276-283

The Young Sword Master became gloomy immediately. He bore the Sword Palace's name on him and had been successful in every endeavor so far. Everything was in hands. He had come to Huabei province this time with the support of the family's elders. They were planning to the take in the four families if they were willing to obey them. He couldn't allow someone to create trouble now that everything had almost fallen into place.

The person who came to report it shook his head, "That person's strength isn't weak. He called himself a guest from the capital!"

"Hmph!"

The elders had told him that the world was experiencing a change right now so they instructed him to rope in the underworld powers of Huabei whom they could use later on. He couldn't allow anyone to prevent him.

But these words caused Mu Jianping to tremble, his face was dyed in shock. "He said he's from the capital?" He asked nervously.

Seeing the look on his face, the Young Sword Master frowned, "Who is it?"

Mu Jianping said, "It might be someone from the Wang family." Wang Xintong had promised him that they'd settle this matter. He was the who couldn't wait longer and wasn't expecting the Wang family would send someone at this moment.

"This…"

Jiangnan's Wang family was a power under Jiang Luoxia, and they were his representatives. If it were before, the four families would've felt extremely happy, but they felt quite embarrassed now.

"What do we do now?"

Offending the Wang family was equal to offending Jiang Luoxia.

"Go! Bring that person to me!"

The Young Sword Master ordered him.

Everyone felt at ease now. The person before them was the Young Sword Master of the Sword Palace, the kirin of the Si family, a demigod as well as Si Wuxie's heir. Si Wuxie was once the demigod representative of China, but Jiang Luoxia held this position now. It was difficult to say who was above who and the Wang family was just Jiang Luoxia's subordinate. Their identity paled in comparison to the Sword Palace's Young Sword Master. In China's underworld, only he could confront the Wang family while occupying the higher ground.

"I'll go!"

A youth walked out from behind the Young Sword Master.

"Tao!"

The Young Sword Master was slightly startled. Moreover, the way he treated this person was different from how he high-handedly he addressed the others.

He also called him by his name. It seemed like they had a rather close relationship.

"I can't just sit and have fun since I have to Huabei with you, right?"

"Mhm. Okay then. You can go deal with it!"

After that man left, Mu Jianping couldn't help but ask, "May I ask who that person is?"

The Young Sword Master replied, "West Sichuan's border region's Zhuge Tao!"

Whoa!

The family heads were all shocked. They glanced at each other. This was really something. The man who was standing silently till now was actually such a young master from the border region.

Jiang Xiu and Li Mi accompanied the Mu family's disciple, Mu Wenfeng, to gather food for eating on the way. A voice came through from outside at this moment. "That person is inside."

A youth surrounded by a group walked inside and blocked up the exit.

"You're the one who injured my companion?"

The one who said this was Zhuge Tao. He wasn't that tall and wore glasses. He spoke in neither slow nor fast speed, and his words seemed to void of emotions, but he was covered in an aura which set him aside from others, possessing the style of an expert.

Jiang Xiu glanced back at them. He didn't want to make trouble here as it of utmost importance that he reach the Ji family as soon as possible, but he didn't expect trouble to come to find him.

"This humble person is West Sichuan's, Zhuge Tao…"

He saw no change in Jiang Xiu's expression and guessed that he didn't know who Zhuge Tao was. In fact, he stirred a lot of trouble in West Sichuan, but outside of it, no one knew about him. The officials didn't pay much attention to him, and those who weren't from the same circle also didn't pay attention to him. Moreover, he was just a young master.

Therefore, he had a good relationship with the Young Sword Master and even gained the nickname of Spirit Hole Sword.

"My Sword Palace never judges anyone wrongly. Since you've injured our men, you have to give us an explanation and offer an apology. What must be done has to be done."

Lin Mi couldn't help but shake her head. She knew Jiang Xiu's disposition wasn't any good. He was too rough and injured people frequently just because he knew some martial arts. You injured my little brother, but we didn't pursue it yet due to the relationship our family has with yours. Do you think that others will let it go as well? Look now, trouble has come knocking on the door. Let's see what you do now.

Jiang Xiu looked at him, "What do you want me to do then?"

"Come along with me. The Young Sword Master wants to see you. He'll reveal how he plans to handle you then."

Jiang Xiu said, "And if I don't come with you?"

Zhuge Tao said, "Don't blame me for acting impolite then."

"You're courting death!"

Jiang Xiu planned to let them go, but they were set on forcing him to act. He waved his hand towards him, followed by an incorporeal energy blade shooting out from it. It flashed forwards, illuminating the entire room, followed by blood spraying all over after which Zhuge Tao's head dropped to the ground.

Spurt!

Blood spurted from his neck. Those who saw this scene dropped to the ground in shock, trembling all over. They were utterly dumbstruck as they had never someone do such a terrifying thing.

Lin Mi's eyes almost popped out in shock. Her head was buzzing. She renewed the impression she had of Jiang Xiu in her mind. He was akin to a star of destruction.

"Aaaahhhh!"

The others screamed in alarm followed by that scream.

"Y-Young Master Tao… got killed."

They simply couldn't comprehend it. "Y-You… you've incurred disaster on yourself. Do you know who he was? He was the son of our West Sichuan's governor. Y-You're… finished."

Jiang Xiu ignored them and turned to Mu Wenfeng, "Is everything ready?"

Mu Wenfeng was utterly terrified. Jiang Xiu's actions were too arrogant and savage. He even dared to kill the governor's son and didn't even bat an eyelid after doing that. He nodded mechanically.

"Alright. Let's set off!"

Saying so, he walked forwards. No one dared to block Jiang Xiu's path as they didn't want to die. Just a wave from his hand killed Young Master Tao. Only experts pursuing the divine dao, those who had peeked into the arcane realm, possessed this kind of strength which could kill a person with just a wave of their hand.

Jiang Xiu passed through the crowd at his own pace while Lin Mi hesitated about whether to follow him. He had incurred a calamity upon himself by killing the West Sichuan governor's son, and if she accompanied him, she'd bring trouble to the Lin family, but she finally decided to follow after him. The issue would need to be settled once the matter ended and it was risky if she stayed behind. Mu Wenfeng even more so didn't dare to slight Jiang Xiu.

The three of them reached the place where Jiang Xiu had parked the car then got onto it. The Maserati made a U-turn and went along the way Mu Wenfeng pointed out.

And the Mu family's village was left in a complete utter mess.

"Q-Quickly go report to the Young Sword Master!"

The Young Sword Master was currently accompanying the family heads of the four families to look at the scenic views of the Mu family's village. They were presently passing by a rather quiet bamboo forest from where chirping of crickets could be heard.

"A murder! A murder!"

A heart-wrenching howl destroyed the peaceful mood there. A group of men came running over with pale faces then knelt on the ground while tears fell from their eyes.

"What happened?"

Young Sword Master still wore a calm and collected look on face, as if nothing had happened. He kept a cold head even in such a situation.

"Y-Young Master Tao got killed!"

"What?"

The Young Sword Master couldn't remain calm anymore. His eyes almost popped out while the four family heads accompanying him were utterly shocked!

It was the son of West Sichuan's Governor!

Holy Cow!

The Wang family is really going out of control with Jiang Luoxia behind them.

"T-Tao got killed?"

The Young Sword Master couldn't believe it, neither did he want to. Zhuge Tao was his closest brother, the one he cared about the most. He had come to Huabei due to him yet got killed so unreasonably.

"BASTARD!"

He snarled hideously. Even the bamboos began to shake because of his voice, and the dead leaves on the floor got blown away. The entire place was covered in a killing aura!

"Where's that person?!"

The Young Sword Master's eyes were bloodshot while his body quivered all over.

"T-That man escaped along with a Mu family's member. From their words, it seems like they were going towards the Ji family."

The man who came to report said, "Young Sword Master, the other party is an expert, a real expert. He beheaded Young Master Tao from 5-6 m away with a wave of his hand. It's possible he's an arcane stage expert or a demigod."

"I don't care who he is or how strong he is. I'm going to kill him for Tao!"

The Young Sword Master's anger soared to the heavens as he rushed outside. His companions followed after him, and the family heads of the four families looked at each other before doing the same.

"This matter is quite serious. Even if the Wang family has the protection of Jiang Luoxia, I fear they won't get away scot-free from this…"

Inside the main hall of an orthodox sect, a white-robed old man appearing over 60 years old was accompanied by Ji family members on both sides. Each of their auras was quite majestic. They were all experts.

