"Attack!"
Suddenly, Qin Xiong let out a fierce roar.
"Begin the attack, annihilate the Ye Family!"
Shi Tianyuan, Lu Yunxiao, and the City Lord roared in unison.
Instantly, the forces from the three great families and the City Lord's Manor brandished their weapons, their killing intent rolling off them as they charged towards the Ye Family members.
"City Lord, join me to kill Ye Tianpeng!" Qin Xiong bellowed, closing in on Ye Tianpeng.
"Good!"
The City Lord of Yuanyue City also stepped forward, the spiritual pressure of his power releasing with a rumbling roar.
"Men of the Ye Family, attack the enemy! Fight to the death to protect the Ye Family!" Ye Tianpeng roared back.
The clansmen Ye Tianpeng had brought out were all strong, able-bodied men. Hearing the Patriarch's command, they now gripped their weapons tightly, preparing for a bloody battle.
A great battle was about to begin!
Right at this moment.
"You dare?! To dare offend our Ye Family!"
A loud shout came from within the Ye Residence.
Then, seven figures charged out from the main gate of the Ye Residence.
It was the seven elders of the Ye Family!
For the past two days, they had been in closed-door cultivation. Ye Tianpeng had sent people to fetch them multiple times, but the response each time was the same: all seven elders were at a critical juncture in their seclusion and could not yet emerge.
Thus, Ye Tianpeng had no choice but to lead the clansmen to meet the enemy himself.
He never expected the seven elders to all appear together now.
Boom... Boom...
A powerful spiritual pressure erupted simultaneously from the seven elders, the rumbling noise deafening.
"How is this possible?! The seven elders of the Ye Family have all broken through to the Late Stage Earth Realm!"
Someone screamed in astonishment.
"Today, anyone who dares offend the Ye Family will face severe consequences!"
The Great Elder of the Ye Family shouted sternly, appearing imposing and mighty.
The seven elders lined up, taking their positions on either side of Ye Tianpeng.
"Great Elder, you all..."
This sudden change left Ye Tianpeng both shocked and overjoyed. He cast a questioning look at the seven elders.
For all seven elders to break through simultaneously, there must be a reason!
"Haha, the reason we seven old fogeys were able to break through is because Young Master Ye Yunfei gave each of us a bottle of spirit pills. Each bottle contained three Profound Origin Pills and four or five Spirit-Gathering Pills. If we still couldn't break through with that, we might as well go smash our heads against a block of tofu," the Great Elder laughed heartily.
"Patriarch, I was in the wrong before, antagonizing you and Young Master Ye Yunfei at every turn. I never imagined Young Master Ye Yunfei would be so magnanimous, bearing no grudge against this petty man, and even bestowing spirit pills upon me to facilitate my breakthrough. I, Ye Chaoxian, swear that from this day forward, I will wholeheartedly assist the Patriarch in revitalizing the Ye Family!"
The Third Elder, Ye Chaoxian, spoke gratefully.
"Third Elder, we are one family. No need for such formalities," Ye Tianpeng said with a smile.
"My son has given me too many surprises lately. Just what kind of son did I bring into this world?"
Ye Tianpeng couldn't help but think to himself with a wry inner smile.
"The Ye Family now has eight Late Stage Earth Realm experts altogether. Such overall strength is terrifying! It seems Qin Xiong and the others will have a hard time exterminating the Ye Family today!"
"Now, the Ye Family is undoubtedly the strongest family in our Yuanyue City!"
...
The onlookers in the distance, seeing the eight Late Stage Earth Realm experts of the Ye Family, were all shocked and began to chatter excitedly.
While the combined forces of the three families and the City Lord's Manor had superior numbers, everyone knew that the final outcome would be decided by the high-level combatants on each side.
"So now, Qin Xiong, bring it on!" Ye Tianpeng turned and shouted coldly at Qin Xiong.
"Damn it! How could this happen?!"
Qin Xiong, Shi Tianyuan, Lu Yunxiao, and the City Lord all turned pale.
Now, the Ye Family had eight Late Stage Earth Realm experts. On their side, only Qin Xiong and the City Lord were at Late Stage Earth Realm. The balance of power had reversed.
"Well? Qin Xiong, weren't you just shouting a moment ago about exterminating our Ye Family? Come on then!"
Ye Tianpeng shouted.
"Shi Tianyuan! Lu Yunxiao! And you, City Lord! Come here and accept your deaths!"
The Great Elder bellowed as well.
Amidst the shouts, Ye Tianpeng and the seven elders stepped forward simultaneously, their Late Stage Earth Realm spiritual power erupting. For a moment, the earth-shaking roar was deafening.
A fierce gale whipped up, sending sand and stones flying!
Qin Xiong, Shi Tianyuan, Lu Yunxiao, and the City Lord were actually forced back several steps by the sheer pressure.
In this tense atmosphere...
Suddenly.
"Heh, it's quite lively here, isn't it?"
