Chapter 556: Aftereffects!

Bang—!

A deep, muffled yet piercing roar rang out, and Lin Yuan's leather shoe slammed hard onto Luan Bao's head.

The immense force instantly spread throughout Luan Bao's head!

Luan Bao's skull, as fragile as an eggshell, shattered instantly!

It emitted a "crack" sound.

Immediately afterward, an even more horrifying scene appeared!

Luan Bao's head was flattened straight by this kick, red and white mingling with blood like mud, oozing out from the skull's fissures!

It splattered all over the ground around them, even staining Lin Yuan's pant leg.

Luan Bao's body jerked in a spasm, his eyes bulging wide, still filled with lingering fear, and then he completely lost all movement.

Luan Bao's head lay on the ground like rotten mud, utterly silent.

Mu Lingxue stood to the side, her beautiful eyes dazed, shocked.

Seeing this extremely bloody scene, she couldn't help but cover her mouth.

Mu Lingxue's stomach churned, and her face turned even paler.

Although she knew Luan Bao deserved his fate, such a gruesome death was still hard for her to bear.

Lin Yuan slowly withdrew his foot, gazing at the muddy blob of flesh on the ground, his eyes showing no ripple.

He raised his hand and casually wiped the blood stains from his face.

Lin Yuan turned his head to look at Mu Lingxue, speaking weakly, "The Thunder Tiger Sect's reinforcements will arrive soon; we must leave this place at once!"

As his words fell, Lin Yuan's violent aura… suddenly receded like a tide.

His previously bulging veins gradually subsided, and the suffocating pressure vanished without a trace.

The Yanluo Pagoda's state was completely released!

The price of the extreme eruption… instantly swept through his whole body.

Lin Yuan had overdrawn a large amount of qi and blood, and at this moment his body instantly became extremely weak.

Lin Yuan's legs went soft, and he actually fell straight toward the ground!

"Lin Yuan!" Mu Lingxue exclaimed.

She no longer cared about the bloody, frightening scene, rushed forward quickly, and steadied Lin Yuan's swaying body.

She could clearly feel that Lin Yuan's body felt light, burning hot all over, and his breath had become extremely faint.

At this moment, Lin Yuan had completely lost the fierce might of an Asura slaughter god he had just displayed.

"Are you okay?" Mu Lingxue's voice trembled with tears as she carefully supported Lin Yuan's arm.

Her gaze fell upon his face, and she instantly froze.

Two streams of bright red blood flowed continuously from Lin Yuan's nostrils, sliding down his cheeks and dripping onto his blood‑stained clothes, making him look even more disheveled.

Lin Yuan leaned on Mu Lingxue's support, barely managing to steady himself.

He waved his hand, his voice weak as a mosquito, even opening his eyes seemed an effort:

"I'm fine… I just overexerted myself too much earlier… my body can't take it."

Lin Yuan spoke while raising his hand to wipe the nosebleed, but his arm, having lifted only halfway, dropped limp from lack of strength.

Seeing this, Mu Lingxue hastily pulled a tissue from her pocket and gently helped Lin Yuan wipe the nosebleed and blood from his face.

Her movements were so gentle… for fear of hurting him.

"You're like this and still say you're fine!" Mu Lingxue felt both heart‑pained and anxious, "Let's hurry and leave!"

"Wait…" Lin Yuan spoke with difficulty.

Lin Yuan's gaze swept over the corpses and battle marks littering the ground, "We can't leave any trace of me here… help me clean this place up, wipe away our footprints, and pick up the silver needles I just fired."

He knew the Thunder Tiger Sect's people would surely not be easy to deal with; if traces were left, they would likely follow the clues to find us.

By then, not only would he be in trouble, but Mu Lingxue would be implicated as well.

Mu Lingxue understood, nodding solemnly.

She also understood the importance of leaving no trace at the scene.

Mu Lingxue first helped Lin Yuan to the side of the Tesla car, letting him lean against the body to rest.

Then, Mu Lingxue immediately turned and rushed into the factory interior, beginning to quickly clean up the scene.

She endured her stomach discomfort and carefully wiped away the footprints left by the two of them.

She also carefully searched the messy ground for the silver needles Lin Yuan had fired, gathering the few she found with tender care.

Fortunately, Lin Yuan had mainly relied on his fists in the earlier fight, so the traces left were not many.

Mu Lingxue finished cleaning up the key traces in under ten minutes.

"Lin Yuan, it's clean! I've retrieved all your silver needles; the scene holds no trace of you, and the battle marks are completely gone." Mu Lingxue ran back to Lin Yuan, supported him again, and urged urgently, "Let's get in the car quickly!"

Lin Yuan weakly nodded, and with Mu Lingxue's support, he struggled to open the car door.

He sat into the passenger seat.

Mu Lingxue also got into the car right away and started the Tesla Model S.

The car instantly roared to life, shooting toward the factory gate like an arrow released from a bow…

The wheels rolled over the gravel on the ground, emitting a piercing sound, and soon vanished into the night.

