"Girl, don't speak..."
Lan Yin suddenly spoke, but Rachel Lan still took a step forward.
"Lan Yin, I..."
"No need to say more, girl. Heh, here, it's not your place to interrupt. I've been living... so poorly these years. Really, I've done terribly."
Suddenly, Lan Yin roared. I clenched my fists, staring at the grief and rage in Lan Yin's eyes.
"Failure, again and again. The Lan Family, by your generation, has less than ten people left. If my old man knew, he might climb out of his grave in fury! As an ancestor, I've really failed!"
Rachel Lan looked at Lan Yin with agitation, her voice choked as she kept shaking her head.
Then Lan Yin gave a faint smile, turned his head, and looked at Luke Ling. His expression instantly grew serious.
"Next, I'll risk everything I have, just like before, for..."
With a ripping sound, Lan Yin took off his shirt and pointed at his heart.
For what matters most to me as a human being—Ethan Zhang...
I stepped forward.
"I'm listening, Lan Yin."
"Don't bow your head. Watch everything closely. Never... never yield to evil. If everyone in this world bows to evil, then you must lift your head high..."
I nodded seriously and shouted loudly.
"I heard you clearly, Lan Yin. In my heart, I heard you."
I pointed to my heart. Lan Yin turned to us again, smiled, and then, suddenly, his body began to rise slowly. He raised one hand, and in an instant, thirteen black Vermilion Birds appeared around him. These thirteen birds were different—I looked closely.
The number of tail feathers on each Vermilion Bird was different, from one to thirteen. All thirteen birds arranged themselves like the houses of the Thirteen Fates of the Underworld, with 1, 2, 4, 6 all flapping their wings.
"Oh, have you decided to risk your life?"
"Ah, these thirteen Vermilion Birds represent my fate. Once they all disappear, my life will end. It's just that..."
Lan Yin lowered his head and let out a cold laugh. Then, in an instant, he raised his head and spoke.
"It’s not about throwing my life away. Get it straight—I'm staking my life, to... defeat you."
Luke Ling stared at Lan Yin with cold indifference.
"Do you know why I can see through your moves in such a short time? It's because of the gap in experience. I've lived far longer than you, fought more battles, endured more than you can imagine. Kid, maybe if you survive a few centuries and face some real opponents, you might be able to defeat me."
After speaking, Luke Ling raised both fists, looking seriously at Lan Yin.
"Greater power may mean nothing, but it can shatter everything—including the beliefs you’re so proud of."
With a whoosh, Luke Ling was already in front of Lan Yin. Lan Yin raised the black Phoenix Blade, and with a bang, Luke Ling’s fist struck the blade.
The black Phoenix Blade broke instantly. Lan Yin tried to dodge but was grazed, crashing to the ground with a thud, rolling several times before climbing up, blood streaming from his body, hands waving.
Two blasts of flame roared toward Luke Ling.
"First, the first rule."
Luke Ling dodged the flames, weaving between two streams of black fire, and approached Lan Yin, fists raised.
"This punch will shatter everything you are. The sixth level... ultimate..."
Luke Ling stood upside down above Lan Yin’s head, fist raised high. Lan Yin reacted, immediately raising both hands, black flames swirling around them. In an instant, a mass of black fire surged upward.
A furious roar of flame and tiger echoed, but the black flames split apart, shooting to both sides as if sliced open.
"Lan Yin..."
With a thunderous crash, I saw the place where Lan Yin stood turn completely to ash—flames, even the ground, vanished. The black barrier revealed a gaping void. Lan Yin was gone. Only Luke Ling remained, striding calmly through the air, wisps of white energy swirling around him.
I quickly looked to the sky. Only four Vermilion Birds remained. I stared in shock, remembering what Lan Yin had said—when all thirteen black Vermilion Birds disappear, his life ends.
"I want that head."
Suddenly, Lan Yin appeared beside Luke Ling, wielding the black Phoenix Blade, swinging it at Luke Ling's head.
With a bang, I saw Lan Yin’s Phoenix Blade smash against Luke Ling’s neck.
"Pulse..."