Suddenly, a cold, piercing laugh rang out.
Then.
The crowd parted.
A black-robed elder, leading nine black-robed middle-aged men, walked slowly forward.
"I truly never imagined a small city like Yuanyue City, a minor family, would produce eight Late Stage Earth Realm experts."
The black-robed elder arrived before the gates of the Ye Residence, a sinister smile playing on his face.
"Enough nonsense. I'm here for two things. First, to settle accounts with a brat named Ye Yunfei. Second, to annihilate the Ye Family."
The black-robed elder's gaze swept over Ye Tianpeng and the seven Ye Family elders, his voice chillingly cold.
"You... Are you members of the Yin Wind Mercenary Corps?!"
Ye Tianpeng stared at the black-robed elder and the nine black-clad middle-aged men, his face suddenly paling drastically.
Ye Yunfei had told Ye Tianpeng that members of the Yin Wind Mercenary Corps had come to Yuanyue City and might pose a threat to the Ye Family. He never expected it to be true.
"What?!"
Hearing Ye Tianpeng's words, the vast majority of warriors in the surroundings turned deathly pale and instinctively retreated over a dozen steps.
The gazes they cast upon the black-robed elder and the nine men were as if looking at ten terrifying demons.
The Yin Wind Mercenary Corps — one of the most infamous mercenary groups in the Great Qin Empire! Their deeds consisted entirely of murder and plunder, looting and pillaging, or paid assassinations.
Legends said every member of the Yin Wind Mercenary Corps had blood-stained hands, having killed countless people.
"Hahaha, Ye Tianpeng, scared now, are you? To tell you the truth, this esteemed personage is the Corps Leader of the Yin Wind Mercenary Corps! Corps Leader, my Lord, has personally come to Yuanyue City today precisely to annihilate your Ye Family. For the famed Corps Leader of the Yin Wind Mercenary Corps to come personally, Ye Tianpeng, you should feel honored!"
Qin Xiong burst into laughter.
"What?! The Corps Leader?!"
Ye Tianpeng and the seven elders' expressions all changed drastically.
"Oh, Ye Tianpeng, I almost forgot to tell you. The Corps Leader's cultivation realm is the Heaven Realm Early Stage."
Qin Xiong added another line.
What?!
A Heaven Realm expert!
Qin Xiong's words were like a bomb detonating in everyone's ears, sending shockwaves through their minds.
Despair!
Utter despair!
Instantly, Ye Tianpeng and the seven elders swayed, the world before their eyes almost turning black.
For a Heaven Realm expert, annihilating the Ye Family would be as easy as turning over a hand.
"Corps Leader, my Lord, our Ye Family holds no grudge or grievance with your Yin Wind Mercenary Corps. Why target us? If Qin Xiong hired you, our Ye Family is willing to pay double the price. Please, Corps Leader, spare our Ye Family. What do you say?"
Ye Tianpeng took a deep breath, gathered his courage, and addressed the black-robed elder.
"Heh, are you begging me?"
The black-robed elder sneered coldly. The next second, his laughter suddenly ceased.
The black-robed elder's body flashed, and he vanished on the spot.
Then.
*Bang!*
Ye Tianpeng was sent flying backward, spraying blood wildly, his shoulder a ghastly, bloody, mangled mess with white bone visible.
This scene caused everyone around to suck in a sharp breath of cold air.
Is this the power of a Heaven Realm expert?!
So terrifying!
"Patriarch!"
A Ye clansman rushed forward to help Ye Tianpeng up.
By now, Ye Tianpeng was seriously injured, his aura feeble!
"We'll fight him to the death!"
The seven Ye Family elders exchanged glances, roared together, and charged out.
"Humph, overestimating yourselves."
The black-robed elder merely snorted coldly.
Then, his body pivoted.
"Yin Wind One Palm!"
The cold, killing-intent-laden words rolled from the black-robed elder's throat.
Boom…
In that instant, a clearly visible, pitch-black palm print condensed from spiritual power shot out from his palm, like a dark cloud.
Whoosh…
A hurricane erupted, roaring to the heavens.
As if a Level 12 gale had been unleashed.
That pitch-black palm print tore through the air, advancing with a sharp, shrill whistling sound.
Then.
*Bang! Bang! Bang! …*
All seven Ye Family elders were blasted back, coughing blood and screaming.
One palm strike had injured all seven Late Stage Earth Realm experts!
"The Ye Family is finished! Completely finished!"
Everyone around stood open-mouthed, their hearts filled with horror.
"Attack. Kill everyone in the Ye Residence. Leave no one alive."
The black-robed elder said with a ferocious smile.
"Attack!"
The nine black-robed middle-aged men behind him simultaneously charged forward, ready to act.
"From this moment on, you won't be able to touch a single hair on anyone in my Ye Residence."
Suddenly, an indifferent voice sounded. Then, a young man walked out from within the Ye Residence.
"Ye Yunfei has come out!"
Immediately, someone shouted.