Ouyang Xinuo truly displayed the face of a petty man to its fullest. For him, conscience had been cast aside; none of that mattered anymore. The most important thing was to live comfortably.
Ye Tiancheng unleashed a surge of true qi, imbued with immense energy. This burst was a result of Ye Tiancheng's extreme anger, which fueled such powerful output.
However, in unleashing this great power, Ye Tiancheng also harmed himself. As the saying goes, "To injure the enemy by a thousand, one injures oneself by eight hundred," which perfectly described Ye Tiancheng's actions at that moment.
Suddenly, Ouyang Xinuo felt a sharp pain in his chest. He slumped onto the sofa, and the temporal stasis was also destroyed, as Ye Tiancheng's true qi could no longer maintain the frozen state.
"Xinuo, what's wrong?"
The Ouyang family members were unaware of what had transpired during the brief moment of stillness. In their eyes, Ouyang had inexplicably coughed up blood and collapsed onto the sofa.
Even more bizarrely, Ye Tiancheng was also kneeling on the ground, unable to rise. After a wave of chest pain, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Everyone was stunned. They believed he must have some sort of illness, otherwise, he wouldn't have suddenly collapsed. Everyone felt weaker than the next.
"I'm fine. We must seek justice for my brother."
Ouyang Xinuo forced himself to stand. Even with the immense surge of true qi, Ye Tiancheng couldn't take his life. As long as he had a breath left, he would continue to trouble Ye Tiancheng. Now, Ye Tiancheng was in deep trouble. Attempting to destroy the evidence was enough to make things difficult to explain.
Moments ago, at the peak of his anger, Ye Tiancheng had wanted to drag Ouyang Xinuo down with him. Yet, he also felt that it wasn't worth it for such a scumbag, so he had held back at the critical moment.
Now, he regretted it. He wished he had fought the scumbag to the death. What did it matter if he lost his life? As long as Ouyang Xinuo was finished, he could do much for the common people, preventing many from suffering. The world would be much more peaceful.
Just as Ye Tiancheng was contemplating how to resolve the situation, a phantom of a phoenix suddenly appeared. Time froze once more, and an attack was launched against Ouyang Xinuo.
Against such a divine beast, already heavily struck by Ye Tiancheng, Ouyang Xinuo found himself unable to cope after just a few exchanges. However, he was unwilling to give up. He had anticipated that he might not have the advantage from the start and had made preparations accordingly.
The phoenix intended to teach Ouyang Xinuo a harsh lesson, but suddenly Liu Lanying appeared in mid-air. Liu Lanying had been held hostage by Ouyang Xinuo, which was why she suddenly appeared there.
Most of the phoenix's attacks were absorbed back, as Liu Lanying was in Ouyang Xinuo's grasp. If the phoenix hadn't done so, Liu Lanying, a mortal, wouldn't have been able to withstand it.
Because Ouyang Xinuo was emitting a large amount of dark energy, he instantly entered another dimension. This way, the Ouyang family relatives wouldn't be terrified into questioning their sanity, or that someone had a divine beast constantly fighting. If they saw this, they would likely be scared to the point of vomiting.
"Ouyang Xinuo, if you're a man, stop using women as hostages. Release Liu Lanying at once."
Ouyang Xinuo's face was dark. He had been attacked consecutively by Ye Tiancheng and the phoenix, one using true qi and the other using spiritual energy. The combination of these two forces made Ouyang Xinuo's situation quite difficult.
In fact, this was normal. After all, both Ye Tiancheng and the phoenix were exceptionally talented and not easy to deal with. They hadn't expected such extraordinary power to manifest, and this time it was even more potent than usual. Previously, when Ye Tiancheng collaborated with Lin Xue, he discovered that the combination of true qi and spiritual energy produced unexpected results. He hadn't expected this effect to be amplified when combined with a divine beast.
"Not only will I not release her, but I have also formed a contract with this Miss Liu. If you harm me, you will immediately harm her as well. If you don't want Miss Liu to be harmed, the only thing you can do is obey my every command."
Being controlled was an unpleasant feeling, but now that he held the upper hand, Ye Tiancheng had to obey Ouyang Xinuo's words, or Liu Lanying would be harmed.
Most importantly, Ye Tiancheng and the phoenix could not fight Ouyang Xinuo now. This was a legendary blood pact. When the other party was harmed, the other would also feel the pain, though not as intensely.
Of course, there were different levels of harm. If they killed Ouyang Xinuo, Liu Lanying would likely not survive either, as Ouyang Xinuo was protected by powerful dark energy, while Liu Lanying was just an ordinary person.
"Ouyang Xinuo, you truly open my eyes. Every time you are so despicable, you impress me. I don't know what to say. With all these wicked schemes you devise, aren't you afraid of going to hell!"
No matter how angry Ye Tiancheng was, it was just verbal venting. In reality, he could do nothing.
"What is there to fear? It's just going to hell. This human world is not much better than hell."
It was unclear how much truth there was in these words. Regardless, Ye Tiancheng had a splitting headache. Looking at the person he detested most, yet being unable to act against him and having to obey his every word, felt incredibly agonizing. He would rather die a swift death.