Luke Ling spoke, swinging his elbow at Lan Yin's chest, hammering down with a dreamlike blow. With a bang, Lan Yin spat blood and was sent flying, crashing to the ground.
At that moment, I heard a rapid heartbeat—thump thump thump—echoing with Luke Ling’s rising and falling chest. Lan Yin lay in a pool of blood, and in the sky, another Vermilion Bird vanished.
There was no sound. Rachel Lan was already in tears, trembling, while the rest of the Ghost Burial Squad stared intently at the scene.
"Absolute disparity in power, absolute disparity in experience. Lan Yin, do you still want to fight? Next time, I won’t hold back. One strike will erase you."
Luke Ling’s tone was no joke. Lan Yin coughed, blood spraying as he struggled to his feet.
"You really are a monster. Heh, I have no chance to fight back at all."
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"Not bad. If I’d been a second slower, my head would’ve been gone. But your strength can’t surpass mine, so it’s you lying on the ground, not me."
Lan Yin ignited flames again. As he raised his hand, Luke Ling suddenly extended a finger. Thunder rumbled in the sky as Luke Ling’s right hand became a blur, as if blocking invisible blades.
"Stop playing these boring little tricks, Lan Yin."
"Yeah, at least give me a little time to prepare."
As Lan Yin spoke, he placed one hand in front of him, the other behind.
"This is my strongest strike."
As he spoke, Lan Yin’s body was instantly enveloped in black flames, wrapping him tightly. The surrounding black barriers began to vanish, slowly converging toward Lan Yin.
Gradually, the Four Symbols Black Realm disappeared completely. By then, Lan Yin had transformed into a mass of black fire, but the flame remained still, as if crystallized. In an instant, white smoke rose around Lan Yin, and a wave of intense heat swept toward us.
The stones on the ground slowly melted away.
"It's coming."
As Lan Yin spoke, he suddenly charged at Luke Ling.
"Unleashing all your power—so this is your strongest move. I accept it, your strongest strike."
Luke Ling spoke, hovering in midair, both fists raised, half-crouching in a horse stance.
"Let me show you just how strong someone who has achieved true mastery can be."
A thunderous roar came from Luke Ling’s body, warping the space around him. I felt a tremendous buoyancy—Rachel Lan and I slowly floated upward. In an instant, Lan Yin’s attack turned into black crystalline blocks, suspended motionless in the air.
Fragments of stone and sand on the ground slowly rose into the air, along with everyone nearby. Buildings began to crack, the sound of splitting echoing around us.
With a muffled boom, I didn’t hear any loud noise, but saw Luke Ling standing behind the black crystalline mass, landing on the ground, fists withdrawn.
"What happened?" I stared in shock at my feet, now back on solid ground, my body still trembling.
With two crisp pops, the last two black Vermilion Birds in the sky turned to dust. The final one began to crumble, and cracks appeared on the surface of the black crystal formed from Lan Yin.
Then, with a bang, the black crystal shattered. Lan Yin flew out, landing on the ground, standing silently and motionless.
"Lan Yin..."
I shouted, and at that moment, Luke Ling turned and walked slowly toward Lan Yin.
"You really are tenacious. Among all my opponents, you’d rank in the top ten, Lan Yin."
As he spoke, Luke Ling slowly raised his fist toward Lan Yin.
"The final blow, Lan Yin. You’ve lost."
In an instant, I turned into a mass of crimson flame and charged at Luke Ling. Rachel Lan followed close behind. I raised my fist and struck.
Suddenly, Luke Ling turned and punched at me and Rachel Lan. With a boom, we were hit by a tremendous force and sent flying backward together.
The flames on our bodies were completely extinguished by Luke Ling’s blow. After crashing to the ground, I let out a roar.
"What are you trying to do?"
Luke Ling aimed his fist at Lan Yin again and struck. Crawling on the ground, I raised a hand—I didn’t want to see this, didn’t want to witness it. I shouted, crawling toward them.
Suddenly, Lan Yin turned to me and gave me a smile.
"I lost..."
With a bang, Luke Ling’s fist struck something hard. My eyes widened as I saw his fist turn to powder, and then his whole body was sent flying.
"Who dares to cause trouble here?"
A voice filled with authority rang out.