Chapter 320

The Second Elder’s actions were not a sign of turning over a new leaf, much less true repentance. He was simply continuing to act in accordance with his long-held beliefs.

Having lost his right to be interred there long ago, he lacked the same intractable obsession as the other four elders. However, he knew the fate that had befallen the ancestral skull in that place.

Perhaps, at the beginning, the Second Elder had also felt anger, struggled, and wavered. Yet, instead of resisting, he sought a way to rationalize his actions to himself.

He believed that his actions, and those of previous generations of the Zhao family, were all aimed at accumulating the necessary foundation for the Jiujiang Zhao family's eternal perpetuation.

When one deceives oneself for long enough, one eventually comes to believe the lie. Often, the person most unwilling to accept the truth when a deception is exposed is the one who has been deceived.

The Second Elder's inner peace could only be found through such self-deception.

Therefore, upon witnessing the collapse of the central axis of the Zhao family ancestral home and realizing that the so-called "Zhao family's foundation" had vanished in an instant, the Second Elder was less concerned about the family's future and more about his own life.

He desperately sought a continuation within this shattered lie, something to justify himself.

When he plunged the lantern into the Grand Elder's body, he felt he had found that continuation. As the flames consumed both him and the Grand Elder, he experienced an unprecedented sense of relief. His impending demise meant he would no longer have to struggle with maintaining the facade.

In his heart, Zhao Yi silently counted down the Grand Elder's final moments in the raging fire.

However, Zhao Yi's gaze was not fixed on the burning scene before him. Instead, his eyes were glued to the distant battlefield, a chaotic expanse littered with corpses.

He had been staring there for a long time, as if deep in thought, yet also appearing to be lost in a daze.

The individuals who had infiltrated the Zhao family by changing their appearance, their objective in this wave was to kill the Grand Elder.

The Grand Elder was essentially a piece of meat, marked by the river's flow and ready to be claimed.

Especially with almost all members of other teams dead, if that person could appear and personally finish off the Grand Elder before he died, they would be able to claim all the merit from this multi-team surge.

That person's temperament was far superior to Bo Chen and his group. After all, someone capable of traversing the river alone was certainly no ordinary person, and none of them were benevolent.

While Bo Chen and his group only suspected Zhao Yi's "Grand Elder" was a fake, that particular individual might have been certain from the very beginning.

That person knew Zhao Yi was using this method to bait them, and understood that Zhao Yi, despite appearing to stand alone, undoubtedly had a hidden contingency, though it remained undetectable.

In such an explosive standoff, whoever made the first move, whoever broke their concealment first, would be at a disadvantage.

Earlier, when the Grand Elder charged madly upwards, that person had hoped Zhao Yi would activate his hidden contingencies prematurely to save himself, but Zhao Yi did not.

Of course, that person could wait for the Grand Elder to charge and tear Zhao Yi apart.

However, Zhao Yi's death would inevitably trigger his contingency plan, instantly killing the Grand Elder as well. In that scenario, the largest prize would be lost to that person, leaving them with only scraps after all their effort.

Their only opportunity to strike was during the brief window between the present moment and the Grand Elder killing Zhao Yi.

They gambled that Zhao Yi was afraid of death.

Zhao Yi gambled on their greed.

To live, merely to safely survive this wave, would they really forgo the merit?

Why light a lantern and traverse the river then? Why traverse the river alone?

Zhao Yi was convinced that person wouldn't be able to resist.

What if he had bet wrong... then he would simply die.

The old Zhao Yi, feeling he had something to lose, would never have dared to gamble. But now, after witnessing what had transpired in the Zhao family ancestral grounds, he thought, "Alas, it doesn't matter. It's a worthless life; if I lose, so be it!"

However, the Second Elder's interception had actually altered the balance of this gamble. With the Grand Elder unable to continue his charge to kill Zhao Yi, it effectively removed all risk for Zhao Yi in the wager.

Zhao Yi thought: "No need to wait. You should make your move."

More precisely, it was *she*.

She made her move.

A graceful figure, holding a sword, appeared as if from thin air and charged directly at the Grand Elder with astonishing speed.

Zhao Yi separated his index and middle fingers, and two strands of hair tied around them snapped.

Beneath the slope in front of him, the sisters Liang Yan and Liang Li simultaneously opened their eyes.

Numerous silver needles pierced both women's bodies, with three particularly alarming blood-stained needles lodged in their foreheads.

Previously, fearing detection, Zhao Yi had them stage a departure, then return and conceal themselves according to earlier plans.

Following Zhao Yi's instructions, the two women inserted silver needles into their own acupoints. The three blood needles in their foreheads, however, they had inserted into each other.

