"Father, Master Pang, pack up at once—we're leaving immediately!"
The moment Jiang Dao returned home, he shouted, "Everyone guarding the city is dead. No one is controlling Hengzhou City anymore. Now is the best time to leave—hurry!"
"What?"
Jiang Dalong and Pang Lin were both shocked.
All the soldiers guarding the city were dead?
They shuddered and did not dare ask further, hurriedly beginning to pack.
Just as they had last night, Jiang Dalong roared angrily, ordering everyone to travel light. They were to take only gold, silver, and valuables, leaving behind all other bulky belongings.
The entire group bustled about.
Only after two hours had everything finally been packed.
Carriage after carriage raced out of the Jiang Family estate, following the official road toward the city gates.
Although the red fog hung thickly in the air and visibility was extremely poor,
everyone had lived in Hengzhou for a long time and knew Hengzhou City like the backs of their hands.
Even if they could not see the road ahead, they still knew which path led where.
Gradually, they reached the city gates.
The massive gates had long since been pushed open. Red fog surged about, and corpses lay strewn along both sides of the gates. Many soldiers' bodies had shriveled up like dried cured meat.
Among them was none other than General Gongsun from yesterday.
He had once been broad-shouldered and powerfully built, but now he had died a miserable death. It was as though he had been sucked dry, his body lying in the red fog, blackened and thin, his expression twisted in terror.
Many travelers carrying bundles on their backs passed through the city gates in fright.
Jiang Dao immediately called for his own convoy to leave the city at once.
His heart churned.
Something unimaginably terrible must have happened last night.
Otherwise, the officials would not have died so miserably. Yet he did not dare investigate any of it. He only wanted to leave this place as quickly as possible. All of Hengzhou City had become a ghost den; every extra minute spent there meant another minute of danger.
Outside the city was completely different from within.
The instant they passed through the gates, they could see the glaring sun outside.
Everything was warm and gentle, brimming with life. Sparrows fluttered through the air, and the scent of flowers drifted about.
There was not a trace of red fog anywhere.
It was as though the red fog had been confined within the city by the gates, unable to spill outside.
"We're safe now. We should be safe now, right?"
Pang Lin asked uneasily.
"We still cannot let our guard down. Come, we're heading to Fengzhou. Only once we reach Fengzhou will we be truly safe!"
Jiang Dao spoke.
"Alright, I'll lead the way!"
Pang Lin hurriedly nodded.
Once they had passed through the city gates, the Jiang Family convoy was no longer restricted by poor visibility and began racing wildly along the official road.
They hurried on without pause for more than two hours.
At last, the convoy stopped to rest briefly.
The horses panted heavily from exhaustion, and many servants hurriedly fed them fodder and water.
The others also got down from the carriages to stretch their legs.
Those who needed to relieve themselves did so, while those who wanted water drank.
Quite a few people had been jolted dizzy by the carriages and squatted on the ground, vomiting painfully.
Jiang Dao took the flask of water Pang Lin handed him, unscrewed the cap, and tilted his head back to gulp it down. It gurgled as it went down, leaving him indescribably refreshed.
But just as he drank deeply, his hairs suddenly stood on end. He sensed an indescribable danger.
Jiang Dao abruptly turned around and looked toward the woods to one side.
Not far from them,
an Eerie Youth stood there, dressed in black robes, with black hair, black eyes, and black fingernails. His mouth was split open all the way to the roots of his ears, forcing out a strange, sinister smile as he silently watched them.
Jiang Dao's pupils contracted. Every muscle in his body instantly tightened as he backed away.
"Everyone, retreat immediately!"
Jiang Dao suddenly shouted.
Jiang Dalong, Liu Hongyan, and the others, who had been resting, all changed expression.
They had been about to ask what was wrong, but they quickly noticed the Eerie Youth in the distance.
The instant they saw him, an indescribable terror rose in their hearts. Their hairs stood on end, breathing became difficult, and it felt as if an invisible hand had clamped tightly around their hearts.
In an instant, everyone understood, their faces filling with horror.
"Get in the carriages! Quickly, get in!"
