Chapter 85

The clerk was deeply worried Ding Huan would leave immediately—he had threatened them, and if Ding Huan tried to walk out, they would have to forcibly detain him.

Shangcheng was too crowded; if they moved now, word would spread quickly.

With the global beast crisis ongoing, nearly every nation was temporarily overwhelmed by these ferocious beasts; Shanghai's relevant departments had no energy to bother with the Beast King Society.

But once the beasts are repelled, the Beast King Society's actions will likely be reckoned with, so discretion is best—that's the Society's rule.

The clerk's phone rang again; he answered it, but kept his eyes fixed on Ding Huan.

Not long after, the clerk put down the phone and spoke to Ding Huan:

"Your beast core may be worth more than ten thousand, but I can't determine its true value—we have specialist appraisers. Would you prefer to go there, or wait here?"

Ding Huan said coolly, "Do I really need to say it? Send someone to pick me up—I'm going now."

The clerk had assumed Ding Huan would never go with him; he'd only said those words to buy time.

Now that Ding Huan agreed to go, he was stunned, and it took several seconds before he managed to say, "Alright, I'll take you there right away."

When the car reached the entrance, the clerk feared Ding Huan might escape mid-journey, so he called over a security guard to sit in the back with Ding Huan.

Ding Huan didn't get in immediately; instead, he waved toward Fei Tongtong's parked car.

Seeing Ding Huan's signal, Lao Liu rushed out of Fei Tongtong's vehicle and came over to Ding Huan's side.

Ding Huan greeted Fei Tongtong and signaled for her to leave first.

The clerk noticed Ding Huan had a pet and paid it no mind—in the Beast Era, some people kept pets.

But ferocious beast pets aren't easy to raise; pet-turned-murderer incidents happen often.

Leaving Shangcheng Mall, the car drove deeper into the suburbs until it stopped at a villa district just a few kilometers from Puxin Park.

Ding Huan had been to Puxin Park before—he'd practiced Wind Blade Art there for several days.

The wetland park was abandoned after the beast surge erupted before construction finished; few ever came near it, though beasts occasionally passed through.

Ding Huan hadn't expected the Beast King Society's leader to live here—this was an ideal place for cultivation, undisturbed by others.

It further confirmed his decision: had he gone directly to the Yinhé Building's Beast King Group headquarters, Old Fox Nian Jinqing would have sensed something was off.

As soon as the car entered the villa district, Ding Huan realized every residence here must belong to high-ranking Beast King Society members—this villa was clearly built by the Beast King Group.

When the car stopped before an unassuming villa, Ding Huan's spiritual sense had already spotted Nian Jinqing standing by the window.

Though he'd never met Nian Jinqing, he guessed the man's cultivation wouldn't be low—now it seemed he was either Earth Grade or a Post-Heaven martial artist.

"We're here. Go in and talk. I'm leaving." The clerk said to Ding Huan.

Ding Huan said coolly, "You must come in with me. This deal was handled by you."

Ding Huan had no intention of letting this clerk go.

The clerk froze, about to speak, when a voice came from inside the car: "Do as he says. Come in with him."

"Yes." The clerk's voice instantly became deferential.

Ding Huan silently noted: Nian Jinqing had installed surveillance and intercoms in the car—he hadn't noticed.

The villa looked ordinary from outside, but inside it was dazzlingly opulent, entirely clad in top-grade Shi Cai.

Nian Jinqing sat on a large chair, flanked by two burly men—his bodyguards.

Ding Huan instantly saw through them: they were mere decoys; Nian Jinqing could kill them both effortlessly.

"Young man, you've got guts. I heard you brought a Level Four beast core? Show it to me." Nian Jinqing spoke the moment Ding Huan entered.

As for inviting him to sit and chat—ha, not happening.

Once he entered this place, Ding Huan would vanish forever.

Only Lao Liu, trailing beside Ding Huan, drew Nian Jinqing's extra attention.

It wasn't that he was careless—Ding Huan simply looked far too young.

Ding Huan ignored Nian Jinqing entirely, instead raising his hand and unleashing a dozen Wind Blades.

Several screams erupted: the two bodyguards behind Nian Jinqing, the clerk who brought Ding Huan in, and six hidden Beast King Society enforcers—all were cut down by Ding Huan's invisible blade edges.

Blood sprayed everywhere.

Ghost Crossbow? Nian Jinqing's face changed—he instantly realized he was facing a vengeful enemy. He snatched a sharp axe from thin air.

Simultaneously, he lunged toward Ding Huan.

He knew of a certain crossbow called the Ghost Hand Crossbow.

Produced by a mysterious family in Bashu, this crossbow killed silently, with terrifying speed, leaving no defense possible.

Ding Huan's method immediately made him think of this weapon.

But the Ghost Hand Crossbow had one flaw: after firing all its bolts at once, reloading required inserting thin, razor-thin blades.

Installing those blades was cumbersome.

Nian Jinqing intended to strike while Ding Huan was still reloading.

But mid-leap, his heart turned cold—he saw two of his men split cleanly in half. That was beyond the Ghost Hand Crossbow's capability.