This measure served two purposes: first, it maximally suppressed their life force, making it extremely difficult to detect the "objects" beneath the ground, even at close range;

Second, they would temporarily lose all self-awareness, effectively appearing as if dead.

If they had remained conscious, they might have impulsively tried to save him in a critical moment. Zhao Yi was truly staking his life and had no desire for a melodramatic scene before his death.

This method had severe side effects: if maintained for too long, they might never awaken, becoming permanently comatose. Even if they awoke within the permissible timeframe, their bodies

and internal meridians would undoubtedly suffer severe damage.

Furthermore, the acupuncture had a hidden effect: upon awakening, their latent potential would be fully activated, leading to a rapid, temporary surge in strength. Naturally, this also came with extremely severe repercussions.

For revenge, Zhao Yi had pushed himself to the brink.

The Liang sisters were in a similar predicament.

Yet, they had volunteered. When women are blinded by so-called "love," whatever they are asked to do seems sweet.

The woman who traversed the river alone aimed her sword directly at the Grand Elder, who was on the verge of perishing in the inferno.

The moment the Liang sisters burst from the ground, they charged directly at the woman with unyielding momentum.

"Bang!"

The woman's sword pierced the Grand Elder's skull, and his head instantly exploded.

The residual force from that strike was swiftly swept outwards by the woman, intended to block the approaching Liang sisters.

Liang Li, wielding two daggers, neither dodged nor retreated. She forcefully broke through the sword's edge, ignoring the numerous cuts of varying depths that appeared on her body.

Liang Yan did not let her sister's sacrifice be in vain; her soft sword straightened, and she surged forward relentlessly.

"Pfft."

The woman's right arm was pierced by the soft sword, which, like a snake, tried to burrow deeper into her body through the wound.

Her right arm tensed, veins bulging. The woman did not retreat but attempted to briefly suppress the soft sword's destructive power while simultaneously lifting her own sword to thrust at Liang Yan.

In such close-quarters combat, even a master swordsman would find it difficult to maintain elegance.

Liang Li reappeared in front of her sister, crossing her daggers to block the woman's sword.

But the woman's sword was truly remarkable; it contained a hidden momentum. No sooner had it been blocked than a fiercer surge of sword energy whistled forth.

The sword's edge pierced through Liang Li's defense, impaling her abdomen.

"Ah!!!"

Liang Li shrieked, but instead of retreating, she pressed forward, worsening her injuries. Simultaneously, all the daggers concealed on her body were activated and converged on her wound.

Her own daggers plunged into her own flesh. Miniature formations, previously used against external threats, were now activated on herself.

Blood streamed from her mouth, yet Liang Li's gaze remained unyieldingly resolute.

As the formation took shape, the daggers, like staples, pierced her flesh, simultaneously pinning the woman's sword to her body.

As the woman lost control of her weapon, she also realized that Liang Yan's soft sword's power had suddenly doubled.

She couldn't comprehend why this was happening. Both women were clearly using secret techniques, presumably already fighting with all their might. How could Liang Yan's strength suddenly surge?

"Snap!"

With a sharp crack, the soft sword, which had been constrained by the woman's right arm, writhed like a silver snake, tearing away most of the flesh from her arm.

The woman released her sword hilt, swiftly retreated, her exposed right arm bone flailing.

Liang Yan pressed her pursuit, determined not to let this engagement end or give the woman a chance to regroup.

The woman formed a sword seal with her left fingertips, using her fingers as a sword to rapidly spar with Liang Yan. Though her fingertips bled profusely, her power remained undiminished.

It's important to note that the woman wasn't just at a disadvantage because she had revealed herself first in this fight; she had previously battled the Second Elder and sustained fairly serious injuries.

If she had been in perfect condition and engaged in a fair duel, the Liang sisters alone would likely have stood little chance.

A cold glint flickered in the woman's eyes.

The sword still embedded in Liang Li's abdomen seemed to respond to some signal, beginning to tremble violently as if on the verge of exploding.

The woman hoped Liang Yan would rush back to save Liang Li. If someone could extract that sword at this moment, Liang Li's injuries could be minimized.

But Liang Yan did not; she continued her assault on the woman.

"Bang!"

The sword exploded, transforming Liang Li into a bloody mess. She was flung backward, her fate unknown.

Zhao Yi didn't spare Liang Li a glance. From beginning to end, his gaze remained fixed on a single spot.

"Buzz!"

The woman suddenly perceived that Liang Yan's aura had surged yet again.

