“Ahh!” Grey missed his strike and was completely infuriated. He swung the scepter and landed in front of Yan Ge.
From the three holes on the scepter shot out three white beams simultaneously. Not only that, these beams could freely change angles and directions, as if they were intelligent, continuously sweeping towards Yan Ge.
“Bang bang bang—” The ground was covered in densely packed black holes from the impact.
Yan Ge twisted his waist, leaped into the air, and suddenly appeared in front of Grey. With a flash of white light, he slashed at Grey from the shoulder to his right abdomen.
Grey let out a miserable cry, and fell to the ground. The scepter in his hand flew out and crashed heavily.
He looked down in disbelief. The gash on his chest was like a deep trench, exposing white bone. He looked towards Yan Ge, only to realize there was a sword in his hand, its silvery blade glistening. The sword was not ordinary; it had traces of blood, but the blood slowly dripped from the blade and left it pristine.
This young man actually had a weapon! A spiritual sword at that!
“You…” Grey’s words were cut short as he fell to the ground, lifeless, his eyes fixed on the sky in unwillingness.
“Ah!” Chadwick cried out in shock, his face turning pale. Cardinal Grey was dead!
In an instant, he felt a chill. He sensed everyone’s eyes on him, filled with ill intentions on how to launch a surprise attack on him.
Seeing Grey’s red robes become even redder because of fresh blood, Chadwick thought that if William also fell, he would face certain death. Overwhelmed with fear, he suddenly fainted.
Ruan Mingwei and Ji Chang exchanged glances, understanding each other’s thoughts. They continued to observe the battle without a hint of emotion.
Zhang Jian and He Hong, on the other hand, burst into laughter without any hesitation.
William was engaged in a fierce battle with Huangfu Yuchen. When he noticed the absence of movement behind him and Grey’s aura vanishing, a look of horror flashed in his eyes. Grey’s strength was on par with his; could he have truly died so easily? Yan Ge’s strength must be incredibly formidable if he could defeat Grey. If that’s the case, Huangfu Yuchen’s power probably wasn’t far off!
Seeing that matters were settled on Yan Ge’s side, Huangfu Yuchen smiled faintly and decided to conclude his battle with William.
William seemed to anticipate his intention. Crossing his hands in a circular motion, he gathered a large sphere of holy light that emitted a hissing sound, causing the ground to tremble as if in an eighth-level earthquake.
Hus face turned beet red and with a loud shout, he propelled the sphere of holy light towards Huangfu Yuchen.
Huangfu Yuchen also channeled his true qi to respond.
However, at that moment, William abruptly veered in the opposite direction. He hurled a cross, nearly a person’s height, towards Yan Ge and simultaneously struck the barrier with a powerful blow. Then, he darted away from the barrier, took a few swift steps, and vanished from sight in the blink of an eye!
The cross shot forth with a powerful radiance, directly aimed at Yan Ge.
Yan Ge resisted the attack of the cross and understood William’s tactics. As soon as Grey died, he knew he would be next. Faking a full-on assault on Huangfu Yuchen while attacking Yan Ge to prevent pursuit, he took the opportunity to flee.
Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen never expected this proud man would resort to fleeing.
Yet, considering it again, William knew his limits. Otherwise, he would undoubtedly face certain death.
Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen pursued immediately, but William seemed to use a secret technique or had other treasures on him. He vanished without a trace, leaving no sign behind.
Huangfu Yuchen furrowed his brows. William would appear again, and even though the enmity with Wei Wen wouldn’t go unresolved, William’s prideful personality meant he would surely seek revenge for today’s humiliation.
“I was careless,” Yan Ge sighed. William managed to escape from them who were at the Crossing Tribulation stage, and he felt frustrated.
Huangfu Yuchen looked at the cross that was now palm-sized. He picked it up from the ground and suggested, “This still carries some residual energy. Let’s see if we can use it to locate him.”
Yan Ge immediately agreed, “Good idea!”
“Ji Chang, we leave this to you,” Huangfu Yuchen addressed Ji Chang. He and Yan Ge weren’t concerned about Chadwick.
Jì Chang nodded swiftly, “Mr. Huangfu, rest assured, we’ll be cautious.”
Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen ascended into the air, and flew into the distance.
As the two dots became smaller, the spectators left with a mixture of emotions.
Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen pursued the direction of Y Country, even entering its territory. However, they failed to sense any aura similar to that of the cross, though they unexpectedly discovered a few others emitting the same energy fluctuation as William.
Not wanting to escalate conflicts between cultivators from Y Country and China, they didn’t provoke them and turned back.
Not long after returning home, a call from Wang Zhiyuan came. He mentioned he would visit at 3 PM.
Yan Ge agreed, and afterward, neither he nor Huangfu Yuchen left the house, waiting for Wang Zhiyuan’s arrival.
The three of them settled in Yan Ge’s sturdy.
“Mr. Wang’s honored visit must be for something important,” Yan Ge could vaguely guess his purpose.
After sitting on the sofa for barely five seconds, Wang Zhiyuan stood up and respectfully bowed to Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen, “Both seniors are esteemed masters, nothing escapes your discerning eyes. Allow me to get straight to the point.”
“Please.”
Yan Ge motioned for him to sit and speak, his tone casual and demeanor composed, which somewhat relieved Wang Zhiyuan’s nervousness.
