23: Loyalty turned to evil, a single blow severs the soul.
Inside Wuyou Hall, the gold mountains were stained with blood.
The originally sacred and solemn treasure land had now turned into a Shura slaughterhouse.
As Su Tianhe's Devilish Qi erupted, the thin veil of "allies" was completely torn apart, and the five major forces instantly fell into a chaotic, frenzied battle.
Boom!
Airwaves rolled, and countless gold and silver vessels were sent flying, crashing against the walls with crisp clanging sounds.
"Su, you old dog! Hand over the map!!"
The City Lords Mansion Commander held a black iron dagger-axe, his body surging with Evil Qi, every move aimed directly at Su Tianhe's vitals. Even in this chaotic battle, his offensive remained bold and sweeping, carrying the air of military slaughter.
On the other side, the Zhao, Li, and Wang Family Heads were not to be outdone. Various weapons, carrying the power of the Bone Transformation Realm Peak, sealed off all of Su Tianhe's escape routes from three directions.
"You want the map? Pay for it with your lives!!"
Su Tianhe's hair was disheveled, his eyes were as black as ink, and his body was surrounded by a strange black mist.
Although he was fighting one against four, relying on his sinister Nine Nether Demonic Technique, he surprisingly held his ground in the short term!
Every time his withered claws struck out, they brought a gust of foul wind; it was the "Nine Nether Ghost Claw," specifically designed to break inner True Qi. Even a slight touch would cause flesh to rot instantly.
As for the two Su Family retainers who had originally wanted to stay out of it, they were not spared either.
"Want to run? Have you asked the blade in my hand!"
A group of elite death warriors from the Zhao Family had long since set their sights on them, pouncing like mad dogs. These two Marrow Cleansing Realm experts, who usually lived in comfort, were besieged by dozens in the narrow hall. Before half a cup of tea had passed, they were hacked into mincemeat by a flurry of blades.
This was a deathmatch with no way out.
It was either you die, or I die.
Puchi!
The muffled sound of a sharp blade entering flesh.
The battle finally reached a turning point.
The Li Family Head, who had been lingering on the edges like a venomous snake, caught a gap in Su Tianhe's breathing. The blades suddenly popped out from his steel folding fan and stabbed fiercely into Su Tianhe's left ribs!
"Get lost!!"
Su Tianhe was furious. With a backhand claw, he directly crushed half of the Li Family Head's shoulder and blasted him away. The Li Family Head screamed as he crashed into a mountain of gold, his chest caved in, clearly breathing more out than in.
But this strike also completely broke Su Tianhe's defensive rhythm.
"Die!!"
The City Lords Mansion Commander seized the opportunity. His dagger-axe was like a venomous Dragon emerging from its cave, bringing a shrill whistling sound as it slashed down fiercely!
Crack!
Blood splattered!
An arm wearing a Purple-Gold Python Robe flew high into the air, sprinkling a spray of hot blood onto the statue of the "ghost-riding gāluó."
"Ah—!!"
Su Tianhe let out a shrill scream. His right arm was severed at the root! The intense pain caused the Devilish Qi in his body to instantly become turbulent, and he was sent flying like a broken kite, crashing heavily into a corner of the hall.
"Cough, cough... cough..."
Su Tianhe struggled to stand up, but blood gushed like a fountain from his severed arm. His face was as pale as golden paper, and most of his Demonic Technique had dissipated.
In front of him, the remaining three leaders (the Commander, the Zhao Family Head, and the Wang Family Head) were approaching step by step with cruel, savage grins.
Although the Wang Family Head had a large gash in his abdomen with his intestines spilling out, he still smiled grimly: "Su Tianhe, weren't you very arrogant? That Demonic Sect of yours is from five hundred years ago. Now... the world belongs to us."
Despair.
True despair shrouded Su Tianhe.
He hadn't expected that after twenty years of planning, he would end up being devoured by this pack of jackals in front of his own ancestors' Treasure Trove!
Just then.
Tap, tap, tap.
A series of untimely, steady footsteps came from the shadows to the side and rear.
Everyone subconsciously turned their heads.
A young man wearing a tattered Guard uniform and carrying a bloody long saber (picked up from the ground) was slowly walking from the direction of the Appraising Bridge. There weren't many wounds on his body, and his expression was so calm it seemed out of place in this bloody hall.
It was Lin Que.
The moment he saw Lin Que, a flare of ecstatic light called "hope" erupted in Su Tianhe's eyes. Although he was only a Guard in the Bone Transformation Realm Early Stage, at a moment when everyone was heavily injured and dying, he was the last straw to clutch at!
