"Long Batian, is it? Your name is certainly domineering, but your character falls a bit short of your father's."
Elder Feng took two steps forward, staring at Long Batian's familiar face, which reminded him of an enemy he had killed years ago.
Seeing how easily Xiao Hai could subdue a mid-stage Xiantian realm cultivator, he marveled, realizing Xiao Hai was the one who had been hiding his true strength the deepest.
However, a Xiao Hai like this was precisely the future family head the clan needed most.
The more outstanding Xiao Hai became, the more prosperous and powerful the clan would grow.
"That kind of look will get you disliked everywhere you go."
"Moreover, those who have looked at me with such eyes are no longer around."
Zhao Yun chuckled as he looked at Long Batian's gaze, which was fixed on him.
The plan had been a great success. He had managed to attain mid-stage Xiantian realm strength, an unexpected bonus.
Long Batian's usefulness was now exhausted. It was time for him to return to where he belonged.
Protagonists should not exist in this world; their existence would only disrupt the balance.
The most crucial reason was that Zhao Yunhai would not tolerate anyone being more formidable than himself.
"Huayang Needle!"
Zhao Yunhai directly employed the Huayang Needle, acquired from the first protagonist.
The Huayang Needle was a terrifying technique capable of dissolving a martial artist's inner energy.
"Cough, cough, cough!!!"
Zhao Yunhai slammed Long Batian to the ground. Long Batian coughed violently, gasping for air.
"My inner energy is gone! What did you do to me with that needle?"
As Long Batian attempted to flee, he realized he had no inner energy left and questioned loudly.
Zhao Yunhai gestured with the needle in his hand and said with amusement,
"Isn't it obvious? Your inner energy has completely vanished. How can an ordinary person escape now?"
"Your only purpose now is to make Elder Feng fulfill the promise he made back then."
Zhao Yunhai directly snapped both his legs, causing Long Batian to wail in agony on the ground.
Without inner energy, Long Batian was a cripple.
Let alone seeking revenge, any other aspirations were now in vain.
No one present showed any pity for Long Batian's screams; they all laughed at his cries.
The laughter was so piercing that he longed to kill everyone present.
But Long Batian could no longer do anything.
Zhao Yunhai took out a dagger and walked up to Long Batian, crouching down.
Meanwhile, outside the established cordon, a martial artist forced his way through.
"Report, someone has breached the perimeter. Strength: peak Xiantian."
"Received."
Si Jinyan said into his walkie-talkie, "Find a way to stall him."
"Let him come."
Zhao Yunhai commanded, his back to Si Jinyan.
Someone coming to save Long Batian at this hour suggested his identity was not simple.
However, to Zhao Yunhai, this rescuer was merely coming to deliver a head.
Why would they try to stop him?
What if the other party escaped and disappeared? Where would he find them?
The protagonist's halo had no effect on him. Zhao Yunhai would not wait for the rescuer to arrive before killing Long Batian.
Long Batian, who had a glimmer of hope upon hearing someone was coming to save him, fell into despair as he saw the approaching figure make no move to stop.
Damn it!
Long Batian deeply regretted following them to Yanjing.
Yanjing was the enemy's territory. Now he was utterly alone, with no one to call upon.
Why hadn't he just endured a little longer?
Now, not only had he failed to get revenge, but he was also about to die.
Zhao Yunhai, aware of Long Batian's intentions, let out a cold snort.
He raised the dagger and swung it down.
The sharp dagger flashed with a cold glint.
It pierced directly into Long Batian's heart, and blood began to gush out uncontrollably.
It quickly soaked through Long Batian's clothes, then flowed down his body to the ground, spreading outwards.
Long Batian clutched the hilt of the dagger, his posture indicating a desire to pull it out.
"What? Do you want me to help you pull it out?"
Zhao Yunhai looked at Long Batian with a sneer in his eyes. The next second, he helped him pull the dagger out.
Long Batian, completely defenseless, could only watch as the other party removed the dagger.
It would have been better not to pull it out; the moment it was removed, the blood flowed out even more profusely and violently.
Long Batian, not wanting to die, instinctively tried to cover the incessantly bleeding wound.
Though it was futile.
"My apologies."
Zhao Yunhai, as if just realizing what he had done, plunged the dagger back in with feigned remorse.
"Pfft!"
Seeing himself toyed with in such a manner, Long Batian was overcome with rage, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Stop."
The person who had rushed in from outside, having faced no obstruction, finally arrived.
After waiting for him, Zhao Yunhai ended Long Batian's life.
"It's fortunate you arrived, but you're too late. Since you care about him so much, now that he's dead, you'll accompany him."
"Attack! Kill him!"
At Zhao Yunhai's command, all the peak Xiantian realm martial artists in the room swarmed forward.
Protagonist Zhao Yunhai had dealt with his primary target. As for this newcomer, Zhao Yunhai couldn't be bothered to act.
Elder Feng's mood lightened considerably upon seeing Long Batian dead.
Finally, he had fulfilled his promise from years ago and avenged him completely.
Zhao Yunhai paid no mind to the newcomer's identity. Faced with so many peak Xiantian realm powerhouses, the intruder perished under a barrage of blows within minutes.
"Si Jinyan, cremate Long Batian according to the usual procedure. As for his ashes, scatter them from the top floor."
"Understood." Si Jinyan nodded calmly.
He hadn't forgotten the unprocessed corpse still on the rooftop.
After dealing with Long Batian, Zhao Yunhai departed without lingering.
Zhao Yunhai believed in utilizing protagonists if possible, and eliminating them if not.
As for female protagonists, Zhao Yunhai generally chose to exile them, turning them from wealthy to poor.
As long as the female protagonist didn't offend him, he wouldn't directly kill her.
Reason one: A female protagonist's status was tied to the male protagonist; without him, she was nothing.
Reason two: If an exiled female protagonist managed to attract another male protagonist, that would be a tremendous gain.
Of all the female protagonists, only Yan Rubing had been truly "consumed" by him.
Every move Yan Rubing made was now under his control.
Women, after all, tended to hold a special feeling for their first man.
The seals on the apartment building had already been removed.
The white powder drifting in the air above the apartment was perceived by people as ordinary dust, unaware it was actually human ashes.
The apartment's surveillance cameras had been destroyed long ago, leaving Zhao Yunhai with no evidence.
He had advanced to the mid-stage Xiantian realm in just a few days. It was time to cultivate the core martial arts of the clan's direct lineage.