Chapter 8: Raise your hand to suppress, be ruthless when necessary

Boom!!

Arius's voice echoed through the heavens and earth like a thunderclap, causing the Ashfell family's armored guards to stagger back in fear.

Even the Ashfell family's Third Elder, who had exuded such confidence moments before, suddenly had a drastic change in expression.

"Bone Tempering Realm! You're at the Bone Tempering Realm..."

He couldn't help but exclaim, his eyes flashing with both apprehension and fear.

On the path of cultivation, the gap between major realms was as vast as the heavens and the earth, almost insurmountable.

Though the Third Elder's cultivation had reached the pinnacle of the Blood Tempering Realm, he was utterly powerless in the face of someone at the Bone Tempering Realm. If Arius so desired, he could crush him with a single palm.

However, the Third Elder quickly regained his composure.

The Ashfell family also had cultivators at the Bone Tempering Realm—and more than one. Their patriarch was even at the late stage of the Organ Tempering Realm.

"Senior, so what if you've reached the Bone Tempering Realm?"

"You've already left the Albigensians Sect. By yourself, you're still nothing in the face of the Ashfell family…"

"Our Ashfell family is determined to claim Nezier Town. You're a wise man—you must know the consequences of opposing us."

"However, in light of your status, the Ashfell family is willing to leave you thirty percent of Nezier Town's assets…"

Sitting atop the ferocious giant tiger beast, the Third Elder of the Ashfell family spoke again, regaining his confidence and composure. Behind him stood the overwhelming power of the Ashfell family in Purple River City.

Hearing the Third Elder's words, the De Molinos family elders fell silent, and Simon sighed softly.

He looked at Arius's back, his emotions a tangled mix of hope and despair.

Upon reflection, retaining even thirty percent of Nezier Town's assets would be a decent outcome for the De Molinos family.

In the face of the Ashfell family, the De Molinos family's foundation was simply too weak.

Even with Arius present, a direct confrontation with the Ashfell family seemed doomed to failure.

But just as Simon and the De Molinos family elders assumed Arius would choose to compromise, Arius's figure suddenly blurred, leaving afterimages in his wake. A terrifying gust of wind swept through the area as he appeared directly in front of the Ashfell family's Third Elder.

"Senior... If you dare lay a hand on me, the Ashfell family will not spare you! Nor will they spare the De Molinos family."

"When that happens, the De Molinos family and all of Nezier Town will be wiped out… You—ahhh!!"

The Third Elder's terrified scream was cut short.

When everyone regained their senses, they saw him hanging limply in Arius's grasp like a broken doll.

As for the ferocious tiger beast beneath him, it was utterly suppressed by Arius's aura, collapsing to the ground in trembling submission.

"Noisy."

Arius glanced at the Third Elder in his hand, his tone calm. He exerted a slight squeeze—and the power of a million pounds erupted.

In an instant, a mist of blood exploded in the air. The Ashfell family's Third Elder died on the spot, his body obliterated without a trace.

"Who gave you the courage to threaten me?"

Arius's voice was composed, as if he had just crushed an insect rather than a high-ranking member of the Ashfell family.

The sight of the Third Elder being turned into blood mist left everyone stunned.

Whether it was the De Molinos family members or the Ashfell family's armored guards, all stood frozen in place.

None of them had expected Arius to act so boldly, so decisively.

Before anyone could react, Arius struck again.

The power of someone at the early Bone Tempering Realm erupted from him like a storm.

His blood energy surged, giving him the appearance of a walking god or demon. Moving at a speed beyond comprehension, he unleashed devastation with a wave of his hand, slaughtering Ashfell family guards with ruthless efficiency.

Under the glow of the pale moonlight, clouds of crimson blood mist bloomed outside Nezier Town—a scene both eerie and horrifying.

Arius showed no mercy. Every single Ashfell family guard present was killed on the spot.

In just two breaths of time, the two hundred Ashfell family guards had been wiped from existence.

"Patriarch... what are you doing?"

After a long silence, Simon finally regained his senses. A trace of worry appeared on his face as he looked at Arius, hesitating to speak further.

Arius's decisive killing of the Ashfell family's Third Elder and the slaughter of two hundred of their armored guards had completely severed the De Molinos family's path to retreat.

As he looked at Simon and the anxious De Molinos family members, Arius casually collected the belongings of the Third Elder while speaking calmly:

"Say no more. I already know what you're thinking."

"The Ashfell family of Purple River City is indeed strong, but the De Molinos family has never been an easy target!"

"If the Ashfell family seeks to drive us to the brink, our only choice is to fight our way to survival."

"You don't need to worry about their retaliation. With me here, the De Molinos family's sky will not fall!"

Standing amidst the blood mist, Arius's voice carried the weight of age, yet it was imbued with an unyielding dominance and confidence.

In his hundred years of cultivation at the Albigensians Sect, Arius had experienced countless struggles and conflicts. There was a time in a secret realm when he schemed and even killed a senior brother whose cultivation far surpassed his own.

While he respected the Ashfell family's power, Arius knew that once others climbed onto your head, you had to strike back mercilessly.

However, Arius wasn't acting out of blind arrogance, nor was he inflated by his recent breakthrough to the Bone Tempering Realm.

Rather, his decision was calculated—he had set his sights on the resources the Ashfell family's Third Elder carried.

As one of the elders of the Ashfell family, though the Third Elder was only at the pinnacle of the Blood Tempering Realm, his possessions were still quite valuable.

When Arius was observing earlier, he had noticed a formation flag hanging from the Third Elder's waist.

This formation flag was a Level 1 treasure—a magical tool designed for the First Level cultivators. Even the lowest-grade First Level treasures could fetch the price of one low-grade spirit stone.

Of course, the formation flag carried by the Third Elder was a damaged item and far from pristine.

Even so, its value was immense.

And Arius had a critical advantage: the Heaven-Seeking Treasure Mirror.

With the mirror, he could repair the damaged formation flag. Then, before the Ashfell family launched a full-scale attack, he could further advance his cultivation. By wielding the restored formation flag, even if he faced the Organ Tempering Ashfell family patriarch, Arius would remain unshaken.

It was important to note that the power of the First Level treasure was terrifyingly destructive.

But the restored formation flag wasn't the only card in Arius's hand.

He planned to visit the cultivator market to acquire some additional resources, such as bottles of spirit poison and low-grade talismans for offensive purposes.

He also intended to try his luck at finding overlooked treasures at the market.

Facing the Ashfell family's aggression, Arius had never even considered compromise.

If the Ashfell family wanted to annex Nezier Town and expand its territory, why couldn't Arius aim to replace the Ashfell family and establish the De Molinos family as the new dominant force within a thousand miles of Purple River City?

The Ashfell family was strong, but they were not invincible.

In the cultivation world, one needed to know when to lay low and when to take bold risks.

To shy away from every challenge and live meekly—how could one ever achieve the grand Path?

Moreover, even if Arius were to retreat, there was no guarantee the Ashfell family would truly spare the De Molinos family.

History spoke volumes: every time the Ashfell family expanded its territory, those who chose to submit and compromise were either left to decay or outright wiped out.

Arius understood this well. To yield was not to survive—it was merely to delay the inevitable.