31: Chapter 31

31

Jiang Haojie stood amidst the roar, his robes fluttering. His gaze swept across the swaying wall of people before him as a faint crimson light quietly condensed in his hand.

Air currents surged, and the surrounding bodyguards stumbled back like straw swept by a gale.

A few with shallow foundations coughed up blood on the spot, and even those who managed to remain standing turned pale.

Jiang Haojie gave them no chance to breathe.

His figure flickered, turning into a swift wind that swept into the crowd.

Wherever his fist winds reached, muffled explosions rang out one after another, and figures collapsed one by one.

Only the fifteen individuals with deep, heavy auras could withstand his moves; in an instant, they formed a formation to trap him in the center.

His toes suddenly slid half a step apart. With shoulders dropped and elbows lowered, his arms slowly rotated in front of him.

Faint dragon roars rose from the depths of the void. As he suddenly pushed both palms forward, a majestic force erupted with a boom.

"Dragons Repentance!"

An invisible wave of air surged from his palms.

The fifteen men shouted in unison as they moved to resist, yet they were still shaken back repeatedly by this fierce, powerful force.

Jiang Haojie took advantage of the momentum to strike repeatedly. The dragon roars echoed layer upon layer throughout the area, and the air waves surged like a tide, forcing them into a position where they could only defend.

"Roar—!"

The Lions Roar rose again, and the sound waves struck everyone's chests like physical objects.

All fifteen men spat out a mist of blood simultaneously, and their formation instantly collapsed.

Jiang Haojie's figure flickered, his footwork as light as if treading on water ripples, as he prepared to withdraw and leave.

The sound of something breaking through the air suddenly arrived.

A cold gleam grazed the back of his neck.

As Jiang Haojie spun to avoid it, he caught sight of the middle-aged man standing three steps away at some unknown point, holding a thin sword that glinted coldly—it turned out such a sharp weapon was hidden inside that walking stick.

"The play isn't over yet, why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

The middle-aged man grinned, his mouth full of yellow teeth particularly conspicuous in the dim light.

Jiang Haojie said no more. With a slight turn of his palm, the crimson flame sword was already in his hand.

Flowing fire faintly appeared on the blade, and the air temperature quietly began to rise.

A hint of surprise flickered in the middle-aged man's eyes, followed by unconcealed greed.

A storage item, a B-grade weapon... Once he killed the person in front of him, all of this would be his.

As soon as the thought arose, he shot forward like an arrow.

The tip of his sword shook out three points of cold light, targeting the throat, heart, and dantian respectively.

Xu Jing, who was watching from behind, only now saw the crimson flame sword clearly, and her heart sank abruptly.

The fact that a B-grade weapon was worth a fortune was secondary, but that storage equipment capable of retrieving items from thin air... If she had known this earlier, she would never have invited this Greedy Wolf.

If she could seize that storage item for Yang'er...

Unfortunately, the chess game had already begun; once a piece is played, there is no regret.

The sword light in the field had already woven into a net.

The thin sword was like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, every move tricky and vicious; the crimson flame sword was like a prairie fire, its wide and open movements carrying the faint sound of wind and thunder.

However, the gap in cultivation realms was ultimately difficult to bridge. After ten moves, Jiang Haojie's sword momentum was gradually suppressed, defending more than attacking.

The middle-aged man's sword techniques grew faster, the arcs drawn by the thin sword almost merging into a silver mist.

Jiang Haojie parried a sword strike aimed at his ribs, but the web of his thumb was shaken numb, and he couldn't help but take half a step back.

This one step was the beginning of a chasm.

Waves of soreness and numbness came from the web of his thumb; every block felt like hitting an iron wall.

Jiang Haojie gritted his teeth, not daring to be distracted in the slightest—he knew very well that if he lost this duel, the outcome would be far more than just falling down.

The cold light of the thin sword struck again, like a venomous snake's tongue, from a tricky angle.

The crimson flame sword blocked in front. At the moment sparks flew, the middle-aged man's figure suddenly swiveled, and the sword tip stabbed toward his heart.

Jiang Haojie retreated hastily, the sword edge grazing his clothes, but the next strike arrived immediately.

He was forced to raise his sword to meet it, unleashing the full power of Critical Hit, yet he could only barely keep up with that storm-like rhythm.

If not for the B-grade longsword in his hand, he probably would have collapsed long ago.

I must escape.

This thought became increasingly clear in Jiang Haojie's mind.

If the fight dragged on, his physical strength would run out sooner or later.

But the opponent's offensive was like a continuous tide, giving him no chance to catch his breath at all.

His arms felt heavier and heavier, as if tied to lead weights.