"Lin Que!! Quick!!"
Su Tianhe used his remaining left hand to prop himself up on the ground, roaring at the top of his lungs: "Block them for me!! Just block them for fifteen minutes!!"
"I'll give you whatever you want!!"
Su Tianhe spoke extremely fast, fearing Lin Que would run: "You want gold and silver? Half of the treasures in this hall are yours! You want a Cultivation Technique? I'll teach you the supreme Demonic Technique of the Nine Nether Heavens! You want status? After we get out, you'll be the Grand Elder of the Su Family!!"
"Quick!! Kill them all!!"
The other three leaders' expressions changed.
They were also at the end of their ropes. If a fresh force suddenly joined the fray, they might really fail at the final hurdle.
"Kid! Don't listen to him!"
The Zhao Family Head shouted sharply, "The Su Family are remnants of a Demonic Sect; everyone has the right to punish them! If you help us kill him, we guarantee you wealth and glory!"
Lin Que stood between the two groups.
He glanced at the three leaders who were putting on a brave face while inwardly fearful, then looked down at Su Tianhe, whose arm was severed and bleeding, his eyes filled with fanatical hope.
Suddenly, Lin Que smiled.
He turned around, facing the three leaders, holding the long saber across his chest in a defensive stance.
"The Chief Steward once taught me."
Lin Que's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone present.
"Take people's money, eliminate their disasters. Since I've received the five taels of Settlement Fee from the Su Family, I naturally must protect the Family Head's safety."
Hearing this, the three leaders' hearts sank.
Su Tianhe, on the other hand, was overjoyed, his eyes full of smiles: "Good! Good boy!! My Su Family didn't nurture you in vain!!"
"Go! Kill them for me! When we return to the mansion, I'll immediately have you added to the family registry and make you my adopted son!!"
Su Tianhe sneered inwardly: Once I catch my breath and suck dry the essence and blood of these people to recover from my injuries, the first person I'll crush to death is you, the ant who knows the secret!
However.
Just as Su Tianhe's mind was racing with calculations and he was preparing to circulate his power for healing.
Lin Que, who had been facing away from him in a defensive stance, without any warning—
Turned back.
Struck with his blade.
This strike was extremely fast!
No extra flashy movements, no world-shaking Aura.
Only pure speed and decisive ruthlessness!
It was the most venomous move in the Seven Absolute Saber Technique—Family-Extinguishing Slash!
Puchi!
The cringeworthy sound of a sharp blade entering flesh rang out.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment, and the three leaders, who were about to fight for their lives, were stunned.
Su Tianhe lowered his head, staring blankly at his abdomen where he had been about to perform Qi Gathering.
There, a section of a bright blade tip, carrying striking blood, had pierced through his body.
This strike had accurately—pierced through his Dantian Qi Sea!
"You..."
Su Tianhe looked up tremblingly, staring in disbelief at the face inches away from him.
On that face, there was no longer any previous submissiveness, nor was there any madness.
Only calmness. A calmness reserved for looking at a dead person.
"Family Head, didn't you say you wanted to add me to the family registry and make me your adopted son?"
Lin Que's hand holding the hilt didn't move an inch; he even slowly twisted the blade, crushing Su Tianhe's Qi Sea.
He leaned into Su Tianhe's ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"What a pity, the Su Family's registry is too crowded."
"And..."
The corner of Lin Que's mouth curled into a cold arc.
"That five taels of silver for the Settlement Fee is indeed enough to buy a coffin."
"But it wasn't bought for me."
"It was bought for you."
Boom!
The light in Su Tianhe's eyes quickly faded, and the Devilish Qi in his body went completely out of control because his Dantian was shattered, running wildly through his Meridians. He opened his mouth wide, wanting to roar, wanting to curse, but only large clumps of black blood surged up his throat.
A generation's hero, the Su Family Head, the successor of the Nine Nether Heavens.
He didn't die under the siege of the five major forces.
Instead, he died at the hands of an ant he thought he could crush at will, worth only five taels of silver.
Lin Que suddenly pulled out the long saber.
Pfft!
A jet of blood sprayed out.
Su Tianhe's corpse slumped onto the gold-tiled floor, his eyes wide in death.
Lin Que flicked the blood off his blade and turned to look at the surrounding circle of big shots who were completely dumbfounded.
He grinned, revealing a row of white teeth, looking harmless:
"Alright, the Su Family Head has been 'settled'."
"Next..."
"It's your turn."