"If that so-called other world descends, humanity might regain its ancestral form. When that happens, the strength of those humans who have an affinity with the new world will increment greatly. It'll also include those people who want to take revenge for the massacre in the past. It'll be difficult for our Ji family to evade this calamity."

"That's why the Holy Woman has to die!"

Most of the men believed the old man's words, but there was a group of them who were against it. A black-robed man said, "It's isn't a problem of whether we kill her or not. I'm not against it, but the issue is whether killing her would stop the other world from descending."

No one had the right answer to this question. Such a thing had never happened before, and there were no records in history about something like this.

The white-robed old man said, "The other world descends along with the Holy Woman. If she dies, the other world should stop descending as well."

The black-robed man asked, "Everyone, have you not sensed the recent change in the world? I believe that the world will experience a huge change soon. Many humans will gain their ancestral forms, and our strength will also increase considerably. If it were still the Ming Dyntasy Era, it would've led to chaos, resulting in the Imperial Court being overthrown, but the Ming Dynasty is no more. Those who are fated will see an increase in strength as the other world descends, and we're no exception to it."

"Yeah!"

"Elder Gu Su is right!"

Many people agreed with the Gu Su's words. In front of tangible benefits, rationality was a luxury good. In the past few months, their strength had improved notably. Many disciples of the Ji family who were stuck at a bottleneck had achieved a breakthrough and become demigods successfully. They had become addicted to it, like how addicts were to drugs.

Many of them understood that it's possible to stop the descent of the other world by killing the Holy Woman, but if they really did that, their cultivation would get stuck like before.

The white-robed old man snorted at them, "After all is said and done, you're all just blinded by your desire to ascend in cultivation, but you forgot something. The Holy Woman did all this to take revenge. If she didn't have enough assurance, why would she make the other world descend?"

"I hope you can wake up to your senses a little. Don't make a foolish mistake."

His words resonated with many people there. If they analyzed the situation rationally, it was really this way. Those awakened people hadn't given up on revenge even after 500 years had passed. They were waiting for this moment. If this were allowed to happen, it'd be disastrous.

"We're just wasting time by discussing this!"

"I propose using the Seven Sages Vote!"

Everyone looked at each other. "Alright. As things have reached this stage, there's nothing else we can do. I also approve of using the Seven Sages Vote."

"I also approve!"

There were seven sages in the Ji family, they were the seven people who had the most significant contributions to the family during the past 500 years. Ji Wudao had established these Seven Virtuous Seats for this reason, and whenever a huge even happened while he was in closed-door cultivation, these seven sages would decide what to do using a vote.

"Then, let's begin immediately!"

Since the seven sages were all present here, the result of the vote was clear immediately. 4:3 with 4 in favor of killing!

"According to the rules, we'll execute her by burning her at the stake!"

After that, the disciples built an execution platform in front of the main hall. Xie Ting was bound on it, and firewood was piled underneath the platform then gasoline poured on them.

A disciple wore a white mask on his face and shook a little bell in his hand as he circles the execution platform while chanting a curse spell.

"It's useless even if you burn me to death."

"You'll definitely receive a punishment!"

Xie Ting's complexion became wan and sallow, but her body was covered by a holy breath. It even seemed as if this place was turning holy due to her existence.

"You'll be deprived of your life."

"The king of the other world already can't tolerate your world anymore."

Clouds suddenly emerged in the clear sky, and a gale started blowing uphill. The expressions of the Ji family members warped when they saw the change in the weather.

"Burn her. Quickly!!!"

…

The Ji family was located southwest to Huabei. The mountain roads increased a lot after leaving the Mu family's village a little and signs of human habitations became scarce. After traveling in the Maserati for a while, it wasn't possible to move in the car anymore, so they could only go on foot next.

After entering the deep mountain ranges, the surroundings were filled with sheer cliffs and sharp rock surfaces. It was a dangerous place. There was a small path after passing through the cliff. After going inside, they saw some ancient stone walls which resembled the Great Wall covered in weeds all over. It was unknown how they made such constructions back then as it'd require an enormous amount of manpower as well as money to construct such a stone wall deep inside the mountains. This was really unimaginable.

"The Ji family's there!"

A row of houses was visible amidst the trees on the mountain, and at higher ground, a grand temple made of limestone was visible.

"Let's go up!"

Jiang Xiu took the lead and climbed up as if he were walking on a flat surface.

Hearing a voice from behind her, Li Mi took a look back. The path below them was full of people the man leading them was none other than the Young Sword Master as well as the family heads of Huabei's four great families.

"They're chasing after us!"

Jiang Xiu had already climbed the final step and reached in front of the first house there at this moment.

The Young Sword Master didn't even walk along the path. He directly leaped from the cliff wall then landed in front of Jiang Xiu after a few jumps. "You're the one who killed Hai?"

"Yes!"

The sword maid, the family heads of the four great families of Huabei as well as those people from the Sword Palace also arrived there.

The Young Sword Master said, "I'm amazed as I wasn't expecting you to be so young. May I ask who sir is? Why are you opposing my West Sichuan's Sword Palace?"

The people behind the Young Sword Master also sized up curiously. They wondered who was had acted so recklessly, but they hadn't expected it to be a young man who wasn't even 20 yet.

Jiang Xiu's gaze swept past him, "You aren't qualified to ask me that. If you want to know, tell Si Wuxie to come to ask this!"

"Hahahaha!"

The Young Sword Master laughed in a fit of anger. You want my ancestor to come to ask you? He's a legend who survived an atom bomb's attack and the representative individual of China's martial arts world. Do you think he'll come just because a nameless brat asked him to? You're too arrogant, kid.

"As if you're qualified for him to come!"

Jiang Xiu's gaze went cold, yet he suddenly looked at the sky. The clear sky had suddenly become dark. An indescribable sensation welled up in his heart. Immediately after that, he saw smoke arise which was accompanied by yells. "Save me…"

"Big Brother Jiang, can you hear my voice?"

"It's me, Xie Ting. Save me!"

Jiang Xiu could sense that this voice wasn't coming from the outside world but had instead appeared inside his mind directly. He closed his eyes immediately, and that voice became clearer.

"Tingting…"

Jiang Xiu howled loudly as his eyes opened wide, a frightening glint flashing through them as he took a step forward. "Jiang City's Jiang Luoxia has come to visit the Ji family!"

Rumble! Rumble!

His voice spread all over the mountain range like thunder, descending majestically over the place. Just like a clap of thunder during summertime, it jolted everyone's ears till they hurt and made them feel dizzy.

"You?!"

What's even more shocking was that he… he was actually Jiang Luoxia!

China's No. 1 Demigod, Jiang Luoxia!

Descend, the nine mythical arts, a thousand years of karma, an artless heart yet romantic.

The youth's face transformed at speed visible to the naked eye. It became more sensual and handsome, similar to that of a god's. His pupils expanded, turning his eyes pitch-black, and his hair grew longer, rising up in the wind like a flame.

At this moment, he was a complete match to the figure in the photographs of him a few people possessed.

"Oh my God!"

Everyone was utterly dumbstruck. The Young Sword Master began to tremble all over, and the family heads had become as dumb as a wooden chicken. They didn't expect Jiang Luoxia would arrive personally.

And the person who was shocked the most was Lin Mi, she felt like her head was going to explode.

Jiang Xiu, her aunt's son, was actually Jiang Luoxia who had killed Ji Wudao. China's no. 1 Demigod who had slaughtered Heaven's Gate.

He took a step forward and soared in the skies. His clothes fluttered due to the wind, and just like those sword immortals in the legends, he flew up in the air.

"H-He's Jiang Luoxia…"

Jiang Xiu reached in front of the main hall. The Ji family's disciples rushed out of from the hall, each one of them radiating with an extraordinary aura. A blue-robed old man gazed at him viciously then said with a snort, "Jiang Luoxia. You really have guts to come to my Ji family's origin palace."

Jiang Xiu's cold gaze swept across him. His eyes were just like a primal god's as he saw them as mere ants. "Where is Xie Ting?"

The blue-robed man said, "The Ji family didn't come to take revenge for killing our ancestor, yet you dare to come here?"

The man beside him agreed, "Why are you even wasting your words to speak with him? The heavens had left him a path, but he has chosen to enter hell. Today, we shall take revenge for our ancestor."

"Attack!"

A sword image soared ahead towards Jiang Xiu. Even the wind seemed to split into two sections wherever that sword light passed by. It was so sharp that it sliced the void.

The one who attacked was one of the Ji family's Seven Sages.

