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

"That's about it," Ye Ming thought to himself.

Ji Wubai's mind was like a bowstring stretched to its limit. (Let me see just how far you, with your top-tier talent, can burn in despair.)

Just as madness was about to completely devour Ji Wubai's last vestiges of clarity, and the chaotic aura around him reached the point of exploding—

A series of clear, unhurried footsteps approached from afar, shattering the deathly silence and entering Ji Wubai's ears, which were almost torn apart by grief.

"Tsk, so there's still one who slipped through the net?" Ye Ming's voice rang out. He had already stepped out of the shadows, his posture relaxed, as if he had just happened to be passing by.

"Luckily, I had the urge to come back and take a look, otherwise, you little mouse would have really gotten away with it."

This sentence was like the final spark that ignited a powder keg!

Ji Wubai abruptly raised his head, his empty, bloodshot eyes instantly focusing and locking onto Ye Ming. The other man's words, his posture, and this "perfectly timed" appearance—this person before him was the mastermind behind the massacre of all his relatives and brothers!

His remaining rationality completely collapsed, replaced by overwhelming hatred and a mad madness capable of destroying everything. The already violent spiritual energy around him now erupted like a flood bursting its banks, filling the air with chilling energy fluctuations.

"Why..." Ji Wubai's voice was hoarse beyond recognition, like sandpaper scraping, "Why did you kill them..."

Ye Ming laughed exaggeratedly, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world: "Hahaha... Why? That's a really stupid question."

Ye Ming's smile vanished, his eyes turning contemptuous and cold, as if he were looking at an ant.

"Those bedbugs in the gutter are an eyesore to me, so I'll just crush them. Do I need a reason?"

If you step on an ant and kill it, would you ask why it was blocking your way?

"Ugh—!" Ji Wubai let out a beast-like growl, his fists cracking from the extreme force, his nails digging deep into his palms, drawing blood.

"Since that's the case..." He slowly straightened up, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, containing boundless killing intent, "Then you shall die too!"

"call out!"

Before the words were even finished, Ji Wubai's figure suddenly blurred, and in the next instant, he appeared like a ghost to Ye Ming's right! A short sword with a cold, gleaming light appeared in his hand at some unknown time, and with a sharp whistling sound that tore through the air, it pierced straight for Ye Ming's temple! This strike was fast, ruthless, and accurate, bringing the speed and power of the seventh-level Awakening Realm to the extreme. It was a completely reckless and suicidal fighting style!

however--

"Ding!"

A clear, crisp sound, like jade striking each other.

Ye Ming didn't even turn around. He simply raised his left hand casually, his index finger moving seemingly slowly but precisely to meet the deadly sword tip. The thrust, powerful enough to pierce steel, was effortlessly blocked by a single finger, unable to advance an inch!

Ji Wubai's blood-red pupils contracted sharply, but his fighting instincts made him react instantly. Without hesitation, he released his grip on the sword hilt, his figure blurring once more as he appeared to Ye Ming's left. A fierce whip kick, accompanied by the sound of wind cutting through the air, swept towards his opponent's neck!

"Bang!"

Ye Ming casually raised his right arm, blocking the powerful blow without moving an inch. He raised an eyebrow slightly, his tone carrying a hint of assessment:

"Seventh-level Awakening Realm Extreme Realm... Suspected spatial characteristics, and sufficient killing intent, but unfortunately, blinded by hatred, he is full of flaws."

"If left unchecked, it might actually amount to something in the future, but unfortunately..." A cold glint flashed in Ye Ming's eyes, "You've missed your chance."

After saying that, he reached out and grabbed at Ji Wubai. It was as if an invisible force field enveloped his five fingers, making people feel suffocated.

Alarm bells rang in Ji Wubai's mind. He pushed himself to the limit and narrowly escaped, retreating dozens of meters away. Catching his breath, he now held a smaller flying sword in his hand, which he hurled with all his might without hesitation!

"Whoosh—!"

The flying sword transformed into a streak of silver light, its speed far exceeding its previous speed, even creating clearly visible ripples in the air! This sword strike contained all his grief and power, enough to threaten an Awakened One at the Village Dry Realm!

However, Ye Ming simply waved his hand casually.

"clang!"

The flying sword seemed to have struck an invisible wall, letting out a mournful cry before being easily deflected, its destination unknown.

"Have you had enough fun?" Ye Ming's voice remained calm. The next moment, he lightly stomped his foot.

In Ji Wubai's perception, Ye Ming's figure seemed to have directly merged into the air and disappeared! Before he could react at all, an irresistible gust of evil wind rushed towards him!

Ye Ming's figure appeared before him as if by teleportation, and with a simple punch, he threw a punch!

Too fast! So fast that it exceeded the limits of his vision and reaction time!

Ji Wubai only had time to instinctively cross his arms in front of his chest to block.

"Bang--!!!"

"call out--!!!"

"BOOM—!!!"

An irresistible force struck, and Ji Wubai felt as if he had been hit head-on by a charging beast. His arms were wracked with excruciating pain, as if his bones were about to break. Like a kite with a broken string, he was reduced to a black shadow and crashed heavily into a pile of ruins behind him, kicking up clouds of dust!

……

Not far away, Ji Ba, who was lying on the ground pretending to be dead, heard the earth-shattering noise and his heart almost jumped out of his throat. He couldn't help but raise his head slightly and saw his younger brother being blasted away by a punch. His eyes widened in horror and he almost jumped up without thinking.

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Ye Ming didn't even turn around. He simply raised his hand and gently pressed his fingers down in Ji Ba's direction.

Upon seeing this gesture, Ji Ba recalled their previous agreement and Ye Ming's unfathomable strength. He suppressed his heart-wrenching pain and anger, his teeth almost grinding to powder, but he finally slowly lay back down, his body trembling slightly from tension and worry.

As the smoke and dust slowly dissipated, Ji Wubai struggled to get up from the ruins, but suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, his aura instantly weakening, clearly indicating that he had been seriously injured.

He raised his head and looked in the direction of Ye Ming. In his eyes, besides the mad hatred, there was also a sense of despair and helplessness... as well as an indescribable shock caused by being crushed by absolute power.

Ye Ming strolled towards the ruins, looking down at the struggling Ji Wubai. His voice remained calm, yet carried an undeniable power:

"Now, do you recognize the gap? The anger of an ant can't change anything."

"I'll send you to meet those bedbugs right now. Perhaps they haven't gone too far on their way to the underworld. You should be able to catch up if you run."

As he spoke, Ye Ming raised his right hand, and a ball of spiritual energy condensed in his palm. Ji Wubai looked at the ball of spiritual energy radiating power in front of him, his eyes filled with despair.

("Is this the end of my fate? Even though I used that power to cultivate my meridians and unique characteristics, hoping to use it to take my older brother and the others away from this place, it seems that it was all just wishful thinking on my part.")