In the presidential suite of Heaven Gate Hotel.

A seductive man squints, his broad bathrobe revealing an incredibly firm chest, scattered with startling scars from knives and bullets.

The way this man grips with his protruding knuckles suggests that such hands must have undergone special intense training.

Opposite him stands an extremely alluring woman, but when the man looks at her, his gaze holds no impurity, only wariness and discomfort.

"Tianlong has requested something, and I've brought it. I hope you make good use of it," the woman says coolly, giving off an unapproachable air.

The man frowns: "Although I'm not clear about Tianlong's plan, you'd best not show up in front of me after the matter is dealt with."

"Are you threatening me?" The woman stares back, fearless.

The man closes his eyes and shakes his head: "I wouldn't dare threaten you."

After hearing this, the woman's lips curl into a smile, nodding in approval: "You're smart, but still not enough to rival that person."

"Why not use this drug directly on that person?" the man asks, frowning.

"Even I would be momentarily stupefied by this drug, even temporarily controlled. I believe there's no need to beat around the bush, just use this drug directly on that person, and then take the opportunity to kill him, to end all future troubles."

The woman's gaze towards the man carries a trace of scorn, irritating him, but he seems to endure it, possibly out of fear of something.

"This is why you are just a lackey, while that person can hold sway by himself."

"What kind of man is King Yan? Someone who, when pushed, can go mad enough to be feared by all factions. He has the assassination team Star Plate behind him, as well as deep ties with people like the King of Mercenaries, Judge, Shen Dun, and Shura. To truly move against him alone would trigger a full-fledged response."

"The King of Mercenaries controls dozens of nuclear warheads. Do you think such a person is someone you can provoke?" the woman snorts coldly.

"So you've decided I shouldn't directly confront King Yan?" There's anger in the man's expression.

The woman shakes her head: "We must fight King Yan at least once. We need your eye to assess King Yan's techniques to see if he is the Eight Stele Hand, and whether he is Lin Hai, or if he has any connection to that person from years ago."

"That person from years ago? Are you referring to Lin Renwang from over twenty years ago?"

"Heh, it seems you're not stupid, you've guessed a bit," the woman chuckles lightly.

"Tang Bingyan, I'm warning you, call me a fool again and don't push me to take action!"

The man is very angry. Fluent in seven languages and holding a master's degree in physics, chemistry, and computer science, nobody in Yanhuang Soul dares to directly question his intelligence, yet now a frail woman dares to call him a fool.

"Remember, clearly observe King Yan's techniques tonight. Also, we need Ouyang Xiaoya alive, failure is not an option," Tang Bingyan says, her eyes slightly narrowed.

The man clenches his fists tightly: "I've already reached the rank of a Peak Supreme Strong. It's quite easy to defeat a Supreme Strong who's merely between second-class and first-class."

"If I capture King Yan alive later, I trust you'll drop your despicable arrogance. Don't forget, you're just a drug dealer. It's only out of respect for Lord Tianlong that I'm tolerating you," a killing intent flashes in the man's eyes.

Tang Bingyan shows no anger, looking at him with a hint of pity, and can't help but think that the other man is smarter, arousing her interest more.

"I should leave now. After fighting with King Yan, immediately enter the Youming Ya Group. Remember, I find Lin Hai to be no simple man; you'd better be cautious."

She turns and leaves, too indifferent to glance back at the man.

The man sits on the sofa, his knuckles cracking with tension, his mood uncertain.

Outside the window, Lin Hai watches all of this unfold. As the King of Assassins, remaining undetected by the enemy is quite easy for him, even against a Peak Supreme Strong.

Moreover, Lin Hai recognizes that this fellow is a Peak Supreme Strong who has been forcefully grown by drugs.

Just after leaving Heaven Gate Hotel, Lin Hai receives a call from Queen Qi.

"Lin Hai, want to watch a movie tonight?"

"Not free."

"Oh, all right then, let's see tomorrow, muah."

On the other end of the phone, Queen Qi felt both angry and sweet: angry because Lin Hai rejected her, and sweet because the dead beast seemed to display a kind of manly vigor today, which she found so lovely. Indeed, a woman in love could drastically lose her intelligence.

Last night, Lin Hai had already comprehended the kung fu within the new phalanges, which was a set of leg techniques called Divine Shadow Eight Steps. It not only could enhance speed but was also a set of techniques that could be used both offensively and defensively.

...

In the dead of night, at a designated abandoned factory.

Lin Hai arrived and saw a man also wearing a strange mask.

However, judging by his figure, he immediately knew that this Qiu Yu, a subordinate of the Yanhuang Soul's Lord Tianlong, was the same man from the Heaven Gate Hotel that morning.

"King Yan?" Qiu Yu dropped down from a seven or eight-meter-high beam, silently and effortlessly, demonstrating his superb Qinggong skills.

"Qiu Yu?"

The two shared an unspoken understanding. For experts of such a caliber, there was no need for superfluous words.

A murderous glint burst from Qiu Yu's eyes, suddenly launching an attack from thirty meters away.

His large hand swept through the air, bringing with it layers of Gang Qi, erupting with a cold and terrifying killing aura, slashing towards Lin Hai.

Crack—

In that instant, Lin Hai raised his hand to strike back, and the impact was ear-splitting.

"Such strong Gang Qi, is this what a Peak Supreme Strong is like? Even if it's artificially enhanced by drugs, it's more terrifying than an ordinary first-class Supreme Strong."

Lin Hai frowned; the cement beneath his feet had cracked from the previous attack. If it weren't for his recent mastery of the Divine Shadow Eight Steps and his clever footwork to diffuse the blow, the hit could have potentially resulted in internal injuries.

Qiu Yu was even more astonished. A first-class Supreme Strong's attack, although not as strong as his own, didn't leave him with a single injury.

"King Yan is truly extraordinary," he thought to himself.

Qiu Yu's fingers burst with unparalleled Gang Qi, like myriad dragons wildly surging into his fingers, as he launched another assault.

"Great Mighty Dragon Style!"

Lin Hai's eyes remained unchanged, recognizing the technique. Indeed, it was the Heavenly Dragon Cutting Veins.

Gang Qi filled his palm, flowing into his fingers. Invisible bunches of Gang Qi filled his hands, and as he lifted them, the Heavenly Creation Finger met the attack head-on.

Bang bang bang—

Fingers against fingers, Heavenly Creation vs. Heavenly Dragon Cutting Veins.

Qiu Yu's fingers made a dislocating sound, his eyes widening in shock as he quickly changed his technique.

"World Venerable Ksitigarbha Style!"

"Buddhist Martial's men must die!" Lin Hai roared, his Gang Qi completely erupting in that moment, even releasing electric energy.

With Gang Qi surging in all directions and killing intent shaking the heavens,

Qiu Yu's thick fingers were now fragile twists under the overwhelming pressure; his sleeves shredded downwards, suddenly bursting open with a pop.

Pfft—

Qiu Yu felt an immense weight on his arm and a suffocating feeling in his chest, spewing out a mouthful of fresh blood.

"How is this possible!"

Before he had time to think, Lin Hai had already swung his palm, seizing the opportunity for a fierce slap across Qiu Yu's face.