In the sudden, deathly silence, everyone was stunned.

Not only had Yin Liangji, already dead, failed to react, but even Yin Ya and the Third Stage Sublimator secretly protecting Yin Liangji were completely taken by surprise.

While all overt and covert vigilance was locked onto Huai Shi, Ai Qing became a Sublimator, drew her gun, and pulled the trigger.

First blood.

The miracle within the Holy Grace was perfectly transformed into a brief burst of savage power, a miraculous force of life that passed through the skull, instantly tearing apart willpower, destroying any remnants of consciousness, and bringing about a perfect, flawless death.

Accompanying the gunshot and the spreading scent of blood was an ineffable sense of absurdity.

A heavyweight scene, enough to shock the mothers among the guests for an entire year, erupted unexpectedly.

Just like death itself.

From the Plasma dripping from her fingertips, Ai Qing lowered her dazzling eyes indifferently, gazing at the lifeless face of her great-grandfather.

Did he have any realization of his great-granddaughter's growth in that last moment?

Ever since that damned premonition arrived a month ago, she had been silently preparing for this moment. None of her countless plans had gone as smoothly and naturally as this; it was like flowing water.

It was as if she was born to do just that, fulfilling with exacting precision and without the slightest error the mission bestowed upon her since the day her mother passed away.

She finally had the courage that Huai Shi once envied.

In such a decisive and intense manner, she put an end to her dealings with the old ghost who had manipulated half her life.

It was all over.

Be it conspiracy or revenge, the feud between the Huai clan and the Yin Family was to end with this gunshot.

When she awoke from a calm so profound it had frightened even herself, she exhaled the last bit of unease from the depths of her being and finally experienced the relief and serenity Huai Shi had once spoken of.

"How blissful."

She murmured softly, her blood-stained cheeks forming a smile, genuinely from the heart, making her previously pale and sickly face come to life with vibrancy.

She felt her heartbeat and pulse, as well as the breathing that she reveled in.

She was still alive.

And finally, she could live for herself.

Then, she heard a roar that shattered the silence.

"Audacious!!!"

With a rage and shock that anyone who wasn't deaf could feel, a figure rushed forward abruptly, violently grabbed her hand, and pressed her to the ground.

Huai Shi's eyes widened with 'righteous indignation,' and he rebuked, "Utterly insane!"

"Before me, an Astronomical Association Action Officer, you actually dare to murder such a venerable old man!?"

Handcuffs, freshly made, clicked onto her wrists pinned behind her back. Before anyone else could react, Huai Shi had already subdued Ai Qing, declaring with a thunderous voice,

"Suspect, Xinhai Inspector Ai Qing from the Astronomical Society, you are under arrest!"

As he spoke, he lifted his head, flashed his Astronomical Society credentials, drew his sword, and glared furiously at the crowd. "Heaven's net is vast and lets nothing slip through! Are there any accomplices among you? Anyone who dares to resist the law, step forward now!"

After such a brutal murder, an Astronomical Association Action Officer who was passing by stepped forward and swiftly arrested the suspect Ai Qing, showcasing the Astronomical Society's terrifying efficiency and its majesty that should not be taken lightly!

It was truly awe-inspiring.

If it weren't for the fact that the faces of those from the Yin Family who had realized what was happening looked as if they had eaten shit.

"..."

In the midst of this unceasing assault, someone instinctively raised a hand and said, "Wait a minute, I think…"

CRASH!

An invisible Heavy Ax materialized from Huai Shi's hand and lodged itself deeply into the wall beside the man's head.

Huai Shi looked at him with cold eyes. "What, you want to turn yourself in?"

And so, that person immediately shut up.

In the dead silence, Cui Jing looked around in a daze, still not comprehending the situation. She opened her mouth to speak, but Cui Ping abruptly grasped her shoulder.

"Second Brother?"

"Don't talk. Don't get involved with the Astronomical Society's affairs."

In just a few seconds, this Cui Family thoroughbred had already seen through the whole situation and made a decision. Huai Shi had already displayed the Astronomical Society's authority to arrest its own criminal members. This meant the incident had effectively become an internal affair of the Astronomical Society; its only peculiarity was that the victim happened to be a member of the Yin Family.

To speak up and interject would require weighing whether one had the influence to please both sides. At this time, apart from the Yin Family, only the senior executives of the Astronomical Society could intervene.

But were there any from the Astronomical Society present?

There were.

There was the crime-busting star, Xinhai Inspector Ai Qing, who never turned a blind eye to injustice, and Huai Shi—the Xinhai Action Officer, Prince of Paradise, Disastrous Musician, Official Chef Demon, Legendary Investigator, and Gold Medal Cowherd...

No one could expose the facade behind which Huai Shi had cloaked himself.

After seizing control of Ai Qing's handling with the fastest reaction in the room, Huai Shi coldly surveyed his surroundings, violently yanked Ai Qing up with one hand, stepped back once, then again, stepping over the increasingly cold corpse on the floor.

All the Yin Family members present underwent a change in expression. At the round table, Yin Xing's eyes widened, her mouth opening as if she wanted to speak. Beside her, Yin Yan emotionlessly picked up a plate and suddenly smashed it into his cousin's face, stuffing her nonsensical words back down her throat.

This was not the place for her to bring shame upon herself.

Yin Ya remained silent, just gazing at Ai Qing, held in Huai Shi's grasp. Ai Qing looked back at him, calm.

Being watched by a Fourth Stage Sublimator at such close proximity, Huai Shi felt as though thorns were pricking his back, as if dropped into a pit of ice. With just a flick of his finger, Yin Ya could kill Huai Shi on the spot.

