Right now, Cindy Nang knew exactly what she had to do. She’d promised Ryan Ling she’d protect everyone on Sansha Island, especially Sister Huifen’s family. Now Granny Sha had been killed by Huo Yinlong—Cindy had to avenge her. And as a daughter of the Nang family, she had to have backbone, take responsibility, and be ready to make real sacrifices.
“Self-destruct? Damn, girl, you’ve got guts!” Huo Yinlong gritted his teeth and suddenly whipped out a black shield, blocking in front of himself. That shield was clearly no ordinary item. Beside him, Lang Chen instantly morphed, turning into a cloud of yellow smoke—totally shapeless.
“Ryan Ling—see you in the next life!” Cindy Nang knew she was throwing herself against a wall, but she didn’t hesitate for a second. She shouted, and her whole body erupted in a thunderous explosion.
“Miss Nang! You can’t just leave us like this!”
“Miss Nang, I’m gonna fight these bastards with you!”
“Miss Nang, I’ll go with you!”
At that moment, all of Cindy Nang’s core team started shouting like crazy. One by one, they looked ready to self-destruct and go with her.
But just then, a powerful aura swept in from the sea—like a giant hand grabbing everyone all at once.
“He’s here?” Huo Yinlong was stunned for a second.
“It’s definitely him, that aura is Ryan Ling!” Lang Chen shouted, all excited.
“Ha! Finally crawled out of his shell, but he’s still late. Cindy Nang’s already dead—a woman died for him, what kind of man is that?” Huo Yinlong sneered.
“Actually, I’ve got an idea. Since Cindy Nang just blew herself up, why don’t we pin her death on Ryan Ling? We’ll say we killed him to avenge the Nang family—instant hero status, ha!” Lang Chen grinned slyly.
“Old Lang, you’re sharp as ever. Respect! Let’s do it!” Huo Yinlong laughed, feeling like everything was going his way.
But right then, a strange voice suddenly rang out.
“I—I’m not dead?”
And the speaker? It was none other than Cindy Nang!
“What the hell? Didn’t she just blow herself up?”
“Yeah, unless it’s her soul talking? No, wait—I swear I feel some mysterious power rapidly rebuilding her body. This power... it’s terrifying!”
Hearing that and seeing what was happening, Huo Yinlong and Cindy Nang both started to tremble.
And what really freaked them out—inside that power, you could faintly hear the roar of a dragon.
"Of course you're not dead, and I'll never let you die. With the Divine Dragon's aura guarding you, even if you wanted to blow yourself up, the dragon wouldn't allow it!"
"Ryan—Ryan Ling? You're back?" Cindy Nang's voice was trembling. She couldn't believe it herself—she'd already given up hope, thought she was done for, and suddenly Ryan appeared. The man she loved most was here.
Just as she finished speaking, the explosive force of her self-detonation vanished instantly. Cindy was completely unharmed—except now tears were streaming down her face like a broken dam.
"Ryan!" She didn't hesitate for a second—she rushed straight into Ryan's arms, holding him tight. In that moment, she felt she had someone to rely on, a sense of safety washed over her.
The Nang family elites nearby all let out a long sigh of relief. Ryan had clearly finished his 'big matter'—his breakthrough. And his aura now? Compared to the other day, he was a whole new person.
"Old Chen, what's going on?" Across from them, Huo Yinlong wasn't stupid. He could see Ryan had changed, and couldn't help but take a step back.
"Don't lose your nerve," Lang Chen snapped, his eyes flashing. "Don't be fooled by appearances. He was seriously wounded by Philip Qin—he's basically crippled. He's only been in the South Sea a few days. He probably hasn't recovered at all. Right now he's just bluffing, using momentum to scare us!"
"But what about that talk of Divine Dragon protection?" Huo Yinlong pressed.
"Pure nonsense! He's just trying to mess with us, waving the big banner and bluffing!" Lang Chen shot back. "We absolutely can't back down. I say now's the moment—take him out, right now!"
As soon as Lang Chen finished, his qi erupted—above his head, spectral wolves began to howl. He was unleashing his secret art, and the power behind it was no joke.
Huo Yinlong didn't hesitate either. Instantly, a massive Azure-Dragon broadsword appeared in his hand, and his aura exploded to full force—Heaven-Tier Void Realm, for real, enough to shake the heavens.
Together, their combined power was absolutely terrifying!
"Ryan, you showed up just in time. First you killed my Lady Four Huo, then you stole my daughter Vivian. Today, I'll avenge them!" Huo Yinlong roared, swinging the Azure-Dragon broadsword straight at Ryan.
"Ryan, that's him—he killed Granny Sha!" Cindy shouted.
"I know all about it!" Ryan gritted his teeth, his figure shooting forward like a steel arrow, and slammed his fist straight at Huo Yinlong.