Initially, these people were stuck at the Arcane Stage, but after the world began to transform due to the Holy Woman's descent, they were a step ahead in seizing the luck of the heavens.

This sword move already had a hint of a Sword Immortal's touch to it.

"Ding!"

Jiang Xiu just used two of his fingers to blast that sword image away. The blue-robed old man also flew out and landed on the azure colored roof tiles of the palace.

Crackle! The titles broke down due to the collision.

"Take revenge for the ancestor even if you die in the process!"

The disciples didn't turn timid after watching the sage suffer defeat. Instead, they rushed towards Jiang Xiu fearlessly. The Ji family had an inheritance of 500 years and was led by a God, so the disciples, as well as the grand-disciples, were naturally extraordinary. Even if they hadn't reached the demigod stage, most of them were in the arcane stage or the supreme stage. Just one of them could go out and proclaim himself lord of a city.

The collective strength of so many people naturally led to a qualitative change!

"Behead!"

Jiang Xiu raised his right hand up and simultaneously, the cloudy skies seemed to have received some kind of response as thunder began to echo along with lightning flashing through the dark clouds.

"Boom!"

He took a step forward. It seemed like a normal one, but the earth began to tremble due to it. Taking advantage of this chance, his hand dropped down, releasing a sharp, 40-50 m wide white saber light. At the moment this saber light took form, only white light could be seen in the entire sky, nothing else.

The powerful saber light's strength waned a little, but the saber energy had already caused several people to explode while the people behind them were sliced into two halves.

He took another step forward then snapped his finger. Another saber light shot out and thorned into the man who was lying in ambush to the side.

The Young Sword Master, Huabei's four family heads and Lin Mi had sprinted and finally caught up.

But what was waiting for them was a land filled with dead bodies.

Jiang Xiu strolled into the hall, taking lives away as if they were nothing but grass. He never used the same method again. There were sword beams, flames, energy waves, finger snaps as well as curse spells.

In a flash, he passed through the front courtyard, and dead bodies fell from the sky behind him. There were at least a hundred bodies and more than half of Ji family's experts were killed.

The rage felt by the Ji family was replaced by fear.

It was too terrifying. Taking a life was akin to scrunching up a sheet of paper to him.

"I'll ask you again, where is Xie Ting?"

"You won't say it? Looks like I have to kill more before you're ready to squeak!"

Saying so, he set foot inside the Ji family's main hall. The white-robed old man clenched his fists firmly while shuddering all over. His facial muscles kept twitching. "Jiang Luoxia, you dare to slaughter my Ji family?"

As the guardian elder of the Ji family, he felt shocked as he saw the disciples get slaughtered like pigs. His heart was full of grief and wished to dismember Jiang Xiu into thousands of pieces.

"So what if I slaughter them?"

Jiang Xiu frowned. Xie Ting's call for help was turning increasingly impatient, her voice was also mixed with painful screams. He immediately waved towards the white-robed old man.

"Rumble!"

The void trembled, and along with the rumble, even the air couldn't seem to endure this wave of his palm. An unsurpassable force spread out from his palm and just like a diety's hand, a 10 m large palm manifested before him.

"Be careful!"

The other sages shouted at the white-robed man in alarm.

The white-robed old man formed a seal with his hand in a rush, resulting in a dazzling golden light flying out from his palm. His demigod powers were revealed at this moment, and simultaneously, the other sages beside him also attacked. Flames, Divine Light, Fist Arts and several other attacks launched towards Jiang Xiu from all directions.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each attack knocked against the giant palm and was countered with a powerful force. A few of the sages were pushed back while they clenched their teeth to supplement their attacks with more power, but the countering force was fiercer as the disparity in power was too large. They all spouted blood from their mouths.

Nothing could oppose a real God. The white-robed old man's expression warped as he suddenly made a throwing motion. A golden light left his hand, breaking out with an intense ray of light as it sped ahead like a bullet.

Jiang Xiu's eyes flickered suddenly. That golden light had actually penetrated that giant hand. Though its speed was the same as a bullet's, its mass was several times higher. Such a powerful force left Jiang Xiu in shock. He didn't even have the time to ponder about what it was as that golden light had already arrived before him. His figure turned into a mirage, and that golden light passed through it.

Boom!

The golden light struck a several meter high smooth mountain stone at a distance, resulting in it exploding into pieces.

Whoosh!

The golden light penetrated through the rock then made a turn in the air to return.

An ordinary item couldn't possess such might. Jiang Xiu concluded that only a divine artifact could achieve this. After turning back, that golden light came to attack again. He evaded to the side again. The golden light seemed to have a spiritual nature as it kept targetting Jiang Xiu by turning back as if its mission was to destroy him.

A dazzling light appeared at Jiang Xiu's forehead as the saber pill came out and rushed towards that golden light. The two powers collided with each other.

The silver light and the golden light releasing an incomparably dazzling light while in deadlock.

"Hmm?"

Jiang Xiu saw the true colors of that golden light. It was unexpectedly a pebble-sized stone which was glowing with a golden character. It was Longevity Stone.

Since these people were related to Ji Wudao and Wang Chonglin, he ought to have expected that they might have a Longevity Stone in their hands. This was the fifth one.

If a comparison were to be made, Jiang Xiu's saber light possessed the might of four Longevity Stones while the opposite side only had one. Moreover, with the achievements Jiang Xiu possessed in the saber dao, that Longevity Stone was pushed back little by little under that knife's light.

Jiang Xiu had noticed one thing. The white-robed old man wasn't controlling the Longevity Stone. In other words, the Longevity Stone was reacting instinctively. This shouldn't have happened as the stone didn't possess spiritual intelligence. He wondered if the stone had gained spirituality. It was also possible that Ji Wudao had refined it and assigned it a function using his comprehension of the divine dao.

Jiang Xiu closed his eyes.

His divine intent began to directly refined the Longevity Stone through the saber pill. Facing such a huge gap in strength, even if the white-robed old man could control the Longevity Stone, he couldn't escape from Jiang Xiu. Moreover, the Longevity Stone wasn't for attacking.

After refining it, the golden Longevity Stone scattered into sand and got absorbed by the saber pill.

"It's the Saber Pill. The Ancestor died due to this!"

Jiang Xiu opened his eyes suddenly, and a fierce light flickered in his eyes as all of the sand formed from the Longevity Stone got absorbed by the saber pill.

The saber pill's power increased another notch.

"Rooooaaarrr!"

Jiang Xiu howled crazily. Lightning seemed to flash through his eyes as his aura soared up sharply, making him appear like a saber standing upright in the world, suppressing everything with its power.

"Aaaaahhh!"

The Ji family's sages shouted in alarm as the Longevity Stone disappeared.

Jiang Luoxia was so strong that even the Holy Artifact of the Ji family could do nothing to him. It was also no wonder that the Ji Ancestor died at his hands.

"Jiang Luoxia, weren't you looking for Xie Ting? She's an evil spawn whom we have already burned and sacrificed to the world. Her body has turned into ashes, and her soul is…"

"What?"

An overwhelming killing intent rushed out from Jiang Xiu and engulfed the entire area. A sword light immediately shot out.

This sword intent covered all the Ji family's disciples.

"If Xie Ting is dead, I'll kill this branch of your Ji family and bury you along with her. The Ji family will not exist in this world anymore…"

The Young Sword Master's hands shuddered in fear as he witnessed the scene. There wasn't a single one among them who wasn't a demigod yet he had actually deluded himself that he could suppress the Ji family with his strength alone. It was really very ignorant as well as funny, however, even when those group of demigods had acted together, they were as powerless as ants in front of Jiang Xiu.

"A God! He's really a God…"

To the side, Mu Jianping's eyes grew wide open. After the battle of Heaven's Gate, many people had said that Jiang Luoxia was a God, but Gods were legendary existences which the people had never seen, which had resulted in an argument. But after witnessing Jiang Xiu fly up then suppress an entire family with his power alone, he couldn't be surer of it as this strength couldn't be anything else than that of a god's.

According to the legends, the ability to fly was the sign of a God, this was true yet also couldn't act as an accurate means of verification. An even more precise way to determine whether someone was a God is the ability to use divine force to transform one's body into another matter - such as turning into mist. An example would be a person converting onto mist with ease then flying as they wished.

This was naturally feasible, but the issue was that it wasted a lot of divine force when one transformed into mist and flying would also consume divine force. Such a huge consumption would deplete the person of their divine force. Therefore, such a thing was only done when necessary, and they wouldn't fly for long durations too.

