Hearing the voice, Martin Markham suddenly looked up.
Everyone looked up and saw a youth descending from midair—Evan Lin, heading straight for the spot where Martin Markham stood, landing lightly on the ground.
A chill ran through Martin Markham's heart. He didn't care about anything else, and rolled aside as fast as he could.
Almost at the very moment he jumped away, Evan Lin took his place where Martin Markham had just been standing.
The youth who landed from the sky set one foot on the ground. There was no earth-shattering noise—just a calm, light step.
Evan Lin looked at Martin Markham, who had rolled to the side and whose expression was flickering, and spoke calmly: "The young master of the Markham Clan really does know how to treat guests."
Evan Lin looked at Martin Markham, who had rolled to the side, his expression flickering, and spoke calmly: "The young master of the Markham Clan really does know how to treat guests."
"I just wonder, are you planning to give me your spot, or have you been scared out of your wits?"
Master Lin's words fell.
Everyone turned to look at Martin Markham.
Martin Markham clenched his fists, his face burning with embarrassment.
He thought Evan Lin's step from the sky would be overwhelmingly powerful, so he panicked and dodged in a hurry—only to find it had no force or energy at all, making him lose face for nothing!
"How did you do that?"
Martin Markham straightened up, face dark, staring at Evan Lin. His eyes flickered. "You actually escaped from two third-grade Pointing-to-Mystery experts, and killed them outright."
"What method did you use?"
Martin Markham's expression changed suddenly. He gritted his teeth, gathered all his strength, and instantly formed a visible barrier of inner force in front of him.
Martin Markham's expression changed suddenly. He gritted his teeth, gathered all his strength, and instantly formed a visible barrier of inner force in front of him.
"To deal with two small fry like that, you think I need a magic artifact?"
Evan Lin shook his head and casually waved his hand.
A blast of inner force shot straight at Martin Markham.
Martin Markham was blasted to the ground by that inner force, his face deathly pale.
The barrier looked solid, but the moment Master Lin's inner force hit, it shattered like glass against a stone.
Bang!
Maran Ma was blasted to the ground by that inner force, his face deathly pale.
"Such powerful inner force."
The onlookers saw this scene and their hearts all skipped a beat.
"The dignified young master of the Ancient-Martial Ma Family can't even withstand a casual strike from Master Lin from Seacrest?"
"I thought the Ma Family's young master would be way stronger than this!"
The group looked over and started discussing in hushed voices.
"You're asking for death!"
Martin Markham heard the voices around him, his face twisted with rage. He suddenly looked up.
He stomped forward, his inner force suddenly becoming solid and dense. With one hand, he grabbed a longsword out of thin air and charged straight at Evan Lin.
With a flick of his wrist, a burst of sword-flowers appeared, transforming in midair into a storm of sword-rain. The sword-rain surged like a tide, sweeping up clouds of dust, its momentum fierce.
As the sword advanced, hundreds of sword-lights formed in front of Martin Markham, blanketing the sky. Martin's face twisted in fury as he stared hard at Evan Lin.
The spectators cried out in shock.
Master Lin stood before the sword-rain, his expression cold and indifferent. He opened his mouth and spoke lightly.
That single sword-light met Martin Markham's hundreds of sword-lights head-on, sweeping through them like a hurricane, wiping out every last one in the blink of an eye.
Martin Markham froze in midair, completely locked down by that sword-light.
That single sword-light met Maran Ma's hundreds of sword-lights head-on, sweeping through them like a hurricane, wiping out every last one in the blink of an eye.
Maran Ma froze in midair, completely locked down by that sword-light.
The entire sword-light pierced into Martin Markham's body. He was sent flying, crashed to the ground with a thunderous boom, and a cloud of dust billowed up around him.
Just one move.
The crowd was utterly silent.
The Yun Family Patriarch looked utterly defeated, Yun Zhi's eyes trembled, and Zhan Tianyu's face was full of delight.
Old Master Zhan was so excited that he sprang up from his wheelchair.
"So this is all the Ancient-Martial Ma Family is capable of?"
Evan Lin looked down, watching Martin Markham struggle shakily to his feet from the ground.
Martin Markham gasped for breath, a gaping wound at his chest. His face was as pale as a ghost from hell.
"Master Lin from Seacrest!"
Martin Markham's voice was hoarse, his words leaking air. He'd lost all his former poise, looking every bit a dying man. "In front of the Markham Clan, what right do you have—what right do you have to lay hands on us?"
"And your strength—your strength! Why is it so overwhelming?"
Martin Markham's voice was filled with humiliation and unwillingness. He clutched his chest, trying to stand, but his bones and meridians had been completely wrecked by that sword strike.
"It's not that I'm too strong—it's that you're too weak."
Master Lin shook his head and casually waved his hand.
With that move, over a hundred blasts of inner force appeared at once.
The inner force shot through the air. Smack! The first blast struck Martin Markham's face.
Martin Markham grunted, sent flying once again.
Before he could hit the ground, the second blast of inner force appeared beneath him, smashing into him and sending him back up.
The third, fourth, and countless blasts followed, each one striking Martin Markham right as he was about to hit the ground, never missing.
To the onlookers, it looked as if Martin Markham was just a ball, being batted around in midair by blasts of inner force.
His whole body felt weightless. At first, he could still grunt when the blasts struck him, but soon Martin Markham couldn't even make a sound.
He was flung back and forth, never given a chance to hit the ground. The blasts of inner force from Evan Lin seemed endless in the air.
"So this is the Ancient-Martial Ma Family you plan to pledge your loyalty to."
Evan Lin stood there, face indifferent, watching Martin Markham roll about in midair like a plaything. With his back to Patriarch Yun, he spoke calmly.
"Patriarch Yun, I spared your lives once—I didn't take the lives of everyone in your Yun family. Now, is this betrayal the will of your whole family, or just your own decision?"
Master Lin's voice was calm.
But beneath that calm, everyone could sense the storm brewing.
Patriarch Yun trembled all over. His expression shifted repeatedly as he glanced at the powerless Martin Markham, nearly stumbling to the ground.
He hadn't even opened his mouth yet.
Uncle Cheng from the Ma Family's expression changed drastically. He stepped forward, looking at Master Lin, and carefully chose his words: "The divine might of Master Lin from Seacrest—this time, our Ancient-Martial Ma Family has witnessed it firsthand."
"Our Ancient-Martial Ma Family has always welcomed experts from all corners of the world. There have been many misunderstandings before. Could Master Lin from Seacrest show mercy and spare our Ma Family's young master? Afterwards, we can discuss things properly."
"In this world, there are never eternal enemies."
Uncle Cheng spoke, looking at Master Lin, bowing his head respectfully: "Besides, Master Lin from Seacrest, you just defeated two elders in an instant. It looked effortless, but surely it must have cost you something."
"Those two elders weren't your match, but our Ancient-Martial Ma Family still has six more elders of that caliber."
"So... perhaps you should reconsider?"
"Otherwise, if you regret it later, it may be too late."
Uncle Cheng kept his posture humble, his words sounded mild, but the Ma Family's pride was still evident beneath it all.
"Are you threatening me?"
Master Lin didn't turn around, his voice desolate: "The entire Ma Family is beneath my notice, not even worth my consideration."
"If you become my enemy, I'll simply wipe you out."