"You wanna fight me bare-handed? Who do you think you are, a god?" Huo Yinlong sneered, almost laughing—until he saw something terrifying. Ryan's fist was blazing with golden light, the power inside completely suppressing his own.
In an instant, Huo Yinlong's qi went haywire. He tried to force it back under control, but his body just wouldn't listen. The Azure-Dragon broadsword crashed to the ground, and with a deafening bang, Huo was knocked backward again and again, then lifted clean off the ground.
"Wh—what the hell..." Lang Chen's face turned green. Huo Yinlong was supposed to be one of Hong Kong's top ten masters, just reached Heaven-Tier last year, his power was off the charts—no normal person could stand up to him. Even at his peak, Ryan shouldn't have been a match for Heaven-Tier.
A string of question marks spun through Lang Chen's mind.
He was supposed to be Hong Kong's number-one sorcerer, and number-one strategist, but right now, staring at Ryan, it felt like staring into a fog he couldn't see through.
And thinking back to what Ryan said about the 'Divine Dragon,' Lang Chen's nerves were shot—his heart was all over the place.
"You bastard! You killed Granny Sha—I'm taking your life for hers!" Ryan snarled, his golden fist tightening.
"You—you dare? I'm Huo Yinlong, patriarch of the Hong Kong Huo Clan! If you kill me, my family—and all four big families of Hong Kong—will hunt you down!" Huo Yinlong had planned to keep things hidden, but facing Ryan's overwhelming power, he could only throw out his status as a last resort.
"The Huo Clan? Ha! Even if you were the king of heaven, you'd still pay for what you've done—die!" Ryan already knew who he was. With Golden Core, his senses were razor-sharp—not just his power, but he could read hearts at a glance. Back at Foundation-Building, he could sense people's intentions from their expressions; now, his eyes could see straight through to the truth.
He saw every bit of Huo Yinlong's scheming—how he'd planned to capture Ryan to strengthen the Huo Clan, how he'd murdered Granny Sha, plotted to wipe out everyone on Sansha Island, tried to kill Cindy Nang, and wanted to pin the blame on Ryan. It all flashed through Ryan's mind. Now, he had only one thought: take Huo Yinlong's head as the sacrifice flag for his new Golden Core realm.
In a flash, Ryan's qi locked around Huo's neck. Huo's neck bones crackled, his face turning red and purple.
Lang Chen didn't dare say a word—he was already edging backward, clearly more sinister than Huo Yinlong. When disaster struck, his only thought was escape.
But Huo Yinlong wasn't about to go down easy. He let out a furious roar, and suddenly—his whole body transformed. Golden heavy armor snapped onto him, and a gleaming gold spear with a crimson tassel appeared in his hand.
"The Huo Clan's Golden Chainmail!" Lang Chen was stunned. He knew that armor well—it was the clan's supreme treasure, passed down for three generations, infused with the essence of every patriarch. Each time a master died, their power was poured into the chainmail for the next heir. After three generations, its strength was off the charts. Even a regular guy could ascend in it—let alone a Heaven-Tier master like Huo Yinlong. And that golden spear? It was a war relic from the old Huaxia battles, soaked in traitors' blood. Decades later, it was still just as fierce!
"Break through!" With the Golden Chainmail boosting him, Huo Yinlong's power exploded tenfold. Murderous intent and baleful aura surged, and above his head, the faint souls of past Huo masters seemed to hover.
Of course, those weren't real souls—just the pure essence of the ancestors. Top-tier stuff. With their help, Huo Yinlong was completely transformed, his momentum pressing down on Ryan.
"Damn, the Huo Clan really is something else!" Lang Chen had heard of the Golden Chainmail, but this was the first time he'd seen its true power in action.
"Old Chen, what are you waiting for? If I die, you won't survive either! Fight with me!" Huo Yinlong barked, seeing through Lang Chen's hesitation.
Lang Chen knew this was the best chance—running was pointless. Their only option was to team up and take Ryan down for good.
Without a second thought, Lang Chen shouted, and a thousand evil wolves erupted above his head, surging out to surround Ryan completely.
Hong Kong's number-one sorcerer was no joke—just this move alone put him in the top ten masters.
"Kill!" Lang Chen shouted, and the evil wolves went crazy, tearing at Ryan from all sides. In a blink, Ryan was completely surrounded, unable to move.
Right then, Huo Yinlong raised his golden spear, clad in his top-tier armor, and charged straight for Ryan's throat like a god of slaughter.
This was their plan: Lang Chen's secret art pinned Ryan in place, while Huo Yinlong went for the kill with the golden spear—aimed right at Ryan's vital spot.
"Kid, you might be clever, strong, and have limitless potential, but running into the two of us today—you're dead!" Huo Yinlong was riding high, convinced he and Lang Chen would win.
But right at that moment, the Ghost Elder inside Ryan snorted coldly: "Ryan, it's time to show your true Golden Core power. One word—kill. Finish these two bastards for good!"