“Lianxue!” Yang Yi looked at Murong Lianxue’s contorted face and felt a tremor deep in his heart. He had never seen Murong Lianxue wear such an expression, nor had he ever seen her so ferocious. For some inexplicable reason, a profound sorrow washed over him. The circling currents of power made Yang Yi suddenly feel utterly drained.

A sense of powerlessness saturated every fiber of Yang Yi’s being. The masked woman, sensing his change, chuckled coldly. “It’s useless. With your current strength, you can’t do anything. Just lie there and wait to die!”

“Wait to die?” A cold smile played on Yang Yi’s lips.

But the instant the smile faded, Murong Lianxue was a streak of heat-laced wind, surging toward the masked woman. Her small fist held astonishing destructive potential; a single solid hit could likely pulverize stone. Yet, the masked woman remained unhurried. She raised her left hand, stepped back three paces, and executed a graceful, flowing maneuver that completely neutralized the force of Murong Lianxue’s strike. She then caught her fist with that same hand, a clear testament to her extraordinary power.

“Ah!” Murong Lianxue snarled through gritted teeth and launched a punch with her left hand.

This second strike was met with a decisive sentence. The force behind it was feeble, and the opponent didn't even shift half a step. She caught the fist with one hand, shook her head, and delivered a quick tap. A strange, intangible force blasted Murong Lianxue backward.

“Are you from the Tian Gui lineage, or the Tian Long lineage?” Murong Lianxue asked rapidly, retreating a meter and steadying herself.

It was obvious that the bizarre gust of energy she had just encountered was undeniably a supreme skill from either the Tian Long or Tian Gui clans. This martial art, which only Grandmasters could cultivate and which possessed only three distinct tiers, was renowned as one of the most terrifying combat techniques in the world.

In truth, the name 'Ao Qi' (Arrogant Qi) did not actually exist. Within both the Tian Gui and Tian Long lineages, their so-called supreme martial arts were categorized into three levels of Ao Qi; the true name of the technique was the 'Ao Qi Shu.' It was the pinnacle of Qigong, derived from the wind-based application of the Five Elements theory.

However, this martial art possessed a critical flaw. It required the direct internal energy inheritance passed down from the previous patriarchs of the Tian Gui and Tian Long clans. This was because the true Qi and internal energy cultivated by these two factions were fundamentally different from that of ordinary martial artists or those from the outside world. Furthermore, the founder of this discipline—the supreme head who had once united the Tian Gui and Tian Long clans—had developed it specifically tailored to the unique physiques of their respective members.

“I’m sorry, neither,” the masked woman replied, dismissing the question with a flicker of coldness in her eyes. “Yang Yi, you underestimate people. Don't assume only those two lineages are invincible, and don't think that superior strength shields you from being eliminated by someone weaker. This is a lesson for today. I’m taking her.”

“Wait!” Hearing her intention to leave, Yang Yi could not agree; they held his woman captive, and he still had no idea about the fate of his three brothers. Yet, something in her words struck him. He struggled to ask, “Did you take my three brothers too?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“No need to answer you!” the masked woman stated coldly.

“Hmph. Do you think you can just walk away now?” Yang Yi scoffed.

The masked woman turned, her eyes burning with an eerie light that made Yang Yi’s heart shudder. He felt a whirlwind of sorrow, joy, pain, happiness, heartache, and pity. “Do you think the two of you, with your current strength, can do anything? Mutual destruction? A fight to the death? Or perhaps you expect me to wait here while you go summon reinforcements? Hmph, childish thoughts!”

“Let them go!” Yang Yi’s voice was raw.

The masked woman sneered, glancing at him. “On what grounds? Because you are the Dragon Lord of the Black God Gang? The Master of the Profound Gate? The godfather of the underworld ruling Japan and Britain? Nonsense! Before me, all your supposed influence and strength are nothing more than children playing with sandbags—a pointless endeavor.”

For the first time, Yang Yi experienced such pointed verbal provocation. Though he prided himself on unshakable composure, a voice screamed inside him that yes, he was pathetic. Damn it, he couldn’t even protect his woman and his brothers, so what was the point of fighting others? The voice clearly told him he was a failure. Yang Yi found himself unable to suppress the raw emotion of the provocation.

Yet, even as his inner core seemed to crack and his gaze grew lost, consumed by a deep-seated helplessness, the aura radiating from his entire being seemed to achieve precisely the effect the masked woman desired. She continued, “I will give you two days. Within that time, I will send someone to meet you, and then we can discuss precisely why I should release them. Rest assured, during these two days, your brothers and your woman will be unharmed. However, if you fail to provide me with a decisive answer, I won't hesitate to let them all perish by my hand!”

