All the gods began by cultivating the Iron Shirt technique.

In his final moments, Li Laosan only had time to spit out two mouthfuls of blood before his head lolled to the side and he fell silent.

Chu Ying had already shifted his attention to the tall, strong figure in the courtyard the moment he saw Li Laosan clearly. The man simply stood still, emanating an astonishing aura that made the dozen or so Black Tiger Gang brothers surrounding him hesitant to make any rash moves, instead simply moving around with their weapons.

"A bunch of useless trash, what are you standing there for? Kill him!"

Chu Ying had no idea what the man's strength was. He only knew that the dozen or so gang members he had been training didn't dare to step forward in front of a mere person. They just circled around him like monkeys, which almost made him laugh in anger.

The dozen or so gang members were sweating profusely, but in their hearts they were cursing Chu Ying.

This young man before them was like a ferocious beast. With a casual punch, he sent Li Laosan flying more than ten meters away, and Li Laosan died instantly upon landing. This ruthless man was clearly a master of the martial arts world. Most of them were only of similar strength to Li Laosan, and only two or three of them had only recently developed internal energy. Even if they rushed at him now, they probably wouldn't be able to withstand a single punch from him.

To rush up there rashly is tantamount to courting death!

"If you don't step forward now, don't blame me for being ruthless later!" Chu Ying's voice was icy, and his gaze was like a sharp sword piercing the dozen or so Black Stone Gang members.

Yang Pan looked coldly at the middle-aged man who came out of the backyard. Based on what the man had just said, he already knew that the man was the leader of the Black Stone Gang.

On the way here, Yang Pan learned about the other party's strength from Li Laosan. A full-force palm strike could shatter a slab of bluestone about an inch thick. Such strength, if only internal energy, would mean that the other party had opened two or three main meridians. However, Yang Pan looked at the other party's hand hanging at his side. The knuckles were large and had a bluish-gray hue, indicating that the other party also had a good hand-to-hand combat skill.

Such strength is not weak; no wonder the opponent was able to single-handedly defeat the Black Stone Gang in Jingu County.

However, Yang Pan rushed over overnight to eliminate the threat completely. Now that he had confirmed the other party's identity, following the principle of capturing the leader first, he charged straight at the other party.

Clang!

The dozen or so gang members around them had been preparing to attack upon hearing Chu Ying's words. Knowing their leader's ruthlessness, they naturally didn't want to be targeted later. Now, seeing Yang Pan make the first move, the dozen or so men tightened their encirclement and began slashing wildly at Yang Pan with their weapons.

court death!

With a cold glint in his eyes, Yang Pan maintained his forward-charging posture, extending his right fist forward.

He channeled his inner energy into the meridians of his arms, and his fists, drawing out a whistling gust of wind, slammed straight forward. Even when facing a group of ordinary gang members who lacked inner energy, Yang Pan used his full strength, like a lion hunting a rabbit.

Boom! Bang!

The gang member opposite him felt as if he were facing a lion or tiger. Just a moment ago he was the furthest away from the other party, but in the blink of an eye, the other party's fist was already landing on his chest.

He felt as if the opponent's fist was like a torrent of water, and the immense force shattered his ribcage almost the instant the fist touched his chest. He then experienced the same flying sensation as Li Laosan had before.

With a single punch, Yang Pan sent one person flying. His hands didn't stop; he unleashed the Taizu Long Fist technique.

This fist technique, which he had practiced after joining the Beggars' Sect, was finally showing some power now, enhanced by the internal energy of the Small Heavenly Circuit Qi Cultivation. He was like a general surrounded by enemies on the battlefield, charging left and right, his fists transforming into swords and his elbows into spears. Every attack was accompanied by a figure flying out.

Among them were a few martial artists who had just begun to cultivate internal energy. The gap between them and Yang Pan was too great. No matter how fierce the blade wind was, it could not even touch Yang Pan's body. They then followed in the footsteps of the brothers around them.

Whoosh!

Just as Yang Pan finished off another gang member, a figure suddenly appeared silently behind him. This figure flew over without a sound, and as it approached Yang Pan's back, a hand capable of breaking wood and shattering stones was already wrapped in a sharp wind and slapped towards the back of Yang Pan's head.

Good timing!

Feeling the powerful palm strike behind his head, the hairs on the back of Yang Pan's neck stood on end. Without even turning around, he sighed inwardly, took a step, twisted his body, and threw a punch, intending to collide head-on with the opponent's palm!

崩~

This punch was like an arrow shot from a powerful bow. The fist turned into a black shadow, piercing through the air and carrying a strong airflow as it collided violently with the opponent's palm.

Bang! Whoosh!

The clash of fists and palms produced a deep, muffled groan, and the sleeves of both men were billowed and filled by the internal energy stirring them together.

When his sneak attack failed, Chu Ying felt the immense power of his opponent's fist. Though startled, he remained calm and followed up with another palm strike.

The full name of the Stone-Splitting Palm is Cloud-Piercing Stone-Splitting Palm, which has the power to split rocks and the speed to pierce clouds.

call out!

A sharp whistling sound emanated from the air. The two were already extremely close when their fists and palms clashed, and Chu Ying's palm strike was even faster than usual, instantly bringing it within inches of Yang Pan's face.

Before his palm even landed, the internal force filling his palm had already pushed the wind from his palm, making Yang Pan's noodles sting.

