"What? V-Void Realm? Are you sure you saw that right?" Peter Ling was on the verge of a breakdown, his face turning completely green.
The attendants from the Tan and Xu Families all shot to their feet—once Void Realm masters arrived, there was no way they'd dare stay seated.
And as several powerful Void Realm auras drew closer from the distance, even Howard Tan and Stanley Xu couldn’t sit still. Their eyes went wide—they clearly wanted to see if their suspicions were true.
In an instant, before the doorman could even speak, several waves of overwhelming power swept in like a gust of wind and came to stand right in front of Peter Ling.
"Master Ling, Jacob Xiao of Su Province Void Realm greets you!"
"Master Ling, Drake Qiu of Min Province Void Realm greets you!"
"Master Ling, Felix Huang of Yue Province Void Realm greets you!"
......
In a flash, six Void Realm masters inside and outside the hall all cupped their hands and bowed to Ryan Ling—every one of them was seriously respectful.
Howard Tan and Stanley Xu didn’t dare sit for a second longer. They jumped up in shock, gulped hard, and stared wide-eyed at each other.
As for the East Star Gang members who’d been planning to attack Ryan Ling—nobody even knew where they’d run off to. No need for Ryan to say a word; by tonight, they’d be wiped clean out of Jinling.
Meanwhile, the cowardly Tommy Ling was already collapsed on the floor, and Linda Ling looked so pale she didn’t dare say a single word. It was like all of Peter Ling’s relatives and brothers had turned mute, every last one losing the ability to speak—heck, they were barely even breathing.
"Honored Void Realm guests, you’re all too polite! This is just a tiny little ancestral ceremony for the Ling Family, I never expected it to alarm everyone. I’m honestly not sure I deserve all this!" Even when President Jinbiao Chen showed up earlier, Ryan hadn’t bothered to stand—but now, with all these Void Realm powerhouses from every province, he couldn’t keep playing it cool. He slowly got up and cupped his hands toward the crowd.
"Master Ling, we wouldn’t dare!" Jacob Xiao of Su Province Void Realm hastily returned the salute. "Someone of your status—being invited here is our honor."
"Exactly! Being close to Master Ling is something we all dream of. Not just anyone gets to enjoy this kind of luck!" Drake Qiu from Min Province was grinning so hard he looked like he’d swallowed a whole jar of honey.
"Master Ling, we hope you’ll guide us more in the future! If you ever have time, please give us some pointers!" Felix Huang from Yue Province looked eager to learn.
"You’re all too kind—come on, sit down!" Ryan Ling said, gesturing for everyone to take a seat. But when he looked around, he realized there weren’t any chairs left.
Immediately, the temple attendants and all the staff running the ancestral ceremony rushed over to grab chairs from Peter Ling’s relatives. Nobody dared object—most people just gave up their seats without a word.
"Old Tan, what are we waiting for? If even the Void Realm masters are flattering Ryan Ling, shouldn’t we go over too?" Stanley Xu was sweating buckets. After all this, the situation was crystal clear—Ryan Ling had to be that mysterious youth who’d stirred up all of Jiangdong.
Only someone who’d killed sixteen Void Realm experts in one go could get all the top masters from every province to act like juniors. You have to understand—any one of these Void Realm guys could stomp their foot and shake the ground for a thousand miles.
"B-but..." Howard Tan knew exactly how dangerous all this was, but he still felt bitter—his own son had been castrated by this punk right here. If he shamelessly sucked up now, how could the Tan Family keep its footing in Jinling?
Sure, Void Realm masters were big shots in any province nearby, but this was Jinling. If it really came to a fight, Howard Tan wasn’t totally out of options—the Tan Family had its own Void Realm experts and top fighters, just as strong as those from other provinces. Plus, the Tan Family had the backing of the Shen Family, one of Jinling’s Four Great Families. With Shen’s influence, there was no need to bow to Ryan Ling. Sure, Ryan was famous now, but he wasn’t invincible in Jinling!
Right then, Howard Tan was still wrestling with all these thoughts. But as he hesitated, the doorman shouted again: "Serena Yan, Lady of the Yan Family of Jinling, arrives with her daughter Lily Yan!"
