The Blood Slaughter Brothers, Wu Da, and Ding Yunzhong were all utterly horrified.

They had assumed that with the Nether Wolf making a move, Jiang Chen was sure to die. Instead, he had been slain by a single slash of Jiang Chen’s sword, leaving not even a trace behind.

Such terrifying strength left everyone stunned and unable to accept what they had just witnessed.

"You’re next!"

Jiang Chen swept his longsword out, his icy gaze falling upon Wu Da and the others.

GULP—

Wu Da and the Blood Slaughter Brothers swallowed hard in unison. "Brother," they stammered, "we never attacked you!"

The Blood Slaughter Brothers nodded vigorously, their previous arrogance gone. "We’re willing to hand Ding Yunzhong over to you!" one said anxiously.

"Blood Slaughter! Wu Da! How could you do this?" Ding Yunzhong roared, his face contorted with fury, though he was scared out of his wits.

Wu Da snorted coldly and struck Ding Yunzhong with his palm, severely injuring him. "A wise man submits to circumstances," Wu Da said indifferently. "Who told you to be so blind as to offend this brother?"

"Hand him over and appease this brother’s anger!" one of the Blood Slaughter Brothers added.

Blood trickled from the corner of Ding Yunzhong’s mouth. Full of despair, he was dragged by one of the Blood Slaughter Brothers and thrown before Jiang Chen. He forced himself to look up at Jiang Chen’s emotionless face and gave a pained smile. "I-if I begged you to spare me now... w-would you agree?"

"What do you think?"

Jiang Chen replied with a smirk that wasn’t a smile.

"P-Probably not..." A bitter expression appeared on Ding Yunzhong’s face.

"Good that you know."

The words fell, the sword flashed, and a head hit the ground.

Ding Yunzhong’s head rolled across the ground, his eyes wide with venomous hatred as he managed to choke out his last words, "My... My father... won’t let you... get away with this..."

"Ding Qianqiu? A good-for-nothing who can’t even make it into the top ten of the Demon Hunting List? If he comes, I don’t mind sending you two to reunite as father and son." Jiang Chen shook his head nonchalantly. He then turned to Wu Da and the Blood Slaughter Brothers, baring his teeth in a grim smile. "Little Black, Little White, come out and slaughter these dogs!"

"ROAR!"

Little White’s body swelled, transforming into a majestic beast ten meters long and four meters tall.

An aura of extreme cold emanated from its body as it charged into the crowd.

The Black Emperor beat its wings, its speed astonishing. It was like a tiger let loose among sheep, cutting down swathes of enemies.

"Damn it..."

"We were willing to negotiate, not because we’re afraid of you! Kid, don’t push your luck!"

The expressions of the Blood Slaughter Brothers, Wu Da, and the others changed. They glared at Jiang Chen, their killing intent surging.

"Me, pushing my luck? When you were planning to use me as bait, to test the waters, why didn’t you say you were the ones going too far?"

Jiang Chen shook his head slightly, his face filled with utter scorn and disdain. He snorted and raised his sword high. "If I weren’t strong enough, and you had captured me to use as bait, would you have let me live? Those who kill will always be killed. Since you wanted to kill me, you should have been prepared to be killed by me. Now, die!"

Gale Break—

The Sword Skill was fierce, the Sword Qi sharp and unstoppable.

"AARGH..."

The Blood Slaughter Brothers were twins, born of the same mother, and they had exceptional rapport. But against Jiang Chen’s impossibly fast sword, they only had time for a single wretched scream before their heads flew high into the air.

Jiang Chen’s dark gaze turned to Wu Da. "Die!"

"Kid, I’ll fight you to the death!" Wu Da roared, gripping a jet-black Battle Halberd and thrusting it at Jiang Chen.

BOOM—

Sword Qi and Halberd Aura collided in mid-air.

It was like an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. The two completely different energies clashed, erupting with terrifying bolts of power. The shockwaves alone blasted deep craters into the ground. The earth itself seemed to tear apart as a fissure spread out from beneath their feet, sending up plumes of black smoke. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"Break!"

