Liu Xi, You're the Only One Left!

That night, a magnificent slaughter unfolded within the Jialie Family!

With Ye Xiu's Nine-Star Great Dou Master cultivation and the pure, blazing Fire Attribute Dou Qi granted by the High Xuan Tier technique Heaven-Burning Sword Art, facing enemies who were no stronger than Dou Shi was nothing short of a one-sided massacre!

In just a dozen or so steps, Ye Xiu reached the center of the hall, near the long table that had been crowded with people. Behind him, the place was already a disaster, with seven or eight corpses sprawled across the floor in various states of death.

Of all the Jialie Family members in the entire council hall, only one remained standing: the clan leader, Jialie Bi, trembling before the seat of honor, his face as pale as paper.

Ye Xiu's gaze settled on Jialie Bi.

"Now it's your turn, Jialie Bi." Ye Xiu's voice held not a trace of emotion. "What was it you said just now? If I crawled back to the dungeon on my own, I'd get to live a few more days?"

Cold sweat poured down Jialie Bi's forehead.

He pushed his Five-Star Great Dou Master Dou Qi to its limit. Pale green wind currents howled around him, yet they did nothing to make him feel safe.

The pressure radiating from the young man before him was a terrifying strength unlike anything he had ever experienced!

"Ye Xiu... No, Young Master Ye!" Jialie Bi forced himself to stay calm, squeezing out a smile more miserable than a sob.

"It's a misunderstanding! This is all a misunderstanding! It was Liu Xi! Everything happened because that damned Liu Xi deceived me!"

"The Jialie Family is willing to compensate you! Ten times your losses! From now on, the Jialie Family will welcome you as an honored guest, and you can take whatever resources you want! I only ask..."

"You only ask me to spare your life?" Ye Xiu cut him off with a cold laugh. "Weren't you just saying that the death of a lowly servant boy didn't matter?"

Jialie Bi's words caught in his throat. His face turned from green to white and back again.

He knew there was no point begging to stay alive.

His opponent was set on killing him!

Despair could often give rise to one last bout of madness.

"You little bastard! You brought this on yourself!" A beastlike glint suddenly blazed in Jialie Bi's eyes. He burned through every bit of his Five-Star Great Dou Master Dou Qi, even seeming to draw on his life force.

He abruptly formed a complex hand seal. The pale green Dou Qi around him instantly turned violent, and a hint of destructive energy emerged.

"Die with me!!"

Roaring, Jialie Bi surged toward Ye Xiu like a human storm!

The ground cracked beneath his feet. Tables and chairs were shredded by invisible wind blades, while the violent energy reduced every decoration in the hall to ruins!

The mockery on Ye Xiu's face deepened.

"Heh. A cheap trick, and you dare show it off in front of a master?"

Ye Xiu stepped forward, and his Dou Qi burst forth!

An overbearing crimson-gold radiance filled the entire council hall, smothering the raging green vortex until it dimmed to nothing!

The scorching heat made the wooden furniture catch fire on its own. Even the ground beneath Ye Xiu's feet seemed to melt!

Bathed in that brilliant, sunlike crimson-gold Dou Qi, Ye Xiu resembled a deity amid the flames.

He raised his right hand, spread his fingers, and gave a casual downward press toward the charging Jialie Bi.

"Submit!"

A rumble like muffled thunder rolled through the hall!

With that distant press, Jialie Bi was struck from above by an invisible giant palm of flame!

"Pfft—!"

Jialie Bi's charge ground to an abrupt halt, and the violent green Dou Qi around his body rapidly dispersed!

"N-no... impossible..." Blood poured from Jialie Bi's eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth. He felt a terrifying force of pure yang ignite the Dou Qi he had gathered to self-destruct in an instant!

Ye Xiu raised his hand and struck again!

"Boom—!"

Jialie Bi's body instantly seemed to turn into a blazing human torch!

The flames roared and crackled!

After just two or three breaths, the fire died away.

All that remained was a small handful of gray-white ashes, scattered by the wind.

The Jialie Family's clan leader, the Five-Star Great Dou Master Jialie Bi, had been utterly annihilated, body and soul. Not a trace of his corpse remained!

Ye Xiu slowly lowered his hand, and the hall fell utterly silent.

The once-grand council hall now resembled a hellscape!

Ye Xiu glanced over the corpses and ashes scattered across the floor, then walked over to the seat of honor and picked up an exquisite jade bottle from the table. Inside were several pale green pills: the Jialie Family's "Rejuvenation Powder," which they used to suppress the Xiao Clan.

He pinched one between his fingers and held it beneath his nose. Then he gave a scornful laugh.

"Crude as can be, and so full of impurities. It's not even half as effective as proper Rejuvenation Powder. It might fool mercenaries who don't know any better. Liu Xi? What a piece of trash."

He casually tossed the jade bottle to the ground, where it shattered.

Pills of this caliber weren't worthy of his attention.

Ye Xiu then picked up the Storage Rings left on the ground. There was quite a lot inside; together, they held at least five or six hundred thousand gold coins.

After pocketing the Storage Rings, Ye Xiu looked beyond the council hall, toward the depths of the Jialie Family estate.

That was where the Alchemy Room was.

"Liu Xi, you're the only one left. Heh heh heh!"

The night wind was bitterly cold.

Ye Xiu headed toward the secluded courtyard deep within the estate.

The closer he drew, the more the stench of blood in the air gave way to the scent of perfume and powder.

The Alchemy Room blazed with light. Faint sounds of a man and a woman teasing each other, along with some indecent whispers, drifted out.

A cold glint flashed in Ye Xiu's eyes, and a cruel smile curled his lips.

He silently reached the bedroom door. He didn't even bother to push open the ajar door; he simply kicked it hard.

"Boom—!"

The heavy wooden door and its frame burst apart, sending splinters flying as the scene inside was laid bare.

On the wide bed, a bloated young man with a pale, sickly face was pressing down on a pretty maid. Their clothes were in disarray, and they had clearly been in the middle of the act.

The sudden crash and the intruder made the maid let out a shrill scream. She hurriedly snatched up the quilt to cover herself.

The young man first froze, then turned around in a fury. "Which blind bastard dares ruin my—"

His tirade cut off abruptly.

A strange young man stood in the doorway, wearing a servant's uniform stained with blood. His face still looked young, but the icy murderous intent in his eyes sent the man—who usually threw his weight around thanks to his status as a First-Grade Alchemist—plunging into an icy abyss.

"You're..." Liu Xi found the young man vaguely familiar. A pale, gaunt figure from the dungeon suddenly flashed through his mind, and his pupils shrank. "Ye Xiu?! How can you possibly be here?!"

He didn't get to finish.

Ye Xiu didn't even look at him. His gaze fell on the maid, who was trying to shrink into the corner of the bed.

He recognized her. She was the woman Jialie Bi had specially chosen and sent to serve Liu Xi in order to curry favor with him.

Before Ye Xiu had been thrown into the dungeon, he had worked as a servant, cleaning this courtyard. From the very beginning, this woman had made no shortage of trouble for him, tormenting and mocking him at every turn.