Bang! Peter Ling felt like his head was about to explode. Stanley Xu was stomping his feet in panic—at this point, there was nothing left for Peter. The whole show had shifted to Ryan’s side, and even the guests Peter had invited were now rolling over to Ryan’s table like lapdogs. Just standing nearby was a massive honor now.
And right at that moment, the doorman shouted again, looking absolutely stunned: "General Kenneth Li, Commander of the Jinling Military Region, has arrived!"
"What? Commander Li came in person? No way, that can’t be true!"
"It really is General Li—and look, there’s a whole line of division-level officers behind him! Holy crap, this Ling Family ancestral ceremony is starting to look like the Jinling Four Great Families’ annual gala!"
"This Ryan Ling—no, this Master Ling—has way too much face!"
......
All the staff at Goldridge Confucius Temple were totally dumbfounded, their excitement written all over their faces.
"Old Tan, you’ve really screwed me over!" Stanley Xu, head of the Xu Family, wasn’t hesitating for a second—he ran over, practically bouncing with excitement, shouting, "Commander Li, Commander Li, it’s me, Little Xu! Do you remember me...?"
In an instant, the whole crowd on Peter Ling's side fell apart. Every guest who could run had already bolted, and even the ones who couldn’t were hobbling out with canes. At this point, Peter Ling and his kids were basically plague-bearers—anyone who stuck around had to be brain-dead.
Even Howard Tan finally got it: when it comes to family interests, losing a son is nothing—what matters is picking the right side!
"Master Ling, my son Eric Tan was dumb enough to offend you on that flight—he totally had it coming, getting himself castrated. If you’re still pissed, I’ll chop off one of his legs tomorrow and send it to you—how’s that sound?"
As soon as Howard Tan said that, Stanley Xu gave him a huge thumbs-up. In this situation, pledging loyalty to Ryan Ling was the only smart move.
(This chapter isn’t over yet~.~ Click next page for more awesome content!)
Forget all the other factions—just with the six-province Void Realm masters, the Yan Family of Jinling, and General Kenneth Li from the Jinling Military Region, Ryan Ling might be new in town, but he could wipe out every local snake in Jinling. Guys like Peter Ling are nothing but earthworms—one puff and they’re all dead.
At this point, Peter Ling, Linda Ling, Tommy Ling, and the rest of Ryan’s relatives were desperate to run—but there was nowhere to go. Gabriel Xue, who came with General Kenneth Li, had already sent soldiers to seal every exit, especially targeting Peter’s branch. Elite Special Warfare Units were posted to keep watch—if anyone tried to move, they’d be executed on the spot.
"Damn, there’s gotta be at least a regiment here, right?"
"More than that—a whole division! The army’s locked down a ten-kilometer perimeter, there are tanks everywhere, and I heard even the Jinling River’s blocked off by warships. No boats, no cars, nothing gets close! Listen, you can hear the fighter jets roaring overhead—this whole scene’s basically a national holiday!"
Man, that was close! Good thing we ran over to this side just in time. If we’d stayed with Peter Ling’s camp, we’d probably be dead by now and not even know how it happened!
......
Hearing the chatter around them, Howard Tan and Stanley Xu wiped the sweat from their foreheads. Today really was like playing a game of life and death—one wrong move and your whole family could be wiped out tonight. Ryan Ling’s power had reached a truly terrifying level!
At this moment, who knows how many people’s clothes—and even their underwear—were soaked with cold sweat.
"Ryan Ling, I waited days for you at the military region, and you went off to Jinling University instead! So, Master Ling, you think my little base isn’t good enough for you, huh?" General Kenneth Li laughed heartily, clapping Ryan on the shoulder as if they were old friends across generations.
"Commander Li, I wouldn’t dare! You and Brother Xue are both people I deeply admire. I should’ve visited you long ago, and I’m truly grateful you came today to back me up!" As Ryan spoke, his nose tingled with emotion. He glanced at his parents’ spirit tablets, thinking how happy they’d be if they were still alive to see his success.
"Haha, I’m happy to back you up! But I heard someone wanted to make a move against you at this ancestral ceremony? Even wanted to use clan punishment?" General Li said, shooting a cold look at Peter Ling...