Empty Building

Three days later, two minor leaders led over fifty men out of the stronghold, using the cover of night to head towards the Yang Family's mining site.

"Sigh~ It's always us two who end up doing the dirty, tiring work."

The effeminate man spoke, "Big Brother is really cautious. They've tested the waters with the previous waves of people. There's only some kid at the mine who just recently started Qi Gathering. Couldn't you just take care of him?"

"Alright, stop complaining. Just be quick and efficient, and we'll be done," Scarface said.

The group slowed their pace as they approached the mining site.

Under Scarface's command, his subordinates surrounded the mine's various entrances and exits.

"Why is there no activity at this mining site?"

"Have you checked the time? They're definitely asleep, so of course there's no activity."

The effeminate man said impatiently.

Hearing this, Scarface dismissed his doubts. The two concealed their auras and quietly entered the mine, heading straight for Yang Linghu's former residence.

They entered the wooden house from two directions, one on the left and one on the right, only to be stunned to find it empty.

"No one?"

"What's going on? Weren't they mining a few days ago?"

After the sound of the broken door, the subordinates also swarmed in from various entrances, only to discover that there wasn't a single person there.

"Check the warehouse," Scarface ordered.

Upon arriving at the warehouse and seeing that all the ore had already been moved out, they finally understood that the Yang Family had evacuated in advance.

"Well, we scared them too much the last few times, and they ran off early. We came up empty."

"This is fine too. It saves us the trouble of fighting. Now that the Yang Family has abandoned the mining site, the Zhang Family's objective has been achieved, and we can take our money and leave."

Scarface and his subordinates searched the mining site thoroughly, confirming that no one was hiding there.

At this moment, on a small hill not far from the mining site, Yang Linghu concealed his aura and lay hidden in the bushes, observing the situation below.

If he were still his old self, the effeminate man and Scarface would already be headless.

However, he had become much more composed now, especially after Yang Lingqing warned him not to act impulsively and to be extra careful. He had naturally become more vigilant.

Although he had the strength to instantly kill the effeminate man and Scarface, he did not choose to act rashly.

What if they were the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind? If he revealed himself first, he would be the one in danger.

As it turned out, Yang Linghu's judgment and caution were correct.

Just as the two were preparing to return and report, a burst of laughter came from not far away, and two figures appeared.

"Young Master Zhang!"

"Big Brother, why are you here too?"

The two were startled and quickly stepped forward to greet them.

"Hahaha, Young Master Zhang was worried something might go wrong, so we followed all the way," Liao Feng said with a smile.

Zhang Chen, standing beside him, scanned the mining site with a somewhat disappointed expression. He was a little disheartened that he couldn't witness the Yang Family being dealt with firsthand.

"This is too much of an overreaction. It's just a kid at the First Level of Qi Gathering. We could have easily taken him down," the effeminate man said.

"This was Young Master Zhang's idea. He said that Yang Family's cultivation technique is quite powerful, and he was afraid you two might suffer a loss, so he followed behind with me."

"I see. Then we must thank Young Master Zhang."

As they spoke, the effeminate man and Scarface unconsciously looked towards Zhang Chen's waist, where a green jade pendant was hanging.

They hadn't noticed anyone following them on their journey, so they figured this treasure must have its uses.

Their Big Brother had been defeated by this jade pendant before, which was why he agreed to work for Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen's appearance confirmed Yang Linghu's earlier suspicions. However, he hadn't expected the Zhang Family to actually collude with bandits.

After all, bandits wreaked havoc within the Dynasty, causing suffering to countless people and earning the wrath of heaven and man.

"The enemy has four people. Let's temporarily abandon the mining site. I'll go back and inform Lingqing before we discuss it further."

Yang Linghu made up his mind and quietly retreated.

But at this moment, he felt a sense of being spied upon, as if a sharp thorn were pricking his back. He immediately realized he had been exposed!

This wasn't because he had made any move himself, but because Zhang Chen had activated the jade pendant on his person. This was something Yang Linghu hadn't accounted for.

The eyes of the four people below all turned towards the hillside. Zhang Chen said sinisterly, "Kill him!"

Whoosh, whoosh--

Two figures shot out in response. The effeminate man and Scarface charged forward in unison.

Yang Linghu frowned. Seeing that he was exposed, he no longer hid. At this moment, the effeminate man was one step ahead of Scarface and had already closed in.

This person, who had been complaining incessantly on the way here, was now charging forward rapidly, afraid of losing out on the credit.

But as he truly stood before Yang Linghu and felt the powerful aura emanating from him, no longer concealed, he froze for a moment.

"This is... the Second Level?"

This was the effeminate man's last thought in this world.

The next moment, Yang Linghu threw a punch, shattering his upper body into pieces, leaving only the remains below his waist kneeling on the ground.

This scene not only shocked Zhang Chen and Liao Feng but also terrified Scarface, who had arrived later. He froze in place, stopping his advance.

He was lucky, as Yang Linghu had no intention of lingering. After instantly killing the effeminate man, he turned and left.

"Chase him! We can't let him get away!"

Seeing this, Zhang Chen and Liao Feng immediately pursued.

"Where did he get his Second Level of Qi Gathering cultivation? Wasn't he only First Level over a year ago?"

Despite his shock, Zhang Chen couldn't understand it no matter how hard he thought. However, Yang Linghu had already seen his collusion with the bandits, so he absolutely couldn't let him escape.

All three were at the Second Level of Qi Gathering, so their speed wasn't significantly different.

Zhang Chen was determined to keep Yang Linghu there, so he took out two Wind Walking Talismans he had treasured for a long time and affixed them to himself and Liao Feng.

In less than fifteen minutes, the two of them, one after the other, intercepted Yang Linghu.

"If I say I saw nothing today, can you both pretend this never happened?" Yang Linghu asked, turning sideways.

Liao Feng sneered upon hearing this, his eyes filled with killing intent.

Yang Linghu had killed his sworn brother; how could he let this go?

Zhang Chen also forced a smile, his lips curling unnaturally: "Heh heh, you're quite amusing. You're still in the mood for jokes at a time like this!"

As soon as he finished speaking, all three figures moved simultaneously. With a few leaps, they were locked in combat.

Liao Feng had entered the Dao through martial arts, and the sorcery he practiced was a palm technique at the Qi Gathering level.

Zhang Chen, on the other hand, cultivated the Yang Family's inherited Blazing Fire Art. With every opening and closing of his movements, streams of fire erupted, his attacks ferociously aggressive.

Facing such a pincer attack, any ordinary cultivator would likely fall into a disadvantage quickly.

But Yang Linghu had experienced intense battles since he began cultivating. He had fought two opponents at once during a beast tide and had challenged opponents above his level multiple times.

Therefore, even in the current situation, he remained calm and unhurried, fighting and retreating as he searched for an opportunity.

Compared to Zhang Chen, Liao Feng's combat power was clearly lower. Yang Linghu deliberately moved closer to entangle with Liao Feng, using his body as a shield. This way, Zhang Chen couldn't use his fire technique for wide-area attacks.

After taking a few punches from the opponent, Yang Linghu understood clearly: Liao Feng's strength was inferior to his own.