Jiang Xiaotian’s guess was correct!
It was indeed Jiang Han who had returned to Jiang Family Town. The signal flare had been released by a member of the Jiang family patrol team to alert the clansmen, urging them to raise their guard and gather to encircle the intruder.
In truth, Jiang Han had descended the mountain at noon.
He had deliberately struck out and killed two patrol members on the Eighth Peak, purely to lure Jiang Xiaotian and the others into hunting him across the mountain.
Upon hearing the patrol members mention that Jiang Xiaotian had gone up, he had immediately resolved to sneak back down to Jiang Family Town to rescue Jiang Li.
The Jiang clan possessed a total of four Profound Nether Realm experts. The Patriarch was in Secluded Cultivation, attempting to break through to the Mountain and Sea Realm; the First Elder was bedridden with illness; the Second Elder was in Yunmeng City; and the only remaining Profound Nether Realm expert, Third Elder Jiang Xiaotian, was now up on the mountain.
It was a golden opportunity that came once in a lifetime. If he could save Jiang Li, he could take her and flee far away. With his Burrowing Technique, no one would be able to stop him.
Jiang Han did not strike immediately upon arriving at Jiang Family Town. Instead, he waited patiently for his chance.
Only after night fell did he use the Burrowing Technique to travel underground. Based on his estimations, he surfaced near the small courtyard where Jiang Li was being held.
But he found nothing.
Jiang Li had already been moved to the Elder Courtyard by the Third Elder. This small courtyard was completely empty.
Left with no choice, Jiang Han was forced to make a move. He quietly subdued a patrol member and interrogated him to find out where Jiang Li was imprisoned.
To prevent any mishaps, he sent the man straight to the King of Hell.
Unfortunately, before he even reached the Elder Courtyard, a streak of fire shot into the sky, bursting into a bloom of sparks mid-air.
It seemed his luck was terrible. The patrol member’s corpse had likely been discovered…
Staring at the flare dissipating in the sky, a look of conflict crossed Jiang Han’s face.
Flee?
Or fight?
The Elder Courtyard was just ahead, not far from the Patriarch’s residence. If the Patriarch was alerted, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The Jiang Patriarch was an expert at the ninth level of the Profound Nether Realm. He would absolutely not need a second move to kill Jiang Han.
“I’ll risk it!”
A flash of resolute determination appeared on his face. He was already outside the Elder Courtyard. He was so close to seeing Jiang Li; he refused to just walk away.
He decided to gamble. He would bet that the Patriarch was in deep Secluded Cultivation and would not be disturbed.
Swish!
Jiang Han no longer hid his presence. With a swift leap, he landed atop the courtyard wall.
Sweeping his gaze across the area, he quickly locked onto a specific location. There was a sizable group of people gathered there; it had to be where Jiang Li was kept. The source of this chapter is novelping.com.
Having confirmed his direction, Jiang Han darted toward the left courtyard without hesitation. It was the most direct route.
“Jiang Han!”
Torches burned on either side of the courtyard gates. Several men stood guard at the entrance, led by Jiang Long.
Seeing Jiang Han charging straight at them, Jiang Long’s eyes boiled with Killing Intent. He instantly drew his longsword and sneered, “There is a road to heaven, but you refuse to take it; there is no gate to hell, yet you barge right in. Since you’re here, don’t even think about leaving!”
Jiang Han didn’t slow his pace. Glaring at Jiang Long from a distance, he shouted, “I only want to take Jiang Li. Don’t force me to go on a killing spree. Get out of my way!”
The other guards exchanged uneasy glances, their hearts pounding. Jiang Han had been slaughtering with red-eyed frenzy these past few days. Too many had already died by his hands.
In their eyes, Jiang Han was no longer the simple, weak youth they used to bully. He had become a god of slaughter, a demon.
“Attack together! Kill him!”
Jiang Long roared and charged forward, taking the lead.
The men behind him gritted their teeth and followed. Though terrified, Jiang Han had already broken into the Elder Courtyard. They couldn’t let him escape, or they would never be able to answer to the Third Elder.
“Die!”
Jiang Long unleashed a profound technique, his longsword thrusting toward Jiang Han in a continuous, surging tide.
