A Moonless, Windy Night for Murder

"Figures. I knew someone would come to assassinate me."

Xiao Peng looked at the Qingping Sword in his hand and muttered to himself.

He felt there was no need to hide his strength anymore. With his Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation and the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique, he could take on the strongest experts in Wu Tan City.

Looking at the corpses on the ground, Xiao Peng used Flame Spitting and began disposing of them.

Xiao Peng tilted his head back slightly, and a spark spilled from between his lips. Then, a blazing flame shot forth like a long serpent, pouncing straight at the corpses.

"Boom—"

The instant the flames struck the ground, they rose into a wall of fire over five feet high. The orange-red blaze illuminated Xiao Peng's calm profile as it swallowed the corpses whole.

The crackling of burning fat mingled with the scorched smell of cloth, spreading through the air. Yet there was no thick black smoke—only searing waves of heat rolling outward, baking even the moss on the courtyard walls into curls.

The Qingping Sword trembled lightly in his hand. The sword's green glow reflected against the firelight, as if it too could feel the flames' heat.

Xiao Peng stood outside the ring of fire, watching the black-clad men who had once looked so fierce swiftly curl up, char, and finally turn to heaps of ash.

His gaze remained calm and utterly unruffled. Since they had dared to assassinate him, they should have been prepared for such an end.

A moment later, the flames gradually died down, leaving behind nothing but gray-white powder scattered across the ground.

The night wind swept past, scattering the powder in every direction, as though more than a dozen lives had never ended here at all.

"A moonless, windy night for murder."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Xiao Peng flicked his wrist. The Qingping Sword hummed as it floated before him, its green radiance surging brightly.

Xiao Peng stepped onto the Qingping Sword and controlled it toward the Jia Lie Family estate.

He was not worried about Xiao Yan. Old Yao was watching over him.

The Qingping Sword carried Xiao Peng through the night sky like an arrow loosed from its bow. The rushing airflow whipped up his robes, making them snap loudly in the wind.

The houses and streets below rushed backward. Within only a few breaths, the Jia Lie Family's mansion, with its vermilion gates and high walls, came into view.

The guards at the entrance were dozing off when they suddenly felt a gust pass overhead. Looking up, they saw only a streak of green light flash by, so fast that they thought it had been an illusion.

Xiao Peng stood upon his sword, suspended above the Jia Lie Family's main courtyard. His gaze pierced through the window paper, clearly seeing the brightly lit room within.

Jia Lie Bi was seated with several elders, discussing matters with calculating smiles on their faces.

Inside the council hall, flickering candlelight shone upon Jia Lie Bi's smug face.

Jia Lie Bi raised his wine cup in a distant toast to the elders present. "Gentlemen, after tonight, there will no longer be anyone named Xiao Peng in Wu Tan City. The Xiao Family's hopes of rising to power will become utterly impossible!"

Second Elder, seated on his left, hurriedly chimed in with a fawning smile. "The Patriarch is wise! With One-Eyed leading the Black Wind Group, along with the skilled men from our two families, Xiao Peng is just a greenhorn. Even if he is an Eight-star Dou Practitioner, he has absolutely no chance of surviving."

"Hmph, a former piece of trash dares to ride roughshod over my Jia Lie Family?" Jia Lie Ao drained a cup of wine in one gulp, his eyes filled with delight. "Once dawn comes and the Xiao Family discovers Xiao Peng's corpse, they'll probably be thrown into complete chaos. Then we can join forces with the Ao Ba Family and strike while they're weak..."

Before he could finish, Jia Lie Bi raised a hand and cut him off. "No rush."

Jia Lie Bi tapped his fingers against the tabletop, his eyes gleaming with calculation. "First, have the Black Wind Group clean up the loose ends. We must not leave behind the slightest trace. It will not be easy to annex the Xiao Family—we will need to join forces with the Ao Ba Family."

