Right now, the villagers of Little Hades were practically rioting. They were yelling their heads off, and even the martial artists and county folks nearby looked like they were about to wet themselves—clearly, nobody here had ever seen a scene this nuts before!
Apparently, something was weird in Little Hades today—some kind of priestly ritual going on. That’s why when Ryan Ling and his crew barged in, all hell broke loose.
"Game over, game over! Those rich guys from Harbor City are toast. Don’t bother sending the county hospital, just have the county crematorium get ready!"
"Captain, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I just checked—these people aren’t ordinary, especially the guy in front. That’s Ryan Ling, Harbor City’s top martial arts prodigy. He even dares to kill people from Wuzhou!"
"So what? You gotta get it straight—this is Little Hades. Doesn’t matter who breaks in, you’re outta luck. Harbor City’s martial arts prodigy? Even if you’re Jiangdong Province’s top star, it’s useless. Just watch—under this kind of pressure, their minds are gonna snap. No matter how tough you are, you’ll end up kneeling. These voices are like a curse!"
...
Just as predicted, several members of Ryan Ling’s Harbor City team totally cracked under the pressure and collapsed to the ground in fear.
Seriously, with over a thousand villagers here, all influenced by the Grandmaster Cemetery, every single one of them had a trace of grandmaster-tier gang-qi. They might not all be true grandmasters, but they had the vibe and the presence. It was like a thousand top fighters screaming at you—nobody could withstand that kind of pressure.
At that moment, Jason Lin, Warren Yuan, and the rest were all hiding behind Ryan Ling, faces pale as sheets—clearly, they were about to lose it.
Just then, one of the Eight Guardian Vajra stepped out—a seriously imposing dude known as King Bonebreaker. Rumor had it he’d snapped more bones and dislocated more joints than anyone could count.
"Kid, I can tell—you’re the ringleader, aren’t you? Look at that cocky face. Kneel down for me right now, or I’ll rip out your kneecaps and make you beg for mercy!" King Bonebreaker roared, glaring murderously at Ryan Ling.
"Master, let me handle him! You bastard, how dare you disrespect my master and tell him to kneel to you? Do you even know who he is?"
"Yeah, do you even know who my bro is? You half-human, half-ghost freak, get lost!"
Warren Yuan and Jason Lin instantly started shouting their heads off.
King Bonebreaker just sneered, clearly done with talking and ready to throw down.
People in the distance didn’t even dare look—they knew what was coming next would be a bloody mess.
"Alright, you want me to kneel? Fine, I’ll kneel. But if you drop dead from my kneeling, I’m not taking responsibility!" Ryan Ling quickly stopped Warren Yuan and Jason Lin, blurting out.
Jason Lin and the others were stunned, thinking their ears were playing tricks on them.
The head of the county joint-defense squad snorted, "See? So much for Harbor City’s martial arts king—he cracks this easily? His mental toughness isn’t even half as good as mine!"
A couple of martial artists nearby just shook their heads, looking embarrassed for Ryan Ling after hearing that.
King Bonebreaker burst out laughing, "Kneel me to death? Never heard of any martial art like that! Go on, kneel if you dare. Don’t worry—if you actually kill me by kneeling, I won’t ask you to pay with your life!"
He glanced back at the villagers, who all cracked up too. Clearly, today’s intruders had zero mental toughness—just a little scare and they fell apart. Boring!
"Master, you’re not really gonna kneel to him, are you?" Warren Yuan was nearly in tears seeing Ryan Ling "humiliate" himself like that.
"Relax, I know what I’m doing. I’m not kneeling for free. I’ll kneel him to death." Ryan Ling said, already bending his knees.
Warren Yuan was speechless, thinking maybe Ryan Ling’s brain had been scrambled by the Grandmaster Cemetery’s aura.
And then—thud! Ryan Ling really did kneel right in front of King Bonebreaker.
Warren Yuan’s heart nearly broke, and the martial artists behind just shook their heads, saying this was shameful.
