Three months had passed since Haiyue Guang last sought out Haiyue Chuan to demand the return of a person. During this time, Li Xing had been observing the Haiyue clan, and for some inexplicable reason, he found everyone there to be rather peculiar.
Aside from a few highly respected individuals or those with easily recognizable features who frequently crossed Li Xing's path, the common folk, the background characters, were rarely seen. Moreover, individuals he had met once as mere passersby were never seen again.
Yes, they simply disappeared. People would vanish from this village regularly, always the unremarkable ones. Normally, such disappearances would go unnoticed, but the observant Li Xing had discovered this pattern. The Haiyue clan was definitely hiding something from him.
Of course, Li Xing wasn't idle. He often snuck out when everyone was asleep, leaving subtle clues near Haiyue Guang's residence. Simultaneously, he was secretly assassinating some individuals. Li Xing was no benevolent saint; he hadn't forgotten the sneak attack on him and Xiang Lin when he first arrived. His motive for these actions was to provoke Haiyue Guang, forcing him to make a move against the conservative faction.
Although Li Xing possessed overwhelming strength, he felt it was best for Xiang Lin to gain some practical combat experience this time. During their last encounter, Li Xing had noticed that Xiang Lin paid little heed to getting injured, never dodging enemy attacks. This was a very bad habit, a consequence of Li Xing having protected her too well over the years.
"Li Yun, seize the assets of Haiyue Guang's family. Prepare to cast the net. Tonight, I will assassinate a high-ranking official."
Within a treasure vault belonging to Haiyue Guang's family, Li Xing, clad in a stealth suit, was pilfering treasures. Three months had passed, and it was time to depart. While Li Xing was not short of money, these treasures could be presented to his master, Tsunade, as a gift from a remarkably good disciple.
"Who goes there? How dare you steal from the Haiyue clan!"
A blinding light shone, and Li Xing was caught red-handed. Of course, this was intentional. Later, to facilitate his escape, Li Xing would eliminate some of the clan's higher-ups.
Discovered, Li Xing did not hesitate. He lunged forward, grabbed the person by the neck, and lifted them overhead. This also gave the individual an opportunity to signal for help. The moment the commoner lost consciousness, something resembling a grenade appeared in their hand.
"Boom! Boom!"
The intense explosions drew everyone's attention. In an instant, Li Xing collected all the treasures and leaped onto a rooftop, preparing to flee. Just then, a man with terrifying scar marks on his face blocked his path.
"What clan do you belong to? Not only do you dare to steal from my Haiyue clan, but you also killed one of my tribesmen."
Li Xing wasted no words. He raised his hand and delivered a palm strike that directly hit the scar-faced man's chest. The man was sent flying. As he departed, Li Xing left behind a single sentence: "Blame your rebellious faction for wanting to break the seal. I do this for the greater good of the world!"
Li Xing was confident. That palm strike had already injured the scar-faced man's heart, though not fatally. There was ample time for him to leave last words.
...
Upon returning to the Haiyue family's conservative faction, Li Xing immediately woke Xiang Lin. "Hey! Xiang Lin, wake up quickly and get ready. You'll need to fight a battle shortly, and after that, we're leaving!"
Hearing this, Xiang Lin leaped up, her limbs encircling Li Xing. "Great! Xing-kun, I definitely won't embarrass you. I've been bored here for so long."
...
Dawn broke over the forbidden grounds of the Haiyue clan, where an altar stood. Haiyue Guang, his eyes bloodshot, stood before it.
"Father, you can't blame me for any of this. It's all because you old fools have gone too far!"
Then, Haiyue Guang approached the altar, cut his palm with a knife, and let his blood drip onto it.
"Demon God, I have come to fulfill the condition you spoke of. The people of the Haiyue clan are yours to dispose of, except for my daughter."
A hearty laugh echoed from below. "What is it, boy? You've finally agreed to my terms? I told you long ago that none of your Haiyue clan are good people. Yet, you insisted on holding onto filial piety. However, it seems you've omitted one person from your condition this time. Don't you want your son anymore?"
The mention of his son only enraged Haiyue Guang further. Tears welled up in his eyes. "My son is already dead, just moments ago. I am utterly disillusioned with this family now!"
"If you had agreed to my terms back then, I could have taken you out of here long ago, and you wouldn't have lost a son. Hurry! Break the seal! I can't wait any longer!"
Haiyue Guang stopped crying, quickly formed hand seals, and then slammed his palm onto the altar, causing cracks to appear. Li Xing and Xiang Lin witnessed all of this.
"So last night, he killed his own son. No wonder he's so eager to break the seal!" Li Xing watched with a detached amusement, continuing to wait.
Soon, Haiyue Chuan arrived with a group of people. Upon seeing Haiyue Guang breaking the seal, he roared in anger, "Rebel! You... you actually broke the seal? How did you learn the sealing technique known only to the clan head?"
Haiyue Guang looked up at Haiyue Chuan, his eyes filled with hatred. "You old fool! All of you, die! You forced me to do this!"
"Wretch!"
Haiyue Chuan, consumed by rage, cursed and flew towards Haiyue Guang. Haiyue Guang had no desire for further words. He immediately engaged Haiyue Chuan in battle, marking the beginning of a father-son confrontation.
Meanwhile, all members of the radical faction and the conservative faction heard the commotion and rushed to the forbidden grounds. They were usually denied access, but with no one guarding it now, a large-scale battle erupted.
Before long, Haiyue Guang had severely wounded Haiyue Chuan. After all, Haiyue Chuan was elderly. Even with mineral supplements extending his lifespan, they could not alleviate the effects of aging.
"Xiao Guang, tell me, why?" Haiyue Chuan still did not understand what had happened to drive Haiyue Guang to such madness as to break the seal.
"Don't call me Xiao Guang, you old fool! You don't deserve it. You gave me the name Guang, but have you ever seen light? I only wanted to see the real light outside. Why? Why did you cause Feng Ye's death?"
Haiyue Guang's anger grew with every word. He rained down punch after punch. Haiyue Chuan, weakened by age, could not withstand the furious blows and was beaten to death. To his last breath, Haiyue Chuan could not comprehend why.
Of course, Li Xing, who had orchestrated all of this, felt no guilt. One was an enemy, and the other was hypocritical, which Li Xing detested. His restraint in not acting himself was already quite generous.
Just then, a gaunt girl, about fifteen years old, perhaps just a bit younger than Xiang Lin, walked up behind Li Xing and Xiang Lin.
"Xing-kun, this girl..."
Li Xing patted Xiang Lin's shoulder, signaling that he knew. The girl before them was Haiyue Guang's daughter, Haiyue Moli. Haiyue Moli had been blind since birth, unable to see anything. However, with her innate sensory abilities, she could sense what was happening.
"Father! Father! Please stop fighting! He's Grandpa! I don't want to lose any more family members!" Haiyue Moli cried out as she rushed forward, shouting for her father. Her mother had died in childbirth shortly after she was born, and her brother had been murdered last night. Now, she could not bear to experience another separation from her loved ones.