Pursuit!

Elder Black's pupils began to cloud over, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He couldn't understand. Jiang Tian's aura had been weak just moments ago, so why was he suddenly moving so fast?

Too fast.

So fast that he didn't even have time to react.

"Second Brother!"

Elder White let out a grief-stricken wail and darted toward Elder Black.

The next moment, Elder Black's body came flying toward him like a boulder hurled from a trebuchet, carrying immense force.

"Boom!"

Elder White caught the barely breathing Elder Black, but the force behind him made him grunt. He staggered backward, his heels gouging two deep furrows into the flagstones.

Once he steadied himself, he looked down at Elder Black in his arms, and his eyes instantly reddened.

A bloody hole gaped in Elder Black's chest, its edges jagged. Through it, one could just make out his internal organs, smashed into pieces.

A remnant of force still rampaged through Elder Black's body like an invisible venomous snake, destroying what remained of his organs and snuffing out the last traces of life within him.

"Boy! You and I are sworn enemies!"

Elder White's voice was hoarse. His eyes brimmed with murderous intent as he raised his head.

But the instant he looked up, he saw a fist rapidly swelling in his vision. It was wrapped in savage force, its passage through the air shrill and piercing.

"You old bastard, sworn enemies? I'll send you down to join him right now!"

"BOOM—!"

This punch contained five types of momentum. It was the most powerful punch Jiang Tian had thrown since he began practicing martial arts.

Before his fist even touched Elder White's head, with an inch still between them, the force and momentum wrapped around it shattered Elder White's skull.

Like a watermelon crushed beneath someone's foot.

Red and white exploded into a cloud of blood that hung in the curtain of rain.

Elder White's body swayed, and Elder Black slid from his arms.

The two corpses fell into the muddy water, one after the other. Blood mingled with rain beneath them, gathering into a narrow, dark-red stream.

Jiang Tian's face paled, and his legs went weak.

It wasn't that the bloody scene had sickened him. Quite the opposite—he was almost enjoying the sensation of killing.

The main reason was that he'd combined five types of momentum in that punch, nearly draining all the qi and blood in his body.

When he threw it, he could even feel his dantian was like a well pumped dry, wrung of its very last drop.

Fortunately, he possessed the red trait [Martial Dao Sacred Body], and his constitution far surpassed that of ordinary people.

Otherwise, after the fierce battle he'd just fought, he wouldn't have had the strength left to throw that punch.

Jiang Tian pulled a bottle of Blood Vitality Pills from his pocket, bit off the stopper, and poured them all into his mouth.

One bottle, then another.

After two bottles of Blood Vitality Pills, a warm current burst through his belly, and the emptiness inside him was instantly filled.

He took a deep breath, flexed his numb arm, and looked toward the battlefield in the distance.

Not far away, the county magistrate's side had been at a disadvantage after the three Martial Arts Halls turned traitor in the middle of the fight. But with Black and White Elders dead, the situation changed in an instant.

Someone shouted, "Black and White Elders are dead!" Everyone turned at the sound, stunned by what they saw.

Elder Black lay on the ground with a bloody hole in his chest, his eyes vacant, like a dead dog.

Elder White was worse. His head had been smashed to pieces.

"Black and White Elders are dead?!"

"How is that possible? When they join forces, no Transformation Energy martial artist in Blackwater County can stand against them!"

Cries of astonishment rose one after another.

Wang Yun's eyes widened, his mind reeling.

Black and White Elders were the two Transformation Energy martial artists his father had left to him.

It was precisely because of them that the Wang Family had secured its title as the "number one family" in Blackwater County.

But now—Black and White Elders were dead.

"Hmph!"

His mind faltered for an instant, and the Martial Arts Hall master facing him landed a punch on his shoulder.

"Crack—"

The sound of breaking bone rang out, sharp and clear.

He let the force of the punch drive him backward. His eyes flickered, but without the slightest hesitation, he twisted around and sprinted toward the Wang Family.

He couldn't stay here any longer.

They had lost Black and White Elders, while the other side had that monster Jiang Tian. Their defeat was only a matter of time.

He had to flee.

Anywhere would do. He just couldn't stay in Blackwater County.

Fortunately, he'd prepared for this eventuality well in advance.

He'd told the servants to pack everything up ahead of time, loading all the gold, silver, and valuables onto the carriages.

They'd also packed tens of thousands of taels' worth of banknotes, all neatly bundled.

He ran, glancing back as he went. Only after making sure no one was following him did he finally relax a little.

At the Wang Family's gate, carriage after carriage stood ready.

When Wang Yun's wife, Zhang Lanhua, saw him return alone, gasping for breath and in a wretched state, she hurried over to meet him. "Dear, why are you the only one back? Where are Black and White Elders?"

Wang Yun didn't answer. His expression grave, he asked, "Did you pack everything I told you to?"

"It's all packed."

"What about that item?"

"Right here." Zhang Lanhua pulled a black box no bigger than her palm from her clothes. Its edges were inlaid with gold thread.

Wang Yun snatched it from her and urged her in a low voice, "Go! Now!"

"All right—"

There were three carriages in all.

The first led the way, carrying more than ten Manifest Energy experts.

Even against a Transformation Energy martial artist, those ten-plus Manifest Energy experts could hold their own for a while!

Wang Yun and his wife, Zhang Lanhua, sat in the second carriage.

The third was loaded with gold, silver, valuables, and precious porcelain.

Along with the tens of thousands of taels' worth of banknotes in his own carriage, this was the entirety of his Wang Family's fortune.

Of course, none of it might be as valuable as the "item" in his arms.

There was also a method for cultivating qi that he'd happened upon two years ago. Unfortunately, he lacked the aptitude and had never managed to learn it.

Still, these things would be enough for him to rebuild the Wang Family somewhere else.

Although Thousand-Household Official Zhang Wei had sealed off Blackwater County, Wang Yun had planted an inside man in advance. The carriage left the city without a hitch.

Once they passed through the city gate, the tension he'd been holding in his chest finally eased.

What did he care about the shops and trade routes he'd left behind in Blackwater County? His life mattered more.

As long as the green hills remained, he wouldn't have to worry about firewood.

But the thought had barely crossed his mind when—

"RUMBLE—!"

A deafening crash rang out. The carriage shook violently and came to an abrupt stop.

Wang Yun frowned slightly and lifted the curtain.

The coachman sat motionless, as if under a binding spell. His face was as pale as paper, his pupils wide, his lips trembling. He couldn't get a single word out.

Wang Yun followed the coachman's gaze.

His pupils abruptly shrank to pinpricks.

His lips trembled faintly.

Before him lay a river of blood.

The entire carriage ahead, along with its horses and the more than ten Manifest Energy experts inside, had been smashed into a pulp by something.

Blood was everywhere. Splinters of wood and mangled flesh mixed together, spreading through the rain in a horrifying dark-red smear.

Standing atop the ruin of blood and flesh was a boy dressed in black.

Jiang Tian.

Rain ran down his cheeks, washing the blood from his clothes in streaks of pale red.