“Swish!” In a mere gust of wind, a breeze swept over the rooftop balcony, leaving only Yang Yi and Murong Lianxue behind.

Finally, Murong Lianxue seemed to have endured beyond her limit. A mouthful of blood burst from her lips, and she collapsed entirely. Yang Yi’s eyes were glazed with confusion, but the chilling aura around him intensified. Seeing Murong Lianxue fall through his haze, he threw his head back and roared, “Ah!”

“Over here, quickly!” Liu Dao Lun Hui (Six Paths of Reincarnation) leaped onto the balcony, his presence marked by a sudden arrival. He took a deep, measured breath, his eyes lightly closed. The scene on the rooftop filled the six of them with dread.

“Tian Cong, many masters have appeared recently, just like that middle-aged man earlier!” Di Yu (Hell) said, feeling a tremor of fear.

“Forget about that for now. We need to get the Dragon Lord and the others out of here!”

“Right!” The six vanished instantly, carrying Yang Yi and Murong Lianxue away from the balcony.

But just after they disappeared, two more figures materialized: the masked woman from before, and the middle-aged man who had stopped Liu Dao Lun Hui.

The middle-aged man looked at his mistress’s pained expression and asked, “Miss, is everything you've done truly necessary for this outcome?”

“Uncle Long, do you think I was too harsh?” The masked woman closed her eyes briefly; her expression betrayed immense internal suffering.

“No, Miss. This is for his own good. After all, Ye Han sealed both of his major Renxuan acupoints. No matter how powerful his domain is, he cannot unleash it. There are only two ways for him to return to his original state.”

“One is for Ye Han to unseal the points, which is out of the question—that man would never release the seal for Xiao Yi. The other is for Xiao Yi to unseal them himself.”

“Miss, your intentions are truly profound,” the middle-aged man sighed after hearing this. “However, what he lacks most right now isn't strength, but something you have already given him. Whether he can grasp it now depends entirely on his own destiny.”

“To survive, one must endure trials. To survive, one must become a peak king whom no one can touch. I hope he understands this well,” the masked woman murmured, turning to leave. As she turned, faint tears appeared in her eyes.

The middle-aged man felt a surge of emotion. He looked up at the sky and murmured to himself, “Young Master, Young Mistress. Your subordinate is useless; I could not ensure that both the Young Lady and the Young Master could live as you wished. Now they are following the paths you laid out. I trust that your spirits in heaven will bless them.” With that, the middle-aged man faded into the darkness.

The ancients often said: Those who achieve greatness disregard minor details.

If Yang Yi were to lose sight of the major objective over small matters, his fate might mirror that of Zhang Fei and Liu Bei. Had Liu Bei not been so eager to avenge his brother Zhang Fei, would he have died in battle? While the historical context is profoundly different and the situations diverge wildly from Yang Yi’s current plight, the underlying principle and flavor remain the same.

From ancient times until now, through all the flowing years and generations, every person and every event follows the established paths to determine the broader direction. The path or the Way each individual must walk is a matter of freedom! And for one who stands atop the peak, untouchable, unreachable, and feared—a pinnacle king—

They must possess the fierce decisiveness of Qin Shi Huang, but without his brutality. They must have the cunning intellect of Zhuge Kongming, but without the weakness of excessive arrogance... and so on. Only by achieving this can one be considered a qualified peak sovereign. Perhaps some would argue that a person achieving such a state would be perfect?

The answer is: No.

Because there is no absolutely perfect person in this world, only those who are constantly mending their flaws. Only through persistent effort, constantly compensating for one’s shortcomings, can one become an exceptionally outstanding figure. But if one only knows how to absorb indiscriminately, welcoming everything without distinguishing good from bad, they risk becoming merely a dramatic, perhaps historically significant figure, yet one who either leaves no positive legacy or is eternally reviled.

“The six of you?” Feng Shi arrived at the hospital, spotting Liu Dao Lun Hui and the five others standing by the entrance. She immediately frowned, her face etched with worry. “Is the Young Master alright?”

“The Dragon Lord is not in critical condition. He has been treated by the doctor; it’s only superficial wounds. The internal injuries aren’t severe either. Given the Dragon Lord’s healing capabilities, he should wake up soon,” Tian Cong reported.

Feng Shi finally let out a breath of relief. Indeed, just as a nation cannot exist without a ruler for a day, a family cannot stand without its head. Moreover, if anything were to happen to Yang Yi, the entire Hua Xia region, perhaps even the world, would descend into immense turbulence. Precisely for this reason, Ye Han, who had been lurking in the shadows, merely sought to defeat Yang Yi through strategy rather than killing him outright and seizing his position.

“You six, tell me exactly what happened.”

“Yes!” Liu Dao Lun Hui and the others responded in unison.