Ian Song dropped from midair, landing squarely on Martin Zhu's broad back. The impact made the ground tremble, and Martin's face twisted in shock and fury.
"You want to die!" Martin Zhu bellowed, his voice echoing across the field.
Martin Zhu flew into a rage, roaring as he swung a palm at Ian Song. But before his strike could land, Ian's gaze sharpened, ready for the counter.
A flash of sword light—Martin Zhu's right arm was sliced clean off at the shoulder. Blood sprayed in the air, drawing gasps from the onlookers.
"Don't get any funny ideas!" Ian Song snapped, pressing the tip of his sword closer to Martin's neck.
Ian Song twirled his sword and taunted, "You should behave yourself, Martin Zhu."
"You bastard!" Martin Zhu spat, struggling against the pressure. Rage burned in his eyes, but his body refused to obey.
Martin Zhu howled, elemental force raging through his body as he tried to throw Ian Song off. But a surge of power erupted from beneath Ian's foot, ruthlessly pinning Martin in place, making escape impossible.
Although Ian Song's cultivation was only at the early Core Formation stage, after taking all sorts of pills, his foundation was terrifyingly deep. Plus, he cultivated a top-tier Emperor-Grade technique, so his strength was already on par with Sigilforge experts. Anyone who underestimated him now would pay dearly.
Right now, suppressing the exhausted and wounded Martin Zhu was a piece of cake! Ian barely had to exert himself, and the difference in power was obvious to everyone watching.
With a casual wave of his hand, Ian Song sealed off the area, isolating the others with a shimmering barrier. Then, he pressed a fingertip to Martin Zhu's brow, channeling three consecutive Puppet Mastery Divine Arts without hesitation.
Martin Zhu struggled for a moment, but it was useless. In the blink of an eye, he was fully enslaved, his will crushed by Ian's power.
"How many King-Grade techniques does the Zhu Family possess?" Ian Song demanded, voice cold and direct.
Martin Zhu replied honestly, bowing his head. "Master, two! The one I cultivate is called Bloodflame Canon, one of our King-Grade techniques. The other, Mystic Ice Canon, is reserved for the family patriarch alone!"
"Then, recite Bloodflame Canon for me!" Ian Song ordered, his gaze sharp as ever.
"Yes, Master!" Martin Zhu answered, voice hollow.
Martin Zhu began reciting the entire Bloodflame Canon, taking a full fifteen minutes to finish. Sweat beaded on his brow as he spoke every word without pause.
"Once fifteen minutes have passed, kill yourself." Ian Song said flatly, not bothering to look back.
With the formation lifted, Ian Song drifted away, leaving Martin Zhu and the others behind in stunned silence.
A nearby Core Formation cultivator coughed nervously, stepping closer. "Uncle Minghui, are you all right?" he asked, worry etched on his face.
A Core Formation cultivator staggered to his feet, his legs trembling as he approached Martin Zhu, worry etched on his face.
"Let's head back," Martin Zhu said, voice heavy with defeat.
Martin Zhu let out a heavy sigh and led the crippled group toward Hongtian City. The journey was silent and grim. Halfway there, without warning, Martin drew a dagger and sliced off his own head, collapsing instantly.
An hour later, the dust had barely settled.
The Zhu Family returned with Martin Zhu's corpse, sending shockwaves through the entire clan. Whispers and panic spread like wildfire.
When Gavin Zhu heard the story from the crippled Core Formation cultivators, he nearly ground his teeth to dust. That damn brat again! Because of that little beast, this was already the second Sigilforge expert the Zhu Family had lost. Rage simmered in his chest, threatening to explode.
Sigilforge experts aren't like cabbages—you can't just grow one overnight. It takes a mountain of effort and resources to cultivate even a single one. Gavin's heart ached at the loss.
"Spread my order—hunt down Evan Chu at all costs!" Gavin Zhu roared, his authority shaking the room.
As for Gavin Zhu's rage, Ian Song couldn't care less. He appeared once again in Linyuan City, heading straight for the Jiang Family, one of the top martial clans in town.
"Who are you, sir?" Ying Jiang asked, eyes full of caution.
Ying Jiang, the Jiang Family's representative, eyed Ian Song warily, sizing him up.
"I've got a deal that'll benefit you!" Ian Song said, flashing a sly grin.
Ian Song grinned and tossed a cultivation manual over, the book landing lightly in Ying Jiang's hands.
Ying Jiang instinctively caught the manual, staring at Ian Song in confusion. "What's this supposed to mean?" he asked, eyebrows raised.
"Just take a look," Ian Song replied, sounding almost bored.
Ian Song smiled, watching as Ying Jiang flipped open the manual. After reading just a short section, Ying's face twisted in shock and delight. "This... this is a King-Grade technique!" he gasped.
