C19 Instant Kill

Yeh Nianhuo regarded Yeh Haishan with an icy detachment, utterly indifferent to his fury. He spoke with a nonchalant air, "Yeh Haishan, you may deal with Yeh Yulin as you see fit, but as for that Devil Beast Egg..."

"It's ours!" A young man nearby cut off Yeh Nianhuo mid-sentence, stressing the word "ours" to prevent any chance of Yeh Nianhuo claiming the Devil Beast Egg for himself.

Yeh Nianhuo's gaze turned frosty as he turned to the interrupting youth.

Yet the young man stood his ground, unfazed, and his fellow companions gradually rallied behind him. United by the allure of the Devil Beast Egg, they were prepared to confront even the most formidable among them.

It seemed that the moment the Devil Beast Egg was discovered, the dynamics within the group had shifted, especially with Yeh Nianhuo, their strongest member.

Confronted with their united front, Yeh Nianhuo's face betrayed a hint of concern. Despite his awakened powers and status as a Level Seven Battle Soldier, making him the most powerful among them, he could not possibly take on so many at once. He demanded coldly, "What are you trying to do?"

"That Devil Beast Egg belongs to all of us!" the youth retorted icily.

With the group evidently banding together, Yeh Nianhuo had no choice but to contain his rage, responding with equal coldness, "Are you certain you want to cross me over a Devil Beast Egg? Once I ascend to the ranks of the Ten Great Heroes..."

"Save that talk for when you actually join the Ten Great Heroes!" the youth interjected with a sneer. "Frankly, unless you're incredibly lucky and the strongest contenders all take each other out, your chances of becoming one of the Ten Great Heroes aren't much better than mine."

"You..." Yeh Nianhuo seethed with anger.

"Since when did you become so stingy, Brother Nian Huo?" a young woman from the Yeh Family teased, her laughter light but her gaze piercingly cold.

"Exactly, we're talking about a Devil Beast Egg here!"

"You weren't so petty in the past!"

The other young men chimed in, including Yeh Haishan. Yeh Yulin, on the other hand, was largely ignored by the group, who kept a watchful eye on him to prevent any attempt at absconding with the Devil Beast Egg.

What they didn't realize was that Yeh Yulin had no intention of fleeing, at least not for the moment.

He was frantically channeling the three streams of Spirit Flame within his body to regain his strength, ready to spring a huge surprise on them.

Realizing that all seven of his companions had spoken up, Yeh Nianhuo relented. Each of them was at least a Level Five, with the two strongest being Level 6. Despite being a Level Seven Battle Soldier with awakened attributes, he knew he was no match for them.

"I'll take the Devil Beast Egg. Once we're back, I'll compensate you fairly."

"Sounds good!" The young man smiled and exchanged glances with his peers. They all knew the Devil Beast Egg would probably end up with Yeh Nianhuo anyway. They didn't want to completely alienate him, considering his evident talent. It made sense to seek some advantage from the situation.

"I want ten high-grade Spirit Stones for cultivation!"

"Nonsense!"

Yeh Nianhuo's face flushed with anger at the young man's demand.

He bellowed, "Why don't you just rob someone?"

His companions were equally shocked.

The young man's asking price was beyond anything they had considered.

"Brother Nian Huo, don't you see?" the youth said with a sly smile, "It's a high-level Devil Beast Egg, and not just any—it's a mutated one. In a month, it could grow to match your strength. By then, your place among the Ten Great Heroes will be almost certain."

Yeh Nianhuo paused, taken aback. "The Devil Beast Egg is mutated?"

"Absolutely, I'm certain of it!" the youth replied confidently. "If Big Brother Nian Huo is skeptical, you can wait until it hatches before giving us the Spirit Stones."

With such assurance, Yeh Nianhuo's eyes reflected a mix of excitement and concern.

Securing a mutated Devil Beast Egg was indeed fortunate, but ten high-grade Spirit Stones...

One high-grade Spirit Stone was worth a hundred mid-grade ones, and each mid-grade equaled a hundred low-grade. Yeh Nianhuo, with his modest standing in the Yeh Family, received a limited number of mid-grade Spirit Stones monthly for his cultivation. Even if he pooled all his current resources, he couldn't produce ten high-grade Spirit Stones. Ten mid-grade stones were manageable, but they would fall short of appeasing this pack of wolves.

Moreover, if this young man received a gift, the others would inevitably expect the same. The total sum amounted to seventy pieces, a figure that sent shivers down Yeh Nianhuo's spine. Considering the future growth of the Devil Beast, he simply couldn't afford it.

Yeh Haishan and the others seemed to have realized this too. The youth stood up, smiling, "Big Brother Nian Huo, how about you write us an IOU for now? Once we become the Ten Great Heroes, we'll surely get ample resources. Then we can pay you back gradually!"

Yeh Nianhuo stayed silent, the weight of the debt nearly crushing his ambition to join the Ten Great Heroes. Eventually, he gave a reluctant nod.

"I agree!"

"Thanks, Brother Yeh Nianhuo!" Yeh Haishan and the rest expressed their gratitude.

On the sidelines, Yeh Yulin sneered. The group had been negotiating with such earnestness and formality, though they hadn't bothered to seek his approval.

"Now, it's my turn for revenge!" Yeh Haishan's gaze turned icy as he faced Yeh Yulin. "None of you have any objections, right?"

"Of course not!" the others agreed, with Yeh Nianhuo alone issuing a cautionary note.

"Just be careful with my Devil Beast Egg!"

"Relax!" Yeh Haishan approached Yeh Yulin with a menacing grin, his words dripping with malice. "Tell me, how do you want to die? But no matter what, I won't let it be quick. Maybe I'll break your limbs and throw you to..."

Yeh Haishan's threat was cut short as he suddenly experienced an odd sensation, as if the entire environment had shifted. His body began to move without his control.

Or rather, he was floating in the air.

"Yeh Haishan, I'm not as cruel as you. I'll grant you a swift end," Yeh Yulin's voice rang out, chillingly detached.

In an instant, as the onlookers watched in shock, Yeh Haishan was cleaved in two, his body hitting the ground with a thud.

"Ah!"

It was only then that Yeh Haishan screamed in agony, his hands flailing in utter terror.

He had been severed in two, his body cleaved at the waist, and no struggle could change his fate. With his final breath, he would succumb to death.

"What happened?" the young man whispered to himself.

Moments earlier, as Yeh Haishan approached Yeh Yulin, Yeh Yulin could no longer contain his violent energy. Lifting the large axe in his grasp, he brought it down upon Yeh Haishan's waist.

Yeh Haishan hadn't let his guard down around Yeh Yulin, especially after having been previously brutalized by him, resulting in the loss of an eye. He certainly hadn't forgotten that lesson.

But he had underestimated Yeh Yulin's capabilities.

In his recollection, just days prior, Yeh Yulin had been nothing more than a lowly Level One Battle Soldier, whose abilities, albeit somewhat unique, were at best comparable to a Level Three Battle Soldier.

Yeh Haishan, on the other hand, was a formidable Level Five Battle Soldier.

What he failed to realize was that Yeh Yulin had advanced to become a First Grade Battle Soldier. Thanks to the Holy Body's unique properties, Yeh Yulin's spiritual energy was now on par with a Level Four Battle Soldier, and in terms of quality, it far surpassed that level. These factors alone were sufficient to overpower a Level Five Battle Soldier, especially one who had consistently underestimated him.

Moreover, Yeh Yulin possessed the Spiritual Force of the Intent Transforming realm, effectively doubling his strength. Combined with the Holy Body's advantages, this culmination of factors led to... an instantaneous defeat.