Daqin arrests alchemists, what does it matter to me as a qi refiner?

In fact, this was one of Yang Ling's abilities. The man's movements were completely insignificant to him; no matter how skilled he was, he was no match for Yang Ling. The Grand Elder's face contorted, his body trembled, utterly bewildered. He had thought this man could be dealt with by the Dark Gate members, but he hadn't expected his strength to be so formidable, even excessively so. How exactly did Yang Ling manage to do this?
Every move Yang Ling made was accompanied by a fierce killing intent. He desperately tried to resist, but before he could react, Yang Ling pierced his chest with a sword. This attack was nothing to him. He was about to dodge when he suddenly realized why Yang Ling was so confident. It turned out that Yang Ling had foreseen everything.

"Good lad, your strength is indeed formidable. Who exactly are you? Why are you so powerful? And how did you do it?" he asked, staring at Yang Ling. Yang Ling didn't waste any words with him.

"Enough talk, let's finish this quickly! I don't have that much patience. Besides, you're lucky to die by my hand!" The man was so enraged by Yang Ling that he couldn't speak, and directly pulled out an axe. The axe whistled through the air as it was swung, sending chills down everyone's spine. He swung it at Yang Ling, the axe seemingly capable of cleaving a person in two, yet it couldn't harm Yang Ling at all. He couldn't believe it; this axe, which he had meticulously forged, was so utterly useless against Yang Ling.
Before he could even think, Yang Ling had already charged forward without hesitation. Only when they clashed did he realize how weak he truly was. Yang Ling's attack unleashed boundless power, and he was immediately struck so hard he coughed up blood. At this point, Yang Ling showed no mercy, unleashing a devastating attack that instantly killed him. Seeing this, the others retreated hastily. Now that the patriarch was dead, even members of the Dark Gate had fallen at his hands.

"Young man, do you know who you just fought? That was someone from the Dark Gate, and the Dark Gate is incredibly powerful. You've offended someone from the Dark Gate now, you'd better run away quickly, or you'll be dead!" He spoke anxiously for Yang Ling. Yang Ling looked at him. This was the person who had just run away, wasn't he? He vaguely remembered him because the aura around him felt familiar.

"You're their eldest elder, aren't you? I actually remember you a little bit. But, did you bring this person in?"

Upon hearing Yang Ling's words, he quickly waved his hand.

“Young master, your strength is far too great. How could I dare to do this? I didn’t do it. He was already nearby and probably sensed the presence and came over.”

"Really? Where did these origins come from? Don't you remember? I saw you dragging someone along this way, you don't remember?" Yang Ling asked seriously, leaving him speechless and unable to utter a single word. Yang Ling's strength was too great, and his words left him unsure how to respond.

"It was indeed my oversight in this matter. I was only acting on the orders of the patriarch; there was nothing I could do!" Yang Ling was too lazy to listen to his nonsense. This man's essence was useful to him, and besides, they had committed arson, murder, looting, and all sorts of atrocities. What difference would it make if he crippled them? Thinking of this, Yang Ling didn't hold back and attacked directly. His pupils contracted sharply. So, after all this time, Yang Ling was after them. This man was no different from the people of the Dark Gate.

"Don't get so agitated. Don't worry, consider what you've done as retribution for someone's life!"

As he finished speaking, the Grand Elder's eyes widened, and he was completely stunned.

How dare Yang Ling spout such outrageous remarks? He is utterly shameless!
He had just begun to consider fleeing when Yang Ling approached him like a ghost.

The others also came to their senses and turned to run away.

Who would dare to fight Yang Ling to the death? They had just witnessed the tragic end of the family head and another person; even the family head was no match for Yang Ling, let alone them. Unfortunately, Yang Ling was too fast. With a wave of his hand, most of them fell to his hand. These people had committed many evil deeds in their daily lives, so their deaths were not unjust.

Yang Ling remained calm and composed. As for the source energy he had obtained, he planned to use it first. This source energy was of paramount importance; it was originally intended for the Dark Sect, but now it had fallen into his possession.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

"Have you ever heard of the Duan family? That Duan family is utterly shameless. Not only did they commit such despicable acts, but they also wanted to capture people to extract their essence and offer it to the Dark Sect. Don't they have any backbone at all?"

