Jiang Chen erupted with full power, using the Binding Tiger layered with the Thorn Crown to create an opening.
Three sword strikes obliterated the Pig Bone Mask of the White Bone Path's Twelve Bone Masks.
He spun around and slashed downward, one sword slicing off five fingers from Hu Shaomeng.
Zhu Biqiong's heart skipped half a beat. She watched helplessly as the five streams of sharp energy approached, but her Dao Essence was in chaos, leaving her momentarily unable to dodge.
Then Jiang Chen descended from the sky, landing right in front of Hu Shaomeng.
The scene reminded her of many years ago, of her sister's slender yet powerful silhouette.
Hu Shaomeng let out only one wretched scream before stopping. He used tremendous willpower to suppress the pain.
He had already lost.
A crushing defeat!
He had lost not only the Hu family's thirty years of opportunity but also the treasure he had painstakingly schemed for.
He understood perfectly.
That sword strike just now—if he hadn't retreated quickly, it wouldn't have been just five finger joints severed, but his entire arm.
That sword of Jiang Chen's, as if sent from beyond the heavens. Even if he faced it again, he had no confidence he could block or dodge it.
Damn it! Weren't those the White Bone Path's Twelve Bone Masks? How did they die so quickly!
Drenched in cold sweat from the pain, his heart seething with hatred and fury, he uttered not a single harsh word. Instead, he immediately activated his illusion arts and vanished.
Jiang Chen casually pulled out the Mirage Pearl and tossed it to Zhu Biqiong.
"See if he's still there?"
With the Mirage Pearl's enhancement, although Zhu Biqiong still couldn't surpass Hu Shaomeng in illusion arts, detecting his presence was no problem.
She focused for a moment, then gritted her teeth and shook her head: "He's escaped."
Perhaps Hu Shaomeng still harbored thoughts of striking again, but the moment Jiang Chen unhesitatingly threw out the Mirage Pearl, he understood he had no chance.
If he didn't flee now, he might not escape at all.
With Hu Shaomeng gone, the Dao Arts he had left behind naturally dissipated.
The torrential chain locks collapsed, and the illusion arts vanished.
Su Xiuxing leapt to his feet and snatched the Azure Cloud Sheep from the air.
The moment the Azure Cloud Sheep entered his hand, it shrank from half a person's size to about the size of a baby's fist, still bouncing around in Su Xiuxing's palm.
"What a treasure!"
Sensing the pure wood dao aura emanating from the Azure Cloud Sheep, Su Xiuxing felt refreshed and clear-headed. Even the frustration of being suppressed by Hu Shaomeng earlier had vanished without a trace.
Such a treasure...
But he turned his head and saw Jiang Chen.
The look in Jiang Chen's eyes was perfectly calm.
"Uh..."
Su Xiuxing carefully examined the five finger joints on the ground, then thought of the massive Pig Bone Mask that had loomed outside the mine gate like a beast, and then recalled the terrible royal secret poison of Great Qi within his body—heaven's wrath, earth's destruction, man's death...
He raised the Azure Cloud Sheep with both hands and presented it to Jiang Chen: "Sir, the mission is accomplished!"
Jiang Chen naturally wouldn't be polite. He took the Azure Cloud Sheep in one swift motion.
Instantly, he felt his entire body relax. Even the Azure Dragon Chapter of the Four Spirits Body Refinement, which had long been perfected, seemed to loosen slightly, as if it could advance a step further.
Of course, this was merely an illusion brought on by the pure wood dao aura of the Azure Cloud Sheep.
Jiang Chen held the Azure Cloud Sheep but didn't immediately play with it. Instead, he turned his head to look at Xi Zichu, who was rushing over with robes fluttering in the wind.
Xi Zichu landed inside the mine, surveying the surroundings, already understanding how things had ended.
His gaze fell upon the Azure Cloud Sheep frolicking in Jiang Chen's palm, and his eyes contracted sharply.
Born in East King Valley, he had the greatest need for this kind of wood dao treasure. If he could obtain this treasure, it would save him at least ten years of effort!
But...
Before luring the Pig Bone Mask to the Hu family's mine, he had fought the Pig Bone Mask—not going all out, but he knew the opponent was no weakling.
The White Bone Path's Twelve Bone Masks—who dared call any of them weak?
