“Die!”
Golden Scorpion tossed Ghost Leg Kick to the ground and advanced on Shen Mange. With a sharp hiss, a golden longsword condensed in her palm and she brought it slashing down on Shen Mange.
Beneath the golden blade light, Shen Mange’s face was calm. She murmured weakly, “Master Jiang… I… I can’t go on… I’ve failed your hopes…”
Just as despair was about to consume her, a beam of finger energy suddenly pierced through the void with a sharp shing! and struck the golden blade light.
The golden light shattered instantly. Golden Scorpion was forced back a step, her face filled with alarm as she stared at the entrance. “Who?!”
“Mr. Jiang… you’re back…”
Shen Mange turned her head with difficulty and saw Jiang Tian entering hand in hand with Zhao Xueqing. Tears of joy streamed down her face.
“Old Ghost, Mange—you’ve both worked hard!”
Jiang Tian helped her up and pressed several healing talismans onto the wounds of both her and Ghost Leg Kick, then fed each of them a medicinal pill.
“What incredible medical skill!”
Under Golden Scorpion’s disbelieving gaze, Shen Mange and Old Ghost’s injuries healed at a visible rate. If she hadn’t inflicted those wounds herself, she might have thought she’d never touched them.
“And that finger energy just now was extraordinarily powerful too—no wonder he’s the peerless powerhouse who killed Lin Zhenyu!”
Terror seized Golden Scorpion’s heart. Without a moment’s hesitation, she kicked off the ground—the floor caved in beneath her—and she shot outward like a golden signal arrow.
In truth, Golden Scorpion had never intended to fight Jiang Tian head-on. She’d learned that Sidewinder was intercepting Jiang Tian on the highway, so she’d stormed the Jiang residence, planning to take his family hostage—either to threaten him or lure him out to international waters where the Great Circle could deal with him more easily.
But that golden finger energy just now had truly terrified her. His strength was simply too overwhelming.
Now that she saw Jiang Tian tending to Shen Mange and the others, why would she linger? This was her chance to flee!
Zhao Xueqing had been adrift and helpless her whole life, like a fallen leaf on the water. Only Jiang Tian had ever cherished and loved her; only the Jiang family had given her the warmth of home. And Shen Mange, who had spent every day with her for over a year, caring for her attentively, was like an elder sister.
“Stop right there!”
Seeing the Jiang residence in shambles, bodies piled up, and Shen Mange so gravely wounded, a fire of rage ignited in Zhao Xueqing’s heart. She could no longer hold back. With a sharp cry, she struck out at Golden Scorpion.
An overwhelming suction force swept forward. Golden Scorpion, who had already leaped more than ten meters into the air, was yanked back, flailing, and crashed to the ground.
“Such terrifying attraction!”
Golden Scorpion was stricken with terror. The instant her feet touched the ground, she let out a fierce cry, sank her weight down—the ground shattered and cracked beneath her—and drove her feet more than an inch deep into the earth before bursting into another desperate sprint.
“Come here!”
Zhao Xueqing gave a casual tug. Golden Scorpion’s feet plowed two long furrows through the ground as she was yanked backward against her will, hurled into the air, and slammed down at Xueqing’s feet.
“Speak. Who’s the hidden financier behind the Dark Flower bounty? I’ll give you three seconds before I grind your bones to dust!”
Zhao Xueqing’s aura as the Innocent Phoenix Maiden surged higher and higher. Her phoenix eyes blazed with authority as she demanded.
“According to the intel, this is Jiang Taichu’s wife, isn’t it? When did she become this powerful?”
Like a rabbit cornered by a primordial beast, Golden Scorpion retreated step by step, her face a mask of terror and disbelief.
In that moment of hesitation, Zhao Xueqing said coldly, “Three seconds are up. Time to die!”
Before the words had faded, two tongues of flame shot from Zhao Xueqing’s phoenix eyes. She seized the fire and condensed it into a blade—a five-meter-long Li Fire Weapon that she brought cleaving down on Golden Scorpion.