"Yes, I also think what they did was outrageous. I never imagined that there were such people in the world!"

"What can we do? They've become smarter now, which is terrible for us. Who knows what we'll do in the future?" They discussed amongst themselves, only daring to boast verbally. They didn't have the guts to openly confront them. Yang Ling sensed the aura within the family. He thought that the deaths of these people wouldn't attract attention, but he didn't expect that this aura would cause a change in the heavens and earth.

Seeing this, he thought to himself that the Duan family's allegiance to the Dark Gate was a foregone conclusion; he didn't need to say anything more, everyone knew it. He could simply leave. Before leaving, Yang Ling didn't forget to loot the family's property, reaping a considerable harvest. Then, he swung his sword, completely destroying the family's buildings.

With a deafening roar, everything belonging to the Duan family vanished.

Those around noticed the commotion and were filled with surprise.

"How could this family, who were doing so well, have suffered such a calamity?"

"Yeah, they seemed fine before. I think this aura is very likely the work of the Dark Sect. What do you guys think?"

"That's right, the people of the Dark Gate are always ruthless. What wouldn't they do? They certainly won't let anyone off easily, so you must never provoke them!"

"We didn't surrender to them back then, otherwise, we wouldn't have fared much better. None of these guys are anything but ruthless!"

"So what should we do next? What are we going to do in the future?" This news spread quickly, and everyone believed it was the work of the Dark Gate. The reason was simple: those powerful families had all died at the hands of the Dark Gate. Who else but the Dark Gate could have such power?
The news spread quickly, and they soon realized that even if they cooperated with the Dark Gate, they would not gain their sympathy; on the contrary, they might be killed. Therefore, they decided to rebel completely and wipe out all the members of the Dark Gate.

Yang Ling wandered aimlessly, surprised to find that the source energy was even more powerful than he had imagined, significantly boosting his strength. However, he still needed more source energy. Therefore, Yang Ling decided to head to a more crowded area to investigate and, incidentally, eliminate the members of the Dark Gate.

In a certain place, many powerful individuals gathered. When the Dark Gate attacked, they had yielded for the sake of their family subsidies, but they never expected to end up like this. From then on, they harbored resentment and extreme dissatisfaction towards the Dark Gate.

The Dark Gate knew they couldn't easily deal with these people, or they would surely return. So, they temporarily occupied the area and replaced most of the people there with members of the Dark Gate.

In a teahouse, they gathered together, discussing the matter animatedly. Although they didn't know why the Dark Gate hadn't attacked them, they knew the Dark Gate was no benevolent organization and certainly had ill intentions.

Do you know what happened a few days ago?

"Tell us quickly! We're trapped in this dark and gloomy place, how would we know what's happening outside!" "That's right! Tell us in detail!"

"You know Duan Tian, ​​right? His entire family was wiped out by the Dark Gate a few days ago, not a single one survived!"

This statement drew everyone's attention. Duan Tian was the one among them most dissatisfied with the Dark Sect. He was the first to defect to the Dark Sect, and he begged for mercy as soon as they arrived. As far as they knew, Duan Tian had sacrificed lives to join the Dark Sect, capturing many people to extract their essence; his methods were extremely cruel.

"If you ask me, we absolutely cannot beg for mercy from the Dark Gate! If we do, the consequences will be unimaginable! Do you understand?"

"You're right! Duan Tian deserved to die! You all know how many bad things he did!"

"Exactly! They want to take other people's essence but don't use their own! It's outrageous!" He said each word clearly, instantly igniting everyone's anger. Duan Tianzhen had truly gone mad!
Several men were determined to fight the Dark Gate to the death. Their emotions were unusually high, which puzzled Yang Ling. He hadn't expected them to think this way; had he stumbled upon something by accident? However, this also had its advantages for him. These men shouldn't have begged the Dark Gate for mercy in the first place; they should have stood up and resisted.

Just as Yang Ling was listening intently, one of them suddenly blurted out:

"You may not know that there is an even more powerful person. Do you know that?" The others shook their heads, indicating that they did not know.

