Chapter 86: Slaying Three Venerables! Heaven-Rank Dou Technique!

"Han Gu had his arm broken by that brat?"

Lin Ran's words stunned the three Dou Venerate experts, each one wearing a puzzled expression.

When Han Gu relayed the message to them, he hadn't shown any signs of physical injury. So how did this kid claim to have broken his arm?

But now wasn't the time to worry about such details.

The moment a jade slip appeared in Lin Ran's hand, the three Dou Venerates immediately tensed. As an overwhelming and suffocating power burst from Lin Ran's palm, the faces of the three old men changed drastically.

Clearly, none of them had expected that Lin Ran still had such a trump card hidden.

"This Dou Qi's strength... at least Nine-Star Dou Venerate, possibly even peak Dou Venerate."

The black-robed elder's face turned ashen. The destructive power radiating from Lin Ran's palm made even his heart feel stifled.

The Scorpion Demon Ghost Trio!

This brat actually had a Dou Qi jade slip from the Scorpion Demon Ghost Trio!

"Still trying to threaten me? Go to hell!"

With a sinister grin, Lin Ran unleashed the terrifying Dou Qi he had gathered. The blast slammed heavily into the chest of the approaching black-robed elder.

A vast, eerie force erupted like a volcano.

Pfft!

A terrifying Dou Technique at peak Dou Venerate level exploded in an instant, sealing the surrounding space entirely with its pressure.

The black-robed elder's face turned ghostly pale. Blood sprayed from his mouth as the sound of bone cracking echoed from his chest. His body was flung backward like a cannonball from the violent shockwave.

"Second Brother!"

"Second Brother!"

Shouts of alarm erupted from the other two elders above.

Space rippled. One of the elders vanished, reappearing behind the flying elder in the blink of an eye. But the terrifying Dou Qi still sent both crashing into the city wall like meteorites.

"Second Brother!"

Cracks formed across the wall. The black-robed elder cradled his brother and returned to the lead figure's side.

"How is he?"

Staring at the blood-soaked and caved-in chest of their third brother, the leader asked anxiously.

His expression was grim and terrifying. The famed Three Elders of the Yang Family had joined forces, yet suffered such devastating injuries. A full-power strike from a peak Dou Venerate—none present could have withstood it.

This brat actually had such a trump card. Damn Han Gu, how dare he withhold such critical information?

"His body is breaking down. He needs treatment immediately."

Yang Xiang's expression was solemn. He took several pills from his storage ring and shoved them into Yang Yu's mouth. "This kid has a Pure Yang Body. The Scorpion Demon Ghost Trio must have treasured him. For him to wander freely across the Northwest, he must be hiding more cards up his sleeve."

"I didn't think those three degenerates, in their desperation to return to the Central Plains, still had time to channel their Dou Qi and make jade slips for this boy."

"Cough..."

Yang Yu coughed violently, spraying mouthfuls of blood that carried fragments of his internal organs.

Clearly, his internal injuries were critical. Without help from his comrades, he would have died on the spot.

"Kill... kill him! I want him torn apart! I'll take his soul back to the Ancient Realm and burn it in golden flames for eternity!"

Blood dribbled from the corners of his mouth. Yang Yu's eyes were venomous, filled with boundless hatred.

As a dignified peak Five-Star Dou Venerate, he had been reduced to this state by an Eight-Star Dou Ancestor. If not for his elder brothers accompanying him, he might already be dead.

How could he possibly accept this humiliation?

The other two looked at their brother's wretched appearance. Although their hearts burned with fury, they couldn't help but feel shock.

The three Yang brothers had close power levels: Yang Xiang was a Five-Star Dou Venerate, Yang Yu a peak Five-Star, and the eldest, Yang Lin, was a Seven-Star Dou Venerate.

For Lin Ran to nearly kill Yang Yu with a single Dou Technique jade slip—could even they survive such a blow?

"Calm down, Second Brother. I'd like to see how many jade slips you still have left, brat... what?!"

Yang Lin's murderous intent surged, but his expression froze. Yang Yu and Yang Xiang stood dumbstruck beside him.

Several jade slips floated before Lin Ran, radiating terrifying Dou Qi waves, emanating a suffocating pressure.

