Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Slaying Jiang Ming

Jiang Chen returned to Yandu City.

He did not return to the Jiang Family, but instead got a room at an inn in the city and went inside to rest.

Lying flat on the bed with his hands behind his head, Jiang Chen’s eyes glinted with a profound light.

He recalled the day’s events. The ashen faces of Jiang Tai, Jiang Ziyou, Jiang Ming, and the others flashed before his eyes, distinct as ever. An unconscious smile tugged at the corners of Jiang Chen’s lips. ’Is that all it takes to surprise you? Heh, just you wait. This is only the appetizer!’

’The real show is yet to come!’

His fists clenched unconsciously, a murderous intent swirling in his eyes. ’Jiang Ziyou, I will take back everything you owe me, with interest! Anyone who dares to touch what is mine, I will kill!’

After resting with his eyes closed for a moment, Jiang Chen sat up again, took out two Spirit Crystals, and resumed his cultivation.

He had already emptied the entire Spiritual Source Spring, clearing out all the Spirit Crystals that had accumulated at its base—several hundred of them, all of extremely high quality.

Jiang Chen absorbed the Spirit Crystals, raising his cultivation.

Time flew by, and soon it was the dead of night. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

It was a dark, windy night. Thick black clouds drifted over, obscuring the moon and stars. Under the dim starlight, a blurry figure stealthily approached Jiang Chen’s room.

In the darkness, the figure cloaked in black night gear had a pair of eyes that glinted with a sinister, cold light. He peered through the paper window and saw Jiang Chen on the bed. ’Hmph, that failure Jiang Hu couldn’t kill you, and I ended up getting a harsh lecture from the Patriarch and Miss Ziyou because of it. Jiang Chen, today, I, the Elder, will personally send you on your way!’

That’s right!

The man in black was none other than the Jiang Family Elder—Jiang Ming.

He crept into the room, silent as a cat, and approached the bed. Noiselessly, he drew a dagger that shimmered with a faint black light, its blade coated with a lethal, fast-acting poison. Jiang Ming suddenly lunged, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "Jiang Chen, die!"

SWISH—

The dagger stabbed viciously toward Jiang Chen’s heart.

Jiang Ming’s eyes, wide with fury, now gleamed with excitement and triumph as he watched the sharp dagger about to pierce Jiang Chen’s heart.

But just then...

Jiang Chen, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly snapped them open. The corners of his mouth curved into a mocking smile. "I’ve been waiting for you!"

His right hand shot out with the speed of lightning, fingers spread like a tiger’s claw. With a sharp SNAP, he grabbed Jiang Ming’s wrist.

’What? How can this little bastard be so strong?’

Jiang Ming was stunned. He tried to retreat, but Jiang Chen’s hand was like an iron vise, gripping him so tightly he couldn’t move.

"Since you’re here, don’t bother leaving!" Jiang Chen said with a cold laugh.

He grabbed Jiang Ming with his left hand and yanked him forward. At the same time, his right hand balled into a fist and smashed toward Jiang Ming’s abdomen.

"Little bastard, get off me!" Jiang Ming’s expression changed drastically. He could only cross his left arm in front of his abdomen to block.

SMACK!

Fist met forearm with a sharp crack.

The sheer force of Jiang Chen’s blow sent Jiang Ming flying backward.

The left arm that had collided with Jiang Chen’s strike was now twisted at an unnatural angle. The skin had split open, and a shard of white bone jutted out from the mangled flesh. The pain contorted Jiang Ming’s features into a grimace, and his lower body flew high into the air.

Taking advantage of the momentum, Jiang Chen grabbed Jiang Ming’s right arm and brutally slammed him onto the ground.

THUD—

A deafening boom reverberated through the inn as the floorboards shattered, leaving a man-shaped hole.

’How is this possible? How can this little bastard be this strong?’

