Xue Hanjie furrowed his brows in anger. Was this junior demanding him to give up his possessions or suffer crippling? Who did he believe himself to be? Normally, one would expect a violent response filled with arrogance and underestimation, but Xue Hanjie wasn't stupid.
This youth had a powerful foundation and filled with profound confidence. It's likely that he didn't consider him a threat, but from his memory, he couldn't recall anyone who resembled this junior. Making such a threat haphazardly is how one gets killed, but acting in anger under a threat is how forces get wiped out. Underestimation is how the Li Clan Patriarch died today.
He would not follow such an example.
He twisted his right palm, causing a trace of qi-essence to surge outwards, aiming to turn Sun Huan into meat paste. His left hand pulled backwards, causing his physical pressure to change directions, causing Li Ruogang and Li Qiyu's body to shot towards him with a quickness.
Whoever this kid was, he had little intention to play around any longer. He wouldn't attack some unknown individual due to anger nor would he give up his possessions because of a single sentence. If his senior comes to discuss, he'll discuss and give a little compensation for whatever inconvenience or grievance this person had. However, if nothing comes of it, he'll go about his life.
"Oh? I see. You made your choice then." Yan Zaizen decided, if someone didn't wish to choose, then he'll choose from them. This has always been the case. A flash of silver-blue light with motes of white light erupted from his pupils, despite his soul energy being limited to 5% maximum, this didn't mean it was useless, the power of a half-step Perfect Aurora Soul still remained with each percentage. To a half-step True Essence Cultivator? This was more than enough.
PNEUMA DISRUPTION!
An invisible ripple that no one could see surged outwards with astonishing speed. Xue Hanjie felt an overwhelming sensation of danger built up from thousands of years of combat. However, the speed of soul energy was far too quick for him to react to, not to mention, he had exerted over 90% of his qi-essence in the battle earlier, how could he formulate a suitable defense against this sudden attack?!
He felt a tremendous pressure exert itself on his soul form, directly intending to penetrate and snuff out his soul flame. A talisman placed within his body suddenly shattered, causing a barrier of energy to formulate itself around his soul form. This was a method many cultivators would take against sudden soul attacks, but this barrier was useless against Yan Zaizen. If Yan Zaizen was a normal Advanced Aurora Soul expert, then this barrier would've worked.
Unfortunately, Yan Zaizen infused his dao into this strike! He was also at the half-step Perfect Aurora Soul Realm, how could this talisman stop his momentum?
The barrier was shattered like glass, the aura rampaged inside his soul form, causing extensive damage and directly damaging his soul flame. It flickered weakly in defiance. This soul flame contained all of his memories, personality, and instincts within. If this flame was gone, he would be nothing more than a vegetable without an imprinted consciousness.
Fortunately for him, Yan Zaizen didn't go for the kill. Unfortunately for him, Xue Hanjie suffered extreme damage to his soul. A mouthful of vomit and blood suddenly spewed out his mouth like a geyser. His qi-essence immediately was left without control, dispersing in the air like a harmless blood-colored light. The Li female duo was dropped suddenly without his control.
"AHHHHH!!!" He shrieked in unimaginable pain, holding his head and chest in unison. Due to the fact the soul was interconnected to his mind, if it was damaged harshly, it could cause damage to one's psyche. This shriek attracted the attention of all the experts in the city, and many auras were already making their way over, including Xue Hanjie's Blood Fiend Sect members.
Yan Zaizen, however, didn't care about any of that. While Xue Hanjie squirmed in pain, he approached, arriving next to him with the Ascending Raindrops Technique. "I'm not done." His words were exceedingly vicious, and he placed his strong hands atop Xue Hanjie's head, his eyes filled with malicious intent.
A flash of imperceptible soul energy flickered into his body, severely damaging his meridians, pathways, and dantian. True Essence experts were insidiously difficult to cripple. Their meridians, pathways, and dantian were simply too extraordinary, and their Origin Core had already fused completely into their bodies. However, half-step True Essence Experts had a semi-fused Origin Core and could be targeted and destroyed with a sufficient force.
If this was destroyed, their bloodline would no longer exist within their bodies with no hope for recovery. It was a very precarious stage of development.
CRUSH!!