Yang Gods weren't like Yin Gods. After a Yin God gains divinity, they abandon their corporeal body and have the inherent ability to fly as they were such existences. It was pretty difficult for a Yang God to truly accomplish flying at the Low God stage.

This was the main reason Jiang Xiu had used the saber pill to pull himself up.

This was also why Jiang Xiu was so powerful!

Harmonizing the saber with divinity, using the supreme saber cultivation arts to draw the laws of the word and form a saber domain made of saber intent. The entire area filled with saber energies which ravaged everything in its wake. A saber light bolted ahead, and this radiating saber light was saber energy itself.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions occurred all around, the bricks on the floor flew out, and the cyan-colored dragon obelisk was chopped in half. The tiles were a wreck as well. Wherever the saber light passed by, the place was left completely devastated. Its strength was even more powerful than hot weapons like bombs.

Some of the Ji family's disciples were killed by the saber energy, their limbs flying up in the sky and body blown to pieces.

A massacre!

No, it was a Heavenly Punishment!

"Is he… even human?" All the people witnessing this were dumbstruck, utterly stupefied. There was no doubt they were shocked and by the time the saber light was done, all they could see was a 400-500 m long scar, making it seem as if an ancient god wielding a divine blade had chopped the Ji family's majestic palace into two halves.

The disintegrated tiles from the top of the palace kept falling from time to time, and a long gulch had been created on the floor…

"Heavens!"

Lin Mi covered her mouth in shock, her eyes almost popping out. Her legs felt weak, and finally, she was overcome ravaging powerlessness as she dropped to the ground on her butt.

This seemingly heavenly saber had stabbed into the Ji family's heart and thoroughly destroyed their life.

"Good…"

The people from the four great families of Huabei were very shocked and also jubilant in their hearts.

The Ji family had killed so many of their people and had finally suffered an even more cruel massacre. Recalling how they had murdered their relatives sadistically; this kind of result gave them immeasurable delight. It was too delightful.

Ji family, you've finally suffered retribution!

The entire place reeked of blood.

"One Saber to Exterminate a Family!"

Jiang Xiu had already rushed into the main hall, and after he passes through it, he saw a platform at the end which was burning in flames. Before, he could still hear Xie Ting's screams in his mind, but now, he couldn't hear any voices. He felt an intense restlessness in his heart.

Is it too late?

As Jiang Xiu neared the platform, cold fumes assailed his face. He blew at the fire, and the flames died down. His sight fell on the burnt body in the middle of the platform.

"Xie… Ting…"

Jiang Xiu's pupils expanded, and his eyes turned pitch black. The body was completely lifeless. In the end, he was too late.

"This is my responsibility!"

Jiang Xiu recalled what happened at the ancient city. It was him who had pulled up Xie Ting from underwater back then and what happened today was an effect of his actions.

He knew this absolutely wasn't retaliation. If it were retaliation, Xie Ting would've died at the Xie family, and Xie Sanxian would've also died. Xie Ting's death was definitely related to the descent of the Holy Woman.

"Look at that…"

Hearing this, Jiang Xiu raised his head up. The sky had turned bright already, and a huge face made of mist appeared in the cloud-filled sky.

"It… looks like a woman's face!"

"Is it a Goddess?"

The face became increasingly vivid. She wore a royal hair ornament, and her delicate face looked pure and holy. She had a striking resemblance to the dead Xie Ting.

Jiang Xie felt like she was gazing at him with an enchanting smile on her face. This smile made him feel a lot better, making him subconsciously extend his hand towards her.

Are you dead? Or not? Or was your soul able to escape?

Since it was the Holy Woman, Jiang Xiu believed she ought to have had this kind of power, but this didn't seem like soul power but instead felt like a lingering regret.

"How can I help you?"

Jiang Xiu's voice traveled across to her.

The smile on the face made of clouds gradually vanished. Jiang Xiu didn't hear any voice, so he immediately closed his eyes yet he still couldn't hear anything. When his opened his eyes again, that cloud face seemed to have lost power and slowly began to turn fuzzy until only an outline of her face remained. Her beautiful smile was gone forever.

Dead?

"Late by just a moment… just a moment…"

If it weren't for those few little tramps delaying him, if it weren't for that bullshit Zhuge Tao holding him up at the village, he could've rescued Xie Ting!

Killing intent rushed out of Jiang Xiu's eyes as he furiously turned around towards the Young Sword Master.

"W-What are you planning to do?"

The Young Sword Master was frightened by Jiang Xiu's terrifying expression. He had realized that his men had delayed Jiang Xiu which had caused him to be late and resulted in the person who he wanted to save burning to death.

"Jiang Luoxia. You're quite strong, that's for sure, but my Sword Palace isn't weak at all. I'm Si Wuxie's son!"

The desire to commit murder in Jiang Xiu's eyes rose up another notch.

"Didn't you chase me to the Ji family so that you can kill me?"

Before this, the Young Sword Master had really wanted to kill Jiang Xiu, but he couldn't kill jack-shit now! You're motherfucking Jiang Luoxia! Do you think I have a death wish that I'd try killing?

"It was a misunderstanding…"

"A misunderstanding? Everyone here witnessed the end of those insects who wished to take my life just now. You ought to know what kind of person, I, Jiang Luoxia, am…"

"Jiang Luoxia, if you dare to even touch a hair on my head, my ancestor will kill you gruesomely even if he has to pay a great price for it."

"I'll be blunt with you. My ancestor was already a God before WWII."

"You say too much nonsense."

The people who had followed after the Young Sword Master were all shivering with cold. They looked at Jiang Xiu in alarm as he slowly raised his right hand. His hand seemed to be covered by an image of a formless saber which was issuing a high-pitched cry.

"Jiang Luoxia, do you really dare to attack me? Aren't you afraid of my ancestor's revenge?"

The Young Sword Master quivered.

A bright, silvery saber dropping from the sky responded to him.

Teaarrrr!

It seemed as if the air had been ripped apart and even before the saber light had reached him, the Young Sword Master had already begun to feel a powerful pressure which almost squashed him. The land beside him had already caved in with a loud sound. At this moment, a golden light rushed out from the top of his head and soared to the sky. A vague, immoral elderly man with his hands behind him appeared in the void. He slowly turned back, and at that moment, it was as if an ancient deity was looking down on the mortal world - such were those dazzling pair of eyes.

"Ancestor!"

The Young Sword Master was surprised and began to kowtow along with his subordinates.

Jiang Xiu, however, just spoke softly, "Behead!"

"Wait a moment!"

The saber light directly hacked down without pause and penetrated the Young Sword Master's body. At the moment his body dropped to the ground, his eyes were wide open, filled with disbelief. He just couldn't believe that Jiang Xiu would've dared to kill him in front of his ancestor.

"NOOO!"

The elderly man cried out loudly and that image of his flickered violently before disappearing. This was a protection spell placed on the Young Sword Master's body. Jiang Xiu could only kill the Young Sword Master after beheading the protection spell on the Young Sword Master.

"Aaaaahhh?!!"

The aides of the Young Sword Master were utterly terror-stricken. They immediately turned around and fled.

The family heads of Huabei's four great families and their disciples were very alarmed and rushed to kneel.

"We pay respects to Mr. Jiang. Thank you for eradicating the Ji family for us four families of Huabei and bringing light to Huabei."

"We hope to serve you to express our deep gratitude up to our deaths!"

Jiang Xiu stood there with his hands behind him. The underworld of Huabei had now fallen under his banner with this.

To the side, Lin Mi had a lifeless look in her eyes while her body trembled slightly.

The shock in Lin Mi's heart didn't settle down for a very long time after witnessing Jiang Xiu's tyrannical methods. It was really something that she wanted him to account for his actions. He was the No. 1 person of China's martial world. She had personally seen him exterminate the Ji family. This was also not odd. After all, he had already killed the Ji family's ancestor, Ji Wudao so taking out the roots is something which would follow as well.

But he could've let off the Young Sword Master who was Si Wuxie's son. By killing him, he had provoked a great enemy known as Si Wuxie. And Si Wuxie was an even more amazing person than Ji Wudao. Ji Wudao was the representative individual of China, but that was just in the modern era. The legends of Si Wuxie dated much earlier than his yet Jiang Xiu had killed Si Wuxie's son without the slightest hesitation. His aggressiveness was enough to make people's hair stand on ends.

His boldness and fierceness made others exclaim in shock.

Even if it was the Lin family, they would have to be somewhat afraid of him.

But after giving it another thought, no matter how strong Jiang Xiu was, the things he did couldn't be brought to light. If he had something honorable instead, Jiang Luoxia's name would've become famous all over China long ago. But this was a peaceful modern era, so even if he was powerful, he couldn't be above the country or the law.

