Seeing Ming Qi's attack was unexpected, the burly man didn't dare to be careless. He quickly spread his arms wide, not defending himself, but clamping his hands around Ming Qi's waist like a pair of pliers.
Bang!
Just as the burly man's hands were about to touch Ming Qi's clothes, Ming Qi's entire body suddenly erupted in flames. A fiery, heavenly fire instantly formed a barrier around him, effectively forcing the burly man's attack back.
Puff!
In a flash, Ming Qi's right claw had successfully struck.
A sound like a sword piercing flesh echoed, and the furious burly man's face instantly turned red, then green.
"Hey, this guy's attack, how could it be so..."
Watching Ming Qi directly crush the burly man's vitals with a single claw caught both Wei Silong and Mo Changli off guard.
"It's a bit vulgar, yes, but it's very effective!"
After a brief moment of surprise, Mo Changli made an accurate comment.
Indeed, the fighting style Ming Qi employed was the close-quarters combat and hunting technique he excelled in in his previous life. As a killer, he cared nothing for whether his fighting style was crude or elegant, ornate or flamboyant. His sole criterion was to deliver the most effective and fatal blow, or to incapacitate his prey with an attack capable of rendering them defenseless.
Thus, Ming Qi knew the human pulse points intimately.
He crushed the man's vitals with a single grasp. Before he could even utter a scream, Ming Qi's form suddenly transformed. He extended his hands, exerting force with both arms, clamped onto one of the man's legs, and then swung them with all his might!
The man screamed, but his body flew out the door like a cannonball.
Pah, pah, pah!
After neatly throwing the burly man out, Ming Qi finally remembered to pull a clean white handkerchief from his ring and wipe the blood off his hands, then tossed it to the ground.
This habit seemed to have been absent for ages. In that moment, he seemed to have rediscovered the thrill of a killer, and the habit naturally took over.
Looking at the man writhing in pain on the ground outside the door, Ming Qi said with a hint of regret, "Actually, I should have told you earlier that the best way is to crush him before throwing him out."
Ming Qi's attack took only the blink of an eye. Although the two men in the chairs felt it, they had no chance to block it. Therefore, there was no need to fully expose their strength over this. After all, their real purpose was to blackmail him.
"You!"
Despite this, the old man still uttered a word with a hint of anger.
Ming Qi, on his part, took his time, deliberately glancing at Xiao Wu, who had been thrown out by the burly man earlier, and then smiled strangely.
Seeing this, Xiao Wu almost instinctively protected his crotch, clearly impressed by Ming Qi's earlier, fluid, crushing, and throwing technique.
"What about me?"
Ming Qi completely disregarded these men. Strength was everything. With this single move, he had completely intimidated the two men, regardless of their background.
"But you killed Huang Tianba?"
The middle-aged man next to him was much calmer. He glanced at Ming Qi and asked.
"I've never met any Huang Tianba. If you want to find fault, just say so. We'll get on with it."
Ming Qi naturally wouldn't admit to killing Huang Tianba. Even if Blood Sword heard or saw something, it didn't matter. Without his admission, they couldn't make a big deal. Besides, Blood Sword didn't have the final say in the entirety of Killing Star City. Even leaving aside the Martial King-level powerhouse, Yu Quanzhen, the Killing Star City Lord, any one of the five major mercenary groups could crush Blood Sword.
"In that case, I'll visit you again someday."
With that, the middle-aged man stood up first and walked out. The old man, angrily following, followed him.
The two men walked outside, helped the large man to his feet, and immediately activated their magical weapons to leave.
Seeing the Blood Sword's men, after so long engaged in a fight, finally being driven back in disgrace, all the mercenaries were greatly encouraged. Suddenly, the title of Vice Leader of the Angel Mercenary Group became a household name.
The Angels of Vengeance had only recently been formed, and they needed such a powerful approach to gain a foothold in Killing Star City. While the previous story of Ming Qi and his men inflicting heavy damage on the Void Beyond the Painting and their battle against the Sea Dragon Immortal Dao Army hadn't spread widely within Killing Star City, the news of their expulsion of the Blood Sword's men could no longer be concealed.
In just one night, nearly all of Killing Star City knew about this incident.
Among the Angels of Vengeance, there was a ruthless master, a young prodigy. With a single blow, he completely intimidated the Blood Swords' leader and advisors, even crippling their chief general.
Rumors spread like wildfire throughout Killing Star City, growing increasingly ferocious. This incident even caused many lone mercenaries who had hesitated and ultimately refused to join the Angels of Vengeance to regret not joining.