“You can’t hurt me!”
Golden Scorpion bellowed. A golden scorpion phantom materialized around her body, towering a head and a half above her, its pincers gnashing, its tail coiling and lashing, roaring with all its might.
But the Li Fire Weapon burned all things, its temperature reaching tens of thousands of degrees. It easily severed the towering phantom and then sheared off one of Golden Scorpion’s arms clean at the shoulder.
“AAAGH—it hurts! It hurts so much!”
Golden Scorpion flew back, writhing and convulsing on the ground in agony, shrieking miserably.
“How interesting. Even her blood is golden! No wonder she’s an S-rank superhuman!”
Zhao Xueqing blinked her beautiful eyes in curiosity, then her pretty face turned icy cold, frost creeping into her voice as she asked:
“Speak! Who’s the hidden backer? Tell me, and I might leave your corpse intact.”
“Don’t kill me! I’ll talk! I’ll talk! It’s the Great Circle! It’s Master Fan of the Great Circle who put out the Dark Flower bounty on Jiang Tian—because he killed Lin Zhenyu!”
Golden Scorpion fell to her knees begging for mercy. All her former pride and might had vanished; she was terrified out of her wits, trembling like a frightened rabbit.
As an S-rank superhuman and one of the seven giants of the Great Circle, Golden Scorpion had seen much of the world. But she had never encountered a martial artist as powerful as Zhao Xueqing. She even felt that if Lin Zhenyu himself were resurrected, he couldn’t last three moves against her.
“So it’s the Great Circle after all…”
Jiang Tian shook his head gently and let out a regretful sigh. “They truly have no idea what they’re courting.”
“Honey, is there anything else we need to ask?”
Zhao Xueqing wasn’t skilled at interrogation. She turned to look at Jiang Tian, her face now adorably innocent and playful—a far cry from the decisive killer of moments ago.
“No need.” Jiang Tian waved his hand.
Shen Mange and Ghost Leg Kick were badly injured, but fortunately their meridians and acupoints were still intact. With careful recovery, their cultivation could be restored.
“Oh! Then I’m done asking!”
Zhao Xueqing nodded. She raised her hand and swept it down—a Li Fire Weapon slashed from above with devastating force.
BOOM! A tremendous crack split the ground from beneath her feet all the way to Golden Scorpion, twenty centimeters wide and half a meter deep. The Li Fire Weapon came crashing down on Golden Scorpion’s head.
“You said you’d let me go!”
Golden Scorpion roared in fury and despair, leaping upward to dodge the terrifying Li Fire Weapon.
But compared to Qing’er, her speed was far too slow.
CRACK! CRACK!
In a series of ear-piercing sounds,
hairline fractures spread across Golden Scorpion’s metallic body, covering her entirely. Her skull nearly shattered. She crumpled to the ground like a kite with its string cut.
“Hmph! My husband said we must root out evil completely and cut the weeds by the roots—never let a tiger return to the mountains!”
Zhao Xueqing’s soft, delicate voice rang out, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. A pity Golden Scorpion could no longer hear her.
——–
“Jiang Tian! Qing’er! You’re back!”
When the two entered the house hand in hand, Old Master Jiang immediately led the family to greet them.
The old man clutched Jiang Tian and his wife’s hands, his whole body trembling with emotion, nearly moved to tears.
Just moments ago, formidable enemies had attacked with overwhelming ferocity—even the police couldn’t hold them back. But the instant Jiang Tian and the others returned, the tide had turned completely.
“Grandpa, Mom, Dad—you were all frightened,” Jiang Tian said apologetically as he looked around at everyone.
“Jiang Tian, don’t blame yourself. A man who doesn’t stir envy is merely mediocre. To become a peerless powerhouse who looks down upon the world, how could you avoid making enemies and provoking resentment?”
