Li Ruolan chuckled and said, “No one else has been able to reach the ninth level in the Holy Church of Light. Aside from the Saint, you’d be the first!”

　　“Haha!” Chu Li puffed out his chest proudly.

　　Li Ruolan went on, “The Saint said that since you’ve mastered the Light Blade’s eighth level, you should be capable of protecting yourself now, so it’s about time for you to return to Gale City!”

　　“Okay, I’ll leave today.” Chu Li put the purple box away and said excitedly, “I’m going to defeat both of them!”

　　He itched to return as soon as he thought of fighting Tan Hu and Meng Wu again. He laughed and said, “Tell the Saint to wait for my good news. I’ll surely make the Radiance Clan famous in Gale City!”

　　“Remember to be careful,” Li Ruolan warned. “The Saint also mentioned that the situation in Gale City is more complicated than it seems. Don’t expect a smooth journey ahead even if you manage to defeat White Tiger Sect. There are many other forces at play in the city, and they may not just stand aside and let the Radiance Clan rise!”

　　“Understood. I’ll be more careful!” Chu Li nodded.

　　Li Ruolan gazed at him deeply. “I’ll go there and check up on you in a month’s time.”

　　Chu Li hurriedly waved his hand at her. “Please don’t. That place is too dangerous.”

　　“You’re seeing me as a burden now, aren’t you?” Li Ruolan frowned.

　　Chu Li chuckled and replied, “Miss Ruolan, if anything really were to happen to you, how am I supposed to continue living? … Just stay here. I’ll return in a month!”

　　“… That works too.” Li Ruolan nodded.

　　She felt rather awkward as the conversation came to an end, so she turned around and glided away like a cloud.

　　After finishing his meal, Chu Li used his Time Steps and left at lightning speed.

　　…

　　When he arrived at the official residence of the Radiance Clan, his expression immediately darkened. The Radiance Clan’s residence had been turned into ruins as all the buildings in the had been torn down and razed to the ground.

　　The remains of the residence glowed red under the setting sun.

　　The small lake had been filled and leveled while the backyard had been trampled into a mess. Wilting flowers and fallen leaves were scattered all over, and the trees were lying all over the place since most of them had been snapped in half.

　　Chu Li let out a long howl at the sky. His howl was thunderous as it echoed through the entire Gale City.

　　He immediately rushed to the Roaring Tiger Clan.

　　In the main hall of the Roaring Tiger Clan, Tan Hu was sitting in a lower seat whereas Meng Wu and another old man sat in the seats of honor. This old man’s hair and beard had become all white but his face was as ruddy as a baby’s. He was skinny and small in stature while his beard extended below his chest and was almost reaching his waist.

　　“Master’s Senior Zhu, that guy will definitely come this time,” Tan Hu said with a laugh. “Now that we’ve demolished his Radiance Clan’s residence, let’s see if he still dares to say that he’s re-establishing the Radiance Clan. If he doesn’t come to seek revenge, the Radiance Clan is as good as gone.”

　　“Hmm, this is quite a smart move.” Master’s Senior Zhu chuckled while stroking his long beard. “Young Hu, you young people are smart to come up with ideas like this. Old people like me would only think of hunting our enemies down.”

　　Tan Hu gave a fist salute and laughed. “Master’s Senior Zhu, you flatter me. I’ve learned this from Master’s Junior Meng.”

　　Meng Wu waved a hand. “You were the one who thought of this idea. Don’t credit it to me!”

　　Tan Hu chuckled and said, “Master’s Junior Meng, without your guidance, I wouldn’t have managed to think of this move anyway. The monk may be able to run away, but the temple can never run away with him. Once the temple is torn down, the monk will have nowhere to return to!”

　　“Indeed. In any case, we have to kill this young fellow.” Master’s Senior Zhu sighed. “The sect is paying a lot of attention to this matter and has sent me to handle it personally. If we can’t even take down an abandoned disciple of the Holy Church of Light, I’ll be too ashamed to show my face ever again.”

　　“Don’t worry, Master’s Senior Zhu,” Tan Hu said with a smile. “I’ve gained a clearer idea of this guy’s personality. He’s proud and very stubborn. He’ll certainly come rushing over when he sees that we’ve torn apart his Radiance Clan’s residence!”

　　“He’s still young after all. Most young people are like that.” Master’s Senior Zhu stroked his beard and nodded.

　　Tan Hu continued, “His martial arts skills are slightly stronger than mine but not as great in comparison to Master’s Senior Zhu and Master’s Junior Meng’s. If all three of us fight him together, he wouldn’t be able to survive!”

