BANG!

A muffled THUD sounded from within Jiang Yi’s body, as if something inside him had just exploded. Xu Yang had used his Wind and Thunder Strength to shatter Jiang Yi’s heart.

In that instant, the light faded from Jiang Yi’s eyes, and his expression froze.

"Xu Yang!"

Before he died, he recognized his killer—it was Xu Yang, the very man he had always wanted to kill.

THUD!

Jiang Yi’s corpse crashed to the ground, making it tremble. His two shattered arms, no longer attached, fell from his body.

’I can’t leave the body here.’

Without a body, even if Gale Hall and the Fuwei Escort Agency discovered Jiang Yi was missing, their immediate focus would just be on finding him.

Xu Yang picked up the two severed arms and stuffed them into Jiang Yi’s robes. Then, hoisting the corpse, he used his Flying Swallow Skill and soared toward the city’s outskirts like a great bird.

After running for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he reached the same cave where he had disposed of Jade Butterfly’s body. After grabbing the money pouch, he tossed the corpse straight into the chasm, which was dozens of meters deep.

’He was carrying this much money?’

He opened the pouch and found about fifteen taels of silver.

’One more to go.’

Putting the money away, he looked in the direction of the Great River Gang.

’Since Guan Xiaojie has been investigating me, I can’t let him live. Before I leave, I have to eliminate as many loose ends as possible.’

...

The Main Altar of the Great River Gang was also the former Main Altar of the Sishui Gang.

With Zhang Sishui and his son dead, the members of the Sishui Gang had either been killed or had fled, but their buildings remained.

After Guan Xiaojie established the Great River Gang, he took over this place and made it his Main Altar.

A bloodcurdling scream cut through the night. Luo Dehu was tied to a rack, stripped to the waist, his torso a mess of mangled flesh and wounds.

Before him, a member of the Great River Gang swung a leather whip. Luo Dehu screamed with every lash. After more than a dozen strikes, he fainted.

"Gang Leader, he passed out," the gang member administering the whipping said, bowing with cupped fists toward Guan Xiaojie, who stood nearby.

Guan Xiaojie, seated on a large, tiger-skin chair, said, "Splash him with cold water." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Behind Guan Xiaojie, Qian Jiaxing’s hands and feet went cold. For the first time, he truly understood how terrifying gang life could be.

What Luo Dehu had done didn’t seem like a big deal to him. He had only sold some unimportant information about the Great River Gang for a bit of money, but the consequences were far more severe than he had ever imagined.

"Gang Leader, spare me! I’ll never do it again!"

A basin of cold water splashed over him, and Luo Dehu woke up, his face filled with terror as he begged for mercy.

"Betraying the gang is punished by three stabs creating six wounds, according to the rules. Bring the Dharma Saber," Guan Xiaojie said, his expression cold.

The man who had been wielding the whip dropped it and left, quickly returning with a dagger wrapped in red cloth, which he presented respectfully.

The gleaming Dharma Saber glinted under the firelight, emitting a sinister, cold gleam.

Luo Dehu trembled. "Gang Leader, spare me! I’m friends with Dragon Ascending Geniuses like Lu Ren, Xu Yang, and Zhang Yong! I beg you, spare my life for their sake! I can still be useful!"

Seeing that he was about to face the "three stabs, six wounds" punishment, he had no choice but to play the card of his relationship with Xu Yang and the others.

Guan Xiaojie sneered. "Why do you think I waited until now to bring you in? I gave you time to go find them, but clearly, they’re not your friends."

Luo Dehu’s face turned ashen. He had been the first to meet Xu Yang, but because Xu Yang’s family was poor, he had treated him with contempt. Later, while currying favor with Lu Ren, he had repeatedly mocked Xu Yang.

If he had only treated Xu Yang sincerely, given Xu Yang’s loyal nature, he wouldn’t have been left to die today.

’If only I could do it all over again!’

"You, carry out the punishment!" Guan Xiaojie suddenly said to Qian Jiaxing, who was standing behind him.

From the shadows, Xu Yang watched this scene with great interest.

"Yes, Gang Leader!"

Qian Jiaxing trembled but still walked out slowly and reached for the Dharma Saber.

"Ah Xing, we’re friends! We trained together at Weiyuan Hall! Quick, help me beg the Gang Leader for mercy," Luo Dehu pleaded.

Qian Jiaxing was unmoved. "Betraying the gang means three stabs and six wounds. Farewell."

’How could he possibly plead for Luo Dehu? Guan Xiaojie knew their history, yet he’d ordered him to carry out the punishment. This was clearly a test. At a time like this, forget pleading for mercy—the slightest hesitation could mean he’d share Luo Dehu’s fate.’

