novelapdf Chapter 184 Killing Within Killing!
Chapter 184 Killing Within Killing!
"Yang Feifei?"
Jiang Mu frowned slightly; it was the first time she had heard that Yang Qintian had a younger sister.
He poked at the campfire, the sparks crackling, and turned to ask:
"Brother Yan, what exactly did you do to provoke the sister of a high-ranking official in the Imperial Guard to travel all this way to hunt you down?"
Yan Zixiao grabbed the water bag, tilted his head back, and took another big gulp. The cool water flowed down his messy beard and into his coarse cloth collar.
He wiped his mouth, a glint of ruthlessness and resentment flashing in his eyes, and said in a deep voice:
"What else can we do?"
That bitch wanted something from me. I refused, and when she couldn't take it by force, she resorted to murder.
Only by killing me can she rightfully obtain it.
Seeing his gritted teeth, Jiang Mu wisely refrained from pressing the matter further.
There's no need to dig too deep when it comes to a cultivator's trump cards and secrets.
Jiang Mu chuckled self-deprecatingly:
"Brother Yan, we really are in the same boat."
To be honest, I've really offended Yang Qintian now. Who knows, one day I might be walking down the street and get targeted by assassins from the Imperial Guards, ending up being hunted down.
"Oh? How did you offend him?"
Yan Zixiao became interested.
Jiang Mu unconsciously drew circles on the ground with the twig in her hand, and smiled casually:
"I didn't do anything. It's just that a while ago in Yancheng, I broke the leg of his arrogant and domineering son."
Then... he slashed his adopted daughter with a single blow, and incidentally stole her Heavenly Star Position.
"hiss"
Upon hearing this, Yan Zixiao gasped and it took her a long time to recover.
He gave a thumbs-up and exclaimed sincerely:
"Bro, you're ruthless!"
Who is Yang Qintian?
That was a favorite of the current Emperor of Daqing, the Deputy Commander of the Inner Guard.
Such a powerful figure, let alone those wandering martial arts practitioners who lick blood from the edge of a knife, even the highest-ranking officials in the imperial court would treat him with utmost respect.
To make matters worse, this seemingly refined hall master actually caused the other person to lose all their offspring.
This is absolutely outrageous!
"So, you're running away now too?"
Yan Zixiao looked at Jiang Mu with eyes full of sympathy and a sense of mutual understanding as fellow sufferers.
"Run away my ass!"
Jiang Mu pursed her lips and casually tossed the branch in her hand into the fire. "I have important business to attend to at the Heavenly Blade Sect."
Although the feud with the Yang family has become an intractable one.
But Jiang Mu knew in his heart that he had made a first-class contribution in this battle to defend Yancheng.
He is a universally acknowledged hero of the Demon Slayer Division.
At this critical juncture, even if Yang Qintian had a hundred times the courage, he would absolutely not dare to openly harm such a meritorious official.
Of course, it's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark.
They'll definitely resort to some dirty tricks behind the scenes.
However, in the short term, Yang Qintian would absolutely not dare to make any rash moves or openly oppose the entire Demon Slaying Division system.
Seeing Jiang Mu's nonchalant attitude, Yan Zixiao couldn't help but remind him, "Brother, you'd better be very careful in the future. These lackeys of the Imperial Guard are ruthless and vicious."
He paused for a moment, then told the truth:
"Since we've already had our fortunes told, I won't hide it from you anymore."
As you may have heard, I, Yan Zixiao, was once an inner disciple of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. However, due to some unspeakable matters, I was expelled from the sect.
However, my master was very kind to me at the time and secretly protected me.
On the day I was expelled from the sect, they secretly gave me a protective magic item to help me with self-defense and spiritual cultivation in the future.
Yan Zixiao gave a bitter smile.
"It was precisely because of this treasure that I was brought to my death."
Yang Feifei recently broke through to the seventh realm, but somehow managed to steal a star position, causing her realm to become unstable and requiring a treasure to stabilize it. She discovered that I possessed this magic treasure and decided to seize it by force.
Luckily, I reacted quickly and escaped her pursuit.
This woman directly mobilized her personal guards to search for my whereabouts, chasing me all the way here.