Jiang Han shouted, his body leaping high into the air. He dodged Jiang Long’s flurry of strikes and then hovered motionless.
This was a combat tactic Jiang Han had recently mastered: unleashing Phantom Shift mid-leap. His afterimage remained frozen in the air, drawing his enemies’ attention and instinctively stunning them, causing their reactions to slow by a fraction of a second.
Jiang Han’s true body appeared beside one of the guards. With a single slash, he sent the man flying.
Jiang Han held nothing back. The brutal experiences of the past few days had taught him a simple truth: when facing an enemy, either don’t strike at all, or strike without a shred of mercy.
To show mercy to an enemy was to invite his own death.
Swish!
He dashed to the left, his long saber streaking out like a meteor, aiming straight for another guard’s head. The man scrambled back in terror as Jiang Long and the others rushed to help.
But… Jiang Han suddenly stopped moving again.
He triggered the Phantom Shift once more. His true body instantly materialized behind a patrol member, reaping his life with a single stroke.
In the blink of an eye, Jiang Han had cut down two men. Everyone gasped in cold fear. Jiang Han was too strong. Slaying Purple Mansion Realm cultivators was as easy as butchering dogs to him.
“Hold on! Reinforcements will be here soon!” Jiang Long swung his sword again, roaring, “Jiang Han is here!”
“Die!”
Jiang Han fixed his gaze on Jiang Long and used Phantom Shift to appear behind his left shoulder.
Jiang Long reacted swiftly, immediately using a movement technique to evade. Even so, the blade tore across his back.
He thrust his sword backward, but as the blade pierced Jiang Han’s chest, he realized it was yet another afterimage. The piercing sound of a blade tearing through the air rang out behind him once more.
A massive force slammed into his back, accompanied by agonizing pain.
His heart trembled, and despair overtook his face. He knew this slash had claimed his life; his internal organs were entirely shattered. Summoning the last dregs of his strength, he howled, “Then we die together!”
Forsaking all defense, Jiang Long violently swung his longsword backward at Jiang Han in a desperate, suicidal strike.
Boom!
Jiang Long’s bloodshot eyes stared fixedly at Jiang Han as his longsword swept effortlessly through the boy’s body. He had struck empty air again.
His body crashed heavily to the ground. His wide-open eyes stared at the slowly fading afterimage, brimming with hatred and bitter reluctance. Gradually, the world before him faded to black…
Jiang Long was dead!
Jiang Long was their strongest fighter, yet he had been casually slaughtered. Staying here would only guarantee their own deaths. The remaining guards, their courage utterly broken, turned and fled.
Jiang Han did not bother to pursue them. He kicked open the main doors and sprinted into the courtyard.
But the main hall was completely empty. Not a single soul was inside. Frantic, he bellowed, “Jiang Li! Where are you? Jiang Li!”
No one answered. His voice simply echoed through the hollow hall of the Elder Courtyard.
“Jiang Li! Jiang Li!”
Jiang Han screamed himself hoarse. Snatching a torch, he kicked in door after door. But… even after tearing through every single room, Jiang Li was nowhere to be found.
Heavy footsteps and chaotic shouting approached from the distance.
Jiang Han knew his time was up. He had used Phantom Shift in rapid succession, draining a massive amount of his mental energy, and the period of weakness from the Power of Frenzy was fast approaching.
He tossed the torch directly onto a bed, smashed through a window, and looked for a patch of soft earth to burrow away.
“What’s going on? Why is it so noisy?”
At that moment, a middle-aged woman ran over from an adjacent side-courtyard. Seeing the flames in the room, she immediately shrieked, “Fire! Come quickly, put out the fire!”
“Hmm?”
Jiang Han glanced over, his Killing Intent instantly erupting. It was the very woman who had guarded Jiang Li.
He vividly remembered how roughly she had dragged Jiang Li away, and the sharp sound of that slap.
“Ah?!”
Jiang Han blurred and reappeared right in front of her. The woman, still screaming for help, jumped out of her skin at the sudden intrusion and let out a shrill cry of terror.
Squelch!
Jiang Han drove his long saber straight forward, piercing the woman cleanly through the heart. Then, he activated his Burrowing Technique, sinking into the earth and vanishing without a trace.