Outside Qingyue Building, Ye Ling looked at the Phoenix Eye in his hand, his brow furrowed slightly.
He had initially thought the Phoenix Eye was just an ordinary spiritual artifact, but upon obtaining it, he discovered a secret hidden within the gem!
This Phoenix Eye was a key!
Recalling how the Jiang family framed the Ye family, and the involvement of other cultivators...
He suspected that the events of that year were not as simple as they seemed.
At that moment, Du Yameng, panting, caught up to Ye Ling and asked, "Immortal, why did you leave so suddenly?"
She had expected Ye Ling to go on a killing spree, but after Jiang Wen Chun knelt and barked like a dog, Ye Ling had simply left, leaving her with a feeling that something was unfinished.
He seemed unsatisfied.
In her eyes, Ye Ling was not the type of person to show mercy just because someone knelt and begged for their life.
Hearing Du Yameng's words, Ye Ling snapped back to attention. He turned to look at Qingyue Building, a slight smile playing on his lips, a glint of amusement in his eyes.
When he saw Jiang Wen Chun groveling like a dog, he realized that letting Jiang Wen Chun live a little longer would make things more interesting.
The collapse of the Sky Auction House had not crippled the Jiang Corporation to the point of no return.
Moreover, even with his reputation in ruins, Jiang Wen Chun still held considerable influence in Jiang City and could continue to thrive in its high society.
Jiang Wen Chun's current fate was far from miserable enough.
Coupled with the potential secrets involving the Ye family, the Jiang family...
He would have to play with them slowly.
"Don't you have the other half of the Phoenix Eye? Take me to get it," Ye Ling said directly to Du Yameng.
Upon hearing Ye Ling's words, Du Yameng immediately forgot about Jiang Wen Chun and excitedly told Ye Ling, "I'll take you to get it right away, Immortal!"
Compared to Jiang Wen Chun's life or death, Du Yameng was more concerned about whether the Du family could successfully establish a connection with Ye Ling.
With a powerful cultivator like Ye Ling, and the incredibly vast financial consortium behind him, if the Du family could befriend Ye Ling, they would be close to becoming the number one affluent family in Jiang City, if not already.
With Du Yameng's excited yet apprehensive mood, she personally drove Ye Ling to the Du family villa.
The Du family's residence was different from the Ye family's Xishan Manor. They owned an eight-story villa worth five hundred million yuan in a city village within the first ring road. The three generations of the Du family had their own private spaces within this villa.
However, the Du family rarely stayed here.
"Immortal, this is our home. The Phoenix Eye is with my grandfather, and I'll take you to get it now."
Du Yameng led Ye Ling to a villa that was exceptionally quiet and respectfully said to Ye Ling, "Normally, apart from our family and grandfather, other uncles and aunts live in properties they own. They only return here for Chinese New Year or when important family matters need to be announced."
"So, this place is usually very quiet, with gardens all around, and few people come here. Immortal, if you don't have a place to stay in Jiang City, you can choose a nice room here."
As she spoke, Du Yameng's tone carried a hint of pride.
After all, owning such a large residential property in the prime location of Jiang City's first ring road was something few affluent families in Jiang City could achieve.
Ye Ling surveyed the magnificent and imposing villa before him and asked with a smile, "Do you keep a large group of armed thugs at home?"
"A large group of armed thugs?" Du Yameng was startled, not understanding what Ye Ling was referring to.
"Miss, be careful!"
At this moment, the bodyguards who had followed Du Yameng back suddenly pulled her behind a wall and immediately entered a state of alert.
Several red laser dots disappeared from where Du Yameng had been standing.
"What, what is this situation?"
Du Yameng was bewildered, completely unaware of what had happened.
Ye Ling looked up and could see snipers hidden behind the curtains on the fourth and sixth floors.
Furthermore, behind the villa's main entrance, two armed individuals were staring at the monitor screen, watching Ye Ling and his companions outside the gate.
"It seems I've come at the wrong time."
After Ye Ling scanned the villa with his spiritual energy, he discovered that over twenty people had already died within the villa, all of them Du family bodyguards and servants.
And in a luxurious room on the eighth floor, a middle-aged man in a black suit was discussing something with an elderly man lying in bed.
