Chapter 88: So, you think you are very strong?

"You’re incredible, Brother Su!"

After a brief moment of shock, Lin Ming hurried over to Su Yifan.

"Work hard at cultivation, and you can be the same someday," Su Yifan said, then turned to the raven beside him. "Did you ever hear of Shadowflow Descent just now?"

At that, the raven quickly replied, "I have. Shadowflow Descent is a professional assassin organization. They take expensive contracts on the dark web."

"And I also know one of their bases in Cloud City."

Hearing this, a sharp light flashed in Su Yifan's eyes as he asked, "Where is it?"

"Young Master Su, could it be that you mean to—"

"Stop wasting time."

Su Yifan gave him a glance.

The raven shuddered and did not dare hesitate. "Their base is on a small mountain in the western outskirts of Cloud City."

"Young Master Su, from what I've learned, that base has more than a dozen grandmaster-level experts, and there is also a person in charge. I hear that man is a martial arts master."

As soon as those words were spoken, everyone among the Azure Cloud Gang fell silent with fear.

A martial arts master?

To them, that was a figure that existed only in legend.

Although some among them were martial artists, the strongest were only at the dark-force stage. The difference was as vast as heaven and earth.

Lin Ming had only recently begun to cultivate, but he still understood what level a martial arts master represented.

If he had not heard the raven say it himself, he would never have imagined that Cloud City actually had such a person.

"Brother Fan, this is too dangerous. Why don't you just—"

Before he could finish, Su Yifan cut him off. He swept his gaze across the room and said indifferently, "Are you really all that frightened by a piece of trash who's only a martial arts master?"

What?

That was a transcendent powerhouse who would be respected wherever he went, and Young Master Su was calling a martial arts master trash?

Seeing everyone's reaction, Su Yifan did not bother to explain further. After all, with his strength, he and these people were not even on the same level. No matter what he said, it would be pointless.

"These people assassinate others at will and ignore all law. Does no one do anything about them?"

Su Yifan asked at last.

"Of course people do, but they simply can't be controlled," the raven explained. "As soon as they catch even the slightest whiff of trouble, they immediately abandon their current base and find another one."

"Every time the Martial Alliance receives a tip, they send people to wipe them out. But by the time they arrive, the place is already empty. There's nothing they can do."

"Besides, in terms of strength, the people of the Martial Alliance are simply no match for them. The reason they withdraw every time is that the Martial Alliance is a state institution."

"Those people don't want to attract the attention of the upper echelons of the state, so they have no choice but to move like that, and that's how the situation has come to this."

He explained everything he knew in detail.

Only then did Su Yifan understand.

He paused, then said, "By your account, they're quite clever. Unfortunately for them, they should never have provoked me."

"Brother Fan, you're really going?"

Lin Ming asked anxiously.

Su Yifan patted his shoulder. "Don't worry about this. Go back and cultivate properly, and if nothing's going on, try not to come out."

With that, he looked at the raven and the others and said, "Follow Lin Ming well. In the future, you'll be glad you made this choice today."

As soon as he finished speaking, he strode out.

Watching Young Master Su's departing back, the raven and the rest of the underlings cried out in unison:

"We swear loyalty to Young Master Lin to the death!"

"We swear loyalty to Young Master Lin to the death!"

...

Wave after wave of unwavering voices echoed through the bar.

As Lin Ming watched his good brother depart, a warrior's heart suddenly ignited within him.

...

At the same time.

Inside a mountain in the western outskirts.

There was only one road up the mountain, but on either side of that road, every fifty meters stood a watchtower, and on each watchtower several men stood guard.

On the summit stood a wooden house of more than a thousand square meters.

Inside the house at that moment, two figures sat facing one another.

"Sir Wanshi, are you certain your men can kill that boy?" Ichiro Uehara took a sip of tea and asked in awkward Common Speech.

"Rest assured, our guest. So long as the money is in place, there is no one Shadowflow Descent cannot kill. By now they should be on their way back."

The middle-aged man spoke with confidence.

He was none other than Yuwanxiong, the figure in charge of this Shadowflow Descent base.

Hearing this, Uehara nodded. "Good. Once I receive that boy's head, the remaining payment will be transferred immediately."

"Excellent. Then let me offer an advance toast to a successful partnership."

"To successful cooperation!"

The two raised their teacups and toasted one another.

Just then, a leisurely voice drifted in from the doorway.

"Oh? You’re already celebrating in advance?"

The next instant, a crash rang out.

The wooden door was kicked clean off its hinges from outside.

Then Su Yifan stepped inside.

Seeing who had arrived, both Uehara and Yuwanxiong froze.

"Who are you?"

Yuwanxiong rose from his chair.

"I am who? Shouldn't you know that better than anyone?"

Su Yifan said with a faint smile.

Hearing this, Yuwanxiong seemed to guess something. His expression changed abruptly. "You... are you Su Yifan?"

At that, Uehara also stood up.

"Nani? You are Su Yifan?"

Hearing the accent of that Japanese devil, Su Yifan shifted his gaze to him. "So you’re the one named Uehara who put out the bounty on me?"

"That's right, it was me. You killed my younger brother, Ichiro, and I am here to avenge him!"

Uehara said furiously.

"Good. Wait a moment."

Su Yifan said, then turned to Yuwanxiong. "So you must be the one in charge here?"

"Indeed..."

Yuwanxiong was just about to answer when, suddenly, something occurred to him and he blurted out, "No—how did you get here? Could it be that they..."

"That's right. They're all dead."

Su Yifan's expression remained calm.

"No... impossible. There are more than a dozen grandmasters outside, and twenty or thirty martial arts masters as well. How could you have done that?"

Yuwanxiong refused to believe it.

With so many people outside, how could one man possibly have killed them all?

And even if he truly had that strength, it was impossible for him to do it so quietly that even Yuwanxiong himself noticed nothing.

He must be bluffing.

Yes, absolutely bluffing!

With that thought, he shouted outside, "Someone, come quickly! Come now!"

Yet when his words fell, the outside remained utterly silent, with no response at all.

Only now was Yuwanxiong forced to believe it. Even so, he still did not fear Su Yifan, and instead snorted coldly.

"So what if you killed them? I am a martial arts master."

"Oh? So you think you're very strong?"

Su Yifan asked indifferently.

Yuwanxiong clasped his hands behind his back, his face full of arrogance. "Isn't that obvious? Within Cloud City, there is no one who can beat me."

He had never heard of a second martial arts master in Cloud City's territory.

That was precisely why he dared be so confident.

"Brat, I advise you to lie down obediently now and let me earn this money. Otherwise, once you're dead, I won't spare a single one of your family."

Yuwanxiong looked at Su Yifan with utter contempt and threatened him.