The middle-aged man was so angry that he burst into laughter. He shook his head and looked at Jiang Chen with stronger killing intent.
The others also looked at him coldly.
Surprisingly, Jiang Chen said to them in a helpless tone, âGo back. Letâs bring an end to this affair.â
But he only received scoffs and firmer killing intent in reply.
âStop pretending to be tough. If youâre afraid, kneel down and beg for our mercy to show your regret. I might keep your corpse intact,â the middle-aged man said.
âSo thereâs no room to negotiate?â asked Jiang Chen.
âExactly. Youâre dead meat today, no matter who comes to your rescue!â the middle-aged man said sternly.
âYeah?â a low and powerful voice boomed like thunder In the direction the Zhaos had come from.
The Zhaos were shocked. Jiang Chen was the only one who wasnât surprised. None of them had noticed there was someone hiding in the dark.
When they found that this person was a powerful man, their killing intent started to fade.
âItâs an unforgivable crime to hurt the Gaosâ young master!â the voice said, not giving the Zhaos any chance to argue.
Then a fire phoenix swooped down. Drawing a perfect arc in the air, it came up to the Zhaos. The fierce fire from it swallowed them ruthlessly.
âThe Gaosâ young master? The Gaosâ young master!â
Seeing his men all burned to death, the middle-aged man kept exclaiming. He would have never imagined there were connections between Jiang Chen and the Gaos, let alone that he was their young master.
Revenge, anger, he left them all behind. He turned around to run.
âDo you think you can run from me?â The fire phoenixâs words were like a sharp razor.
The fire on its body crackled crazily, shining and bright.
Standing not far away, Jiang Chen was shocked by the energy gathered in such a short time.
Then the fire phoenix flew over like an arrow and pieced through the middle-aged manâs body.
He, a Venerable, died there immediately.
The fire phoenix disappeared. An old man came up to Jiang Chen.
âDid you always know I was following you?â
âNo. But I didnât think the Gaos would allow a man of genuine blood to die,â said Jiang Chen.
The Murongs and the Sus had come to Ning Haotianâs rescue from thousands of miles away when he was dying, and Jiang Chen was even more powerful.
The old man nodded. He looked at Jiang Chen seriously and said, âIâll only help you in dangerous situations like this. In Liu Shayangâs case, even if you die, I wonât save you. Do you understand?â
âYeah.â
Jiang Chen wasnât surprised. Groups would try their best to protect their excellent disciples, but under such protection, their disciples would lose the chance to go on adventures and grow up.
âOkay.â
Seeing him so clearly understanding the situation, the old man glanced at him with admiration, then went back to hide in the dark. Jiang Chen continued to head for the Sacred City.
He arrived at dawn. The Sacred Daily, with all kinds of information regarding the Dragon Field, had sold out.
For local people, it was habit to read newspaper. It felt good to know what was going on in the world without leaving the house.
Duan Wuhui and Liu Shayangâs fight had undoubtedly been reported. The report focused on how unworthy Duan Wuhuiâs death was and the assumption that Liu Shayangâs real strength had been hidden previously.
The paper speculated that Liu Shayang should be ranked sixth or seventh on the Slay Demon List.
His rank on List A of the Dragon Rise List should have been at least ten places higher, as well.
This news caused a great stir at the Sacred Institute and the Hero Palace, because it was the Hero Palace that had established the Slay Demon List.
But certainly, it was impossible to prevent others from hiding their strength. It wasnât really the Hero Palaceâs negligence of duty.
However, it was ironic to the Hero Palace that someone ranked on the Slay Demon List was famous.
Many people were expecting strong people ranked on the Fighting Power List to slay demons.
They had heard that some genius ranked in the top ten of the Fighting Power List was going to do something about it.
At the same time, this affair reminded the Hero Palace of one thing.
The deadline of Jiang Chenâs task was fast approaching!
Jiang Chen had contributed many things to the Hero Palace, including the wonderful practicing equipment that all the disciples were aware of.
In theory, he wouldnât get expelled, but the Hero Palace had announced the decision in public. If they let it slide, the Sacred Daily would absolutely report it.
Some people thought that if Jiang Chen went after Liu Shayang at this moment, he would be courting death.
It was quite possible. Ranked tenth on the Slay Demon List, Liu Shayang was the one most would start with.
The Hero Palace only hoped Jiang Chen would see the up-to-date information published in the Sacred Daily beforehand.
While they were still worrying about it, Jiang Chen came back.
âSo he doesnât want to perform the task at all.â
âThe Hero Palace wonât expel him anyway. He doesnât have to take the risk. Besides, he isnât a match for anyone on the Slay Demon List yet.â
âI wonder what the Hero Palace will say.â
âI guess theyâll just say nothing.â
Jiang Chen returned to his yard in the Hero Palace. Soon, he heard footsteps coming from outside. He smiled. It sounded like Ying Wushuang.
âJiang Chen.â As expected, Ying Wushuangâs familiar voice came.
Jiang Chen looked back. He hadnât seen her for two weeks, and now she looked even prettier. It reminded him of their first meeting.
Compared to then, Ying Wushuang wasnât as gloomy anymore. As her situation in the Hero Palace changed, she had picked up some vigor.
She knew all this was due to Jiang Chen. That was why she had come here to visit him as soon as he came back.
âI thought youâd gone to hunt down someone on the Slay Demon List.â Ying Wushuang sounded relieved, like she didnât think Jiang Chen was strong enough to do that.
âWhy did you think so?â
âBecause Crimson Moon, who had left with you, came back a long time ago. She also joined the Hero Palace.â
âReally? Is she here now?â
The people in the Dragon Field hadnât heard about what had happened in the Fire Field. They didnât even bother to ask.
âYeah.â Ying Wushuang said, âIt turned out Liu Shayang, ranked tenth on the Slay Demon List, has been holding back. Have you heard that?â
âYeah?â
Jiang Chen smiled mysteriously. So the news hadnât travelled from the Wind Moon City yet.
âExactly. If you perform the task, of course youâll go for number ten. Many people are expecting you to look for him.â
âDonât worry. I paid him a visit already. And Iâm still alive,â said Jiang Chen.
âAre you saying you fled? Well, thatâs not too bad. You managed to run away from a man so much stronger than you.â
âNo, thatâs not what Iâm saying. Iâm saying Iâve alive, and heâs dead,â said Jiang Chen.
He had planned to report it to the elders, but judging from Ying Wushuangâs reaction, even if he told others about it, no one would believe him. Even though he had recorded it, he would still be questioned.
So he was going to wait for the news to come from the Wind Moon City first, but some people didnât allow him to live in peace. After Ying Wushuang, a bunch of people visited.
They were from the Sword Association. Due to Jiang Chen, the Sword Association was already close to falling apart.