Xiling Harbor Massacre

Xia Shi's family of three threw punches at the gate before them.

With a loud bang, the heavy gate shattered on impact!

Wood chips scattered like rain, shooting toward the guards waiting behind the gate with fierce force.

"Ah—my eyes!"

"Ow!"

Screams immediately rang out.

One guard was struck directly in the eye by a flying wooden splinter. He fell to the ground and rolled around, blood gushing through his fingers.

Most of the others were also injured by the splinters. Blood stained their armor red as they howled in pain.

"Xia Shi! How dare you do this!"

"Huo Yang! When our master returns, you will pay for this!"

In the courtyard, a richly dressed beautiful woman and a plump middle-aged man dressed as a butler were both shocked and furious as they sternly rebuked the three intruders.

"Zhao Madam, Zhao Butler, there is no need to keep hoping."

Xia Shi advanced step by step, his tone icy.

"Your master—Zhao Tianba—is probably never coming back."

"Y-you, what do you mean by that?"

Intimidated by his chilling presence, Zhao Madam involuntarily backed away, her voice trembling slightly.

"The meaning could not be clearer—Zhao Tianba is already dead."

Huo Yang likewise pressed forward step by step, every word as sharp as a blade.

By then, Xia Yang's family of three had entered the center of the courtyard.

Zhao Madam and Zhao Butler retreated again and again, while the sounds of fighting elsewhere in the manor continued without end.

"You... are you truly going to wipe us all out?"

All color drained from Zhao Madam's face, and her eyes filled with despair.

"Why bother asking such a pointless question?" Xia Shi said expressionlessly.

Still unwilling to give up, Zhao Madam turned to Xia Shi and pleaded, "Brother Xia, you knew our master for more than ten years. Even if we were wrong to break off the engagement back then, why did things have to reach the point of armed conflict today?"

On the other side, Zhao Butler forced himself to remain calm and shouted at Huo Yang, "Huo Yang! As a Bishop of Spirit Hall, you dare lead people in an attack on the City Lord Manor? You are provoking the entire Heaven Dou Empire!"

"Once Xue Ye receives word of this, the empire will never let this rest!"

"When that time comes, would Spirit Hall truly make an enemy of the entire Heaven Dou Empire for the sake of two Soul Emperors?"

After speaking, the two held their breath and stared intently at Xia Shi and Huo Yang, watching for their reactions.

"Do it."

Xia Shi uttered only two words.

Before his words had even faded, he and Huo Yang attacked at the same time!

"Sixth Soul Skill: Blazing Flame Tornado."

"Sixth Soul Skill: Profound Ice Spike."

A blazing fire tornado, accompanied by deafening tiger roars, charged straight at Zhao Madam.

At the same time, dozens of ice-blue Profound Ice Spikes shot rapidly toward Zhao Butler.

"Boom—!"

The fire dragon and ice spikes collided violently, erupting with an ear-splitting loud noise.

Flames sprayed everywhere and ice shards flew through the air. The violent energy even cracked the stone slabs in the courtyard.

A few breaths later, the smoke and dust began to clear, the flames died out, and the ice crystals melted.

Only two mangled corpses remained where they had stood.

"Whoosh—"

At that moment, a black shadow suddenly shot out from a side room.

His movement was as swift as Gui Mei's, and he headed straight for Xia Yang behind Xia Shi and Huo Yang!

"Yang'er, be careful!"

"Son, watch out!"

The two spouses cried out in unison, yet neither moved to stop the enemy.

"Third Soul Skill: Raging Shark Vortex Prison."

A rapidly spinning water vortex instantly formed all over Xia Yang's body.

Though the water created by this soul skill was not abundant, its rushing vortex effectively restricted Xia Yang's room to dodge.

"First Soul Skill: Raging Shark Impact."

"Second Soul Skill: Shark Shadow Tear."

In the blink of an eye, the black shadow had already closed in before Xia Yang.

A ferocious Fierce Tiger Shark phantom appeared over the enemy's right hand.

The phantom opened its bloody maw and radiated a savage pressure. Then it flew from his hand and viciously bit toward Xia Yang!

"Second Soul Skill: Susanoo Defense."

Faced with such a fierce attack, Xia Yang remained calm in danger.

Soul Power surged through his body as a deep purple Spirit Ring rose beneath his feet—the Thousand Year Second Ring!

In an instant, a layer of Purple Armor, thin as cicada wings yet incomparably tough, covered the surface of Xia Yang's skin.

The armor clung tightly all over his body, shimmering with flowing light.

"Bang!"

"Kacha! Kacha! Kacha!"

The Fierce Tiger Shark phantom slammed viciously into the armor.

Following that, the armor let out a series of piercing cracking sounds.

Then, the Fierce Tiger Shark phantom dispersed, while several cracks appeared in Xia Yang's Purple Armor.

However, the enemy's attack ultimately failed to completely breach Xia Yang's defense!

"The Thousand Year Second Ring... how is that possible?"

The ambusher was clearly stunned by Xia Yang's unnatural Spirit Ring configuration. He actually lost focus for a moment and froze where he stood.

"First Soul Skill: Icefire Roar Bullet."

How could Xia Yang let such an opportunity pass?

He swiftly swung his right hand, and an Energy Ball the size of a human head, wreathed in Purple Light, instantly condensed in his palm.

Then Xia Yang pressed forward without hesitation.

"Splat!"

The Energy Ball struck solidly against the man's face.

The man's head exploded on impact, scattering Red and White everywhere.

"Huff... huff..."

Xia Yang took several heavy breaths.

Though he had used only two moves just now, the life-or-death battle had greatly drained both his Soul Power and mental strength.

"Good boy! Well done!"

"As expected of my son."

Only then did Xia Shi and Huo Yang stride over, patting Xia Yang's shoulder with gratified expressions.

It turned out that they had long noticed the lurking enemy. They had not acted because they wanted to use this opportunity to test Xia Yang's true combat strength.

"Dad, Mom, who was that?"

After steadying his breathing, Xia Yang looked at the headless corpse on the ground and asked.

The man had been lavishly dressed, with Soul Power above Level 30. Judging from the nature of his soul skills, he should have been closely related to Zhao Tianba.

"He was Zhao Tianba's son—Zhao Yanran's Older Brother."

Huo Yang said indifferently.

"So it was him."

Xia Yang suddenly understood.

"Sigh, the two of you even played together a few times when you were children."

There was a trace of sentiment in Xia Shi's voice.

"Did we? I don't remember anything."

Xia Yang tried hard to recall it, but found nothing.

"Don't listen to your dad's nonsense. That happened before you were even one year old. Of course you would have forgotten it long ago."

Huo Yang waved her hand, speaking bluntly.

Afterward, the three said no more. They stood quietly in the middle of the courtyard, waiting for the final outcome of the purge.

About half an hour later, the sounds of fighting within Zhao Manor and the explosions of soul skills gradually subsided.

Before long, Lin Deacon, covered in blood, came to report, "Reporting to Bishop, all Soul Masters in the manor have been executed."

"What happened to the ordinary people?"

This time, Xia Yang asked.

"The ordinary people in the manor have all been gathered and placed under guard."

"How they are to be dealt with awaits the Bishop's decision."

Lin Deacon responded respectfully.

Huo Yang pondered briefly before giving the order, "Screen them carefully."

"Anyone directly related to Zhao Tianba by blood is to be executed without exception."

"The rest... drive them out of the city."

"Understood."

Lin Deacon accepted the order and left to handle the aftermath.

In the vast courtyard, only a faint smell of blood lingered in the air.