneck speed.

"Rexar!"

Seeing that hulking, black-tower-like figure, Yan Shuangying's face went pale. "Young masters, retreat now! Rexar is a late Earthly Yuan Stage expert!"

"No need." Lin Dong smiled at Yan Shuangying. "Uncle Ying, Changqiang was only using early Earthly Yuan Stage strength before... but actually, he's also at the late Earthly Yuan Stage!"

"What?! Is that true?" Yan Shuangying swallowed hard, stunned, and looked at Lin Changqiang. But the latter stood motionless in the face of the approaching threat.

Despite his bulky frame, Rexar moved like an arrow from a bow. In just a few seconds, he was right in front of Lin Changqiang.

Then, he stomped hard on the ground, launching himself into the air. Yuan Power surged around his right leg as he kicked down at Lin Changqiang from above!

Lin Changqiang was already feeling queasy, and Rexar's roar only made it worse—like the first day of diarrhea followed by the second day of constipation! In his fury, he decided to throw all notions of martial honor out the window.

"Dragon Gallbladder Bright Silver Spear!"

Under Rexar's horrified gaze, a spear about two meters long, gleaming with a silvery-blue light, suddenly appeared in Lin Changqiang's hand!

"Don't come near me!" Rexar's face twisted as he let out his final cry... and then there was nothing.

There was no loud sound—just like a knife slicing through tofu, Rexar was pierced from foot to head, dead as dead could be.

Lin Changqiang flicked his right arm, flinging Rexar's corpse two meters away. Blood only then gushed out. "Blame yourself for showing up at the wrong time."

Strangely, after killing Rexar, his heartbeat gradually steadied, and his breathing slowed. He then stored the Dragon Gallbladder Bright Silver Spear back into the System Backpack.

A few seconds later, a familiar figure arrived belatedly, landing in the forest clearing. It was Lin Xiao, who had rushed in upon seeing the signal.

His face was still pale with lingering fear as he scolded Lin Dong and Lin Changqiang angrily. "You two brats! I told you to just watch, not fight! How dare you barge in on your own?"

"Third Master, don't be too quick to blame them. If not for the two young masters, Ironwood Manor would have been completely destroyed by the Lei Family!" Yan Shuangying quickly stepped in to mediate, pointing at the devastated forest.

Lin Xiao was startled. Following Yan Shuangying's gaze, he saw the barren, medicine-scented patch of land, and his brows immediately knitted in fury.

"Lin Xiao! Even though my Lei Family lost Ironwood Manor to you, until the handover is complete, it's still ours! Breaking in like this—you clearly don't take my Lei Family seriously!"

Just as Lin Xiao's expression darkened, another angry shout came from nearby. Lei Qiu and Lei Yi quickly arrived with dozens of men.

Lin Ken followed closely behind, leading the Lin Family's forces into the area.

"Hmph! If we hadn't forced our way in, I'd never have known your Lei Family had such thick skin!" Lin Xiao glared at Lei Qiu and the others, killing intent blazing in his eyes.

Hearing this, Lei Qiu and his men's faces changed. They frowned at the remaining guards.

"What a fine scheme from the Lei Family! No wonder you dragged things out so long—you wanted to cut off Ironwood Manor's lifeline!" Lin Ken's eyes turned cold. The Lin Family's elite fighters tightened their grips on their swords and blades, glaring menacingly, ready to strike at the slightest provocation.

With their plan exposed, Lei Qiu and the others stopped pretending. "Ironwood Manor has been my Lei Family's property for generations. It took years of effort to make it what it is today. Your Lin Family thinks you can just waltz in and reap the rewards? Since when does the world work that way?"

The moment Lei Qiu finished, Lin Xiao erupted in fury. "Listen up, every last one of you from the Lei Family! I'll give you one incense stick's time to get the hell out of Ironwood Manor. Otherwise... no mercy!" As he spoke, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, and the scorching Yuan Power unique to the Heavenly Origin Stage surged outward!