Chapter 218

209. Chapter 209: Liu Yan Appears

Gu Mengping was drenched in cold sweat; the gale blew so fiercely he couldn't open his eyes. Moments later, when he saw the cratered ground, cracked and shattered, his heart pounded wildly.

Is this Li Yi's punch?

Too terrifying.

Yang Yi just fought hand-to-hand with a creature like this? He must've been pushed to his limits. If it were me, I couldn't last more than a minute, let alone ten minutes. Looking back, I was an idiot to think Li Yi's strength was fake.

He wasn't the only one.

After witnessing Li Yi's punch, everyone's expression changed instantly.

These spiritual sense experts could plainly feel the gap in power between themselves and Li Yi from that single strike.

Li Yi now is truly absurdly strong.

"Gu Mengping, all you know is to hide. You don't even have the courage to take one of my punches? How shameful—you call yourself a spiritual sense expert?" Li Yi stood firm, fist retracted, his vertical pupils glowing, his aura radiating, making others tremble.

"I take back what I said earlier, Li Yi. Your strength is truly extraordinary—I admit it." Gu Mengping spoke quickly, his heart hollow with fear.

He didn't want Li Yi to swing another punch.

Otherwise, he might die here today.

"You say you accept it, but deep down you're still resentful. That's fine. Once you take one of my punches, you'll be truly humbled." Li Yi raised his fist again, terrifying fist energy coalescing upon it.

"No, no, no—I'm truly humbled, truly humbled, no stubbornness left!" Gu Mengping waved his hands frantically, desperate to avoid seeing Li Yi strike again.

He realized now: Li Yi was using him as a target, displaying his power before everyone to silence all doubt.

"Words mean nothing. Only wounds tell the truth." Li Yi pressed forward, ready to strike again.

But at that moment, Zhang Lei stepped forward as mediator. "Li Yi, no one questions your strength. We're all colleagues. There's no need for sparring now—someone getting hurt won't help anyone. Give me a favor and stop here. Let's settle things after tonight."

Li Yi, seeing Zhang Lei intervene, retracted his fist. He respected the battalion commander and said, "Since the battalion commander says so, I'll stop here. But I don't tolerate backhanded remarks. I'll let this slide—but there won't be a next time."

He glared at Gu Mengping.

If I don't assert myself, show my strength, how can I earn respect? Do they really think I'm only at spiritual inspiration realm and can be mocked at will?

Gu Mengping's face was grim. He hadn't expected Li Yi to strike so suddenly—and his strength was beyond imagination.

It defied logic.

Just days ago he was normal. How could he transform so drastically overnight? This isn't a game where you can cheat.

But no matter what, Li Yi's power had silenced everyone. To them, Li Yi was no longer a spiritual inspiration cultivator—he was a formidable spiritual sense expert, even more dangerous than Yang Yi.

After this farce ended,

more cultivators appeared near Wangmen Community.

Everyone glanced and found them unfamiliar.

But Li Yi recognized them: Ning Wu and Yu Chuan.

Seeing Ning Wu, he frowned, his fist clenching again unconsciously.

Another enemy.

Li Yi's expression shifted slightly. He considered whether to eliminate Ning Wu now, while his bloodline was still surging.

Perhaps sensing Li Yi's lethal intent, Yu Chuan spoke up: "Li Yi, we have no grudge against you. No need for such open hostility. After this mission ends, I'll take Ning Wu out of Tianchang City—we'll likely never meet again. Let's bury past grievances. I know Ning Wu did wrong before, but enmity is better resolved than deepened. Let her apologize again for what she did—how about that?"

He gestured to Ning Wu, urging her to apologize quickly.

This Li Yi had grown strong enough to kill Yang Yi. If he chose to settle scores now, they were finished. If they didn't yield now, when would they?

Ning Wu knew Li Yi was no longer the same. Even her cousin had bowed. How could she resist? Besides, she'd already apologized once. Once is awkward, twice is routine—this wouldn't hurt. She lowered her head: "Li Yi, I was wrong before. I apologize. I'm sorry."

Her voice was loud, sincere, her demeanor gentle—like a tamed wildcat.

"If apologies worked, we wouldn't need the Investigation Bureau."

Li Yi said calmly: "But Yu Chuan, you're right—we have no grudge. I won't fight you. But Ning Wu—I advise you to keep a tighter leash on your cousin. If she causes more trouble, she'll drag you down with her. Since you've decided to leave Tianchang City, let's part ways. I'll let you go."

"Thank you," Yu Chuan exhaled in relief.