With a "crack," Liang Yan severed two fingers from the woman's left hand, which had been acting as her sword. Liang Yan's subsequent attacks became even more relentless.

The woman was utterly bewildered. These two women looked almost identical, clearly sisters, likely even twins, but what kind of tactic was this?

They attacked together, yet one seemed to conserve strength while the other continuously sustained injuries. And only as the latter's injuries worsened, did the former gradually stop holding back?

Without her sword and with both hands severely injured, the woman was forced into a desperate retreat, and soon, Liang Yan inflicted numerous new wounds upon her.

Liang Yan maintained constant pressure on her opponent. While her rhythm varied noticeably, her resolve remained unwavering.

The woman knew she couldn't continue. After Liang Yan unleashed another series of attacks, the woman anticipated her next move. Risking another sword strike, she managed to create a precious bit of distance.

The moment her feet landed, the woman's already injured right chest caved in.

The Second Elder had once suspected she was from the Xi family, but she had denied it, and indeed she was not. Thus, she did not possess the small embroidered sword typically cultivated by the Xi family during the full moon and kept in a hidden scabbard.

While she didn't usually carry it, that didn't mean she couldn't temporarily store one. Though its power would be greatly diminished, it was still not to be underestimated.

As Liang Yan attacked again, the woman thrust her chest forward, and a damaged, broken sword emerged from her chest.

This move was executed with remarkable skill and perfect timing, demonstrating a classic comeback from a disadvantaged position.

Liang Yan, who had previously relied on her sister for defense and never defended herself, was struck in the chest by the broken sword. It pierced through her, simultaneously driving her body backward.

But Liang Yan also thrust her soft sword forward. The silver snake, as it seemed, flew swiftly towards the woman's head.

The woman's face twisted in agony, as if she were enduring immense pain. Her right arm, revealing large patches of exposed bone, lifted and spun, creating a flurry of sword movements.

After a spray of sparks, Liang Yan's soft sword was knocked away.

Using her own bones as a weapon, such ruthlessness was truly chilling.

This was her true power. The prerequisite for daring to traverse the river alone was possessing strength equivalent to an entire team.

At this point, Liang Li's fate was unknown, and Liang Yan had also been knocked back. This assassination plot, aimed at her, had been thwarted.

She had killed the target, claiming all the merit from this wave.

The woman's peripheral vision first swept towards Li Zhuiyuan and the others standing by the ancestral home's courtyard wall in the distance.

The recent series of brutal exchanges had happened in an extremely short time. It was precisely because Li Zhuiyuan and his group hadn't rushed forward that she had dared to make her move. If they had

quickly followed the Grand Elder here, she would never have revealed herself, but instead would have remained hidden and decisively fled.

After all, she was willing to pull chestnuts from the fire, but certain death… only a fool would face that.

Now, despite her severe injuries, her movement technique remained intact, and she was confident she could escape.

She had initially thought they might be working together, but now it seemed their relationship with Young Master Zhao was merely superficial.

As for Young Master Zhao, she scoffed. She had expected him to be a ruthless individual, but beneath it all, he carried a touch of naiveté.

"Farewell, Young Master Zhao."

Her blood rapidly boiled, almost enveloping her body. Before gathering herself to depart, the woman cast one last glance at Zhao Yi.

Her gaze met his.

Her first thought was that Young Master Zhao was looking at her helplessly, watching her calmly walk away after snatching the bait from his trap.

But in the next instant, a sharp warning flashed in her mind. No, Young Master Zhao seemed to have been staring blankly at this very spot for a long time.

He wasn't actively looking at her; rather, she had moved into the exact spot he had been intently watching.

At that moment, Liang Yan shakily stood up, clutching her chest.

The woman realized it was Liang Yan, the one with the soft sword, who had deliberately maneuvered her into this position.

So this place...

The woman lowered her head and was horrified to discover that a pool of pus had, without her noticing, seeped up to her thighs.

Furthermore, adhering to her principle of not wasting, she had used her own blood as a conduit to execute

a movement spell, causing blood to continuously seep from her body, creating a circulatory flow with the surrounding environment.

This, without a doubt, allowed the pus to more easily enter her body, carried by her flowing blood.

The viscous puddle beneath her feet was so repulsive that anyone unaware would assume she had just stepped on and burst a disgusting, water-vat-sized tumor.

In fact, it was indeed a tumor.

Zheng Ming's head slowly emerged from the disgusting liquid.

Everyone else had died; only he had survived, having feigned death.

He had believed he could maintain his pretense indefinitely, but the woman had inadvertently landed in his hiding spot.