Xue Hanjie's core was shattered mercilessly, his spatial possessions were extracted with the swiftness of a practiced thief. Yan Zaizen's eyes flashed slightly. The others were approaching.
A light lit up on Yan Zaizen's finger.
"Young Lord Zai! Please don't antagonize anyone. This could affect our plans for the spatial platform OR participate in the upcoming Heavenly Fortune Auction!" Tao's voice sounded a little too late via transmission talisman. It seems he heard Yan Zaizen's thunderous voice and wanted to warn him, but what happened occurred too quickly.
Yan Zaizen silently cursed Tao for his lateness. He realized his actions were a little too rash, but he didn't regret it. While Tao may be perverted sometimes and Bai Lufeng may be arrogant under his protection, Yan Zaizen had his own issues. His dao was filled with tyrannical ferocity and ice-cold decisiveness. It was hard for him not to act if someone touched his bottom line.
"Shit…" His eyes looked at Xue Hanjie unconscious body, then turned towards everyone who looked onwards with incredible shock dominating their every expression. He looked towards everyone and said some choice words, "If you mention this to anyone, I mean...ANYONE, I'll kill you and everyone behind you." His voice contained a viciousness that seemed to originate from hell.
He wasn't truly going to kill them or everyone that was behind them for informing their superiors, but he could at least threaten to do so, right? Perhaps this would prevent word from coming out.
Well…
Yeah, realistically, that definitely wouldn't work.
He softly sighed in resignation after realizing his words were pretty much useless. He glanced at Sun Huan holding Li Qiyu's body. Despite what he had to endure, the moment the pressure ceased, he used his power to quickly check on her condition. He couldn't help but feel his gaze turn a little softer towards this person with a hint of a good impression forming. There was no way someone like this could be a cheater with this attitude or display, and he was sure Li Qiyu would never accuse him again.
"This meal didn't count. You owe me another." His words were soft, ignoring the complex gazes of Ya Qinqan and the others. He stepped backwards, his body merged with the world as if it was a hot marshmallow, pulling space with it until his body, with a slight popping sound, disappeared from everyone's gazes.
There was no spatial ripples or distortions, it was as if he simply stepped backwards and silently vanished into a painting. Nobody could believe their eyes, it was as if reality warped in front of them, and he just vanished. There was a strange silence permeating the air.
A spiritual sense imprinted itself on Sun Huan's body; this spiritual sense contained 1% of his total energy, it may not be much, but it should be enough to protect him if he finds himself in trouble. He still owed Yan Zaizen a meal, after all. He can't do so if he's dead.
The moment Yan Zaizen disappeared, the Blood Fiend Sect members dashed in to see Xue Hanjie's body with horror plastered on their faces. They attempted to take action against Li Qiyu and Li Ruogang, but Sun Huan protected them relentlessly. It activated Yan Zaizen's spiritual sense, protecting his body and killing the Origin Core cultivators instantly.
"Oh?" Yan Zaizen had just spent some time in chaotic space reduced time flow to see what Xue Hanjie had in his spatial possessions, and was surprised that his spiritual sense activated so quickly. Almost half of it was used in a single go. "Well...Tao will definitely be angry." He disliked being a hypocrite, after informing others to not cause trouble, he went and did so himself. It frustrated him a little, but what could he do?
If he did nothing, it wouldn't conform with his dao, and Pinaka informed him that his dao was in a precarious situation and that, if one suppresses it, it could cause weakening or even shattering of his dao if he didn't act according to his will.
The corpse of the Li Clan's Patriarch was in a special talisman and many other materials, wealth, and resources were in the ring as well. It seems this person took not only his corpse but also Li Clan Patriarch's possessions. The wealth in the Li Clan Patriarch's possession alone exceeded the wealth of both the Soaring Cloud Sect and Earthly Titan Sect combined, even if you include the True Essence Sublimation Pill. Worthy of being a Patriarch of a peak grand-tier force.
POP!
He stepped out, arriving beside Tao imperceptibly. Tao's brows furrowed, but he wasn't shocked by Yan Zaizen's appearance considering his mastery over spatial laws. "Did you…?" He inquired cautiously.
Yan Zaizen chuckled softly with a little guilt in his tone, "I tried what I could to suppress the news."
Tao softly sighed in helplessness, he could only hope nothing comes of it.