Zhang Yuxi's gaze lingered on Zhao Wu's corpse for a long moment before finally shifting to Ryan. His voice was low and heavy when he spoke, carrying both suppressed fury and deep suspicion. "Who are you?"
Anger burned beneath his calm exterior. Zhao Wu was his subordinate, killed right in front of him.
As the leader, Zhang Yuxi's face had been slapped hard. Yet what unsettled him even more was the sheer strangeness of it all.
The young man before him radiated no oppressive aura, no violent momentum. He had stood there quietly, almost casually.
And yet, in the blink of an eye, he had crossed the distance and killed a Three-star Upper Elite with a single palm.
Zhang Yuxi had not seen how Ryan moved. No one had.
All anyone saw was Ryan appear beside the fallen mercenary, raise his hand, and strike. The result was instant death.
That realization sent a chill through Zhang Yuxi's spine.
A sixteen- or seventeen-year-old youth possessing power comparable to, or even exceeding his own strength, was absurd. It defied common sense.
Behind Ryan, Shang Jiao stared at his back in a daze.
That back was not broad, nor especially imposing, yet at this moment it felt immovable, like a mountain standing between her and despair. Her intuition had not been wrong.
From the moment she first saw him, that inexplicable sense of danger had not been fear, but hope she hadn't dared to acknowledge.
Ryan spoke calmly, his tone indifferent. "My name is Li Wei. Just a passerby who was dragged into your dispute."
If Chang Bo hadn't rushed toward him earlier with clear malice, Ryan truly wouldn't have bothered. Right and wrong meant nothing to him. Justice meant nothing. He only cared about one thing: whether someone was worth killing.
And whether they could give him experience.
Chang Bo stepped closer to Zhang Yuxi and lowered his voice, urgency laced through every word.
He explained what he had witnessed earlier, the strange battlefield littered with monster corpses, the eerie calm with which Ryan had stood amidst it all. His expression was grim, far removed from his earlier arrogance.
Deep down, Chang Bo felt a lingering fear. If Zhang Yuxi and the others had arrived even a little later, he suspected he would already be dead.
Zhang Yuxi's brows knit together. For the first time since arriving, hesitation flickered in his eyes.
After a brief pause, Zhang Yuxi turned back to Ryan. His tone softened, and he cupped his hands respectfully. "Young Master Li, if my men offended you earlier, I, Zhang Yuxi, apologize on their behalf."
He straightened and continued evenly, "We have no intention of becoming enemies with you. What happens next concerns only our Wolf Sky Mercenary Corps and the Red Scorpion Mercenary Corps. I hope Young Master Li will not interfere."
There was a pause, then a subtle shift in his gaze. "Otherwise…"
Ryan raised an eyebrow slightly, his eyes bright with interest. "Otherwise what?"
Zhang Yuxi's voice hardened. "Otherwise, you will be standing against the Wolf Sky Mercenary Corps. And those who stand against us rarely meet a good end."
Ryan let out a soft laugh, as if amused. He even put on a thoughtful expression, tapping his chin lightly. "That sounds terrifying. Truly." Then his smile widened faintly. "But what if I insist on interfering?"
Zhang Yuxi's eyes narrowed to slits, killing intent seeping through his calm façade. "Then only one side will leave here alive."
The gray-robed warriors beside him stirred, their hostility no longer concealed.
Chang Bo also spoke up, urging Ryan to reconsider, warning him of the consequences of provoking such a colossal force.
Ryan listened quietly, then laughed again, this time more openly. "From the way you're talking, it sounds like I've already offended you."
Shang Jiao's eyes shone with mixed admiration and worry.
She hadn't expected Ryan to stand his ground like this, let alone challenge the Wolf Sky Mercenary Corps directly.
Yet even as hope surged in her chest, fear followed close behind. Five Upper Elite experts still stood opposite them.
Could this youngster really face all of them alone?
Zhang Yuxi stared at Ryan intently, the air around him growing heavier by the second.
At that moment, he no longer resembled a refined mercenary leader, but a lurking beast wrapped in human skin. Slowly, he spoke, his voice cold and sharp.
"It seems," he said, "you've already made your choice."
"Wasn't it already settled earlier?" Ryan replied with a faint smile, his tone light, as if the killing intent pressing down around him did not exist at all. "Why bother with nonsensical dialogues again?"
Zhang Yuxi's expression darkened instantly. The smile vanished from his face, replaced by a cold, merciless gaze. "Since you insist on going your own way, then don't blame us for being ruthless. I don't care who you are, nor why someone so young can possess such cultivation. Once you stand against the Wolf Sky Mercenary Corps, there is only one ending waiting for you."
His voice dropped to a chilling low as he lifted his hand and pointed straight at Ryan. "Kill him."
The order fell like a death sentence.
Chang Bo and the remaining gray-robed warriors answered at once, their killing intent surging as they moved.
In a blink, four figures spread out, encircling Ryan from different directions.
Their auras stacked together, heavy and oppressive, like overlapping mountain peaks pressing down from all sides.
Among them, Chang Bo was a 1-star Upper Elite, while the other gray-robed warriors were all also Upper Elites, with one standing clearly above the rest at the level of a 6-star Upper Elite.
This lineup was more than enough to crush most opponents without suspense. The pressure alone would have been enough to make ordinary warriors tremble, kneel, or even lose control of their bodies.
Yet Ryan stood unmoved. His posture remained relaxed, his smile unchanged, as though the four Upper Elites surrounding him were no more threatening than a passing breeze.
A cold snort rang out.
The 6-star Upper Elite stepped forward, his eyes filled with irritation and pride.
His name was Hong Ya, and among the gray-robed members present, his strength and status were second only to Zhang Yuxi.
Barely in his twenties, he had already reached the 6-star Elite realm. Such talent was enough for him to walk proudly among his peers, and he had always believed himself superior.
But Ryan's calm indifference ignited a fire in his chest.
To be looked down upon by a teenager, to be ignored as if he were insignificant, was an insult Hong Ya could not tolerate.
In his mind, Ryan's earlier feats had to be tricks, sneak attacks, or the result of some secret method. There was no way a youth could truly possess such overwhelming strength.
With that thought, Hong Ya burst forward, cutting off the others. "Your life is mine!" he roared, his voice sharp with arrogance and fury.
As he charged, spiritual energy surged into his right leg, swelling visibly as he kicked forward in midair. "Moon Ring Legs!"
His foot curved like a crescent moon, a faint, rainbow-like glow wrapping around his heel.
The kick shot forward across several meters, tearing through the air with a thunderous boom.
Even before it landed, the force alone distorted the air, carrying enough power to shatter stone.
Ryan watched calmly as the attack closed in.
There was no panic, no rush to evade. Instead, he lifted his hand casually, spiritual energy gathering in his palm. "Heavenly Star Palm," he said lightly, as though announcing something trivial.
His palm then struck forward.
The collision was instantaneous and brutal.
Hong Ya's leg met Ryan's palm with a deafening explosion, and the outcome was decided in that single moment.
Gaaah!