Zhang Xiaoxia rushed in in a panic, pulling Ye Ling back from his thoughts.
Ye Ling swept his divine soul outside and stood up, saying, "It seems the people from Hongchen Pavilion have arrived. I'll go out and deal with them, and then I'll bring Grandma to live on the mountain. It's not safe here."
With that, Ye Ling removed the barrier outside and pushed the door open to walk out.
At this moment, a considerable number of extraordinary individuals from Hongchen Pavilion had gathered in the courtyard and on the rooftops.
As Ye Ling emerged, all the extraordinary individuals aimed their firearms at him. As long as the leader of Hongchen Pavilion gave the order, Ye Ling would be consumed by a barrage of bullets!
Ye Ling looked at the sixth-rank extraordinary individual leading the group, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes. He chuckled, "You've brought quite the entourage..."
"What, do you think you're foolproof by bringing these people?"
The leading sixth-rank extraordinary individual couldn't discern Ye Ling's cultivation level and couldn't help but show a hint of apprehension. He sternly warned Ye Ling, "Our mission target this time is Zhang Muya. If you don't want to die, step aside obediently."
"What if I don't?"
Ye Ling retorted, blocking the entrance to the house without any intention of moving.
Seeing Ye Ling's stubborn refusal, the sixth-rank extraordinary individual's eyes turned grim. Without further ado, he gave the order, "Open fire, free shooting!"
As the words fell, the extraordinary individuals surrounding the courtyard unhesitatingly pulled their triggers.
In an instant, Ye Ling was enveloped by roaring bullets!
If the speed of those bullets were slowed down dozens of times, it would be discovered that they were all specially made Spirit-Breaking Bullets from Hongchen Pavilion. Each one was extremely expensive and could ignore the protective spiritual energy of extraordinary individuals, dealing true damage!
With Hongchen Pavilion's current offensive, even a peak sixth-rank extraordinary individual standing here would be shot into a sieve!
Unfortunately, after opening fire, the extraordinary individuals of Hongchen Pavilion did not see Ye Ling being pierced by bullets.
It was as if there was an invisible barrier around Ye Ling, and all the bullets were unable to enter within two meters of him.
A large number of bullets were stuck in mid-air, creating a bizarre scene.
"Seventh-rank extraordinary individual?"
The sixth-rank extraordinary individual saw Ye Ling catching their bullets with mere spiritual energy and realized that the opponent might be a seventh-rank or higher extraordinary individual. He quickly retreated, retrieved a specially made rocket launcher from a metal box beside him, and aimed it at Ye Ling.
"Fire!"
With a boom!
A shell roared towards Ye Ling, attempting to blast Ye Ling and the house behind him into smithereens!
"This is Hongchen Pavilion's strongest custom individual weapon. One shell costs three million US dollars. It's worth it to have it land on your head!"
The sixth-rank extraordinary individual sneered, watching as the shell shattered all the bullets suspended in mid-air and charged within two meters of Ye Ling!
Ye Ling slightly raised his hand and caught the shell with one hand.
The explosion everyone expected did not happen.
The courtyard suddenly fell silent. Everyone stared at Ye Ling as if he were a monster!
Catching a shell with bare hands?
Was this something a human could do?
"You've even brought out a rocket launcher, truly sparing no effort..."
Ye Ling examined the shell, made with special materials and craftsmanship, his eyes filled with growing amusement.
From the fact that the sixth-rank extraordinary individual had resorted to a rocket launcher, he knew that Hongchen Pavilion only wanted Zhang Muya, dead or alive.
"Since one costs three million US dollars, I can't bear to waste your things. I'll return it to you myself."
With that, Ye Ling curved his lips into a subtle arc and threw the shell directly at the sixth-rank extraordinary individual.
"Damn it!"
Seeing Ye Ling throw the shell back, all the extraordinary individuals from Hongchen Pavilion were terrified and immediately fled out of the courtyard!
