As Yun Zhongzheng suggested, no one stepped forward to give an answer to the man with the square face. Either they genuinely didn’t know, or even if they did, no one would betray their sect.

"Could it be that your Yun Sect is truly unafraid of annihilation?" the man with the square face said in a deep voice. "I urge you to reconsider carefully. As a Hidden Sect, the heritage is not easily maintained. I see that hiding here in the deep mountains is not easy for you either. I went through a lot of effort to find you. Are you really willing to face extinction for the sake of a mere external possession?"

Yun Zhongzheng laughed coldly, "The Yunmen people don’t fear death. You underestimate us. Our Yun Sect has never had a tradition of bowing to enemies. If you want to kill, then kill. The sooner you kill me, the sooner you can give up!"

The man with the square face said, "I urge you to think this over again."

Yun Zhongzheng sneered, "Think about what? Let me ask you: if I hand over the treasure, will you spare us?"

The man with the square face nodded, "I will."

Yun Zhongzheng said, "No, you won’t. Even if I hand over the treasure now, after you get it, you will still massacre my Yun Sect. Am I wrong? Since certain death awaits, why would I let you succeed?"

Lin Fan nodded in agreement. Indeed, he could see that this man with the square face was bluffing. Given his style, there’s no surprise that he would massacre all Yunmen people. He leaves no survivors to eliminate future threats, just as he wiped out Li Xiangshui’s faction last night.

The man with the square face laughed, "Oops, you guessed correctly."

He really didn’t plan to leave any survivors. It seems his bluff has failed.

The man’s eyes shifted as if he had a new idea. He leaned down, grabbed Yun Zhongzheng, and threw him casually toward two downed young men.

The two young men hurried to catch Yun Zhongzheng.

Everyone was momentarily puzzled, not knowing what the man with the square face intended. Why did he suddenly release Yun Zhongzheng? Had he realized he couldn’t get anything and had a change of heart?

However, just as everyone was confused,

The man with the square face suddenly darted forward, reaching out to grab a woman standing nearby.

This woman was also a martial artist, yet in front of the man with the square face, she barely had time to react before he completely subdued her.

The man with the square face fixed his gaze on Yun Zhongzheng, saying, "Sect Leader Yun, are you truly so heartless, willing to sacrifice all your Yunmen people? I find it hard to believe. Let’s play a game, a new game. From this moment on, I will commence a massacre, killing your Yunmen disciples one by one in front of you, until you change your mind and hand over the treasure! Sect Leader Yun, this woman’s life is now in your hands."

The crowd finally understood the intention of the man with the square face. He released Yun Zhongzheng to devise a new strategy, using the lives of the Yunmen people to threaten Yun Zhongzheng.

The woman held by the man with the square face struggled instinctively. Although she claimed not to fear death, facing it in reality terrified her.

Yun Zhongzheng did not respond to the man with the square face. Instead, he looked around at the sect members and said, "Yunmen disciples, hear my orders: everyone assumes battle readiness and fights to the end!"

Almost all the Yunmen people were present. Upon hearing Yun Zhongzheng’s words, their blood surged with enthusiasm, and they shouted in unison, "Fight to the death!"

The mood was impassioned, and everyone showed an expression of determination to face death unafraid.

This scene left Lin Fan stunned. He couldn’t help but feel some admiration for these Yunmen disciples. There really existed a family unafraid of death. Perhaps only Hidden Sects like this encouraged such valor. People of the Jianghu were still quite spirited.

Lin Fan asked himself and realized he couldn’t do it. For Lin Fan, living was more important than anything else. No matter what setbacks he faced, only by living could he turn the tables. Death meant having nothing left. It was true that facing death valiantly was inspiring, but what about after the heroics? The enemy continues to roam free, and you’re dead, unable to avenge yourself!

There were quite a few who shared Lin Fan’s view. As the saying goes, "While there’s life, there’s hope." This was wisdom from the ancients advising people to learn to endure during adversity.

Had King of Yue Gou Jian fought to his death after his defeat, then Yue would have perished. He chose to bear humiliation, willingly becoming a captive to Wu Kingdom, kowtowing to please King Wu Fu Chai. In time, he won Fu Chai’s favor and was released back to Yue. Eventually, he grew strong and defeated Wu, forcing King Wu Fu Chai to commit suicide, thus avenging the Yue Kingdom in the famous tale of "Crouching on Firewood, Tasting Gall."

There are many such examples. Consider Liu Bei: when weak, he chose to keep a low profile. Even while in the Cao Camp, he managed to preserve himself, and later, he controlled one-third of the nation. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Or take Han Xin. To preserve himself, he endured crawling between someone’s legs as an insult, later becoming a general for the Han Dynasty.

In dire situations, when a person endures even the indignity of crawling beneath someone, what else can’t they endure?

Whenever Lin Fan thought of Han Xin, he resolved to become stronger. Only by becoming powerful could he avoid situations like Han Xin’s humiliation. Lin Fan would never let himself endure such contempt.

Rather than face the severe humiliation Han Xin endured, Lin Fan preferred to live like Wei Xiaobao—a man whose martial arts skills were weak yet managed to navigate successfully among the high and mighty, from the emperor to the leaders of Jianghu.

Lin Fan shared a certain worldview with Wei Xiaobao. Some might consider fleeing shameful, preferring death over surrender, but neither Lin Fan nor Wei Xiaobao saw it that way. If you can’t win, you run. That was the correct approach.

Now the wealthiest man in Yun City, Lin Fan hailed from humble beginnings, a former vagabond. In this world, he’s lived like a small creature struggling in a competitive environment. The survival method for such a creature requires resilience—able to bend and stretch, fighting when able, fleeing when not.

Of course, Lin Fan’s perspective didn’t diminish his admiration for the Yunmen’s heroics. Those unafraid of death were always inspiring, encompassing a bloodied spirit that moved others.

Crack!

At that moment, a chilling sound rang out.

The man with the square face snapped the woman’s neck in his grasp.

Her head slumped as life immediately left her!

The Yunmen people were filled with grief and indignation. Still, this didn’t frighten them but instead fueled their emotions, strengthening their resolve to fight to the death!

The man with the square face was furious. These fearless people were truly aggravating. Those unafraid of death were the toughest opponents, unlike those fearful of death, who might surrender with a mere threat. Courageous souls added so much complexity.

The man with the square face looked over the crowd and suddenly smirked, lunging toward them.

Those who had long assumed combat readiness bravely charged at him, fearless of death. But they were no match and were sent flying as the man with the square face struck.

Soon, the man with the square face seized a three-year-old child, breaking through the defensive line.

The kid cried loudly in terror.

Faced with this, everyone’s expressions changed.

The man with the square face sneered grimly, "Aren’t you all unafraid of death? I would like to see whether this little one is also fearless. Sect Leader Yun, remember: his life or his death is in your hands!"