"Protect the young lady."
The people Chen Mingyue brought out their weapons one after another, protecting Chen Mingyue's evacuation.
But at this moment, a bullet flew from afar, heading straight for Chen Mingyue's head.
Before Chen Mingyue could make a decision, a middle-aged man beside her stepped in front of her.
*Bang.*
The bullet, originally aimed at Chen Mingyue, struck his head. A stream of blood flew out from the back of his head, landing on Chen Mingyue's face.
"Uncle Ming!"
Chen Mingyue cried out in grief.
"Young lady, hurry and leave."
Uncle Ming pushed Chen Mingyue away, using his own body to shield her from the bullet.
The others protecting Chen Mingyue, without a word, escorted her to retreat behind an obstacle.
Looking at Uncle Ming, riddled with bullet holes, Chen Mingyue was engulfed in rage, a terrifying aura radiating from her.
Uncle Ming was an elder who had watched her grow up and treated her very well. Yet, he had died here while protecting her to retrieve the Po Zong Pill. This made the usually rational Chen Mingyue furious.
"Chen Mingyue, hand over the Po Zong Pill, or you won't leave this place alive today."
Despite the seemingly chaotic gunfire earlier, there was only one attacker. This person emerged from the shadows, holding a gun.
"Butcher!"
Upon seeing this person, Chen Mingyue's teeth gritted.
She recognized him as a renowned assassin from the Ancient Eastern Kingdom, the king of assassins, known as the Butcher of the Human World, Wu Zhen.
"Chen Mingyue, I have no desire to offend your Chen family, but you obtained the Po Zong Pill. As long as you give it to me, I won't make things difficult for you."
Wu Zhen said to Chen Mingyue.
"Young lady, you go first. I'll stop him."
A man beside Chen Mingyue moved with the agility of a soaring dragon and a leaping tiger, charging towards the Butcher.
*Bang!*
The Butcher shot at him, but he dodged it. In an instant, he was beside the Butcher, launching a "Black Tiger Steals the Heart" attack.
However, the Butcher dismissed him with disdain. He grabbed the man's fist, and a scream followed. The man who had charged at the Butcher was then brutally torn apart by the Butcher's bare hands.
"Butcher, I will kill you."
Chen Mingyue roared, unable to restrain herself any longer. She walked towards the Butcher with murderous intent, ignoring all attempts by her protectors to dissuade her.
Seeing Chen Mingyue approach, Wu Zhen released his grip, smiling at her. He didn't take the young lady of the Chen family seriously at all.
Although rumors circulated that the young lady of the Chen family possessed the best talent, she was still just a girl. Wu Zhen had been famous for a long time and didn't regard her as a threat.
"Chen Mingyue, if you don't want to die, hand over the Po Zong Pill."
Wu Zhen extended his palm towards Chen Mingyue.
"You are not capable of that yet!"
As Chen Mingyue neared Wu Zhen, she unleashed her aura. Wu Zhen felt as if Mount Tai were crushing him, suppressed by the Grandmaster's domain and unable to move.
"You... you are a Grandmaster."
Wu Zhen exclaimed in shock, looking at Chen Mingyue in disbelief.
"Who revealed my whereabouts to you?"
Chen Mingyue asked him coldly.
"Wang... Wang Quanhai."
Wu Zhen said fearfully.
Despite being the Butcher, the king of assassins, before a Grandmaster, he was powerless to resist.
"So it was him!"
Chen Mingyue's teeth clenched. She hadn't expected the one who betrayed her to be an outsider, but a member of her own Chen family.
With this realization, Chen Mingyue no longer wished to speak with Wu Zhen. She only wanted revenge. Bending her index and middle fingers, she aimed a strike at Wu Zhen's heart.
"May you be a good person in your next life."
A faint crisp sound!
Wu Zhen's heart was shattered by a powerful force, yet there were no visible marks, nor any wounds on his skin.
Even the most skilled forensic pathologist afterward would be unable to detect anything, as there was no external injury. At most, they would assume Wu Zhen's heart had simply collapsed.
Chen Mingyue did this to conceal her strength and protect herself, as per the Chen family patriarch's instructions.
Otherwise, with Chen Mingyue's Grandmaster cultivation, she wouldn't have needed protection to retrieve the Po Zong Pill.
But the deaths of two uncles had made Chen Mingyue unable to hold back any longer.
"Hahaha... we were all fooled by you."
In his dying moments, Wu Zhen laughed heartily, then his head fell to the side, his eyes wide open in death.
"Young lady!"
The uncles protecting Chen Mingyue were stunned by her displayed strength.
Even they were unaware that Chen Mingyue was a Grandmaster.
Although there had been some whispers in the Chen family, Chen Mingyue was too young, only in her early twenties. Who would believe a twenty-year-old was a Grandmaster?
"Pack up and take the bodies of Uncle Ming and Uncle Wen with you."
Although Chen Mingyue had killed Wu Zhen, the deaths of two uncles had soured her mood. Furthermore, the existence of a mole within the Chen family filled her with rage.
If she had been betrayed by an outsider, Chen Mingyue might not have been so angry. But being betrayed by her own kin, leading to the deaths of two uncles, made Chen Mingyue furious.
It seemed a thorough re-organization of the Chen family was necessary upon their return.
However, before that, the mole could not be spared. Chen Mingyue picked up her phone and called the Chen family patriarch.
Upon hearing Chen Mingyue's words, the Chen family patriarch was so enraged he nearly smashed his phone. He immediately ordered Wang Quanhai to be apprehended.
Putting aside the messy affairs of these noble families, Ning Beichen was leisurely lounging on a beach chair, reading an ancient book. Selling the pills had earned him a large sum, so his mood was excellent.
The ancient texts obtained from Jia Jia had greatly benefited Ning Beichen, giving him a clearer understanding of the strength of Transcendents.
However, it was a pity that none of the cultivation techniques recorded in these ancient texts could be practiced.
It wasn't that they were uncultivable, but rather that they had no effect.
Much like the technique for crossing the Sea of Suffering recorded in the bronze fragments, it was unclear what factors or conditions were required for cultivation.
However, although the cultivation techniques were unusable, some of the martial arts recorded within them were perfectly fine, and Ning Beichen could easily execute them. This was likely related to his cultivation of the Sea of Suffering technique.
Now, Ning Beichen hoped for a Transcendent to appear soon so he could test his current strength.
After a while, Ning Beichen put away the ancient book and lay back on the beach chair. He flicked his finger towards the sea.
With a loud *rumble*.
A column of water shot up into the sky.
Following that, a large sea fish landed on the beach, flopping around.
"Xiao Qi, extra rations tonight."
Ning Beichen said, still lounging on the beach chair.
"Yes, Brother Chen."
A young, bald man walked over and picked up the large fish.