Chapter Forty-Two: Let Me Tell You Why (Third Update)

Inside the room, Jiang Yu sat cross-legged. Two streams of white energy flowed from his nostrils, twined in the air, and were then drawn back into his abdomen.

“It seems the time has come to seek an opportunity to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage. What is Foundation Establishment? Upon entering this stage, divine abilities are born of themselves. Yet even with the Azure Water Golden Flame, I still lack several main ingredients. Once I awaken the supreme divine ability, ‘Reflection of the Heavens,’ from the Formless Celestial Sutra, I will be able to come and go as I please, akin to an Earth Immortal. If I wield this ability, it will be enough to slay even the mightiest foes.”

“‘Reflection of the Heavens’ will be my greatest trump card.”

Jiang Yu opened his eyes, fists tightening. At that moment, he felt as if he could punch through the earth itself. This was an illusion brought on by a sudden surge in power—having reached the peak of Qi Refinement, which in worldly terms was equivalent to the perfect mastery of internal strength, just a step away from the legendary realm of the Unified Earth Immortal.

Suddenly, Jiang Yu’s brows furrowed.

Something’s wrong—Xia Ning is in danger.

Back when he crafted that string of jade pearl talismans, Jiang Yu had inscribed his spiritual sense into six of the pearls, sealing them within an array. This was akin to implanting a GPS tracker within the pearls; as long as she remained within the range of his spiritual perception, he could sense Xia Ning’s location at any time.

With Jiang Yu’s current cultivation, his spiritual sense could encompass half of Cloud City.

At his peak, if he unleashed his full power, his consciousness could have enveloped the entire planet.

Now, the string of jade pearls had been activated, forming a barrier of spiritual energy from heaven and earth to withstand a single fatal blow.

Such a fatal blow, measured by the standard of a handgun, could be resisted as long as the attack’s force was not greater than a bullet’s. However, if a master of advanced internal strength or even a grandmaster personally struck, their power would far surpass that of a bullet; even with the jade pearls, Xia Ning would find it hard to survive.

“How interesting. In Cloud City, someone actually dares to strike at the heiress of the Xia family?”

Jiang Yu’s mind was as clear as a mirror. This assassination attempt was most likely the result of family interests clashing.

“So, this is where you are.”

A faint smile played on Jiang Yu’s lips as he waved his hand, and the door swung open.

With a single step, he covered dozens of meters.

Approaching Foundation Establishment, Jiang Yu was already capable of employing some mystical arts, such as traversing distances in a single stride. Yet compared with ‘Reflection of the Heavens,’ these so-called divine abilities were but child’s play.

...

"A magical artifact?"

The man called Fierce Tiger stared in shock.

As a member of the Shadowkill organization, Fierce Tiger had long reached the later stage of condensed internal strength.

He’d traveled far and wide, assassinated high-ranking officials in small countries, kidnapped Middle Eastern magnates, and participated in numerous large-scale mercenary operations. His experience far outstripped that of ordinary martial artists.

A magical artifact—something even masters of transforming strength would fight over.

“If I’m not mistaken, this is a wearable artifact?”

An old man’s sinister voice drifted in from all directions, impossible to pinpoint.

Fierce Tiger’s breathing quickened. “My god, aren’t magical artifacts usually for strengthening the body and nourishing the mind? Why did a barrier suddenly appear to block a bullet?”

Even with all his experience, Fierce Tiger was stunned—this exceeded his knowledge of magical artifacts.

After a moment’s silence, the old man spoke solemnly, “This artifact has been inscribed with an array. It was the activation of that array that blocked the bullet. Judging by the girl’s reaction, she doesn’t even know what it can do, nor has she consciously triggered it. In other words, the artifact protects its owner by itself?”

By the end, the old man’s tone was burning with shock and desire.

At this moment, another figure appeared—a woman with a seductive figure, though her features were mostly hidden beneath a black bodysuit.

The suit was not some crude relic of ancient times, but a specially made garment designed by the Shadowkill organization for its assassins, tailored to each member’s gender and skill set.

She gave a tinkling laugh. “It’s been ages since I heard of magical artifacts appearing in China. And now, in the hands of an ordinary person? What a waste of a treasure.”

Fierce Tiger, body taut, advanced toward Xia Ning step by step.

“Hurry, give me the artifact!”

His tone was far more urgent than before.

Xia Ning was already deeply shaken.

Everything Fierce Tiger and his companions saw, Xia Ning had also witnessed.

When Jiang Yu had gifted her this bracelet, he’d only mentioned it was a magical artifact, nothing more. Only tonight, when one of the jade beads was activated, did Xia Ning realize just how precious a gift she’d received.

This was far beyond her comprehension.

Instinctively, she clutched the bracelet on her wrist. One of the jade beads was already cracked and had fallen to her feet.

Looking at the bead, Xia Ning felt an urge to protect it with her life. If all the beads were used up, wouldn’t that mean losing Jiang Yu’s gift?

“Hurry, give it to me!”

Fierce Tiger’s eyes gleamed with greed as he reached out. He couldn’t bear to waste the artifact’s power by shooting her again; every use meant one less miraculous effect.

