Chapter 191: 182. Conflict

182. Chapter 182: Conflict

Li Yi saw the fallen transcendent creature not far from the building, and he finally exhaled in relief.

Although the sniper rifle had immense power, killing a transcendent creature solely with firearms was nearly impossible—these creatures possessed terrifying vitality; unless struck in a vital spot, they could not be killed, let alone their superior intelligence and formidable strength.

He succeeded, honestly, only because the two spiritual sense experts had fought desperately, giving Li Yi the opening—he would never have found a chance to shoot even if he'd waited longer.

"Let's go take a look."

Seeing the transcendent creature still bleeding on the ground without rising, Li Yi waited a long while before putting away his sniper rifle, then called out and immediately stepped out of the abandoned building with Zheng Gong.

Meanwhile, Wang Yu's gaze shifted uneasily; he clutched his bleeding chest, pale-faced and severely wounded—he needed to be rushed to the hospital immediately, or he didn't know if he'd survive such grave injuries.

But

Wang Yu watched Li Yi and Zheng Gong with wary eyes as they emerged from the building.

"Thank you, two investigators, for helping us kill this transcendent creature. Cough, cough—if you hadn't acted in time, we'd all be dead."

He opened with gratitude, yet immediately clarified upon seeing neither Li Yi nor Zheng Gong were spiritual sense experts: you helped us kill it, not you killed it yourselves.

Li Yi caught the subtext, frowned: "I've been watching from the rooftop for a long time, holding my fire, waiting for you to successfully hunt it down—so no one would accuse our investigators of stealing another's kill. But sadly, you failed in the end, so we had to act at the critical moment: saving you while killing the creature. After all, beyond the ruined district lies the city—I couldn't let a transcendent creature enter the city. That would cause massive chaos."

His meaning was clear.

I didn't come to steal your kill—you failed, and I acted to save you.

Wang Yu opened his mouth, but then the injured spiritual sense expert Du Mingfang limped out from a nearby abandoned building—he'd been kicked by the creature, bones shattered, but his injuries were still manageable compared to Wang Yu's.

"Two investigators, we're grateful you fired to save us, but this transcendent creature is our kill. Don't entertain any unreasonable ideas." Du Mingfang spoke bluntly, without courtesy.

At the same time, the other teammates rushed over.

Three spiritual perception cultivators, all glaring hostilely at Li Yi and Zheng Gong.

"Exactly. This transcendent creature is ours. Now please leave immediately—don't cause misunderstandings. It won't benefit anyone."

They wouldn't allow their hard-earned kill to be snatched away, even though Li Yi had just saved their lives.

Zheng Gong's expression turned grim.

He understood: a transcendent creature's value was immense—enough to make these two spiritual sense experts tear off their masks entirely. Partly, too, because they saw Li Yi and Zheng Gong as weak and isolated, so they dared to act so brazenly.

Was he really going to give up and leave?

After all, facing two spiritual sense experts and three spiritual perception cultivators offered no chance of victory.

Zheng Gong glanced at Li Yi, hoping he'd decide now.

Li Yi spoke directly: "You make it sound like I came to rob you? If I hadn't fired, you'd all be dead—how could you be standing here talking to me?"

"Say what you want—I'm taking this creature's corpse." Du Mingfang's voice was icy: "We paid a heavy price. One extra shot from you doesn't make it yours."

Li Yi looked at him: "True—you helped me kill it. But without my shots, you'd all be dead. That's fact. So let's be fair: split it down the middle, how about it?"

"Split it? A mere spiritual perception cultivator—don't think holding a sniper rifle makes you powerful. Before us spiritual sense experts, you're nothing. Do you think you have the qualification to compete for a transcendent creature? Have your boss Zhang Lei come—maybe."

Du Mingfang snapped, utterly unconcerned with offending Li Yi and Zheng Gong.

After all, they were just ordinary investigators—ordinary strength. Offend them? So what.

Wang Yu added quickly: "You three, carry the creature's corpse away. Prepare to withdraw from the ruined district. The hunt is complete—we need to return and rest. We'll regroup next time."

The three spiritual perception teammates nodded, ignoring Li Yi and Zheng Gong entirely as they moved to haul away the unicorn creature's corpse.

"This is excessive," Zheng Gong said, eyes burning: "If you won't share, at least let us take a smaller portion—we did contribute."

Du Mingfang sneered: "You two young investigators need to understand—this isn't Tianchang City. This is the ruined district. Push us too far, we kill you and no one will ever know. Don't think one extra shot makes you entitled. If you want to live, get the hell out of here now."

He glanced at Wang Yu beside him.

Wang Yu understood instantly, stepping forward, killing intent flashing in his eyes.

Two spiritual sense experts, using sheer power to intimidate, threatening their lives—forcing Li Yi and Zheng Gong to abandon any claim. If the two didn't get the message, killing them outright was perfectly feasible—this was the ruined district. Kill them, no witnesses, no trace.

Zheng Gong sensed something unnatural—he paled, instinctively stepping back, remembering how Wang Jian had died in this same ruined district.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, Li Yi raised his sniper rifle and pulled the trigger without warning.

