Chapter 68: No Mercy, Annihilation! (Part 1)

"Ask me to take off my veil, and you'll have to prove you're worthy first." Xiao Bei shook his head and said to He Ling in a calm voice.

On the other side, He Ling's palms were already surging with condensed martial qi. The martial qi grew stronger and stronger, and He Ling let out a cold laugh. "Whether I'm worthy or not, a mere Saint Rank martial artist who has just entered the Innate Realm, you'll find out soon enough after I land a punch."

"Oh? So your name is He Ling, then?" Xiao Bei took a step in the air. In He Ling's puzzled and confused gaze, he didn't move away but instead got even closer to He Ling.

"So what if it is? Heh heh... Watch me take off your veil myself! Then, I'll personally beat you to a pulp, along with these fine He Family disciples on the ground, and make you pay for disgracing the He Family..." Before He Ling could finish his sentence, his entire body was about to move closer to Xiao Bei.

However, he immediately stopped in shock!

Or, more accurately, he paused!

Because... he had forcibly stopped himself, and the reason was that things had taken a drastically different turn from what he had expected!

The masked, black-robed, muscular man in front of him, who had initially felt like a mere Saint Rank martial artist in the Innate Realm, was now changing! His martial qi was transforming bit by bit!

"Your attitude and actions suggest that the strong can bully the weak at will, right?" Xiao Bei took another step, moving even closer to the stunned He Ling.

Staring intently at He Ling, Xiao Bei gradually released his own powerful martial qi. It started from the initial stage of a Saint Rank martial artist in the Innate Realm, then progressed to the middle stage, and finally to the peak. It didn't stop there; it intensified to the level of a Sovereign Rank martial artist, then to the peak of that rank, and finally to the level of an Emperor Rank martial artist, and even to the peak of that rank, until it reached the level of an Imperial Rank martial artist!

"Now that my strength is greater than yours, do you admit that I'm right to bully you?" Xiao Bei didn't take another step this time.

However, his martial qi burst out with full force, and when it reached its peak, he looked at the pale-faced He Ling and said directly.

"Yes... No..."

After instinctively saying "yes," He Ling quickly corrected himself. His face changed dramatically, and he began to move backward, clearly intending to retreat!

"Do you want to retreat now?"

Watching He Ling's martial qi surge and form a protective barrier around his body, and seeing him start to retreat rapidly, Xiao Bei didn't move. He looked at He Ling's actions with a calm gaze through his veil.

Then, Xiao Bei lowered his head and looked at He Yong and the others on the ground, who were already in a state of panic and chaos. He shook his head and said in a voice laced with power, "In this world, there are many taboos. Seeing through a small hole, you can only glimpse a part of the whole. Being a frog at the bottom of a well has always been the mark of ignorance. My character has always been cautious. This isn't because my current strength isn't high enough, but because I know that my strength, though high, is only relative. In this vast continent, an Imperial Rank martial artist is definitely not the ultimate. That's why I've always been cautious... But you, who are not even as strong as I am, are just mere Sovereign Rank martial artists or even Postnatal Realm martial artists, dare to act so arrogantly? To think you are the best in the world? To think you can control everything? How laughable, how laughable!"

After two consecutive "laughable" remarks, Xiao Bei waved his hand. His martial qi transformed into a massive palm, visible to the naked eye, and struck the ground.

On the ground, He Yong and the others were preparing to flee.

He Yong was the weakest among the He Family members present, only a Fourth Rank Postnatal martial artist. In the formation of over ten He Family members, he was in a position that was almost useless, just a minor presence. After the initial shock, the thought that the black-robed stranger's strength could make Second Uncle He Ling flee, and that he might be an Imperial Rank martial artist, made He Yong's mind explode. The only thought left was to escape!

When Xiao Bei's palm struck, He Yong had already seen the danger and started running at a speed that exceeded his usual Fifth Rank Postnatal martial artist level.

However, no matter how fast he ran, he couldn't escape Xiao Bei's palm. Moreover, this palm was aimed directly at him!

Although Xiao Bei didn't use his full strength, just enough to teach He Yong a lesson, it was more than enough to severely injure him! He would either die or be crippled!

"Spit!"

He Yong, who was running, was directly struck by the palm force, fell to the ground, and spat out a large mouthful of blood!

The other dozen or so He Family members on the ground were already paralyzed, their eyes filled with terror. Their ashen faces and the blood flowing from their mouths indicated that they had lost the ability to move and were severely injured!

He Ling, hearing the commotion, turned around and saw the gruesome scene on the ground. His heart was even more terrified, but his body didn't pause for a moment as he continued to flee!

"He Ling, is this your response? Watching your He Family disciples get injured one by one, and you still want to run?"

Xiao Bei's voice echoed behind He Ling.

He Ling didn't speak, his body paused slightly, and then he continued to move forward.

"Ah... He Ling, your arrogance has led to this bitter fruit. With such a huge gap between us, do you really think you can escape?"

Feeling the crowd around him growing, Xiao Bei knew he had to end this quickly. He had already achieved his goal, at least ensuring that Wang Yi and Zhou Yue in "Wanxiang Hall" would be reassured that he wasn't part of the Xiao Family.

He retracted his palm and struck again!

Xiao Bei's mindset, honed in the forest of beasts, where he no longer hesitated to kill, took effect.

This time, when the palm struck, one of the He Family disciples died instantly!

The muffled sound made the surrounding crowd, who had already moved further away, gasp in shock. The He Family members next to the dead disciple struggled to their feet, even though they couldn't use their martial arts, they endured the pain and tried to escape!

After all, pain was less terrifying than death!

"He Ling, still want to run?"

Xiao Bei's palm struck again... another He Family member died!

Meanwhile, He Ling, without stopping, had already run a considerable distance.

Shaking his head, Xiao Bei gathered martial qi in his palm again... On the ground, the He Family disciples who had been so eager to kill Xiao Bei were no longer thinking about how to torture him before killing him. Instead, they were reflecting on why they hadn't calmly considered the foolishness of bullying an unknown enemy. They realized, as the killer had said, that being a frog at the bottom of a well and acting arrogantly would only harm themselves!