The villagers, on the other hand, roared with laughter—they’d never seen a martial artist so useless before.
King Bonebreaker was riding high, laughing like he’d never been happier in his life.
But right then, King Bonebreaker’s face suddenly twisted. His ruddy cheeks shriveled up, all color drained away. He grabbed his own throat, pointed at Ryan Ling, tried to say something—but before he could get a word out, he collapsed with a thud, stone dead!
"Wait, did he really get knelt to death?" The villagers froze, staring at each other in shock.
The county joint-defense squad and all the martial artists were totally dumbfounded.
Nobody could believe there was actually some kind of magical 'kneeling technique' in the world.
"Master, I never knew you had a move like that! When are you gonna teach me a few tricks?" Warren Yuan immediately piped up, full of envy.
"This move takes insane cultivation—you’re nowhere near ready. Gotta practice a lot more!" Ryan Ling replied, looking speechless. Even he hadn’t expected his kneel to be so lethal.
"Kid, I told you—your kneeling is guaranteed to kill them. You’re the Crown Prince of the Netherworld, and these half-corpse villagers only stick around because their human registration was erased and they’re listed as ghosts now. No way they can handle a kneel from the Crown Prince!" The System chimed in.
"You’re right—for once you’re actually useful. Go on, have fun with Granny Soul, and good luck with your date tonight!" Ryan Ling thought, getting even more hyped. He shouted at the hostile villagers, "Come on, come at me! Send a few over, I’ll kneel a couple more of you to death today!"
The villagers hesitated, suddenly not so sure anymore.
"Hell no! Who dares make trouble in my Little Hades? Kneel someone to death—what kind of ghost story is that? I wanna see how you’re gonna kneel me to death!" As he spoke, a burly old man in a single shirt strode out, radiating pure swagger. A few old ladies nearby gazed at him adoringly—clearly, this guy was a big deal in the village.
"Second Uncle’s here! He’s the village longevity champ—he’s seen Emperor Guangxu, fought off Japanese invaders, taken down bandits, you name it. He’s even sworn brothers with Lord Yama himself—nobody dares act up in front of him!"
"That’s right! Last time, Second Uncle bet a bunch of village elders he was immortal, then grabbed a hunting rifle and fired seven shots into his own head—didn’t even scratch the skin. He’s pure iron, all backbone!"
"Exactly! With Second Uncle here, does that kid still think he can survive? That so-called kneeling technique is crap—I bet he poisoned King Bonebreaker when he knelt. Otherwise, how could he die so weirdly?"
...
Seeing the burly old man step forward, several villagers cheered like crazy. Even the other seven Vajra made way for him, like welcoming the village emperor.
"So you’re the punk who knelt King Bonebreaker to death? If you’ve got guts, kneel to me! I don’t buy it—I’m the one even Lord Yama won’t collect. Let’s see if you can kneel me to death!" Second Uncle shouted, yanking off his shirt and showing off his wiry chest.
"Second Uncle mighty!"
"Second Uncle unbeatable!"
"Second Uncle’s a real hero!"
...
A bunch of old ladies on the side cheered Second Uncle on, totally fired up.
"Old grandpa, maybe take it easy, yeah? You’ve lived this long—shouldn’t you enjoy retirement? I really don’t want to kneel you to death, seriously!" Ryan Ling shook his head, feeling a bit sorry.
"Hell no! If you’re scared to kneel, you’re no man—come on, what are you, a cowardly mouse?" Second Uncle was carrying the hopes of the whole village, with the old ladies egging him on. Even if it was a death match, he wasn’t backing down.
"Alright, I’m really gonna do it. Don’t blame me if something happens!" Ryan Ling realized if he didn’t kneel, Second Uncle would go all out.
"Quit your yapping! I’m buddies with Lord Yama—even the judges call me Second Uncle. If you don’t kneel, I’ll break your legs!" With that, Ryan Ling had no choice but to drop to his knees with a thud.
Instantly, Second Uncle’s face twisted like he’d swallowed a bitter pill...