Gao Wu: I became the minor villain that the protagonist was about to destroy.

Ye Ming remained unconvinced: "And then what? Like this little girl, used as a tool and exploited until death?!"

"Of course not. She was just a worthless bastard who shouldn't have been born. Her death is no big deal. You're different; we're after your talent!"

"Oh?" Ye Ming asked with interest, "Who...are you?"

The old man scoffed, "Don't try to trick me into telling you anything. Once you join us, you'll know everything."

"Ha ha ha ha!!"

Ye Ming laughed loudly, "Don't you know who I am?"

The old man frowned immediately, thinking that the other party was just a bodyguard of the Chu family.

"It doesn't matter if you don't know. Go down and ask the King of Hell; he'll let you die in peace!"

The old man's eyes suddenly sharpened to the point of being like a hawk's, and the deliberate feigned air of old age vanished, replaced by a dangerous aura. The seemingly ordinary ebony cane in his hand now emitted a deep and eerie hum, as if something alive was awakening within it.

"furious--!!"

A furious roar, like a thunderclap, erupted from the old man's gaunt body, unleashing a torrent of immense power.

The air in the entire Chu family headquarters factory area became thick and heavy. Chu Yuntian was forced back several steps by this aura, his face filled with shock: "Peak of the 9th level of the City Realm… this kind of pressure… this guy is definitely not from an ordinary force!"

Ye Ming merely flicked away non-existent dust from his sleeves, his tone chillingly indifferent: "It doesn't matter who they are. A stray dog ​​from another city dares to try and bite into our city's cake?" He slowly raised his eyelids, his gaze icy. "Since they're here, they might as well stay... and leave their lives here forever."

Before he could finish speaking, Ye Ming took a step forward!

Then there was a loud "boom!"

The ground caved in, and spiderweb-like cracks spread rapidly. An aura far more powerful and domineering than its surface level surged into the sky, its violent energy no less than that of the old man, and perhaps even stronger.

The old man was taken aback when he sensed this aura. He couldn't believe that someone so young could unleash such a powerful aura. He looked at Ye Ming with even greater vigilance.

"To have achieved so much at your age is truly remarkable! It's a pity you can't be used by us; otherwise, you'd be a major threat! You shouldn't have interfered in today's affairs!"

"It's a pity that a genius like you will die at my hands!"

"You old beast, you talk too much nonsense!!" Ye Ming was obviously too lazy to waste any more words. He grabbed at the air with his right hand—and a black mace covered with vicious spikes appeared out of thin air! He clenched his fist, his arm muscles bulged, and his veins stood out like coiled dragons. With immense force, he brought the mace down without any fancy moves! The mace cut through the air, making a heart-palpitating whistling sound.

The old man's face turned solemn, and he slammed his cane into the ground: "Buzz—!" A transparent energy wall, almost tangible, instantly unfolded, its glow swirling. This was the hallmark of the County's Kan Realm—spiritual energy projection, manifesting to protect the body!

Upon reaching the city's borders, the spiritual energy becomes even purer, which can be used to refine one's own weapons. This cane is his natal weapon, nurtured with all his life's effort, making it a spiritual weapon. A green snake with its tongue flicking is coiled on the cane.

"Bang--!!!"

The spiked club and the psionic shield collided violently! In the midst of the deafening roar, the old man's disdain froze instantly, turning into incredulous horror! He felt an overwhelming force surge through him, and the green snake coiled around his cane compressed continuously, eventually shattering under the force.

The old man was uncontrollably swayed backward several meters, leaving two deep furrows in the ground beneath his feet! The protective light barrier rippled violently, emitting waves of unbearable strain, and gradually shattered.

(Damn it! What kind of monster is this little beast?! This brute strength... far surpasses others of the same level! Could it be an inherent characteristic of strength enhancement types?! But what's with this exaggerated spiritual energy?! Could it be the ultimate realm?!)

("Impossible! How could he possibly reach the pinnacle of the first level of the City Leaving Realm?! He's so young, how could he possibly have condensed the pinnacle of the first level of the City Leaving Realm?!")

("You know, once you can't reach a certain level in the Ultimate Realm, you can never reach it again! How could he possibly have reached such a level at this age!")

The thought had barely formed when Ye Ming used the recoil to flip over in mid-air. The moment he landed, he pushed off again with his feet, and with a loud bang, the ground shattered. His figure vanished into thin air like a ghost!

"So fast!!" Alarm bells rang in the old man's mind. He frantically scanned the area with his divine sense, then suddenly turned around. He saw that Ye Ming had appeared behind him at some point, swinging his spiked club with both hands, sweeping towards him with an aura that could tear everything apart!

"Bang!! Ding—!"

The blow landed squarely on the cane! The difference between the spiked club and the cane forced the old man to use both hands to resist the immense force.

The dull force instantly penetrated the old man's body, causing his internal organs to feel a sudden heaviness.

"You brat! You're too arrogant!!" The repeated beatings drove the old man Xu Fu into a complete rage! He had been a powerful figure for many years, and had never been suppressed by a junior like this before. In his fury, the anger that had been building up inside him suddenly erupted, and a tremendous force surged from his hands, forcefully pushing away the spiked club. In an instant, a mouthful of blood gushed out of his body.

He then seized the opportunity to gather spiritual energy in his palm, condensing fire spiritual energy, and slammed out his left palm, causing a surge of scorching air!

"Blazing Sun Palm!"

A massive energy palm print, engulfed in raging flames and carrying the intense heat of smelting metal, hurtled towards Ye Ming!

Ye Ming neither dodged nor evaded. Black light flowed over his right fist, and his right hand was covered with a layer of Armament Haki. He threw a simple and direct punch! The powerful flaming palm print was pierced through as if it were made of paper, and collapsed with a bang, turning into a sky full of flowing fire!

Xu Fu continued his offensive relentlessly. Taking advantage of the lull, he lunged forward, his right palm turning crimson red like a branding iron, condensing an even purer and more violent yang energy. The air around his palm was distorted by the heat! This palm strike contained all the yang energy he had never released in his life!

"Die!"

Seeing this, Ye Ming's lips curled into a mocking smile, and he also struck out with his palm. His palm seemed ordinary, but at the moment of its release, it caused a strange collapse of the surrounding airflow.

"The Seal of the Three Worlds - Avici!"

"Bang--!!!!"

Their palms clashed! Instead of the expected clash of energy, there was an extremely muffled and deafening roar! Immediately afterward, a destructive circular shockwave erupted from the two of them!

"Crash—!" The sturdy stone wall on one side crumbled and collapsed instantly, like a sandcastle!

As the shockwave dissipated, Ye Ming remained unmoved, composed and unperturbed. Xu Fu, however, was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, his feet carving deep furrows dozens of meters long before he barely managed to regain his footing. A sweet taste rose in his throat again, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning deathly pale.

"Boy!...You...who exactly are you?!" Xu Fu's voice trembled slightly.

"Such strength... could never be unknown! I don't believe this small place could nurture a true dragon like you!"

Ye Ming flicked his wrist, his tone almost overflowing with sarcasm: "If you're so bad, practice more. You've lived your whole life, one foot in the grave, and you're still stuck in the city, not even close to the provincial level. If it were me, I would have already smashed my head against a block of tofu. How could I still have the nerve to come out and swagger around?"