C8 A Big Move

Ding! You have slain Fifth Master Tang, a key member of the Tang family. Five attribute points have been awarded!

Qin Buyi allocated the five attribute points to his cultivation level and accessed his personal information panel.

Name: Qin Buyi

Cultivation: Second Rank, Golden Core Middle Period (24/50)

Strength: 24

Speed: 24

Stamina: 24

Attack Power: 24

Defense: 24

Luck: 24

...

Killing Saber, Second Rank (24/50)

Attack Power: 24

Killing Saber Technique, Second Rank (24/50)

Attack Power: 24

Qin Buyi collected the eight Golden Core Stage storage rings and Fifth Master Tang's Mountain Opening Axe from the ground and departed from the scene.

After Qin Buyi had left, a shadow emerged at the center of the street. Had Qin Buyi been there, he would have recognized the figure as Huang San, the very man he had just shared a meal with.

Clap! Clap! Huang San applauded.

"Spectacular, absolutely spectacular."

"But what was that at the end? A killing intent so potent that even I must be cautious. Mr. Qin certainly harbors many secrets."

Huang San gazed in the direction Qin Buyi had gone, speaking to himself with a hint of intrigue.

Within the Tang family estate.

The Second Elder listened to his subordinate's report, his eyes scanning the eight uniquely deceased bodies before him.

Crash!

Overcome with rage, he seized a vase and hurled it to the ground, shattering it.

"Useless, all of you are utterly useless! Incapable of killing even an early-stage Golden Core!" the Second Elder ranted in frustration.

Tang Zhentian entered with a dark countenance, his gaze falling upon the corpses. His voice emotionless, he inquired, "Even the Fifth Brother has perished?"

The Second Elder shivered involuntarily at Tang Zhentian's stern look.

"Reporting to the Patriarch, he's... he's dead!"

"Ah, I see."

Tang Zhentian's face remained impassive as he turned and walked away.

"Trouble... Big trouble is brewing."

The Second Elder loathed Qin Buyi deeply. The demise of both the Sixth Young Master and Fifth Master Tang was likely to bring Tang Zhentian's wrath down upon him.

As Tang Zhentian exited the Tang residence, he ascended into the air, his speed increasing with each moment.

The Second Elder now harbored an intense hatred for Qin Buyi. He figured that, in the end, the wrath of Tang Zhentian would inevitably be directed at him due to the deaths of both the Sixth Young Master Tang and Fifth Master Tang.

After leaving the Tang family estate, Tang Zhentian's body slowly ascended, gaining speed as he rose into the air. Flight was a significant hallmark of the Nascent Infant Stage; practitioners who reached this level possessed the rudimentary ability to soar through the skies. Tang Zhentian set his course directly toward Qin Buyi.

When he was less than halfway to his target, a voice called out, "Patriarch Tang, what brings you out so late? How about we sit down for a cup of tea instead?"

The voice was smooth and cultured, reaching Tang Zhentian's ears as he eyed the figure hovering before him. His response was less than cordial, "Wang Zong, are you really going to stand in my way? To my knowledge, that kid has no ties to your Wang family."

Wang Zong's voice remained even as he replied, "I'd rather not get involved, but my youngest daughter pleaded with me. She doesn't want to see the boy die just yet."

Tang Zhentian burst into laughter, "Wang Zong, you cunning old fox, you expect me to believe that's why you're here? Do you take me for a toddler?"

Wang Zong let out a long sigh, "I knew I couldn't deceive you. The truth is, there's someone who doesn't want him dead." He then extended three fingers and gave them a shake.

Tang Zhentian, upon seeing the gesture, paused as realization dawned on him. His presence intensified as he inquired, "He's here, isn't he?"

Wang Zong nodded, "You're correct. Best you head back. If you provoke him, this time next year will mark the anniversary of your demise."

Tang Zhentian departed without another word, leaving Wang Zong to mutter to himself, "I've managed to offend someone yet again."

At the City Lord's Mansion, Tang Zhentian, instead of returning home, sought out the City Lord, Nan Tianlong.

"City Lord," he began, "my son has been slain, and my kinsman, Fifth Master Tang, has also fallen at the hands of this man. I beseech you to dispatch someone to exact vengeance."

Nan Tianlong stroked his beard and responded, "This is something you can handle yourself. Why come to me?"

Tang Zhentian, trembling at the thought of a certain individual, insisted, "By the dynasty's laws, a commoner who attacks a noble family deserves death! I beseech you, City Lord, to administer justice fairly."

With a dismissive wave, Nan Tianlong said, "Enough, enough. Return home; I will take care of this matter."

Reading between the lines of Nan Tianlong's demeanor, Tang Zhentian surmised the likely outcome and, with hope dwindling, departed with a grimace.

After Tang Zhentian's exit, Huang San emerged from behind a screen in the City Lord's mansion.

The City Lord asked Huang San with due reverence, "Young Master, how should we proceed with this issue?"

Huang San replied nonchalantly, "Ignore it. I'll shoulder the consequences."

Fuming, Tang Zhentian stormed back to the Tang family estate and summoned the Second Elder, "Call Seventh Brother out of seclusion. I want him, along with Third and Fourth Brother, to eliminate this pest."

The Second Elder, visibly taken aback, questioned, "Isn't that overly ceremonious? The Tang family's three aces haven't mobilized together in a decade."

Tang Zhentian, growing impatient, commanded, "Just arrange it. Within three days, I expect to see that boy's head."

