Chapter 224 – There Won’t Be a Next Time for You Here

At this moment, everyone was stunned, and Pei Ye, who had one foot already in mid-air, ready to leap, also froze.

From a high vantage point, looking down, the Yellow Bear squad led by a handsome young man poured into the scene like a swift black stream, surrounding everyone on the ground completely.

Hundreds of black-barreled energy guns aimed at each person standing in the field, with blue and orange lights flickering at the muzzles, scorching the air.

The strongmen from various Ancient Martial Arts sects instantly froze, their skin tightening, muscles involuntarily stiffening.

Lu Yuan quickly walked over to Liu Daoyuan, squatted down, and took a light blue potion from the Red Bear strongman nearby, injecting it directly into Liu Daoyuan’s neck.

This temporary life-saving potion, a standard issue for the Yellow Bear organization, worked exceptionally well. In less than a breath, the bleeding from Liu Daoyuan’s mouth stopped, and his condition gradually stabilized.

“Grrr… grrr…”

Liu Daoyuan’s mechanical electronic eyes spun wildly, blue light flashing, seemingly very emotional upon seeing Lu Yuan.

It looked like he wanted to say something but couldn’t make a sound, his facial muscles twitching with effort.

“Is this what you want to say?”

Lu Yuan picked up a thin booklet from the ground, casually wiping the blood off its surface. The words [Overlord Fist Sect’s General Principles] were soaked in blood, becoming somewhat blurred and swollen.

“Huff! Huff!”

Liu Daoyuan leaned back, his thin chest heaving like a bellows, as if responding to Lu Yuan’s question.

Lu Yuan carefully tucked the booklet into the inside pocket of his protective suit and patted it gently to show that it was secure.

Looking back at the weakening Liu Daoyuan, he asked, “Is it safe now?”

“Huff—Huff—”

Liu Daoyuan’s breathing gradually steadied, and the blue light in his eyes softened.

Seeing him like this, Lu Yuan couldn’t help but laugh.

He summoned two White Bear members, who cautiously lifted Liu Daoyuan and quickly took him for treatment.

Until Liu Daoyuan’s figure disappeared into the shuttle door, Lu Yuan finally seemed completely at ease, letting out a small sigh of relief.

He slowly stood up and turned around.

Casually glancing at the headless corpse of a Penglai Holy Envoy lying by his feet, he then looked at the numerous Ancient Martial Arts sect experts in front of him. His expression had turned completely icy.

At this moment, the many experts from various Ancient Martial Arts sects also recognized Lu Yuan’s identity.

The night before the Tournament officially began, Lu Yuan, along with Liu Daoyuan, had challenged and defeated thirteen top-tier sects.

Though they acted low-key at the time, word soon spread. Many sects learned that the Poison-Handed Crane Demon of the crane style had taken on an extraordinary True Disciple.

Now they finally saw him in person.

What surprised them even more was that this disciple held a high-ranking position within the Yellow Bear organization of the Xia State!

Lu Yuan paid no mind to the various gazes directed at him – whether shocked, confused, reverent, hostile, or incredulous.

He raised his hand slightly and issued a simple command to the red bear strongman behind him: “Take them all back. If they resist… execute them on the spot!”

“Yes!”

With a cold, firm response from the red bear, the hundreds of Yellow Bear members in the field raised their weapons in unison, creating a synchronized clattering sound.

In an instant, the faces of the many Ancient Martial Arts experts turned pale, all becoming tense and grim.

…

Pei Ye maintained a poised stance, one foot lifted as if ready to step forward, and he had been frozen like this for quite some time.

His eyes twitched slightly.

The expression on his handsome face shifted between dark and light continuously.

At this moment, Pei Ye’s heart was almost completely drowned in rage and frustration.

He felt as though he were part of a grand, elaborate performance, right at its climactic peak.

It was almost his turn to take center stage.

He had groomed himself meticulously, full of anticipation, eager to step on stage and revel in the moment…

Suddenly.

A large group of police officers rushed in, halting the performance on grounds of unlicensed operation. The actors on stage all raised their hands in surrender, preparing to be taken away.

Pei Ye’s carefully prepared plans… were entirely ruined.

As this thought crossed his mind, Pei Ye’s aura began to surge like water nearing its boiling point.

Countless black moths, invisible to the ordinary eye, began to emerge from his body.

More and more of them swarmed out.

Eventually, they formed a whirlwind-like shape around him.

Reaching a certain peak.

“Boom!”

The black whirlwind transformed into a tornado, shooting skyward and exploding with a thunderous roar.

Pei Ye was enveloped in a dense black aura, the hem of his trench coat flapping as if caught in an invisible wind.

His facial expression was obscured, only a pair of cold, glinting eyes visible within the darkness.

Fixing his gaze on a specific spot below, he spoke with a voice full of venom and murderous intent.

“You… truly deserve to die!”

…

“Hmm?!”

At the moment Pei Ye’s evil power erupted, Lu Yuan keenly sensed a disturbance in the air.

He whipped around, his eyes immediately catching sight of two figures several kilometers away, standing atop a building.

Pei Ye!

Light burst from Lu Yuan’s eyes as he moved to dash toward that direction.

But just after taking a few steps, his path was suddenly obstructed by a figure.

“You must be Liu Daoyuan’s True Disciple!”

The person blocking him was a tall, sturdy young man, his presence as sharp as an unsheathed sword.