Now that person was reduced to nothing but bones.
He had been locked in a bitter struggle with Hu Shaomeng for years. Although he had always had the upper hand, he knew the man's true strength. Now Hu Shaomeng was nowhere to be seen.
His own family elder, possessing genuine Soaring Dragon realm cultivation, was already dead.
How powerful was this Jiang Chen, really?
Could he mobilize the entire Xi family's forces to besiege and kill him here?
Could they keep it quiet afterward?
He was still weighing his options when Jiang Chen turned a half-smiling gaze toward him.
Jiang Chen held the Azure Cloud Sheep casually in his palm and asked: "What brings Young Master Xi here?"
"Don't tell me..." He waved the little green sheep in his hand: "You're also trying to seize the Chongxuan family's treasure?"
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
As he spoke, horse hooves struck the ground.
An elite squad of twenty-three Jiacheng city guards arrived on horseback.
Each one battle-hardened, they rested their hands on their sheathed swords and waited for Xi Zichu's command.
Jiang Chen's expression didn't change. He didn't even glance at these people, merely looking at Xi Zichu, waiting for his answer.
These few brief moments felt agonizingly long.
Everyone else couldn't help but hold their breath, wondering whether it would be war or peace.
Only Jiang Chen and Xi Zichu themselves remained composed.
"Where would an envoy get such an idea?" Xi Zichu said with a bitter smile. "I came in pursuit of the Pig Bone Mask. This person hails from the White Bone Path—vicious and brutal, responsible for terrible crimes in Jiacheng. I bear the duty of protecting this land, and it is my obligation."
"In that case, you may all return," Jiang Chen said slowly. "He has already died by my sword."
"Oh! What a relief!" Xi Zichu cupped his fists in salute. "On behalf of all of Jiacheng, Xi thanks the envoy!"
"No need to be so formal." Jiang Chen waved his hand. "The government reward for this man's capture—please have it delivered to the mine later."
Even Xi Zichu, with his exceptional composure, couldn't help but stiffen slightly.
"Of course!"
With that, he immediately departed with his elite subordinates.
He feared that if he stayed any longer, he wouldn't be able to resist fighting to the death over that Azure Cloud Sheep.
After all, the Xi family had many lives depending on him. He didn't dare gamble all their lives on one wager.
"Sir." Su Xiuxing sidled up quietly, looking quite fawning. "The Xi family is, after all, the masters of Jiacheng, with unfathomable resources. Weren't you afraid they might really turn on you just now?"
"Smart people overthink things. Since he didn't make a move the moment he arrived, he won't make one."
Jiang Chen offered a casual explanation, then suddenly took a step back, eyeing Su Xiuxing warily. "Why are you standing so close?"
"Um..." Su Xiuxing rubbed his hands together, seemingly embarrassed. "The Pig Bone Mask from the White Bone Path is dead, and you've got the Azure Cloud Sheep. So... the poison in my body..."
Jiang Chen fell silent for a moment. Even after spending so much time with Chongxuan Sheng and gradually thickening his skin, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of embarrassment.
"I keep my word. You're free to go."
"Mm-hmm, mmm! Sir is true to his word—everyone knows it, who wouldn't!" Su Xiuxing nodded humbly again and again, grinning obsequiously. "But... the poison in my body?"
"There's no poison in your body."
"Sir, don't joke with me... I'm timid, I can't take any more torment."
Jiang Chen: "..."
He realized he had trapped himself in a paradox: a toxin conjured from thin air indeed couldn't be detected by any healer, because it simply didn't exist. But conversely, no physician could prove it didn't exist either, because its non-existence could simply mean it couldn't be detected.
"You really are too clever. Nothing gets past you."
As he spoke, Jiang Chen pressed out a drop of Dao Essence, wrapping it in wood qi using the Binding Tiger technique, and lightly patted Su Xiuxing's shoulder, dispersing it into his body. "The antidote has been administered."
Su Xiuxing felt his body suddenly seize up, then release—a sensation of immense relief.
He couldn't help but laugh: "Well, of course! After all, I've been roaming the world for years..."
Laughing and laughing, he suddenly cut himself short, leapt several steps back: "Now that the poison's gone, why would I bother chatting with you? You dare push around this Young Master Su? You just wait!"
After the threat, he bolted.
In the blink of an eye, he was gone.