"Retreat!!"

Yang Lin clenched his teeth as he erupted his Dou Qi, tearing open space to escape.

But before he could drag Yang Yu and Yang Xiang into the rift, the sound of shattering jade echoed. The freshly torn space collapsed, sealing the portal shut.

"Retreat? Come and go as you like? Do you think this is your Ancient Realm?"

Lin Ran's voice was like a cold wind from the underworld. Emerald-gold Dou Qi surged forth. As the three Yang elders watched in horror, three jade slips shattered before him.

The next moment, three overwhelming pressures howled outward. Pillars of Dou Qi light rose nearly a hundred zhang into the sky.

"This lunatic! You're detonating Dou Techniques at this range? You think you'll escape unscathed?!"

The three elders roared in terror, but Lin Ran only laughed darkly.

"You dared to come after me—did you think you'd walk away?"

"You want to play with me? Then I'll make sure your souls are annihilated!"

Dou Qi surged and formed a massive hand that slammed toward the trio.

Pfft!

The giant hand smashed into Yang Lin and Yang Xiang. They coughed blood and plummeted like shooting stars into the city wall, carving out a hundred-zhang trench.

Before the shockwave faded, another terrifying force erupted.

A palm print blasted out of the Dou Qi pillar, collapsing the space it passed through. The overwhelming power pierced the air and struck the place where the two had fallen.

With a splatter, they were reduced to a mist of blood.

"Big Brother! Third Brother!!"

The severely injured Yang Yu roared with bloodshot eyes, his scream echoing across the ruined city.

"Don't worry. You'll be joining them soon."

Lin Ran sneered, gathering all remaining Dou Qi into his fist.

In the blink of an eye, he punched forward.

The void split with a roar, revealing a massive dark spatial crack dozens of zhang long.

Like a venomous black serpent, the crack shot toward Yang Yu with terrifying speed.

Boom!

The rift engulfed him. A shrill, painful scream echoed as that entire section of Ghost Gate Pass vanished into nothingness.

Within the fading energy, the peak Five-Star Dou Venerate's life force completely disappeared.

As the dust settled, Lin Ran's face turned pale. He took deep breaths to calm the boiling blood in his chest.

Using the jade slips didn't drain his energy, but controlling their explosive power wasn't easy—especially at close range.

"I actually killed three Dou Venerates of the Ancient Clan in one shot... guess there's no turning back now."

"And worse, the jade slips Master left me are all used up. If I meet another powerful enemy..."

He looked at the ruins of Ghost Gate Pass and the lifeless bodies lying within.

The Ancient Clan was powerful. Aside from the Hun Clan, only that gatekeeper dragon could rival them.

Lin Ran couldn't compare. Nor could Cloudrain Sect behind him.

"Damn it. I can't afford to provoke the Ancient Clan now... but someday, I'll make Gu Xun'er wish she never crossed me."

"These three were likely part of the Black Abyss Army, not core members of the Ancient Clan. And whoever leaked my info clearly didn't share everything—maybe it wasn't the white-robed Dou Venerate after all."

"Seems there's still some room to maneuver..."

His eyes narrowed. A black, misty orb appeared in his palm.

He crushed it, and black mist scattered across the ground.

Only after that did he look toward the corpse among the ruins.

"A Dou Venerate's corpse..."

Their bodies were incredibly resilient. Regular attacks wouldn't even scratch them. Lin Ran had to find just the right amount of force to destroy their souls without damaging their flesh.

A Dou Venerate's body was as valuable as an eighth-rank magical beast. It could be used for making puppets or crafting physical vessels.

Naturally, Lin Ran wouldn't let that go.

Sadly, the other two had been obliterated completely.

He raised his hand to store the corpse, then suddenly noticed something.

On the corpse's finger was a pitch-black ring, shimmering faintly.

A high-grade storage ring—a Dou Venerate's personal storage ring!

"Now that's a nice surprise..."

Lin Ran's eyes lit up. He pulled the ring off without hesitation.

But he didn't probe it immediately. High-grade rings often had soul imprints and hidden traps. Though the owner was dead, traps might still remain.

He slipped the ring onto his own hand and vanished from the scene.

(End of Chapter)