After listening, Jiang Mu clicked his tongue in amazement:
"Brother Yan, your skills are quite impressive."
Yang Feifei is a seventh-realm expert, and that woman named Xun Xiaomo is also at the seventh realm. Two experts were chasing after you, a fifth-realm cultivator, and you still managed to escape.
Upon hearing this praise, Yan Zixiao's face revealed a hint of pride.
He laughed heartily:
"Haha! I, Yan Zixiao, may have other ordinary skills, but few can match my ability to escape. In this world, no one who can kill me has even been born yet."
However, at that moment...
A sudden distortion appeared in the air.
A tiny spatial rift appeared out of nowhere above the campfire.
"call out!"
The next moment, an extremely thin beam of sword light shot out from the crack.
The speed was extremely fast.
Ji Hongyuan, who had been hiding among the tree branches above, was unable to stop him in time.
The sword light pierced directly through Yan Zixiao's heart.
A blood flower bloomed.
Yan Zixiao's face, which still wore a proud smile, froze instantly.
He slowly lowered his head, looking at the hole in his chest from which blood was gushing out, and murmured to himself:
"I have such a bad mouth..."
"Thump!"
Yan Zixiao fell straight backward.
This sudden turn of events left Jiang Mu completely bewildered.
What shocked him was not that Yan Zixiao was suddenly killed in one blow right in front of him.
Instead...
That deadly sword light just now was extremely familiar!
So familiar with it that I can't forget it even in my dreams.
Because, back in Yancheng, he had been pierced through the heart by the exact same sword light.
I experienced a real death.
￥H””
Jiang Mu snapped out of her daze and quickly drew her long sword.
The [Tai Su Tian Gang Blood River True Knowledge] surged on the blade. He looked around warily, fully alert.
However, apart from the chirping of insects and the rustling of leaves in the wind, the surroundings were deathly silent, without a trace of murderous intent.
Ji Hongyuan gracefully landed from the tree.
She floated to Yan Zixiao's body, her beautiful eyes fixed on the wound, and murmured:
"What a powerful technique for severing causality!"
"The Karmic Severing Technique?" Jiang Mu gripped the knife and approached, his brow furrowed. "What the hell is this thing?"
Ji Hongyuan's tone was solemn:
"It's a ranged kill, and a top-tier curse-killing technique that uses cause and effect as a medium."
Look at this wound; there's a wisp of resentment left at the edge. The other party used karmic resentment as a trigger to lock onto the target and cast a spell from a distance.
The sword energy was incredibly intense; it must have been the supernatural power wielded by the woman named Yang Feifei he had mentioned earlier. After all, only those from the Sword Sect possessed such fierce and pure sword intent.
Jiang Mu subconsciously reached out and touched her left chest.
He closed his eyes and carefully recalled every detail of the time he was killed.
He discovered that the spot where he had been stabbed was exactly the same as the spot where Yan Zixiao was now.
"Could it be... that I was also killed remotely by this kind of causal technique?"
Jiang Mu was filled with doubt and unease.
The problem is that, until now, he had always believed that he had been assassinated by the Red Umbrella Cult.
But now, he's involved with Yang Feifei.
Countless doubts in his mind were now being rapidly pieced together and sorted out in Jiang Mu's mind, like jigsaw puzzle pieces scattered on the ground.
and many more!
Jiang Mu suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze flashing with a sharp light.
Could it be that Aunt Shui and I went in the wrong direction from the very beginning?
At the time in Yancheng, everyone thought it was a conspiracy by the Red Umbrella Sect to use someone else to kill Wenhe and frame him.
But now, upon closer reflection, the logic behind it simply doesn't hold up to scrutiny.
At that time, Nan Zhi was racking her brains trying to win him over and subdue him through various means.
How could he suddenly commit such a heinous act?
Moreover, Yang Tianci had already made a threatening statement, saying that he had sent a letter to the capital and that someone would soon come to avenge him.
Therefore, the truth is likely to be:
Yang Feifei entered Yancheng during that period and used the art of cause and effect to assassinate her nephew in order to avenge him.
As it happened, he was at the time in a heated argument with Wenhe.
This led to a misunderstanding, making everyone believe that Wenhe had resorted to desperate measures and committed the heinous act.