PSHCHT!

The Dharma Saber in his hand flashed, its blade piercing straight through Luo Dehu’s back. Blood spurted along the blade.

Luo Dehu’s whole body shuddered. He stared at Qian Jiaxing in disbelief.

’He struck me down without the slightest hesitation?’

Withdrawing the blade, Qian Jiaxing, his face a blank mask, stabbed again, piercing Luo Dehu’s body once more.

"You’ll all be joining me soon..." Luo Dehu said with his last breath.

He had already told Xu Yang that the Great River Gang was investigating him. A Dragon Ascending Genius would never tolerate being investigated in secret.

After the third stab, Luo Dehu gradually went still. Blood gushed from the wounds.

Qian Jiaxing’s face was pale, and the hand holding the Dharma Saber began to tremble.

Although he had been in the gang for almost a year, this was the first time he had killed someone—and it was his own friend.

Suppressing his unease, he put down the Dharma Saber and walked over to Guan Xiaojie. "Gang Leader, the punishment is complete. He’s dead."

Guan Xiaojie looked at Qian Jiaxing with a mocking gaze. "You’re a ruthless one, aren’t you? I figured you and Luo Dehu were on good terms, so if I made you carry out the punishment, you’d avoid his vitals and spare his life. I never expected you to go for a killing blow with every stab."

’The Gang Leader wanted to spare Luo Dehu?’

Qian Jiaxing’s mind reeled, and he began to tremble uncontrollably. ’Did I misunderstand the Gang Leader’s intentions?’

"How dare you!"

Just as he was about to speak, Guan Xiaojie let out a furious roar. A terrifying aura exploded from him as a palm, filled with True Qi, slammed into Qian Jiaxing’s chest.

CRACK!

Qian Jiaxing’s body convulsed. His sternum caved in as if struck by a sledgehammer, and he was sent flying backward like an arrow loosed from a bow.

???

Blood spewed from Qian Jiaxing’s mouth. A look of confusion flashed in his eyes; he didn’t understand why Guan Xiaojie had suddenly attacked him.

In his vision, Guan Xiaojie closed in like a great bird, striking out with another palm.

But before Guan Xiaojie’s second palm could land, he felt a sharp pain in his back, and then, he knew no more.

’Ruthless!’

Xu Yang thought to himself. He blasted Qian Jiaxing aside with a palm strike and continued to press toward Guan Xiaojie.

He had planned to use the moment Qian Jiaxing’s body blocked the line of sight to launch a sneak attack on Guan Xiaojie. He hadn’t expected the man to be so vicious as to blast Qian Jiaxing toward him to impede his advance.

As for Qian Jiaxing, Xu Yang showed him no mercy either.

’To him, this former friend was no different from any other member of the Great River Gang. Even if Guan Xiaojie hadn’t used him as a human shield, Xu Yang would have killed him after dealing with Guan Xiaojie anyway. Everyone here had to die.’

BAM!

Struck by heavy blows from two experts, Guan Xiaojie and Xu Yang, Qian Jiaxing’s body was twisted grotesquely. He was already dead by the time he hit the ground.

"Enemy attack!"

"Gang Leader, watch out!"

The surrounding Great River Gang members finally reacted, shouting warnings.

"Die!"

Guan Xiaojie, shocked and enraged, threw a punch in mid-air toward the thunderously fast figure. The force it carried nearly blew out the surrounding torches.

In the flickering firelight, he could see a person dressed in Night Clothes. Aside from their eyes, their entire body was covered, making them unrecognizable.

BANG!

The two fists collided, unleashing a wave of Vigorous Energy. The muffled impact thundered through the night.

Guan Xiaojie felt an unstoppable, tyrannical True Qi easily tear through his Protective True Qi and surge into his meridians. His arm went numb instantly.

His opponent’s fist was so hard that for a moment, he thought he had been struck by a fist forged from iron.

With a CRACK, his finger bones were shattered by the terrifying force, his fist twisting into an unnatural shape. If he hadn’t reached the Qi Gathering Great Perfection level of Cultivation, that single punch would have shattered his entire arm.

"Mixed Element Strength!" Guan Xiaojie exclaimed in horror.

His own punch had contained Hidden Strength; for his opponent to overwhelm him so completely, their Fist Strength must have been the far more powerful Mixed Element Strength.

In mid-air, he desperately gathered all his True Qi to expel the energy that had invaded his meridians, simultaneously using the momentum to retreat quickly.

Xu Yang tapped his foot in mid-air, his falling body soaring up once more. He accelerated abruptly, sticking to Guan Xiaojie like a shadow.