“According to eyewitnesses, he can manifest a spiritual Azure Dragon that devoured my master’s Sun and Moon Transformation. He might even be half a step into the Divine Realm!” Xiao Wu said slowly.
The crowd gasped in shock, their faces changing dramatically.
Apollo was also deeply shaken, finding it hard to believe.
Though exceptionally talented, he had only successfully mastered solar power at the age of forty-two, able to coalesce light beams into scorching energy. Lin Zhenyu had assessed that he had the potential to step into the Divine Realm in the future.
Thus, he was called the “Sun God,” ranking among the twelve chief deities of Europe’s many superhumans.
But now, a martial arts prodigy like this had appeared before the age of thirty, giving him an unprecedented sense of crisis.
“Even if he’s not half-step Divine Realm, he must be at the peak of the Transformed Realm, with the potential to quickly step into the Divine Realm!”
Xiao Wu shook his head with a bitter smile.
“Then we must kill him as soon as possible. If we allow him to step into the Divine Realm, it will be very troublesome!”
A gaunt middle-aged man said solemnly.
He exuded waves of icy aura, cold air swirling around him, the air condensing into weapons. The table and chairs were covered with white frost.
Hearing this, many of the leaders and powerhouses present nodded in agreement.
At this moment, Sixth Master Fan finally showed anger on his face and slowly spoke, “For seventy years, a full seventy years, aside from governments or warlords, no individual has ever dared to challenge the Big Circle Gang.”
His voice was icy and murderous, filled with immense pressure: “This is no ordinary provocation. It’s a serious challenge that killed a leader and a regional supervisor. One could say they’re treating our Big Circle as if we’re nobody!”
“If we don’t take action, what authority would the Big Circle have? I’m afraid organizations like the Mafia and the Yakuza would think us weak and easy to bully, and come take a bite!”
His eyes flashed with ferocity. He slapped the table, making the final decision: “Therefore, the Big Circle must retaliate with blood! Blood for blood, an eye for an eye. We must kill Jiang Taichu at any cost!”
“But how do we kill him? Mainland China has always been a forbidden zone for the Big Circle. Our several attempts at infiltration have failed!”
At the table, a “White Paper Fan” strategist frowned and asked.
The Big Circle, the largest Chinese society, ranked among the top four globally, capable of supporting warlords in Africa and small Western European countries, influencing their politics. But when facing a major world power like this, they fell far short.
Especially China, which had zero tolerance for top-tier powerhouses who committed crimes and engaged in such killing operations.
In the 1960s, a Divine Realm expert from the Fire Worship Sect emerged, forming cliques and establishing a separate faction in northwest China, acting lawlessly.
At that time, that great leader waved his hand and conducted three nuclear tests in the western region, directly leveling the Fire Worship Sect to the ground. Many experts and powerhouses were turned to dust, not even ash remaining.
Since then, within China’s borders, Divine Realm experts vanished without a trace. It was unknown whether they went into hiding or were all blown up.
Globally, the situation was largely the same. Since the birth of nuclear weapons, many powerhouses had gone into hiding; no Divine Realm experts had emerged again.
“If the Big Circle acts directly, it would also provoke a frenzied counterattack from the Chinese authorities. We could use the method of a ‘Dark Flower’ to mobilize experts from all over the world to kill Jiang Taichu!”
Sixth Master Fan said gravely.
A “Dark Flower” was an underground, illegal bounty.
The client’s identity was unknown, typically entrusting a trusted intermediary to release the information. Anyone who killed the target would receive the reward.
“How much is Sixth Master prepared to offer as a Dark Flower bounty?” Xiao Wu asked seriously.
“Five hundred million—US dollars!”
Sixth Master Fan said nonchalantly, his expression as calm as an ancient well, uttering the words.
Everyone looked shocked.
This was the Big Circle’s style. A single Dark Flower bounty of 500 million USD would set the entire underground world abuzz.
“Now, the Dark Flower bounty has been posted on the Dark Web. Organizations like Tombstone, Butterfly Skull, and Blood Totem have already taken the contract. Even if Jiang Taichu is a martial arts prodigy, he can’t withstand hundreds or thousands of assassinations…”
Sixth Master Fan, like a confident Master Zhuge, took a sip of tea and said slowly, “One could say, he simply cannot stay in China. He can only flee abroad, avoiding the sharpness…”
Xiao Wu slapped his thigh, overjoyed, “If he dares to come out, as long as he reaches international waters, then our large-scale heavy firepower will come in handy!”
The Big Circle was involved in arms smuggling; all kinds of heavy weapons were piled up like mountains, so they naturally weren’t lacking.
“For seventy years, whoever I wanted dead, no one has been able to live!”
Sixth Master Fan nodded slightly, a mocking smile curling at the corner of his mouth, as if Jiang Tian were an ant trying to shake a mighty tree—laughably overestimating itself.
“What a terrifying plan…”
Upon hearing this, everyone felt a chill in their hearts, their bodies turning cold, and they regarded Sixth Master Fan with even more wariness.
“Ah, this Jiang Taichu is also a martial arts prodigy, but why did he have to provoke a formidable existence like the Big Circle?”
Golden Scorpion shook his head and sighed, his face full of regret. He thought to himself, “I’m afraid he will die a miserable death, and to the end, he won’t even know how he died…”
“As long as he hasn’t stepped into the Divine Realm for a single day, he shouldn’t make an enemy of the Big Circle for even a day…”
This was the thought in the minds of many leaders.