This new, larger tumor, despite possessing the same memories, was ultimately dominated by instinct. The sword energy unleashed by the woman while using her techniques in that spot completely agitated it.

The woman uttered, "You..."

Even when uninjured, confronting such a thing would be an immense headache, let alone in her current state. The woman's skin began to rapidly change color, and dense, mushroom-like growths "erupted" from her flesh.

"Ah... ah..."

The woman shrieked in agony. She knew she was finished.

Not only was Liang Yan, clutching her wounds, closing in, but the group who had been observing from the sidelines now dispersed, forming a cordon around her.

*Sarcastic thought:* They truly overestimated her, still worried she might escape.

The woman knew that even if she still had strength, there was no chance of escape now.

She turned her head once more to look at Young Master Zhao standing on the hillside.

Zhao Yi no longer looked at her. Instead, he scanned for Liang Li's previous position.

Liang Li must still be alive... The reason was simple: if Liang Li had truly died, Liang Yan would be far stronger than she was now.

The symbiotic relationship between the twin sisters had been altered by the Emperor of Fengdu, transforming it into a competitive one.

The worse one's condition became, the better the other's would be. In fact, the sisters were constantly suppressing the innate urge to kill each other.

However, this dynamic proved remarkably effective in combat: the more one was injured, the stronger the other became. Thus, one defending while the other launched the main assault yielded the best results.

The woman tilted her head back, her eyes filled with profound unwillingness.

Zheng Ming made gurgling and moaning sounds, moving his head closer to the woman.

The woman slowly lowered her head, looked at the repulsive thing, and smiled.

"Let's make this quick."

The woman's forehead split open. With her last remaining strength, she raised her right arm bone, which had turned black-green, and unleashed her final sword strike.

"Boom!"

A large quantity of repulsive fluid evaporated into the air, leaving only a massive crater where she had stood.

In this world, it is rare for anyone to find a satisfactory death, yet this is often the prevailing theme on the river.

Even in the Dragon King's own family, it was common for those who embarked on the river with lanterns to die without a trace, their whereabouts unknown.

In this world of rivers and lakes, every day, people die inexplicably, and inexplicable deaths occur.

Li Zhuiyuan, reaching the hillside, issued orders to his companions: "Brother Runsheng, go and smell. A-You, activate your vertical pupils for detection. Don't leave a single mushroom behind from that thing."

"Understood."

"Understood."

Tan Wenbin took on the role of field medic, first approaching Liang Yan.

Liang Yan spoke with great difficulty, "First... save my sister."

The words were hard not because of her injuries, but because they were inherently difficult to utter.

"Alright."

Tan Wenbin ran down the slope and found Liang Li in a horrific state.

"Here, open your mouth. Let me give you 'the last pill' first."

After administering the medicine, Tan Wenbin began sprinkling hemostatic powder on her. That was all he could do; he knew he was merely a "barefoot doctor" of the Jianghu.

Li Zhuiyuan walked up the slope and joined Zhao Yi.

Zhao Yi said, "Li, these two women truly do whatever I ask of them."

Li Zhuiyuan took out a can of Jianlibao and opened it.

Zhao Yi asked, "Li, what exactly do you think love is?"

Li Zhuiyuan pulled out a straw and inserted it into the can.

"Never mind. You're too young; I shouldn't be asking you such inappropriate questions."

As he spoke, Zhao Yi lowered his head, trying to reach the straw with his mouth.

The young man put the straw in his mouth and started drinking.

Zhao Yi was speechless.

Soon after,

Zhao Yi spoke again, "Sigh, now I feel like if I don't marry into their family and take both sisters as wives, I'll be too embarrassed to face them."

Li Zhuiyuan replied, "Good idea."

Zhao Yi looked surprised. "Huh?"

Historically, due to unique circumstances, the Liang family frequently changed their entire family's surname.

Li Zhuiyuan continued, "If you marry in, you can make the entire family change their surname to Zhao in the next generation."

Zhao Yi said, "What you said makes a lot of sense."

Li Zhuiyuan stated, "The Zhao family is gone."

Zhao Yi replied, "I saw. Knowing your style, all the filth inside must have been purged."

Li Zhuiyuan paused. "Yes, but there's something that isn't filth."

"What?"

"A lingering wisp of Zhao Wuyang's spirit."

"Thank you for preserving it for me, Brother Xiaoyuan."

"I absorbed it."

"Li, you truly are inhuman."

"It couldn't be preserved. Zhao Wuyang himself chose me."

"I understand."

"I'll have them pack up everything I need from the list later."

"You should. But don't be shy; take more. If it's not enough, I'll even help you call a truck."

