"The Fenglei Northern Pavilion? What a joke. I don't even put your East Pavilion in my eyes," Xiao Jietian sneered.
"You—you—you—!" Shen Yun had never been humiliated like this before. He trembled with rage and turned to Hong Tianxiao. "Hong Tianxiao, join forces with me right now and take him down! I don't want the Eighth Grade Pill anymore—I just want him dead!"
At this moment, Shen Yun had completely forgotten his earlier caution and desire to test Xiao Jietian's background. All he wanted now was to kill this arrogant young man to wash away the shame.
Otherwise, how could he ever show his face again in the Northern Region of the Central Plains?
"I told you long ago—just kill the kid directly. But you insisted on being careful…!"
"Stop talking nonsense. Let's act now before anything unexpected happens!" Shen Yun interrupted sharply.
How strong could a young man possibly be? Even if he was a Dou Zong, he would only be at the low level. Two against one—the advantage was clearly on their side.
Hong Tianxiao was choked by the words and cursed inwardly: You were the one who stopped me from acting earlier, and now you're blaming me? Damn it!
The two exchanged a glance. Their Dou Qi surged violently, lightning continuously crackling and flashing around their bodies.
They attacked Xiao Jietian from two different directions. Hong Tianxiao aimed straight for his head, while Shen Yun targeted his heart and throat.
"Let me show you what real power looks like—how many floors must one carry a bag of rice (feel the pain)!"
When they were still ten steps away from Xiao Jietian, a terrifying aura suddenly erupted from him, instantly blanketing the entire valley.
Everyone present—whether from the Hong Family or the surrounding onlookers—trembled violently. They were directly paralyzed to the ground by the overwhelming pressure.
Hong Tianxiao and Shen Yun, who were closest, turned deathly pale. Their bodies shook like sieves.
"Kneel!" Xiao Jietian said indifferently, looking down at the two.
Bang! Bang!
As soon as the word left his mouth, the oppressive force intensified. The sound of creaking bones rang out from their bodies.
Unable to hold on any longer, both men crashed to their knees. The ground beneath their knees shattered outward in a spider-web pattern.
They immediately spat out mouthfuls of blood mist. Their bodies went limp, collapsing face-first to the ground as they struggled futilely to rise.
"Dou… Dou Zun!!" Shen Yun felt the unmistakable pressure of a Dou Zun realm expert. He had personally met Thunder Venerable before—this aura was even stronger.
"What? You're saying he's a Dou Zun? How old is he? How can someone so young be a Dou Zun? Impossible!!" Hong Tianxiao's bloodshot eyes stared at Xiao Jietian in utter disbelief.
At this moment, he finally understood—he had provoked a truly terrifying existence. His most outstanding descendants were already dead, and now even he couldn't protect himself.
Without the three of them, the Hong Family was already finished—destined for decline or outright annihilation.
Xiao Jietian glanced at the mentally broken Hong Tianxiao and remembered the soul attack technique he had just learned.
"Soul Sever!"
An invisible blade condensed from soul energy slashed straight toward Hong Tianxiao's forehead.
The moment the blade pierced between his brows, Hong Tianxiao's body convulsed violently.
"Ah—!!!"
A blood-curdling scream tore from his throat, as though he were enduring the most excruciating torture imaginable.
Black blood seeped from all seven orifices. His face twisted into something unrecognizable.
His soul felt as if it had been sliced into countless fragments. Slowly, his body slumped to the ground. The light of life faded completely from his eyes—he was dead.
Xiao Jietian was very satisfied with the result. This soul attack truly killed without a trace. Anyone with weak soul power would find it almost impossible to resist.
Seeing Hong Tianxiao die in such a bizarre and horrifying way, Shen Yun trembled uncontrollably.
Death itself wasn't the most terrifying thing—the most terrifying thing was watching one's teammate die right in front of them in an incomprehensible manner, without even knowing how it happened.
If he hadn't lived for many years and developed strong mental fortitude, he would have already wet himself in terror.
"You… you can't kill me! I am an elder of the Wind and Thunder Pavilion! Our Pavilion Master is also a Dou Zun…!" Shen Yun tried to use Thunder Venerable's name to intimidate him.
"Thunder Venerable? So what? Not to mention you aren't even worth Thunder Venerable confronting me over—besides, as I said before, the Wind and Thunder Pavilion is nothing in my eyes."
Xiao Jietian sneered. The Wind and Thunder Pavilion—or rather, the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan standing behind Feng Qing'er—made him feel only the slightest wariness. Nothing more.
"If that's your last wish… then die."
Xiao Jietian's eyes widened slightly. He launched another soul attack: "Soul Palm!"
A massive palm formed purely from soul power slammed directly onto the crown of Shen Yun's head.
Shen Yun's eyes bulged almost out of their sockets. He stretched out a trembling finger, pointing at Xiao Jietian as though trying to say something—but he no longer had the chance to speak.
He cast one final glance toward the remaining Hong Family members present. Many of them were already kneeling in puddles of their own making, paralyzed with terror.
Xiao Jietian waved his hand casually.
The remaining Hong Family members were instantly shredded into blood mist by spatial power—not even bones remained.
"Does anyone else want the Eighth Grade Pill in my hand?" Xiao Jietian took out the pill and asked the surrounding crowd.
Everyone he looked at immediately lowered their heads, wishing they could bury themselves in the dirt. They feared even the slightest wrong expression might get them killed.
He had no intention of slaughtering everyone present. Besides, he still needed these people to spread the word.
Xiao Jietian stepped into the void and walked out of the valley. He took out a message stone and sent a transmission into it.
…
Tianbei City, Han Family.
Han Yue's storage ring vibrated. She took out the message stone and read the contents.
After processing all the information, she opened her eyes.
"Sister, what is it?" Han Xue asked curiously, looking at the rhombic crystal in Han Yue's hand.
Han Yue briefly explained the function and purpose of the message stone, causing both Han Chi and Han Xue to exclaim in surprise. They hadn't expected such a small object to be so convenient.
"My junior brother sent word: Hong Li, Hong Tianxiao, and Hong Chen of the Hong Family are dead. So is Elder Yun of the Fenglei Northern Pavilion."
Han Yue's words stunned Han Chi.
"You're saying… Shen Yun—one of the Feng, Yun, Lei, and Dian elders of the Fenglei Northern Pavilion—is also dead?" he asked in disbelief.
"Yes, Father. Are you worried the Fenglei Northern Pavilion will retaliate?" Han Yue understood the concern behind his question.
"Don't worry. My junior brother said he would handle it. We just need to find the right opportunity to destroy the Hong Family and take over their territory."
Han Yue thought to herself: With the current strength of Boundless Heaven Hall, wiping out a mere Wind and Thunder Pavilion was trivial—let alone her husband, whose talent was simply unreasonable.
"Sister, when is brother-in-law coming?" Han Xue asked curiously. She had an inexplicable good feeling toward this brother-in-law she had never met. He had already helped her and her family resolve a major crisis.
Everyone knew Hong Chen of the Hong Family had long coveted both her and her sister. Rumors had even circulated that he planned to use the name of the Fenglei Northern Pavilion to force them into submission.
As the younger sister, she felt it was her duty to personally "vet" this brother-in-law for her elder sister.
Although her sister seemed very happy—and he must treat her very well—Han Xue still believed the final approval had to come from her.