Thump!
Chen Xiuyan's head hit the ground, his backside in the air, and he landed heavily, half his face swelling up.
The entire place fell silent.
Seeing Ye Ling effortlessly swat Chen Xiuyan away, Xie Shuangjun's expression grew even more solemn.
With Chen Xiuyan's strength at the peak of the third rank, Xie Shuangjun believed he couldn't have achieved such ease as Ye Ling.
This kid is stronger than me!
Realizing this, Xie Shuangjun no longer dared to underestimate him. He quickly retreated into the crowd, simultaneously summoning the three evil spirits he had been nurturing, ready to strike at any moment.
The guards surrounding the office also instinctively tightened their grip on their guns, their tension reaching an extreme.
Most of those present were outer disciples incorporated by the Ghost Gate. They knew Chen Xiuyan's strength. Even with guns, if Chen Xiuyan charged into their ranks, it would be a massacre for them!
Now, the Chen Xiuyan who could slaughter them was being toyed with by Ye Ling. It was impossible for the guards not to be afraid.
"You damn..."
Chen Xiuyan struggled to get up from the ground. Before he could even finish his curse at Ye Ling, his head slid off his shoulders.
His ferocious expression was frozen forever.
Blood splattered out, and Chen Xiuyan's headless corpse collapsed onto the ground.
Seeing this, Xie Shuangjun, amidst the crowd, was utterly horrified and quickly shouted, "Fire! Indiscriminate fire!"
Xie Shuangjun hadn't even seen clearly how Ye Ling had killed Chen Xiuyan!
In other words, if Ye Ling could detach Chen Xiuyan's head from a distance, he could do the same to him!
This was definitely a sixth-rank anomaly!
Hearing Chen Xiuyan's command, Zhang Daoyuan's face changed drastically. He quickly waved his whisk, closing the office door.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
The moment the door closed, gunfire erupted from outside. The office door was riddled with holes, and dozens of bullets whistled in.
"Young friend, quickly dodge..."
Zhang Daoyuan anxiously looked at Ye Ling, then suddenly froze.
Ye Ling had already vanished from his spot, and the whistling bullets had stopped in mid-air.
Looking at the frozen bullets, Zhang Daoyuan was stunned for a moment, then heard screams from outside, one after another.
Zhang Daoyuan snapped back to his senses, quickly pushed the door open, and ran out, only to freeze in place.
Outside, there were bodies everywhere.
Ye Ling stood in a pool of blood. Xie Shuangjun knelt before Ye Ling with vacant eyes. His three meticulously cultivated fifth-rank evil spirits were purified and dissipated behind him.
"This, this..."
Zhang Daoyuan's mind went blank, almost unable to think.
From the time the guards opened fire to him bursting through the door, less than ten seconds had passed...
Yet, in those mere ten seconds, all the guards of the Ghost Gate's branch were annihilated, and its leader, Xie Shuangjun, was defeated!
This meant Ye Ling alone had destroyed a Ghost Gate branch in just ten seconds!
How was this possible?
Zhang Daoyuan couldn't believe it, but the scene before him forced him to.
"It's over,"
Ye Ling said calmly to Xie Shuangjun, grabbing his head. Demonic energy invaded his brain.
"No, don't... Ahhh!"
Xie Shuangjun's shrill screams echoed through the steel plant. The surrounding corpses ignited with dark flames.
Ye Ling stood amidst the dark sea of fire, like a demon god.
In a moment, all the bodies were completely incinerated.
Ye Ling released Xie Shuangjun, letting him disappear into the sea of fire.
Seeing Ye Ling kill Xie Shuangjun so cleanly, Zhang Daoyuan's mouth hung open, his emotions in turmoil.
This was truly...
Zhang Daoyuan couldn't describe it.
Ye Ling stood alone in the open space, recalling Xie Shuangjun's memories, and chuckled softly, "So... the Ghost Gate headquarters is in that place. No wonder no one has been able to find them for so many years."
The branch leader and deputy leader each held half of the information regarding the Ghost Gate headquarters' location. To reach the headquarters, they needed to travel together.
