Becoming a god starts with one certificate becoming eternal.

Ye Xiao raised his eyes, lightly brushing off the salt powder that clung to his clothes, his eyes flashing with a coldness like a drawn blade:

"You guys had a great game."

"If it were me a few days ago, I would be dead by now."

As soon as he finished speaking, the net on the beam suddenly fell, and the chain with hook swept across, billowing smoke and a bitter, fishy smell assaulting his throat.

Using nets, chains, and smoke together is a killing move besides medicine and crossbowmen... It doesn't aim to kill instantly, but to trap and wear down the person.

Ye Xiao's blood and qi surged, and his internal energy surged from the soles of his feet, causing a loud cracking sound like thunder.

He threw a punch, the force of the Collapsing Mountain Fist merging with the power of the stance, forcefully taut the net cable and tearing a hole in it.

Immediately afterwards, he flicked his toe, and a piece of iron flew up from the ground, hitting the hook head with a "clang".

The smoke hit his face, and he felt a slight tightness in his throat, but he forced himself to breathe deeply and slowly, stepping out of the smoke.

Everyone in the salt warehouse understood that Ye Xiao had not achieved the Great Perfection of Bone Forging.

A thunderous cracking sound!

This is the mark of a quasi-martial artist after the nine strikes are combined into one!

In that instant, everyone felt as if their breath had been choked.

The crossbowman's finger froze on the trigger, and Scarface's vicious smile seemed to crack from the cold.

Their seemingly certain death turned into a joke as Ye Xiao revealed his near-martial artist strength.

Now, the bureau is useless.

All that's left is... how to live, how to retreat.

Scarface Qiang's Adam's apple bobbed, as if he had remembered something, and he suddenly roared:

"Go! Engage him!"

This roar wasn't meant for Ye Xiao, but for his men. If they scattered and panicked, they would all die here today.

Four henchmen who had been lying in ambush rushed out from behind the salt bag, thrusting short forks into Ye Xiao's chest and sweeping his legs with hook chains. Scarface Qiang himself grabbed a knife and took half a step forward. The five of them tried to force Ye Xiao into the smoke ring.

Meanwhile, one of the three crossbowmen was wounded by an arrow, his shoulder was bleeding, and his arm was weak, so he could no longer keep his crossbow steady. The remaining two were still able to nock their crossbows, but they did not fire randomly. Instead, they stared intently at Ye Xiao, waiting for him to be entangled and reveal an opening.

They knew in their hearts that killing a near-martial artist was almost impossible.

However, they were unwilling to surrender easily and wanted to stall for as long as possible, hoping to find a good opportunity.

Just then, a gray shadow slid halfway out from the shadow of the side wall, the firelight only illuminating half of the cuff and the pale chin.

Zhao Jiu.

He originally planned to wait until Ye Xiao was exhausted and badly injured before making his move, but Ye Xiao's trump card as a quasi-martial artist rendered his plan ineffective. Waiting any longer would only result in the deaths of his subordinates and his own brutal beating to death.

Zhao Jiu's eyes darkened, his voice low but sharp as a knife against bone:

"Withdraw! Withdraw as I say!"

In just one sentence, the last glimmer of hope in the salt warehouse was extinguished.

His gaze remained fixed on the hidden door, and he ordered it to be smashed down in one go:

"Scarface Qiang, hold him off for a moment!"

"Crossbowmen, put out the fire! Smash all the fire pins!"

"Pull out the stopper from the oil drum by the door! Those starting the ignition, keep the fuel line tight!"

The barrel of oil had been leaning against the inside of the warehouse door from the beginning, sealed with burlap, its body clean, waiting for this moment. Not to kill anyone, but to burn the account books.

Zhao Jiu hadn't even expected to need to use it; it was just that the old hand habitually kept a backup plan.

"Snapped!"

The crossbow bolt shattered the fire pylon, and the warehouse suddenly went dark.

In the darkness, only a faint glimmer of sunlight outside the door illuminated the fine salt on the ground, making it appear deathly pale.

At the same time, Scarface charged forward with a roar, his knife ruthless, not seeking victory, but only to entangle the enemy.

He was prepared to risk his life to save Zhao Jiu's life.

The person by the door suddenly ripped open the burlap and pulled out the cork.

He didn't rush to kick the bucket over; kicking it over would only make the oil scramble and make it harder to ignite.