Now it all makes sense!
But………
There is still a most contradictory point of doubt here.
Who killed Yang Tianci?
If Yang Feifei had come to Yancheng in person, with her cultivation at the seventh level, how could she have stood by and watched her own nephew die so tragically, his heart ripped out and his life force drained?
Even more bizarrely, he and Yang Tianci were killed on the same day!
Could it be...?
Jiang Mu gasped.
An absurd idea popped into my head.
That shouldn't be the case, right?
Even tigers don't eat their cubs, let alone one's own aunt.
Unless Yang Tianci's existence posed some obstacle to her. Or perhaps, she wasn't after revenge for her nephew at all, but had some other motive? Jiang Mu couldn't figure it out, and her mind was in turmoil.
He sighed, his gaze complex as he looked at Yan Zixiao lying in a pool of blood.
In this vast world, it was rare for the two of them to meet again in this desolate wilderness. They hadn't even had a sip of wine or exchanged more than a few words before the other suddenly passed away.
Life and death are unpredictable; it truly makes one sigh with sorrow.
Jiang Mu shook his head, considering whether he should bury the body on the spot to avoid leaving it to rot in the wilderness.
suddenly!
Yan Zixiao, who had been lifeless, suddenly sat up straight, her chest heaving violently as she gasped for breath.
It was like a live fish that had just been thrown ashore and was suffering from dehydration.
Holy crap!
Seeing the other party suddenly come back to life, Jiang Mu was startled. Instinctively, she drew her sword and held it horizontally in front of her, took half a step back, and stared at him warily.
"Brother Yan?"
Jiang Mu tentatively called out.
Yan Zixiao didn't respond to him. Instead, she clutched her chest, looked around blankly, and then, as if remembering something, chuckled, coughing as she laughed.
"I knew it... I knew it!"
"Damn it, that 'Karma and Retribution Sword Manual' really is on that poisonous woman. Luckily, I'm alive and well, and I anticipated her dirty trick!" He laughed as he covered the bloody hole in his chest with his palm.
With a flash of light, he dug a bloody lump of flesh out of the wound.
The lump of flesh had a peculiar shape, resembling a miniature heart.
Its surface is covered with fine blood vessels, and black blood is gushing out at this moment.
Although blood was still dripping from the wound on Yan Zixiao's chest, his complexion had become rosy, and his breathing had become steady and strong, as if the fatal blow had only been a superficial injury.
"A fake heart?"
Ji Hongyuan, who had been standing by and observing, looked surprised.
Yan Zixiao turned to look at Jiang Mu and grinned:
"Did I scare you? This thing is a companion spirit I found by chance in the lair of a fox demon when I killed it a few years ago."
After refining it, it can disguise itself as a heart and parasitize the body. Once the heart is attacked, this thing will be the first to be damaged.
With that, he tossed the lump of meat into the nearby bushes with a hint of regret.
"Alas, what a pity, such a treasure can only be used once."
Jiang Mu asked curiously:
"Brother Yan, if your 'fake heart' doesn't play by the rules and instead targets your head or other vital organs instead of your heart, will it still work?"
Yan Zixiao's smug smile froze, and she shook her head somewhat dejectedly.
"Of course not. However, the fatal flaw targeted by this [Karma Retribution Sword Manual] must be the central point where a cultivator's blood and soul converge, which is the heart. I anticipated this long ago."
He paused, then frowned again:
"What surprised me was that this woman only used this supernatural power to kill me now. Logically speaking, she should have used it long ago; she must have used it once before."
"It has depleted my supernatural power and needs time to recover; otherwise, it wouldn't have waited until now."
Have you used it once before?
Jiang Mu's heart skipped a beat.
He pressed further, "How often can the [Karma and Retribution Sword Manual] be used? Are there any limitations?"
Yan Zixiao didn't understand why the other person was so curious about this, but she still answered:
The art of cause and effect emphasizes the "number of three to seven".
This supernatural power uses resentment as fuel and karma as firewood; once unleashed, it consumes a great deal of the caster's mental energy.
As far as I know, after using it once, one must wait twenty-one days before a second curse can be performed.
"Twenty-one days..."