Too late now—he'd already launched his attack and couldn't retreat.

Violent Yuan energy surged toward him; Ding Huan was slightly surprised.

So Post-Heaven isn't that impressive? Is Pre-Heaven truly a qualitative breakthrough?

The feeling was underwhelming because Nian Jinqing's erupted Yuan energy could barely slow Ding Huan's movement—stopping him? Far from it.

This gap in strength meant Ding Huan didn't even need to move.

And that's exactly what he did—he stood still, ignoring the descending axe entirely.

This time, he didn't use Wind Blades—just punched forward from where he stood.

His Level Four Gene Cultivator's True Qi condensed into that single punch, like a cannonball fired from its barrel.

"Boom!" Ding Huan's True Qi collided with Nian Jinqing's Yuan energy—the violent shockwave exploded, shattering every light fixture and piece of furniture in the living room.

Crack!

Nian Jinqing felt as if every bone in his body had been shattered into fragments by Ding Huan's punch, a pain as if crushed by a bulldozer surging through his chest.

Nian Jinqing could not control his body at all; he flew backward and slammed into the massive Bai Yu screen in the living room.

The Bai Yu, worth hundreds of millions, shattered into pieces, and only then did Nian Jinqing fall to the ground.

His axe had long since flown away somewhere; he could only sit on the floor, spitting blood continuously, gasping for breath, his eyes filled with terror as he stared at Ding Huan.

As the founder of the Beasts King Association, he had weathered too many storms and witnessed too many powerful figures.

Could Ding Huan's strength really be that of a Xiantian powerhouse?

Lao Liu's eyes brimmed with contempt—was this all the skill he had, daring to fight Ding Huan?

"Who are you? I, Nian Jinqing, have not provoked you…" Nian Jinqing stopped mid-sentence, realizing his words were wrong.

If he hadn't provoked the other, the other would never have appeared here.

He felt regret—someone who could produce a Level Four beast core had no reason to be unaware of its value. He himself, when he was still an ordinary martial artist, had obtained a technique more precious than a Level Four beast core.

What was abnormal was that the other dared to come here alone.

Perhaps the other was relying on luck, but Nian Jinqing should not rely on luck.

In the end, it was he who had provoked the other, leading the other to come to his doorstep—still, he had invited it himself.

"I'm sorry. This time, the Beasts King Association did wrong. What compensation do you require? I, Nian Jinqing, will not utter a single word of refusal."

Nian Jinqing's tone carried pleading; he knew that with a man like Ding Huan, there was no room for luck.

Watching Ding Huan's entrance, he had killed everyone in the room without the slightest hesitation.

In a way, he was the same kind of man—he, too, showed no mercy when he slaughtered.

Ding Huan discarded his mask and sunglasses and said, "You ask why I came here?"

"Ding Huan?" Nian Jinqing recognized the man before him at once.

He had never met Ding Huan, but Ding Huan's fame was immense, tied to the destruction of the Gene Alliance's Shanghai headquarters.

How could he not have checked the man's dossier thoroughly?

"Correct. I am Ding Huan. You should know why I've come for you, right?" Ding Huan said.

"Master Ding, I, Nian Jinqing, was arrogant, and I know who to provoke and who not to. I swear I have never provoked Master Ding."

Nian Jinqing strained to recall where he had offended Ding Huan.

Ding Huan walked up to Nian Jinqing and chuckled.

"Not long ago, I heard you stole a beast core I had stashed in Haiyun's mutated materials? And that you captured my friends Mu Tingyun and Zhao Quan?"

Hearing this, Nian Jinqing's mind went numb—he finally understood what had happened.

It was that Level Three beast core. He had interrogated Mu Tingyun, who had only said the core was bought from a down-on-his-luck hunter, never mentioning Ding Huan once.

"Master Ding, I was greedy. Mu Tingyun and Zhao Quan are still alive—I'll have them brought here right away." Nian Jinqing did not hesitate; his words were swift and decisive.

He knew his life might end today.

He knew even better that if he stood in Ding Huan's position, anyone who bargained or dawdled would die faster—and suffer more before death.

"Release Mu Tingyun and Zhao Quan immediately, then summon every leader of the Beasts King Association here. I have limited time." Ding Huan's tone was icy.

Nian Jinqing gave a bitter smile—he knew Ding Huan intended to exterminate him utterly.

It had nothing to do with him; he himself was about to die.

Doing this was merely to avoid being tortured before death.

As Nian Jinqing made the call, Ding Huan walked toward a map hanging on the wall—was it the Kunlun Mountain Range map?

Having finished the call, Nian Jinqing saw Ding Huan interested in the map and hurried to say:

"This is where relics have appeared in the Kunlun Mountain Range. I've been there. If Master Ding is interested, I'm willing to guide you."

Ding Huan's heart stirred slightly—having this man lead the way wasn't bad.

He nodded. "Fine. If you behave well, I might spare your dog's life to guide me. I heard you obtained a Starry Sky Blade? Where is it?"

This was Ding Huan's second reason for coming here.