But he did not move, nor did he speak.

He only looked at his most beloved sister, veins bulging on the back of his hand, as the tangible, murderous aura pressing against her throat solidified, yet he found himself unable to strike.

Huai Shi raised his hand, shielding Ai Qing.

A sharp gaze swept over him. Flesh tore and knitted back together wherever it passed, with only blood gushing forth. In his eyes ignited a ghostly green flame. Faced with an invincible foe, the Mountain Ghost had made his choice.

In that instant, within the darkness, furious shadows suddenly surged like a tidal wave, rising with a roar. Countless shadows collided, grinding against each other, sparking with light.

A Third Stage Peak Sublimator!

The Shadow Guards from the Homeless Cemetery·[Supreme Goodness Gate] acted out of fury.

Darkness rumbled and swept through. Solidifying shadows intercrossed, forming a cage that instantly swallowed Huai Shi and Ai Qing. Countless materialized shadows constricted inward, twisting and strangling.

SNAP!

A soft sound.

It was like an illusion. At that moment, the entire banquet hall trembled faintly as a small crack emerged from the wall.

A line of extremely fine and dark electrical light flashed and vanished, entering the surging tide of shadows.

In the next moment, from the collapsing wall's roar, a scream so piercing it hurt everyone's eardrums burst forth from the tide of shadows. Layers upon layers of darkness abruptly crumbled, as if hammered by an invisible Iron Hammer.

On the hall wall, shattered bricks and stones suddenly collapsed like gravel, leaving behind a perfect circular hole several meters in diameter, framing the rupture in the disrupted tide of shadows.

The lingering Afterimage of the electrical light slowly faded away.

Whether it was the heavy shadows, the materialized Power, or even the Souls and Stigmata of the enraged Third Stage Sublimators, they were all penetrated by an Alchemy Bullet from a distant range, which then exploded thunderously.

Thick Plasma splattered and spread. The headless, mutilated body fell to the ground, landing beside Yin Liangji's corpse.

An escort to Huangquan.

「On a mountaintop tens of kilometers away, hidden in the jungle, behind a colossal sniper rifle over two meters long, a bald Cowherd who didn't wish to reveal his name worked the bolt, ejecting a cartridge, then loaded a Crystal Stone-shaped Alchemy Bullet into the chamber.」

The finger resting on the trigger had already split open, oozing blood.

Pain spread from his shoulder, even through several layers of shock-absorption equipment.

His body could no longer withstand the Recoil of this terrifying weapon.

"'Marry on boldly, sister, do... Without a backward glance, without a glance~'"

Liu DongLi watched the X-ray image in the scope, tilted his head to light the cigarette at the corner of his mouth, humming an out-of-tune song, his hand tapping out the updated data parameters on an open laptop beside him.

Distance recalibrated, wind speed measured, wind blowing from the south, atmospheric pressure unchanged, temperature normal... Apply to the formula, complex calculations, finally subtract the deviation caused by Earth's rotation.

In the sniper scope, the crosshairs began a subtle adjustment and Transformation.

Ready once again.

He chuckled softly.

"—Don't worry, big brother's got you covered."

"See that! Don't act rashly! This place is now surrounded by the Astronomical Society!"

Although he didn't know what had happened, Huai Shi still planned to drop a tough line here. Taking advantage of the chaos, he and Ai Qing retreated to the outermost part of the hall and kicked open the front door.

Sunlight burst in like a waterfall, stinging everyone's eyes.

Immediately afterward, he swung his sword, and the White Horse of Paradise came trotting gallantly in response to his call.

Casually, he threw Ai Qing onto the horse's back. Huai Shi took one last look at Yin Ya, mounted the horse, and pulled the reins, prepared to leave.

"A quarter of an hour."

He heard Yin Ya's voice behind him.

"Little Qing, this is our final sibling bond."

In the deepest part of the banquet hall, Yin Ya, finally speaking, sat in the chair facing away from them. "A quarter of an hour... then the Yin Family and you will be at war until one of us is dead."

Ai Qing smiled, not saying a word.

Huai Shi paused, then pulled the reins. The White Horse neighed as it galloped down the mountain.

The sound of horse hooves gradually faded away.

In the deathly silence, no one else spoke.

"I am truly sorry that our guests have come so far only to encounter such misfortune," Yin Ya said softly. "Today, the Yin Family cannot entertain. Please, feel free to leave. I will personally apologize another day."

Guests, finally freed from suffocation, surged and rapidly made their way toward the door.

"After we've collected Grandfather's remains, you should also go back and rest," he instructed, his eyes lifting to his uncles and cousins. "Fourth Grand-uncle, you are composed and prudent; Grandfather's funeral arrangements will be in your care. The rest of you... watch your words and actions. Don't bring shame upon us."

Yin Yan nodded and walked away first, followed hurriedly by a group of younger relatives. From far away, cries finally reached them, though it was unclear whether out of Sorrow or fear.

In the end, Yin Ya sat quietly alone in the empty banquet hall, gazing at the bloodstains on the floor.

For a long while, a very long while.

He lowered his head to pick up his cell phone, dialing a number that was already input.

After three rings, the call connected.

"A bounty for Ai Qing."

Yin Ya paused for a moment, his mouth opening as if to speak, but in the end, his lips pressed together tightly, unwilling to utter a word.

The phone stayed connected, the person on the other end waiting quietly, unhurried.

Until a hoarse voice came through,

"The amount is 400 million US Dollars."

Yin Ya closed his eyes.

"—Dead or alive."

The phone call was disconnected.

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