"We can't even get out of here, let alone think about anything else!"

"That's right! You're always keeping us in suspense, how are we supposed to know?" They looked at the man expectantly, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.

"This person is a young man, wearing a mask. Nobody knows where he comes from or how strong he is. But he's killed many members of the Dark Sect; he's our hope! Isn't he a savior?!" They couldn't help but cheer. This person had rekindled their hope. Yang Ling looked at the people around him, thinking, "If I could get rid of these people and get them to willingly provide a sliver of my essence, how many would that be?"

At that time, he will be able to advance his cultivation level.

Just as they were chattering amongst themselves, a powerful aura suddenly swept through the teahouse, causing everyone to instinctively take several steps back. Those who had just passed before them were at least four members of the Dark Sect. Yang Ling raised an eyebrow, seemingly lost in thought. He was familiar with the situation here; there weren't many people here to begin with, yet so many members of the Dark Sect had suddenly appeared. Had they received some kind of tip-off?
The aura was extremely powerful, and those people remained silent, not daring to even breathe. The reason was simple: the Dark Gate now held absolute power, and although they harbored the desire to rebel, none dared to confront it head-on, fearing that standing up would only result in their deaths.

Yang Ling remained calm, gazing in the direction they had departed. Dealing with a few people was no problem for him, but a large number posed a challenge. He was more curious about their purpose in coming. Had they come prepared? This was undoubtedly a major problem for Yang Ling.

Now, all they could do was wait for the right opportunity to strike. Only after they left did the crowd dare to discuss the matter loudly.

"These people are all bluffing; when they encounter someone truly skilled, none of them can fight!"

"Exactly! These people have no real skills, but they insist on putting on airs!"

Meanwhile, on the other side, several figures were suspended in mid-air.

One of them asked coldly, "How's the task I ordered you to do going? Don't tell me you haven't finished it yet!"

"We've been preparing for this all along, determined to wipe them out in one fell swoop! I've tolerated them for too long, how can I allow these people to live in our hands!"

"These guys are worse than demonic beasts! But they're still somewhat useful to us!"

"If we can unleash the true power from the ancient texts, our strength will surely reach a new level!" To verify their thoughts, they gathered together, fearing any mishap. They had previously received word of a powerful individual, one whose strength even their own men couldn't match. Although they didn't know who this person was, possessing such abilities meant they were certainly not easy to deal with.

"Time is of the essence, and we must not allow anyone to disturb our good deed! Moreover, the righteous method we have learned from the ancient book is against the will of Heaven, so we must be wary of anyone who might try to interfere!"

"What a joke! Do you think those people are a match for us? Even if that person is incredibly agile, he's no match for us! Besides, if he dares to come, we'll kill him!"

“That’s right!” They stood up, their eyes revealing an unprecedented determination. They had already slaughtered most of the people, and those remaining were no longer a threat. They had set up a formation beforehand, and by the next morning, many people noticed movement at the hidden door, wondering to themselves: What on earth are these people up to?

"To be honest, what do you think the people from the Dark Gate are up to? How should we deal with them?"

They sensed something unusual. Yang Ling also seemed thoughtful; he could feel the information they were radiating—they were setting a trap to lure him in. He thought to himself that these methods were nothing new to him, and he needed to act quickly. The secret agents weren't idle either; they dared not let their guard down, fearing someone might try to sabotage them.

Those people stared at the figures in the hidden door in mid-air, their faces expressionless, but in their hearts they were already cursing them to the core. They clenched their fists, knowing that no matter how arrogant the people in the hidden door were, they were powerless to do anything about it.

Soon, someone noticed something was wrong. What exactly were the people in the secret door up to?
"What exactly are they trying to do? They suddenly started causing trouble for us, and those people died tragically at their hands. They've never done anything like this before!"

"I suspect they're about to make a big move!"

"Could they be preparing some kind of welcoming ceremony?" they wondered, unable to think of anything else. They didn't believe the Dark Gate members would attack them; after all, they outnumbered each other—would the Dark Gate members really bring themselves to do it? While they didn't react to their actions, Yang Ling sensed something amiss and guessed that something big was about to happen. (End of Chapter)