Third Elder stroked his beard and said slowly, "The Patriarch has considered everything. But... we paid the Black Wind Group one hundred thousand Gold Coins. What if they demand an outrageous price afterward?"

"They are merely a pack of desperadoes." Jia Lie Bi sneered, a vicious glint flashing through his eyes. "Once the deed is done, we can find an excuse to deal with One-Eyed and his men. We can silence them and save the remaining payment at the same time. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"

At those words, everyone present exchanged knowing smiles, as though they could already see the Xiao Family's decline and the Jia Lie Family's complete dominance.

Just then, with a tremendous crash, a streak of green light suddenly tore through the council hall's roof, sending tiles and bricks raining down!

"Who goes there?!"

Jia Lie Bi slammed his hand against the table and sprang to his feet. Dou Qi burst from his body in an instant, forming a guard before him.

The other elders also drew their weapons, staring warily at the hole in the roof.

Moonlight poured through the opening, illuminating the figure standing atop the green light.

The Qingping Sword hovered in midair. Xiao Peng's robes fluttered wildly, the green light on the sword in his hand flowing as his gaze turned as cold as ice.

"So it was Patriarch Jia Lie and the elders plotting behind the scenes." Xiao Peng's voice was not loud, but it carried a chill that pierced the heart. "What a pity. It seems you started celebrating too early."

Jia Lie Bi's pupils contracted sharply. The smugness on his face froze at once, replaced by unimaginable shock. "Xiao... Xiao Peng? How can you still be alive?!"

Jia Lie Ao looked as though he had been struck by lightning. The wine cup in his hand clattered to the floor and shattered. "Impossible! The Black Wind Group and our men clearly..."

"Our men?" A mocking smile appeared on Xiao Peng's lips. "Those pieces of trash have already turned to ash."

Before his words had faded, the Qingping Sword suddenly let out a hum, and its green radiance surged.

The Qingping Sword dived down like a bolt of green lightning, shrieking as it tore through the air and thrusting straight at Jia Lie Bi's face.

"Brat, you're courting death! Earth Splitting Spear!"

Jia Lie Bi's face twisted viciously. Rather than dodge, he madly channeled the Dou Qi within him into his right hand.

An earthen-yellow glow condensed in his palm into a foot-long Dou Qi spear, its tip flashing with a sharp, icy gleam.

This was Jia Lie Bi's ultimate offensive Dou Technique. It contained more than half the Dou Qi of a Da Dou Shi, its spear shaft carrying the force to rip apart the earth as it crashed into the Qingping Sword.

"Crack!"

The Dou Qi spear shattered on impact. The Qingping Sword did not slow in the slightest, piercing through Jia Lie Bi's Dou Qi defense with overwhelming force. Its tip grazed past his left shoulder.

"Splat!"

Blood sprayed out like a fountain. Jia Lie Bi's left shoulder was violently torn open, leaving a deep wound that exposed bone as shattered fragments and flesh splattered everywhere.

He screamed and flew backward like a kite with its string cut, slamming heavily into a pillar in the council hall. Several mouthfuls of blood surged from his throat in succession, staining the luxurious robes across his chest red.

"Patriarch!"

The elders cried out and rushed forward, only to be forced back by Xiao Peng's icy gaze.

"Everyone, attack together! He is only one man. If we join forces against him, we can take him down," Jia Lie Ao said.

As he spoke, Jia Lie Ao quietly retreated several steps.

"Together?" Xiao Peng sneered.

The Qingping Sword returned to Xiao Peng's hand. He immediately flicked out a sword flower, and green light spread outward like ripples.

"Perfect. It saves me the trouble of dealing with you one by one."

Before his words had even fallen, several Dou Techniques came crashing toward him like a torrential downpour.

A Mountain Collapse Fist smashed toward his face. A crimson flame palm, carrying scorching heat, swept toward his waist, while dark-green poisonous mist silently spread out, attempting to seal off his escape route.