Jiang Ming’s face was a mask of horror. He had assumed that with his strength at the Martial Arts Seventh Stage, assassinating Jiang Chen would be child’s play. He never imagined that Jiang Chen possessed such terrifying combat power that even he was no match.

"There’s a lot you don’t know!"

Jiang Chen sneered and kicked Jiang Ming square in the face, knocking out half his teeth and sending him flying backward.

He crashed through the window and landed heavily on the street outside.

Jiang Chen immediately gave chase, leaping down from the third floor. With a sickening THUD, he landed with one foot planted squarely on Jiang Ming’s chest.

"AARGH..."

A bloodcurdling scream echoed through the night street, chilling to the bone. His chest had caved in; the stomp had broken at least five of his ribs.

Jiang Chen bent his knees, resting one hand on them as he leaned over slightly. He flicked off Jiang Ming’s black face covering, his eyes flashing with a menacing light. "Elder Jiang Ming. Fancy meeting you here."

"Jiang Chen, you little bastard! How dare you do this to me! You’ll die a miserable death!" Jiang Ming roared, his face twisted in fury.

Jiang Chen casually cleaned his ear and said flatly, "Tsk, tsk, Elder Jiang Ming. If I were you, I’d be begging for my life right now. It seems that after all these years as a Jiang Family Elder, living a high and mighty life and ordering everyone around, you’ve forgotten how to submit."

"You little bastard! Even your father has to call me ’uncle’! Who the hell do you think you are? Let me go now if you know what’s good for you, or you’ll face the consequences!" Jiang Ming bellowed, flying into a rage from the humiliation.

From the very beginning, he had never once seen Jiang Chen as an equal.

He saw Jiang Chen as just a junior who, despite having some ability, could never pose a threat to someone of his stature at the Seventh Stage of Martial Arts.

In Jiang Ming’s eyes, he was the lofty Sovereign, and Jiang Chen was merely an ant he could crush at will.

But now...

He was being trampled underfoot by that very ’ant,’ Jiang Chen. How could he not be consumed by humiliated rage?

Jiang Chen laughed coldly. "So you remember you’re my father’s clan uncle? Then let me ask you: in my father’s absence, did you, as my clan grand-uncle, ever once look out for me, your junior? Did you fulfill your duties as an elder? No. Not only did you fail in your duty, but you also conspired with Jiang Tai and Jiang Ziyou, trying time and again to have me killed. Now that you’ve fallen into my hands, no one can save you!"

Sensing the chilling killing intent radiating from Jiang Chen, Jiang Ming finally panicked.

He hurriedly stammered, "Jiang Chen, you can’t kill me. I’m your grand-uncle! This is insubordination! You can’t do this! I’ll tell you, it was Jiang Ziyou and Jiang Tai who sent me to kill you! I can help you deal with them! Please, don’t kill me, don’t..."

"An elder? Hahaha! I respected you as an elder, but you? You treated me like an ant..."

Jiang Chen grew angrier as he spoke, a cold, murderous light flaring in his eyes. "In the Bluestone Mountain Range, if I hadn’t been lucky, I would have fallen into your trap and died at Jiang Hu’s hands. Today, if I wasn’t strong enough, I’d be the one lying in a pool of blood. Since you never considered me family, since you’ve schemed so hard to kill me, then don’t blame me for being ruthless!"

Before his voice had even faded, Jiang Chen raised the dagger and swung it at Jiang Ming’s neck.

Staring at the dagger and its sinister, cold glint, Jiang Ming’s eyes nearly burst from their sockets. A single, regretful thought bloomed in his mind: ’Why did I ever have to provoke Jiang Chen?!’

"No—"

Jiang Ming’s scream was cut short. His head rolled twice across the ground, his eyes wide open in death.

Jiang Chen stomped on Jiang Ming’s head, crushing it. A cold, sinister light shone in his eyes. ’Jiang Ziyou, Jiang Tai, wash your necks and wait. My revenge is coming!’