Successive Mishaps, Killing Old Ghost Yin, Near-Death Injuries

The events on the high platform were too shocking. Xu Yang had only just recovered from the realization of Zhang Yi's betrayal when he saw Yin Shihong lunging toward him. He immediately stepped forward to meet him, channeling his Ice Palm to strike at Yin Shihong.

Yin Shihong was furious. He raised his hand and used a Heavenly Yin Palm to force Xu Yang back. Too busy to deal with Xu Yang, he went straight to Lei Yue and Zhao Qian, seizing both of them with a single reach. He pulled them in front of him, using them as a shield against the approaching Lei Dong.

Seeing this, Xu Yang quickly regrouped with Lei Dong. Lei Dong glanced at him and asked, "Why are you here?" Xu Yang replied with a bitter smile, "The young master insisted on coming. I tried my best to dissuade them, but I couldn't stop them, so I had to follow!"

Lei Dong's expression turned grim upon hearing this. He knew he couldn't blame Xu Yang; he knew his own son's temperament all too well. At this moment, Yin Shihong laughed aloud, "Chief Lei, I advise you to surrender! Otherwise, it would be a pity if something were to happen to the young master."

As he spoke, he dragged the two hostages back onto the high platform. Seeing this, Xu Yang followed Lei Dong up after them. By now, the others had ceased their fighting and gathered together. Seeing his daughter captured, Zhao Qiankun's expression turned hideous, and he cast a murderous glare at Xu Yang.

Xu Yang's senses were extremely sharp, and he immediately perceived Zhao Qiankun's killing intent. He felt incredibly bitter, knowing he had made an enemy of him; it seemed he would have to be careful of this man in the future.

Opposite them, Yin Shihong smiled triumphantly, "Chief Lei, what do you think of my proposal? If you surrender, I can plead with Prince Fu to let you atone for your crimes through service."

Lei Dong let out a cold snort, "Dream on. Today, only one of us will walk away alive. I will never stand with traitors."

Yin Shihong's face darkened. He tightened his grip on Lei Yue's arm and, with a sharp crack, snapped the bone. Lei Yue let out a miserable scream, breaking into a cold sweat. Zhang Yi and the others laughed heartily, while Lei Dong's group looked on with ugly expressions, their teeth grinding in rage.

Xu Yang was thinking rapidly, searching for a way to break the deadlock. Suddenly, he had an idea. He quietly reached into his robes and pulled out a small black cylinder. Taking advantage of a moment when Yin Shihong's guard was slightly lowered, he hurled the cylinder toward the enemy.

The cylinder landed right in the middle of Yin Shihong's group, releasing a thick black smoke that enveloped them. Xu Yang leaped into the haze. Lei Dong and the others were stunned for a moment, but they quickly followed Xu Yang inside.

A series of chaotic thuds and clashing sounds erupted from the thick fog, punctuated by occasional screams. Soon after, the various experts burst out of the smoke. Looking closely, Lei Yue and Zhao Qian had been rescued by Lei Dong's group and were now being shielded in the center. On the other side, Yin Shihong and his men looked disheveled. Zhang Yi's left hand was missing, having been severed by Lei Dong's sword.

The two sides locked eyes and immediately clashed again. However, to protect Lei Yue and Zhao Qian, Zhao Qiankun did not join the fray, leaving Xu Yang to face the heavily wounded Zhang Yi.

Xu Yang fought Zhang Yi and found that his strength had greatly diminished. Although his Heavenly Snake Finger was still vicious, he was missing a hand, and his offensive power no longer posed a threat to Xu Yang. Seeing this, Xu Yang's spirits lifted, and he fought with all his might, hoping to finish him off quickly.

Seeing that the situation was turning against him, Zhang Yi hurriedly called for help, but his companions were already overwhelmed, pushed back by Lei Dong and Huang Zhonggong. Lei Dong relied on the power of his precious sword, while Huang Zhonggong used his Earth-Covering Palm to forcefully suppress the Fire Venerable's Separated Fire Finger.

Seeing this, Zhang Yi began to look for an exit, planning to flee. Just as the situation looked promising, a large number of troops suddenly poured out from outside the hall, surrounding the members of the Shunfeng Escort Agency and hacking at them with blades and swords. Screams filled the air.

The sudden turn of events shocked Xu Yang, who immediately pulled back. A familiar figure approached the high platform. Xu Yang looked closely, and his heart sank—he knew things were looking dire.

The man was none other than Old Ghost Yin, whom Xu Yang had met before. He stepped onto the platform, bowed to Yin Shihong, and said, "Hall Master, please forgive this subordinate for the late arrival. Prince Fu has deployed troops to surround Cangwu Mountain; Lei Dong and his lot have no way to escape."

"Hahaha! Well done. Elder Yin has performed a great service. I will request a reward for you from the Prince," Yin Shihong said, beaming with joy. He then ordered, "Elder Yin, strike quickly! Help us capture Lei Dong and the others."

Old Ghost Yin chuckled and turned to size up Lei Dong's group. When he saw Xu Yang, his old face twitched, and he gave a sinister smile, "Truly, one finds what one is looking for without even trying. I've missed you, boy!" With that, he lunged toward Xu Yang.

Xu Yang cursed inwardly. He hadn't expected Old Ghost Yin to target him first. The situation was dire; if he got entangled with him, he wouldn't be able to escape. Xu Yang tried to retreat, but he was already slightly injured. He could bully a one-handed Zhang Yi, but against a fully recovered Old Ghost Yin, he was out of his depth.

