Chapter Fifteen: Unleashing Carnage

East Peace Pavilion.

After his parents left, Jiang Fan pondered briefly, then slung the black iron saber onto his back and strode out, heading straight for the courtyard where Jiang Hua resided.

This courtyard was named “Thick Virtue”—Thick Virtue Garden.

“Ninth Young Master, without permission, you are not allowed to enter!” Jiang Fan was stopped by a guard.

“What’s this? I’m here to visit my second uncle and see my cousin, and you’re blocking me?” Jiang Fan sneered, striding forward with long, determined steps.

Clang!

The blade came free of its sheath, reflecting a chilling red glow under the lantern’s flame.

“Ninth Young Master, not only are you not permitted, you cannot go inside. Please don’t make things difficult for us servants!” The guard blocked his path, his expression icy.

Jiang Fan narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing within. “Get out of my way. If you dare stop me again, I’ll cut you down where you stand!”

In truth, he was already growing anxious.

Swish…!

He took a step forward, and the guard did not hesitate—his blade swung down. But at that instant, a voice came from within the courtyard: “Stop!”

The guard withdrew his blade and stepped back.

“Ninth Brother, what brings you here?” Jiang Hua appeared, hands clasped behind his back, eyes narrowed with a smile. “A rare guest indeed. Please, come in!”

Jiang Fan flicked his robe, glanced at the guards on either side, turned over a few thoughts in his mind, and entered.

This courtyard was even more refined than the East Peace Pavilion.

“Sixth Brother, release Xiao Qing and Xiao Qian.” Jiang Fan spoke directly.

“Aren’t those two maids in your chambers? Why ask me?” Jiang Hua said with a teasing smile. “Honestly, among all the maids in the household, only those two are truly lovely—and you’ve claimed them both! Makes your elder brother envious!”

“So you truly won’t let them go?” Jiang Fan drew the saber from his back.

“Are you really going to break off all decorum?” Jiang Hua was taken aback, then shook his head, laughing. “To be honest, they are here with me. I just wanted to tease you, to see if you had the courage. To think you’d draw your blade over two maids without evidence, right here in Thick Virtue Garden! Ninth Brother, for this alone, I must applaud you—a true man!”

“Sixth Brother, if you dislike me, deal with me directly. There’s no need to trouble two innocent girls,” Jiang Fan said. “Release them, and if you want to challenge me, I’ll accept whatever you propose.”

“Release them? Certainly not! Meat that reaches my mouth—how could I spit it out?” Jiang Hua shook his head. “Ninth Brother, the truth is, I actually pity you.”

Jiang Fan frowned, watching as figures emerged from the shadows, surrounding him.

“Do you know what is to happen tonight?” Jiang Hua tilted his chin, gazing at the rising moon, his tone wistful. “The water demons are in revolt, ten thousand fiends encircle the city. The city seems peaceful for now, but soon it will echo with shrieks and fire. Family after family, house after house, innocent women will howl in the flames and under the maws of demon slaves. How tragic, how mournful. I almost wish I could become a thousand men, to save them all!”

“What do you mean?” Jiang Fan’s face changed dramatically.

From the six who surrounded him, he sensed a strange, monstrous aura. Combined with Jiang Hua’s odd demeanor and his earlier words, Jiang Fan’s heart sank.

Boom…!

A distant explosion echoed.

“Look!” Jiang Hua pointed south, his face alight with glee. “See the water surging to the heavens? That must be a great demon manipulating the river, trying to breach the city. Pity for them—the Celestial Mirror protects the city. No demon at the Path-entering level can enter, or things wouldn’t be so complicated.”

In the southern sky, mist thickened.

Faintly, a river could be seen rising into the sky, threatening to pour down.

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

The air trembled. Above the Prefect’s mansion, a vision appeared—a mirror shining with divine light, spreading swiftly to cover the entire city, blocking the river’s descent.

“The Celestial Mirror can watch over the city. The moment it senses the aura of a Path-entering demon, it will destroy it instantly. It’s said that this is only a projection of the true Celestial Mirror. If it were the original, what unimaginable power would it have? It stirs the soul,” Jiang Hua sighed. “People like us, if we don’t take shortcuts, in a hundred years we’ll be nothing but bones. How pitiful! Who would choose to grow old and die unknown, when they could cultivate for longevity and live in indulgence? I won’t accept that fate; nor will my father. Luckily, there’s another method beyond mere cultivation.”

“Second Uncle has allied with the demons?” Jiang Fan finally understood.

“Without colluding with evil gods, how could we gain powerful bloodlines? How could we overturn our mortal fate?” Jiang Hua laughed. “Ninth Brother, if you kneel and beg like a dog, for the sake of our kinship, I’ll grant you a portion of fortune. Not only will you survive, but you’ll have a chance at immortality. Of course, the condition is that from now on, you’ll be my dog. If I tell you to bite, you bite.”

“Those who collude with demons are condemned by all!” Jiang Fan said. “To think my second uncle would stoop so low for immortality? At best, you’ll become a demon slave, or a follower of an evil god. Even the evil gods can’t achieve true immortality—what hope do you pitiful creatures have?”

“You’re the pitiful one, blind to the times!” Jiang Hua was unperturbed. “Listen—the screams and the fire outside. You know without looking: the demon slaves hidden in the city have begun their attack.”

Boom, boom, boom!

At that moment, the ground began to tremble. In the courtyard behind Thick Virtue Garden, a jet-black pillar burst forth, rising swiftly above the rooftops.

The pillar was pitch black, carved with intricate patterns, from which thick, black smoke billowed.

“Hahaha! Everything is ready. Only one more strike!” Jiang Hua laughed as he retreated.

Those surrounding Jiang Fan began to twist and contort. Scales sprouted on their cheeks; their hands became claws. In a breath, they had become half-demons.

“Die!” Jiang Fan moved instantly.

The black iron saber swept in a blazing arc—quicker than lightning—decapitating two of the fiends in a single stroke. The remaining demon slaves fell back, but in a flash surged forward again, their explosive speed matching any adept of the Qi Cultivation realm.

Four demon slaves attacked him at once.

“If I’d just returned, I would have been doomed. But now, your speed is too slow!” Jiang Fan murmured inwardly, darting forward. With a single stroke, he seemed to split into four, cutting down all the oncoming fiends.

“So fast!” Liang San, leaping into the fray, exclaimed in shock. “Your strength has grown again. In time, your future would be limitless. Pity you’re doomed to die here!”

At the same time, Liang Shan transformed as well.

His hands became claws, covered in scales and thick, black fur. Even his forehead sprouted patches of scales, making him resemble a demon not yet fully formed.

“Uncle Liang, enough talk—cripple him! I want to have my fun,” Jiang Hua urged.

“Very well!” Liang Shan answered and struck.

His figure blurred, appearing before Jiang Fan in an instant, his claw slashing for Jiang Fan’s throat.

“Another one!” Unafraid, Jiang Fan turned his saber, quicker on the draw, severing the attacking claw.

“Your speed has increased again!” Liang Shan retreated in shock. “No—it’s your Fist of Surging Force, you’ve reached the fourth level, fully integrating the technique!”

“You realized it too late!” Jiang Fan pursued. “Though you’ve demonized, gaining strength and defense, you’ve sacrificed much else. My mastery of the Profound Dao Diagram rivals yours, and with the fivefold burst of the Fist of Surging Force, your strength and speed are no match for mine. You’re doomed!”

Swish…!

One stroke—another claw severed.

The third stroke—Liang Shan’s arm spun away.

Splurt!

Jiang Fan’s fourth stroke cleaved him entirely.