Wang Zhiyuan began, “The battle between Cardinal William and Cardinal Grey was sparked by me, causing both seniors to be affected. However, William has always been arrogant, proud, and incapable of reason. With Wei Wen and Grey dying in seniors’ hands, he won’t stop seeking vengeance. I fear that if he’s not dealt with, he’ll cause trouble in China when the seniors leave. At that point, we’ll have no protection and might become Pawns. Our lives are trivial, but if friction between cultivators escalates into a conflict between countries, it will bring endless troubles.”
Huangfu Yuchen’s expression turned cold, “So, what do you propose?”
Wang Zhiyuan’s heart trembled, but he pressed on, “I don’t dare to ask seniors to eliminate William, but I hope seniors can find a way to intimidate the Holy See, so their followers won’t act recklessly in the future. Both seniors are aware that the spiritual energy on Earth is becoming thinner, and cultivators generally have low cultivation levels. If not for this, I wouldn’t dare make such a request.”
“What if we refuse?” Huangfu Yuchen’s lips curved into a cold smile. Intimidation was a long-term strategy, and the target was an organization. However, eliminating a single person was achievable in the short term and had a smaller scope. Judging from his tone, intimidating the Holy See seemed easier to him than eliminating William? Toad yawning — what an arrogant attitude!
Wang Zhiyuan sighed deeply, and rose from his seat, “Then I’m afraid the state machine…” He didn’t finish his sentence.
*The state machine is some kind of weapon. He’s threatening Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen.
Yan Ge’s smile faded. He understood Wang Zhiyuan’s perspective but didn’t necessarily agree. Wang Zhiyuan had implicated them but now he was trying to coerce them to do the clean up. It seemed his perception stemmed from their generosity and tolerance, making him think they were easy to manipulate. William’s status was higher than Wei Wen’s, and mishandling this situation would indeed lead to a series of troubles. While he and Yuchen had intended to eliminate all potential future troubles, willingly acting and being coerced into it were entirely different concepts.
Wang Zhiyuan must have already thought through various scenarios and responses before coming. He suddenly knelt on the ground, forced a drop of blood from his body and enveloped it with true qi before suspending it in the air. He offered it to Yan Ge. “This is my heart’s blood. After Senior Yan refines it, you can control my life and death. I only ask that the two seniors to consider my unwavering dedication to the country and grant my request.”
Huangfu Yuchen frowned, glancing at Yan Ge. He wasn’t from Earth and didn’t hold any sentiment toward it. This matter was for Xiao Ge to decide. Wang Zhiyuan must have realized that Xiao Ge cared more which was why he knelt before him. It had been a while since anyone dared to scheme against them like this.
A chilling aura emanated from Huangfu Yuchen.
Although Wang Zhiyuan trembled under the oppression, he maintained his posture with trembling hands.
Yan Ge suddenly felt his goodwill dissipating. He leaned on the sofa and spoke with indifference, “We’ll agree to this, but on the condition that before we leave, neither the members of the Shadow Operations Group nor the leaders behind it have any authority over the farm.” As for the pressures Wang Zhiyuan would face due to this decision, it had nothing to do with him.
Wang Zhiyuan opened his mouth but couldn’t utter a word. After a while, he managed to say, “Okay.”
He still extended the blood toward Yan Ge.
Yan Ge didn’t accept it. He pulled Huangfu Yuchen upstairs, not sparing another glance at Wang Zhiyuan. “We’re going to rest now. You’re free to go.”
With a deep sigh, Wang Zhiyuan rose and left.
Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen arrived in the second-floor room.
Worried that Yan Ge might dwell on the matter, Huangfu Yuchen said, “Baby, this is for the best. Let’s turn a blind eye to them from now on. If you’re still unsatisfied, we can leave right now. With our cultivation level, what can the state machine do to us?”
“We can leave, but what if the Shadow Operations Group uses our friends as leverage?” Yan Ge asked.
Huangfu Yuchen nodded in understanding, “That’s a valid point. If Wang Zhiyuan could orchestrate today’s event, he might resort to using hostages against us.”
Yan Ge chuckled at his response.
Huangfu Yuchen pushed him back and guided him to lie down before embracing him. “However, we still don’t know the true strength of the Holy See. How should we intimidate them.”
“I actually have an idea about that,” Yan Ge mumbled against his shoulder, seeking his opinion. “We can undergo the Tribulation on Earth, right within the Holy See’s territory. I’ve asked Ji Chang before. Due to the gradual thinning of spiritual energy, no cultivator has reached the Crossing Tribulation stage in nearly eight hundred years. Imagine how the Holy See’s members would react to witnessing us go through the Tribulation. What do you think?”
“Hmm?” Huangfu Yuchen fell silent for a moment. “It’s a good idea, but the spiritual energy on Earth is sparse. Undergoing the Tribulation here might be more challenging.”
Yan Ge responded, “We’ll have to find a way to gather more spiritual stones and set up an array when the time comes.”
Thinking of Yan Ge’s system store, Huangfu Yuchen felt reassured. “Alright then.”
He pinched Yan Ge’s face and continued, “Our current priority is still to find William. Once we’ve dealt with him, we can then have our parents come over.”
Yan Ge caught his words and corrected him, “Father-in-law and mother-in-law!”
Huangfu Yuchen adapted smoothly, “Alright, father-in-law and mother-in-law.” Since his beloved had an accommodating expression, he had to let him have a little victory in words. And so, Yan Ge playfully bit his neck.
Huangfu Yuchen chuckled softly, pressing him into his embrace and then onto the bed…
