Cao Mansion.
Looking at the dark tunnel entrance before them, the crowd was momentarily stunned.
"A tunnel? There's a tunnel under the Cao Mansion?"
"No wonder! No wonder Jiang Ning was stomping the ground earlier he was trying to collapse it!"
"..."
Amid the hushed whispers, Jiang Ning stared at the dark tunnel entrance and said, "Why are you still hiding? Come out!"
At that moment, a cold, sinister laugh echoed from the depths of the tunnel.
"Commander Jiang, impressive skills!"
"Stop hiding and show yourself!" Jiang Ning demanded.
"If Commander Jiang insists on choosing death, then I'll come out," the voice replied.
In an instant, a figure shot out of the dark tunnel, moving like a ghost under the cover of night and rain.
"Sir, be careful!"
"..."
Xie Xiaojiu, Feng Jiuge, and the others shouted in alarm, their faces filled with shock.
They realized that the figure's speed was far beyond theirs. In the blink of an eye, it was within three feet of Jiang Ning.
They couldn't react in time and could only shout a warning.
Such speed meant one thing: the figure's strength far surpassed theirs.
In other words, the figure was at least a seventh-grade martial artist.
In the flash of lightning.
Boom
A bolt of lightning lit up the sky, casting a pale white light over the scene.
Clang
A blade flashed, sparks flying.
In the next moment, the figure was sent flying backward.
"Impressive skills!"
"Commander Jiang, you've been hiding your true strength!"
The voice was filled with wariness.
At the same time, Feng Jiuge looked at Jiang Ning in shock.
"Where did that weapon come from?"
"Just now... he didn't have a weapon, did he?"
Feng Jiuge thought to herself as she watched Jiang Ning holding the blade.
At that moment.
Boom
Jiang Ning stomped the ground.
Mud and rainwater splattered everywhere.
"Split into two groups! Half of you go to the backyard the tunnel entrance is there. Make sure no one escapes, especially the God Worship Cult members!"
"Feng Jiuge, take your team and round up all the Cao family members. Bring them to the front courtyard. Anyone who resists, kill them!"
Jiang Ning shouted as he charged toward the retreating figure.
"Yes, sir!" The team leaders responded immediately.
Feng Jiuge, without hesitation, led her team deeper into the Cao Mansion.
Meanwhile, the flash of lightning revealed the figure's appearance.
It was an emaciated old man wearing a black hood and robe, his face gaunt and skeletal.
The old man retreated rapidly while shouting, "Cao Guangsheng, Zhao Ming, take advantage of the night and break through the encirclement! Do not engage in prolonged combat!"
His words caused a stir among the guests.
"Cao Guangsheng? The Cao family patriarch is in the tunnel?"
"So it seems! The Cao family is in deep trouble, colluding with the God Worship Cult."
"But Jiang Ning is also in trouble! If Cao Rong returns from Dongling City, how will Jiang Ning face him?"
"Cao Rong... that's a real problem for Jiang Ning! Among seventh-grade martial artists, Cao Rong is practically invincible in Dongling County. With his archery skills, even sixth-grade experts fear him!"
"..."
As the guests whispered among themselves, murmurs also came from the tunnel.
A moment later, figures began pouring out of the tunnel.
Clang
Xie Xiaojiu immediately drew her sword.
Ruan Hongmei, who had been about to lead her team to the backyard, turned back upon seeing this.
The old man who had been forced back by Jiang Ning's blade now lunged forward again, his serpent-like sword gleaming with a green light in the darkness.
"Commander Jiang, let this old man see what makes you a prodigy on the Hidden Dragon Ranking!" the gaunt old man said, his eyes glinting coldly.
Facing the old man's attack, Jiang Ning swung his blade again.
From their brief exchange earlier, Jiang Ning had already gauged the old man's strength.
The old man was a seventh-grade martial artist, roughly on par with Liu Qingsong.
Back then, Jiang Ning hadn't dared to face Liu Qingsong head-on, even underwater.
