Chapter 78: The Interruption of Wolf Sky Mercenary Corps (Final)

“It was me,” Ryan replied with a faint smile. “But realizing it now is already too late.”

When the little tiger had been on the verge of being struck, Ryan had acted.

In that fleeting instant, he had silently condensed three wind blades at angles no one else could perceive and released them. What Shen Yu saw, those bodies split cleanly in half, was the work of those wind blades.

Their cutting power was terrifying. Slicing through Exalt–level warriors was effortless. Coupled with their extreme speed and near transparency, the attack left no time to react and no trace to follow.

No one noticed Ryan’s move.

Only now, because of that calm, almost mocking smile, did Shen Yu suspect the truth. Even then, the realization struck him like a thunderbolt.

Still, he refused to believe it.

“That’s impossible,” Shen Yu shook his head, voice tense. “According to our intelligence, you were only slightly stronger than an Elite. At most, an Exalt! How could you possess this kind of strength?”

When the reports had come in, Ryan’s cultivation had been clear. Exalt at best. Yet just now, those invisible blades had killed his men instantly. Even he, an Upper Exalt, would find it difficult to kill Exalts so cleanly and so strangely.

A Fifth-rank monster guarding Ryan could be explained. Someone backing him from the shadows, gifting him a powerful beast, was plausible.

But Ryan himself suddenly possesses such lethal methods? Methods even an Upper Exalt failed to detect in time?

That defied logic.

Ryan only chuckled. He did not answer immediately. Instead, he glanced at Xiao Hei and said with mild reproach, “You little thing, you almost let yourself get caught. If I hadn’t stepped in, you might’ve been hurt.”

“Meow…” Xiao Hei let out a soft, aggrieved cry, lowering its head as if ashamed. It looked exactly like a child who had made a mistake, pitiful and obedient.

It was impossible to reconcile this image with the terrifying beast that had just shredded warriors into pieces.

Ryan laughed lightly. Xiao Hei was still young. Expecting it to flawlessly handle an Upper Exalt and a dozen Exalts alone had been unrealistic. Besides, Shen Yu’s battlefield instincts were sharp. His ability to react, adapt, and set traps mid-fight was something Ryan genuinely found worth learning.

“Enough wasting time,” Ryan said at last, lifting his gaze back to Shen Yu. “I’ll handle this myself.”

Shen Yu frowned, momentarily confused. “You?”

Ryan wanted to fight him personally?

Yes, Ryan’s methods were shocking. Yes, he had lost all his subordinates. But Shen Yu was still an Upper Exalt. With no one left to restrain him, his full strength could finally be unleashed.

He feared neither Ryan nor the beast now.

Shen Yu laughed, disdain heavy in his voice. “Li Wei, don’t overestimate yourself. You think you can fight me? Whatever trick you used to kill my men, you are still no match for an Upper Exalt.”

He raised his whip slightly, eyes cold. “You have two choices. First, sever your hands and come with me obediently. Tell me everything. Who is backing you, how you gained your power, and where the people from the Yangsha Ancient Road went. Tell me all of it.”

“Otherwise,” Shen Yu’s voice sank, “there is only death.”

Ryan smiled calmly. “What if I want a third option?”

“There is no third option,” Shen Yu snapped impatiently.

“There is,” Ryan said softly, eyes narrowing. “You die.”

As the last word fell, Ryan’s hands moved.

Several wind blades condensed instantly, silent and invisible, and shot toward Shen Yu.

No one saw the blades form. No one saw them fly.

This time, Shen Yu was watching Ryan closely. The moment Ryan moved, Shen Yu focused completely and finally perceived the nature of the attack.

Air blades.

So that was it.

“No wonder,” Shen Yu sneered. “So this is your method. Not bad, truly not bad. But with this, you think you can kill me? You’re still far too inexperienced.”

He stepped aside, dodging smoothly. As an Upper Exalt, his speed was more than sufficient. Since he could see the attack, evasion was easy.

