"Ryan, get out—danger! Run now!" At this moment, sensing the approach of an epic-level powerhouse, the Ghost Elder inside him panicked and shouted urgently.
"No way! I have to save my parents!" Things had come this far—how could he just leave? His parents were still in Jinling, their lives hanging by a thread, on the verge of death. No matter what, he had to force out their whereabouts.
"Stop being stubborn! Your Foundation-Building qi is already burning to the limit, you can't fight any stronger opponent. And the one coming is a Heaven-Tier Void Realm expert—even at your peak, you'd stand no chance. Run! If you don't, it'll be too late!" The Ghost Elder's voice grew more frantic, clearly sensing mortal danger.
Ryan let out a wild roar, his heart in agony. Right now, with the top-tier power of a Heaven-Tier Void Realm pressing down, the layers of Foundation-Building qi shielding him started to unravel one after another.
What kind of existence is a Heaven-Tier Void Realm master? They can monopolize the qi of heaven and earth for themselves—their power is leagues above Earth-Tier Void Realm, not even a thousand Earth-Tier experts could compare, heck, even ten thousand couldn't match a single Heaven-Tier.
A Heaven-Tier Void Realm like that? Hands down, number one in all of Jiangnan.
Ryan can fight Earth-Tier Void Realm experts right now, but that's only because he's trained Thunder Cleave and uses lightning-element sorcery. If he had to rely just on Foundation-Building power, even taking on those five Earth-Tier bosses would be tough.
And honestly, the reason he was able to mow down several people just now was because their mental defenses suddenly collapsed.
Immortal and mortal—totally different leagues, not even on the same dimension.
Cultivating the Immortal path gives a huge edge, but that doesn't mean you're absolutely unbeatable.
As he unleashed his strongest Thunder Cleave, carving a bloody path out, Ryan fired off urgent texts to Gabriel Xue and the others, telling them to retreat to the Yan Family estate. He’d already set up a defensive formation there, plus a top-tier Heaven-Sealing Seal—just in case a nightmare enemy ever showed up.
That defensive array had cost him nearly half his Primeval Heavenwood power, making it insanely tough. As Gabriel Xue and the rest rushed into the Yan compound, Ryan also called General Kenneth Li, commander of the Jinling Military Region, to coordinate protection. Only with everyone working together could they hope to stay safe.
Even someone as freakishly strong as Philip Qin wouldn’t risk going to war with the military unless he was totally desperate.
A thousand thoughts flashed through Ryan’s mind. He’d planned for a lot, but he never expected things to spiral this wildly out of control.
"You little punk! You killed my son and grandson—I'll hunt you down to the ends of the earth if I have to!" Philip Qin had totally snapped, charging at Ryan like a madman. Ryan threw everything into Thunder Cleave, but even his strongest slash—powerful enough to rival a quasi–Dao Artifact—couldn’t scratch Philip. The guy definitely had some kind of ultimate treasure.
Ghost Elder saw through it all—Heaven-Tier Void Realm really was nightmare fuel.
There was no way Ryan could stand up to a monster like this!
"Ryan, get out of Jinling—don’t get stuck fighting him! First, it’ll draw his attention so Gabriel Xue and the others can get into the formation safely. Second, Jinling is his turf. You’ll get wrecked here!" Ghost Elder shouted inside him.
Ryan knew this was the most dangerous moment of his life.
Ryan was fast, but Philip Qin was even faster—he was about to catch up.
"Die!" In a flash, Philip Qin slammed a palm straight at him. Ryan couldn’t dodge—he coughed up blood, his head spinning, organs tumbling inside like he’d been hit by a truck.
His speed crashed—he could barely move now.
"You little punk, you’re dead today! I don’t care how much luck or talent you’ve got—I'm cutting you down for my family!" Philip Qin swung another palm, warping the whole sky. Ryan didn’t hesitate—he threw on the Ghost-King Robe and his best gear, then unleashed his strongest Thunder Cleave to face him head-on.