Old Master Jiang, shrewd and enlightened from a lifetime of experience, comforted Jiang Tian with heartfelt words.
Jiang Tian scooped up Jiang Wan’er and gently wiped away her tears, soothing her. “Wan’er, were you scared?”
“I’m not scared!”
“Why not?”
“Because Wan’er knows Uncle is a superhero, a great hero! We’ll definitely be okay!” Jiang Wan’er said in her crisp, innocent voice.
Her naive words drew laughter from everyone, and the tense atmosphere instantly dissipated.
Yes—the moment they saw Jiang Tian return, they knew everything would be all right. What strong opponent could possibly stand against Jiang Tian?
Zhang Wanqing pulled Zhao Xueqing aside and asked in a low voice, “Qing’er, have you started cultivating too?”
“Mm!” Zhao Xueqing nodded joyfully.
“Wonderful! That’s wonderful!” Zhang Wanqing was overjoyed.
Jiang Tian handed Jiang Wan’er to his aunt’s arms and swept his gaze over everyone, speaking calmly: “Everyone, rest assured. After tonight, everything will be fine.”
“Jiang Tian, be careful!”
“Yes, please stay safe—those thugs are ruthless!” Everyone looked at him with concern, deeply worried.
Jiang Tian was now the pillar of the Jiang family, their anchor in the storm. If anything happened to him, the Jiang family would be finished.
“Big brother, go ahead. I’ll hold down the fort here!” Jiang Chao puffed out his chest and slapped it resoundingly.
“Pfft. Go change your pants first—they’re soaked.” Jiang Tian’s single remark left Jiang Chao on the verge of tears.
Never expose a man’s faults in public, never slap a man in the face! Couldn’t you save me a little dignity in front of everyone?!
“Forget it, honey. You’re not fully recovered yet. Leave everything to me,” Zhao Xueqing said softly.
Jiang Tian pondered for a moment, then said, “It’s good for you to gain more experience, but let’s fight side by side.”
“Honey, let’s use the villa as the central axis. I’ll take the left side.”
“Alright. I’ll take the right.”
“We’ll stay in psychic contact. If either of us runs into danger, the other rushes over immediately.”
“Exactly. Not a single one gets away.”
“A contest! Whoever kills more wins. The loser gives the winner a foot massage and scrub tonight!” Qing’er shot Jiang Tian a challenging glance.
“No problem! Either way, I’m the one giving you a foot massage and scrub.” Jiang Tian shrugged indifferently.
As they spoke, the two stepped out of the Jiang villa and stood in the courtyard. They exchanged a glance, then swept their spiritual senses outward in all directions.
BOOM!
Their psychic perception surged like rolling tides, sweeping across streets and skyscrapers, pouring into neighborhoods, supermarkets, and hotels, reaching several kilometers out—instantly blanketing nearly half of Jinling City.
BOOM! A torrent of information flooded into Qing’er’s mind like a surging river.
It was her first time handling such a situation; her head throbbed slightly, and her body trembled.
“Skip the useless information—only filter out the strong. Assassins’ auras differ from ordinary people,” Jiang Tian transmitted telepathically.
“Got it!”
Qing’er acknowledged and abruptly lifted her spiritual sense to a hundred meters high, like a cinematic overhead shot, gazing down upon the brilliantly lit city of Jinling.
Gradually, buildings faded into translucence, and the auras of powerful figures flickered through the air like tongues of flame.
“These must be the strong ones—probably mercenaries,” Qing’er murmured.
She also sensed other figures with concealed auras and latent killing intent, coiled like vipers ready to strike—those were the assassins.
The nearest ones were lurking on the rooftop of a building less than half a kilometer from the Jiang villa.
“Let’s move.”
Qing’er pushed off the ground. The earth shuddered faintly as she shot skyward like an arrow, arcing in a graceful trajectory toward that building.
In midair, her posture was elegant, her speed blinding—like a divine phoenix spreading its wings in flight.
