"Hear that, Tiger Hua? You really think you still have a way out?" Right then, Ryan Ling didn’t hesitate for a second—he reached out and grabbed Tiger Hua by the throat, lifting North America’s so-called number-one Chinese master clean off the ground.
Right now, everyone was staring at Ryan Ling, utterly shocked inside!
Nobody could’ve imagined that an eighteen-year-old kid—just a nobody a few months ago—would not only defeat Tiger Hua, but beat him this badly!
All around, sword cultivators were sighing in disbelief.
Ryan Ling suddenly swept his gaze across the crowd, sneering, "Anyone else want to beg for him?"
His words hit like thunder, making everyone’s eardrums feel like they were about to burst.
"Please, don’t be angry, Great One! We wouldn’t dare!" Old or young, male or female—nobody dared say another word. As soon as they finished speaking, everyone dropped to their knees, practically repenting for their earlier reckless outbursts.
"Good. And you lot?" Ryan Ling’s sharp eyes had already spotted the Azure Dragon Society members lurking on the distant hillside. Not one of them dared make a sound—not even a peep.
"Retreat—move it!" The Azure Dragon Society members scattered like terrified rabbits, vanishing without a trace. Who’d dare face Ryan Ling head-on now?
The Huo Clan folks were already scared out of their minds, all of them kneeling and lying flat on the ground.
"Spare me—please! I’ll do anything, be your slave, just let me live!" At this point, Tiger Hua was nearly suffocating, his survival instinct forcing him to beg in a hoarse voice.
"Die!" Ryan Ling just sneered, showing no other emotion. He twisted hard—and Tiger Hua’s head was snapped clean off.
The legendary sword master Tiger Hua died in Dragonridge!
"Boss, what about these Huo Clan people? How should we deal with them?" Nearby, Harvey “Million” Jin grinned wickedly at Lady Four Huo, then turned to Ryan Ling for instructions.
"Heh, I knew you’ve been itching for this. Doesn’t matter if they’re men or women—do whatever you want, I don’t care!" Ryan Ling gave Lady Four Huo a pitying look and shook his head.
"Thanks, Boss! Hahaha!" Harvey “Million” Jin laughed excitedly, his eyes immediately locking onto Lady Four Huo with a thief’s gleam.
Lady Four Huo’s face turned green with fear. She suddenly realized Harvey “Million” Jin was already sporting a massive bulge down below—so big it was honestly shocking. Instinctively, she backed away.
"Stay away! I’m the Huo Clan’s housekeeper, a big name in Hong Kong—you mess with me and you’ll regret it!" Before she could finish, Harvey “Million” Jin grabbed her in one swoop.
"Ha! I love fresh young guys, and old, slutty rich ladies—especially the high-society types from Hong Kong. Come on, I’ll make you feel so good you’ll fall head over heels for me!" Harvey “Million” Jin said, then hauled Lady Four Huo off. The rest of the Huo Clan trembled in fear, terrified Harvey might pick them next.
That night, Lady Four Huo’s shrieks echoed through Divine Medicine Valley like a ghost wailing—on and on, all night long.
...
That same night, news of Ryan Ling killing Tiger Hua spread through Jiangdong like a drug.
From Jiangnan to Jiangnorth, everyone was buzzing about it—the internet was flooded, local Weibo hot searches shot straight to number one, and every clan and sect started treating Ryan Ling as a strategic threat. Even martial circles outside China were talking about him, with North American Chinese forums going nuts over photos of Tiger Hua’s corpse.
Overnight, everyone remembered one name—Ryan Ling.
Rumors spread that Ryan Ling’s strength had already reached the Void Realm. A once-in-a-century martial prodigy, just eighteen years old—now even the government and military had to take him seriously.
Meanwhile, inside an antique-style building in the provincial capital, several grim-faced elders sat in a lavish hall, all frowning at the wall’s projection—which showed photos of Tiger Hua’s death.
On the table lay Harbor City’s declaration of war, photos of the Azure Dragon Protector’s death, and a front-facing student photo of Ryan Ling.
Everyone at the meeting was high-level Azure Dragon Society—Protector was the lowest rank present, the rest were Elders. Presiding was Grand Elder Walter Gu, who also happened to be the Azure Dragon Protector’s father.
"This kid really is a freak—he actually killed Tiger Hua. Hard to believe! I never thought our Azure Dragon Society would run into an enemy like this!"
"I think our old plans are toast—just our own strength isn’t enough to wipe him out. We’ll have to wait for the Dragon-Head to come back from Jinling and rethink everything!"
"That’s right. I’d say Ryan Ling’s strength is basically at the Void Realm—maybe he’s already broken through. An eighteen-year-old Void Realm in Jiangdong Province? Now even Jinling and the capital are watching. If we want to take him out, we’d better hurry!"
...
One by one, the Elders and Protectors spoke up—it was clear the whole situation in Jiangdong had changed, and even the Azure Dragon Society felt the crisis.
"What are you all doing—boosting their morale and killing our own? Jiangdong Province is our Azure Dragon Society’s turf! Are we really scared of that kid? Is he really that invincible? Tiger Hua only lost because he underestimated him, and honestly, his reputation was a bit overblown. Number-one Chinese in North America, Void Realm—maybe twenty years ago, but not now. Plus, he was just a Tang Sect Rudder Master in North America, a fancy title but really just a mid-tier fighter!" Walter Gu slammed the table, cutting through the negativity.
Everyone instantly lowered their heads. An elder with a thin mustache smiled, "Walter Gu’s right. Unless we get proof that kid’s not Void Realm, we’ve got at least a thousand ways to deal with him. Plus, I’ll be honest—the Dragon-Head’s trip to Jinling isn’t just to invite a few reps for our twentieth anniversary. He’s bringing them in to help us take Ryan Ling out. If we get a few Void Realm masters to gang up on him, you think he’ll survive?"
(This chapter’s not over yet~.~ Click next page for more!)
Everyone perked up at that.
The mustached elder continued, "And that’s just the start. Walter Gu mentioned Tiger Hua was a Tang Sect Rudder Master—now he’s dead, you think Tang Sect will let it go? Same for the Huo Clan; they’re a huge name in Hong Kong, second only to the top four. Lady Four Huo’s fate is unknown and so many Huo people died—they’ll want payback too. If we line up Tang Sect, the Huo Clan, Jinling’s experts, and our own power, it’ll be four-on-one. Even if Ryan Ling’s some kind of god, we’ll drag him off his pedestal and stomp him into dog shit!"
"Elder Victor Zhuge—our very own Kongming reborn! With that analysis, everyone should know what to do." Walter Gu nodded in satisfaction, then stood up.
"Don’t worry, Walter Gu, we all get it!" Everyone cupped their hands respectfully.
"Good. From now on, no more moves—wait for the Dragon-Head to come back. I’ve already picked the perfect time to wipe him out: one month from now, at the big anti-Japanese victory banquet for Gabriel Xue’s special-ops unit in the provincial capital. That’s when everyone will be relaxed—strike then, and turn his celebration into a funeral!" Walter Gu mimed a throat-slitting gesture.
"Perfect! Absolutely perfect!" Elder Victor Zhuge clapped. "That timing is spot on. Besides Gabriel Xue, all the other commanders can be bought off—even half the division-level officers. When those rebels are all together, drunk and distracted, we hit them out of nowhere—they’ll be dead for sure!"
"Done! One month from now, Ryan Ling and all those Harbor City scum are dead!" Walter Gu finished, murderous intent blazing and a sinister grin spreading across his face...