"Qian Yi Yi, Yi Yi Jin, Yi Yi Yi Yi!" The muscles around Lei Zhen's eyes twitched rapidly, a savage snarl contorting his lips. "Dare you repeat what you just said?"

"Keep the money for the herbal medicine and buy yourself a grave," Qian Jin retorted, his neck stiffly raised. "There's a clause in the Warrior's Code: once battle is joined, one must be prepared to die! Since you intended to kill me, you must also be prepared to be killed! If Lei Zhen isn't dead today, this matter is absolutely not finished! Not a single person from the Lei family will leave this blacksmith's forge alive!"

Lei Zhen stared at Qian Jin in silence, an invisible pressure rendering the entire scene oppressively tense. This was the life-or-death matter of a major power's patriarch, yet Qian Jin refused to yield an inch?

"Uncle, take a look at this Soul Weapon. Do you think it suits you?" Qian Jin didn't spare Lei Zhen a glance. "Master Yun Xing said it was dead. I guarantee I can resurrect it. What is Edge Forging? That's merely a beginner technique. True high-level soul refinement should be called Edge Washing!"

Edge Washing? Yun Xing Huisheng looked at Qian Jin in confusion. He had been the Blacksmith Guild Master for so many years and had never heard of such a peculiar skill.

Mu Gui Wuxin snatched the Soul Weapon from the ground, his eyeballs instantly widening several times. He repeatedly swallowed, his chest muscles, more sculpted than any woman's bosom, heaving dramatically. "This... this... this Soul Weapon is truly suitable for me to achieve Sainthood!"

Lei Zhen's chillingly calculating expression suddenly softened. A Soul Weapon? Sainthood? A dead Soul Weapon can be resurrected? This... this was enough to drive any ordinary warrior with a chance at Sainthood into a frenzy; people would rush forward regardless of the cost, even if it meant beheading the current Great Demon King Lucifer himself.

Li Deyu Ke’s breath hitched. This brute, Mu Gui Wuxin, genuinely had a chance at Sainthood? By the stars! Qian Jin said in front of so many people that he could resurrect a dead Soul Weapon, meaning he wasn't just speaking carelessly!

"Resurrecting a dead Soul Weapon?" Yun Xing Huisheng murmured. "That is far more difficult than forging a new Soul Weapon. If forging a new Soul Weapon is akin to making a woman pregnant and bearing a child, then resurrecting a Soul Weapon... is like forcing a warrior who died in battle to crawl out of his grave."

Lei Zhen’s mountain-steady frame shook violently. He glared at Yun Xing Huisheng with venomous eyes. Although the Guild Master’s words seemed like self-muttering, they were, in fact, signaling to City Lord Li Deyu Ke just how profoundly powerful the new Blacksmith Guild Master's forging abilities were.

Indeed! Lei Zhen immediately felt a palpable shift in Li Deyu Ke’s aura. Now that Qian Jin had survived, the City Lord exuded an air of standing with Qian Jin, and the urgency to eradicate the Lei family had diminished.

Now, with Yun Xing Huisheng's muttered words, City Lord Li Deyu Ke’s eyes turned crimson, like a wild bull seeing a piece of red cloth.

What Lei Family Patriarch? What Lei Family influence? What reservations? Li Deyu Ke completely disregarded everything. Master Yun Xing Huisheng's single sentence indirectly reaffirmed that Qian Jin could forge Soul Weapons, and Mu Gui Wuxin might very well become the second ordinary warrior to achieve Sainthood.

No more hesitation, no more waiting! What was the Lei family? Li Deyu Ke tossed it aside. Since Qian Jin had decided to fight the Lei family members present to the death, he would follow Qian Jin’s lead! Otherwise, offending this young man would block his own path to Sainthood.

Buzz! The longsword in Li Deyu Ke's hand, which had extinguished its battle energy, now erupted with dazzling, cold battle qi. The long sword slash carved a deep, inch-long furrow into the ground, and an aura of chilling lethality filled every inch of the small courtyard.

Hearing the sword's cry, goosebumps erupted on Lei Zhen’s body. Facing only Mu Gui Wuxin, perhaps some of them could escape. But if City Lord Li Deyu Ke joined forces with the President of the Torrential Fortress, absolutely no one would leave here alive today!

"City Lord," Lei Zhen's arrogant expression now carried a hint of pleading. "If Your Lordship can assist my Lei family in this matter today, the Lei family will offer you rewards beyond your wildest imagination in the future."

The six elites the Lei family had cultivated for years—Lei Zhen did not want to see this force damaged. The future Lei family would still rely on these forces for deterrence. No matter the economic cost, the lives of these six men had to be preserved.

Li Deyu Ke sighed softly, looking down at the longsword in his hand without answering verbally. Only the battle qi erupting from the sword grew more fierce.

Lei Zhen’s spirits plummeted instantly. This response was the worst possible outcome. Must the elite core of the Lei family really be annihilated here today?

"City Lord," Lei Zhen took a deep breath, his eyes blazing with resolute, scarlet light. "The Lei family is willing to become a vassal family to the York family for one hundred years!"

