A sharp crack echoed through the night as Hong Ya's leg bent unnaturally, folding at a horrifying angle.
His body was blasted backward, blood spraying from his mouth as he flew several meters before crashing to the ground.
The broken leg twitched weakly, swaying like it no longer belonged to him.
Hong Ya struggled to sit up, disbelief and rage filling his eyes as blood spilled from his lips.
"Impossible…" he croaked, unwilling to accept what had happened.
His voice faded as his eyes rolled back, and his body collapsed heavily to the ground, lifeless.
One palm. One strike. A 6-star Upper Elite realm expert lay dead just like that.
Only then did the remaining three attackers truly understand.
Zhao Wu's death had not been a fluke.
This young man possessed power that crushed the upper elites head-on. Fear crept into their hearts, and their advance halted mid-step.
One retreated unconsciously, then another.
In moments, all three were backing away, faces pale, bodies trembling, terrified that Ryan would turn that terrifying palm on them next.
"Useless trash," Zhang Yuxi snapped coldly.
His gaze sharpened as he reassessed Ryan, this time with genuine seriousness. From that single exchange, he had already judged Ryan's cultivation.
A 7-star Upper Elite, slightly below his own realm.
The reason Ryan could unleash such overwhelming power lay in the palm technique itself. It was refined, precise, carrying a strange starlike force that condensed all power into a single strike. Its grade was unquestionably high.
If he could obtain that palm method…
Zhang Yuxi's eyes flickered with greed as he spoke again, his tone shifting into a false calm. "Your strength is indeed impressive, young man. But standing against the Wolf Sky Mercenary Corps will only lead to death. I am not unreasonable. You have already killed two of my men. Hand over the palm technique you just used, and I will let you leave alive."
Ryan laughed softly, his eyes filled with disdain. "If you want it, then come and take it yourself."
Zhang Yuxi's expression hardened. He gave a sharp nod and barked orders to Chang Bo and the others. "He was only depending on that high-level martial skill. Just attack with numbers. In the end, he is nothing but a youngster without much battle experience. Kill him."
Hearing this, Chang Bo and the two remaining gray-robed warriors steadied themselves. The fear in their hearts diminished slightly. With Zhang Yuxi, a 9-star Upper Elite, backing them, what was there to fear?
Weapons flashed. Chang Bo drew his short blade, the gray-robed warriors unsheathed theirs, and all three charged once more.
Zhang Yuxi followed close behind, his long sword gleaming coldly under the night sky.
Four Upper Elites attacked together, their killing intent united. This time, there was no arrogance, no hesitation. They intended to kill.
Ryan's smile widened faintly. "So you want to bully me with numbers?"
He did not retreat. Instead, he flipped his hand, and a pale white wind blade slowly formed in his grasp, its sharp edge humming softly as it cut through the air. "Wind Blade!"
Ryan flicked his wrist, and the pale white wind blade shot out in silence. There was no roar, no violent fluctuation of spiritual energy, only a crescent-shaped arc of white light gliding forward, clean and sharp, like a sliver of moonlight cutting through the darkness.
"Be careful!" Zhang Yuxi's pupils shrank, and he shouted a warning almost instinctively.
But it was already too late.
The wind blade crossed the distance in an instant. Before anyone could fully react, a scream rang out.
One of the gray-robed warriors was struck head-on, his body freezing for a split second before a chilling scene unfolded.
His head was severed cleanly, spinning into the air as blood sprayed in a thin arc.
The headless corpse staggered forward a step, then collapsed heavily to the ground, lifeless.
A 5-star Upper Elite had also fallen just like that, killed in a single strike.
*Ding!
Zhang Yuxi's brows twitched violently. He glanced at the headless body, then turned his gaze back to Ryan, his expression finally losing all composure.
He had known Ryan was strong, but he had not expected this level of lethality.
Whether it was the earlier palm strike or this silent wind blade, every move Ryan used carried a terrifying decisiveness, as if killing an Upper Elite was no more difficult than swatting a fly.
At this moment, Zhang Yuxi no longer dared to be careless.
He could not tell how many strange and powerful methods Ryan still had hidden.
The remaining gray-robed warrior and Chang Bo felt their scalps go numb, fear spreading uncontrollably through their hearts.
Even so, they did not dare to retreat.
Disobeying Zhang Yuxi meant certain death, and even escaping would only lead to endless pursuit by the Wolf Sky Mercenary Corps.
Compared to that fate, dying on the spot almost seemed merciful.
With the death of another gray-robed warrior, only three enemies remained on Zhang Yuxi's side.
Three against one still sounded like an advantage, but Ryan felt no pressure at all.
Just moments ago, after killing Hong Ya and the gray-robed warrior, the surge of experience had pushed his cultivation forward once again.
He had already stepped into the realm of an eight-star Upper Elite. His aura was growing stronger with every kill, his strength rising instead of falling as the battle dragged on.
Killing people was indeed far faster than hunting monsters, and Ryan was fully aware of that.
Normally, he would never indulge in such slaughter. But these people before him were no innocents. Every one of them deserved death, and Ryan felt no burden at all in ending their lives.
Against Zhang Yuxi, a nine-star Upper Elite, Ryan's current eight-star cultivation, combined with his powerful martial arts, techniques, and physical strength, already placed him firmly in the upper hand.
"Alright," Ryan said calmly, a faint smile curling his lips. "I'll play with you."
His figure finally moved. The Phantom Step burst forth, and Ryan vanished in place, reappearing in a blur as he rushed straight toward Zhang Yuxi and the others.
"Heavenly Star Palm!"
Ryan struck out with a palm, seemingly identical to before, yet carrying a vastly different power. When he had killed Hong Ya, he was still only a seven-star Upper Elite.
Now, as an eight-star Upper Elite, the same palm carried at least twice the destructive force.
Zhang Yuxi's expression changed drastically. He and the other two reacted at once, gripping their weapons tightly and launching their strongest attacks.
"Frightening Sword!"
"Mad Dagger Chaos!"
"White Rainbow Pierces the Sun!"
Three martial techniques erupted simultaneously, blades and sword light intertwining as they surged toward Ryan.
Before the attacks even collided, violent energy waves crashed together in midair.
A thunderous boom shook the surroundings, and a fierce gust exploded outward.
The shockwave swept across the battlefield, forcing the members of the Red Scorpion Mercenary Corps to retreat rapidly, shielding their faces as the wind cut like knives.
Another deafening blast followed.
The gray-robed warrior and Chang Bo were sent flying backward almost at the same time, while Zhang Yuxi staggered back three steps, his feet digging furrows into the ground before he stabilized himself.
The three had joined forces, yet they were still suppressed.
Although the gray-robed warrior and Chang Bo were not seriously injured, having been mostly pushed back by the violent air currents, the result alone was enough to shock everyone watching.
Ryan had confronted three Upper Elites head-on and still forced them back.
"WHAT THE..."
The people of the Red Scorpion Mercenary Corps stared in disbelief, mouths agape.
They could hardly comprehend what they were seeing. One man fighting three Elites, knocking two flying and forcing a nine-star Upper Elite to retreat—this was simply beyond common sense.
The battle did not pause.