"That's right!" Ian Song nodded, looking smug.
"What do you want in exchange?" Ying Jiang asked, struggling to hide his excitement, hands trembling slightly.
"Half of the Jiang Family's assets," Ian Song replied, his tone casual as if discussing pocket change.
"Deal!" Ying Jiang agreed instantly, not even hesitating.
An hour later, Ian Song left the Jiang Family with a sack full of gold. That same day, he visited several other martial clans in Linyuan City, trading the Zhu Family's Bloodflame Canon for half of their assets each time.
After that, Ian Song made the rounds in every city under the Zhu Family's thumb, gifting Bloodflame Canon to martial clans left and right. Most were happy to pay half their assets for it, but a few greedy types tried to keep the manual for free—so Ian taught them a lesson and cleaned out their entire estates.
In just one day, Bloodflame Canon ended up in the hands of twenty-five martial clans, and Ian Song pocketed nearly fifty million taels of gold worth of assets. The news spread like wildfire.
Over the next ten days, Ian Song barely stopped to rest.
He traveled from city to city, selling Bloodflame Canon to every martial clan he could find. The manual changed hands so fast, even Ian lost track.
By the eighth day, word of Ian Song peddling Bloodflame Canon had spread everywhere. The Zhu Family got wind of it and flew into a rage, sending enforcers to every corner trying to recover the manual.
But once you've tasted the meat, who's going to spit it out—especially when it's a King-Grade technique? Even when Zhu Family enforcers came knocking, the clan heads all stood their ground and refused to give it back.
During this time, Ian Song sold the manual to hundreds of martial clans. None of them were as powerful as the Zhu Family, but together, they formed a massive force. The Zhu Family didn't dare go too far, worried about sparking a united backlash.
Besides, even if they managed to reclaim the manual, the clan heads had already memorized it. Unless the Zhu Family killed them all, there was no way to get it back—and they couldn't afford to do that.
That day, in Eastplate City, on a bustling street, Ian Song waved a book in his hand and shouted, "Come take a look! King-Grade technique, only one tael of gold!" His voice boomed over the crowd.
Hearing Ian Song's loud hawking, the crowd stared at him with odd expressions, some amused, some suspicious.
Quite a few people cursed him as a scammer. King-Grade technique for just one tael of gold? What a joke! Only a fool would believe that. Laughter and jeers echoed down the street.
Ian Song didn't care at all. The manual in his hand really was King-Grade. If anyone believed him and bought it, they'd strike it rich; if not, whatever—he wasn't forcing them. After all, his goal was to ruin the Zhu Family's monopoly. If they wanted the manual back, he'd just spread it until every passerby knew it.
"Senior Sister Sectmaster, look! Isn't that the guy who fought us for the manual at the auction?" a young girl exclaimed, tugging at her companion's sleeve.
Just as Ian Song had been shouting for ages with no takers, a young girl suddenly pointed at him and spoke to the older woman beside her. The crowd's attention shifted.
The red-clad woman called Senior Sister Sectmaster turned her head, frowning. "What is he up to now?" she muttered, her gaze sharp.
"Isn't he shouting about selling King-Grade techniques? Let's just buy one and take a look. If it's fake, we can beat him up—serves him right for snatching the manual from us at the auction!" another girl whispered slyly, eyes glinting with mischief.
Ian Song suddenly called out to the three women, "Hey there, gorgeous ladies! Want a King-Grade technique? Just one tael of gold!" He winked, putting on his best salesman act.
"Let me see first!" the troublemaking girl demanded, striding over.
The girl who wanted to cause trouble strode over, snatched the manual from Ian Song, and flipped through it carelessly. But her eyes suddenly widened in disbelief. She turned to the red-clad woman. "Senior Sister Sectmaster... this... this really looks like a King-Grade technique!" she stammered.
"Let me see!"
The red-clad woman waved her hand, and the manual landed in her palm. After reading for a bit, her expression turned utterly shocked—she was certain this was a real King-Grade technique.
But what she couldn't figure out was, if this manual was real, why was he selling it for just one tael of gold?
"You've looked it over. Are you buying or not?"
Ian Song urged impatiently.
"Why?" the red-clad woman asked, staring at Ian Song.
"Buy it if you want, or leave if you don't—don't waste my time!" Ian Song snatched the manual back and started hawking again.
The girl immediately grew angry, waving her fist at Ian Song. "Hey, what's with your attitude? You wanna—"
"Junior Sister, don't be rude!"
The red-clad woman stopped her with a stern look, then handed Ian Song a tael of gold. "I'll buy your manual!"
Ian Song took the gold, handed the manual to the red-clad woman, then pulled out another manual from who-knew-where and kept shouting. The red-clad woman's face darkened.