The City Lord's wife was sent flying backward by a single kick, clearly having broken several bones. The one who struck her wasn't the burly warrior, but an exceptionally beautiful and seductive woman.

Gan Jing stared at Lucifer Liu Shui with surprise. If Gu Yue Jiaying had delivered that kick, it wouldn't have been unexpected, but coming from this enchantress, it felt completely out of character. Did she even have any significant connection with Biluo?

It had only been a single day since they had met.

"How dare you provoke my sister?" Lucifer Liu Shui looked far from appeased, rolling up her sleeves as if ready to advance and continue the fight.

Gu Yue Jiaying lightly tapped the surging Lucifer Liu Shui, her face calm as she stated softly, "That's your older sister. She's older than you."

"Sister?" Lucifer Liu Shui blinked, then nodded vigorously. "Dare to mess with my sister? Just watch me..."

Lucifer Liu Shui turned back, looking at Gu Yue Jiaying, who was now tapping her shoulder for a second time, "Big Sister..."

"When did it become your place to speak? To take charge? To strike first?" Gu Yue Jiaying swept her gaze over Gan Jing. "The man of the house is right here."

Lucifer Liu Shui instantly transformed from the momentum of a tiger leaping down a mountain to the demeanor of a little lamb, obediently retreating backward. Her striking single eye blinked with a look almost of shyness toward Gan Jing. "A'Jing, I just couldn't control my emotions for a moment. Please forgive me, okay?"

Ma Hongwen felt his eyeballs were about to pop out. What... what was this kid's background? Judging by the words of that stunningly plain-looking beauty, it seemed all these women belonged to this boy? He was the true backbone of the household!

The surrounding crowd held their breath, staring dumbly at Gan Jing. That violently beautiful woman just now looked incredibly formidable, didn't she? And she was this man's woman?

Situ Yixiao, curled on the ground, coughed up two streaks of bloody phlegm. Finally catching her breath, she glared at the four warriors and one mage surrounding her, roaring, "Are you all dead men? Can't you see I was assaulted? Why are you still standing there? Attack them!"

"But Madam..."

"No buts! Attack them! Beat them senseless! If they die, it's on me!"

Situ Yixiao, disheveled, shot fierce, angry beams from her eyes. She painfully forced her arm up, pointing at Gan Jing. "Attack! Attack all of them! If you kill them, I'll give you fifty thousand—no! One hundred thousand gold coins!"

Stimulated by the City Lord's wife's guarantee and the lure of immense gold, the complexions of the four warriors shifted simultaneously. Their inner Dou Qi burst forth, howling as it soared: Demon Suppression Battle One, Battle Two, Battle Three... Battle Nine...! Demon Subjugation Battle One...!

Three warriors stopped at Demon Subjugation Battle One. The fourth warrior, a towering man nearly six feet three inches tall, suddenly shuddered. His body underwent a massive transformation. Streaks of black leopard patterns spread from his forehead, creeping past the corners of his ears toward the bridge of his nose. His pupils, originally round, narrowed into thin, vertical black slits. Four sharp fangs protruded from his mouth, and his entire musculature rapidly swelled as if packed with cotton, releasing an intensely savage aura that swept across the hall.

A Bloodline Warrior! Bloodline Battle Form! The onlookers were stunned silent. Among the City Lord's wife's retinue was a Bloodline Warrior—an invincible Bloodline Warrior!

In that instant, everyone felt a surge of pity for Gan Jing. Who could he have provoked, but the City Lord's wife? And she had the never-defeated Bloodline Warrior by her side.

Bloodline Warrior! In the eyes of ordinary people, they were synonymous with invincibility!

Demon Subjugation Battle Three, Battle Nine! The Thunder Leopard Bloodline Warrior!

Gan Jing watched the Thunder Leopard Bloodline Warrior—who had only reached Demon Subjugation Battle Nine in middle age—and shook his head repeatedly. This was a Bloodline Warrior whose latent power had likely peaked long ago, as he hadn't activated his bloodline strength in years. The mage began raising his staff, and several beams of light shot out from beneath his robes, landing on the warriors. Biluo whispered softly, "Haste spell... adds a ten percent speed boost..."

The four warriors, having fought together for so long, shared deep unspoken understanding. With just a glance, they split up, heading in four different directions, only to immediately refocus their target squarely on Lucifer Liu Shui.

Warriors who had experienced life-and-death combat could gauge her threat level solely from the kick Lucifer Liu Shui had delivered. The timing, power, and angle of that single strike were judged to be perfectly calibrated, immediately leading the four to identify her as the most dangerous opponent.

Four warriors, attacking from four vectors, accompanied by four fierce stomping sounds and the hiss of air friction caused by their high-speed movement.

In a flash, a powerful gust seemed to materialize out of thin air within the hall.

Gan Jing raised his hand, placing Lucifer Liu Shui and the others behind him. He clenched his fists sharply—the joints popping audibly—while his internal Dou Qi flared outward violently!

Demon Suppression Battle One, Battle Two... Battle Nine! Demon Subjugation Battle One, Battle Two... Five... Nine!