Jiang Taichu was strong, perhaps even stronger than Ye Zhantian of the past. But the difference was, Ye Zhantian had the backing of the Chinese military and had spent his entire life stationed in China, never leaving the country.
Not only did the Big Circle have seven leaders comparable to grandmasters, but they also had assets worth hundreds of billions of US dollars, possessing many well-equipped modern private armies. Jiang Taichu was alone. No matter how strong he was, how could he be a match for a behemoth like the Big Circle, wealthy enough to rival nations?
…
At this moment, Jiang Tian was unaware of all these schemes. After discussing with his parents, he and Qing’er drove to Jinling to attend his grandfather’s birthday banquet.
Jinling, the ancient capital of six dynasties, had long been praised as “the rouge of the north, the gold powder of the southern courts.” Its cultural refinements were unmatched in Jiangnan; with its White-River and Green-Stream, Peach-Leaf and Round-Fan, its glamorous famed courtesans were endless in historical records.
In recent years, economic development had been rapid. Modern high-rises sprang up from the ground, complementing the famous historical sites. Tourists from all over the country flocked here, making it a place to linger and forget to leave.
Zhang Wanqing had worked in Jinling for a long time and had previously bought a small villa there. Jiang Tian and Qing’er stayed there, which was cleaner and more convenient than a hotel.
In the living room, Jiang Tian’s family chatted over tea. Ye Ziwei was also present.
“We need to prepare some birthday gifts for your grandfather!”
Jiang Zhixing said, drinking his tea.
“Yes, in previous years, the gifts we sent were always mocked by them!”
A trace of gravity flashed across Zhang Wanqing’s face, mixed with unwillingness. “We can’t let that happen again this year!”
The old master lived simply, indifferent to fame and fortune. Celebrating his birthday was just a chance to gather with relatives and friends; he didn’t like others giving heavy gifts.
But his two elder brothers and one elder sister loved to compete, treating the old master’s birthday as an occasion to display their strength.
Ye Ziwei pursed her lips and smiled, “Mom, Dad, why don’t Jiang Tian and I go to the Confucius Temple Antique Street to shop for some things? The old master likes scholar’s utensils, antiques, calligraphy, paintings, jade ornaments, and such…”
“Hmm, the old master usually enjoys wielding the brush and ink. That could work!” Hearing this, Jiang Zhixing and his wife both nodded.
Even Zhao Xueqing seemed somewhat interested, her eyes sparkling with a bit of excitement.
“Then let’s all go together!”
Originally, Jiang Tian felt that any antique or jade artifact would pale in comparison to magical tools he could craft himself. But seeing Qing’er’s excited expression, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. In the past six months, he had been wandering around everywhere and hadn’t really accompanied her to visit scenic spots. So he also nodded happily.
On the way, Jiang Tian asked, “Back in Hubei, I gave Jiang Lin a few medicinal formulas and urged her to push them hard. Why hasn’t there been any news?”
“Those formulas were from you? No wonder she argued so vehemently during the group meeting!”
Ye Ziwei looked surprised.
“How did an argument even happen? I told her to say the formulas were obtained from the Shennong Sect. With the Shennong Sect’s name backing them, wouldn’t the Jiang family push them hard?” Jiang Tian looked puzzled.
Ye Ziwei, holding the steering wheel, frowned, “The old master’s health is getting worse and worse; he’s completely stepped back now. Jiang Qingfeng completely controls the group company. Last time, she got into a big argument with him during a meeting, and Qingfeng demoted her all the way down to a clerical position.”
“He’s already back?” Jiang Tian’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Jiang Qingfeng was the son of Jiang Tian’s eldest uncle, Jiang Shouren. After studying in the US, he worked for the international pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and had lived overseas. He was the most accomplished among the Jiang family’s younger generation.
In the previous life, it was during the Jiang family’s most critical moment in 2012 that Jiang Qingfeng returned to Jinling, hoping to turn the tide.
It seemed that after his return, he had triggered some butterfly effects. History wasn’t simply repeating itself. This guy had actually come back early.
“Yes! After Jiang Qingfeng took power, he immediately carried out drastic reforms, terminating all traditional Chinese medicine projects, concentrating all funds on Western medicine production, purchasing equipment and patents…”
Ye Ziwei said resentfully, “Although the Shennong Sect’s name is prestigious, the formulas you gave are still Chinese medicine products. They were still rejected by him…”
“This kid is simply incompetent, but he shouldn’t be this stupid…” Jiang Tian frowned.
The Yaowang Group originally started with Chinese medicine products, and that was the impression it left on consumers.
Now switching to Western medicine was not only hugely expensive but also meant abandoning decades of accumulated brand recognition. It was completely thankless work.
But Jiang Qingfeng graduated from an Ivy League business school. He shouldn’t lack such common sense. How could he make such a low-level mistake? Or… was there another reason?
“He previously withheld the 200 million yuan you raised from Jiangbei to save the Qixia Pharmaceutical Factory because of this?”
Jiang Tian asked.
“Right!”
Ye Ziwei nodded. “Those funds were also transferred away by him!”
Jiang Tian frowned, pondered for a moment, but didn’t say anything. Suddenly, he said, “Where does Grandfather live now? Take me there. I want to see Grandfather and check on his illness!”