Lei Guangming felt the hair on his head stand on end, as if struck by lightning. A vassal family for one hundred years? Once these words were spoken, as long as the York family perished within the next century, the Lei family would forever be bound to obey the York family’s commands. Even when reporting merits in the Human-Demon Battlefield, they would first have to declare themselves a vassal of the York family, and most rewards and spoils would be preferentially allocated to the York family.

A vassal family—in certain contexts, many powerful clans would sooner choose self-annihilation than accept this status. It was protected by national law: as long as the superior family did not voluntarily renounce the subordinate one, and as long as the superior family did not seek annexation, the subordinate family absolutely could not resist, or they would face state sanctions.

Lei Zhen’s eyes were bloodshot, his breathing heavy as he looked at Li Deyu Ke. Qian Jin’s display of defiance today gave him the sense that Qian Jin intended not just to eliminate the present Lei family members, but to completely eradicate the Lei family—that immense power in Yongliu City. One Torrential Fortress could not handle the Lei family; it was genuinely uncertain who would win if the two clashed. But with the Yongliu City Lord’s power added, although both the Torrential Fortress and the City Lord’s forces would be significantly weakened, the Lei family might truly struggle to maintain their standing among Yongliu's great powers.

"Vassal family... one hundred years... the Lei family..."

Li Deyu Ke felt his heart bleeding. Under any previous circumstances, he would have accepted these terms without a second thought. This was the entirety of the Lei family! If the City Lord’s Mansion possessed the Lei family's strength, no other force could ever contend with the Mansion.

Clap... clap... clap...

Leisurely, relaxed applause sounded from not far away among the ruins. Lei Zhen looked towards the approaching figure, his expression turning bizarre and grim.

Jun Wudao! The head of Yongliu City's underworld, Jun Wudao of the Wudao Association!

Dressed in a simple azure robe, with twin pistols, each less than a meter long, hanging at his waist, Jun Wudao exuded the domineering aura of an underworld overlord in every move, possessing a more sinister vibe than most legitimate familial powers.

"The Lei family becoming a vassal to someone else? Quite a generous offer." Jun Wudao strolled casually to Qian Jin’s side and asked with concern, "Xiao Jin, are you alright?"

"Second Uncle, I'm fine."

Qian Jin managed an awkward smile. Fortunately, his recovery rate was good; he felt much better than moments ago.

Second Uncle? Xiao Jin?

Li Deyu Ke, Mu Gui Wuxin, and Lei Zhen’s minds whirled into chaos. What did this mean? Qian Jin addressed Jun Wudao, the head of Yongliu City's underworld, as Second Uncle? Could it be that these two were actually uncle and nephew? If so...

In Lei Zhen's heart, there was only regret and bitter hatred. Regret that he hadn't decided to personally kill Qian Jin earlier, and hatred for Lei Guangming Yue, Lei Wei, and Lei Yueyue for provoking anyone but Qian Jin! He had initially thought Qian Jin was just an ordinary warrior, but looking now...

The Blacksmith Guild Master! The future Torrential Fortress President! And now, Jun Wudao of the Wudao Association had appeared as his uncle.

Jun Wudao had a treasured daughter, a fact known throughout Yongliu City. People had assumed the Wudao Association would gradually decline under her leadership. Who knew... to think Jun Wudao had a nephew, and it was precisely Qian Jin, this young man who was now growing fiercely powerful and unexpectedly bold.

Lei Zhen's face, so dark it could squeeze out ink, suddenly held a trace of joyful cunning. Qian Jin held the Blacksmith Guild, was backed by the Torrential Fortress, and now apparently had the support of Jun Wudao's Wudao Association. While the union of these three great powers was formidable, it also revealed a fissure!

That fissure was with City Lord Li Deyu Ke! Theoretically, the City Lord's power could rival any two major factions in Yongliu City, but it absolutely could not contend with the combined might of three factions operating together.

Qian Jin now commanded the combined strength of three powers, whose overall influence arguably surpassed that of the City Lord. How would Li Deyu Ke, the City Lord, perceive this situation?

Lei Zhen knew the City Lord possessed a strong lust for power. When someone integrated three forces and surpassed the City Lord's own influence, the City Lord's habitual response was to ally with other powers to suppress this rising threat!

"City Lord..." Lei Zhen's smile held confident delight. "Do you still intend to stand on Qian Jin's side?"

Li Deyu Ke clenched his sword with five fingers, the veins on the back of his hand jumping violently, his chest rising and falling. Qian Jin's influence had exceeded his calculations. He never expected Gan Meng's son to achieve this much so soon after arriving in Yongliu City. In the past, he would have undoubtedly sided with the Lei family.

Now... Li Deyu Ke smiled as he pointed his sword directly at Lei Zhen, stating each word deliberately: "Lei... Family... Patriarch, Lei Zhen! For openly assaulting and attempting murder, thereby disrupting the stability within the True Strategy Dynasty, I now command you, in my capacity as City Lord, to lay down your weapon and submit to judgment!"

The smile on Lei Zhen’s face froze like iron. How could this be? Had Li Deyu Ke fallen under some spell cast by Qian Jin? Under these circumstances, how could he still support Qian Jin? Did he no longer care about maintaining control over Yongliu City's power structure?

Lay down his weapon? Lei Zhen shook his head lightly. Qian Jin's words from earlier had sealed today’s outcome: "Since you do not wish to let me live, then you all shall not live comfortably either..."