In the instant his movements lagged slightly, his chest suffered a sudden shock—he was kicked flying, slamming heavily onto the ground.

Before the dust could settle, Jiang Haojie had already flipped up.

However, the sword light was already before his eyes.

Raising his sword in haste, he was ultimately half a beat too slow.

The cold blade pierced his left arm, and blood splattered out.

He let out a muffled groan, and immediately after, the side of his head took a heavy blow. His vision suddenly went dark, and his legs went weak as he knelt on the ground.

His ears buzzed, and his consciousness struggled on the brink of fading.

He bit the tip of his tongue hard, using the pain to maintain clarity.

I can't fight head-on... I must change my approach.

A thought gradually took shape in his grogginess.

"To be able to hold out until now as a First-Order Awakened, you do have some skill."

The middle-aged man's voice approached from far to near, carrying a condescending mockery. "Unfortunately, the chasm between ranks cannot be crossed after all."

The tip of the thin sword poked Jiang Haojie's shoulder casually, leaving several bleeding holes.

Jiang Haojie curled his body, remaining motionless.

He was waiting.

Waiting for the moment the other party completely lowered their guard.

"Having a B-grade weapon fall into your hands is truly a waste."

The middle-aged man squatted down, his eyes staring intently at the crimson longsword, making no secret of his greed. "It's time for it to change masters."

He reached out toward the sword hilt.

At this very instant, Jiang Haojie's drooping wrist gave a very slight flick.

Several inconspicuous small bottles slid into his palm, their openings silently pressed against his lips.

"By the way, the storage item you're carrying now belongs to me as well."

Before the middle-aged man could finish speaking, his hand reached toward the crimson flame sword at Jiang Haojie's waist.

"Roar—!"

Jiang Haojie suddenly looked up, and a Lions Roar infused with all his strength burst forth, the sound waves slamming into the opponent like a physical force.

Caught off guard, the middle-aged man's figure faltered slightly.

This was the moment.

Jiang Haojie's wrist flipped, and the crimson flame sword turned into a red rainbow, stabbing straight for the opponent's throat.

Just as the sword tip was about to arrive, the middle-aged man suddenly moved.

The thin sword in his hand rose like a venomous snake, and with a light flick, it parried this fatal strike.

"Hmph, did you think I couldn't feel you secretly channeling energy?"

The middle-aged man sneered as he stood up, his right leg sweeping toward Jiang Haojie's head like a whip.

Jiang Haojie slapped the ground with one palm, using the force to leap up and narrowly avoid the kick.

Upon landing, his wrist shook, and the crimson flame sword suddenly erupted with scorching flames, causing the surrounding air to distort slightly from the heat.

The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes.

He hadn't expected this B-grade weapon to hide such a transformation.

The more bizarre it was, the more it suited his taste.

Before the thought could settle, Jiang Haojie lunged forward with the fire—this was the first time since the fight began that he had taken the initiative to attack.

The middle-aged man showed a look of derision and raised his sword to meet him.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of clashing metal was endless.

Jiang Haojie seemed not to know the meaning of retreat, putting his full strength into every strike and clashing head-on with the opponent to the end.

Even as more wounds were added to his body and blood soaked his clothes, he still showed no intention of backing down.

"Roar—!"

Just as the middle-aged man's sword momentum was about to change, Jiang Haojie suddenly shifted his move.

He withdrew his sword, opened his mouth, and let out another vibrating roar.

The sound waves exploded, shaking the middle-aged man back two steps.

How could Jiang Haojie miss this fleeting opportunity? His palms crossed as energy surged; it was exactly the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms.

"First Style, Dragons Repentance!"

A dragon-shaped energy burst through the air.

"Sixth Style, Sudden Arrival!"

The palm wind was like waves, pushing forward in layers.

"Twelfth Style, Riding Six Dragons!"

Six paths of energy wove into a net, sealing off all exits.

In one smooth motion, Jiang Haojie struck out the eighteen palms in succession.

None of the violent palm winds missed, all slamming into the middle-aged man's chest.

"Pfft—"

Even with strength as formidable as his, he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood.

A light flashed in Jiang Haojie's eyes, but he didn't take the chance to follow up; instead, he turned and left immediately.

He knew very well: although this strike had injured the opponent, it had also completely ignited the other's fury.

If he continued to linger, he would surely face a frenzied counterattack.

At this moment, the wisest choice was to flee.

While the opponent's aura was unstable, he had to leave this place at full speed.

"Quick, after him! Don't let him escape!"

Xu Jing screamed from behind.

She had gone to great lengths to force Jiang Haojie into this situation; if she let him escape, she feared she might never have another chance.