But now, things were different. After their brief clash, Jiang Ning found it easy to handle the old man.
Without even unlocking his full potential or using his internal breath, Jiang Ning had effortlessly sent the old man flying with a single strike.
Clang
Sparks flew.
The old man's face flushed red.
He took a few steps back.
"You all, break through the encirclement! I'll hold off Jiang Ning!"
Hearing this, both Cao Guangsheng, the Cao family patriarch, and Xie Xiaojiu's team realized something.
As peak eighth-grade martial artists, they could tell from the exchange that the old man was undoubtedly a seventh-grade expert.
And yet, this seventh-grade expert could only say that he would "hold off" Jiang Ning.
"Has the commander broken through again?" Xie Xiaojiu thought to herself.
"Hold me off?" Jiang Ning said calmly.
Then, he swung his blade again.
This strike carried five layers of force, his blood and energy surging, and his internal breath erupting.
The blade moved like a flash of light.
Clang
The serpent-like sword was sliced in two.
In the old man's disbelieving eyes, Jiang Ning's blade turned and slashed toward his throat.
In an instant, the old man's expression turned to horror. His tendons tightened like bowstrings, and he tried to retreat.
But Jiang Ning's blade was faster.
With the boost from his internal breath, the blade was 30% faster than before.
That 30% difference was the line between life and death.
Gurgle
The old man opened his mouth, black blood pouring out, choking his words.
"I... I'm not... done yet!" he managed to say through the blood.
His eyes were filled with deep resentment.
In his mind, he still had many techniques he hadn't used.
If he had transformed into his divine form, he would have gained an indestructible body.
With such a body, this wound would have been nothing more than a scratch.
Even if his neck had been severed, as long as it was reattached quickly, he could have survived.
But now, it was too late.
His spine was severed, and only a thin layer of skin held his head to his body.
Such an injury was beyond saving.
Meanwhile, the crowd in the front courtyard was stunned.
"Is the commander this strong? A seventh-grade expert, killed in just a few strikes?" Xie Xiaojiu thought, her mind reeling.
"So powerful!" Ruan Hongmei, who had just returned, could only think of these two words.
At the same time, Cao Guangsheng, the Cao family patriarch, felt as if he had been plunged into an icy abyss.
No one understood the old man's identity and strength better than he did.
This old man was the incense master of Luoshui County, the only one of his kind.
A seventh-grade martial artist.
If he had used his divine form, even an ordinary sixth-grade expert would have struggled to deal with him.
With such strength, such status Cao Guangsheng never expected him to fall so easily.
And with the incense master's death, the Cao family's fate was sealed.
If Jiang Ning could kill the incense master, who could stop him now?
The Cao family's seventh-grade martial artist was old and frail, stubbornly refusing to become a divine being.
How could he possibly stand against Jiang Ning?
"Why are you still standing there? Move!" Jiang Ning barked at the stunned Xie Xiaojiu and Ruan Hongmei.
"Yes, sir!" Ruan Hongmei responded.
"Yes, sir!" Xie Xiaojiu quickly snapped out of her daze.
"Surrender, and you'll be spared!" Xie Xiaojiu shouted at the Cao family members.
"Surrender, and you'll be spared!" Ruan Hongmei echoed.
"Avenge the incense master! Follow me!!" The cult members who had just emerged from the tunnel, seeing the old man's death, charged at Jiang Ning with bloodshot eyes.
At the same time, Xie Xiaojiu and Ruan Hongmei plunged into the crowd.
With their eighth-grade strength, they were like tigers among sheep.
A crack of the whip sent people flying, limbs broken.
A flash of the sword, and blood sprayed into the air.
"Fellow clansmen, I am a member of the Inspector's Office. I know how they operate. If we fight now, we still have a chance to preserve the Cao family's legacy!"
"If we surrender, we're doomed!"
"The Inspector's Office is using us as an example!"
Someone in the Cao family broke the silence and shouted.
With that, he charged forward.
At that moment.
