Three days later, the two minor leaders led more than fifty men out of the stronghold, heading toward the Yang Family mine under cover of night.
"Ah, the dirty, exhausting work still falls to the two of us in the end."
The effeminate man said, "Big Brother is really too cautious. The previous groups already tested the waters. There's only some brat who just entered the Qi Gathering Realm at that mine. Wouldn't it be enough for you to deal with him?"
"Enough. Stop complaining. Let's move quickly and settle this fast," Scarface said.
As they neared the mine, the group slowed their pace.
Under Scarface's command, the men surrounded every entrance and exit of the mine.
"Why is there not a single sound coming from this mine?"
"Why don't you look at what time it is? They're definitely asleep. Of course there's no movement."
The effeminate man spoke with some impatience.
Hearing that, Scarface dismissed the doubts in his heart. The two restrained their auras and quietly entered the mine, heading straight for Yang Linghu's former residence.
The two entered the wooden hut from opposite directions, one from the left and one from the right, only to discover in astonishment that it was completely empty.
"No one?"
"What's going on? Weren't they still mining here a few days ago?"
After the sound of the broken door, their subordinates also poured in through the various entrances, only to find that there truly was not a single person in sight.
"Check the warehouse," Scarface ordered.
When they arrived at the warehouse and saw that every last piece of ore had long since been moved away, they finally understood that the Yang Family had evacuated in advance.
"Well, the previous times we scared them too badly. They ran off early and made us come up empty-handed."
"That works too. It saves us the trouble of fighting. The Yang Family has abandoned the mine, so the Zhang Family's goal has been achieved. We can take the money and leave."
Scarface led his men in a thorough search, confirming that no one was hiding in the mine.
At that moment, on a small hill not far from the mine, Yang Linghu concealed his aura and lay in the bushes, observing the situation below.
If it had been his former temperament, the effeminate man and Scarface would already have been separated from their heads.
But he had become much steadier now. In particular, Yang Lingqing had told him not to act rashly and to be extra careful, so he naturally kept an extra eye open.
Although he had the strength to instantly kill the effeminate man and Scarface, he did not choose to act recklessly.
What if the mantis stalked the cicada while the yellow finch waited behind? Exposing himself first would instead put him in danger.
The facts proved that Yang Linghu's judgment and caution had been correct.
Just as the two were preparing to return and report, laughter rang out from nearby, followed by the appearance of two figures.
"Young Master Zhang!"
"Big Brother, why have you come too?"
The two were startled and hurried forward to greet them.
"Hahaha, Young Master Zhang was worried something might go wrong, so the two of us followed you all the way here," Liao Feng said with a laugh.
At the side, Zhang Chen swept his gaze over the mine, revealing a somewhat disappointed expression. He had not been able to witness the Yang Family being dealt with personally and was rather let down.
"This is making a mountain out of a molehill. He's only a brat at the First Level of Qi Gathering. The two of us could take him down easily," the effeminate man said.
"This was Young Master Zhang's idea. He said the Yang Family's cultivation technique was somewhat formidable and feared that the two of you might suffer a loss, so he followed behind with me."
"So that was it. Then we must thank Young Master Zhang."
As they spoke, the effeminate man and Scarface both involuntarily looked toward Zhang Chen's waist, where a bluish-green jade pendant hung.
They had not sensed anyone following them along the way. This treasure must have been responsible for it.
Previously, Big Brother had been defeated by this jade pendant, which was why he had agreed to work for Zhang Chen.
Zhang Chen's appearance confirmed Yang Linghu's earlier suspicions, but he had not expected the Zhang Family to truly be in league with bandits.
One had to know that these bandits wreaked havoc throughout the Dynasty, bringing disaster upon the people in many places and incurring the wrath of both heaven and man.
"There are four of them. I should abandon the mine for now and return home to tell Lingqing before discussing this further."
Having made up his mind, Yang Linghu bent low and quietly retreated.
But at that moment, a feeling of being watched pricked his back like needles. He immediately realized that he had been exposed!
It was not because he had made any movement himself, but because Zhang Chen had activated the jade on his person. That was the one thing Yang Linghu could not have calculated.
The eyes of the four people below all turned toward the hill in unison. Zhang Chen said viciously, "Kill him!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two figures shot out in response. The effeminate man and Scarface charged up together.
Yang Linghu frowned slightly. Since he had been exposed, he no longer hid. At that moment, the effeminate man had already reached him first, one step ahead of Scarface.
That man had complained endlessly on the way here, yet now he charged the fastest, terrified that someone would snatch away his credit.
But when he truly arrived before Yang Linghu and sensed the powerful aura radiating from him without any further concealment, he froze for an instant.
"This is... Second Level?"
That was the effeminate man's final thought in this world.
The next moment, Yang Linghu threw a punch, blasting his upper body into chunks of flesh. Only the mangled remains below his waist dropped to their knees.
This scene not only shook Zhang Chen and Liao Feng to the core, but also frightened the approaching Scarface senseless. He forcibly halted in place, standing there like a wooden stake.
It could be considered his good fortune. Yang Linghu had no intention of getting entangled. After instantly killing the effeminate man, he turned and left.
"Chase him! We absolutely cannot let him escape!"
Zhang Chen and Liao Feng immediately gave chase.
"Where did he get Second Level of Qi Gathering cultivation? Didn't he only break through to the First Level a little over a year ago?"
Even amid his shock, Zhang Chen could not make sense of it no matter how he thought about it. But Yang Linghu had already seen him colluding with the bandits, so he absolutely could not be allowed to leave.
All three were at the Second Level of Qi Gathering, and their speed was not too far apart.
Zhang Chen was determined to keep Yang Linghu behind. He directly took out two Wind Walking Talismans he had treasured for a long time and stuck them onto himself and Liao Feng.
Before a quarter of an hour had passed, the two intercepted Yang Linghu from the front and rear.
"If I say that I saw nothing today, would you two be willing to pretend nothing happened?" Yang Linghu asked from the side.
Liao Feng sneered upon hearing this, his eyes densely packed with killing intent.
Yang Linghu had killed his sworn brother. How could he possibly let the matter rest?
Zhang Chen's lips also curled into a smile that did not reach his eyes. "Hehe, you're quite interesting. At a time like this, you still have the mood to joke around!"
The moment his words fell, the three figures moved at once. After several swift shifts of position, they were locked in battle.
Liao Feng had entered Dao through martial arts, and the technique he cultivated was a palm art at the Qi Gathering Realm level.
Zhang Chen, meanwhile, cultivated the Zhang Family's inherited Blazing Fire Art. Flowing flames spilled forth with every opening and closing movement, and his offensive was exceedingly fierce.
If an ordinary cultivator faced such a pincer attack, they would likely fall into a disadvantage before long.
But ever since Yang Linghu began cultivating, the intensity of the battles he had experienced had never been low. During the Beast Tide, he had fought one against two, and he had challenged opponents above his level many times.
Therefore, even in the current situation, he remained calm and unhurried, fighting as he retreated and searching for an opportunity to turn the tables.
Compared with Zhang Chen, Liao Feng's combat strength was clearly lower. Yang Linghu thus tried his best to close in and entangle himself with Liao Feng, using his body as a shield. That way, Zhang Chen could not use his fire techniques for large-scale attacks.
After taking several of his opponent's punches, Yang Linghu understood in his heart that Liao Feng was weaker than him.
Before you continue