Chapter 253 - 234: Old Acquaintances
Outside Huanshou Mountain, several figures appeared by the shore. A young and handsome man said anxiously, "Uncle Fifteen, the Dark Soul Fragrance on Xiaojiu disappeared right here."
This person was Jiang Shihua, an old acquaintance of Chen Ming. The Dark Soul Fragrance he mentioned was a special incense. Ordinary people couldn’t smell it, but there was a kind of spiritual bird that was extremely sensitive to this scent and could detect it from afar.
Therefore, it became one of the means the Jiang Family used to locate their own members.
Uncle Fifteen was a man with a cold and harsh expression. He seemed quite young, but high-ranking martial artists aged slowly, making it hard to determine age just from appearance.
"The thief actually knows how to cover the Dark Soul Fragrance, clearly not an ordinary person. However, anyone who dares to touch someone from our Jiang Family, regardless of who they are, must die!"
This person was named Jiang Mingtong, ranked fifteenth, with Second Grade Cultivation. He happened to be nearby visiting a friend.
Early today, he discovered the Jiang Family’s distress signal and rushed over immediately. Learning of Xiaojiu’s disappearance, he was furious.
The Jiang Family is one of the Three Great Families in Jiangzhou, renowned and powerful. To think someone would dare to provoke the Jiang Family, his anger was imaginable.
Beside him, a friend said, "Mingtong, let’s not be hasty. Shaohong, being a local, might have some clues."
Yao Shaohong looked at the boundless reed marshes and pondered, "In the depths of this lake lies Huanshou Mountain, occupied by a group of water bandits. I’ve met their leader once; he has Third Grade Cultivation. Although he’s a bandit, he never loots the local villages. I’ve heard they rob merchant ships in neighboring Xiazhou. He has a bit of a chivalrous reputation locally. Perhaps we can ask him for help."
Jiang Mingtong’s eyes sparkled, "That would be best. Please lead the way, Brother Yao."
He understood that Xiaojiu’s disappearance here was likely connected to that group of water bandits.
Let’s pressure them first and rescue Xiaojiu.
If there’s still no news of Xiaojiu, then let the water bandits be buried with Xiaojiu!
Among those present were his three friends. They shared similar interests and strength, known collectively as the Four Friends of Dongchuan.
With all four at Second Grade, unless they encountered a First Grade, no one could withstand their combined strength.
"Let’s go."
The group of six, led by Yao Shaohong, headed towards Huanshou Mountain.
...
Huanshou Mountain, inside the cave.
When Du Rusong’s figure disappeared into thin air, Chen Ming cursed inwardly, "This is a trap!" but dared not move.
He could feel a cold intent locking onto him. Any movement would surely provoke a thunderous strike.
Having interacted with several First Grade powerhouses, and even exchanged blows, he knew very well the attack methods of a First Grade powerhouse. So, he waited, waited for an opportunity.
The opportunity came swiftly!
Chen Ming could keep calm, but Tao Zhiquan couldn’t hold back and was the first to run.
Such swift body technique!
Chen Ming squinted. He didn’t know the strength of this Divine Capture, but his escape skills were top-notch. In terms of body technique, just slightly inferior to Chen Ming himself.
Unfortunately, no matter how fast Tao Zhiquan was, how could he outrun Sword Intent?
A flash of cold white light streaked by. Tao Zhiquan, almost out of the cave, was pierced through. He didn’t even let out a groan, but his body gained even more speed, successfully dashing out of the cave.
"Humph!"
Xie Jianqiu sneered coldly, "Even after taking a hit from my sword, he won’t get far. Guang’er, chase after him and kill him."
He cast a cold gaze at the remaining five members of the Six Gates.
The only option now was to kill them all, then forcibly extract the Jiang Family girl abducted yesterday to heal himself.
Although it was somewhat regrettable, he had to restore his strength before Du Rusong left the Secret Realm and then kill Du Rusong here.
The secret of the Secret Realm, once exposed, he could never hold onto. That would cut off the path to the Divine Treasure Realm, something he couldn’t accept.
What a vast opportunity it was to obtain a Secret Realm?
Xie Jianqiu believed he was destined for greatness, especially after escaping from the Great Prison, he was even more convinced.
In the five hundred years since the founding of Great Jin, how many have escaped the Great Prison of Six Gates?
"Now, it’s your turn!"
Xie Jianqiu raised a hand, splitting into five Sword Gangs, attacking the five Six Gates henchmen present.
Faced with a First Grade powerhouse, Zhu Wanlin and the others fought desperately, using their most secret life-saving techniques.
Chen Ming couldn’t care about the others anymore. He drew the "Mingfeng Sword," ready to take a stand.
Against a First Grade powerhouse, running was futile and would lead to the same end as Tao Zhiquan. There was no other way but to face it head-on.
Unless his Primordial Spirit was stronger than First Grade, a First Grade powerhouse’s attack would never miss, as Gang Yuan had its own spirituality, able to track the enemy automatically.
"Ha!"
Chen Ming gritted his teeth, facing that cold Sword Gang. Before it even arrived, a stabbing pain radiated through his head, as the bone-chilling cold seemed to freeze his Gang Yuan and consciousness.
Is this the power of his Sword Intent?
How terrifying!
He struggled to circulate the Gang Yuan within his body, managing to urge the "Artifact Control Technique." Instantly, the "Mingfeng Sword" in his hand emitted a warm sensation, dispelling the cold.