Jiang Dalong hurriedly shouted.
All the servants trembled as they scrambled into the carriages.
"You want to leave? Did I agree to that?"
The Eerie Youth smiled.
Whoosh!
His body seemed to teleport across level ground, leaving behind a layer of black afterimages as he rapidly closed in on Jiang Dao.
Strangely, he did not move in a straight line, but in a zigzag pattern. Carrying an indescribable stench like rotting corpses, he moved with extreme speed and shot straight toward Jiang Dalong.
Jiang Dao's heart surged with fury. The moment his opponent moved, he threw away the water flask, his muscles swelling as he unleashed all his strength and charged forward wildly.
"Die!"
He roared, clenching his five fingers into a fist. Terrifying force shattered the air as he threw a savage punch at the Eerie Youth with unimaginable power.
The Eerie Youth's smile deepened. His mouthful of dense, fine teeth was unspeakably terrifying. Facing Jiang Dao's punch, he neither dodged nor evaded, instead raising his own fist and smashing it fiercely toward Jiang Dao's body.
Boom! Boom!
Two muffled explosions rang out, thunderous and deafening as shockwaves burst forth.
The two were actually sent flying backward at the same time.
Jiang Dao's body crashed heavily into the distance. With a crack, he snapped a large tree in half. After landing, a trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
The Eerie Youth was sent flying as well, smashing a massive boulder weighing a thousand catties into pieces.
However!
Before Jiang Dao could show any sign of relief, the Eerie Youth rose from the ground as though nothing had happened. A layer of dark light flashed over the shoulder Jiang Dao had struck, and all his injuries vanished instantly.
This sight made Jiang Dao's heart sink. He felt an immense crisis unlike anything he had ever experienced before.
"Interesting human. So you were the one who killed my two Malevolent Spirits."
The Eerie Youth wore a broad smile as his neck swayed gently in an indescribably twisted posture, as though it could stretch and retract on its own.
"Who exactly are you?"
Jiang Dao spoke in a low voice. "Why must you target my Jiang Family?"
"There is no reason. I feel like it."
The Eerie Youth smiled.
"So you insist on killing us today?"
Jiang Dao asked coldly.
"Does that even need asking?"
The Eerie Youth stuck out his long, scarlet tongue and licked his black lips, smiling brightly. "Not a single person will leave here alive today!"
"In that case, come on!"
Jiang Dao's face turned icy as he completely let go.
Rumble!
A tremendous force erupted from his body, blasting apart all the clothing on his upper body. His muscles bulged, his body expanded, and thick veins writhed beneath his skin.
No matter how wary he was of the other party, Jiang Dao could no longer care.
Today, either he would die, or his opponent would!
The Eerie Youth smiled cruelly, staring at Jiang Dao. "What a fine human. Your flesh and blood must taste exquisite!"
Whoosh!
His body vanished in an instant, unbelievably fast. Carrying a thick, foul stench, he sliced through the air, one hand reeking blackly as it struck viciously toward Jiang Dao.
Jiang Dao roared, stomping his foot and blasting a huge crater into the ground. His burly body tore through the air like a cannonball as he charged forward, throwing out a palm strike of his own.
Rumble!
Their palms collided in an instant, and the air exploded with terrifying force.
It was like two savage beasts crashing together.
Then the two began to attack each other with violent fury at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow.
Bang bang bang bang!
Explosions rang out. Both of them pushed their strength to the limit, each palm strike colliding solidly with the other. The shockwaves caved in and burst with hissing detonations, while the surrounding forest was repeatedly shattered apart by the force of their blows.
Both their bodies were tyrannical to the extreme.
Everyone from the Jiang residence was horrified beyond measure.
Pang Lin, Fang Biao, Wang Xing, and the others in particular all stared with their eyes wide open.
They could scarcely believe it. Was their Eldest Young Master still even human?
Because such force was clearly not something a body of flesh and blood could produce!
Could martial arts truly be trained to such a realm?
"Dao'er, be careful!"
Jiang Dalong cried out in horror.
Before you continue