Of course, his gasp was for Rui, only because the moment those four Demon Guards moved, Ni Bo’s figure had already shot out, and Ye Jingyu, who had been holding Xue Ling’s small hand, also moved. This was the first time that Tsuk had seen Ye Jingyu make a move. He hadn't even clearly seen how Ye Jingyu moved before he was already in front of Rui...

Ye Jingyu, the City Lord of Dark City, was known to be Jian, a general under the Greedy Demon Lord back in the day, and one of the Seven Fiends of the Earth Alliance. He could be considered one of the absolute top existences in the current Earth Alliance hierarchy. His relationship with Tsuk had always been strained, so naturally, his son Rui was often at odds with Tsuk.

However, there was a rule among the previous generation: no matter how much they competed among themselves, they were forbidden from taking each other's lives, lest it incite a full-scale war and affect the unity of the entire Earth Alliance. But what did any of that have to do with Ye Jingyu?

He was here to stir up trouble. If he could successfully provoke an internal war within the Earth Alliance, that would be ideal. Even if he couldn't ignite a civil war, planting a massive seed of hatred between the two City Lords would also be a good outcome.

Initially, when Rui mentioned Xue Ling, Ye Jingyu only intended to teach the brat a lesson. After all, he wasn't a bloodthirsty maniac who killed everyone he saw. But once he learned the other party's identity, murderous intent flared within him. The reason he let out a cold snort was that he was certain the other party wouldn't just let things go. Thus, he had already shown him favor once for Tsuk’s sake; if Rui insisted on provocation now, he couldn't be blamed for what happened next, could he?

No matter what one does, shouldn't one always be in the right?

As Tsuk let out his cry of alarm, Rui wore a smug smile. What? Are you begging me? But his smile froze halfway, only because the four Demon Guards who had flown out from behind him were sent flying backward in the exact reverse motion, smashing heavily beside him. Their bones were almost entirely pulverized, and there wasn't a single part of their bodies intact. Their life force had been almost completely extinguished; they were barely clinging to a breath.

How is this possible? They were all Hong-rank experts, the strongest fighting force his father had assigned to him! How could they be so fragile? This happened in the blink of an eye! Impossible, absolutely impossible. Rui rubbed his eyes in disbelief. When he looked clearly again, he saw the man he had just been cursing standing directly in front of him. Before he could react, Ye Jingyu had clamped a hand around his throat...

Rui tried to resist, but he found that all the strength in his body was locked down, a massive force threatening to suffocate him.

How strong is this guy?

"No, Lord Ye, please no..." Seeing Ye Jingyu directly seize Rui’s throat, Tsuk was nearly scared to tears. The relationship between their two families was already tenuous. If the only son of the Dark City Lord Jian were truly killed, wouldn't it directly lead to war between the two factions?

"Tsuk, I already showed you courtesy just now. But he repeatedly provoked me. Am I supposed to just allow myself to be provoked? Where is my dignity?" Ye Jingyu snorted coldly.

Tsuk fell silent. Ye Jingyu was a Zhou-rank expert. Within the Earth Alliance, experts possessed the dignity of experts, and the other party had indeed shown him respect; he was already preparing to leave, but it was all because Rui was ignorant of propriety.

For a moment, Tsuk felt utterly humiliated. The dead rival had provoked first, yet he was the one having to speak up for him—what was that?

"Forget it, forget it. Your father and son have treated me well enough these past few days. For your sake, I will give him a chance. I will not use any power from my cultivation; I will only attack him with my purest physical strength. If he can withstand my strength, I will let him go!" Seeing Tsuk's distressed expression, Ye Jingyu displayed an air of magnanimity.

Upon hearing Ye Jingyu say this, immense joy flooded Tsuk’s face. Although Ye Jingyu had reached the Zhou rank, not using any cultivation power and relying only on physical strength, surely Rui could withstand it to some degree? This fellow was a Hong-rank expert. He might not be able to endure the full force of a Zhou-rank expert’s strike, but he should be able to bear the sheer physical power, right?

"Thank you, Mr. Ye!" Tsuk showed a look of gratitude. No matter what, Ye Jingyu had given him a great deal of face...

For a Zhou-rank expert, even for a Demon, the strongest aspect wasn't their inherent physical body but the power of their cultivation. But how could Tsuk possibly know that Ye Jingyu's cultivation power barely reached the Hong rank, while his physical body far surpassed Hong rank?

Rui, whose throat was being held by Ye Jingyu, glimpsed the different look in Tsuk's eyes and realized he had provoked an incredibly powerful expert. Initially believing he was doomed, he heard Tsuk intercede for him and felt a flicker of goodwill towards his rival for the first time.

So what if you're a Zhou-rank expert? If you don't use your inherent power, can you really kill me? I'm still a Hong-rank expert after all! Rui thought, already striving to boost his power, intending to block Ye Jingyu's strike...

Ye Jingyu glanced at Rui, sneered, and hurled him backward. Then, Ye Jingyu lunged forward himself, slamming a devastating punch towards Rui...

Rui felt no energy fluctuation, only seeing the punch Ye Jingyu threw, which finally relieved him. It seemed this fellow dared not kill him and was just looking for a way to save face. All he had to do was block this one punch.

He crossed his arms in front of his chest, unleashing the Dark Power throughout his body, forming layers of black shields before him...

CRACK... With a crisp sound, the shields before him shattered under Ye Jingyu's punch. The immense force slammed directly into his arms, instantly followed by the sound of breaking bones, then his sternum, then his entire body, finally ending with a smack as he exploded into a heap of fragments...

A single punch, using no other power, relying entirely on physical strength, to blow a Hong-rank expert to pieces—was this a dream?

Everyone present was stunned silent, and Tsuk stared at the scene in utter shock...

"Apologies, it's been a long time since I fought. My control over my strength isn't very good..." Ye Jingyu said lightly as he looked at the dumbfounded Tsuk, then, ignoring Tsuk’s reaction, he walked forward, took Xue Ling’s hand, and headed off.

The astonishment on Tsuk's face deepened. Apologies? It’s been a long time, and I haven’t controlled my strength well?

Brother, you’re a Zhou-rank expert! Do even you have trouble controlling your strength? Tsuk truly felt like crying inside...

(Ugh, I originally planned to upload everything together, but the upload speed is slow, so I’ve only written 2 chapters. I’ll finish the last chapter this afternoon and upload it. Little Stars, I need Golden Bricks for votes!)