Xia Ning bit her lip, despair in her eyes, a bitter smile on her lips. “Even if I have to swallow them, I won’t give them to you.”

With that, she quickly took off the bracelet and raised the remaining five beads to her lips.

Fierce Tiger, incensed, abandoned all chivalry in his lust for the artifact. He lashed out with a punch, but Xia Ning turned her back, trying to shield the bracelet with her own body.

Smack!

A full-force blow from a master of condensed energy—though not as powerful as a bullet, how could a delicate body withstand it?

Xia Ning was sent flying. The punch injured her internal organs and severely damaged her spine. Blood gushed from her mouth, staining her dress in a shocking crimson.

“Ah!” Sun Wanyue screamed in terror, tears streaming silently down her face as she sat paralyzed on the floor.

Because Xia Ning had removed the bracelet, its protective array was not triggered by the punch.

Fierce Tiger froze, having expected the bracelet to shield her again.

He hadn’t anticipated that she would rather use her body to protect the bracelet than try to save herself.

“So much the better—no need to waste the artifact’s power.”

Xia Ning curled up on the ground, her gaze dull.

She clung to the bracelet as if it were her very life.

That one punch had nearly killed her.

“Block it?”

Fierce Tiger burst into laughter.

“Forty years of hard training—can your body withstand it?”

With that, he aimed another punch at Xia Ning’s head.

The force howled through the air. If the blow landed, her life would end instantly.

The seductive woman giggled. “Enough games—kill her, take the artifact, and let’s go. Why do I suddenly feel an unshakable sense of unease?”

A few seconds later, Fierce Tiger’s body suddenly stiffened.

The woman urged, “Tiger, what are you doing? Hurry up—don’t tell me you’re smitten with this pretty girl?”

Fierce Tiger didn’t answer.

Something was clearly wrong.

“Tiger?”

Another call.

Then, a calm voice reached their ears: “No need to call. Fierce Tiger is already dead.”

The seductive woman and the old man lurking in the shadows shrank back, their pupils contracting. At some point, a handsome young man had appeared beside Fierce Tiger.

He reached out and gave Fierce Tiger a gentle push. The body collapsed to the floor, still frozen in the pose of a punch. Fierce Tiger had been dead for quite some time.

“Forty years of hard training, and this is all it amounts to,” Jiang Yu said with a smile.

Fierce Tiger was dead?

A master at the peak of condensed energy, killed without a sound.

The seductive woman stared at Jiang Yu, who looked harmless and innocent, but her scalp tingled with fear. “Who are you? Why meddle in Shadowkill’s affairs?”

Jiang Yu mused, “Shadowkill? That name rings a bell. Wasn’t it an assassin organization active during the Republican era? Like the Red Gate and Green Gang, formed by folk masters and eccentrics. Who would have thought that after more than a hundred years, Shadowkill would become a professional killer syndicate?”

As Jiang Yu calmly recited Shadowkill’s history, the woman felt a chill run through her body.

“Jiang Yu?”

Sun Wanyue, still seated on the floor, mouthed his name but could not utter a word.

The seductive woman’s tone hardened. “If you leave now, Shadowkill will visit you in the future. You should know, our organization boasts three masters of transforming strength and a grandmaster at its helm. Making an enemy of us is unwise.”

Jiang Yu snorted, “Visit me? Shadowkill is not qualified.”

With that, he turned to Sun Wanyue.

“You once questioned why the Xia family treats me like a god,” he said quietly.

“Now, I’ll show you why!”

As his words fell, Jiang Yu took a single step, instantly appearing before the seductive woman.

Her heart pounded. In the blink of an eye, the youth had crossed more than ten meters, appearing at her side like a ghost.

“Spellcraft? Are you a master of the arcane?”

She screamed, her only thought to flee as far and as fast as possible.

Jiang Yu replied calmly, “This punch of mine carries the force of five thousand years of cultivation. I wonder, can you withstand it?”

The woman’s skill was slightly inferior to Fierce Tiger’s, at best at the initial stage of condensed energy.

“Spare me, senior!” she shrieked.

But Jiang Yu’s fist did not hesitate for even half a second.

Bang!

Where the fist landed, all life vanished.

The seductive woman exploded into a cloud of blood. A night wind swept through, dispersing the mist.

In the darkness, a figure turned and fled without a moment’s pause.

“Oh? Shadow arts? This must be something used by Western sorcerers,” Jiang Yu murmured, smiling as he watched the old man’s escape.

He shook his head. “Such crude concealment—compared to the Illusion Techniques of the Misty Shadow Immortal Sect, it’s not even worth mentioning.”

Casually, Jiang Yu reached into the air, then brought his fingers together like a blade and struck down.

A streak of blue energy shot forth, seeming to slice even darkness itself. The old man screamed, but was split in two, his body tumbling out of the shadows and falling dead.

Jiang Yu tossed out several fireballs. They ignited upon contact, but strangely, they only consumed the corpses, leaving everything else untouched.

Sun Wanyue was already petrified.

“So this is why the Xia family’s elders begged for my return to the banquet!”

“Do you still have any questions?”

Jiang Yu stood with his hands clasped behind his back.