　　“That’s great then.” Master’s Senior Zhu nodded. “It’ll be best if he can come over quickly. A long delay may cause more trouble. I’m just worried that the Holy Church of Light might send over more disciples or even a Priest!”

　　“It’ll be unlikely for a Priest to…” Before Meng Wu could finish his sentence, they heard a long howl echo from afar.

　　Tan Hu’s spirits rose as he became overjoyed upon hearing it. “He’s back!”

　　Meng Wu wore a faint smile. “As expected, he couldn’t remain calm.”

　　“Let’s go!” Master’s Senior Zhu said.

　　Tan Hu laughed and replied, “Master’s Senior Zhu, there’s no need to rush over. He’ll come to us!”

　　By the time the endless howling sound reached their ears, Chu Li had already arrived at the Roaring Tiger Clan.

　　“Bang!” There was a loud crashing noise.

　　He had lifted the stone lion in front of the main entrance and threw it at the courtyard wall, which left a huge hole in it.

　　“Bang!” He had lifted the other stone lion and smashed it into the wall again, leaving another huge hole in it.

　　As the two holes were connected to each other, a large section of the wall collapsed with a loud crash.

　　When the Roaring Tiger Clan disciples came out and saw that it was him, they all took a step back and did not dare to fight him.

　　As Chu Li lifted the stone lion, he looked weak and small compared to the enormous stone lion, as though he would be overpowered by the weight of it at any time. However, judging by his demeanor, he seemed to be carrying the stone lion so effortlessly as if it were just a brick, and his extraordinary strength left them in awe and fear.

　　Previously, when Chu Li had tried to burn down the Roaring Tiger Clan residence, a few disciples had courageously come forward to fight him and had been killed in the end, so this time, they did not dare to seek their own death again.

　　Chu Li went into the courtyard through the collapsed wall. He came to one of the stone lions, lifted it, and threw it forward just like how he would pick up a stone and throw it.

　　As the stone lion tumbled ahead, the trees and the rockery in its path were wrecked. Still, the stone lion rolled on until it reached the main hall and crashed into the flight of stairs in front of the hall.

　　“Bang!” The main hall seemed to shake with the impact as well.

　　Chu Li tossed the other stone lion in the same direction.

　　This time, the stone lion went high up in the air and flew above the main hall before unexpectedly crashing down on it.

　　“Bang!” The roof had collapsed under the weight of the stone lion, causing it to fall into the main hall.

　　The three men quickly glided out of the main hall to avoid being crushed by the stone lion. Their faces were so gloomy that it seemed like rain clouds were about to form over their heads.

　　Chu Li dusted the dirt off his hands and stood erect as he shouted arrogantly, “You people of the White Tiger Sect, come out and receive your death!”

　　Tan Hu yelled back at him, “Zhao Dahe, how nice of you to come and seek your death!”

　　Chu Li scoffed. “You’ve demolished my Radiance Clan’s residence while I wasn’t around. So this is what the White Tiger Clan has been reduced to. How ridiculous. Haha…”

　　The sound of his laughter filled the skies and echoed through half of Gale City.

　　Tan Hu scoffed. “You kept hiding like a rat, so we tore down the Radiance Clan to force you out of hiding. Your official residence has been destroyed now. How are you going to re-establish the Radiance Clan when you can’t even protect your official residence? What a joke. Haha!”

　　As the sound of his laughter thundered through the skies, half of Gale City could hear him as well.

　　Chu Li guffawed loudly again. “Those of you who are sensible enough should leave now. If you refuse to do so, I’ll send you off to meet your ancestors! Now, let’s stop talking nonsense and start fighting already!”

　　Upon finishing his sentence, he charged at Tan Hu.

　　As Tan Hu pounded his fists together, the silhouette of a tiger appeared at once and shot toward Chu Li.

　　Chu Li scoffed and said, “This is useless against me!”

　　He appeared near Tan Hu in a flash. Immediately, the tiger silhouette hit him on his back with a loud “bang.” Chu Li quickly came at Tan Hu.

　　Tan Hu laughed coldly while swinging a fist at him. A ferocious tiger roar rang out as his fist force shot toward Chu Li’s chest.

　　Chu Li vanished from where he stood and dodged the fist force. At the same time, while he was only three steps away from Tan Hu, a blade had shot out from his hand in a cold flash.

　　“Ugh…” Tan Hu’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stopped and lowered his head to look down at his own chest.

　　A trace of blood appeared where his precordium was located.

　　Then, with a spurting sound, blood came gushing out of his wound.

　　He felt as if all of his energy had left him too as his body went limp and fell to the ground. He tried his best to gasp for air so that he would not fall unconscious.