Jiang Mu silently calculated in his mind.
It has been exactly twenty-one days since the last assassination attempt!
This finally confirms it: Yang Feifei was the one who killed him.
That woman is a real sly fox.
If it weren't for this unexpected encounter with Yan Zixiao, and witnessing the same assassination method firsthand, I probably would have been fooled by that woman and kept in the dark for the rest of my life.
good very good.
Now that the real culprit has surfaced, it's time to settle this score properly.
Jiang Mu suppressed the murderous intent surging within him and looked at Yan Zixiao, asking in a deep voice:
"Brother Yan, to tell you the truth, just twenty-one days ago, I was also killed by the same supernatural power."
I suspect that Yang Feifei, that woman, assassinated me to avenge my nephew Yang Tianci. Luckily, I survived. I want to know, where is that woman now? Is there any way to find her?
Yan Zixiao was stunned, not expecting this kind of grudge, and then shook her head and said:
"I don't know exactly where she is right now. The fact that she's using this remote curse method to assassinate me means she's very far away."
However, since the assassination attempt failed, she will sense it and might come looking for me herself, after all, what she wants is still with me.
As she spoke, Yan Zixiao took out a completely black chess piece from her bosom.
"The reason she's so persistent in chasing me is because of this thing. This thing called Yan is called [Tianyuan Dingxingzi]."
The first move is placed at the center of the board, and all things return to their origin.
Holding it can stabilize one's consciousness, solidify one's foundation, and prevent the spirit from becoming confused or bewildered, thus preventing the arising of inner demons.
He sighed:
"Once I die, this thing will automatically belong to her, because she has another piece called the 'Earth Element Star Attractor.' The two pieces are a pair and can attract each other."
I remember my mentor once told me privately that Yang Feifei's talent wasn't actually that great.
However, because she had an older brother who was the commander of the Imperial Guard, she spent a lot of resources on him. Even so, breaking through was still quite difficult.
Now that she has broken through to the seventh realm, she is in such a hurry to seize my treasure that it is clear her spirit is clouded and her realm is unstable.
Yan Zixiao's tone was full of resentment, bitterness, and a hint of unwillingness:
"Damn it, if I hadn't been expelled from my sect back then, losing my lineage and resources, I would have broken through to the seventh realm long ago. I wouldn't be being chased like a dog by this woman!"
Jiang Mu looked at Ji Hongyuan with a questioning look in her eyes.
Ji Hongyuan naturally understood what was hidden in the man's eyes.
She gently shook her head, her red lips parting slightly:
"Don't even think about it. Even if you use your Dharma power and join forces with me, plus him, you still can't be a match for Yang Feifei."
The Seventh Realm is indeed the Seventh Realm; its star-level ranking far surpasses yours.
Strangely, even though Ji Hongyuan was speaking right next to him, Yan Zixiao didn't sense it at all.
I can neither hear nor see her; it's as if she doesn't exist at all.
Clearly, the woman used some secret techniques to conceal her aura and presence, which only Jiang Mu could perceive.
Jiang Mu felt a little regretful.
If I had known this would happen, I would have kept that woman, Si Rumeng, by my side.
at the same time.
Inside a cave.
The campfire flickered, illuminating the jagged rocks on the cave walls.
Yang Feifei sat cross-legged on a flat stone, her eyes closed, her aura fluctuating.
Sometimes it is as strong as a tide, sometimes as weak as a thread.
After a long while, she slowly opened her eyes, her pupils bloodshot and her gaze gloomy.
She tried to get up, but felt dizzy.
I stumbled and almost fell.
"Miss Yang!"
Xun Xiaomo, who was standing by, quickly reached out to help, but Yang Feifei waved her hand and coldly refused.
Yang Feifei steadied herself, took out a fragment of the "Karma and Retribution Sword Manual," and said coldly, "This Yan Zixiao does have some skill; he actually survived." Xun Xiaozhang said:
"I have already sent people to search the surrounding area. We have people all over the area, and we should be able to find his trail soon."
Yang Feifei raised her head, staring sharply at her:
"Why don't you go after him yourself? With your cultivation level and tracking skills, finding him shouldn't be difficult."