Even if Xie Shuangjun or Lu Wende fell into the hands of outsiders, and their secrets about the Ghost Gate's location were extracted through special means, those people still wouldn't find the headquarters.
How strict were the Ghost Gate's measures to prevent secrets from leaking? Yet, they never imagined they would provoke Ye Ling.
Six years ago, the Ghost Gate participated in the annihilation of the Ye family. When Ye Ling returned, the demise of the Ghost Gate was sealed.
It was only a matter of time.
After Ye Ling dealt with the bodies of everyone at the Ghost Gate branch, the unconscious Jian Shishi slowly woke up.
"Where am I..."
Jian Shishi looked at the unfamiliar surroundings, her eyes filled with deep confusion.
Ye Ling walked in from outside the office, looking at the confused Jian Shishi, and smiled, "We meet again."
"It's you!"
Seeing Ye Ling, Jian Shishi's heart suddenly raced.
However, she quickly remembered Ye Ling leaving without a word that night. Anger surfaced on her face, and she said furiously, "Didn't you just leave without a word that night? Why have you brought me here again?"
It was truly bad luck for Jian Shishi. After narrowly escaping death, she moved out of the old street in the west city, hoping to change her fortune.
But before she could even move into her new home, she was drugged again. When she woke up, she found herself here.
Her head still ached a bit.
"You were brought here by someone else. If you count it, you already owe me two lives," Ye Ling said calmly. He had searched Lu Wende's memories and understood why Jian Shishi was brought here.
She had been targeted by the Jiang and Lu families.
The deaths of Yin Zhou the Elder and Jiang Tianhao could be linked to Jian Shishi. With the strength of the Jiang and Lu families, finding Jian Shishi was easy.
Jian Shishi, as an ordinary person, had been caught up in the world of anomalies twice in a short span of days, both times nearly losing her life. Ye Ling couldn't help but sigh at Jian Shishi's luck.
Even on the East Xuan Continent, there wasn't a single person who had been saved by Ye Ling from the brink of death twice.
"I..."
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Jian Shishi wanted to retort but didn't know where to start. She could only grab her hair in annoyance, completely unsure how to describe her current mood.
"When one is unlucky, even drinking water can get stuck in their throat,"
Jian Shishi grumbled dejectedly, not believing Ye Ling was lying to her.
She suddenly stood up, but due to the weakness in her legs, she stumbled to the ground again.
Ye Ling waved his hand gently. A gust of wind blew, helping Jian Shishi up.
Ye Ling said, "No need to thank me."
"Who wants to thank you?"
Jian Shishi was still angry. She gave Ye Ling a glare, adjusted herself with Ye Ling's wind, and then shakily walked towards the door, wanting to know where she was.
However, Jian Shishi was still pushing herself. The effects of the drug hadn't worn off yet. She had only walked halfway before her body went soft, and she fell to the ground again.
Falling to the ground, Jian Shishi suddenly felt immense grievance and burst into tears.
"Who did I offend to deserve this?"
"My job is gone, my money is gone, and I'm still being grabbed and dragged around by a bunch of strange people!"
"I just want to live!"
Seeing the young woman in her twenties sitting on the ground and crying hysterically, Ye Ling sighed slightly, walked towards her, and extended his hand.
Seeing Ye Ling's gesture, Jian Shishi wiped the tears from her eyes and pouted at Ye Ling, asking, "What do you want?"
Ye Ling said softly, "I'll take you back."
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Jian Shishi's body trembled slightly. All the grievances she had suffered moments ago were instantly cast aside!
She immediately smiled and quickly grabbed Ye Ling's hand, saying, "You can't just leave without saying goodbye this time!"
Seeing Jian Shishi revert to her carefree self, Ye Ling also said helplessly, "Mm."
Just as Ye Ling helped Jian Shishi up, the roar of numerous car engines echoed from outside, creating a commotion.
Zhang Daoyuan, who was still stunned at the doorway, snapped back to his senses and saw a large group of people in black storming into the steel plant from outside!