……

Just less than five minutes after Lin Yuan and Mu Lingxue drove away in escape…

Outside the factory, a sudden rush of car engine noises and chaotic footsteps came.

Several dozen black off‑road vehicles stopped at the factory gate.

Several dozen martial artists dressed in black tight‑fitting clothes, with fierce auras, jumped down from the vehicles.

These are the reinforcements from the Thunder Tiger Sect!

The leader was a tall man with a full beard.

The man had an opening mountain axe at his waist, and his aura was a bit more robust than Luan Bao's.

He was another Dharma Protector of the Thunder Tiger Sect, Hei Hu.

"Quick! Go see how Luan Bao, the Dharma Protector, is doing!" Hei Hu shouted, waving his hand.

Hei Hu led his men in a quick charge into the factory.

But as soon as they stepped through the factory gate, everyone was stunned by the sight before them.

Everyone's steps halted instantly, their anxiety replaced by utter shock.

In the spacious factory, corpses lay scattered in disarray—some skulls blasted apart, brains mingling with blood;

some chests and abdomens pierced, entrails spilling out;

some limbs twisted at odd angles, clearly all bones broken.

The entire ground was dyed red with blood……

The air reeked of a thick, nauseating stench of blood and gunpowder.

Like a hell on earth!

"What… what happened?!" a subordinate blurted out in terror, his body trembling uncontrollably.

They had imagined Luan Bao might get stuck in a tough fight……

but never imagined it would be such a gruesome scene!

The Thunder Tiger Sect—one of its Four Great Protectors—Hei Hu's pupils contracted sharply!

Hei Hu's face instantly turned deathly pale; he shoved aside the man beside him and sprinted toward the factory's interior.

Hei Hu's gaze darted wildly over the corpses littering the ground, finally landing on a mangled lump of flesh and blood in the corner.

Hei Hu trembled as he stepped forward, examining it closely.

Hei Hu, finally recognizing from the scattered clothing fragments beside the flesh and the broken Thunder Tiger Sect Dharma Protector token, instantly realized it was Luan Bao!

"Luan Bao, Dharma Protector!" Hei Hu bellowed, his voice full of disbelief and rage.

"Who did this?! Who dares to kill a Dharma Protector of my Thunder Tiger Sect?!"

Hei Hu's qi and blood surged wildly!

Hei Hu clenched his fists until his knuckles whitened, even the handle of his opening mountain axe warped slightly under his grip.

A trembling subordinate stepped forward, checked the surrounding corpses, and reported with a deathly pale face:

"D… Dharma Protector! All our brothers… are dead! Not a single survivor!"

"What?!" Hei Hu snapped his head, eyes fierce as he glared at the subordinate, "What did you say? All dead?"

"It… it's true!" the subordinate shuddered, nodding frantically, "I just checked—none of them have breath left, and their deaths are horrifically brutal!"

Hei Hu's heart sank heavily, a chill shooting up from his feet to the crown of his head.

Luan Bao, who had brought several dozen martial experts to encircle the target, was utterly wiped out.

Even Luan Bao himself died so miserably—just how strong is the enemy?

Hei Hu dared not think further.

Hei Hu hastily pulled out his phone, his trembling fingers dialing the Thunder Tiger Sect Sect Leader's number.

As soon as the call connected, Hei Hu roared into the phone, voice thick with panic and fear: "Sect Leader! Something terrible has happened! Luan Bao, the Dharma Protector… Luan Bao, the Dharma Protector… he's in trouble!"

On the other end came a low, solemn voice: "What's there to panic about? What happened to Luan Bao? Did the encirclement fail?"

"It's not a failure—it's a total wipeout!" Hei Hu drew a deep breath, struggling to steady his shaking voice, yet fear still showed: "When we arrived, Luan Bao, the Dharma Protector, was already dead—his skull stomped to pieces! And the dozens of brothers we brought were all slaughtered, not a single survivor! The scene… the scene is too horrific to behold!"

The line fell dead silent at once!

After a long while, the Sect Leader's voice, strained with suppressed anger, came through: "What?! A total wipeout? How could Luan Bao, with so many experts, be annihilated? Who is the enemy?!"

"I don't know!" Hei Hu hurriedly replied, "The scene left no trace of the enemy—only that they are immensely strong and ruthless, and Luan Bao, the Dharma Protector, and the brothers died horribly. Sect Leader, what should we do?"

"Investigate! Look into it thoroughly!" the Sect Leader's voice rang with killing intent, "Dig three feet deep if you must to find the culprit! Originally we only wanted to steal his Silver Needle hidden‑weapon technique, but he dared to wipe out my Thunder Tiger Sect's people?! I will make him pay a hundred‑fold! Besides, seal off the scene—no one may approach—and I'll personally lead a team there at once!"

"Yes, Sect Leader!" Hei Hu responded immediately, and after hanging up he turned to his subordinates and roared, "What are you standing around for?! Seal off the scene at once—no one may approach! Send a few people out to comb the surroundings for clues; we must find the culprit!"

The subordinates echoed in agreement and hurriedly scattered!