Xun Xiaomo lowered her eyes and whispered:
"Your subordinate has received a secret order from you, sir, to protect you at all times. Until your cultivation level is stable, you must not leave your side for a moment."
"Protect me?"
Yang Feifei sneered, her tone laced with sarcasm.
"You couldn't even protect my brother's daughter, so what can you protect with me?"
Xun Xiaomo's face was ashen, her lips pressed together until they were white, and she said in a low voice:
"It is my incompetence that has failed your trust, sir. I will certainly accept my punishment upon returning and submit to your judgment."
Yang Feifei withdrew her gaze, no longer looking at her. Instead, she walked to the edge of the cave, gazing at the deep night outside. She reached out and caught a falling, withered leaf, crushing it between her fingers, and said softly:
"Tell me, why did my brother send you to Yancheng with that girl? It can't really be to avenge that good-for-nothing Yang Tianci, can it?" Xun Xiaomo didn't say anything, but lowered her head even further.
Yang Feifei turned around, a mocking smile on her face:
"It must be to make a deal with someone, right?"
That girl was just a tool; her star position was a bargaining chip prepared for someone else, but that kid named Jiang Mu intercepted it, ruining the plan.
Upon hearing the name "Jiang Mu," Yang Feifei clenched her fists.
I thought I had really killed that kid, but it's amazing that he survived.
It's alright, we can just kill them again.
But what's causing her frustration and annoyance right now is something else entirely.
She had thought that by digging out the Wolf Heart Jade, which she had nurtured in her nephew's body for over ten years using a secret method since childhood, and by devouring and refining it, her forcibly elevated seventh-realm cultivation would be completely stabilized.
Unexpectedly, after refining it, instead of stabilizing it, his spirit became increasingly clouded, and he became restless.
She didn't understand why things had turned out this way.
According to her brother, there shouldn't be any problem; the Wolf Heart Jade was originally prepared for her.
But there's no time to think about that now. All I can do is seize the [Heavenly Origin Star-Stabilizing Piece] from Yan Zixiao as soon as possible, and use that treasure to purify my spirit and stabilize my cultivation level.
Otherwise, if this drags on any longer, the consequences will be unimaginable.
Just then, the cry of a falcon suddenly came from outside the cave.
Xun Xiaomo's expression shifted, and he said, "Miss Yang, it's possible that something has happened to the people I sent out. I'll go check on them."
After saying that, she turned and quickly walked out of the cave.
Watching the woman's retreating figure, Yang Feifei, already feeling irritated, found the woman increasingly annoying.
The woman snorted inwardly:
"Why pretend to be so loyal? You look so cold and aloof."
"Without my brother's help, could you have killed your husband and seized his star position? Now you're putting on airs in front of me."
She had always disliked this woman.
I always felt that there was too much hidden in the other person's eyes, and I couldn't see through them.
However, she also understood why her brother was helping this woman, even at the cost of helping her kill her husband and seize the throne.
Because her and this woman's star positions belong to the same constellation, [Ji Shui Bao].
There are three Star Officials among the Jishui Leopards.
They are respectively: [箕] [糠] [杵]
She is associated with the [Pepper] star position.
According to his elder brother, Xun Xiaomo is a star of the "Kang" rank.
In other words, from the moment Xun Xiaomo successfully obtained the [Kang] star position, in her brother Yang Qintian's grand scheme, this woman was already destined to be a fat pig being raised in captivity.
It is destined to become the resources for Yang Feifei to reach higher realms and complete the Great Dao of Stars in the future!
They can be harvested when the time is right.
Thinking of this, Yang Feifei's anxiety and panic caused by her unstable state of mind were greatly relieved.
"Once we obtained the [Heavenly Origin Star-Stabilizing Stone], we stabilized the Seven Realms."
"You slut, the next one I'll kill!"
Outside the cave.
A biting wind howled, and dark clouds obscured the moon.
Xun Xiaomo stood alone on the edge of a secluded cliff, clutching a specially made slip of paper that she had just removed from the eagle leg of the Inner Guard. Her eyes held a hint of gloom.
The note contained no information about Yan Zixiao's whereabouts.
It was a line of orders personally written by Yang Qintian:
"The time is ripe. Kill Yang Feifei."