Chapter Seventy-Five: Arrogant and Unrestrained

"Don't kill me! I'm willing to leave the Yu family, I'm willing to destroy my own cultivation. Please, spare me!"

Yu Wenhuan's legs gave out completely; he never imagined that fear of a single person could root him so firmly to the spot. He collapsed to his knees, kowtowing repeatedly before Su Ye.

"Spare me! I'm willing to exchange a tremendous secret with you. Truly! It's something you would absolutely want to hear! It's about the thunder veins in your body—don't you want to know the truth?"

Su Ye was striding toward him, thunder sword poised to strike. Suddenly, his blade paused in midair. The secret of the thunder veins was something he desperately wished to know. It was the grudge that had haunted him all his life.

"What secret? Speak!" Su Ye pointed his sword straight at Yu Wenhuan.

"Don't kill me, and I'll tell you! I'll tell you exactly where your remaining thunder veins are! I know, I know all of it!" Yu Wenhuan seemed to have grasped his last hope of survival, and spoke in a rush.

Many of the Yu family members gasped in shock at his words.

Two of the family's elders, hearing this, immediately exploded with rage. "You cowardly wretch! Have you forgotten your place? The moment the family head died, you became a traitor. If you dare speak, even if Su Ye spares you, I will end you myself!"

Hearing this, hatred flared in Yu Wenhuan's eyes. He wheeled around and pointed at the elder, shouting furiously, "You old dog, shut your mouth! Even now you try to oppress me with your status. You've never treated me as one of your own, always looking down on me, wishing I were dead.

I know, I know everything! Back then, nine thunder veins were unearthed—nine! You saw my sister was a prodigy, and because she brought Su Ye to the Yu family and earned merit, you gave her one. I have nothing to say about that. But what about my father?

How old is he now? Even he took one, preferring to forge it into a sword rather than give it to me! If I had a thunder vein, I would have become a genius long ago! Would I need to beg for my life now? And the rest, why use them for vague, illusory pursuits? Why not give me just one? I'm his own son!"

Yu Wenhuan's furious, despairing cries sent chills down the spines of all the martial artists present.

Though everyone knew the Yu family had stolen Su Ye's nine thunder veins, hearing Yu Wenhuan confess this openly had a different impact. A sense of dread welled up in every heart.

The Yu family, once so powerful, was falling as the monkeys scattered from the toppled tree; disaster revealed the disunity beneath. No one had expected such deep divisions within a family of their stature. Clearly, their downfall was not due to this battle alone.

"Reprobate!" the Yu family elder roared. "Do you think that telling him will spare your life? Dream on! Do you not know what kind of man Su Ye is? He was Chen Shiyao in the past—a man so bold he would kill anyone!"

For reasons unknown, when the name "Chen Shiyao" was uttered, the faces of several older elders changed dramatically.

But Yu Wenhuan was unmoved. "Su Ye, don't kill me and I'll tell you everything!"

"Fine! I won't kill you—and for ten days, neither will the Jiang family harm you! Speak!" Su Ye thrust his sword, voice cold and commanding.

Yu Wenhuan was overjoyed, no longer caring about the occasion, and shouted, "It was my grandmother! She discovered your thunder veins and took the rest to seek the legendary Thunder City. She left—she went somewhere very far away. But she will return, I'm sure of it! And I know about Thunder City—"

"Vile creature!" the Yu family elder cried, lunging forward.

Su Ye frowned, but did not step in; instead, he leapt back.

Yu Wenhuan, terrified, turned just in time to see the elder's palm crash down on his skull. All around, martial artists heard a chilling crack—the sound of bone shattering.

Yu Wenhuan's expression froze in terror. His eyes stared wide at the elder, blood filling his throat before he could cry out, and then streams of blood poured from his head, blinding him.

"You abomination! I am cleansing our house! There is no coward in the Yu family! If you dare, kill us all and see if the Martial Police will stand idly by!" The old man's furious voice rang far and wide.

Su Ye shouted, "Then let us see if you truly fear death!"

With a flash, Su Ye raised his thunder sword and charged at the Yu family elder.

Behind him, Ouyang Yunfeng waved his hand, giving orders to the Martial League's fighters. He barked, "Those who kneel and surrender will be treated leniently!

"Those who dare resist—kill!"

His words were a final ultimatum. The Martial League's warriors drew their blades as one.

Before they could strike, Su Ye had already slain the Yu family elder with a single sword stroke.

The elder's death was the final straw; the last thread holding the crowd together snapped.

"I surrender! I surrender!" The first Yu family martial artist dropped to his knees.

"Don't kill me, I surrender!" Many who had planned to flee saw that escape was impossible—the Jiang family estate was surrounded by Martial League warriors.

In no time, martial artists from the Yu, Zhou, and Ou families were all kneeling in surrender. Even the so-called neutral Ning and Jiu families swiftly followed suit.

Though they had not joined either side before, now was a time when blades knew no friend. If the Martial League saw them still standing, they might slaughter them all. Had not Ouyang Yunfeng once wiped out an entire clan in a single night?

"I surrender! Please, don't kill us—we were forced into this!" Martial artists pleaded for their lives in desperation.

For the moment, Su Ye found himself with no targets left. But he knew there were some who could not be spared—like the head of the Zhou family. Though one of his arms had been severed, that was far from enough.

"Zhou family head—"

Su Ye searched the crowd and soon spotted the portly figure. Since all three great families had joined in this assault, and the other two leaders were dead, this man must die as well.

The Zhou family head seemed to know his fate was sealed. He looked at Su Ye, then at Ouyang Yunfeng, and suddenly burst into wild laughter. "Su Ye, today you stand in glory. But soon you'll join me in hell! By aligning yourself with Ouyang Yunfeng, you've made enemies of all the other powers! You're doomed! What do you have to be so proud of? You're nothing but a dog of the Martial League!"

Su Ye listened quietly, recognizing this as an attempt to drive a wedge between him and Ouyang Yunfeng—a final act of malice.

"Are you finished? If so, you may die now."

"You—you—hmph! I urge you to show mercy. Otherwise, one day—"

"My future is none of your concern," Su Ye interrupted.

With a flash, his sword struck, killing the Zhou family head.

Only now did Su Ye finally let out a silent sigh of relief.

But what was he to do with all the martial artists kneeling before him? As the saying went, a centipede dies but never falls. If these men were left alive, who could guarantee they would not seek revenge in secret?

A few deaths could pass unnoticed, but too many would attract the attention of the Martial Police—and that would be a headache for the Martial League itself.

It seemed the choice was no longer his to make. Only now did Su Ye understand the old saying: in the world of martial artists, one's fate is rarely one's own.

Now, he could only move forward, pushed along by the current—any pause would come at a terrible cost.

"Leave this to me," Ouyang Yunfeng stepped forward and said in a low voice, "The Martial League will eradicate the three families' forces tonight and take over all their assets. Peripheral martial artists will be dismissed; those who have served the families long will have their cultivation abolished and live as ordinary men for the rest of their days."

Su Ye considered, then nodded. For now, this was the best possible solution—and only the Martial League possessed the strength to enforce it.

"Good. I don't want the Jiang family to suffer any further threats."

Ouyang Yunfeng smiled. "From this day forward, who could possibly threaten the Jiangs? Leave everything here to me."

Su Ye was about to agree when his gaze shifted to a corner of the manor. There, a group stood rigid with fear—it was Yan Tian and his people, clearly stunned by the carnage. They were as silent as cicadas in winter.

With a grim expression, Su Ye declared, "There is one matter I must handle myself."

With that, he strode purposefully toward the Yan family contingent...