"Master!"
Faye Zheng's face changed dramatically when she saw who entered the door. "What did you just say? Aren't you supposed to be helping the Zheng family?"
"And... you, you called him—did you just call him Master?"
Faye Zheng looked dazed, her face pale, clearly shaken by what she'd just heard.
"Yeah, Master Yan, what are you saying? You can't just say things like that!"
Gavin Pan stood up from his seat, voice trembling as he saw Master Yan walk in.
Old Master George Zheng and the others looked especially grim.
Even Ben Moran was frowning deeply at this moment.
"Junior Sister, come over to Master. As long as you follow Master now, whatever happens next, Master will keep you safe."
"Besides that, Master can help you become the next head of the Zheng family! All the Zheng family's assets will be yours! Hurry up and come over!"
Behind Master Yan, Leo Li poked his head out and shouted at Faye Zheng.
"Senior Brother, Master, what are you even talking about?"
Faye Zheng kept shaking her head, her mind still numb.
"Oh, looks like my disciple Yan never told you."
Raymond Cold glanced over at Faye Zheng and let out a strange laugh: "He only took you as his disciple because I wanted him to."
"He's my disciple, and you're his disciple. So technically, I'm your grandmaster."
Raymond Cold was all smiles.
Henry Keene sneered, "You Zheng fools really think someone would value Faye Zheng just for her talent?"
Faye Zheng, come over now. If you join the Keene family, we’ll keep your whole family safe. From today on, you’ll be in charge of the Zheng family!
As soon as he said that, Gavin Pan and Claire Zheng’s faces changed dramatically.
Faye Zheng's expression flickered for a long time. Over on the other side, Leon Zheng and Hans Zheng were both frowning hard.
"I didn't expect you'd been setting up this trap for so long."
Old Master George Zheng let out a sigh.
"What else did you expect?"
Master Yan smiled. "My master is a far-sighted genius, now a Yin–Yang Realm master. To go through all this trouble just to deal with you rats—shows how much he values you!"
"Even so, let me test your skills!"
Ben Moran's face was full of anger. He stepped forward, and a massive palm of inner force formed in front of him, ready to crush Master Yan.
A first-grade Vajra—even an injured one—is still a force to be reckoned with.
Master Yan clicked his tongue in mock admiration. Seeing the overwhelming pressure coming his way, he pulled out a small bell and his face grew cold. "But no matter how strong you are, with Thousand-Venom Blight in your system, it's all pointless."
Master Yan flicked his wrist, and the bell in his hand jingled sharply.
The next moment, Ben Moran's face twisted. He spat out a mouthful of blood, and all the surging inner force in front of him vanished.
"For this day, I spent over ten years just to find the chance to poison you."
Master Yan laughed loudly. "A first-grade Vajra—so what!"
He turned his gaze to Faye Zheng, his smile growing softer. "Faye, listen to Master. Make your choice now. If you come to my side, the Zheng family will be yours."
"No way."
Faye Zheng kept shaking her head, tears streaming down her face, unable to accept this sudden betrayal. "It can't be true!"
"Face reality, little girl. Your Zheng family brought this on yourselves. If you'd just handed over Joy Zheng and that boy earlier, everything would be settled by now."
Old Master Keene stood with his hands behind his back, looking completely at ease.
"Hand them over! We'll do it! Right now, just take Joy Zheng and that kid away, please!" Susan Xu stood up, shaking with fear.
"Now you want to hand them over?" Old Master Keene sneered. "Too late."
He turned to Raymond Cold beside him and spoke respectfully, "Daoist, it's up to you now."
Raymond Cold nodded and strode forward, his gaze landing on Master Luke seated nearby, his tone playful: "Master Luke, are you awake yet?"
"Master Luke, Master Luke?" Old Master George Zheng took a deep breath and called out to the man in the grand armchair. "Master, the fate of the Zheng family is in your hands!"
Old Master George Zheng looked visibly tense.
Everyone in the Zheng family turned to look at Master Luke.
Now that Ben Moran had lost his fighting strength, the Zheng family was completely on the defensive. Their only hope was that Master Luke could turn the tide.
"Mm."
Master Luke opened his eyes, looked down at Raymond Cold, and slowly rose from the armchair. "If that's the case, let me show you what I can do."
Master Luke squeezed his fingers, and a peachwood sword appeared in his hand.
"I never wanted to meddle in worldly affairs again, but since I owe Old Master George Zheng a favor, I'll settle it today."
"Come, let me see what you're capable of!"
Master Luke's voice was deep and resonant. Gripping the peachwood sword in one hand, he stomped the floor, activating the Seven Stars formation. Flames erupted from the sword, and with a downward chop, the fire split and converged into a blazing red lotus, hurtling toward Raymond Cold.
Seeing this mystical scene, the Zheng family members' faces lit up with excitement and hope.
"You call that skill worthy of the title 'Master'? And you went all the way to Mount Wutai to invite him?"
Evan Lin frowned slightly, thinking to himself.
Amateurs watch the spectacle; experts see the real technique.
The fire lotus Master Luke conjured looked powerful, but in reality, it was just for show.
It might work against ordinary fighters, but against Raymond Cold, it was clearly outclassed.
"You lay there playing dead, chanting spells for so long—I thought you'd have something impressive. Turns out this is all you've got?"
Raymond Cold sneered, tapping his cane on the floor. The temperature in the hall dropped by more than ten degrees, centering around him.
Beneath the blazing lotus speeding toward Raymond Cold, a massive mouth suddenly appeared and swallowed the lotus whole.
"What is that...?"
In the center of the hall stood a giant skeleton over three meters tall, made entirely of white bone. It gulped down the fire lotus, let out a burp, and completely digested it.
"You—how did you—actually reach the Yin–Yang Realm!"
Master Luke cried out in terror, throwing his peachwood sword at the skeleton and turning to flee.
But the skeleton swallowed the sword in one bite, then instantly appeared before Master Luke and kicked him back.
Bang!
Master Luke landed at Raymond Cold's feet, where Raymond stepped on his head.
"Spare me, Master! Spare me! I'm just a fraud, a fraud! I have nothing to do with the Zheng family!"
Master Luke was so terrified he wet his pants.
As soon as those words were spoken, Old Master George Zheng and the others' faces changed.
"So this is your great hope?"
"Master Luke from Mount Wutai—what a scary reputation."
Raymond Cold laughed heartily.
"If Master Luke can't scare you, how about the name 'Master Lin from Seacrest'?"