Mutou Masao was completely stunned. He wanted to break free from Ye Ling's suppression, but Ye Ling's strength was beyond his imagination. No matter how he struggled, the foot pressing on his shoulder remained motionless.
Ye Ling smiled as he watched the struggling Mutou Masao, then pressed down harder with his foot. Mutou Masao sank further into the ground, his knees embedding into the floor.
"Heavens… Mutou Masao is kneeling?"
The surrounding guests were all dumbfounded, gasping in unison.
They stared blankly at Mutou Masao kneeling on the ground, their minds in chaos.
They felt as if they were dreaming!
The head of the Mutou family, one of the four great families, an eighth-rank异士 (yìshì), was now being pinned to the ground by a single foot, unable to move, and in full public view…
Although Ye Ling's foot did not cause Mutou Masao significant physical harm, the humiliation was immense!
Mutou Masao's face turned red, and his spiritual energy began to circulate wildly. He roared in a low voice, "Let me go!"
Ye Ling chuckled, "It's not impossible for me to let you go, as long as you tell me everything about Takamagahara."
"You wish!"
"Then we have nothing more to discuss."
Ye Ling sighed slightly and exerted more force!
*Bang!*
Mutou Masao was directly stomped into the ground by Ye Ling, falling from the banquet hall to the underground level, buried by rubble!
A massive crater appeared in the banquet hall.
The surrounding guests stared blankly at Ye Ling, who was suspended in mid-air, not daring to breathe. The vast banquet hall was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop!
Even the members of the Mutou family, after witnessing Ye Ling's power and their patriarch's tragic fate, did not dare to step forward.
"You are seeking death!!!"
Soon, a furious roar echoed from below the crater. Everyone saw a dark figure surge out, surrounded by an incredibly terrifying aura.
Ye Ling looked at Mutou Masao, whose eyes were bloodshot, and chuckled, "That old monk could use the power of gods, why aren't you?"
"I don't need to for you!"
Mutou Masao coldly shouted, a samurai sword appearing out of thin air in his hand. He fiercely slashed towards Ye Ling!
Unfortunately, as soon as Mutou Masao rushed in front of Ye Ling and had only swung his sword halfway, Ye Ling slapped him back with a single palm!
*Bang!!!*
A deafening impact sounded from within the crater, and the entire hotel began to shake violently.
The surrounding 异士 (yìshì) felt the ground shaking and looked on in terror, exclaiming in panic, "Quick, flee! The building is going to collapse!"
Given the commotion Ye Ling and Mutou Masao were creating, it was estimated that the entire building would collapse within a few more exchanges!
Anyone still inside would perish!
In an instant, the guests no longer cared that it was the Mutou family's banquet venue and fled towards the outside of the hotel as if their lives depended on it.
Ye Ling did not pay attention to the fleeing guests. He smiled, looking at the spot buried by rubble below, his eyes filled with amusement, "It seems Mutou Masao is finally getting serious."
He could feel an aura surpassing eighth-rank, approaching ninth-rank, emanating from beneath the rubble.
*Rumble…*
A large amount of rubble floated up. Mutou Masao, with red eyes and covered in samurai armor, stood up.
He held a katana enveloped in purple energy, his body completely encased in armor, making him look like an ancient general!
Ye Ling appraised the current Mutou Masao and said with a smile, "Your attire is quite impressive. I'm curious, whose divine power are you borrowing?"
"You are not qualified to know!"
Mutou Masao snorted coldly, and his entire body vanished from his spot.
The next moment, Mutou Masao appeared behind Ye Ling, his katana slashing fiercely towards Ye Ling, distorting space itself!
Ye Ling yawned, "To be honest, your speed is too slow. I'll fall asleep by the time your sword reaches me."
"Die!!!"
Mutou Masao roared, his katana mercilessly sweeping across Ye Ling's neck, but he felt no impact of hitting anything solid.
An illusion?
Mutou Masao's pupils contracted sharply, and a chill shot from the soles of his feet to his forehead!
The afterimage Ye Ling left behind dissipated, and his true form appeared behind Mutou Masao.
"I told you, your speed is too slow."
Ye Ling taunted him again, and demonic energy condensed into a long sword in his hand, slashing towards Mutou Masao's waist!
A black light flashed past.
The long sword in Ye Ling's hand vanished, and a blood line appeared on Mutou Masao's waist.
Mutou Masao stared blankly at the blood line gushing from his abdomen, suddenly realizing he could no longer feel his lower body.
The next moment, he saw his body cut in half at the waist. His armor, which could withstand the full-force strike of a Red Dust Immortal, was like paper in front of Ye Ling!
"What… what happened?"
This thought flashed through Mutou Masao's mind, and then his brain was completely consumed by excruciating pain!
"Ahhh!"
Mutou Masao let out a piercing scream, so loud that even the guests who had fled the building could clearly hear it, sending shivers down their spines.
No one could imagine the torment Mutou Masao was enduring at that moment!
However, at this moment, everyone understood that the Mutou family had provoked a great figure they shouldn't have.
If Mutou Masao perished, then the Mutou family, as one of the four great families, would soon fade from history.
The guests present were not fools; they all controlled vast resources and were elites of society.
They possessed keen senses, and upon realizing Mutou Masao's doom, they immediately thought of the resources controlled by the Mutou family.
That was an unimaginably vast cake!
Without Mutou Masao, the Mutou family would be unable to hold onto such immense wealth!
In an instant, all the guests who had come to see Mutou Masao transformed into jackals who had caught the scent of prey. They immediately contacted their own families, urging them to do their utmost to devour the Mutou family!
Soon, a storm sweeping across all of East Capital and even the entire country began to spread outwards from the hotel building.
The colossal entity that was the Mutou family was being carved up by countless jackals!
Meanwhile, Mutou Masao was no longer capable of thinking about these matters.
After being cut in half by Ye Ling, he fell back into the pile of rubble in the crater. The pain of his severed limbs was constantly tearing at his nerves.
The rubble was stained red with blood. Mutou Masao looked at the other half of his body in front of him and struggled to crawl towards his lower half.
However, just as he was about to reach his feet, Ye Ling landed in front of him again, blocking his path.
"You… you…"
Mutou Masao struggled to lift his head. The light shone down from above Ye Ling, and he couldn't even see Ye Ling's face clearly!
But the faint, chilling smile on Ye Ling's lips filled Mutou Masao with boundless fear.
Only now did Mutou Masao truly realize…
Ye Ling was a monster!
A monster more terrifying than any god!
Ye Ling stepped on Mutou Masao's hand and looked at the half-bodied Mutou Masao, saying with a smile, "I'll ask you one last time, can you tell me about Takamagahara?"