"Brother Ye, don't worry about me. Just kill him."
Liu Lanying finally spoke. Having been pulled into the alternate dimension with him and forming a contractual relationship with Ouyang Xinuo, she had come to understand that the world of cultivators was different from that of ordinary people.
She understood that Ouyang Xinuo was using her to threaten Ye Tiancheng, and she was furious. She thought it was better to sacrifice herself than to let Ye Tiancheng be threatened.
"Release her first, and we can discuss anything. Resolve the contract, and you can name any condition. Just don't harm my friend."
Ye Tiancheng was extremely anxious. In their battles, cultivators could generally handle themselves without causing major issues. However, for a non-cultivator like Liu Lanying, a single misstep could lead to her being utterly destroyed. Ye Tiancheng couldn't afford to gamble, nor would he dare to.
"I know you want to attack me, but don't forget, I have now entered into a blood pact with your other little lover. If I get hurt, your little lover will likely die. So I advise you to be cautious and don't do anything that harms others and benefits yourself. Just accept all the murder charges obediently. I'd like to see how spectacular it would be when you, the former big entrepreneur, end up in prison."
Ouyang Xinuo knew that under threat, Ye Tiancheng would have to submit. At this moment, he could do nothing but endure all the pain. This was Ouyang Xinuo's wicked scheme.
Upon thinking that his scheme was about to succeed, Ouyang Xinuo couldn't stop smiling. He hadn't had a chance to hold his head high for a long time and needed to do something to enrage Ye Tiancheng completely so he could turn the tables. Now, this opportunity was right before him, and he was so happy he could burst out laughing.
"Please, don't harm an ordinary woman. Any malicious trick you have, aim it all at me."
Seeing Ye Tiancheng being coerced was incredibly satisfying. In this situation, he had to savor the feeling of stepping on Ye Tiancheng.
"We have many past grievances, and I don't trust you easily. So, I need to test your sincerity. Otherwise, I can't believe you'll truly obey me; it might just be a temporary tactic."
After speaking, Ouyang Xinuo unleashed a move, a Black Qi Ice Palm, carrying ice shards and immense dark energy, hurtling directly towards Ye Tiancheng.
Ye Tiancheng couldn't even think of retaliating; at this moment, he didn't dare to defend himself and could only take the blow head-on.
The ice shards scattered on the ground, and Ye Tiancheng felt a piercing pain. Fortunately, he managed to endure it and didn't cry out, but the intense impact left him feeling extremely unwell.
Ye Tiancheng staggered back a few steps and fell to the ground. He had already suffered a heavy blow, and now, kneeling on the ground, he coughed up blood again.
"Brother Ye, how are you? Are you alright?"
Liu Lanying was trapped near Ouyang Xinuo, but her heart was with Ye Tiancheng. Seeing him injured had a profound impact on her. The thought of losing Ye Tiancheng made her feel terrible.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me, I can still hold on."
Liu Lanying suddenly realized that if she continued to be threatened, Ye Tiancheng would be the one suffering. Ye Tiancheng would fall into an abyss from which he couldn't escape. It would be better to cut ties decisively. If she couldn't cut ties decisively, things would only become more chaotic.
Rather than that, it would be better to end everything sooner. From the beginning, Liu Lanying, a college student who became a village official, was no ordinary girl. She was easily distinguished from other girls. Liu Lanying was intelligent and had strong decision-making abilities. She wouldn't be easily influenced by others. Such people were very formidable.
Just as Ouyang Xinuo was smugly and frantically attacking Ye Tiancheng, Liu Lanying, seizing an opportunity when Ouyang Xinuo wasn't paying attention, ran over and picked up the ice shards.
These were formed from dark qi and were unlike ordinary ice shards. They possessed powerful destructive capabilities for cultivators, let alone for ordinary people. This strike would surely make you understand what it meant to wish you were dead rather than alive.
Liu Lanying held the ice shards and plunged them fiercely into her chest, a smile gracing her lips at that moment.
Ouyang Xinuo was stunned. The blood pact he had signed with Liu Lanying was merely intended as a life-saving trump card, but he never expected it to backfire and harm him.
"You crazy woman, what do you want to do? Why don't you even care about your life? You want to kill me!"
However, nothing he said mattered anymore. At this moment, a mass of dark energy escaped from Ouyang Xinuo's chest and scattered everywhere. This was a disaster for Liu Lanying. The contract they had signed meant that Ouyang Xinuo was not much better off, and was even becoming increasingly awkward. The dark energy continued to escape, and Ouyang Xinuo's life was also severely threatened.
The most difficult thing for him at this moment was to save his own life. He let out painful wails. At this point, if Ye Tiancheng made even a slight move, he could send him to eternal damnation.
"Lan Ying!"
Ye Tiancheng was frantic, more frantic than he had ever been. Seeing a woman willing to sacrifice her life to protect him, no man would remain indifferent. At this moment, he even wished he could exchange his life for hers.
"Brother Ye, don't worry about me. I am at my weakest now. Hurry and kill him, don't let him continue to wreak havoc. This is the best opportunity."