“Really?” Ryan laughed quietly.

His wrists twisted, fingers drawing an invisible arc.

The wind blades curved.

They were never meant to be straight.

The moment Shen Yu dodged and turned his head back, his expression froze. The blades were still coming, bending through the air, tracking his movement.

“Impossible!” Shen Yu’s pupils shrank violently.

Wind blades that could change direction?

There was no time left to think.

Puff. Puff. Puff.

The sound was soft, almost gentle.

The blades pierced straight through Shen Yu’s body.

Instant kill.

An Upper Exalt, an existence that demanded respect in the entire Fengyu City, fell right there.

He didn’t even understand how he died, nor did he comprehend what Ryan had done until his final breath vanished.

Including Shen Yu, there had been seventeen people in that black-clad group. They had arrived with overwhelming momentum, fully intending to crush Ryan. Instead, every single one of them now lay scattered across the ring, bodies torn apart, flesh and blood strewn everywhere.

Even in death, none of them remained whole.

A miserable end.

“Hiss—”

“Whoa!”

The stands erupted in sharp gasps, followed by an explosion of voices.

“What just happened? Wasn’t that black-clothed man terrifyingly strong? How did he suddenly die?”

“There were only Li Wei and his pet on the ring. It must have been the pet that killed him.”

“That pet is insane! But I didn’t even see it move, just darting around the ring.”

“What do you know? That’s because it’s too fast for your eyes to follow!”

“Waaah, I want a pet like that too!”

“Shut up, are you courting death? That’s not a pet, that’s a monster! A terrifying monster we can only look up to!”

“But isn’t it strange? Li Wei has always been known as a useless waste. How did he get such a powerful monster? Those black-clothed men even defeated the Western Mansion examiner, yet they were wiped out in an instant.”

“If I remember right, the examiner is an Upper Exalt. That means there was also an Upper Exalt among those black-clothed men. And even he died here.”

“From now on, everyone better watch their mouths when talking about Li Wei. If you call him trash and he hears it, what if he sends that monster after you? None of us could survive.”

“That actually makes sense.”

Fear crept into many eyes as they looked at the little tiger on the ring, then shifted their gaze toward Ryan. Whatever disdain they once held was now carefully restrained. With such a monster at his side, even if Ryan truly had no cultivation at all, no one dared provoke him.

They simply couldn’t afford it.

“I thought Li Wei was done for,” someone muttered. “Who knew he had a monster like this protecting him?”

“No wonder he was so calm the whole time. Still, it’s just external strength. He himself is still trash.”

“He can’t bring that monster into the ring every time, right? If I fought him without it, I’d crush him.”

“Relax. Western Mansion’s rules won’t allow a monster like that in official matches. Once that’s enforced, Li Wei is still easy prey.”

“I’m already looking forward to teaching him a lesson.”

Among the candidates, discussions continued, and although fear lingered, their contempt for Ryan’s own strength had not vanished. On the Holy Mystic Continent, only personal power was revered. The little tiger might be terrifying, but that was the beast’s strength, not Ryan’s. External help, no matter how mighty, was never truly respected.

Meanwhile, Mu Xianling stared at Xiao Hei with blazing eyes. Her fists clenched unconsciously, excitement surging through her chest as if she herself had slain those black-clothed men.

Cute. Small. Incredibly strong.

It was everything she adored.

“No matter what,” she vowed silently, “that little tiger will be mine.”

She liked it far too much.

Everyone believed the slaughter was entirely Xiao Hei’s doing. No one realized Ryan had also made his move.

Only two people knew the truth.

One was Li Gengxin, standing just behind Ryan. He had heard every word exchanged between Ryan and Shen Yu. Ryan had clearly said he would take action, and moments later, the Upper Exalt was torn apart. If Ryan hadn’t done it, Li Gengxin would never have believed it.

At that moment, Li Gengxin felt a surge of pride so strong his chest tightened.

The Li Clan had truly risen.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep