At this moment, the entire Yan Family of Jinling was drowned in mourning.
Serena Yan, Rose Yates, Anqi Chen, Sophie Su, Lily Liu and the rest of the girls had cried themselves dry over Ryan Ling. Some were even ready to die for him, but the more mature Serena and Rose stopped them. Deep down, everyone still clung to a sliver of hope—faith in Ryan.
In everyone’s eyes, Ryan Ling was a total legend—no way he’d go down so easy. Plus, rumors kept swirling that he wasn’t dead, just gathering strength, ready to come back for revenge.
That was everyone’s one and only hope, so nobody wanted to give up. Everyone was determined to hang in there till the end.
But after waiting day after day, with so many days gone and still no news, hope plummeted. Most people were on the edge of despair.
And just to make things worse, everyone now knew that Philip Qin had broken through to the Saint Realm and become Jiangnan’s First Saint—basically invincible. It was like getting stabbed all over again.
“General Li, this time we’re really finished. Philip Qin has become a Saint, now he’s unbeatable in Jiangnan. Even if we had some support before, I bet nobody’s sticking their neck out for us now!” Gabriel Xue, still holding out, was utterly hopeless, tears streaming down his face.
Beside him, General Kenneth Li kept shaking his head. He’d gone all-in for Ryan Ling, for the sake of brotherhood and trust. Since he’d promised Ryan, he was determined to see it through.
But this was just too much. The moment he decided to back Ryan, nearly all of Jinling’s nobles turned on him—smearing his name, causing trouble even in the military district. One thing after another piled up, making it hard to breathe.
And now, hearing that Philip Qin had made Saint, he instantly felt cold all over. He knew that once the other side reached Saint Realm, no matter how hard he tried, it would be useless.
“Damn it, if all else fails I’ll get you out of the city tonight. I refuse to believe that with the Jinling Military Region’s full force, anyone would dare stop me!” General Kenneth Li clenched his fist, already resolved to go all out against Philip Qin.
“Commander, I don’t know how to repay your kindness. My brother’s fate is still unknown, but you’re willing to risk everything for us—what can I say?” Gabriel Xue was moved to tears. Without Kenneth Li, he’d have no idea what to do.
“Say no more. Hurry and get ready, we’ll leave as soon as night falls!” Kenneth Li clenched his fist and urged them on.
But just as he finished speaking, a beam of Saint light suddenly shone into the Yan Family estate, instantly flooding every corner in holy radiance.
“We’re done for!” Kenneth Li felt his scalp tingle, and Gabriel Xue’s face changed dramatically. Neither expected Philip Qin to come for them so soon after breaking through to the Saint Realm.
“Is it still possible to escape now?” Gabriel Xue clenched his fist and called out anxiously.
“No way! We’re sealed in—and it’s a Saint Realm seal. Nobody can get out!” Kenneth Li finished speaking and nearly collapsed to the floor.
He knew this Saint Realm seal was insanely strong. Forget breaking through with brute force—even if they brought in planes and artillery from the military district, it wouldn’t budge.
Just as he was sinking into despair, a voice suddenly shouted: “All traitors of the Yan Family, kneel and accept death—your time is up!”
With the Saint light’s seal, several Heaven-Tier Void Realm auras descended, completely locking down the Yan Family estate.
“You people really want to defy heaven and start killing here?” Kenneth Li shot back, not backing down for a second. This patriotic general clearly wasn’t going to give up until the very end.
“Courting death!” But before he could finish, a Heaven-Tier Void Realm force smashed down on him. Kenneth Li couldn’t withstand it—he was instantly hurled across the room, his arm snapping with a sickening crack.
“You guys really dare attack the Jinling Military Region’s commander in broad daylight?” Gabriel Xue was panicking—he had no way out now. He whipped out the Heaven-Sealing Mark left by Ryan Ling, his last trump card.