Some stood guard at the factory gate to seal the scene, while others grabbed flashlights and began a meticulous sweep of the surroundings—the abandoned factory instantly became heavily fortified.

Meanwhile, Hei Hu stood beside Luan Bao's corpse, his gaze so sinister it seemed it could drip water.

He knew the Thunder Tiger Sect had truly run into serious trouble this time.

……

Night, Hangcheng streets.

A Tesla sped along the highway.

Inside the car, Mu Lingxue gripped the steering wheel with one hand and floored the accelerator toward the city center.

She drove while glancing worriedly at Lin Yuan in the passenger seat.

Under the lights, Lin Yuan's face was ashen as paper, his eyes tightly shut, his brows furrowed from pain.

His nostrils continued to trickle blood, and his shirt was soaked through with blood—a shocking sight.

"Lin Yuan, hold on!" Mu Lingxue's voice trembled uncontrollably, "I'm taking you to the hospital now—your injuries are too severe; you need immediate treatment!"

At that moment, Lin Yuan was covered in wounds, blood continually seeping from them.

Upon hearing the word "hospital," Lin Yuan slowly opened his heavy eyelids and weakly shook his head.

His voice hoarse and barely audible: "No… no need for the hospital… take me back to Shidai Gongyu… I can handle it myself……"

"Handle it yourself?" Mu Lingxue flared, eyes instantly red, "Look at you! You're covered in injuries, can't even stand—how can you handle it? You must go to the hospital!"

"No…" Lin Yuan's tone carried an unyielding firmness as he strained to turn his neck toward Mu Lingxue.

Lin Yuan's eyes were full of fatigue, yet still clear, "The hospital is crowded…… my identity must not be exposed…… take me home, trust me……"

Seeing Lin Yuan's determined gaze, Mu Lingxue was anxious in her heart, yet also understood his concern.

Lin Yuan's methods were inherently strange, and his identity was even more mysterious.

If he went to the hospital, the ancient martial traces on his body…… and his peculiar injuries would inevitably cause unnecessary trouble.

After hesitating a moment, Mu Lingxue ultimately gave in.

She gritted her teeth, suddenly turned the steering wheel, changed direction, and drove toward Shidai Gongyu.

Along the way, Mu Lingxue dared not delay even a bit, her speed so fast it almost took off.

The streetlights along the route flashed backward beside the car window, forming streaks of blurred light.

Lin Yuan leaned against the seat back, closing his eyes completely……

His breathing was faint; only the slight rise and fall of his chest proved he was still conscious.

After more than half an hour, the Tesla pulled up steadily in front of Shidai Gongyu Lou.

Mu Lingxue immediately turned off the engine, got out, and quickly walked to the passenger side.

She opened the car door, carefully supporting Lin Yuan: "Lin Yuan, we're here, I'll help you up."

Lin Yuan slowly opened his eyes, using the interior light to glance at the familiar apartment building.

Lin Yuan weakly responded, and with Mu Lingxue's support, he struggled to get out of the car.

As soon as he steadied himself, his legs went limp uncontrollably.

Had Mu Lingxue not supported him in time, he would have almost collapsed straight to his knees.

"I…… can walk……" Lin Yuan gritted his teeth, trying to push Mu Lingxue aside and walk on his own.

But as soon as he lifted his foot, a wave of dizziness hit him.

Lin Yuan's body swayed, and he leaned against Mu Lingxue again.

He was simply too weak; the ultimate eruption of the Yanluo Pagoda…… had drained all his qi and blood and strength.

At this moment, Lin Yuan didn't even have the strength to walk on his own.

Seeing this, Mu Lingxue said no more, directly propping up Lin Yuan's arm and placing it on her shoulder.

Mu Lingxue half-supported, half-embraced him…… as she walked him toward the apartment building.

"Don't push yourself, I'll help you up." Mu Lingxue said, using all her strength to support Lin Yuan's heavy body, moving step by step toward the elevator entrance.

Inside the elevator, the light was harsh white.

It made Lin Yuan's complexion look even worse.

He leaned on Mu Lingxue, his head slightly drooping, his breathing growing ever weaker.

Mu Lingxue tightly gripped his hand, clearly feeling his icy palm and trembling body.

Her worry grew stronger and stronger.

Finally, the elevator reached Lin Yuan's floor.

Mu Lingxue supported Lin Yuan out of the elevator and found his home.

Lin Yuan struggled to raise his hand, and with Mu Lingxue's help, he tremblingly opened the door.

As soon as the door opened, Lin Yuan could no longer support himself; his body lurched forward!

"Pfft……!" A large mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth, splattering onto the entryway floor, a vivid red.

Immediately after, Lin Yuan collapsed heavily to the ground, completely unconscious, eyes tightly shut, motionless.

"Lin Yuan!" Mu Lingxue exclaimed!

She hurriedly crouched, trembling as she reached out her hand!

Mu Lingxue gently slapped Lin Yuan's cheek!

Her voice choked with tears, she urgently shouted: "Lin Yuan! Lin Yuan, wake up!!"