This Li Yi now pressed on him like a mountain—nothing like when they met at the Investigation Bureau entrance.

One misstep, and he might be dead.

"Th-thank you," Ning Wu said, trembling with fear.

Whether her apology was sincere or not, she dared not raise her head or show the slightest disrespect before Li Yi.

Li Yi stared at her, then slowly looked away.

He abandoned the idea of striking.

Cultivation isn't just about killing. It's about human relations. Since they bowed and apologized, he'd grant them a chance. Besides, they were all working for the Investigation Bureau—if he killed them now, he'd have to answer for it.

After all, Ning Wu was guilty. Yu Chuan wasn't.

At that moment,

Pastor Pete, clad in a Daoist robe and carrying a sniper rifle, walked over, stroking his beard: "Good news. My request was approved. In five minutes, a missile will strike Wangmen Community. Its blast is modest—just enough to level the area. If you don't wish to be caught in the blast, retreat at least a hundred meters and find cover."

"It seems Investigation Bureau leadership doesn't want us cultivators risking our lives. Another mishap, and Tianchang's entire cultivation circle would vanish," Zhang Lei said. "This is good."

Li Shaoqing didn't hesitate—he turned and fled immediately.

Others followed, quickly distancing themselves from Wangmen Community.

No one wanted to be caught in that blast.

"Let's retreat two hundred meters," Li Yi said.

Lin Yue, Zhao Lingfu, Zheng Gong, and others didn't delay—they retreated at once.

Even after retreating two hundred meters, they weren't satisfied. They found a tall building as cover, ensuring absolute safety.

After everyone scattered,

shadows moved within Wangmen Community.

Figures emerged from the residential buildings, gathering on the open ground, standing motionless like puppets.

They wore varied clothing, different ages and genders—old, young, women—but all were corpses. And all were powerful, each possessing strength comparable to a spiritual sense expert.

Gathered together, they struck fear into every cultivator.

Thank heaven no one wandered in—any spiritual sense expert caught in that encirclement would be doomed.

Among the corpses stood a woman in a strap dress, her skin bluish, face pale, strikingly distinct.

She tilted her head, eyes glowing with eerie light.

If Li Yi were here, he'd recognize her: Liu Yan—the woman who once partnered with him on dangerous jobs. No, precisely, this was Liu Yan's corpse. But strangely, her body had existed for months, yet showed no sign of decay beyond its unnatural hue.

Moreover, her body seemed to be evolving, displaying traits of a cultivator.

But then—

Liu Yan suddenly sensed something. She lifted her head toward the sky.

Above the old district, something streaked through the night air—a meteor trailing a long, fiery tail.

After a brief pause, Liu Yan smelled danger. Her pale face twisted into a grotesque expression, mouth opening wide as if tearing her cheeks, then emitting a ghastly shriek—like a wailing demon, chilling to the bone.

The next instant,

a blinding white light flashed before Liu Yan's eyes, followed by a deafening explosion.

The corpses hidden in Wangmen Community had no time to react—they were instantly shattered by overwhelming energy, not even leaving remains. The force swept through like a storm, engulfing the entire community in seconds. Not a single corpse escaped.

But Liu Yan fled wildly, her form a blur, impossibly swift—a shadow darted, and she vanished into a building, seeking shelter in a structure she hoped would shield her from the lethal strike.

Tremors, fire, thunder.

At this moment, Earth's weapons revealed unimaginable destructive power.

Though all cultivators had received the warning and retreated in time, they still felt the terrifying force shaking the very air.

What use was spiritual sense realm? Before this power, it meant nothing.

But thankfully, the force came fast and faded quickly.

As the thunder faded, the shockwave spread.

Soon after,

Li Yi and Lin Yue emerged from their cover, stepping out from a nearby building.

Dust swirled thickly; visibility was near zero—a post-apocalyptic scene.

"The Investigation Bureau really goes all out. Not even a sliver of mercy for those things. But with this missile, the mission should be complete. I don't believe anything could survive that blast."

Li Yi spat out sand and said.

"This is right. We've pushed this far—only one community left. Everyone sensed the danger in Wangmen. The Investigation Bureau gladly used this weapon to avoid casualties. Destroying one community is a cost they can bear," Lin Yue said.

Zheng Gong added: "But we can't confirm if the mission's done until we check. Let's wait until the dust settles a bit before moving."

"Of course," Li Yi said.

He didn't rush. What if Liu Yan, the source of the corpses, still lived? She might cause more trouble later. He needed to see her dead with his own eyes to be at peace.

After all, he lived in Tianchang City. He couldn't allow such a threat to remain.