“Heh, you think that little trick left behind by that brat can stop me?” This time, it wasn’t just any Heaven-Tier expert—it was Philip Qin himself. Under the crushing Saint Realm power, the Heaven-Sealing Mark shattered instantly, and half the Yan estate collapsed. Sophie Su, Lily Liu, and the others screamed as they were swept out, faces pale with terror.
“Ha! I’d heard Ryan Ling kept a bunch of beauties, but I never believed it. Turns out it’s true! Looks like tonight we brothers can really have some fun!”
“That’s right, we’ve worked hard—time for us to enjoy ourselves!”
“Don’t worry, once we wipe out all the men, you can play with these women however you like. Lord Qin will hand them out as rewards!”
All around, the clan elders and lackeys stared at the beautiful women sprawled on the ground, drooling and itching to rush over and vent their lust.
“Lord Qin, we can’t wait any longer. Let’s finish this—today’s your big day! Wipe out these rebels so we can celebrate properly!”
“Exactly—let’s get it over with. We’ve already torn up the last bit of pretense with Kenneth Li, and now that you’re a Saint, nobody in Jinling would dare say a word if you killed him right here.”
Next to them, Walter Shen and Hugo Fang snickered—they’d already set their sights on Serena Yan and Rose Yates. As soon as Philip Qin wiped everyone out, they planned to take the women home and “train” them slowly, especially Serena, who they agreed to share.
“No problem. Since you all have the same idea, I’ll make sure everyone gets their share! But let me kill a few people first.” Philip Qin’s eyes locked onto Kenneth Li.
Kenneth Li refused to back down, shouting, “Philip Qin, now that you’re a Saint, you should understand the true meaning of sainthood is benevolence. But you just broke through and already want to kill—do you have any virtue at all? Are you even worthy of being called a Saint? I say you’re not even worthy of being called human!”
“You dare insult a Saint? Kenneth Li, you deserve a thousand cuts! Kill him, Lord Qin—if he lives, he’s a disaster!” Hugo Fang roared, his voice nearly tearing the air. The Fang Family had long hated Kenneth Li, whose crusades against smuggling had cost them dearly.
“Kenneth Li, General Li, looks like you’re dead for sure today. After you die, I’ll report to Yan Capital’s Military Commission that you died in battle and get you a little compensation—ha!” Philip Qin didn’t hesitate, grabbing Kenneth and slowly lifting him into the air.
“General Li!”
“Commander!”
“Commander!”
…
At this moment, everyone could only watch helplessly—no one was strong enough to help.
“Commander? Ha! You’re nothing but trash to me. Ever since you helped Frank Qin, you’ve been asking for death. You think I won’t kill you? You think your title means anything? Today, in front of all Jinling, I’ll wipe you out!” Philip Qin shouted, sending a beam of Saint light toward Kenneth Li’s head.
“Philip Qin, even as a ghost I’ll never let you go!” Kenneth Li cried, shaking with rage.
“Big Brother Kenneth, if you go first, I’ll follow right after!” Gabriel Xue dropped to his knees—Kenneth had mentored him from nobody to a famous general, and now wanted to make him deputy commander. A soldier dies for his soulmate; Gabriel didn’t hesitate.
At this moment, everyone else—even the women—knelt down. If Kenneth Li was killed, none would live on in humiliation; they’d all decided to die and join the loyal dead, then head to the Yellow Springs to find Ryan Ling.
“Die!” Philip Qin shouted, and Kenneth Li’s head was about to fall.
But at the critical moment, a surge of Golden Core qi blasted skyward, instantly shattering Philip Qin’s Saint light.
“Who dares disrespect a Saint?” Hugo Fang roared.
Standing in the center, Philip Qin froze—he was shocked. He’d reached Saint Realm, no one in Jiangnan should be able to block his Saint light. But this new power suppressed him completely.
Even more shocking, the Saint light seal over the Yan Family estate began to crumble.
“It’s me!” A voice rang out, and a golden-robed figure appeared before Kenneth Li—before everyone.
In that instant, all the desperate people shouted through tears, “Ryan Ling! He’s back!”