The three Grandmasters holding Tyson, Wes, and Lynn Ning only saw a blur before feeling a sharp pain between their brows, then lost consciousness and fell into endless darkness...
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
In the next instant, the three bodies collapsed backward, and Tyson, Wes, and Lynn were freed from danger.
"Little Three! Little Four! Little Nine!"
Seeing his three disciples fall, Marcus Ma cried out in shock, then was overcome by boundless rage. All three were his disciples, killed right under his nose. After the fury came a surge of murderous intent.
"You little beast, you will pay with your life for my disciples!"
But just as he moved, the Sword Puppet stepped forward to block him.
"Get out of my way!"
Marcus Ma roared, a spirit-weapon longsword appearing in his hand as he furiously unleashed his rage on the Sword Puppet.
If it were anyone else, they would have been intimidated by his aura and avoided the clash. But the Sword Puppet wasn't human—it was just a battle construct. So, facing Marcus Ma's frenzied attacks, the Sword Puppet neither retreated nor yielded, its longsword flashing out again and again.
Everyone was stunned by the scene—no one had expected Ian Song to actually dare kill someone right in the Sect Master’s Grand Hall.
"You all saw that, didn't you? This kid is lawless—if we let someone with his temperament run loose, he'll become a disaster for Pristine Way sooner or later. Better to deal with him now! Brother Wang, Brother Li, you block Darren Fang Easton; I'll go kill that little beast myself!"
Elder Lutz barked sharply, then lunged straight at Ian Song to kill him.
Darren Fang Easton tried to intercept him, but two other Supreme Elders flashed out and attacked Darren, forcing him to raise his sword and defend himself.
"Die, you little beast!"
In a flash, Elder Lutz was right in front of Ian Song, his eyes gleaming with excitement. If he could personally kill this brat, he'd have a perfect excuse to curry favor with the Military Council. That was why he'd targeted Ian from the start.
"Heh heh!"
Just as Elder Lutz’s palm was about to strike the top of his head, Ian Song showed no fear or panic—instead, he flashed a strange, almost mischievous smile.
"Spatial Stasis!"
Voom!
A compact bubble of frozen space instantly formed, enveloping both him and Elder Lutz.
The longsword swept out, slicing through Elder Lutz's neck.
Three seconds later, the spatial stasis vanished, and a severed head soared into the air.
A jet of fresh blood erupted from the headless corpse, splattering in all directions.
He had originally returned to Pristine Way intending to help resolve their crisis, but was met with hostility. Even then, he hadn't planned to kill anyone—until Marcus Ma ordered Tyson, Wes, and Lynn Ning taken hostage. That finally pushed him over the edge.
After a moment, Elder Lutz's head and corpse hit the ground one after another—the sound wasn't loud, but it struck everyone like a hammer, leaving them both furious and terrified.
"This... how is this possible? How could a mere mid-stage Grandmaster kill a late-stage Supreme Elder!" Elder Shea stared blankly at Lutz's corpse, muttering to himself—even having seen it with his own eyes, he could hardly believe it was real.
Meanwhile, Darren Fang Easton and the other two elders also stopped fighting. They glanced at Lutz's corpse, unable to find words.
Ian Song slowly raised his longsword, pointing it at the Pristine Way elders: "You have truly disappointed me. Always afraid of wolves ahead and tigers behind—no wonder Pristine Way has declined under your leadership!"
At his words, many elders felt deeply ashamed.
Sect Master Ethan Chen Yuanshan's face turned green and white. The next moment, he slammed the table and stood up, glaring at Ian Song: "Leon Huang, you are far too presumptuous! Killing fellow disciples is a grave crime, and killing a Supreme Elder is utterly unforgivable!"
"So what?" Ian Song sneered. "Those three threatened my loved ones—they deserved to die. Elder Lutz tried to kill me, so his death was no loss. Are you allowed to threaten and kill me, but I'm not allowed to resist? Am I supposed to just let you threaten and kill me without fighting back?"
Faced with Ian Song's challenge, everyone was left speechless.
Sect Master Ethan Chen Yuanshan's face grew even uglier. Gritting his teeth, he declared, "As sect master of Pristine Way, I hereby expel Leon Huang from the sect. For his heaven-defying crimes, every Pristine Way disciple is ordered to kill him on sight. Anyone who dares protect him will be treated as a traitor!"
As he finished, Ethan's fierce gaze swept over Darren Fang Easton.
At these words, Ian Song threw back his head and laughed. When the laughter faded, his expression turned icy: "Ethan Chen Yuanshan, you want to kill me, but you don't have what it takes. On the Blood River Battlefield, I led my men to slaughter six hundred thousand Devil Race soldiers, terrifying them so much they didn't dare cross the river. Today, anyone who stands against me will find my sword merciless!"
"What? Six hundred thousand Devil Race?!"
Everyone was shaken to the core, their eyes full of disbelief.
"Do you know why the Military Council is so desperate to recruit me?" Ian Song continued, "Because I've condensed a Heaven-Rank Domain, and even on my first try, my domain covered a radius of 150 meters—and it's a Five-Element Domain!"
"That's impossible!"
Someone voiced their doubt.
Boom!
Ian Song's domain appeared, instantly enveloping a radius of 180 meters. The shimmering five-colored light made everyone's eyes contract.
"Of course, that's not all. The Military Council wouldn't be so desperate over just that, because I also command array formations and teleportation arts. With a single thought, I can move anywhere within three hundred li. Do you know how I wiped out the Devil Race's six hundred thousand-strong army?
I led a team of Martial Saints to do it!
And besides that, I've fused three Martial Souls—one High-Grade, one King-Rank, and one Emperor-Rank!
Heavens!
At this, nearly everyone gaped, their faces showing shock, doubt, regret, and even delight.
I'm so outstanding, even the Military Council is terrified—if they can't have me, they'd rather destroy me. And you idiots actually want to push me away. Truly foolish!
Ian Song spat out a heavy breath: "Do you know why I came back to Pristine Way? Because I found out the sect is under attack by the Sea Emperor Sect, Divine Moon Sect, and Sky-Net Gate. Damn it, I came back out of goodwill to help, but you heartless bastards just want to use me to curry favor with the Military Council. Truly chilling."
Or did you really think I've reached the end of the road? Don't kid yourselves—if I hide out in Sanctum Martial Academy, the Military Council still can't touch me, because all six deans of Sanctum would stake their lives to protect me! Do you know why? Because I can bring glory to the academy—unlike you shortsighted fools!
Ian Song paused, his gaze falling on Ethan Chen Yuanshan, and asked playfully, "So, Ethan, do you still want to kill me now?"
Faced with Ian Song's arrogant question, Ethan Chen Yuanshan hesitated, torn between fear and indecision.
After a long silence, murderous intent suddenly surged in his eyes. He barked coldly, "All Supreme Elders, heed my command—kill this little beast with everything you've got!"