Crack
A bolt of lightning split the night, illuminating the Cao Mansion as bright as day.
In the flash, everyone saw who had spoken.
It was Cao Zijian, the most outstanding young talent of the Cao family!
He had joined the Inspector's Office just days ago.
As he charged forward, he continued, "For the sake of the Cao family's survival, follow me!"
"That's right! Brother is right!" someone in the crowd shouted. "Follow him!"
"Kill! The rain is a sign from heaven, giving the Cao family hope! Follow me and fight!"
"Kill!"
"..."
In an instant, chaos erupted.
Some charged toward Jiang Ning, others tried to scale the walls, and some turned back into the main hall, extinguishing the candles and lanterns.
Seeing this, Jiang Ning stopped watching.
The Cao Mansion had over three hundred people. If they all resisted fiercely, even with the city guards surrounding the mansion, there would inevitably be gaps.
For both public and private reasons, Jiang Ning didn't want any complications.
In the next moment, as Jiang Ning joined the fray, it was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep.
Every flash of his blade claimed a life.
In the chaos, Jiang Ning's blade slid across Cao Bin's throat.
In his dazed eyes, life faded away.
At that moment, the last remaining lights in the main hall were extinguished.
Under the dark clouds and pouring rain, the front courtyard of the Cao Mansion was plunged into complete darkness.
"Run! Climb the walls and escape!" someone shouted.
Seeing this, Jiang Ning focused his mind.
In the pitch-black night, rainwater gathered in the air, forming blades of water.
The blades resembled the one in Jiang Ning's hand.
Since his mental energy had become tangible and could briefly leave his body, Jiang Ning discovered that his water manipulation ability had grown stronger and more precise.
His cloud and rain summoning ability had also leveled up.
If necessary, he could now cover the entire Luoshui County with clouds.
Previously, he could only cover half.
Now, with his water manipulation, he formed three water blades.
Given his current abilities, this was the limit of his fine control.
In the next moment, the three water blades, along with Jiang Ning himself, quadrupled the efficiency of his killing.
Screams filled the air.
In the near-total darkness, the cries of agony filled everyone with dread.
Especially the guests who had come to celebrate the Cao family patriarch's birthday. They huddled in corners, not daring to move.
In the darkness, where visibility was limited to about ten feet, everyone feared the blade that might come for them.
This continued for about ten breaths.
Outside the Cao Mansion's walls, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Commander Jiang! Let me lend you a hand!"
As the voice spoke, torches were thrown over the walls into the Cao Mansion.
These torches were special even in the pouring rain, the flames didn't go out.
With the light from the torches, the darkness was dispelled.
Jiang Ning stopped his slaughter. Despite having taken many lives, his blade, washed clean by the rain, gleamed as if new.
As for the water blades Jiang Ning had been controlling, he dispersed them before the torches lit up the courtyard.
Now, the crowd was filled with terror.
Bodies littered the ground.
The entire front courtyard of the Cao Mansion was stained with blood.
Of the Cao family members who had emerged from the tunnel and those from the banquet, only a dozen or so remained.
The guests, seeing this, felt their legs go weak.
"How many did he kill in such a short time?"
"Even slaughtering chickens wouldn't be this fast!"
"What level is Jiang Ning at? He can't possibly be just a peak eighth-grade martial artist!"
"Who knows? Why don't you ask him?"
"..."
Amid the guests' hushed whispers, Jiang Ning calmly looked at Cao Guangsheng.
"Will you still resist?"
Cao Guangsheng glanced around, his legs giving way as he collapsed to the ground.
For his 50th birthday, all the Cao family members had returned.
The core members of the Cao family had all been at the banquet.
Now, among the bodies around him, he saw his sons, grandsons, granddaughters, cousins...
The bloody scene left Cao Guangsheng's eyes dull.
After a few moments of silence, he asked hoarsely, "If we surrender, will my family be spared?"
"Whether they live or die is up to the Director," Jiang Ning replied.
Hearing this, Cao Guangsheng fell silent.
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