At this very moment, Wei Silong bluntly rejected the lone mercenaries who offered to join the Angels of Vengeance.
After just a few days, the rumors throughout Killing Star City converged: the young deputy leader of the Angels of Vengeance was a genius on par with the Red Devil Prince.
Ming Qi, however, paid no heed to these rumors. These rare days of leisure allowed him to steadily cultivate while devoting the rest of his time to studying his cultivation techniques.
Ming Qi currently possessed the Vermillion Bird Burning Heaven Scripture and the Great Ancient Mirror Scripture, both top-tier martial arts. Achieving a certain level of mastery in either would yield significant achievements.
Beyond these two techniques, Ming Qi also devoted time to carefully considering lesser-known techniques, such as the Blood Control Technique and the Eight Trigrams Seal.
Wei Silong and Mo Changli, on the other hand, were busy developing their mercenary group. With the powerful momentum brought by Ming Qi, the rest of the process was largely smooth sailing. A few days later, the main storefront representing the Angels of Vengeance Mercenary Group opened on the streets of Killing Star City.
Although Wei Silong had rejected many individual mercenaries, she didn't reject them all. She would retain only the more reliable individuals based on her own judgment to strengthen the group.
In just one month, the Angels of Vengeance's overall strength had surpassed that of the long-established Blood Sword, and they were poised to break away from the ranks of third-rate mercenaries.
Ming Qi generally stayed out of this, ignoring those who weren't deliberately seeking trouble.
At this moment, Wei Silong's ambition truly became apparent. While she continued to expand her power, she was no longer solely focused on simply securing payment from her employers. This was evident from the numerous spies she had dispatched.
Ming Qi also knew that Wei Silong's ultimate goal was to build a powerful force to contribute to the Celestial Clan. The Celestial Clan's target was the gods of heaven and earth. Even considering this ambitious, almost legendary goal, it was clear that Wei Silong had much more to plan.
In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed, and the Angels of Vengeance had firmly established themselves within Killing Star City. While they still couldn't compare to the larger mercenary groups on the list, the average second- and third-rate mercenary groups wouldn't dare engage in direct confrontation with the Angels of Vengeance. As for the once-aggressive Blood Sword Mercenary Group, it had quickly faded from the radar of Killing Star City's mercenaries, becoming insignificant.
Ming, Deputy Captain of the Angels of Vengeance, was like a dazzling new star, rapidly blossoming over Killing Star City. While there's a fair bit of truth to this story, any mercenary member of the Angels of Vengeance would relish it.
At the height of summer, at the end of the month, a ruddy-faced old man and a young girl in green arrived at the Angels of Vengeance's base.
"Xiao Qi, your illness isn't completely healed yet. Are you serious about joining this mercenary group? I tell you, this is no joke."
Standing in front of the base, the old man continued to mutter.
"Alright, alright. I'm a powerful innate being now, after all. And you know what I love most: adventure. Traveling the world adventuring—that's my greatest wish in life."
The young girl pouted and tugged at the old man's sleeve, shaking it.
Faced with the girl's coquettish behavior, the old man was completely helpless and ultimately reluctantly agreed.
But he knew full well that since he was already here, there was no reason to refuse. He simply wanted the girl to understand that true immortal mercenaries weren't carefree travelers. A true mercenary lived a life on the edge of danger, where a single mistake could cost them their lives.
"Let's go!"
The girl didn't care. She tugged on the old man's sleeve and walked inside.
"What are you doing?"
As soon as the two of them entered the base's gate, the two mercenaries on guard immediately stood up.
"I'm here to join the mercenary group. I know your leader, the genius," the girl, Xiao Qi, said to the two mercenaries with a smile.
Although the girl, with her oval face and willow-shaped eyebrows, looked petite and charming, the two guards were unfazed. The head commander had instructed them not to let anyone in without permission.
"Hey, young lady, many people know our talented captain. Just because you're just saying that, I can't let you in."
Seeing the guards refuse to let him in, Xiao Qi waved his hand and gently pointed, releasing a stream of pure innate energy, leaving the two guards stunned.
Though the two guards weren't at innate strength, as the saying goes, even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen countless pigs. They immediately recognized Xiao Qi as an innate expert.
"How about... wait a moment while I go in and announce it."
Seeing an innate expert volunteering to join, the two brothers didn't dare to delay. One of them turned to look for Wei Silong.
But just as he turned, he heard a tiger roar not far away. The majestic Dabai had already rushed over.