Ye City Lord's Mansion.

City Lord Duan Xiu stepped out of the meditation chamber, furrowing his brows as he looked toward the direction of the prison.

"Who would be so audacious as to dare come here to perform a prison break!"

He had once been a military commander and was later transferred to Ye City to serve as the City Lord. His military experience had molded him into someone who remained unflustered in the face of danger. He analyzed the situation calmly and immediately summoned his subordinates, "To dare to break into the city to free a prisoner, the perpetrator must be at least at the early Integration stage.

Quickly, go to the neighboring four cities for backup and notify the troops stationed nearby!"

"Yes!"

Duan Xiu put on his old black battle armor and his helmet, as if he had returned to his military days a hundred years ago.

"Husband, what on earth is..."

"Dad, what happened?"

Duan Xiu's wife and son also noticed the disturbance as they came out of their rooms, seeing Duan Xiu in his armor, their expressions filled with concern.

Duan Xiu's resolute eyes softened as he held his wife's hand, stating seriously, "It's just a group of miscreants. Don't you know my strength? There won't be any issues."

"Besides, Ye City has yet to deploy its secret weapon."

"Then you must be careful."

Both Duan Xiu's wife and son were very worried about him.

Without looking back, Duan Xiu waved his hand and shouted, "Enough, go back and rest."

After bidding farewell to his wife and child, Duan Xiu headed to the underground chamber of the City Lord's mansion.

Few knew that beneath Ye City lay a Body Integration Realm level City Protection Array, which once activated could surely hold the enemy at bay until reinforcements arrived, if not outright defeat them.

He twisted a book on the bookshelf, which with a clatter moved aside to reveal a stone door. He channeled spiritual essence into the stone door, which opened to expose a long tunnel.

He swiftly entered the tunnel, making his way to the underground chamber.

As he passed through the tunnel, oil lamps affixed to the stone walls lit up one after another, illuminating the path all the way to the deepest part of the chamber.

"What!"

Upon reaching the chamber, he was taken aback to find that the Array Eye of the City Protection Array inscribed on the chamber walls had been annihilated beyond repair.

"How is this possible!"

Without his spiritual essence acting as a key, no one could have broken in here!

"City Lord Duan, are you surprised?"

A voice akin to a phantom's emerged from behind City Lord Duan.

"Who's there!" City Lord Duan whipped around, for he had had his spiritual essence unleashed from the start but hadn't sensed anyone approaching him.

The other's cultivation level exceeded his own!

The stranger introduced himself with a name City Lord Duan had never heard before, "Ruthless Sect, Wu Lei."

"So it really is your Ruthless Sect!" City Lord Duan watched Wu Lei warily, discreetly reaching for his Storage Ring to withdraw a red-tasseled spear.

"It seems you've split your forces, one to rescue the prisoners and one to hold me up!"

Wu Lei shook his head slightly, stating indifferently, "The rescue was merely a distraction, our true purpose here is to kill you!"

"Bold!"

The red-tasseled spear soared like a dragon ascending to the heavens, its tip twinkling with a fierce light as flames surged wildly.

Although he was at the Void Refinement Stage, he currently possessed the fighting power of the Body Integration Realm, unafraid of this member of the Ruthless Sect named Wu Lei!

Wu Lei's hands gently parted, his fingertips flickering with currents of electricity, stirring up a wild thunderstorm within the confined chamber!

Thud—

City Lord Duan, at the center of the thunderstorm, was ravaged by the lightning. Before the red-tasseled spear could even reach Wu Lei, he was struck, losing control over his body, and the spear clattered to the ground.

"Did you not know, City Lord Duan, that even within the Body Integration Realm there are levels of strength?" Wu Lei's words were devoid of any mocking tone, but given the current circumstances, the sarcasm was all the more potent.

"How can this be!" City Lord Duan, numb from the electricity, lacked even the strength to make a fist, and looked at Wu Lei in disbelief.

Even if there were differences within the Body Integration Realm, the outcome should not have been decided in one move. The thunderstorm he had unleashed had, unbelievably, struck all his weak points!

"What's so impossible about that?"

A voice all too familiar to Duan Xiu sounded from behind Wu Lei.

"Wenwu?!"

City Lord Duan's eyes widened as he looked at his son, Duan Wenwu, who came out from behind Wu Lei.

"You're an undercover agent for the Ruthless Sect?!"

The existence of the secret room, his own weakness—if all these were leaked by his son, then everything made sense!

Duan Wenwu looked at his frozen father and smiled, "I haven't truly joined the Ruthless Sect yet. Only after I kill you, I will be considered a member of the Ruthless Sect."

