Chapter 217 – Cao Yan’s Breakthrough

Fang Yishan was surprised, though not much. If Fang Zhongnan and his father truly intended to overthrow him, they’d have to kill him first. The simplest method would be to raise their cultivation levels in secret.

He shook his head, the disappointment in his eyes plain to see. “You’re so stupid. Do you really think you’ll succeed just because you managed to reach the late Golden Core Realm?”

Fang Zhongnan narrowed his eyes. Looking at the stony-faced Fang Yishan, he had a bad feeling.

However, things had gone too far. There was no point in saying anything else.

His father roared, “Attack!”

The ceremonial elder, Lin Hua, who had been standing quietly behind Fang Yishan and showing no signs of hostility, lunged forward without warning and thrust his sword toward Fang Yishan’s heart.

Whoosh!

Boom!

All Lin Hua saw was a blur, and then Fang Yishan vanished from view.

Pfft!

A sword pierced through Lin Hua’s neck, and blood sprayed as far as three chi.

Fang Yishan stood before them, killing intent radiating from him as he glared at his cousin and uncle not far away. With a flick of his wrist, he swung his sword.

Pfft!

Lin Hua’s head flew into the air. For a brief moment, the spray of blood obscured both sides of the conflict.

Fang Yishan glared coldly at Fang Zhongnan. He shook his wrist gently, shaking blood off his sword.

“Did you really think I’ve learned nothing in all my years as the lord of this residence? I’ve had my eye on you from the beginning, even when you thought you were being sneaky. You two really thought you could keep secrets from me?”

Fang Zhongnan paled but refused to back down. His father cried out, “My son! It’s come to this—there’s no choice but to kill!”

Fang Zhongnan gritted his teeth and made his decision. He crushed several jade slips in his hand, then charged at Fang Yishan.

The moment the slips broke, more than twenty Foundation Building Realm cultivators burst into the air from the residence.

Li Guanqi frowned and took out his own jade slip. His eyes widened.

Ye Feng asked, “What’s the matter, Boss?”

Li Guanqi smirked, a glint of amusement in his eyes. “The dogs are turning on each other. It’s happening faster than I thought. I figured I’d have to stir the pot one more time.”

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

In the sky nearby, Cao Yan stood wearing the vambraces from before. He had a powerful aura, and blue flames coiled around his body.

Heavenly tribulation lightning crashed down, but instead of retreating, Cao Yan charged forward, fists raised high.

He moved with force and precision, each punch delivered with a refined technique that balanced power with agility. One by one, he shattered the lightning bolts.

He absorbed their energy as they shattered, which helped temper the half-formed golden core in his body.

Li Guanqi watched from afar and muttered, “Cao Yan... he’s got real potential.”

Ye Feng shrugged with a flash of sorrow in his eyes. “Yes, he is very strong.”

Then, he continued, “

Heh.

No matter how strong he is, he is still the youngest. He’s our little brother!”

Li Guanqi smiled faintly, saying nothing. In his heart, he saw both Cao Yan and Ye Feng as brothers. There was no such thing as an elder or younger among them.

Rumble!

“

Ahhhhh!

You’d better break!!!”

High in the air, Cao Yan threw a punch with everything he had. Flames curled from his vambraces as he struck the sky. His body was covered in deep wounds and his robes were in tatters, yet his eyes burned with battle spirit.

Li Guanqi watched quietly.

Cao Yan was like a lone, arrogant mountain. Although he had endured unimaginable suffering, his spirit blazed on. Ye Feng was shaken by what he saw. He’d grown up free of worries, even if he had his share of conflict with his father. It was nothing compared to what Cao Yan had endured.

Without realizing it, Ye Feng was beginning to change under the influence of Cao Yan’s battle spirit.

Boom! Crackle!

A bolt of lightning exploded!

Cao Yan hovered in midair, drenched in blood, his hair wild. He bellowed at the thinning heavenly tribulation clouds, “Come on! Bring it!”

He let out a fierce, rage-filled roar and stood there for a long time, immersed in adrenaline before finally calming down. He threw his arms open, and his vital force violently fluctuated. His aura skyrocketed.

In an instant, he shattered the final barrier of the Foundation Building Realm and ascended to the early Golden Core Realm. His foundation was solid, so his cultivation stabilized quickly.

Cao Yan descended from the sky and smiled brightly at them. “

Hehe.

I didn’t hold you guys up, did I?”

Li Guanqi looked at Cao Yan and asked, “Think you can handle a Golden Core Realm opponent now?”

Boom!

Cao Yan slammed his fists together. “With this technique? I’ll take them!”

Li Guanqi nodded. “Let’s move!”

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

The three of them turned into three streaks of light and shot off. Along the way, the three of them maintained solemn expressions. Li Guanqi said, “Remember, our main goal is to rescue Zhao Yang! Ignore everything else. We still don’t know Fang Yishan’s exact cultivation level, but Fang Zhongnan should be above the mid Golden Core Realm.”

He continued, “He’s likely at the late Golden Core Realm, and it’s still a little dangerous for us to take on someone like that, especially for Cao Yan.”

Cao Yan nodded solemnly. He’d just broken through, so even a mid-stage opponent would be a serious threat. If he ran into someone at the late stage, he’d have no choice but to run.

Ye Feng suddenly asked, “Boss... Are you about to break through?”

Li Guanqi shrugged, making no attempt to hide the truth. He gave a slight nod. “Yes. We’ll see what happens later. Either way, we need to stay sharp. Fight if you can handle it, but if things go south, don’t hesitate to run.”

The two of them nodded.

Soon, they arrived near the residence. A deafening explosion echoed from the back of the mountain, making them pause. Li Guanqi raised his hand, and they descended quickly.

The sounds of battle rang out from behind the mountain—explosions, war cries, and powerful fluctuations of vital force.

Li Guanqi made a quick decision. He handed each of them a skin mask, then pointed to the grounds below. “Put these on. We’re sneaking in.”

They nodded and pulled on their skin masks. After changing into the estate guards’ uniforms, they slipped onto the grounds.