Boom!
Simultaneously, the Sword Gang arrived. The terrifying force caused the "Mingfeng Sword" to emit a wailing sound, and with a ding, it broke in two.
Chen Ming’s whole body was sent flying, crashing into the mountain wall, collapsing a piece of rock that buried him beneath.
Not far away, Xie Jianqiu exclaimed in surprise, "An Unparalleled Divine Weapon?"
Quickly, he realized something and felt a hint of regret, "How unfortunate it’s already destroyed."
However, even a broken Unparalleled Divine Weapon held immense value, and later, he could find a master swordsmith to reassemble it.
He was just about to move when his gaze suddenly sharpened, looking toward the outside of the cave. He saw a group of people swiftly flying toward him, among them four Second Grade cultivators.
"Trouble!"
A flash of ferocity appeared in Xie Jianqiu’s eyes. Normally, four Second Grades wouldn’t require much effort, but now that his foundation was damaged and he was injured on top of that, dealing with these four might not be easy.
"First Grade?"
The newcomers were Jiang Mingtong and his party. After they landed on the island, they discovered dead bodies everywhere and realized something happened on the island. Hearing the sounds of battle, they followed the noise and stumbled upon this fight.
When they discovered a First Grade presence here, Jiang Mingtong’s eyes narrowed, and he immediately felt the urge to retreat.
The others felt the same; no one wanted to risk their life for a rescue.
Jiang Mingtong decisively said, "Esteemed senior, we’re just passing through. Please continue!"
After speaking, he intended to withdraw.
Just then, one of the Third Grade Golden Robe cultivators, who had just barely blocked a Sword Gang, said, "There’s a Secret Realm here! This person is the master of the realm—"
Shhh Shhh!
Xie Jianqiu raised his hand and unleashed two Sword Intents, finally piercing through the shield in the Third Grade Golden Robe’s hand.
Unfortunately, the secret had already been exposed.
He looked at the six newcomers and eerily said, "You all heard, then you must die!"
Jiang Mingtong and his party’s faces changed dramatically.
Secret Realms are key to unlocking Divine Treasures, treasures over which First Grade experts would fight fiercely.
Possession of a Secret Realm is the secret to a family’s or sect’s everlasting success, ensuring their Divine Treasure Realm experts are never exhausted.
This First Grade expert turned out to be the master of the Secret Realm!
It seemed that to preserve this secret, he intended to silence them.
Jiang Mingtong shouted, "Don’t try to escape; you can’t get away. Fight to the death!"
The other three understood the danger and swiftly drew their weapons.
Xie Jianqiu attacked first, and a fierce battle erupted.
...
In an unnoticed corner, Chen Ming crawled out from under a pile of rocks. Taking a glance at the battle, he spotted a familiar figure and wondered, "Jiang Shihua? What is he doing here?"
It seemed he was an expert from the Jiang Family.
Regardless, thanks to their arrival, Xie Jianqiu couldn’t focus on him, and his chance finally came.
With a flash, Chen Ming left the area.
He didn’t attempt to escape through the cave’s entrance but instead ventured further inside the cave.
Xie Jianqiu was determined to kill all witnesses, so he would be watching the cave entrance. Anyone trying to escape would be attacked.
Chen Ming went the opposite way to check if there was another exit inside.
Moving quickly, he floated into one of the passages.
Of the remaining people, either they were fighting, dead, or heavily injured, so no one noticed him.
The passage within the cave seemed to be artificially carved and appeared to be very ancient.
Chen Ming sheathed the two-piece "Mingfeng Sword," feeling somewhat disheartened. Initially, this Divine Weapon had regained some spirituality, and now it was destroyed like this, which was truly unfortunate.
"You saved my life again."
He silently mourned for a few seconds and vowed, "I will definitely avenge you."
In fact, the "Mingfeng Sword" wasn’t destroyed just now; it had already surpassed its endurance when the Primordial Spirit of the Immortal Demon Venerable and the Golden Flame entered, significantly decreasing its durability.
Later, it was further battered by the "Zhichi Demon Sword," adding insult to injury.
Just now, the "Mingfeng Sword" used its last bit of original power to dispel the chill for him, ending its life as it broke in two.
Next time I see Yu Haitang, I’ll ask if she has any way to repair the "Mingfeng Sword."
With thoughts racing, Chen Ming delved deeper, casually killing any bandits he occasionally encountered. However, these bandits had low cultivation, providing little experience points.
He moved rapidly, navigating numerous branching paths, resembling a giant labyrinth. He struggled to judge the direction, increasingly sensing something was amiss.
"This path seems to keep going downward. Probably no exit."
Chen Ming planned to change direction when he suddenly heard a noise from a particular direction. His interest piqued, he headed that way.
"Help, somebody, save me..."
"Can anyone save me..."
"I’ll give anything to anyone who can rescue me, even my heart, sob sob..."
"Stop shouting; no one’s coming to save us."
The voices grew clearer, identifying them as two women’s voices.
Yet, the first voice sounded somewhat familiar?
After a while, Chen Ming reached a stone door. Looking inside, he saw a large stone chamber with two cages, each holding a woman.
So it was her?
He instantly recognized the loud wailing woman as Jiang Yingxue, the little green tea girl.
No wonder Jiang Shihua was here; he came to rescue her.