A specially designed round, already chambered, shot out instantly.

At that moment,

The two spiritual sense experts instantly sensed danger—terrible, imminent death.

"This guy wants to kill me?"

Du Mingfang's pupils shrank sharply—he instinctively tried to dodge.

But too close.

Their group was too near, and he never imagined Li Yi would strike first—especially with such sudden, direct gunfire.

Though his wounded body twisted to evade, his movement was too slow—he was hit.

The gunshot roared. Du Mingfang's body was pierced, torn apart, then collapsed, spewing blood. Even with his formidable vitality, he struggled briefly before falling utterly still.

This sight stunned everyone.

The three cultivators trying to carry the corpse froze in place.

Du Mingfang, a spiritual sense expert, was dead?

Shot dead by Li Yi?

"L-Li Yi, you—"

Zheng Gong's eyes widened in shock—but beneath it, he admired Li Yi's decisiveness.

At the first whiff of danger, he struck back instantly. He himself would never have had such courage.

Li Yi's gaze was icy, his pupils glowing, his entire body brimming with killing intent: "You're born evil. Saved, yet no thanks—now you want to kill us to cover your tracks? Then I'll send you all ahead."

As he spoke, he pulled the bolt again.

A red bullet slid into the chamber.

"Fine. Very fine. If you want to die, I'll oblige."

At that moment, Wang Yu erupted in rage, forcing his wounded body forward with impossible speed.

Bang!

The gunshot rang again.

But Wang Yu was now alert—his spiritual sense detected the bullet's path before Li Yi even fired. He sidestepped instantly, avoiding the lethal shot.

The next instant, he was upon Li Yi.

Once close, a spiritual perception cultivator was dead.

Wang Yu used no technique—only raw physical might. He swung a hooking punch straight at Li Yi's head.

The fist howled through air, swift and vicious.

He expected one blow to decide victory.

But suddenly, Wang Yu heard another thunderous crack—and saw the investigator's fist pierce the air, churning white waves, then collide with his own.

"Boom!"

Li Yi's punch exploded—divine power unleashed.

Wang Yu's face paled—he felt an overwhelming force surge up his arm, strange and coiled, like a drill piercing flesh, impossible to block.

After one punch,

Wang Yu staggered backward, retreating over ten steps before his old wounds burst open—he spat blood, then collapsed, utterly drained.

"Fist… technique. You're Li Yi from the Investigation Bureau?" His pale face twisted as he finally recognized him.

The martial art that had emerged in Tianchang City—everyone knew of it.

As a member of the Cultivation Association, Wang Yu had followed the news—he knew the art's originator was a newcomer named Li Yi, though later heard Li Yi joined the Investigation Bureau and had stopped paying attention.

Li Yi said nothing—only raised his sniper rifle, expressionless.

"Damn."

With his spiritual sense active, Wang Yu sensed every movement around him. Without hesitation, he rolled aside.

The next instant,

The concrete where he'd stood shattered—barely missing him.

"Attack together! Kill these two investigators—or none of us leave alive!"

Wang Yu roared. At this point, all knew: only one side could survive. Reconciliation was impossible.

Even if he surrendered the transcendent creature now, Li Yi would never spare them.

The mask was torn.

Yet Wang Yu still didn't take Li Yi seriously—a mere spiritual perception cultivator? How dare he challenge a spiritual sense expert? Was it just that fist technique?

"Zheng Gong, take the sniper rifle and retreat. I'll handle these bastards."

Li Yi's expression remained calm—he'd fought countless battles across the Four Seas and Eight Zones, radiating the invincible aura of a martial warrior.

He tossed the sniper rifle to Zheng Gong, covering his escape from the encirclement.

"Be careful."

Zheng Gong grabbed the rifle, turned, and ran without a word—he knew his presence here was a liability. If he could retreat far enough to set up the sniper, he could still aid Li Yi.

"Think you can run?"

One spiritual perception cultivator roared and charged to cut off Zheng Gong.

But the next instant,

A towering figure slammed between him and Zheng Gong.

The cultivator's spiritual sense screamed warning—he turned, meeting a pair of glowing, murderous vertical pupils.

A punch descended.

Shake the mountains and rivers!

The Four Seas and Eight Provinces Zhao Family Martial Arts Hall unleashed a killing move of the Shaking Mountain Fist—fierce and invincible.

Too fast. Can't dodge.

The eyes of this Linggan-level cultivator sharply contracted as he saw the fist drawing nearer.

Boom!

The fist's power exploded.

Li Yi's punch drove straight into the cultivator's skull, spraying a mist of blood.

With just one punch, the Linggan-level cultivator died on the spot.

Meanwhile, Zheng Gong seized the opportunity to retreat swiftly to safety, escaping the encirclement and blockade.

Another teammate killed, the others erupted in fury.

At this moment.

Wang Yu, coughing blood, roared as he charged in desperately. Now that Li Yi had no sniper rifle, he was no longer a threat—even if Wang Yu's condition was terrible, he could still muster enough strength to kill this Li Yi.

The movement speed of a Lingjue-level expert was too swift.