"Miss, there were snipers aiming at you just now. Something has happened inside!"
Guan Longxing's expression was grave as he said in a deep voice, "This is not a place to linger. We should retreat!"
There were only four bodyguards with them, and they were all unarmed. They had no idea how many fully armed individuals were hidden inside the villa. If they didn't retreat now, they would only be sending themselves to their deaths!
"Could it be my eldest uncle making a move?" Hearing Guan Longxing say that something had happened inside the villa, Du Yameng immediately reacted, and a person's image flashed in her mind.
In reality, the Du family was not as peaceful as it appeared on the surface.
Due to Du Sheng's serious illness, the Du family had recently been embroiled in issues of inheritance and the selection of a family head. The four siblings of the Du family often had conflicts, with the eldest, Du Xia, being the most aggressive, frequently demanding that Du Sheng amend his will.
Du Yameng knew that her eldest uncle might cause trouble, but she hadn't expected Du Xia to be so insane as to bring people to attack the老爷子's home.
Did he have any semblance of filial piety?
Du Yameng had the best relationship with Du Sheng and had been taking care of her grandfather. Upon learning that her eldest uncle had brought people to force his hand, she became furious.
"What a scoundrel!"
Du Yameng let out a low curse and was about to rush out, but Guan Longxing, her bodyguard, pulled her back, "Miss, it's dangerous! The sniper clearly targeted you. If you show yourself again, you could be in mortal danger!"
"We are outnumbered and outgunned. It's best to retreat!"
Guan Longxing said seriously, holding Du Yameng tightly.
Although they were all carefully selected elites, each of them could fight ten strong young men simultaneously, but even the strongest skills were no match for firearms.
Rushing forward now would be tantamount to suicide.
"But Grandpa and Mom and Dad..."
Du Yameng was anxious. Given the scale of Du Xia's forced move today, if she retreated, her grandfather and parents would surely die!
"Do you need my help?"
Just as Du Yameng was in a panic, Ye Ling walked over and asked her with a smile.
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Du Yameng finally remembered that Ye Ling was still there. She clutched onto him like a lifeline and quickly said to Ye Ling, "Look how flustered I am... I completely forgot that Immortal is still here. Please help me this time, and I will agree to any request you have!"
She had personally witnessed Ye Ling's divine-like abilities; bullets couldn't even get close to him. The people her eldest uncle brought were definitely no match for Ye Ling!
Ye Ling chuckled, "I don't have any specific requests. Consider this repayment for the favor of one million."
Du Yameng was overjoyed, "Thank you, Immortal!!!"
After speaking, Ye Ling started walking towards the villa's main entrance, but Guan Longxing grabbed his arm.
"Longxing, what are you doing?" Du Yameng asked when Guan Longxing suddenly blocked Ye Ling.
Guan Longxing frowned, "Miss, please don't be foolish. Mr. Ye is not a true immortal, and we don't need to go in there to die!"
Guan Longxing already knew what Ye Ling had done at the Sky Auction House and was aware of Ye Ling's formidable family background.
However, Guan Longxing had never witnessed Ye Ling's strength and only considered Ye Ling to be an ordinary young master from a prominent family.
Facing a group of armed thugs, a young master's money would be of no use.
Letting Ye Ling go out now would be sending him to his death!
Stopping Ye Ling, Guan Longxing then said to the other three bodyguards, "Xiao Qi, Da Jie, Xiao Feng, the three of you escort Miss and Mr. Ye away. I'll cover your retreat."
"Yes!"
The other three also stepped in front of Ye Ling, intending to lead Ye Ling and Du Yameng away.
Seeing Guan Longxing's serious expression, Ye Ling smiled and easily broke free from Guan Longxing's grip. He bypassed the other three bodyguards and walked directly outside the wall, exposing himself to the sniper's aim!
"Mr. Ye?"
Guan Longxing was greatly alarmed when he saw Ye Ling walk out. He didn't have time to think and quickly lunged towards Ye Ling.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out, and the sniper's bullet whistled through the air. Guan Longxing's eyes widened, as if he had already seen Ye Ling's head being pierced!
But the next moment...
Guan Longxing's pupils rapidly dilated, and his heart was filled with immense shock!
That bullet... had stopped in front of Ye Ling!
How was this possible?