BOOM! The impact was insane—Philip Qin only stepped back half a pace, but Ryan was blasted clear across the street and slammed into a high-rise. The whole building tilted and collapsed with a deafening crash.
"Ugh!" Ryan coughed up another mouthful of blood. His premium Infernal Glass Ghost-General Armor shattered into pieces, and even the Ghost-King Robe was shaking like crazy.
No way—Heaven-Tier Void Realm was just too strong. Unless Ryan broke through to Golden Core, he had zero chance. And he could sense Philip Qin had a Dao Artifact backing him, making him even scarier.
"Kid, you really are something—no one in Jiangnan has ever survived my first two Death Strikes. But let’s see if you can handle my third!" Philip Qin’s aura exploded—this third palm was ten times deadlier than the last two. Ryan could feel all of Jinling City trembling before it even landed.
"Run, Ryan! That’s Dao Artifact power—if it hits you, you’re toast! Get out now!" Ghost Elder screamed inside him.
Ryan could tell—each of Philip Qin’s Three Death Strikes was stronger than the last. This final one could wipe out a whole city in seconds.
No hesitation—Ryan’s mind was screaming just one thing: RUN.
"Trying to run? You’re not getting out of my Five-Finger Mountain! Get back here!" Philip Qin sneered, tossing out the Emperor’s Jade Seal. Instantly, it lit up the sky—Ryan’s feet froze in place, trapped.
Game over.
Totally game over!
Ryan’s face went ghost-white. The Emperor’s Jade Seal was definitely a Dao Artifact—under its glow, it felt like invisible silk threads were locking him down. He couldn’t move an inch.
Ghost Elder was stunned. He tried to leave Ryan’s body, but the moment his soul slipped out, it started burning under the Jade Seal’s light—he had to scramble back in.
Even a thousand-year-old ghost like Ghost Elder couldn’t handle Heaven-Tier plus Dao Artifact power. All he could do was watch helplessly as Ryan marched toward death.
Philip Qin laughed like a maniac. "You can’t move, huh? Ryan, champion of the Jiangnan Martial Arts Tournament—who’d have thought those idiot parents of yours could have such a freak for a son? You really are something. If you hadn’t killed my son and grandson, I might’ve taken you as a disciple. But now you have to die. I’ll send you on your way—die!" With no more hesitation, he unleashed the final, lethal Death Strike…
"Run, Ryan! That’s Dao Artifact power—if it hits you, you’re toast! Get out now!" Ghost Elder screamed inside him.
Ryan could tell—each of Philip Qin’s Three Death Strikes was stronger than the last. This final one could wipe out a whole city in seconds.
No hesitation—Ryan’s mind was screaming just one thing: RUN.
"Trying to run? You’re not getting out of my Five-Finger Mountain! Get back here!" Philip Qin sneered, tossing out the Emperor’s Jade Seal. Instantly, it lit up the sky—Ryan’s feet froze in place, trapped.
Game over.
Totally game over!
Ryan’s face went ghost-white. The Emperor’s Jade Seal was definitely a Dao Artifact—under its glow, it felt like invisible silk threads were locking him down. He couldn’t move an inch.
Ghost Elder was stunned. He tried to leave Ryan’s body, but the moment his soul slipped out, it started burning under the Jade Seal’s light—he had to scramble back in.
Even a thousand-year-old ghost like Ghost Elder couldn’t handle Heaven-Tier plus Dao Artifact power. All he could do was watch helplessly as Ryan marched toward death.
Philip Qin laughed like a maniac. "You can’t move, huh? Ryan, champion of the Jiangnan Martial Arts Tournament—who’d have thought those idiot parents of yours could have such a freak for a son? You really are something. If you hadn’t killed my son and grandson, I might’ve taken you as a disciple. But now you have to die. I’ll send you on your way—die!" With no more hesitation, he unleashed the final, lethal Death Strike…