Moreover, Xu Nian had already controlled seventy to eighty percent of Taihang Mountain Stronghold’s power. Even if other people from the Taihang Mountain Stronghold still attempted to rebel, they wouldn’t be able to make much of a splash.
Chu Ming’s eyes moved slightly, and a flash of inspiration struck his mind: "Where is the Fifth Village Chief of Taihang Mountain Stronghold?"
"The Fifth Village Chief of Taihang Mountain Stronghold has run that way, but Iron Tiger went after him!"
The elder said indifferently. Chu Ming’s heart stirred: "I’ll go take a look over there!"
After he finished speaking, Chu Ming’s body flickered and flew towards the direction the elder pointed.
In a courtyard not far from the chaotic battle, two figures were continuously clashing. As they fought, gusts of wind burst out from between them, leaving deep marks on the ground.
"Iron Tiger, step aside. For the sake of our past association, I can spare your life!"
One of the voices sounded ominous. After another clash, both figures simultaneously retreated violently.
Iron Tiger spoke in a rumbling voice, the flush on his face slowly fading. His strength was originally greater than Zhang Ping’s; asking him to give way was simply wishful thinking.
"Then don’t blame me for being rude!"
Zhang Ping took a deep breath. Initially, he planned to sit back and reap the benefits while Zhi Buyou and Xu Nian fought to the death, but who would have thought Zhi Buyou was so useless and was directly killed.
The situation forced him to settle for second-best. He intended to loot the entire treasure trove of Taihang Mountain Stronghold and then escape. Although the stronghold had five Village Chiefs, the wealthiest was undoubtedly Zhi Buyou, the Great Village Chief.
Each year, the other four Village Chiefs had to hand over ten percent of their earnings to Zhi Buyou. Years of accumulation had made Zhi Buyou’s wealth reach a terrifying level.
A trace of venom flickered in Zhang Ping’s eyes. His right hand slightly curved as a piece of mysterious ice formed in his palm. He then fiercely hurled it out, causing numerous ice shards to splatter on the ground, simultaneously dropping the temperature in the air by over ten degrees.
What Iron Tiger didn’t notice was that in Zhang Ping’s left hand, a fine, hair-thin Silver Needle was concealed within the mysterious ice, sweeping towards Iron Tiger like a stream of moonlight.
Iron Tiger roared softly, golden light bursting from his whole body, making him look like a golden War God. His right arm bent in a challenging bow-drawing motion as he wildly punched out.
Clang! Clang! Clang...
The surrounding mysterious ice was completely shattered, splintering in all directions, creating a dazzling display.
The Silver Needle instantly pierced into Iron Tiger’s body.
Iron Tiger’s face instantly turned crimson; he staggered back a few steps and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
"You despicable fiend!"
Iron Tiger pointed at Zhang Ping, eyes filled with fury as he cursed.
"All’s fair in war. Third Brother, I’m leaving now!"
Zhang Ping said indifferently. He turned to leave; he had no time to waste on Iron Tiger.
"Do you think you can leave just like that?"
A clear voice rang out from the side, and then a figure emerged from the shadows, looking at Zhang Ping. It was Chu Ming.
Although Zhang Ping’s gaze remained calm, his heart was already tumultuous with waves of shock.
Even though he had been fighting Iron Tiger just now, he had been vigilant against potential ambushes by paying close attention to his surroundings. Yet he had not noticed anyone hiding in the shadows until now, showing that this person was no weaker than him.
"The one who will kill you!"
Chu Ming said indifferently. He gently drew out the Conjugate Sword with his right hand and positioned it inclined, emitting a faint Sword Momentum that pressed down on Zhang Ping like a collapsing mountain.
Zhang Ping’s face darkened. Although he didn’t deny Chu Ming’s strength, wanting to kill him was simply delusional.
Zhang Ping’s figure instantly transformed into a concentrated gust of wind, mingling with fierce palm force as he furiously attacked Chu Ming. At the same time, a hair-thin Silver Needle appeared in his left hand again, shooting towards Chu Ming.
Chu Ming lightly tapped the ground with his right foot and his body shot out. His white robe fluttered, his eyes flickering with cold light. A Sword Light cut through the air like a godly stroke, splitting Zhang Ping’s palm force in half.
Although the Silver Needle was extremely fine, Chu Ming’s Spiritual Sense easily tracked its flight. As it neared him, he instantly struck out with a palm, shattering the Silver Needle.
Seeing his sneak attack fail, Zhang Ping’s eyes twitched in alarm. He launched a palm strike, and Wind Blades flowed from his palm, slicing towards Chu Ming. The air was filled with shrill whistling sounds as white waves of air expanded outward.
Chu Ming’s eyes glimmered. He stepped forward, and multiple layers of palm force began to stack up in his hands. Fifty layers... Sixty layers... In the blink of an eye, it reached seventy layers...
The fourth technique of the Yin Wave Palm used a full eighty-one layers of palm force. This terrifying force converged into a blue tornado, surging violently towards Zhang Ping.
The Wind Blades were instantly shredded, transforming into countless fragments flying in all directions. Zhang Ping’s pupils contracted as he tried to retreat, but it was too late.
The Yin Wave Palm broke through the layers of white waves and struck Zhang Ping’s chest.
The combined force of eighty-one layers burst out. It was so powerful that it shattered Zhang Ping’s Seven Meridians and Eight Vessels. A mouthful of blood spewed from Zhang Ping’s mouth, and when his body hit the ground, he was already dead.
Putting away his sword, Chu Ming walked towards Zhang Ping’s corpse, then stooped to remove the Storage Ring from Zhang Ping’s right hand and kept it.
Although Iron Tiger saw this, he said nothing. Though not very bright, he wasn’t stupid. Since Zhang Ping had been entirely slain by Chu Ming, the Storage Ring rightfully belonged to Chu Ming.
Iron Tiger bowed slightly. Only at this moment did he truly understand the ferocity of the young man before him, realizing that geniuses could not be evaluated using common sense.
A Seventh Layer of True Dao killing a Guiyuan Realm Fourth Layer—this was something he had thought impossible, but it was happening right before his eyes.
A series of chaotic footsteps sounded, and then several figures leaped over from the neighboring courtyard, with Xu Nian leading them.
Seeing Chu Ming, Xu Nian bowed in greeting. Then, he glanced at Zhang Ping’s corpse nearby, his eyes changing slightly as his wariness of Chu Ming deepened significantly.
"Village Chief Xu, we’ve helped you take over Taihang Mountain Stronghold. It’s time to honor your promise now."
Chu Ming said indifferently.
"Lord Chu, please make yourself at home in the Xu Mansion. The Burning Fire Battleship will soon be delivered to you, and as for eliminating the Demonic Organization, Taihang Mountain Stronghold will fully cooperate!"
Xu Nian nodded in agreement without hesitation.
Chu Ming nodded lightly. Staying at the Xu Mansion, he also needed to relay messages to Snow Peak to send more strong experts over. Using Taihang Mountain Stronghold as a stepping stone, they would wipe out the Demonic Organization in the Bianyuan Kingdom in one fell swoop.