The surviving bodyguards hurriedly gave chase, but their speed was far inferior to Jiang Haojie's, and the distance between them widened in the blink of an eye.

Xu Jing was so angry her whole body trembled.

"He won't escape."

The middle-aged man had already wiped the blood from his lips and slowly stood straight.

He spat out these words coldly as the energy around him suddenly boiled. He turned into a streak of light and shot out, chasing directly after Jiang Haojie's back.

This time, he was truly enraged.

A dignified Fourth-Order Awakened had actually been injured by a First-Order—such a disgrace had to be washed away with blood.

He had made up his mind that this time he would leave no margin at all and would surely grind that man into powder.

Xu Jing led a group of people close behind; today, she absolutely had to take X's life.

Jiang Haojie sensed the middle-aged man pursuing him relentlessly from behind, and his heart suddenly tightened.

He had already pushed Lingbo Microsteps to the limit and even used the power of Critical Hit, yet he still couldn't shake the opponent off.

As he fled, Jiang Haojie repeatedly took out potions from his system space—healing ones, energy-restoring ones—and poured them down his throat without regard.

It wasn't until the seventh bottle of potion was down that he finally returned to his peak state.

His speed also picked up a bit as a result.

However, that middle-aged man was still following him like a shadow.

Fortunately, Jiang Haojie finally burst out of the long street blocked by Xu Jing and plunged into the passing crowd.

Seeing him covered in blood, passersby scrambled away in panic, and some immediately dialed the emergency police line.

Watching Jiang Haojie constantly dodging and weaving through the crowd, the middle-aged man's face darkened. Gritting his teeth, he leaped forward once more to pursue.

Two figures, one in front and one behind, raced through the streets and alleys, causing screams and chaos all around.

"He just won't go away..."

Sensing the aura firmly locked onto him from behind, Jiang Haojie cursed inwardly.

Right at that moment, the entrance to a shopping mall came into view.

Without hesitation, he flashed inside.

The denser the crowd, the better he could hide—he didn't believe he couldn't shake that tail this time.

The elevator doors happened to open at that moment.

Jiang Haojie darted in, quickly closed the doors, and lit up the buttons for almost all floors, but he stepped out of the cabin on the second floor.

He then turned and ducked into a restroom.

---

When he walked out of the mall, Jiang Haojie met the middle-aged man head-on.

Yet his expression was calm, without a hint of panic—his mask had long been removed, and his clothes had been completely changed.

Sure enough, as the two crossed paths, the middle-aged man did not recognize him.

However, just after they passed each other, the middle-aged man's footsteps suddenly paused, and he abruptly turned his head to look at Jiang Haojie's back.

Jiang Haojie's spine instantly went cold, and his hair stood on end, but he forced himself not to look back, continuing forward as if everything were normal.

It was a long while before that scrutinizing gaze was slowly withdrawn.

The middle-aged man's brow furrowed, a deep confusion rising in his eyes.

For some reason, that young man's figure gave him an indescribable sense of familiarity.

Only when that needle-like gaze completely vanished did Jiang Haojie secretly breathe a sigh of relief. He turned into a quiet corner, took out his phone to glance at the location message sent by Shen Mengli, and quietly departed.

...

"How is it?"

When Xu Jing found the middle-aged man, she saw his face was ashen.

"I lost him."

His voice was low, carrying suppressed anger.

As a dignified Fourth-Order Awakened, he had failed to capture a mere First-Order junior; if this matter got out, he feared he would become a laughingstock.

Hearing this, Xu Jing's slender brows furrowed slightly.

For some reason, a faint chill rose in her heart—failing to pull up the roots this time would surely lead to future trouble.

At that moment, people from the Guard Department swarmed in, instantly surrounding the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man's face darkened. His already frustrated mood was made even more chaotic by this sudden inspection from the Guard Department.

Fortunately, Xu Jing reacted swiftly, stepping ahead to block him.

He could ignore the Guard Department's questioning, but Xu Jing could not.

She stepped forward and explained in a low voice, also revealing her identity, before those few uniformed men turned and left.

At the same time, Jiang Haojie had put his mask back on, changed back into his previous clothes, and arrived silently at Shen Mengli's residence.

Although this place was not as prominent or luxurious as the Su Family or Bai Family, it was still a prime location in the city where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold.

The detached villa stood quietly, its layout similar to the house Yin Decai had set up for his mistress, yet it was far more exquisite and elegant.

Shen Mengli was already waiting at the door.

Seeing Jiang Haojie's blood-stained clothes and travel-worn appearance, a flicker of alarm and worry passed through her eyes.

"Are you... alright?"

Jiang Haojie waved his hand casually: "It's nothing.

Where should I put the things?"