Chapter 165: Chaos

In Jiangnan, a squad of elite personal guards under Su Dinghai had completely surrounded the Song family residence.
The leader wore a cold and arrogant expression, clad in a custom-tailored black trench coat. It was evident he was no ordinary figure.
"Major General, this is the Song family estate! They are the family of Ling Xiao's aunt!"
"To think we've managed to haul in a big net of fish! Capturing them will surely please the Grand General!"
"Indeed, Major General!"
"Surround the house tightly! Do not let a single person escape!"
"Understood!"
The elite guards surrounded the building, while the Major General kicked the heavy security door open with a single blow, stepping in with long, confident strides.
The three members of the Song family could not help but look shocked.
"Who are you people? Why are you breaking into our home?"
"Major General Wu Yan, under the command of Grand General Su Dinghai!"
"Su Dinghai? What do we have to do with you? We don't know you! Get out of here right now! My cousin is Ling Xiao. If you mess with him, not a single one of you will escape!"
Wu Yan offered a contemptuous smile.
"If it weren't for Ling Xiao, I wouldn't even bother coming after you pathetic ants! Take them down!"
"Yes!"
The men responded in unison, stepping forward to seize the three Song family members.
"Hey! What are you doing? Let us go! This is illegal! You animals!"
Wu Yan's expression turned icy. With a flick of his hand, he struck Ling Xiao's uncle across the face twice, instantly shattering a mouthful of his teeth! The man's head spun violently, rendering him completely disoriented.
"Dad—!"
"Old Song!"
Mother and son of the Song family were consumed by fury and grief, yet they were utterly helpless.
The family of three was dragged out of their home by brute force.
Just as the guards were about to force the three into a vehicle, an overwhelming aura suddenly descended. With a deafening crash, the vehicle was smashed into smithereens!
"Enemy attack!"
Before the men could react, Ling Xiao flicked his wrist, hurling several rays of sword light that instantly obliterated the soldiers holding his aunt's family captive.
"Ling Xiao! Thank goodness, you're here!"
Ling Xiao walked over to the three with a dark and gloomy expression. He tapped his uncle's chest, channeling his true Qi to stabilize the injuries, and slipped a medicinal pill into his mouth.
"This pill will heal his wounds, and his teeth will grow back. You don't need to worry!"
"Thank you so much, Ling Xiao!"
"It's nothing. You should leave first. Leave this matter to me."
"Then be careful, these fellows seem very powerful!"
Ling Xiao stood up, his gaze as cold and sharp as a blade.
"Even if they were kings of heaven, I would still slaughter them!"
With those words, he took a step forward and spoke in an icy voice:
"Who was it that struck my uncle just now?"
Wu Yan sneered and stepped forward.
"I did! So you're Ling Xiao? You've got some nerve, daring to come here yourself to throw your life away! But that's fine; it saves me the trouble. I'll kill you right now and claim the credit before Grand General Su!"
As the words left his mouth, Ling Xiao lashed out with a backhand slap.
"Slap—!"
This ferocious blow projected a blast of vital energy across the air, sending Wu Yan hurtling directly back into the building, shattering straight through the wall!
A moment later, an angry roar echoed from within the room as explosive energy burst forth, tearing the wall apart and reducing it to rubble.
"Ling Xiao, you bastard! I will kill you!"
Wu Yan's elite guards quickly stepped forward.
"General Wu, should we request reinforcements from Grand General Su?"
Wu Yan barked angrily, "Get lost! He is a Major General, and so am I. Why should I be afraid of him? There is no need for Grand General Su to come; I alone am enough to execute him! Ling Xiao, forfeit your life!"
With that, he stomped his foot against the ground, his body launching forward instantly, aiming straight for Ling Xiao's face!
That lightning-fast speed, combined with an aura as colossal as a mountain, produced a piercing, shrieking friction in the air.
Yet Ling Xiao remained completely unmoved, allowing the adversary to charge right up to him!
The corners of Wu Yan's lips curled upward. Since Ling Xiao was being so arrogant and underestimating him, he was bound to die by his hands!
However, the very instant Wu Yan closed in, Ling Xiao suddenly raised his leg.
"Hm?"
Wu Yan froze. Before he could even react, Ling Xiao brought his foot crashing down.
"Boom—!"
Accompanied by a deafening explosion, Wu Yan's head was driven straight into the ground by the sheer force of Ling Xiao's kick.
The sturdy concrete floor was shattered into a massive crater by Wu Yan's skull, with countless cracks spreading outward like a spiderweb!
Fresh blood flowed along the fissures, but Wu Yan had already lost all signs of life!
A single move! Instant death for a Major General!
All of Wu Yan's personal guards were frozen in shock, their minds completely blank, turned to stone on the spot!
Wasn't Ling Xiao's military rank supposed to be a Major General of the Dragon Directorate as well?
Major General against Major General—why was he killed in a single strike?
How did this make any sense?
While everyone was still paralyzed with shock, a bone-chilling killing intent closed in, sending a simultaneous shiver down everyone's spines.
As their eyes shifted toward Ling Xiao, the men could not help trembling uncontrollably.
These were veterans of countless battlefields, men who had brushed shoulders with death as members of the Dragon Directorate! Yet facing Ling Xiao right now, they suddenly felt a profound, suffocating sense of helplessness!
This guy was simply too terrifying!
"Run!"
With no other thoughts left in their minds, only a single word echoed in everyone's consciousness: flee!
Because fighting Ling Xiao meant they stood absolutely zero chance of survival!
Yet there was one thing they failed to realize: in front of Ling Xiao, who could possibly escape?
...
Inside a hotel suite, several elders of the Dragon Directorate had waited for a long time, but Ling Xiao had yet to show up. They grew somewhat puzzled and irritated.
"This Ling Xiao, doesn't he take us seriously at all?"
"Indeed, we are here to help him elevate his military rank! For him to leave us hanging here, what kind of behavior is that?"
"Someone, go and find out what Ling Xiao is doing! Has he arrived yet?"
Before the echoes of the voice faded, a member of the Dragon Directorate rushed in hurriedly.
"Elders, disaster has struck! Major General Ling and Grand General Su have started fighting!"
"Grand General Su? Which Grand General Su?"
"Su Dinghai! Su Dinghai of the Jiangnan Su family!"
"What?"
The expressions of the elders drained of color in utter shock!
"How on earth did the two of them end up fighting?"
"Reporting to the elders, when Ling Xiao came to Jiangnan, he wiped out the Su family and killed Grand General Su's third brother, forging a blood feud between them! Now, Grand General Su has returned alone to Jiangnan specifically to kill Ling Xiao! Just now, he ordered his elite guards to slaughter Ling Xiao's subordinates and relatives, which infuriated Ling Xiao. Ling Xiao killed Major General Wu Yan, one of Su Dinghai's subordinates, and right now, he is heading straight for the Su family!"
The elders were hopping mad with rage!
"Are you kidding me? These two—one is a Grand General, and the other is a soon-to-be-appointed Grand General! If the two of them kill each other, where will the face of the Dragon Directorate be placed?"
"It's not just about that! Ling Xiao is currently only a Major General. For a Major General to kill a Grand General—if word of this spreads within the Dragon Directorate, won't it shake the morale of the military?"
"Hurry! Go and stop them!"