Cao Yan Breaks Through!

Although Fang Yishan was somewhat surprised, he showed little true shock. If Fang Zhongnan and his father wanted to seize the position of villa master, they naturally had to eliminate him. The simplest method was undoubtedly to boost their own strength in secret. Fang Yishan shook his head, unable to hide the disappointment in his eyes. "You truly are foolish beyond cure. Did you really think that just by barely entering the late stage, victory was assured in your grasp?" Fang Zhongnan narrowed his eyes. Looking at Fang Yishan's calm face, a dark premonition rose in his heart. Yet at this point, further words were useless. Suddenly, the old man behind him roared, "Strike!" The consecrator elder behind Fang Yishan lunged without warning, thrusting his sword toward Fang Yishan's heart from behind! *Whoosh! Swish!* The old man, Lin Hua, never expected his vision to blur, only to find Fang Yishan's figure gone from where he had stood. *Spurt!* A longsword cleanly pierced Lin Hua's neck, sending blood spraying three feet into the air. His face brimming with killing intent, Fang Yishan looked toward the two across from him, his gaze utterly unmoved. Twisting his wrist, he swung his sword viciously! *Thwack!* The old consecrator's severed head flew high into the air, the spray of blood obscuring both sides' view. Fang Yishan looked coldly at Fang Zhongnan. With a flick of his wrist, he spun his blade in a flourishing arc, shaking off the clinging blood. "Did you think I sat in the villa master's seat all these years for nothing? Every little trick you've pulled was in plain sight right under my nose. I merely disdained to bother with you. Every single resource in this villa is accounted for in my mind. With just the two of you, did you really think you could keep anything from me?" Fang Zhongnan's expression shifted through several emotions, yet he still refused to back down. The old man beside him said in a deep voice, "Son! Things have already come to this—kill him, and be done with it!" Gritting his teeth, Fang Zhongnan made up his mind. He instantly crushed a jade slip and charged straight at Fang Yishan! The moment Fang Zhongnan crushed the jade slip, more than twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators took to the air from Changfeng Villa, rushing toward them! *** Li Guanqi frowned slightly. Pulling out a jade slip, his expression grew rather intriguing. Seeing this, Ye Feng asked, "Boss, what's happened?" A teasing smirk touched the corners of Li Guanqi's mouth, and he said softly, "The dog-eat-dog show has begun. Faster than I anticipated—I thought I'd have to fan the flames once more." In midair not far away, Cao Yan wore the gauntlets from earlier on both hands. Blue flames swirled around his entire body, and his aura surged with immense power. The heavenly tribulation's lightning crashed down, but instead of retreating, Cao Yan surged forward, leaping into the air with swinging fists! His boxing technique was undeniably exquisite, sweeping and bold without losing a shred of dexterity. In this manner, Cao Yan shattered the tribulation lightning punch after punch. The stray arcs of lightning scattered around him were absorbed into his body, helping him temper the yet-unformed golden core within. Li Guanqi glanced up and sighed softly in admiration. "Cao Yan's innate talent really is remarkable." Ye Feng shrugged, a faint glimmer of gloom flashing across his eyes. "Yeah, he's strong." Yet a moment later, he grinned without a care in the world. "Heh, no matter how strong he gets, he's still Old Third—our little bro." Li Guanqi smiled and said nothing. To him, both Cao Yan and Ye Feng were brothers; he had never regarded them as mere lackeys. *Rumble!* "Ah! Shatter for me!" In midair, Cao Yan's punch seemed to gather all of his unyielding will. Flames wrapped around the gauntlet as he smashed it fiercely toward the heavens! Even though his flesh was torn open and his robes hung in ragged shreds, a bright light flickered in his eyes—brimming with defiance and sheer tenacity. Li Guanqi watched the scene in silence. Cao Yan stood like a solitary, proud mountain. Though he had weathered untold trials and torments, his soul remained blazing hot. Ye Feng was equally shaken by Cao Yan's ferocious punch. Having lived a life free of worry for food and clothing, and despite minor friction with his father, his trials could not compare to Cao Yan's tragic fate. Without realizing it, Cao Yan's spirit was silently leaving its mark on him as well. *Bang! Crack!* The lightning exploded! His hair disheveled and drenched in blood, Cao Yan stood suspended in midair. Looking up at the slowly dispersing tribulation clouds, he roared at the sky, "Come on! Hit me again!" With a savage, twisted expression, Cao Yan seemed lost in an overwhelming surge of emotion, unable to pull himself free for a long time. Only after a considerable while, under the baptism of heaven and earth, did he gradually regain his senses. Spreading his arms wide, violent waves of primal energy surged around him, and his aura skyrocketed! In the blink of an eye, he broke through the shackles of the Foundation Establishment realm. As flames churned across his body, his aura swiftly climbed straight to early Core Formation. Before long, his realm stabilized—a testament to his exceptionally solid foundation. Cao Yan descended through the air, looking at the two with a radiant grin plastered across his face. "Heh-heh. Didn't hold things up, did I?" Observing the boundless vitality and blood essence radiating from him, Li Guanqi asked softly, "Can you handle fighting a Core Formation cultivator right now?" *Clang!* Cao Yan slammed his fists together and declared in a low voice, "My boxing technique will be plenty!" Li Guanqi nodded, then looked at the two of them with a solemn expression. "Let's go!" *Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!* Their figures transformed into three streaks of light, shooting away through the air. All three maintained grim expressions along the way. Li Guanqi instructed in a low voice, "Remember, our primary goal on this trip is to rescue our man! Pay no attention to anything else. We still don't know the exact strength of Fang Yishan, the master of Changfeng Villa, but his brother Fang Zhongnan is definitely not a simple mid Core Formation cultivator. He is very likely in the late Core Formation realm! Facing a late-stage cultivator is dangerous for the three of us, especially you, Cao Yan." Cao Yan nodded solemnly. Having just broken through, he would likely find even a mid Core Formation opponent challenging; if he encountered a late-stage cultivator, running away would be his only option. Ye Feng suddenly spoke up. "Boss... are you about to break through too?" Li Guanqi shrugged. Making no secret of his cultivation, he gave a slight nod. "Mm, we'll see how things go when the time comes. In any case, be careful, everyone. If we can beat them, we fight; if we can't, we run." The two nodded. Before long, they arrived near Changfeng Villa. However, a series of thunderous booms stopped them in their tracks. Li Guanqi immediately raised a hand, and all three swiftly dropped to the ground. From the direction of the back mountain came wave upon wave of explosions and battle cries, accompanied by intense fluctuations of primal energy. Making a snap decision, Li Guanqi produced human-skin masks, handed them to the two, and looked down toward Changfeng Villa. "Put these on. We're infiltrating the villa!" The two nodded and donned the masks Li Guanqi had prepared. After changing into the uniforms of villa guards, the three slipped quietly into Changfeng Villa.