The powerful Dou Qi spun at high speed within his Dou Qiao and violently erupted from his body, making his clothing crackle with the sound of rushing wind. Years of countless life-or-death battles and prolonged rigorous training in the Ancient Desolate Sand Sea meant that even without unleashing his full power, Gan Jing exuded a formidable, imposing presence.

This powerful aura, emanating from his towering physique, struck the four charging warriors like solid wooden stakes, momentarily causing their focus to waver and their speed to drop slightly.

In that instant of reduced velocity, the four warriors sharply pivoted their ankles, adjusting the angle of their assault. Fists and feet rained down from every direction toward every vital point on Gan Jing’s body.

Bang bang bang bang bang... A barrage of impacts erupted, sounding like countless warriors striking sandbags in a training yard, emitting dull, heavy thuds. The onlookers could only see Gan Jing seemingly powerless to retaliate amidst the storm of blows, standing rooted to the spot as the four powerful warriors delivered strike after strike, meant to kill.

The rapid-fire punches and kicks struck him, disappearing instantly, only to vanish completely in the next few seconds. The four warriors recoiled, their faces grave, flexing their hands and feet.

Pain! A pain unlike any they had known. What their blows had struck felt like neither flesh nor wood, not even rock; his body was harder than stone, seemingly forged of actual steel.

When the storm of attacks ceased, the onlookers who had been browsing the clothing store were dumbfounded. Gan Jing hadn't moved an inch. Aside from several patches of his clothing being shredded, his slightly bronze-colored skin showed not a single bruise or mark. It was as if the four of them hadn't been attacking him at all, but rather competing with each other in striking practice, with Gan Jing simply standing nearby to observe.

Demon Slaying Battle One!

The moment the attackers stopped, Gan Jing’s strength suddenly soared to an entirely new peak. This overpowering force made the bodies of the four warriors stiffen instantly, their minds completely losing the capacity for coherent thought.

Demon Slaying Battle One? Such a young warrior at Demon Slaying Battle One? Could he be a Bloodline Warrior? If he were to undergo his Bloodline Battle Form transformation, how terrifying would he be?

"You are her retainers, and it is expected you obey orders to attack," Gan Jing slowly rotated his neck. "But to attack with such vicious intent, aiming for my life—that is excessive! Today, I'll leave you with a memento, so you remember..."

"Bad! Retreat!" The Thunder Leopard Bloodline Warrior felt a dangerous prickle rising on his exposed skin. He shouted the warning while rapidly dashing toward the doorway. The 'memento' this young man spoke of certainly wouldn't be anything pleasant... Crack!

The Thunder Leopard Bloodline Warrior suddenly felt his airborne body yanked backward. His ankle felt clamped by a gigantic, steel-like pincer. His fierce explosive power was utterly useless against this iron grip, akin to an ant trying to pull an elephant in a tug-of-war.

The hand, like an iron pincer, was filled with devastating strength. As the Thunder Leopard Bloodline Warrior was dragged back, an agonizing pain shot through his ankle—the sound of bone being crushed into powder.

Gan Jing seized the Thunder Leopard Bloodline Warrior, crushing his ankles with his bare hands. He then wrenched his elbow outward, smashing it into the warrior's knee, shattering both kneecaps into dust. Gan Jing twisted his hands outward and brought them down sharply on the warrior's shoulders, obliterating both scapulae completely.

The crowd barely perceived how Gan Jing moved. The four warriors who had been attacking lay like heaps of mud on the ground. Knees, ankles, wrists, elbows, shoulder blades—all utterly pulverized!

Crippled! Permanently ruined! Even with the finest orthopedic medicine from an advanced Apothecary, they would, at best, be able to stand and walk or use aids to eat. As for fighting? That dream was over for the rest of their lives.

Gan Jing looked at the mage and gestured gently with one hand. "Are you coming forward yourself, or must I take action?"

The mage clutched his magic branch tightly, tears of terror already tracing paths down his cheeks. This young warrior was too terrifying! He knew these men were the City Lord's official retainers, yet he had been so mercilessly brutal? Wasn't he afraid the City Lord would seek revenge?

"I... I am the City Lord's retainer..."

Gan Jing offered a faint smile. Letting the mage go would be easy; a mere wave of his hand would suffice. But! If he spared him today, someone else would come to bully them tomorrow. Did he possess the moral charisma to inspire others to yield based on his principles? Gan Jing didn't believe he did; if he did, he wouldn't have encountered people like Ai Bijia.

Since he couldn't persuade them with personal magnetism for the time being, Gan Jing gently shrugged his shoulders. He would ensure that anyone considering hostile action would first reflect upon the fate of those who had just acted, and the consequences that followed.

"Since you won't move, then I..."

With a strange shriek, the mage launched over a dozen visible wind blades from beneath his robe, aiming them directly at his own body. Instantly, flesh became mangled, blood sprayed, and fractured bones became the dominant feature of his form. (To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next, look for more chapters, support the author, and support legitimate reading!)