Unfortunately, Ye Ling's throwing speed was even faster than the rocket launcher's propulsion. Before the sixth-rank extraordinary individual could even take a step back, the shell slammed into them!
Boom!
The shell exploded with a roar, but instead of spewing flames, it formed a transparent spherical barrier around the area, which then rapidly collapsed!
All the extraordinary individuals from Hongchen Pavilion within the explosive barrier were sucked into the collapsing barrier and ground into dust!
A smooth, large pit was dug into the courtyard floor.
"Quick, retreat!"
The extraordinary individuals on the rooftops, seeing their comrades in the courtyard annihilated, lost all will to fight. They all leaped to other rooftops and quickly fled from Zhang Muya's room.
However, before those people could run a few steps, Ye Ling's demonic energy surged out from the courtyard, splitting into numerous claws that grasped them all!
Expressions of terror appeared on the faces of the Hongchen Pavilion extraordinary individuals.
Then, the demonic energy contracted!
"Ahhhhhh!"
Piercing screams echoed over Longdao Town, but soon, the small town fell completely silent.
"Master Ye..."
Zhang Xiaoxia, supporting Zhang Muya, walked out of the room. Looking at the mess outside, she was still somewhat stunned.
She had seen everything that happened outside from inside the room.
Zhang Xiaoxia was not surprised that Ye Ling could deal with those people.
But she couldn't understand why so many people would target her mother-in-law.
"Retreat to the back. It's not over yet."
Ye Ling looked at the empty courtyard ahead and said faintly to Zhang Xiaoxia, causing her to freeze.
Just as Zhang Xiaoxia was about to ask, she felt a terrifyingly powerful resentment surge in from outside the room!
A cold wind howled in the courtyard, and the temperature instantly dropped by more than ten degrees!
"Ah—!"
A shrill scream rang out from outside the courtyard, followed by an evil spirit in white clothing flying in, sprouting a mass of hair and lunging towards Zhang Xiaoxia and Zhang Muya behind Ye Ling!
"Seventh-rank evil spirit?"
Zhang Xiaoxia's expression changed drastically as she felt the aura of the white-clothed evil spirit. She quickly stepped in front of Zhang Muya, "Grandma, be careful, you quickly retreat inside!"
As the hair was about to stab Zhang Xiaoxia, Ye Ling instantly appeared beside her, grabbed the hair with one hand, and wrapped it around his arm.
"You don't need to force yourself here. You can't help with the enemies behind you."
Ye Ling said to Zhang Xiaoxia, then exerted force with one hand, directly pulling the white-clothed evil spirit over. He punched it in the face, scattering it directly!
However, after being scattered by Ye Ling, the white-clothed evil spirit reformed in the distance, its aura undiminished.
Seeing the evil spirit revive, Zhang Muya quickly reminded Ye Ling, "Be careful! This is an artifact-bound spirit. As long as the evil artifact it's attached to isn't shattered, it will never die!"
This kind of evil spirit was very common a hundred years ago.
Artifact-bound spirits were mostly wicked individuals who wreaked havoc in their lives. After being killed by powerful figures, their souls were sealed within artifacts, never to be reincarnated, as a form of punishment.
However, because the evil spirits were confined to a small space day and night, their resentment was much more concentrated than ordinary evil spirits, and their strength was also formidable.
Once someone released them, the havoc caused by artifact-bound spirits was also more severe than that of general evil spirits!
Precisely because the method of sealing evil spirits in artifacts would nurture powerful evil spirits, artifacts, once in the hands of those with impure intentions, could easily be exploited.
Therefore, in the past century, various sects and factions had abandoned such methods, and the artifacts used to seal evil spirits were basically destroyed.
Nowadays, artifact-bound spirits were quite rare.
And the artifact-bound spirit in the courtyard, possessing seventh-rank cultivation, had at least been nurtured with blood for a hundred years!
"Artifact-bound spirit?"
Upon hearing Zhang Muya's words, a hint of amusement flashed in Ye Ling's eyes as he looked at the white-clothed evil spirit in front of him.
"Interesting."