Whenever people evaluated a person like Jiang Luoxia, they would label him with the title of a martial artist. Actually, it was similar to those from the Jianghu mentioned in novels, the kind of people who had no regard for the laws or order and can never appear in public.

Jiang Xiu stood there for a good while contemplating it. The conclusion he arrived at based on his experience was that even if the Holy Woman died, the other world will continue to descend. If the Holy Woman hadn't died, she would've returned back to her original world and that other world wouldn't have descended.

But no matter what the outcome is, Xie Ting was dead.

Jiang Xiu found the highest mountaintop at the Ji family's location and dug a hole. He buried Xie Ting's already burnt corpse and made a grave marker with the name 'Xie Ting' written on it.

"With the Ji family following with their deaths, I hope you can rest in peace."

After finishing this, Jiang Xiu prepared to go down the mountain. Mu Jianping called out to him at this moment, "Mr. Jiang…" He was feeling quite restless as he too had offended Jiang Xiu this time. He had originally gone to ask for Jiang Xiu's help but then again ran to the Western Sichuan's Sword Palace as he couldn't keep waiting. And both the sides had clashed due to this.

"Go to the Wang family!"

He descended the mountain after saying this. He didn't like involving himself with these trifling matters and felt vexed when listening to them.

"Sigh!"

Mu Jianping felt like he was hearing the tolls of happiness. Mr. Jiang hadn't blamed them and had also taken care of the Ji family. Their nightmarish days had finally ended.

"Please take care, Mr. Jiang…"

According to reason, Mu Jianping ought to have arranged a huge banquet but with Jiang Xiu's identity, he couldn't dare to trouble him by inviting him. He didn't even have the qualifications to meet Jiang Xiu to report something, let alone entertain him and drink with him at the same table.

"Are you still going to follow me? Do you still want justice for you little brother?"

Lin Mi opened her lips then eased her expression before speaking, "I didn't expect you to be Jiang Luoxia, but what if you are him? You were in the wrong for hurting my brother."

"I'll go kill him then."

Lin Mi was frightened, "You…"

This man's cold-heartedness and the ease with which he killed was something she had already experienced. Killing a person was nothing to him so it was possible he would really do it.

"Did you forget your mother and my father are siblings? Would you hurt us even though we're relatives?"

Jiang Xiu laughed out loudly. Cultivating for a few years alone needed the determination to leave home and he had experienced three millenniums of cultivation, gone through several things as well as blood-reeking events and also experienced unforgettable betrayals so he knew very well how merciless the grand dao was!!

And she was so naively thinking she could restrict him with a blood relationship.

"Don't you know what happened to the Jiang family?"

Lin Mi's eyes grew wide open immediately as she looked with fear at Jiang Xiu who had already recovered his normal appearance. She just couldn't believe it.

"Listen to me properly. I only consider my father and mother as my true kin, understood?"

Lin Mi's eyes gradually recovered back to their initial state.

It would've been difficult to comprehend this happening at an ordinary family but since it happened at one of the elite families, Lin Mi felt a bit at ease. This kind of affair wasn't that uncommon in the families of ancient regents. The most famous example would be the Coup of Xuanwu Gate.

Let alone, Jiang Xiu and the Jiang family didn't have any affection between them except for the so-called heredity relationship. They had already broken their relations. What Lin Mi didn't know was that Jiang Yi's imprisonment was facilitated by Jiang Yishan.

There was no affection between Jiang Xiu and the Jiang family, but this was also the case for the Lin family. Her aunt, Lin Yueling was also driven out of the Lin family and hadn't returned for 20 years now.

She had heard that the family was planning to allow her aunt to return but she didn't know whether it was due to the Jiang Xiu being Jiang Luoxia. Only, with such a character he has, it would be a wonder if the Lin family could take advantage of him.

No matter what, once this was over, she would have to return home to speak with her family.

Jiang Xiu was surprised, "You're still going to follow me?"

"Will I return by myself if I don't follow you? Anyway, since you're returning to the capital, I'll tag along." Though she spoke with a surly tone, her words clearly lacked in confidence.

"I'm not returning to the capital. I'm going to Pinghai."

He was planning to visit the Xie family to deliver Xie Ting's ashes. This time, Jiang Xiu was responsible for what had happened so felt guilty. It wasn't like Deity Xiu was an emotionless, tyrannical person. In reality, he was quite a complicated man.

"You'll be returning to the capital in the end, right?"

"Do as you wish!"

After speaking a few words about the Ji family's matter to Wang Xintong, he told her to settle the matters in Huabei and also asked her to arrange a plane for Pinghai.

Xie Sanxian was almost on the brink of collapse as he received his daughter's ashes from Jiang Xiu. He only had one daughter and she was gone now. He couldn't take it. His wife had gone into shock the moment she heard the news of her daughter's death.

"I have already eradicated the Ji family!" Jiang Xiu stated.

Xie Sanxian shook his head while weeping with bitter tears. This didn't matter to him at all as his daughter was gone forever. He would've rather preferred that his daughter had lived a peaceful life.

"Before she was taken away, did Xie Ting warn you about anything?"

Xie Sanxian muttered to himself for a moment but shook his head in the end.

The reason Jiang Xiu had asked this was because Xie Sanxian was a very cautious person. Now that Xie Ting was dead, he hoped that Xie Sanxian would reveal everything but it looked like Xie Ting really hadn't done any preparations beforehand.

Although the ancestor of the Xie family had infiltrated China with the intentions to take revenge, 500 years had passed and they had taken root at Pinghai, becoming an average wealthy family with a lot of kith and kin here.

For the first time ever, Jiang Xiu stayed at the Xie family idly for half a day to express his intentions. From this, it could be made out that Jiang Xiu considered Xie Ting as a friend deep in his heart.

On the evening that day, Jiang Xiu returned to the capital via air.

The moment they landed, Lin Mi made for the hospital where her brother was admitted. Lin Shiqian was still lying on the hospital bed. 24 hours had passed since the operation so it didn't hurt that much like it did after the anesthesia had worn away, but he still moaned in pain sometimes. His mother was torn with grief and wished she could get justice for him. "That bastard should get stabbed a thousand times for acting so ruthless!"

"I'll surely break his legs one day to make him experience how it feels!"

Lin Zekang said, "You better speak less."

The woman felt grieved, "Why shouldn't I?"

Lin Zekang said helplessly, "Your son will only feel more resentment if you say such things. Mimi has disappeared for the entire day today. She might've gone to look for Jiang Xiu to make him account for what he did."

Just as he finished saying this, Lin Mi walked inside. "Dad, Mom…"

Lin Shiqian who was moaning in pain on the bed felt his soul tremble. His eyes shone with the expectation of good news from his elder sister. Their ages were only a year apart and had a good relationship. He knew his sister's temper well. She wouldn't let him suffer bullying. "Sis, how did it go?"

"How did what go?"

Lin Shiqian asked, "You ran out in a rage so you must've gone to find that guy, right?"

"What are you thinking? Didn't this happen do to yourself? Why would I go find that guy to make him pay for it?" She felt anguished as she said these words. Little brother, although I want to do something, I can only grit my teeth and endure.

Not only was Lin Shiqian disappointed, but their mother was also disappointed as well. Lin Mi said, "Dad, come out for a moment."

Lin Zekang relaxed his breath after learning that his daughter hadn't rashly gone to trouble Jiang Xiu. The family had already informed him that if his daughter messed up, he would have to clean up the mess, but he too felt a but unreconciled.

"Why did you call me outside?"

Lin Mi looked at her father then asked, "Dad, do you know Jiang Xiu's true identity?"

"His true identity?"

"What true identity? Isn't her your aunt's son? The family is probably suppressing this matter as they want to let your aunt return to the family."

Lin Mi was almost certain now that her father didn't know anything. She gaze turned serious. "Dad, Jiang Xiu is Jiang Luoxia…"

"Jiang Luoxia? Which Jiang Luoxia are you…" Lin Zekang couldn't make heads or tails of it. Jiang Xiu's true identity and what not, him being Jiang Luoxia and all, but gradually, his expression began to morph as astonishment dyed his face. "What did you say just now…"

Though officialdom was very distant from the martial world, as the Lin family was eyeing the fertile land known as Jiangnan, they naturally had an inkling of the bigshots there. And in Jiangnan's underworld, Mr. Jiang ruled with an iron fist and his name was apparently Jiang Luoxia as well.

