Slaying Yun Shan

"Yan Yan, Yun Shan, why has your Black Dragon Stronghold mobilized in full force to attack my Lin Family?" Lin Ken waved his hand, and the guards instantly pulled their bowstrings taut.

"Heh, Brother Lin Ken, no need to be tense. We two just heard that there might be a big treasure inside Ironwood Manor, so we came to take a look," Yan Yan said with a fake smile.

"Does your Black Dragon Stronghold have the strength to fight my Lin Family?" Lin Ken's expression turned odd. If it were before, splitting the Lin Family's forces to deal with the Black Dragon Stronghold would have been tough, but now...

"Whether we have the strength or not, how would we know without trying? I know your Lin Family isn't weak, with four Heavenly Yuan Stage experts. But now... there's only one left, isn't there?"

Yan Yan stopped pretending. With a strange laugh, he drew a large blade from his waist, tapped his toes lightly, and shot forward. Surging Yuan Power gathered on the blade. He swung it fiercely, and a meter-long Blade Aura flew out, heading straight for Ironwood Manor's gate!

Seeing this, Lin Ken snorted, grabbed a spear, and burst out, blocking Yan Yan.

"Clang!"

Blade and spear clashed, sparks flying. The vigorous Yuan Power exploded, and both were knocked back several steps.

"Lin Ken, you can stop me, but you can't stop the others! Yun Shan, lead the brothers and kill!" Yan Yan shouted, charging at Lin Ken again.

"Brothers, follow me and kill!" Yun Shan grinned at the order, leading the Black Dragon Stronghold's men in a murderous charge toward Ironwood Manor. "Watch me take the wall first and claim the first merit!"

"Loose arrows, loose arrows!" Lin Ken's eyes blazed with killing intent as he clashed with Yan Yan again.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

The guards on the wall finally released their taut bowstrings. In an instant, a hail of arrows rained down on the Black Dragon Stronghold's forces. The air filled with whistling sounds and endless screams.

"Lin Dong!" Lin Changqiang saw Yun Shan charging and didn't hesitate. He shot Lin Dong a meaningful glance.

Lin Dong nodded and charged at Yan Yan with a roar: "Changqiang, hold off Yun Shan for now. I'll help Uncle kill Yan Yan!" With that, he unleashed his early Heavenly Yuan Stage aura.

"A trivial matter, hardly worth mentioning!" Lin Changqiang, afraid Yun Shan wouldn't hear, shouted with full vigor. "They say the Heavenly Yuan Stage far surpasses the Earthly Yuan Stage. Today, let me, Lin Changqiang, test your skills!"

Before the words faded, he erupted with a surge of Yin Fiend Qi, charging fearlessly at Yun Shan under the strange gazes of the Lin Family guards.

"Two Heavenly Yuan Stage experts?!" Yan Yan's pupils contracted, his mind racing with doubt. "Could the Lei Family have given me false information, hoping to reap the benefits?"

He forced himself to calm down and bellowed: "Yun Shan, finish that kid quickly, then come help me!" With that, he shifted from offense to defense, no longer clashing head-on with Lin Ken but retreating to stall.

"Got it, big brother, no problem!" Yun Shan was startled at first, then glared viciously at Lin Changqiang. If he could take down this Earthly Yuan Stage brat first and then help his brother, they'd still have a good chance of winning.

With that thought, Yun Shan leaped high and charged at Lin Changqiang, his hands bursting with astonishing Yuan Power. His face twisted savagely: "I heard you wanted to see the power of the Heavenly Yuan Stage?"

In the blink of an eye, the ferocious Yun Shan was right in front of Lin Changqiang, who stood still as if frozen in fear.

"You asked for this!" Yun Shan was overjoyed, thinking his opponent was a rookie facing real combat for the first time. He roared and slammed his right palm viciously at Lin Changqiang!

At the critical moment, Lin Changqiang suddenly erupted with mid Heavenly Yuan Stage strength. His left hand shot out, and with a "smack," he clamped down on Yun Shan's right palm.

"You tricked me?!" Feeling the surging Yuan Power, Yun Shan's expression twisted wildly, but years of combat experience made him calm down instantly. "Wind-Tearing Hand!"

As the Martial Arts was unleashed, Yun Shan's already large left palm swelled even more, smashing toward Lin Changqiang's chest with terrifying force. In that instant, it seemed the air itself was torn in two.

But Lin Changqiang paid no attention. He didn't even bother with the incoming attack, instead reaching out his right hand, fingers spread, and pressing it toward Yun Shan's head.

"Boom!"

Yun Shan's left palm struck Lin Changqiang's chest without losing momentum, but surprisingly, Lin Changqiang only grunted and showed no further reaction. At the same time, Yun Shan felt his movements inexplicably slow down. Before he could react, Lin Changqiang slapped him across the face and slammed him hard to the ground.

"Now you can't run away~" Looking at the dazed, immobilized Yun Shan beneath him, Lin Changqiang's lips curled into a pleased smile. "Five Fireball Technique."

Vast Yuan Power continuously gathered in his right hand. Fireballs formed one after another, exploding in succession on Yun Shan's forehead!

"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom—"

For a moment, explosions thundered outside Ironwood Manor. The Black Dragon Stronghold men charging toward the Lin Family and the Lin Family guards drawing their bows all stopped in unison, staring in disbelief at the scene. The entire battlefield fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Yun Shan, a Heavenly Yuan Stage expert, had lost—to a teenager! And from the looks of it, he wasn't going to survive.

"Three Heavenly Yuan Stage experts?! The Lei Family set me up!" Feeling the Yuan Power on his opponent, no weaker than his own and even stronger, Yan Yan's face darkened. His mind raced, and after a casual exchange with Lin Ken, he didn't hesitate to use the momentum to retreat. "Retreat, retreat!"

Hearing Yan Yan's desperate shout, the already demoralized Black Dragon Stronghold forces fled like a receding tide, leaving behind only corpses riddled with arrows.

Seeing the enemy routed, the Lin Family's morale soared. Just as some guards were eager to pursue and crush them, Lin Ken raised his right hand to stop them.

"Dong, mission complete. Congratulations, host, on obtaining Gao Lao Village." At that, Lin Changqiang finally stopped his Deidara Behavior, and the chaos at Ironwood Manor gradually subsided. The crowd only then realized with astonishment that they had repelled the Black Dragon Stronghold without a single casualty! Cheers erupted to the skies.

"Without Changqiang in the world, eternity would be like endless night!"

"If all the world's boldness were a single measure, Lin Changqiang alone would claim eight-tenths!"

"Like a demon lord descending from heaven, truly a god of the mortal realm! That Lin Changqiang!"

"Awesome!"

Feeling the fervent gazes around him, Lin Changqiang got goosebumps and couldn't help regretting: Why didn't I just beat Yun Shan cleanly? What made me think of Naruto vs. Yakushi Kabuto?

Just then, Lin Ken walked over laughing. He looked at Lin Changqiang and gave him a firm slap on the shoulder. "Good kid, you've got it!"

Only Lin Dong looked helpless. That guy Lin Changqiang had finished way too fast. He hadn't even had his fill yet, and it was already over.