Jiang Chen’s brow twitched. With a cold shout, the True Essence in his body surged wildly, flooding into the Qingfeng Sword.

The lithe longsword seemed to transform into a towering mountain, impossibly heavy. With a loud CRACK, it snapped the Battle Halberd in two. The razor-sharp blade continued its downward arc, cleaving down from the top of Wu Da’s head. Wu Da shuddered, still clutching his broken Battle Halberd as he staggered back a few steps. Suddenly, with a wet tearing sound, his body split in half down the middle, spilling blood and viscera all over the ground!

As for the remaining experts, faced with the combined might of Jiang Chen and his two beasts, it was a one-sided slaughter.

Not a single one was left alive.

All of them were slain.

The entrance to the small town was now a mountain of corpses in a sea of blood, with bodies strewn everywhere and rivers of gore flowing freely.

Jiang Chen stood in a pool of blood, the Black Emperor and Little White landing beside him. His gaze fell on the two stone lions, a curious look on his face. "Little Black, these two stone lions don’t seem special. Why are they able to attack and kill people at will?"

"Those aren’t stone lions. They’re a type of Demon Beast called the Cyan Rock Lion, Tier Two High Level, comparable to a human at the True Martial Realm Ninth Stage. However, these two Cyan Rock Lions have long been dead. They’re being controlled by someone to guard this entrance!" the Black Emperor said in a low voice, a look of suspicion flickering in its eyes.

"Already dead?"

Jiang Chen was taken aback. He had never heard of anyone who could control corpses.

But still...

The vast world was full of wonders.

So he wasn’t overly surprised.

Gazing at the hazy town in the distance, Jiang Chen rubbed his chin and mused, "This town appears in the desolate Yunxian Valley, guarded by dead Cyan Rock Lions at its entrance. Everything about it is strange. I have a feeling there’s a secret hidden inside this town. I’m going in to investigate."

"Then let’s go together," the Black Emperor said nonchalantly.

Jiang Chen shook his head. "No, you two stand guard here. I’ll go in alone." He paused, then continued, "None of us know what’s inside the town. To be safe, you two should wait outside. If something happens and I get trapped, you can figure out a way to rescue me."

The Black Emperor’s eyes darted about for a moment. Seeing the logic in his words, it said, "Alright. You be careful, then."

Little White added, "Boss, we’ll wait for you here!"

"Mm."

Jiang Chen nodded, glancing at the corpses strewn across the ground. "We killed the Nether Wolf and his men," he warned. "Experts from Blood Wolf Village, the Celestial Python Gang, and the Fire Bandit Alliance will come looking for us sooner or later. You two need to be careful as well."

"Don’t worry. If an enemy we can’t handle shows up, this Emperor will turn tail and run!" the Black Emperor said, puffing out its chest and patting it with a fleshy wing.

Jiang Chen felt his face darken. ’Damn it! You’re probably the only one who can talk about running away with such confidence and righteousness.’

Shaking his head speechlessly, Jiang Chen took a deep breath and charged toward the town.

"ROAR!"

The two Cyan Rock Lions let out furious roars and simultaneously raised their giant paws, swiping fiercely at Jiang Chen.

"Get lost!"

Jiang Chen snorted and met their attack with his bare palm. Having tempered his body with the Divine Demon Tyrant Body, his physical form was now comparable to a Profound-tier Profound Weapon, and his strength surpassed all other experts at his level. His palm of flesh and blood collided with the Cyan Rock Lions’ giant paws. With two muffled THUDS, the terrifying force actually sent both lions stumbling back.

With a WHOOSH, Jiang Chen shot into the town.

The two Cyan Rock Lions shuddered slightly, several cracks now visible on their giant paws. Devoid of emotion, they once again became like stone statues, guarding the entrance to the town.

...

The moment he entered the town, the entire atmosphere changed abruptly.

From outside, one could only see the hazy silhouette of a town, with no clear view of the inside.