Li Yi had just killed one man, and his own Linggan sense warned him.

"Come on, you born-evil Lingjue expert!" He swung out a palm strike without turning his head—because turning would leave no time to counter.

Crushed Heart Palm.

This was the Han Family Martial Arts Hall's ultimate technique. Crushed Heart Palm wasn't a palm technique—it was a special palm force that penetrated straight into the heart meridian, cruel and ruthless.

Li Yi had studied it; learning this palm force wasn't difficult.

The two clashed, and Li Yi seemed slightly outmatched, flung backward.

But soon Li Yi stabilized his stance—uninjured.

Instead, Wang Yu sensed something—searing pain in his chest, blood continuously oozing from his lips. He gritted his teeth, trying to rely on his superior physical strength to endure and keep attacking Li Yi—but as soon as he took a step, the pain in his chest intensified, forcing him to collapse to his knees.

"Damn!"

Wang Yu cursed. This Li Yi was too strange. Though only at Linggan-level, even a Lingjue expert struggled to subdue him.

Aside from his inferior physical conditioning, his strength could match a Lingjue expert head-on.

Such a freak—no wonder he dared oppose me.

"Wang Yu, hold on!"

The other two Linggan-level opponents, seeing Wang Yu spitting blood nonstop, grew frantic. They feared their last Lingjue expert would collapse—then capturing Li Yi would be impossible.

Without hesitation, they charged at Li Yi.

"I'll use Eye Strike to cover you."

At this moment, Wang Yu gasped for breath, his eyes glowing—he decided to assist, giving his teammates an opening.

If Eye Strike disrupted Li Yi for just a few seconds, his two teammates could kill him.

But as he prepared to activate Eye Strike, Wang Yu suddenly felt his head buzz violently—his vision turned white, dizziness and nausea surged.

Eye Strike failed?

How? Why?

Quickly, Wang Yu looked at the fallen transcendent beast's corpse and understood.

His spirit had been injured—that was why he couldn't use Eye Strike.

If Du Mingfang were still alive…

Damn it.

This Li Yi deliberately shot Du Mingfang first—the greatest threat—because he was the least injured.

With coordination broken, a heavy price was inevitable.

Li Yi clenched his fists to meet them. Though the two Linggan-level cultivators reacted quickly and avoided the killing blows, fighting him hand-to-hand was no different from suicide.

Though outnumbered two-to-one, within moments, each of the two Linggan-level cultivators took a punch to the chest.

Terrifying fist power erupted, piercing through their bodies.

Blood gushed from both men as they flew backward, crashing heavily to the ground—severely wounded, defeated.

▲C〇

"Li Yi!" Wang Yu roared, forcing his wounded body to charge again.

He now understood: only he, the Lingjue expert, had any chance of defeating him. His teammates stood no chance.

"Boom!"

At this moment, gunshots rang out.

Under his Lingjue sense, Wang Yu sensed bullets approaching.

But his focus was entirely on Li Yi—he'd unconsciously ignored Zheng Gong's earlier retreat, failing to prepare in time.

Yet his powerful Lingjue instinct made him halt abruptly.

The bullet grazed past his body, drenching him in cold sweat.

But before he could even rejoice at dodging one bullet, Li Yi had already adjusted and lunged straight at him.

At this moment, Li Yi's fists glowed brilliantly, dazzlingly radiant.

"You can use Guiding Technique?" Wang Yu gasped in shock.

"If you can, why can't I? No more talk. You owe me a life. Time to pay it back."

Li Yi roared, unleashing a storm of punches—each fist strike exploded like thunder before the Lingjue expert's eyes.

Wang Yu, stunned, desperately tried to defend.

Though he knew no fist techniques, his reflexes and strength were astonishing—he could barely parry a few.

But Wang Yu was severely wounded; he couldn't block all of Li Yi's strikes. A few punches slipped through, piercing his body, leaving deep fist impressions—blood spurted again, and he screamed as he was flung backward.

"Boom!"

Again, gunshots rang out.

Before Wang Yu could recover from his flight, a bullet struck him midair.

The shot hit dead center, cutting him cleanly in half.

But Wang Yu still lived—his vitality was too strong. He glared at Li Yi, furious and unwilling to accept that a Lingjue expert had fallen here today.

But what met him wasn't Li Yi's response—it was Zheng Gong's gunshots from afar.

A single ordinary bullet pierced his skull. Wang Yu's broken body shuddered, eyes wide open, then collapsed heavily to the ground.

Having come this far, Zheng Gong showed no mercy—he cooperated with Li Yi to successfully snipe down the Lingjue expert.

The remaining two severely wounded Linggan-level cultivators reached the end of their lives. Before Li Yi could move, Zheng Gong calmly fired two more shots to finish them.

Just two ordinary bullets sent them on their way.

The entire battle lasted barely over a minute—this team was wiped out by Li Yi and Zheng Gong alone.

No one would believe it: a team of two Lingjue experts had been defeated by Linggan-level cultivators. Though luck played a part, Li Yi had genuinely withstood the Lingjue expert's attacks and repelled him head-on—otherwise, how could he have won this battle?