"Cousin...?" Shen Haoran was dumbfounded. ’What the hell is going on?’ He glanced at the handsome, white-robed man before him, then at Ji Lingxuan behind him, whose gaze was evasive. He immediately understood.

"Cousin Feng Yin, what are you doing here?" Ji Lingxuan asked, her expression a little strained.

"What do you think? You’ve been gone for so long, and Uncle is very worried. This time, he gave me a strict order: if I don’t bring you back, he’ll have my hide!" Feng Yin said, looking at Ji Lingxuan with a helpless expression.

Hearing that Feng Yin wanted to take her back, Ji Lingxuan shook her head and said stubbornly, "I don’t want to go back. I’m doing just fine out here. I don’t want to return to that place!"

Feng Yin seemed to expect her opposition and patiently tried to persuade her. "Ling Xuan, now is not the time to be willful. If you insist on not returning, the next person you see won’t be me, but an Elder from the family’s Law Enforcement Hall. You understand how serious this is!"

"But..."

"Ling Xuan!" Ji Lingxuan was about to say more, but Feng Yin cut her off directly. A faint yet palpable aura emanated from him, imposing without any display of anger.

After cutting Ji Lingxuan off, Feng Yin glanced at Shen Haoran. He then began to speak in an ancient language that sounded like a Brahma Sound, seemingly to prevent Shen Haoran from understanding their subsequent conversation. However, with Elder Yan present, every word was translated for him.

"Ling Xuan, you should know how important you are to our clan. This is your mission, the destiny you were born to bear. It is inescapable, and you must fulfill it!

I know the reason you don’t want to go back is because of this boy, isn’t it? But you should also know that if the Elders of the Law Enforcement Hall find out about his existence, will they let him live? The only way to truly protect him is to leave him!"

Feng Yin’s words left Ji Lingxuan speechless. She looked at Shen Haoran with a hopeless expression, her eyes filled with reluctance to part. He was right. If the Elders of the family’s Law Enforcement Hall learned of Brother Haoran’s existence, they would absolutely eliminate him. They had already planned her entire future, and they would never allow her to stray from that path! ’Is this really the only way?’ Ji Lingxuan despaired.

"Do you trust me?" Just as Ji Lingxuan felt helpless, Shen Haoran took her hand and asked softly.

Feeling the warmth from his hand, Ji Lingxuan nodded firmly.

"Good. Then go back with him. Trust me, it won’t be long before I come to find you. The next time we meet, no one will be able to separate us!"

"And another thing!" Shen Haoran finished, turning to face Feng Yin. He said coldly, "This ’destiny’ and ’mission’ you speak of is bullshit! Ling Xuan has her own path to walk, and her destiny is hers alone to control. She is not some puppet on a string for you to manipulate. If Ling Xuan suffers even the slightest grievance in your family, I will pay it back a hundredfold. Believe me, I have the power to do it!"

At that moment, Shen Haoran was like an enraged lion. The killing intent in his eyes was so sharp that for a moment, Feng Yin didn’t dare to look him directly in the eye.

"That is not for me to decide. I will take Ling Xuan away after the auction. Suit yourselves." Feng Yin shot Shen Haoran a meaningful glance, and then his figure flickered and vanished into the crowd, so fast that Shen Haoran didn’t even have time to react.

With Feng Yin gone, Shen Haoran let out a sigh, his heart heavy. Their separation was imminent, and a faint melancholy settled between him and Ji Lingxuan.

CRASH... Just as the two were lost in their sorrow, a string of curses from nearby shattered the oppressive atmosphere.

"Dammit, who the hell was that? Who dares to hit me!" King Chao roared viciously, scrambling to his feet from a pile of shattered pots and jars and glaring at Shen Haoran.

"Dammit, cripple him for me! He dared to hit me!" King Chao yelled at the guards behind him. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The guards paused for a moment upon receiving the order, then glanced at the furious King Chao and swarmed toward Shen Haoran. In their eyes, he was just a Tier Nine Spirit Pupil. Taking him down would be a piece of cake, and they could even earn some credit for it!

Watching the guards surge forward, killing intent erupted in Shen Haoran’s eyes. Black flames suddenly flared to life, casting a savage light on his expressionless face.

"You... have successfully enraged me!" Shen Haoran’s voice was as cold as if it had come from the depths of Hell. His figure then flashed, transforming into a blur of black fire as he met the guards head-on.

HISS! With a soft sound, the guards’ defenses proved as fragile as paper before the enraged Shen Haoran. The Fire Spirit Black Obsidian erupted in full force. Anyone who so much as touched the Black Flame was instantly incinerated.

The bizarre scene sent a chill down the spines of the onlookers. They stared in terror at Shen Haoran, who looked like the Grim Reaper himself, unable to utter a single word.

King Chao was so terrified he collapsed onto the ground. He had never seen such a bizarre way of killing. The Black Flame merely flashed past, and not even ashes were left behind—they were completely vaporized. ’He’s clearly just a Tier Nine Spirit Pupil! Why is he so terrifying?!’

When King Chao saw Shen Haoran’s gaze land on him, he scrambled away without a second thought, crawling and running to escape. Shen Haoran’s eyes made him feel as if he were staring death itself in the face.

’Thinking of running?’ Shen Haoran snorted coldly. The flames in his hand coalesced into a long saber that shot directly toward the center of King Chao’s back. Terrified, King Chao stumbled and managed to dodge the attack, but the Flaming Long Saber of black fire still sliced off one of his arms. The stump was perfectly smooth, without even a trace of blood—it had been instantly vaporized by the terrifying heat.

King Chao didn’t even have time to scream. He shot Shen Haoran a venomous glare before disappearing around a corner.

Watching King Chao disappear, Shen Haoran merely frowned, showing no intention of giving chase. After the commotion, Ji Lingxuan was no longer in the mood to wander around. The two returned to their room, cherishing what little time they had left alone.

...

「Black Wind Stronghold, in the Grand Elder’s residence.」

BAM! With a loud crash, King Chao slammed the doors open with his body. Having lost an arm, he was off-balance and fell to the floor with a heavy thud.

"Tian’Er, what happened to you?" Seeing King Chao collapsed on the floor, an old man inside the room paled. He quickly rushed to King Chao’s side and helped him up. This old man was King Chao’s grandfather, the Grand Elder of Black Wind Stronghold, Chao Fei.

"Grandpa, my arm! My arm is gone!" King Chao desperately tried to lift his right arm, but there was nothing there.

"Tian’Er! Tian’Er, tell Grandpa, who was it?! Who dared to cut off my grandson’s arm?! I’ll kill them!" King Chao was his most beloved grandson; normally, he wouldn’t even let a single hair on his head be harmed. Now that someone had actually severed his arm, Chao Fei was absolutely livid.

"Shen Haoran! The bastard’s name is Shen Haoran! Grandpa, you have to get revenge for me! My arm!" King Chao’s eyes were filled with venomous hatred, as if he wanted to tear Shen Haoran’s flesh from his bones.

"Shen Haoran?" Chao Fei’s brows furrowed. He’d never heard of this person.

"He’s at the Celestial Martial Auction House, and that bastard Luo Tian is protecting him! Grandpa, you have to avenge me!" King Chao roared.

"Fine. No matter who it is, Grandpa will make him suffer a thousand torments! I will make him pay a hundredfold!" Chao Fei said viciously, looking with heartache at King Chao in his arms. In that instant, killing intent flooded the small room, and the air grew cold.