It was only upon entering that Jiang Chen discovered the place was bustling with people and full of life.

The streets and alleys were filled with people: some setting up stalls, some running shops, and some simply walking by as pedestrians. Every face beamed with happiness and contentment. The people were friendly and got along harmoniously. He even saw an old farmer leading an ox accidentally brush against a wealthy man in fine silk robes.

The wealthy man simply laughed it off and reassured the old farmer not to worry about it.

It was a scene of perfect harmony, like a paradise hidden from the world.

"Mama, can I go buy a stick of tanghulu?" a clear, pleasant voice rang out.

"Of course, but you have to help Mama sweep the floor when we get back!" a gentle woman’s voice replied from nearby.

Jiang Chen turned toward the voices.

"Okay! And Yaya will help Mama wash the clothes, too!"

A little girl with two pigtails tilted up her rosy-cheeked face, her big, watery eyes looking at her mother. Clutching a few pieces of silver in her chubby little hand, she looked like a lively pixie as she skipped over to the tanghulu seller and said in a bright voice, "Sir, one stick of tanghulu, please! Here’s the money, please take it!"

The little girl, Yaya, took the tanghulu and was about to take a bite, but her eyes darted for a moment. She ran back to the plainly dressed woman and said, "Mama, here, you eat first!"

"Good girl, Yaya. You eat it. Mama doesn’t want any," the woman said with a kind smile, ruffling the little girl’s hair.

"Mmm... then Yaya will eat it, okay?"

Although Yaya was asking, her big eyes were glued to the tanghulu, and she was practically drooling.

The woman smiled faintly. "Go on, you little glutton."

"Yay! Yaya has tanghulu to eat!"

The little girl skipped happily, munching on her tanghulu. Suddenly, she noticed Jiang Chen staring at her. She hesitated for a moment before cautiously walking up to him. "Big brother, you keep looking at Yaya. Are you hungry? Do you want some of Yaya’s tanghulu?"

"Uh..."

Jiang Chen was taken aback for a second, then smiled and ruffled Yaya’s hair. "I don’t eat tanghulu. I just think you’re really cute!"

"Hee hee, everyone says Yaya is cute!"

The little girl tilted her head, her smile revealing two adorable little canine teeth. She blinked her eyes and asked, "Big brother, are you not from our Taoyuan Town? Why has Yaya never seen you before?"

Jiang Chen replied, "I came from the outside."

"Big brother, then you must go to the Peach Garden Pavilion later! Sister Qingyi plays her zither there every day at sunset. Her music is so beautiful! Every time Yaya listens, I have a good dream afterward!" Yaya said in her clear, sweet voice.

"The Peach Garden Pavilion? Alright, I’ll definitely go," Jiang Chen said with a smile and a nod.

This little girl named Yaya was incredibly outgoing.

And a real bundle of joy.

Talking with her had a way of calming one’s heart.

Just as Jiang Chen and Yaya were enjoying their chat, the plainly dressed woman called out from a distance, "Yaya, it’s time to come home for dinner. After we eat, we still have to go to the Peach Garden Pavilion to hear your Sister Qingyi play her zither!"

"Okay, Mama, I’m coming!"

Yaya stuck out her cute little tongue.

"Big brother, I’m going home to eat now! Hee hee, you have to go to the Peach Garden Pavilion, okay? You can listen to Sister Qingyi play the zither with Yaya later!" The little girl took two steps, then turned back and reluctantly stuffed the half-eaten stick of tanghulu into Jiang Chen’s hand. "Big brother, I think you’re hungry. This is for you!"

Before Jiang Chen could refuse, she skipped away, taking the plainly dressed woman’s hand as she left.

Jiang Chen looked at the half-eaten tanghulu in his hand, instinctively rubbing his nose. A knowing smile played on his lips. His gaze drifted around as he murmured to himself, "Taoyuan Town? The Peach Garden Pavilion? Hmm, I’ll go have a listen later. I wonder what this Sister Qingyi, so highly praised by Yaya, is really like."