Lin Mi said, "Jiang Xiu is Jiangnan's Mr. Jiang…"

Boom!

Lin Zekang felt his mind explode. Jiangnan's Mr. Jiang could send waves all across Jiangnan with just a stamp of his foot and easily move the economy of the province – he was such an existence.

"You aren't mistaken, right?"

Lin Mi shook her head. She had also considered that possibility but… she had witnessed him deify and massacre the Ji family then behead the Young Sword Master. There was no way she could get revenge for her little brother.

"Thar's great!"

Lin Zekang said happily.

"Great?" Lin Mi's eyes grew wide open as she wondered her father's brain had short-circuited.

"Of course. Did you forget he's your aunt's son, i.e. my sister's son? Don't you know the Lin family's situation these past few years? Your second uncle is striving for the governor seat of Jiangnan right now. We thought we'd have to rely on the relationship between Jiang Yi and Mayor Gu, but it looks like the true key lies with Jiang Xiu." Lin Zekang said excitedly. "This matter is settled now."

Lin Mi could only force a smile, feeling very helpless.

"What? Are you still brooding over your little brother's matter? Although Jiang Xiu acted a bit excessively, if he is really Mr. Jiang, this is nothing at all. With his position in Jiangnan, he only needs to exert his influence in front of Mayor Gu, the odds of your second uncle winning the seat will rise to 80-90%. What's a broken leg compared to that…"

Lin Mi said helplessly, "Dad, you don't know what kind of person Jiang Xiu is."

"There will be many opportunities to understand later." Saying so, he patted Lin Mi's shoulder. It seemed like he was pretty satisfied with the information she had brought to him.

Lin Mi could only shake her head.

This information was sent to the Lin family immediately. Recently, they had been discussing about Lin Yueling who name was forbidden to be mentioned before, and now, they began discussing Jiang Luoxia at great lengths.

…

On that day, after returning back home, Jiang Xiu saw that Cheng Lingsu had bought a computer for herself which was placed in the study room which wasn't used much. Many books had been prepared as well and she was working energetically.

100 Million RMB were already deposited in her account. She had the plans to enter the financial market from the first day of college and was preparing all along.

Now that she had the funds, she could begin investing.

This was only the first step. She planned to rent an office later and engage in trading then open a finance firm.

She could walk the road to achieving her dreams then.

However, in a dark corner, a sinister smile had risen upon a vague face. In reality, she was walking on the road of despair where she would lose no matter what she invested in until she lost all the 100 million.

As he saw the look of longing on Cheng Lingsu's face, the desire he felt in his heart to destroy her became increasingly intense. He really wishes those 3 years would pass by quickly.

After turning on the lights, Jiang Xiu came to the poolside. The lighting was dark in the opposite building. He guessed that Wang Xintong must've gone to Huabei to settle the aftermath of this time's battle.

He took out his cell phone and sent a message to Nangong Kou'er – Are you free tonight?

A few minutes passed by but there was no reply. Jiang Xiu guessed Nangong Kou'er wouldn't reply to his message again. Women were really strange sometimes. They said something else but harbored different feelings on their hearts. Frankly, our Deity Xiu really felt like he was being treated as he was a nobody after they had done the deed, but contrary to his thoughts, Nangong Kou'er replied to his message after 30 minutes – At 9 PM.

Jiang Xiu pondered for a moment then sent – Imperial Grand Hotel?

The Golden Brocade Group had a grand five-star hotel at the Imperial Capital. It was located at a good spot and was one of the very best in the capital. Only, he didn't wish for anyone to know he was meeting Nangong Kou'er, not even Wang Xintong.

After sending this message, Nangong Kou'er took another dozen minutes to reply. Perhaps it was because that little lass was struggling internally – Don't let anyone see you.

Jiang Xiu – I'll be very careful!

Nangong Kou'er – Mhm!

How was this ignoring him after the deed was done? This is akin to burning with the flames of adultery. Jiang Xiu arrived at the Imperial Grand Hotel 20 minutes in advance the booked a hotel before sending a message to Nangong Kou'er.

The room bell rang exactly at 9 PM. Jiang Xiu went to open the door and saw a fully-disguised Nangong Kou'er. After confirming it was indeed her, he closed the door.

It was pretty cold in the capital during December, but it wasn't this bad. She was wearing a white hat, a black face mask and also a scarf. Altogether, her disguise was much stricter than when idols went incognito into the public.

After entering the room, she began to remove her disguise. Her pretty face blushed a little when she saw Jiang Xiu stare at her with a knowing smile. She couldn't help but stamp her feet, "What are you looking at? I'll dig your eyes out if you keep… Mhm… Mmm…"

Jiang Xiu directly slammed her back to the wall. After feeling a bit out of sorts at the beginning, Nangong Kou'er embraced Jiang Xiu with her arms and her eyes turned blurry as well.

After finding a gap in between with great difficulty, Jiang Xiu asked her, "Don't you want to take a bath?"

"I took a bath before coming over. I can only stay here for an hour."

It was already 9 PM now. It would be 10 PM after an hour and she'd still have to take a ride back home. The Nangong family controlled their children very strictly so she would be scolded if she arrived home late.

That's why they would have to rush.

Vehicles kept passing on the street outside. The lights of the vehicles looked dazzling and many people were on the way back home right now. The night brewed up a cold wind which hit the window. Sounds of pounding echoed from inside, performing this world's most beautiful nocturne.

A man and woman tangled around each other gasped for breath. Nangong Kou'er's hair was scattered on the white pillow and her face was covered with a fine layer of sweat, making her glow under the dusky lighting. Her face was completely crimson as she opened her lips slightly, "Stop messing around, okay… Listen to me… Give me two strands of hair from your head later."

"What for?" Jiang Xiu was puzzled.

"For gene testing. According to the study by the genetics group, a huge change has happened to the world which has led to the transformation of the genes of a few humans. They are referred to as divinity users. The difference in abilities between the awakened divinity users and non-divinity users is too astonishing. There's a huge gap between them."

"Have you already figured out how to identify them?" Jiang Xiu asked her.

"Mhm. The probability of a divinity user awakening is not that high, but there would be a few in every 10,000 people. I'm quite fortunate as I've shown signs of awakening. I want to test it for you as well."

When Jiang Xiu had examined Nangong Kou'er, he had noticed that she indeed had a constitution suitable for cultivation. It seemed like these awakened divinity users all had constitutions suitable for cultivation. "There's no need for that…"

"Ah!"

Before he could finish his words, Nangong Kou'er had already taken a few strands of his hair.

"I have to. This is a huge opportunity for you. You want to live a first-rate life always, right?" Nangong Kou'er continued, "Let's not speak of unattainable things for now, but you'll need a lot of money to book a room like this one just once."

It costs over a 1000 RMB to book a room in a five-star hotel for a night.

Jiang Xiu said, "Can't you just pay for it?"

Nangong Kou'er's eyes opened wide, "You're really shameless. You aren't planning to live off me in the future, right? Stop dreaming. Also, when are you returning the money you borrowed from me last time?"

Jiang Xiu went down the bed and walked towards the bathroom, "You mentioning matters of money between us truly makes me sad."

Are you planning to renege on your promise?

Nangong Kou'er chased after him into the bathroom, but she had become the lamb who delivered itself to the wolf's mouth instead. She could've reached home perfectly at 11 PM but it was already 12 PM when she reached there. She had to even ask for her friend's help in duping them so that this matter wouldn't blow up.

Nangong Kou'er cupped her blushing face after recalling she had done such a crazy thing. Her heart was fully satisfied but she kept warning herself continuously that this was the first and last time she would do this.

After tossing around in bed over and over again, she took out Jiang Xiu's hair strands. "I hope you that results aren't that bad, you baddie."

Jiang Xiu was also curious about this, that what kind of result would they obtain from his genes. He guessed it ought to be at least at the immortal god level. Jiang Xiu was completely confident about this. Even before Earth had started transforming, his experience in the previous life was enough to explain that his body was very suitable for cultivation, which enabled him to take the throne of the Heaven Treading Sect's Sect Master. Apart from zeal as well as the proper frame of mind, the innate talent was the thing which one couldn't lack the most.

There was only one variable, which was that he was already a God. The question was whether their technology could detect the god gene.The answer to this was out after 2 days. Nangong Kou'er couldn't believe the results when they reached her hands. When she had met Jiang Xiu, he was in his deified state and possessed a peerless as well as an unfathomable beauty. She believed that Jiang Xiu's genes would've been quite outstanding. Admittedly, she was a creature who based her opinions on what she saw and the reason she was burning with the flames of adultery was partly that Jiang Xiu's handsomeness was hard to resist, but…

The gene testing results had the 8 dull words written on it - No possibility of awakening as a divinity user.

