Lost in thought, Ye Chen packed everything into his storage ring. As he stepped out of the room, distant cries and wails suddenly echoed in the air.

  "Second-tier demon beasts, second-tier demon beasts!"

  "Run!"

  "Quickly, go and summon the patriarch of the Mo family! Only he can hold them off!"

  "Why hasn't the Mo family responded yet?"

  Amid the shouts of the cultivators, a constant rumble of vibrations could be heard, signaling the arrival of a massive creature into the market.

  At that moment, Ye Chen finally understood why Sun Ruoxin and her father had been in such a hurry to leave. Soon, the voices of the cultivators outside grew even more desperate. Both the patriarch of the Mo family and the Mo family's enforcement squad had yet to appear.

  When some cultivators bravely ventured into the Mo family estate, they found it eerily empty. The once-mighty Mo family had vanished without a trace. The Mo family had abandoned Silver Moon Market and fled.

  As the news spread, chaos engulfed the entire Silver Moon Market. Some cultivators immediately fled with their families, while others, seizing the opportunity, began looting. After all, the second-tier demon beasts wouldn't reach the market for some time. Within moments, Silver Moon Market was consumed by flames.

  Ye Chen returned to the courtyard. Lu Jing was trembling uncontrollably, and upon seeing Ye Chen, she seemed to have found a pillar of support. She rushed toward him without hesitation. Meanwhile, Lin Ke'er stood nearby, gripping a magic tool tightly, her expression wary and on edge.

  Ye Chen was about to speak when a noise suddenly came from the front yard. A corpulent figure crashed through the back door of the shop, tumbling into the courtyard, blood staining his face as he groaned in agony. The sight startled both women.

  Lu Jing, trembling, instinctively ducked behind Ye Chen.

  Ye Chen, however, only raised an eyebrow as he looked at the fallen figure. It was none other than the usually smiling Manager Zhang. But at this moment, he lay on the ground like a dead dog.

  Manager Zhang, struggling, looked up at Ye Chen, attempting to rise and speak. Before he could do so, a wind blade flashed, and his head rolled away from his body.

  Ye Chen sighed as he looked at the lifeless Manager Zhang. This man had always tried to set him up. Yet, he never expected to see him die like this without Ye Chen even lifting a finger.

  A moment later, Ye Chen looked ahead. From the back door of the shop, a man and a woman emerged. The man was tall and imposing, with a scarred face and a murderous aura that radiated from him. It was clear he was a bandit cultivator.

  The man glanced disdainfully at Ye Chen and the others, then swaggered over to Manager Zhang's corpse. He began rifling through the dead man's waist, taking four or five storage rings.

  "The goods and spirit stones from One Leaf Pill Shop are all here. Looks like this haul is a big win! We should go. It'll be a hassle once the demon beasts arrive."

  The man collected the storage rings and turned to leave. Their nonchalant attitude made Lu Jing and Lin Ke'er breathe a sigh of relief. However, just then, the woman stopped the man.

  "Brother Qin, that pretty boy is Ye Chen... Silver Moon Market's number one simp. He's the one who gifts magic tools to female cultivators, and he even gave away top-tier rings. He's from the Ye family and highly favored. His status is not to be underestimated!"

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  When the female cultivator spoke, the male cultivator's eyes lit up as he sized Ye Chen up, as if he were looking at an oddity.

  "So this is the simp everyone's talking about. I've heard of him even in the mountains. I've always wanted to kill such scum! Since it's such a coincidence, let's just kill him while we're at it."

  Upon hearing this, the female cultivator looked at Ye Chen with a smug expression, her eyes filled with venom.

  You dared to ignore me back then? Now, I'll make sure you die!

  Her actions made Ye Chen take a second glance at her. At first, he hadn't recalled who she was. It took him a while to realize—this was the female cultivator who had taken Lin Ke'er's position.

  The one who tried to seduce him but didn't even have the qualifications for a response. She was ignored by him then. And now, it seemed she was an insider, seeking revenge.

  Women's desire for vengeance was truly something to behold! But why bother? Manager Zhang was dead, but Ye Chen couldn't care less. The goods from One Leaf Pill Shop had been taken, but he had no interest in them.

  Wouldn't it be better if they all went their separate ways, leaving each other in peace? Why go out of their way to seek death?

  The male cultivator cracked his neck, a cruel smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

  "I despise simps the most. They harm both themselves and others. Kid, if you don't resist, I'll give you a quick death. Otherwise, I'll break all your limbs and leave you in the streets, where the demon beasts will devour you alive. I bet you won't be able to stand it. These two female cultivators, are they the ones you like? They'll be mine now! Too bad we don't have the time, or else I'd make sure you watch me play with them..."

  The male cultivator was brimming with confidence. He was at the eighth level of Qi Refining. Killing Ye Chen would be like slaughtering a dog. But before he could finish his taunts, there was a loud explosion.

  A flash of golden light surrounded the male cultivator, and before he could react, he was sent flying, crashing heavily into the ground. His face was filled with fear as he scrambled to rise, shock written across his features as he stared at Ye Chen.

  If not for the middle-grade protective magic tool that had activated automatically, he realized, he might have been dead after that blow. Though the male cultivator couldn't comprehend how Ye Chen had managed to unleash such a formidable attack, he began to feel the stirrings of retreat.

  The spoils of this venture had already been immense. There was no need to cause complications over a mere simp. However, when he saw the male cultivator trying to leave, Ye Chen raised his hand again, pointing with a finger.

  The male cultivator's expression shifted, his golden light flashing as he barely managed to block the strike. Yet his eyes burned with murderous intent.

  "You're asking for trouble! You're only at the sixth level of Qi Refining. Let's see how long you can last!"

  Ye Chen smiled faintly, his demeanor unshaken as he calmly pointed out, one after another. Invisible, yet powerful, the Sword Fingers shot forth in rapid succession.

  The male cultivator hastily blocked and dodged while launching wind blades in retaliation, but each attack was effortlessly blocked by the shield in front of Ye Chen.

  Finally, when Ye Chen's next finger strike landed, the male cultivator's defensive magic tool reached its limit and shattered with a sharp crack. But there was no sign of regret in his eyes. As he dodged, he had already closed the gap, now only five meters from Ye Chen.

  In that moment, his speed exploded as he threw a powerful punch toward Ye Chen's head. His physical strength was exceptionally robust. He believed that, with his cultivation at the eighth level of Qi Refining, no one could rival him, least of all a mere sixth-level Qi Refiner.

  Seizing the opportunity to close in, he was certain Ye Chen was doomed. But he was fast, Ye Chen was faster. A terrifying surge of blood and qi erupted from Ye Chen's body, as though a dragon or elephant were roaring within him.

  In the next instant, Ye Chen threw a punch. The male cultivator's expression changed, but Ye Chen's speed was too swift. Before he could even react, Ye Chen's fist collided with his skull. The next moment, the male cultivator's head exploded, blood and bone scattering in all directions.

  Ye Chen raised his hand disdainfully, activating a protective shield to block the mess, not wanting any of it to splatter on him. By the time Ye Chen finished this, the male cultivator's decapitated body crashed heavily to the ground.

  The courtyard fell into eerie silence. The female cultivator, who had once been fueling the fire with vengeful glares, stood frozen in shock.

  Lu Jing, on the other hand, looked at Ye Chen with nothing but reverence in her eyes.

  As for Lin Ke'er, her gaze was vacant, as if struck dumb. The night she had witnessed Ye Chen slay Jin Zhaodi had already been unbelievable. But that scene paled in comparison to the one before her now.

  Ye Chen had effortlessly killed a cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining. How was that even possible?