Standing in Lu Yuan’s path, the young man’s gaze narrowed slightly as he spoke, “I am Tong Lin of the Divine Intent Sect. I heard that Xue Guangyao of the heart refining sect also fell to you. You’re part of Yellow Bear and an Ancient Style martial artist. Using your organization’s strength to oppress others isn’t much of a feat – if you’ve got the guts, face me in pure martial combat…”

Before the young man could finish, his fully honed martial senses were suddenly hit by an unprecedented, terrifying sense of danger.

In an instant, his hair stood on end, and his scalp tingled.

“Boom”

A dark figure, accompanied by violent thunderous noise, abruptly appeared next to his face.

His peripheral vision caught sight of it, pupils contracting, True Intent and inner strength exploding forth, and then…

“Bang!”

With a resounding, dull thud, the tall young man didn’t even have time to grunt before Lu Yuan slapped him, sending him flying over ten meters, only coming to a stop when he crashed into a concrete pillar.

Silence.

A deathly stillness fell over the area instantly.

Lu Yuan didn’t spare a glance at the stricken figure. Shaking his hand irritably, he directed a command to Red Bear behind him: “Keep an eye on things here.”

With a thunderous crash, Lu Yuan’s feet shattered a large slab of concrete beneath him, propelling his entire body like a missile into the air.

…

“Daring to chase me down?!”

Pei Ye observed the figure rapidly leaping between buildings, closing the distance between them in mere moments. A sinister gleam flashed in his eyes as he sneered, murderous intent evident. “Courting death!”

He was about to surge forward, his trench coat billowing, when a large hand clamped down firmly on his shoulder.

“Are you insane?!”

A burly, black-robed man interposed himself between Pei Ye and Lu Yuan, speaking coldly: “This place is swarming with Yellow Bear members. We need to retreat for now and figure out a plan later… That person who birthed your inner demon isn’t dead yet, right? You’ll have another chance.”

Pei Ye’s shoulders heaved with heavy breaths, his eyes flickering wildly as if weighing his options.

Finally, he suppressed the murderous and angry expression on his face and responded, “Fine.”

…

With Lu Yuan’s current speed, he could cover several kilometers in just a few breaths.

Despite the obstacles posed by buildings, this wouldn’t delay him much.

As Lu Yuan closed in on the two figures, his mental power detected one exuding intense killing intent, anger, and a violent swell of evil power – like a beacon in the dark.

But just as he was about to catch up.

The killing intent and evil power emitted by the individual ahead suddenly vanished, then that person, along with the other figure, turned and fled.

A fierce light flashed in Lu Yuan’s eyes. His thigh and calf muscles bulged, veins protruding.

Channels of terrifying strength surged through his body. With a resounding “boom,” he obliterated a man-height concrete block he used for leverage, accelerating his forward momentum by several degrees.

However, the figure ahead moved erratically, like a phantom drifting between the buildings.

Lu Yuan casually smashed a nearby streetlamp pole with a slap.

Grabbing the several-meter-long pole in his hand, he prepared to throw it, simultaneously locking on to his target with his eyes and mental power, muscles in his arm swelling as he gathered strength…

Intending to hurl it forcefully to hinder the target’s escape.

However…

Lu Yuan’s gaze shifted upward, focusing on the bustling commercial district in the distance.

His eyes flickered…

Ultimately, he lowered the streetlamp pole back down.

With a swift movement, he leaped onto the rooftop of a building.

He watched helplessly as the two figures disappeared into the distance.

It seemed his opponents were well aware of his dilemma, even stopping a few kilometers away, looking back at him with a satisfied smile.

They mouthed something at him, waving casually.

“Until next time… my dear junior brother from Crane Style.”

“Next time…”

Lu Yuan watched the figure turn around, leisurely disappearing into the crowd of the marketplace.

His face returned to calm, and he murmured softly, “There won’t be a next time for you.”

The next second, red light flashed in Lu Yuan’s eyes.

lv1 [Hunting Perception].

Activate!

…

Pan City, Yellow Bear Branch Base.

A pristine, all-white room.

In the center of the room lay a fully enclosed white healing pod, connected to various advanced and complex instruments, which continuously flashed various indicator lights and displayed data readings.

Liu Daoyuan lay quietly inside the pod, his gaunt and incomplete body completely submerged in a semi-transparent healing fluid.

His white hair and beard floated like seaweed in the liquid, giving off an inexplicable sense of tranquility and peace.

Lu Yuan stood beside the healing pod, his head bowed, looking at Liu Daoyuan lying inside. He murmured softly.

“It was Pei Ye.”

“You probably knew, didn’t you? After all, you’re so clever…”

“How do you want him to die?”

“When they slandered you, you explained. When they beat you, you begged for mercy. ‘Where there’s life, there’s hope’-even kids understand this, do I really need to teach you?”

“You’re not young anymore, why risk your life…”

“I’m leaving now.”

“Rest well, Old Liu…”

With a calm expression, Lu Yuan walked out of the healing room.

Red Bear, who had been waiting outside, immediately approached him.

“Lord, we’ve captured all those sect members from the Ancient Martial Arts. What should we do with them?”

“Keep them locked up for now. We’ll decide their fate after I finish this business.”

Red Bear’s expression slightly shifted as he quickly responded, “Lord, are you going to capture Pei Ye? I’ll gather the team right away.”

“No need.”

Lu Yuan shook his head, speaking lightly, “I can handle it alone. Too many people will just scare him away.”

“Uh…”