He was an expert; he held the barrel with both arms, tilted the opening towards the crack in the doorway, and let the oil "whoosh" out in a line, quickly creeping into the storage room along the crack.

The strong, oily smell spread instantly.

To prevent moisture, the wooden box was coated with wax on the outside, and the account book pages were also soaked in oil. Ordinary sparks would at most blacken the edges and corners, and would not have enough time to burn through, let alone burn through the bottom layer of the box.

Only when the oil line is ignited and the flames rush through the seam can the wooden box and account book be swallowed up in an instant.

Zhao Jiu remained pressed against the hidden door, half-hidden in the shadows, speaking little, but each word seemed to strike at a crucial point, as he retreated:

"Ye Xiao, your strength is indeed remarkable; killing me would not be difficult for you."

"But if you dare to go any closer, once the oil line catches fire, the wooden box and the ledgers will be burned."

"How will you settle the score then?"

He lowered his voice again, as if it were the final step in a deal, leaving no room for further words:

"Let me go."

"The ledgers are yours, the territory is yours."

"I just want my life."

In the darkness, Ye Xiao paused for a moment.

It wasn't a matter of hesitating whether to kill or not, but rather calculating how to extinguish the fire first, and then take the life.

The next moment, he moved.

As the Crimson Blood Stake sank, a stomp of its foot sent a burst of salt powder into a cloud of white mist.

The white mist wasn't obscuring him, but rather it was obscuring the vision of the crossbowmen and the one who lit the fire.

Ye Xiao flashed and arrived directly at the threshold.

His first step was not to steal the wooden box.

He was the first to grab the fire.

He kicked, but instead of the bottom of the bucket, he kicked the side edge of the bucket opening.

"Thump!"

He kicked the oil drum so hard that the oil line inside the guide chamber broke, and the oil spilled onto the salt pile and the outside of the threshold, creating a mess of oil.

If the oil is too thin and the salt is too much, the fire won't start.

At the same time, the person who lit the fire rushed forward, and the flint had just sparked a tiny spark.

Ye Xiao flicked his toe, and a large patch of damp salt powder covered his head, suffocating him along with the sparks and oily noodles.

With a "whoosh," the spark disappeared instantly.

The fire won't start.

Zhao Jiu's last bargaining chip was destroyed by Ye Xiao in the simplest and most brutal way.

In the darkness, Zhao Jiu's pupils contracted sharply, finally changing color.

At this moment, Scarface Qiang rushed to Ye Xiao's side, raised his knife and slashed down, his aura fierce and violent.

But Ye Xiao unleashed a punch, the combined power of his stance and blood energy exploding outwards, first shaking the knife away, then striking Ye Xiao's chest with his fist.

"Bang!"

Scarface was sent flying backward, crashing into a pillar with a dull thud, and immediately lost consciousness.

Zhao Jiu glanced at the distance between the hidden door and the exit, not caring at all about Scarface Qiang's life or death. He put his short blade in his hand, said no more, and turned to go into the hidden door.

But Ye Xiao had already pressed himself against her.

Zhao Jiu swung his short blade without hesitation, but Ye Xiao stepped forward, his left shoulder sinking as a tremendous force swept over him, causing the short blade to deflect.

Zhao Jiu raised his knee to try and push, but Ye Xiao stepped on his knee, instantly suppressing his stance.

"Click!"

The sound of bone cracking was crisp and clear.

Zhao Jiu froze, blood surging in his throat.

Ye Xiao raised his right fist close to his body, unleashing the power of the Collapsing Mountain Fist, which, combined with the power of his stance and blood and qi, directly penetrated his chest cavity.

"Snap!"

Zhao Jiu's sternum shattered.

The short blade clattered to the ground.

The ruthlessness and scheming in his eyes shattered into dust, leaving only a breath of resentment:

"You...you really dare..."

Ye Xiao looked at Zhao Jiu, who was limp and lying on the ground, and said in a voice as flat as a verdict:

"If you dared to set a trap to kill me, why wouldn't I dare?"

He glanced at the remaining people.

As Zhao Jiu fell, the fighting spirit in these people vanished, replaced by fear and a desire to retreat; some even trembled all over.

But Ye Xiao showed no mercy whatsoever...

These people are here to kill him; they are all Zhao Jiu's capable henchmen. Even if he lets one of them go, it will cause uncontrollable trouble for him and his family.

Not a single one can be left alive!