Chapter 9

Surrounded by so many people, not only did Ye Jielin's expression become solemn, but Meng Yan's heart also felt uneasy. Anyone who wasn't an idiot could tell that it would be hard to stay out of this situation this time.

Previously, his job was just to clean up, and the killings were done by the villagers of Xiaojiao. The process had nothing to do with him. Apart from occasionally hunting and having some experience fighting wild beasts, he had never fought with anyone, let alone engaged in a battle. However, that didn't mean he lacked the ability to fight... because from the day he took on this job, his father had repeatedly warned him.

"Jobs involving life and death are high-risk. Although we only start cleaning up after the events are over, there's no telling when we might get involved... To ensure that you can continue to clean up bodies rather than become one, you must have the strength..."

Because of his father's words, he spent time practicing the Immortal Phoenix Sword technique. However, he had only practiced it and never had the chance to use it. Perhaps today would be the opportunity to put it into practice, but he didn't know how powerful it would be or if it could help him, who had no combat experience, to fight his way out...

Meng Yan was lost in thought when a sharp whistle broke the air. It was the Ye family's great crane! Without being summoned by its owner, it came directly, but its form was different from before.

Its body was ice blue, about 2.5 meters tall, and its size and color were completely different from before. Not only was it larger, but its wings, when spread, trailed blue light, forming a long blue line. Its sharp claws and beak gave it the appearance of a fierce bird of prey. As soon as it appeared, it dove down at high speed, heading straight for its owner.

A single great crane, in theory, posed limited threat, but the expressions on the faces of the disciples from the sects told a different story. When the crane dove from above, it seemed to release something. Meng Yan could vaguely feel it, like a few drops of icy water splashing on his head. However, the disciples from the sects were in much worse shape. Their faces turned pale, as if they had fallen into an ice cellar. The weapons in their hands were covered in white frost and even began to freeze, causing frostbite to their flesh.

"Wow, what is this...?"

"Rank suppression! High-rank weapons can suppress low-rank weapons."

Ye Jielin's explanation left Meng Yan confused. "Weapon rank suppression? But that doesn't make sense. The knives and swords they have are weapons, so what weapon is suppressing them? Is your crane a weapon?"

This matter involved the secrets of the Qingmu Ye family, and Ye Jielin couldn't explain. She herself had been equally clueless before. Seeing her crane transform, she was more shocked than anyone else. She could only say, "I've heard of this, but I never thought they would really do it... really do it for me..."

"What? I don't understand at all."

Meng Yan, half understanding, half not, looked up and noticed that the crane's claws, beak, and wings were emitting unusual energy light, similar to the weapons in the hands of the sect disciples. Perhaps this was how the weapon rank suppression occurred. However, how could a domestic animal be equipped with a weapon? This world was truly crazy...

Under the rank suppression, the sect disciples couldn't exert their full combat power. They watched helplessly as the crane came at them, its claws spread, flying toward its owner to grab Ye Jielin and take her away. At that moment, a dark green beam of light, several meters long, shot up into the sky.

The source of the green beam was a dark green long sword, held in Tang Jun Gu's hand. With the sword in hand, his presence was completely different from before. The weapon condensed into armor, covering from his palm to his right shoulder, drawing on the wielder's energy to transform into an overwhelming force, invincible and indestructible. He leaped out with the sword, timing it perfectly to intercept the crane's claws just as they were about to touch Ye Jielin. Although she saw it, she was too shocked to even scream.

The green sword light cut down, and the blue light on the crane's wings, which seemed solid like a thin shield, only slightly delayed the attack. The green sword light cut through, fiercely severing the crane's left wing. Blood spurted out, painting the ground red. The crane then crashed heavily to the ground, and Tang Jun Gu stomped on it, laughing maniacally.

"Great! This is truly our lucky day. Not only will we obtain the ancient legacy, but we've also gained a new biological weapon from the East. After today, the reputation of Chiri Manor and Swallow Moon Fort will be greatly enhanced, and no nearby sects will dare to underestimate us!"

Tang Jun Gu's arrogance was evident, and his disciples joined in with wild laughter and shouts, their excitement reaching a fever pitch.

"This... what's going on?"

The once mighty crane was suddenly cut down, leaving Meng Yan stunned. Looking at Jielin beside him, who was completely dazed and more shocked than he was, he knew she wouldn't be able to answer his question.

"Ha ha ha, indeed, you are an inexperienced and pampered young lady. Weapons must be combined with their wielder to exert their full power, and the higher the rank, the more so. This crane is likely a new biological weapon developed by the Ye family. You let it charge down like that!"

Tang Jun Gu's laughter continued, "If you had ridden the crane and commanded it, its true combat power could have been unleashed, and we might not have been able to suppress you. But you let it charge down in a situation where there might be hidden enemies, sealing your fate. Miss, do you really think the outside world is like your practice ground, where everyone will play along with your combat games?"

The other sect disciples also burst into laughter, drowning out Meng Yan's voice.

"You! Don't go too far!"

The ignored young man suddenly jumped out, shouting angrily, "Just because you got a bit lucky, don't think you're invincible. Bullying a girl like this, what kind of man are you? If you have the guts, come out and fight me first!"

The young man's angry shout, like a young lion, failed to draw much attention. Without even looking, Tang Jun Gu had two Chiri Manor disciples with weapons step forward. Red flames ignited as they swung their swords.

Everyone thought that the two swords would cut the young man in half, burning him to death on the spot. However, no one expected that as the swords came down, the young man, seemingly frightened, didn't move. Then, his two thumbs, which had been pressed together, suddenly shot out.

It was a movement similar to firing a hidden weapon, but what shot out was not a hidden weapon, but two dark beams of light from Meng Yan's thumbs, aimed at the two Chiri Manor disciples. Their red flame swords met the dark beams, and with two crisp sounds, the red flames were extinguished, the weapons broken, and the two men were pierced through by the dark beams, creating two bloody holes, and they died instantly.

"What happened? What did that kid do?"

"Weapons? What weapon did he use? Or..."

"It's not a weapon. He was unarmed the whole time. There must be another reason!"

The sect disciples shouted in unison, none of them remaining calm. They were more shocked than when they saw Jielin take out the ancient legacy, because the ancient legacy was something they could understand, but this young man, without using any weapons, had just shot out dark beams and killed two of their men. This was more unbelievable than seeing a ghost, completely beyond their comprehension, leaving them in utter shock.

Meng Yan, who had created a miracle with one move, wasn't much better off. His first real combat experience had a significant cost. Although he had defeated two enemies, the black sword qi he emitted was not the golden sword qi described in the manual. When he shot it, his fingers ached terribly, as if the bones were about to shatter. A powerful force also rebounded, making him lose his balance and tumble backward.

As he was thrown back, the pain in his fingers was excruciating, and his head began to throb as if something foreign was moving inside it. Activated by his first combat, the foreign object in his brain continuously released energy waves, affecting everything in his brain. Meng Yan was in excruciating pain, and the world spun around him, leaving him unable to think. If not for Ye Jielin, who saw him coming like a cannonball and quickly reached out to catch him, he would have fallen much farther and caused more damage.

"You, what's wrong with you? And what did you just do? I didn't see your weapon, what exactly..."

Ye Jielin's shock was no less than that of the sect disciples. She had seen many strange weapons, but the dark beams she saw just now were unprecedented. She was very curious about what the young man had done and how he had obtained such a technique or ability.

Unfortunately, the young man, in excruciating pain, was unable to answer...