At this critical moment, a hand suddenly appeared, its tiger's mouth opening to grasp Chu Ying's wrist, keeping the other's hand firmly at a distance of only an inch.

"How is that possible!"

Chu Ying's pupils shrank to pinpoints, and he frantically channeled his inner force into the grasped hand, trying to shake it off. He even exerted force under his feet, cracking the bluestone floor, but the hand remained firmly fixed and unshakeable, as if cast from metal.

Only then did Chu Ying realize he'd met his match. But after more than a decade in the martial world, he was no longer the headstrong naiveté he once was. Since he couldn't defeat his opponent, he would beg for mercy. After all, the other party had come to his door seeking something—nothing more than wealth or fame. He...

Chu Ying thought to himself, and prepared to beg for mercy.

However, Yang Pan did not give him any chance to speak. He held Chu Ying's wrist tightly, stepped back with his right foot, twisted his body, and suddenly exerted force with his arm.

"Ah! Spare me..."

Before Chu Ying could even finish pleading, he was lifted off the ground, his wide-open mouth blocked by a strong gust of wind, and then...

Bang!Bang!

A muffled thud was heard, and the Black Stone Gang members who had been punched by Yang Pan but were not quite dead saw their leader being tossed back and forth by the tall figure in the middle, like a tattered sack being lifted up.

With Yang Pan channeling his internal energy into his meridians and training his physical body, even Chu Ying's hundred-pound body could barely be swung in his hands in the face of this surging and violent force.

In an instant, the entire front yard was filled with the sight of Yang Pan smashing the Black Stone Gang leader's bones and internal organs as if he were wielding a hammer. Dust billowed up from the ground, almost engulfing both of them.

By the time Yang Pan finally stopped, the Black Stone Gang leader was already twisted beyond recognition, his eyes wide open, but he was definitely dead.

Whoosh!

Yang Pan released a long breath as he loosened his grip. The chaotic smashing had stirred up his internal energy, but tonight's battle had been quite enjoyable!

Yang Pan's strongest offensive method is naturally his swordsmanship, but after understanding the approximate strength of the Black Stone Gang leader, Yang Pan did not bring his longsword.

Although he had been practicing swordsmanship, he had not neglected his fist techniques. In his view, fist, foot and palm techniques were the foundation of all martial arts. Unfortunately, due to his own insufficient strength and the strength of his opponents, Yang Pan dared not be careless and use his fist techniques when fighting them.

Now that he had encountered the leader of the Black Stone Gang, and after realizing that the other party's strength was far inferior to his own, Yang Pan decided to fight him with fist techniques.

In retrospect, it's clear that a fight that's physically impactful is definitely more satisfying.

Seeing the mess in the courtyard and the corpses scattered all around, Yang Pan turned and walked towards the backyard. This Black Tiger Gang leader lived a life of extravagance, actually using his residence as the gang's headquarters, and this backyard was where his family lived.

The saying goes, "To cut the weeds, you must pull out the roots." Many feuds and vendettas in the martial world stem from the seeds of weakness and leniency. Yang Pan didn't want to be killed by a sudden enemy when he was at his lowest point.

As for whether the Black Tiger Gang leader's family should die, Yang Pan had some reservations about this.

But every cause has its effect. Yang Pan didn't believe that the other party's family was unaware of the Black Tiger Gang's ruthless methods of oppressing the people of the county, which often resulted in the destruction of families and the separation of wives and children. Since these people enjoyed the wealth brought by the blood of the people, they should also bear the bitter consequences of their actions.

But when Yang Pan actually went into the backyard and found a woman holding a baby in a side room, he still hesitated.

He could kill adults, and even eleven or twelve-year-old children, as long as they were old enough to understand right and wrong, would show no mercy to Yang Pan if they had a blood feud. However, Yang Pan simply couldn't bring himself to kill an infant who was still in swaddling clothes and knew nothing.

He can be ruthless and heartless, but he cannot be inhuman.

The baby can be spared, but this woman...

Looking at the woman huddled in the corner, tightly holding her baby and crying, Yang Pan frowned slightly, then quickly relaxed.

"Very well, spare her life for now. Inquire about her character in the city tomorrow. If she is arrogant, domineering, and greedy for wealth, then it's not too late to kill her."

Having made up his mind, Yang Pan continued searching the backyard. "Murder and arson bring wealth and power"—this is a timeless truth in the martial arts world.

The people within the Black Tiger Gang's territory were exploited to the bone, so to accumulate such a large mansion, they must have a considerable amount of money. Besides money, Yang Pan was also very interested in the Black Tiger Gang leader's martial arts techniques.

Although the opponent was killed in just two brief exchanges, this was due to the vast difference in their strength. However, during the exchange, Yang Pan discovered that the opponent's palm technique was a clever combination of power and speed, which was likely much stronger than the Taizu Long Fist.

After searching for a while, Yang Pan finally found a wooden box in the other party's bedroom. It can only be said that he is indeed the leader of a gang. In addition to a skill called Cloud Piercing Stone Splitting Palm, there was also a hard qigong skill in the box.

This extra skill was an unexpected bonus for Yang Pan. Apart from that, all that was left were some loose silver and a stack of banknotes.

The total amount of silver is five hundred taels, so tonight's trip was not in vain.