Night was slowly falling. Ryan Ling lounged on the sofa by the window, enjoying the sea breeze—not just relaxing, but actively absorbing the energy of the ocean waves. For a cultivator, the greatest skill is in breathing and absorbing the qi of heaven and earth; only then can one refine the spirit, return to the Void, and achieve true tranquility.
After that battle in Jinling, Ryan’s strength hadn’t fully recovered. He’d burned through too much essence, mind, and spirit, and even many of the treasures and artifacts in his body were damaged. Now was the perfect time to slowly repair them.
"Did you hear? There was a battle of unprecedented scale in Jinling—a bunch of Earth-Tier Void Realm masters died, and they were actually killed by a young prodigy! That kid is insane, like a new star exploding onto the scene."
"Too bad that kid Ryan Ling was just a shooting star—here one moment, gone the next. In the end, he still got killed by Philip Qin, the Heaven-Tier Void Realm patriarch. Looks like the Qin Family is still on top. Right now, the Qin clan is calling all the provincial bosses to Jinling to discuss what happens next—I bet they’re just getting their stories straight. After all, the guy Ryan killed was the champion of the Jiangnan Martial Arts Tournament, the top ‘national talent’ among the new generation. No way the Yanjing headquarters isn’t going to investigate!"
"Investigate? Give me a break—by the time they get around to it, the Qin Family will have already decided everything. I’ve heard they’ve basically settled it: Ryan Ling was possessed by some monster, practicing demonic arts, so he had to be killed. And now it’s not just about him—the Qin clan has agreed to demote everyone in East River Province to pariah status. Anyone connected to that kid, if they don’t die, they’ll end up as slaves!"
"Wait, but didn’t the Jinling Military Region get involved? Is the Qin Family really going to go head-to-head with the army?"
"So what if the Jinling Military Region steps in? You think they’re that tough? Philip Qin’s already made it clear—if the army keeps protecting the demon’s friends and family, it’s only a matter of time before things get ugly. Plus, the Fang and Shen clan ancestors from Yanjing are back to take charge. Those two aren’t quite as strong as Philip Qin, but they’ve both reached the Heaven-Tier Void Realm too. Right now, with three Heaven-Tier overlords sitting in Jinling, who’s gonna dare say no? Just watch—a bloodbath is coming, sooner or later!"
......
Right now, Ryan Ling was sitting off to the side, listening to all of this loud and clear. Obviously, he didn’t have much time left. With the Yan Family’s grand formation under the pressure of three Heaven-Tier Void Realm overlords, it’d be lucky to hold out for seven days. General Kenneth Li is a true friend—if he stands up to Philip Qin and fights back, he might manage seven days at best.
All things considered, Ryan Ling had about half a month left. In those two weeks, he had to break through to Golden Core—otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Ryan didn’t hesitate. He shot out into the corridor. An old granny and a three- or four-year-old girl were clutching each other, sobbing their hearts out. A pack of thugs had just hustled a young miss away, leaving behind a few suited goons who were viciously kicking the old lady, spewing the foulest insults.
“You gonna jump into the sea yourselves, or should us brothers toss you in?”
One of the suited thugs finished his threat and kicked the old lady hard. Another thug tried to snatch the little girl, ready to throw her overboard. The granny clung on for dear life, begging, “My granddaughter accidentally stepped on the young miss’s dress! I’m so sorry, I’ll bow to you, I’ll beg you, please, don’t throw my granddaughter in—she’s just a child, she doesn’t understand anything!”
“Heh, old hag, it’s your own fault for being from Harbor City. Same city as that demon, so you gotta die!” Another thug grabbed the granny’s hair, yanking her along.
At that moment, the granny didn’t even have time to cry. She hugged her terrified granddaughter and desperately looked around for help. Some crew and passengers watched, clearly uneasy, but seeing the Huo Family emblems on the thugs’ suits, no one dared step in.
Ryan arrived just then. He couldn’t hold back anymore. He’d actually planned to let the Huo Family off, but seeing how cruel they were—throwing people overboard just for being from Harbor City—they were even worse than Philip Qin.