Seeing Xu Yang retreat, Old Ghost Yin pursued him relentlessly. The two chased each other toward the back of the tables. From the corner of his eye, Xu Yang saw Lei Dong and the others taking Lei Yue and Zhao Qian and sprinting toward the hall entrance. His heart sank; he realized he had been abandoned.

With complex emotions, Xu Yang pushed his movement technique to the limit, trying to shake off Old Ghost Yin. But things did not go as planned; not only did Old Ghost Yin not fall behind, but he was also closing the distance. With no other choice, Xu Yang stopped to face him. Fortunately, they were the only two left on the high platform, as Yin Shihong and the others had gone to pursue Lei Dong.

Xu Yang did not dare to be careless. He struck first, aiming for the top of the old man's head. Old Ghost Yin chuckled, curled his hands into claws, and struck toward Xu Yang's Baihui acupoint. Sharp claw-wind enveloped Xu Yang, causing his expression to change drastically. He pulled back, but even so, a gust of claw-wind slashed his cheek.

Xu Yang said with a grim expression, "What kind of martial art is this? It's so vicious. Why didn't you use it last time?" "Hehe! Boy, how does the Nine Yin Bone Claw feel? Last time, I was too careless and didn't have time to use it. Otherwise, how could your half-baked Ice Palm have hurt me?"

Xu Yang gritted his teeth and said with a sinister look, "Don't get cocky, old ghost. If you push me too far, I'll make you pay dearly!" As he spoke, a black aura surged across his face.

Seeing the black mist on Xu Yang's face, Old Ghost Yin felt a flicker of unease, followed by a surge of rage. He said to Xu Yang, "You brat, I want to see how you intend to make me pay."

With that, he lunged forward, clawing at the top of Xu Yang's head. Xu Yang thought to himself, Old ghost, you're courting death. I'll grant your wish with my life. He shifted his internal energy, channeling the Heavenly Demon Great Art. His entire body was instantly wrapped in a mass of pitch-black energy as he slammed into Old Ghost Yin.

Seeing Xu Yang's aura change and his body wreathed in black mist, Old Ghost Yin's internal alarm bells rang. He felt a wave of crisis and immediately poured all his internal energy into his claws, striking fiercely at Xu Yang.

With a loud bang, the two collided violently. After a moment of stalemate, Old Ghost Yin spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward, slamming into the table behind him and shattering it into pieces. As he lay on the ground, he looked anxiously at Xu Yang.

Xu Yang was enveloped in black mist, so his expression could not be seen, but the way his body trembled suggested he was not faring well either.

Xu Yang's situation was dire. Although the Heavenly Demon Great Art was peerlessly powerful, it had a massive flaw: it overdrawn one's own potential. It could not be used for long, and the more it was used, the more one's potential was drained. It was a desperate, last-resort technique.

Having traded blows with Old Ghost Yin, he had severely wounded the old man, but Xu Yang himself was also severely overdrawn and found himself unable to move. The scene fell into a sudden silence as both sides tried their best to recover; whoever recovered first would be able to finish off the other.

A moment later, Old Ghost Yin struggled to his feet. He approached Xu Yang cautiously, his hands raised to defend against any attack. Xu Yang felt extremely anxious; with no other choice, he was forced to trigger the Heavenly Demon Great Art once more.

The black mist around Xu Yang surged again. Old Ghost Yin was startled, feeling the aura emanating from Xu Yang growing stronger. He panicked. In his current state, he couldn't withstand this blow, but he was locked in by Xu Yang and couldn't escape. He felt immense regret; had he known, he would have fled immediately.

Reality left no room for further thought, and it was too late to call for help. Old Ghost Yin poured the last of his remaining power into his hands and struck fiercely at Xu Yang, hoping to disrupt his attack.

With another loud bang, the two collided again. This time, both flew backward. While still in mid-air, Old Ghost Yin spat out another mouthful of blood, mixed with fragments of his internal organs. Upon hitting the ground, he went silent.

Xu Yang also spat out a mouthful of blood and slammed into the bone skeleton sitting behind him, shattering it into pieces. Xu Yang lay limply among the bone fragments, completely unable to move.

The commotion on the high platform caught the attention of Yin Shihong and the others. Their expressions changed, and they rushed over. Seeing this, Lei Dong's group was overjoyed; they seized the opportunity to break through the encirclement and rush out of the hall.

Yin Shihong was furious. He ordered his men to pursue Lei Dong while he rushed toward the high platform. Leaping up, he quickly reached the site of the battle and saw Old Ghost Yin lying dead on the ground, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Yin Shihong was enraged and turned his gaze toward Xu Yang, walking toward him. Xu Yang felt bitter; he hadn't expected to die here. Just as he was sinking into despair, the high platform suddenly shook, and then the entire hall began to tremble. Massive stones fell from the ceiling; it was clear the hall was collapsing.

Yin Shihong looked alarmed. He stopped in his tracks, glanced at Xu Yang, and turned to rush toward the hall exit. Xu Yang was incredibly anxious. The place was about to collapse, yet he couldn't move. Was he to be buried alive here?

Suddenly, a creaking sound echoed. The floor beneath Xu Yang dropped rapidly, and he was swallowed into the interior of the high platform, continuing to fall downward. The hall collapsed completely amidst a thunderous roar.