A ray of dawn finally lit up all of Harbor City. But this supposedly brilliant morning had zero signs of life—there wasn’t a single soul on the streets, everyone was holed up at home, too scared to move. The Su family residence and Martial Arts Association President Leonard Liu’s place were surrounded on all sides. The whole city was basically paralyzed.
In this world where strength is king, the strong always get to call the shots!
And the Azure Dragon Society is exactly that kind of "strong."
In Jiangdong Province, they’re the real local emperors—from the government down to the common folk, almost nobody dares defy them. Even the military is extra wary of them now.
This brutal organization has roped in way too many heavy hitters, and they’ve got deep ties with Jinling—the number one city in Jiangnan. Once they make a move, almost nobody can stand in their way.
Right now, a lot of people in Harbor City are starting to realize just how terrifying it is to publicly declare war on the Azure Dragon Society. Nearby cities are watching in shock—sure, everyone was hyped when the declaration first happened, but seeing the Society strike back so fast and lock down the whole city, nobody dares make a move. Everyone’s staring at Harbor City’s fate, and nobody knows if this little town, famous for the Seven-City Martial Arts Tournament, will get wiped off the map today.
At this moment, a long line of cars was headed for the Azure Dragon Society Pill Hall’s main base. Penny Pan was already dressed to the nines, out front to greet them. Two or three hundred underlings from the other rudders lined up on both sides—the whole scene was basically the Society’s highest-level welcome ceremony.
Obviously, the people arriving weren’t just anyone—the Azure Dragon Protector, two Rudder Masters, three Hall Masters. These are all big shots in the Society, and in all of Jiangdong Province, they’re the real power players. Whether it’s Jiangnan or Jiangbei, these guys can shake the world with a single stomp.
And seeing this whole crew gather in tiny Harbor City? That’s definitely a first!
The motorcade soon parked smoothly outside. The top dogs climbed out one by one. Penny Pan, sharp-eyed as ever, instantly locked onto the most handsome Azure Dragon Protector, then rushed over with a flirty giggle, her sexy body draping itself right into his arms. She purred, "Azure Dragon Protector, you’re finally here! I missed you soooo much!"
As soon as she said that, even the Azure Dragon Protector got a bit weak in the knees—he gave her chest a hard squeeze and laughed, "Me too. Once this is all over, let’s really enjoy ourselves tonight!"
"You’re so bad!" Penny Pan giggled, then shot a sultry look at Chaser and Mad-Kill, the two Rudder Masters behind her, wiggling her hips as if to say, "Once I’m done with the Protector, you two are next." The Rudder Masters knew exactly how wild Penny could get—they exchanged wicked grins. The three Hall Masters behind them swallowed hard, thinking that after the top dogs finished their ‘meat,’ maybe they’d at least get a taste of the ‘soup.’
With that, the Azure Dragon Protector carried Penny Pan slowly into the Pill Hall’s main base. Inside, there were tons of Harbor City citizens—almost all of them were connected to Ryan Ling. Packed inside and out, nearly a thousand people filled the whole garden.
"Yinlian, what’s this about? Didn’t you ask us to help you refine poison-men? Why all these people watching?" The Azure Dragon Protector asked, puzzled.
"Azure Dragon Protector, you don’t know—these people are all rebels. Every single one of them took part in the Declaration of War on the Azure Dragon Society. I brought them here today so they can watch their so-called ‘spiritual pillar’ become my poison-man, and see him willingly become my puppet, totally under my control! Hahaha!" Penny Pan crowed, full of herself.
"That’s actually pretty interesting. I heard that kid Ryan Ling took first place in the Jiangnan Martial Arts Tournament, and even pulled off some big moves along the way—though those details are still classified. The kid’s got some skills!"
"Yeah, if he could take out Vincent Wang in Harbor City, he’s definitely no pushover. Vincent’s fire-control technique was supposed to be top-tier, but he still died by Ryan’s hand!"
"And he managed to rally Harbor City, even get the Seven Cities of Jiangnan to unite and revolt. I heard he even reached out to the military—kid’s got serious charisma!"
......
Hearing the Hall Masters’ sighs, the Azure Dragon Protector frowned and snapped, "What are you even saying? Praising the enemy and killing our own morale—are you even Hall Masters? If he was really that strong, would Yinlian have caught him? Say one more word of that crap and I’ll cut your tongues out!"
"W-We wouldn’t dare!" The three Hall Masters quickly bowed their heads.
"Exactly. If he was really that tough, would he have ended up in my hands? The Ten-Thousand-Poison Source has been growing inside him all night—he’s way past saving now. No matter how strong or talented, it’s game over!" Penny Pan gloated.
"True that! Yinlian, you nailed it this time—catching that guy and using him to scare all the rebels in Harbor City is a huge win for the Azure Dragon Society!"
"Azure Dragon Protector, if this works out, Yinlian should at least get promoted to Deputy Protector!"
"Forget Deputy Protector—I say don’t even wait for year-end. Once this is done, promote her straight to Protector!"
The two Rudder Masters kept talking, and Penny Pan was grinning so hard her face was about to split—she was absolutely glowing.
"Alright, let’s check out that kid first!" The Azure Dragon Protector smiled, then gave Penny Pan’s butt a hard squeeze—he was clearly getting impatient. Once Ryan Ling was dealt with, he couldn’t wait to party with Penny.
Penny Pan gave a perfect little shimmy, instantly making the Azure Dragon Protector swallow hard in excitement.
Soon, the dungeon’s iron chains started to rattle, and the sealed entrance slowly began to open.
......
"Is... is Ryan really...?" Sophie Su was already in tears, huddled in the farthest corner. She hadn't slept since last night, her mind filled with Ryan Ling, haunted by visions of his death. It felt like she was about to be separated from her beloved forever.
"No way, Ryan will be fine! These scumbags can't take him down—you gotta believe in him, we all do!" Next to her, Lily Liu clenched her fists. She was just as upset as Sophie, but as the older sister, she had to keep calm. Deep down, though, she truly believed her 'little brother' would be okay.
No one else spoke; everyone looked utterly hopeless. Even Gabriel Su hung his head in despair—he’d seen Ryan Ling and the Ten-Thousand-Poison Source go down together with his own eyes yesterday. More than anyone, he knew Ryan’s chances weren’t good.
Soon, a massive iron platform slowly rose up. A beam of sunlight shot in, landing right on a young man sitting cross-legged. He sat there like a statue, perfectly still, as if every sign of life had vanished.
"Ryan!" Sophie Su couldn’t help but cry out when she saw her beloved appear. Lily Liu quickly covered her mouth.
Penny Pan stared at Ryan Ling in shock. The Ten-Thousand-Poison Source had been eating away at him all night—his body should’ve been falling apart. But not only was he fine, he looked even more radiant, even more masculine. For a split second, Penny flashed back to that passionate scene between Ryan and Angie Chen, and, to her surprise, she felt herself getting wet.
The high-and-mighty Azure Dragon Protector was seriously pissed. He barked, "Someone get up there and slap him ten times—left and right! Damn it, acting all high and mighty in front of me? Screw that!"
"Azure Dragon Protector, let me! I can’t stand his cocky attitude either!" Mason Ma, Hall Master of the Divine Martial Hall, snorted coldly and swaggered over. Mason was the strongest of the Hall Masters—his special cultivation technique made each punch hit as hard as a Blue-Realm grandmaster. If Penny Pan made Protector, Mason was a shoo-in for Rudder Master, so he was extra eager to step up this time.
But just as Mason Ma swung his hand to slap him, Ryan Ling’s eyes suddenly snapped open—a tidal wave of qi instantly locked around Mason’s throat…