She felt sad, not for herself, but for Jiang Xiu. The Nangong family's genetics branch had hypothesized that those who can't awaken as divinity users would become low-class people in the future with no chances of a turnback.

The results didn't make sense!

But the gene testing couldn't be wrong. If a comparison were to be made, she had a senior who was super handsome and made junior girls crazy for him wherever he went, but afterward, an embarrassing aspect of his came to light, which was that he was tone-deaf. His singing was extremely bad and had no sense of tone. Moreover, he wasn't aware of this and happily sung a ravaging love song for the junior girls.

The current Jiang Xiu gave her a very similar feeling as well.

She sighed helplessly, "Let it be. I'm looking for a extramarital lover, not a boyfriend or husband. What's the need for all this? This is just fine…" Our Lady Nangong consoled herself like this.

But she was still worried for Jiang Xiu in her heart and felt sad due to this. She didn't tell Jiang Xiu about this and didn't plan to tell him as well. She was planning to see how the situation develops then decide whether to tell him.

Right now, in Lady Nangong's mind, our Deity Xiu had become an existence who was hurt and needed the care of someone to soothe his heart.

…

Time passed by quickly, and a month passed by in a blink.

The number of divinity users appearing all over the kept increasing and although each country tried to keep it confidential, Jiang Xiu was able to get the information about the situation from Wang Xintong. It was clear that the descent of the other world hadn't stopped. In other words, the Holy Woman had rather preferred to burn to death than prevent the other world's general from arriving here.

At Jiang Xiu's home, the smile on Cheng Lingsu's face kept decreasing more and more recently while Jiang Xiu was feeling happier. Susu had already lost over 10 million in just a month.

Losing money was pretty regular in the beginning. Except for a few geniuses who entered the market to earn money, others usually began from losing money, but Cheng Lingsu was different, she lost money no matter where she invested, all of it. This was enough to make a person collapse mentally and thoroughly lose confidence.

Cheng Lingsu was feeling like that right now. She doubted whether she wasn't suitable for this kind of business.

Wang Xintong looked at the data on the computer and couldn't help but say, "Actually, Susu is quite talented. If we weren't deliberately suppressing her, she would've already earned 30 million from the market. Except for her first investment, she would've earned in the rest of them."

"The sooner she loses, the sooner this bet will end, and the sooner we'll be free. This is better for everyone. Perhaps she'll thank for me for it later." Jiang Xiu stated.

Wang Xintong looked at this man. He was really like a demonic king who had come from the dark world.

"She has become increasingly cautious lately, probably because she's afraid of losing again."

A smile rose up on Jiang Xiu's face, "I saw her grab her hair in front of the computer. I reckon she won't be able to endure for long."

"And after she promises to divorce you, what then?"

"What plan do you have?"

Jiang Xiu became silent.

"You want to marry Cheng Lingran? Do you think she will be willing?"

Jiang Xiu's brows furrowed together. A evil aura came out from his forehead. Wang Xintong's heart tensed up. Her neck clutched by Jiang Xiu again. She was then carried and slammed against the wall, "Who allowed you to mention Cheng Lingran in front of me?"

Wang Xintong's dangling legs tried to look for support, resulting in her high-heeled shoes falling down.

"G-Guh…"

"I-I won't say it again…"

Jiang Xiu released his hand. Wang Xintong's body slid down the wall to the floor. She coughed as she felt her strength come back to her slowly. She thought - Even if I don't talk about it, won't you still have to confront it?

She stood up and stepped onto the soft carpet with her naked feet, "Haven't you noticed that Susu is resembling her older sister more and more. Her expression, tone as well as her smile, all of it seem similar…"

"Isn't it possible you might be making a mistake?"

A terrifying glint flashed through Jiang Xiu's eyes. He felt like strangling Wang Xintong again. "You're playing with fire again. Don't believe that I won't kill you since you do some things for me are useful."

"The things on this Earth are worthless to me. Moreover, it's very easy for me to look for someone to replace you. There's plenty of people eager to do it."

Wang Xintong's expression morphed as panic flashed through her eyes. This was her lethal point. She said powerlessly, "I just don't want you to suffer."

Both the Jiang and Lin family were elite families. Divorcing the younger sister then marrying her elder sister, no one would agree to this. Everyone would be against it.

…

Christmas finally arrived. Jiang Xiu had dinner with his mistress, Lady Kou'er at a hotel after which they spent 2 hours there. The two of them were burning with the flames of adultery and have trysts every few days. A day like Christmas was even more perfect for a tryst. They naturally couldn't miss it with such a great mood outside. It was a pity that Nangong Kou'er would leave each time after they had fun. Tonight was no exception as well. As her parents stayed abroad most of the time, they valued Christmas time a lot so Lady Kou'er had to still return home and celebrate it with her family.

"I'm returning to Jiang City for a while!"

Kou'er was just about to go out of the room, "When will you return?" Her words sounded like she was somewhat reluctant to part with him.

"Before the end of the year, I guess?"

Lin Yueling had already urged him to return many times so that he could meet Mayor Gu once and chat with him about the matter of the Lin family. Jiang Xiu had evaded it till now with the excuse of classes but when the term ends, he wouldn't have any other excuse to give.

He estimated that he would have to return to Jiang City once the term ended. Jiang Yi's job had also been transferred to Jiang City as well.

"Oh!"

After disguising herself completely, Nangong Kou'er opened the door to leave. She used the safety exit to go down a floor then took the elevator down.

…

A big event happened in the West today. Miracles happened in all parts of the church. The number of people with supernatural powers who appeared were tenfold from before. Among the large numbers which appeared, a person who had a pair of transparent wings and could fly appeared as well. After awakening, he called himself a God and the Western government secretly marked this day as the day God appeared in the world.

…

After 10 days, the term ended and under Lin Yueling's vehement request, Jiang Xiu and Cheng Lingsu returned to Jiangnan. As for Cheng Lingran, as a few of her exams weren't done yet, she had to stay in the capital temporarily.

They returned to the Wang Gardens in Jiangnan as Mayor Gu was at Jiangnan.

Just like how Jiang Xiu and Nangong Kou'er were getting passionate, the Lin family kept calling Lin Yueling frequently to ask her to return. Their intent was pretty yet Lin Yueling taking this at her own pace. She also got a lot of calls from her friends in the capital. This wasn't without reason. At the party that day, Lin Yueling had put on the jewelry which Jiang Xiu had purchased for 100 Million Euros. The people at the party went crazy due to this. Those classmates who were acting cold to her before seemed to recall all the things from the past immediately and fought to get their friendship back.

"Son, Susu…"

At the entrance of the house, Lin Yueling smiled widely as she saw her son and daughter-in-law return.

"Mom!"

Susu sprinted towards her like a spoiled child and hugged Lin Yueling. It was as if the 20 million she had lost simply didn't mean anything at all. This hug seemed to have everything.

"Let me see how much prettier our Susu has become."

"Hehe!"

The Wang Gardens became a little lively along with the return of Jiang Xiu and Cheng Lingsu. Naturally, except for a few servants who managed the place, almost nobody else came so it lacked a bit of familial mood. Then again, it was close to the end of the year so the mood was similar to that of before a festival.

A visitor had arrived the moment Jiang Xiu had returned to the Wang Gardens. It was none other than Old Man Tang who had a crippled arm who was accompanied by Tang Wenchong. Tang Wenchong was something now as well. After the Diaoyutai had allowed the Jiang Xiu to consolidate the market of Jiangnan, the Tang family had obtained quite the benefits. Even if Tang Wenchong wasn't a first-rate young master of Jiangnan, he could be considered as a second-rate young master.

In the tea room, Old Man Tang asked, "Mr. Jiang, Mayor Gu's is at his end. Many people are curious about who the successor will be."

For those who mingled in the underworld of Jiangnan, it was natural that they would be concerned about who was in charge of Jiangnan.Jiang Xiu's ambition laid elsewhere. He was paying more attention to how the descent of the other world was influencing this world and how much assistance it would provide towards his cultivation. After becoming a God, his progress in cultivation had become very slow, and though he could increase his power after absorbing the 5th Longevity Stone, the amount of increase in power was almost negligible for a God.

That kind of increase was equivalent to consuming a medicinal pill on the Immortal Martial Continent. For a divinity cultivator to rank up from a Low God to Mid God stage, an astronomical number of pills would be required so consuming just one didn't count as anything.

