The palms of the two collided, and a terrifying explosion erupted, with a powerful shockwave spreading out.
The next second, the man Gu Tianlang called Uncle Chang let out a muffled groan, spat out a mouthful of blood, and was sent flying backward.
As for Senior Cang Long, he didn't retreat even an inch, nor did his body sway. He remained as composed and unfazed as ever.
This scene astonished everyone, especially those brought by Gu Tianlang, who wore expressions of disbelief.
Uncle Chang had appeared to possess immense power and launched swift attacks, seemingly holding the upper hand.
Yet, Senior Cang Long had merely extended a palm, which seemed weak and lacking in force.
To everyone's surprise, Uncle Chang was at a disadvantage and appeared to be seriously injured.
"How is this possible? Uncle Chang, are you alright!" Gu Tianlang exclaimed, rushing to express his concern. xxs壹贰
Uncle Chang stopped, looking at Senior Cang Long with shock and apprehension. "Young Master, the situation is dire. He is a late-stage Grandmaster!"
"What? A late-stage Grandmaster?" Gu Tianlang was also taken aback.
His Uncle Chang was also a Grandmaster, albeit only in the early stage. Even so, he was a formidable figure within their sect.
He had never imagined that the person beside Ye Feng was a late-stage Grandmaster, which left him utterly shocked and unprepared.
"Kid, which hidden family or sect does your backing belong to? Perhaps we can sit down and talk!" Gu Tianlang said, his voice laced with apprehension.
As the young master of the Tianluo Sect, his protector was only an early-stage Grandmaster.
The fact that Ye Feng could have a late-stage Grandmaster guarding him was difficult for Gu Tianlang to accept, and he couldn't help but fear Ye Feng's backing.
"Heh, what's my backing got to do with you? As for sitting down and talking? You're not worthy!" Ye Feng sneered.
Gu Tianlang retorted, "Kid, don't be so arrogant. Although I don't know who your backing is, our Tianluo Sect is not to be trifled with!"
"Too much nonsense. Senior Cang Long, attack! Kill them all!" Ye Feng said coldly.
Senior Cang Long nodded immediately, "Yes, Young Master!"
With that, Senior Cang Long made the first move.
Uncle Chang, beside Gu Tianlang, was startled and quickly moved to intercept.
"Damn it, everyone, attack! Take down this kid first!" Gu Tianlang shouted.
The next moment, Gu Tianlang and his subordinates jointly attacked Ye Feng.
Ye Feng, unfazed, knew that as long as they weren't Grandmasters, their numbers wouldn't be a significant problem.
Thus, the two sides engaged in a fierce battle.
As for ordinary people like Tang Zhiyang, they fled the moment the battle began.
Gu Tianlang was not weak, being a late-stage Grandmaster. Coupled with a Grandmaster-level expert and several Xiantian realm cultivators among his subordinates, the fight against Ye Feng was evenly matched.
However, when Ye Feng revealed the Sea God's Trident, victory began to tilt in his favor.
The Xiantian realm cultivators were successively slain by him, leaving only Gu Tianlang and the Grandmaster-level expert.
Even fighting two against one, they were still no match for Ye Feng.
On the other side, Senior Cang Long and Gu Tianlang's Uncle Chang were locked in a back-and-forth struggle, but Uncle Chang was clearly struggling to hold on.
Seeing both sides at a disadvantage, Uncle Chang finally resorted to using his essence blood to activate a mysterious talisman. It instantly transformed into a beam of light that carried Gu Tianlang away, leaving only the Grandmaster expert behind.
The Grandmaster expert was then pierced through the chest by Ye Feng's Supreme Overlord Spear and died on the spot.
Ye Feng intended to pursue Gu Tianlang, but Senior Cang Long shook his head, "Young Master, don't chase! That's a Thousand-Mile Talisman, you won't catch him!"
"Alright! Are you injured?" Ye Feng asked.
Senior Cang Long shook his head, "No, an early-stage Grandmaster like him couldn't possibly injure me! It's just a pity I couldn't keep him!"
"It's fine, killing one Grandmaster is good enough!" Ye Feng said with satisfaction.
Next, Ye Feng found Zhou Lingyu and asked, "Are you all alright?"
Zhou Lingyu shook her head, "It's fortunate you arrived in time, otherwise, we would have been in trouble."
"It's good that you're all fine. Since you are, we'll be leaving now!" Ye Feng said.
However, Zhou Lingyu immediately called out to him, "Wait a moment, we'd like to talk with you!"
Ye Feng frowned, "Talk? About what?"
"Cultivators have been appearing frequently recently, and there will be even more in the future. Therefore, we wish to join you and seek the protection of your sect or hidden family," Zhou Lingyu said earnestly.
Ye Feng pondered for a moment and replied, "Actually, I don't have the kind of sect or hidden family you imagine behind me!"
"What? You don't? How is that possible? Then where did that powerful expert just now come from?" Zhou Lingyu asked in disbelief.
Ye Feng explained, "I truly don't have the kind of backing you're thinking of! As for that expert just now, let's just say he's my subordinate!"
"I don't have hidden sects or hidden families behind me, nor will I join any forces. I am building my own force! Do you understand?"
Zhou Lingyu hesitated for a moment and then asked, "You mean, you haven't joined any hidden sects or families, and those experts are hired by you?"
"Well... you can understand it that way! After all, building a force and joining a force are entirely different concepts!" Ye Feng nodded.
Hearing this, Zhou Lingyu nodded. Building a force and joining one were indeed different concepts.
Building a force meant that the force would obey his commands and serve him.
Joining a force, on the other hand, not only required providing benefits but also submitting to their will, and there was a risk of being abandoned or even slaughtered.
"However, can the force you're building on your own contend with the various hidden sects and families that are about to emerge?" Zhou Lingyu asked with some concern.
Ye Feng smiled, "Don't worry! It's completely fine! My force is in no way weaker than many individual hidden sects and families!"
Hearing this, Zhou Lingyu gritted her teeth and said, "Alright then, our family wishes to join you!"
"Great! You are most welcome!" Ye Feng smiled.
The Zhou family was one of the four major families in the southeastern province, even ranking first among them.
Although they had no cultivators behind them, their financial and material resources were immense, and Ye Feng was in dire need of such partners.
In addition to the Zhou family, Ye Feng also intended to bring in the Xiao family, another of the four major families. Only then would they truly be united and form an unbreakable front.
Upon returning, Ye Feng immediately convened the high-level officials of the Zhou family, the Xiao family, and the Sea God Company to discuss the merger.
Although the three parties had been somewhat allied before, they were not a cohesive unit, and there was mutual suspicion in many matters, preventing them from acting with full commitment. Now, these issues were finally resolved.
However, unbeknownst to Ye Feng and the others, as they were discussing the merger, a great danger was steadily approaching...