After leaving, Qin Buyi quickly tended to his injuries, intent on further agitating the Tang family under the cover of night.

Armed with information from Wang Zhirou, Qin Buyi effortlessly located the Tang family's commercial holdings in Azure Sun City.

Standing before a brothel, he gripped his Killing Saber and forcefully kicked the door in.

The women inside were startled by the blood-stained man bursting through the door.

The brothel's madam approached with a scowl, "Young Master, without a good explanation, you might not make it out alive today."

With a sneer, Qin Buyi's blade slashed across the madam's throat. Looking down at her body, he remarked, "How's that for a reasonable explanation?"

Panic ensued as the brothel erupted in screams. Doors flung open, and disheveled men emerged, bellowing down at the chaos below, "What's all the screaming for? Do you want to die?"

Screams of terror from the women echoed throughout the brothel as doors upstairs flew open one by one. Disheveled men emerged, shouting down, "What the hell is all the screaming about? You trying to get yourself killed?"

Without a second thought, Qin Buyi snatched a hairpin from a woman before him. With a swift motion, he sent it whizzing past a man's face, narrowly missing him. The man, seeing the hairpin embedded deeply in the wood, broke out in a cold sweat and swallowed hard, realizing he had narrowly escaped a gruesome fate.

"Who has the guts to stir up trouble on my turf?" demanded a man with a scarred face, backed by over twenty underlings, as he confronted Qin Buyi.

Qin Buyi's Probing Eye revealed that the scar-faced man's cultivation was at the Golden Core Late Period, not quite as advanced as Fifth Master Tang's. It seemed he had only recently achieved this level. The lackeys trailing him hadn't even reached the Golden Core Stage.

The lackeys encircled Qin Buyi, who remained silent. They began to jeer and taunt him:

"Boss Eight, you needn't lift a finger. We brothers will handle this little punk."

"Hey, runt, you think you can just waltz into the Underworld? You've got some nerve stepping onto Boss Eight's ground."

"Listen, pup, kneel down and beg Boss Eight's forgiveness, and maybe you'll walk away with your body intact."

Amidst the cacophony of their jeers, sounding like a flock of squawking ducks, Qin Buyi held up three fingers and coolly stated, "You have three seconds to vanish from my sight."

"Hey, fellas, he's giving us three seconds to disappear," one lackey mocked.

"Three!" Qin Buyi began the countdown.

"Ha! That's the funniest thing I've heard all year," another laughed.

"Two!"

"Oh, I'm shaking in my boots," a third sneered, followed by laughter.

"One!"

With a metallic ring, Qin Buyi drew his Killing Saber.

"Killing Saber Technique: Extermination!"

The blade, like a crescent moon, swept through the air, enveloping Eighth Master and all his henchmen.

"Damn it! Golden Core Middle Period, watch out!" one of them cried.

Only when Qin Buyi struck did Eighth Master realize the true extent of Qin Buyi's power.

As the crescent moon faded, Eighth Master stood unscathed, but the lackeys who had been so vocal moments before now lay lifeless. The earlier uproar had drawn the attention of every patron in the brothel, and as they stepped out of their rooms, they were met with the sight of Qin Buyi having dispatched over twenty men with a single stroke of his sword.

The sight was too much for any ordinary person to bear. The faint-hearted were petrified, some even wetting themselves in fear, while the braver souls turned deathly pale. Others couldn't help but vomit on the spot.

A tense silence enveloped the brothel before panic took hold. The air was thick with the acrid stench of blood, punctuated by a cacophony of cries, screams, and hurried footsteps.

Qin Buyi stood amidst the carnage, a demonic figure against the backdrop of blood, his eyes sweeping over the terrified onlookers.

The noise gradually subsided as all eyes turned to Qin Buyi, wide with fear. A woman, struggling to hold back her tears, clamped a hand over her mouth, terrified that even the slightest sound might bring disaster upon her.

Qin Buyi's gaze settled on Eighth Master, his voice calm and unyielding, "Now, it's your time to die."

Eighth Master scoffed, his face twisted in scorn. "Ridiculous. You think you can kill me with your strength alone?"

"Oh, someone else once doubted me as you do. His name was Fifth Master Tang, I believe. Do you know him?" Qin Buyi's tone was measured and deliberate.

"Killing Saber Technique: Slaughter!"

Qin Buyi launched the first strike, as Eighth Master drew a soft sword from his waist.

"Clang!"

"Clang!" "Clang!"

Their blades met in a shower of sparks. Within moments, Eighth Master's soft sword was notched and damaged.

In contrast, the Killing Saber gleamed with an icy radiance, its edge flawless and unmarred.

After several exchanges, the Killing Saber found its mark, piercing Eighth Master's throat.

With a thud, Eighth Master's body hit the ground. As consciousness slipped away, he heard Qin Buyi's voice one last time: "It seems you recognize Fifth Master Tang. Well, now you can join him."

Ding! For slaying an important member of the Tang family, Eighth Master, a reward of five attribute points has been granted!

Qin Buyi allocated the points to his cultivation, retrieved Eighth Master's storage ring, and addressed the petrified crowd, "What are you waiting for? Leave!"

"Why haven't you left yet?"

Upon hearing these words, the group scattered as if pardoned from death, and in less than a quarter of an hour, the brothel was deserted, every soul vanished.

Qin Buyi gathered a torch and oil, and with a single flicker, the whole brothel was ablaze.

As the smoke billowed from the brothel, Qin Buyi turned on his heel and departed.

Similar scenes unfolded across Azure Sun City. This night was fated to be restless...