Due to the lack of cultivation resources, Jiang Xiu could only place hope in comprehending the laws, but due to being restrained by this world, he hadn't made much progress in cultivating the laws as well. He hoped that the descent of the other world would lift the restraints placed on this world.

Therefore, he was willing to hear about the matters of the Heaven Treading Biocorp from Wang Xintong. Bodhi Gene was also working hard to recruit divinity users and research the awakening genes. This was key to his future plans.

Jiang Xiu said frankly, "I haven't met with Mayor Gu yet…"

Tang Zhenshan nodded with a solemn expression on his face, "A change of Governor in Jiangnan is a huge matter. All powers of Jiangnan have been making moves lately and everyone's opinions differ."

From his tone, it seemed like the Tang family had also been attacked.

"Jiang City is the only exception since we have Mr. Jiang suppressing them. Furthermore, Old Man Jiang is also present here as well. But no matter who becomes the Governor of Jiangnan, it would cause ripples in Jiang City."

Jiang Xiu knew that ever since Jiang Yi had become the Deputy Mayor of Jiang City, Tang Zhenshan had done his utmost to provide support to him and was almost acted as a money bank.

"Send your Tang family's children to Heaven Treading Biocorp for testing. If their aptitude is good, they can join the group and work there."

Tang Zhenshan was overjoyed after hearing this.

As a martial artist, he had also sensed the recent change which had occurred to this world, but his level was too low so he didn't know the true reason it was happening. Even so, he strived to fight over for a higher position than ordinary people who were totally oblivious to it.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Jiang…"

Tang Zhenshan said, "Mr. Jiang, I heard about something recently but I don't know whether it's true. Someone said that Mr. Jiang has slaughtered the Ji family and even killed Duke Wuxie's son as well."

"It is indeed true!"

Tang Zhenshan's expression morphed immediately as he said with worry, "Mr. Jiang, this matter isn't appropriate. Duke Wuxie has been a legend in our nation's martial world for 60 years and was someone who could even survive an atom bomb. Everyone thinks he's a demigod, but stories about Duke Wuxie have been passed on in Western Sichuan for over 200-300 years. According to what I heard from my friend from those days, Duke Wuxie is a God!"

Jiang Xiu stood up and faced the river channel ahead. The lighting reflected clearly on the waves. It was impossible for a demigod to survive an atom bomb which worked based on the powerful nuclear fusion with his physical body intact. From the very beginning, Jiang Xiu knew that Si Wuxie was a god. Moreover, there were many legends of a sword immortal in Western Sichuan. As the adage went – without wind, there cannot be waves – It was very likely that Si Wuxie was a sword immortal.

Only, Jiang Xiu had seen his share of sword immortals on the Immortal Martial Continent. It was pretty normal for there to be 2-3 sword immortal among cultivators. The only question was how powerful Si Wuxie was. Si Wuxie, I hope you don't disappoint me.

"So what if he's a god?"

Tang Zhenshan stood up in astonishment, "Is Mr. Jiang also…" It was widely rumored that Jiang Xiu was also a god but he hadn't admitted he was one. A demigod wasn't a god's opponent as the disparity in ranks couldn't be crossed. Jiang Xiu's words just now were equivalent to admitting it so Tang Zhenshan became excited, "I understand it now…"

If both of them were gods, it all depended on who was stronger!

This would really be a confrontation which would shake China to the core, an unprecedented battle!

As he was chatting, Cheng Lingsu came over with a smile on her face. This smile really made Jiang Xiu feel unwell. What's this little girl getting happy for? It couldn't be that she won money, right?

"Jiang Xiu…"

Tang Zhenshan adapted to the situation immediately, "Mr. Jiang, I'll take my leave then…"

After he left, Jiang Xiu looked at Cheng Lingsu's flowery appearance and felt a little upset internally. "You look so happy. Did you make money or what?"

"It's vacation time now. I don't want to think about work!"

This little girl's attitude was really abnormal. If a normal person had lost that much money, they wouldn't feel at ease until they won back the money they lost.

"Do you need something from me?"

"Most of our high school classmates are at Hang City. They are conducting the first get-together tonight. Do you plan to go?"

Jiang Xiu was surprised, "Aren't you at odds with those people?"

"It's all in the past now. Although we couldn't become true best friends, we had after all been friends for 3 years so I have to show some face on the outside. I can't just refrain from meeting my high school classmates because of them, right?"

Jiang Xiu shook his head. "I won't be coming. You can go if you want."

Ouyang Qian, Lin Shu and the rest knew about Jiang Xiu's identity. If he didn't say that he won't be coming, those students would also feel uneasy. Moreover, he wasn't in the mood to deal with them and would rather cultivate under closed doors.

"I'll be going then…"

Jiang Xiu felt regretful not long after Cheng Lingsu had left because Lin Yueling had seen Tang Zhensan leave and came over to glare at him so that he would go see Gu Dezhi. Jiang Xiu knew that this matter couldn't be dragged on any longer so without any other choice left, he decided to call Gu Dezhi.

"Mr. Jiang!"

Gu Dezhi was a little surprised when he got a call from Jiang Xiu as he had never received one from him directly. Each time, Wang Xintong would talk to him.

"Mayor Gu, I've returned to Jiangnan."

"I was hoping you would return. How about this? I'll arrange a welcoming dinner for you at West Lake Manor at 7 PM tonight. We can speak there in person."

At 6 PM that evening, Gu Dezhi especially let the driver drive his car to pick in Jiang Xiu to express his respect for Mr. Jiang. This car enjoyed the highest privilege at Jiang City. Even if you speed up, the traffic police would clear the route for you in case you had an important matter to deal with.

When Jiang Xiu arrived at the manor, a party was going on inside. The place was brightly light and celebs from all parties had converged there. Graceful violin music was also audible from inside.

This party had been arranged earlier. As it was close to the end of the year, there were many parties going on. Gu Dezhi naturally wouldn't shirk on anything related to Jiang Xiu so he personally received Jiang Xiu.

Ever since Crown Prince Ao had come to Jiangnan back then, West Lake Manor had become the party location where celebs associated. It seemed like the qualifications required to book this place wasn't the same as before.

Gu Dezhi didn't want Jiang Xiu to know that there was a party going on at this place as that would be disrespecting him so he told the driver to enter through another entrance. It almost felt as if someone else was conducting the party while he personally waited at the entrance to meet Jiang Xiu.

In all of Jiangnan, Gu Dezhi only treated Jiang Xiu this way!

Before Crown Prince Ao had arrived in Jiangnan, Gu Dezhi's control over Jiangnan was very weak. Several families contended against him but after Crown Prince Ao arrived in Jiangnan, Jiang Xiu had got rid of those officials and businessmen in one swoop, which allowed Gu Dezhi to thoroughly grasp the authority in Jiangnan. Merely, it was a pity that these good days didn't continue much longer as he had reached the end of his term and would have to give up the seat.

"Mr. Jiang, it's been a long time!"

"Please come inside!"

Gu Dezhi welcome Jiang Xiu as if he were receiving the leader of the nation, "Elder Brother knew Mr. Jiang had returned to Jiangnan and also planned to come but he couldn't as he had too many matters to deal with. He asked me to greet you for him and also hopes that Mr. Jiang will keep the army division's matter in mind."

"Mhm!"

Regulating the army didn't happen within a day or two. This matter was too big so the progress was a little slow, but the strength revealed on the surface played a major factor into it as well. Jiang Xiu thought that he should make some preparations to deal with any accidents which might arise due to the descent of the other world.

The two of them entered inside the quiet clubhouse.

The feast had already been prepared,

Only, the two of them didn't have anyone accompanying them. Wang Xintong would've been the best choice for that.

"Mr. Jiang, after a year and a month, it'll be the end of the term for me. The superiors have been discussing whether I should stay or retire recently…" Gu Dezhi felt quite melancholic. The feeling of retiring really felt quite unwell. "Mr. Jiang, would you be able to influence those in the Diaoyutai with your position?"

He still harbored a bit of hope as he wishes to walk another step further.

"Hmm?"

Any human wished to obtain more benefits by ascending higher in position. Gu Dezhi wasn't an exception to this as well. After the battle at Heaven's Gate, Jiang Xiu naturally had a little influence on Diaoyutai. Moreover, he also had a lot of influence over Jiangnan. It was just that he wasn't interested in meddling in this playground.

…

And right now, Cheng Lingsu, as well as her classmates, had also arrived at West Lake…