“Bastards—die!” Ryan charged in, slapping the thug who’d hit the granny so hard his head flew off. The one trying to toss the little girl exploded into bloody chunks at Ryan’s shout.
“Murder! Somebody’s been killed!”
“Has this guy lost his mind? He actually killed Huo Family people!”
Crew and passengers stared in shock, completely stunned by what they’d just seen.
“Who the hell are you? You dare mess with the Huo Family? Kill him! Take him out!”
“Surround him! Tear this reckless idiot to shreds!”
The Huo Family thugs saw Ryan attack and didn’t back down. Instead, they closed in, weapons drawn, ready to kill.
“Bunch of animals, absolutely heartless. You call yourselves Huo Family? What, you think the Huo Family is above everyone else? Let me tell you—all Huo Family goons deserve to die! Die!” Ryan didn’t hold back. He unleashed his Foundation-Building aura, sweeping through the cabin and slaughtering every Huo bodyguard in sight. Blood pooled across the floor.
In an instant, everyone else backed away, freaked out by this scar-faced ‘killing god’ who’d just gone berserk.
“Don’t worry, with me here, you’ll be safe!” Ryan gently patted the little girl’s head. He’d saved them, but the trauma in the girl’s heart would take a long time to heal.
“Sir, my daughter—they took her! Please, I’m begging you, save her!” The old granny snapped back to reality, clutching Ryan’s sleeve and pleading.
“They’re kidnapping people too?” Ryan gritted his teeth, anger flaring even hotter.
“Mommy, I want my mommy!” The little girl finally reacted, her cries ripping through the air.
“These animals—they really deserve to die!” Ryan took a deep breath. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have believed it: the so-called Huo Family young miss Vivian Huo was this cruel, ready to toss a kid into the sea just for stepping on her dress. And she hated Harbor City people so much? If Ryan hadn’t run into them today, who knows how many Harbor City folks had suffered before.
All this was thanks to Ryan killing Lady Four Huo. He’d thought the Huo Family would tone it down, but instead, they didn’t dare come for him directly—they went after Harbor City people, waiting for a chance to get revenge. Scum like that, absolutely despicable.
“Don’t worry, granny. I’ll get your daughter back. I swear!” Ryan didn’t hesitate—he shot off like an arrow.
He moved fast, reaching the third-floor luxury cabins in seconds.
“What the hell are you doing? The young miss is changing clothes—” A bodyguard spotted Ryan, but didn’t even finish his sentence before his head went flying.
“Changing clothes, huh?” Ryan grinned wickedly and kicked the door open, charging in...
“Looks like there’s a dance party tonight—Vivian Huo, the Huo Family’s young miss, is hosting. Forget all the big stuff; we regular folks just wanna enjoy life. Maybe pick up a girl, dance a little, have some fun, haha!”
“You got that right! I heard Vivian Huo’s got an amazing body, and she loves wearing short skirts—super flirty. Man, I’d love to dance with her tonight!”
“Yeah, right. If you even touch her, the Huo Family would chop you up and feed you to the fish!”
“Haha, just saying! Like I’d actually dare!”
......
Listening to the guys chat about the cruise’s dance party, Ryan’s mind drifted back to the ship. No doubt, this Huo Family was the one from Hong Kong. Lady Four Huo met her end at his hands, but that was ages ago. Ryan had no interest in messing with the Huo Family now—he just wanted to reach his destination ASAP.
Following the Dragon Scale’s aura and what Jinbiao Chen told him, the true dragon was probably on Sansha Island, way out in the South Sea. At the cruise’s current speed, they’d arrive tomorrow.
Ryan was mapping out his next move when a commotion broke out in the cabin. A woman with a Hong Kong-Taiwan accent yelled, “People from Harbor City, Jiangdong? Trash like you don’t deserve to ride this ship! Toss them overboard—feed them to the sharks!”
Ryan’s brows furrowed. So, just for being from Harbor City, you’re shark bait?
Anyone who says that deserves to die!