To join the Ruthless Sect, one needs to kill their closest kin.

For Duan Wenwu, his closest kin were his parents.

But his Cultivation Level was too low, even if City Lord Duan stood right here and let him attack, he couldn't even harm a single hair of City Lord Duan, who had a life-preserving magic artifact given by the Dynasty.

Therefore, he needed the higher-ups of the Ruthless Sect to make a move.

The higher-ups of the Ruthless Sect wouldn't help him for no reason, so he promised to help open the treasury of Ye City and let Wu Lei take whatever he desired.

"Why!" City Lord Duan's eyes were bloodshot as he struggled against the raging thunder within his body.

"Why? You have the nerve to ask why!" Upon hearing this question, Duan Wenwu seemed to strike a nerve, his expression becoming manic.

"You neither used your privilege to trade benefits with the Sect and send me to a Super-grade Sect or a First Class Sect, nor did you allow me to use the treasures of the treasury to increase my Cultivation Level, leading to me being twenty-five years old this year and still stuck in the Golden Core Stage!"

"I am the son of the City Lord, yet you haven't used your privilege for my sake even once!"

"Mother only comforted me, saying I was not naturally suited for Cultivation and could pursue a career in government!"

"A career in government, a career in government, a career in government, are you trying to make me become as inflexible as you are!"

"Have you ever considered my feelings!"

"Since you named me Wenwu, where is the 'martial' aspect!"

Twenty-five years old and still in the Golden Core Stage—he wasn't slow in Cultivation talent, but this was not the result of Duan Wenwu's Cultivation; rather, it was achieved with the savings City Lord Duan had used to help his son advance.

This was already the limit; Duan Wenwu's aptitude was too poor. If he were to advance further, the heavenly materials and earthly treasures needed were not within City Lord Duan's ability to provide.

"Trading benefits would harm the interests of the citizens of Ye City. The treasury belongs to the Dynasty, not to me personally; how can I give it to you..."

"Enough, don't speak any further!" Duan Wenwu shouted in anger, "Since you insist on upholding your dignity as the City Lord, then don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Inside the Ruthless Sect, there's a method to improve one's aptitude, requiring the heartblood of a family member as a catalyst.

The higher the family member's Cultivation Level, the better the effect of the catalyst.

If his father, a Cultivator of the Void Refinement Stage, were to be used, he could possibly transform into a genius with Dual Spirit Roots!

"Wenwu..." City Lord Duan's vision blurred as he gazed at the unrecognizable Duan Wenwu, with a surge of memories flashing through his mind: the birth of his son, his babbling, learning to walk, climbing trees to rob nests, being hit on the back of the hand by his teacher, crying while reciting books, testing for the Spirit Root, drawing breath into his body...

How did his good son turn out like this?

Seeing his father like this, Duan Wenwu's tone suddenly softened, and he sighed, "Father, I do love you and Mother, but I want to become stronger. For that, I have to sacrifice you both, I hope you can understand me."

"True Master, please make your move!" Duan Wenwu bowed to Wu Lei, his eyes flashing with a murderous intent, "Please kill my parents and everyone in the City Lord's Mansion!"

If the Dynasty were to learn of his joining the Ruthless Sect, they would surely use this as a clue for an investigation, bringing endless trouble.

For this reason, he reported the branch of the Ruthless Sect in Ye City, had all the branch members arrested, and then Wu Lei and another high-ranking member of the Ruthless Sect used this as an excuse to strike, breaking into the jail and killing his father and everyone else in the City Lord's Mansion who resisted.

And his own name would appear on the list of the dead, effectively erasing Duan Wenwu from the world, allowing him to join the Ruthless Sect smoothly without fearing the Dynasty's pursuit.

Considering the dangerous profits involved, he had given True Master Wu Lei so many benefits; once he joined the Ruthless Sect, he would naturally receive Wu Lei's support.

Wu Lei didn't say anything, his body surged with lightning and a bolt of thunder condensed in his palm.

"City Lord Duan, farewell."

Woosh—

A ray of sword light descended from the sky, slicing a deep chasm between Wu Lei and City Lord Duan, cutting open both the secret room and the room above it.

Wu Lei looked up sharply, glaring at the old Daoist holding the sword overhead, squeezing out four words through clenched teeth.

"Daoist Buyu!"

Daoist Buyu observed Wu Lei, gradually matching him with the person in his memories, and came to a sudden realization.

"You're Wu Lei? We haven't seen each other in over a thousand years, right? I remember when I joined the Ruthless Sect, you were in the late stages of Integration. How come you're still at that stage? Doesn't the Ruthless Sect's method of Cultivation work?"