"I can't take much more; most of the rest has been burned to ashes."

"Heh, heh heh, heh heh heh..."

Zhao Yi laughed for a good while, then said,

"It's quite alright. These are all external burdens. If they're gone, they're gone; it's better that they're gone.

When our ancestor began from humble origins, he had no reliance or leverage, yet he still ascended to the position of Dragon King, didn't he?

Shattering those old trappings means fewer inhibitions and a greater understanding of what it means to push forward relentlessly."

"Li, tell me, my family's middle generations are practically empty now.

If one day you're unlucky enough to choke on your drink and die,

and I become the Dragon King,

then, rounding up, with Zhao Wuyang as the previous generation and myself as the next, two generations of Dragon Kings, could my Zhao family barely be considered a legitimate Dragon King lineage?"

"That's a bit of an exaggerated way to round up."

"However, I genuinely feel now that maintaining a Dragon King lineage is truly not simple.

Not only does it require talent to emerge in every generation, but also family rules must be established anew each time.

Look at my Zhao family; after one generation went astray, all subsequent ones followed suit.

And this is just my Zhao family. If something like this happened to a legitimate Dragon King lineage, the impact would be far greater."

"Isn't there one right before us?"

"I genuinely want to visit the Yu family soon, to find some psychological balance, witness another family's misfortune, and soothe my own wounded heart."

"We'll see how things are arranged. Also, it depends on when you and your people can recover; you were all very seriously injured this time."

"It's because I don't possess your ability to design methods that stimulate potential, allowing subordinates to simply lie down and recover."

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head and continued to drink his beverage.

"So, could you help me design and improve one too, Brother Xiaoyuan?"

"Your family is gone. What could you offer in exchange?"

"That woman..." Zhao Yi's gaze shifted to the pit. "She was a major threat, admit it."

"Indeed."

"The enormous cost endured to kill her was for two reasons: first, to fulfill my vow and establish my state of mind; and second, to eliminate a worthy opponent for you."

"For me?"

"Heh, do you really think you'll choke to death on a drink someday?

Successfully killing her this time was a result of perfect timing, advantageous location, and human coordination. In any other place or at any other time, it would be extremely difficult to kill someone like her.

Anyway, from now on, if you encounter anyone traversing the river alone, kill them if you can. You can't go wrong."

Li Zhuiyuan offered no comment.

Runsheng and Lin Shuyou conducted a thorough cleanup of Zheng Ming's remnants.

Meanwhile, Tan Wenbin had moved both sisters to a drier, clearer patch of ground.

Liang Yan, though not as severely injured, had also fallen unconscious due to the side effects of stimulating her potential.

Tan Wenbin said, "Brother Xiaoyuan, next we'll go to the treasury to move things."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded. "Understood."

Tan Wenbin looked at Zhao Yi. "Outsider, do you need anything?"

Zhao Yi replied, "After you've moved everything, I need you to help me set fire to the ancestral home."

Tan Wenbin nodded.

Immediately, he, Lin Shuyou, and Runsheng entered through the previously made breach, reaching the treasury and beginning to move items.

All three were exceptionally strong, and with Tan Wenbin also employing his Blood Ape power, their efficiency in moving items was remarkable.

After everything had been moved out, a large fire gradually ignited within the ancestral home, which was already a half-ruin.

From time to time, damaged and distorted formations, stimulated by the flames, would explode into the sky.

Zhao Yi and Li Zhuiyuan sat on the slope, watching the "fireworks" in the distance.

"Li, isn't it beautiful?"

"It is."

"Isn't it? My family's ancestral ground started it."

"Quite the expense."

"Li, if all traces are erased, do you think it could be treated as if it never happened?"

"That's your choice to make."

"I will actively announce this scandalous affair to the Jianghu."

"Understood."

"And shamelessly, I'll steal your thunder one more time by saying that I personally killed all my ancestors."

"Understood."

"I'll close the Zhao family's outer residence, and dismiss all the servants and distant relatives.

I'll still live in Jiujiang. I have a new house on that hillside over there; I built it myself. It's very spacious, and every morning when I open the door, I can see a waterfall.

Since you're already here, don't rush off. Come visit my new home. I'll find some wild game for you to feast on, and when you're full and need to digest, you can casually help me adjust the new house's formation.

The old formation wasn't perfect; last time, a ghost from Fengdu managed to slip halfway in."

"Alright."

"Hey, you agreed so readily this time?"

"I've seen it; when villagers build houses, friends and neighbors always lend a hand."

Zhao Yi smiled.

Just then, Tan Wenbin walked over and placed a cloth-wrapped item in front of Zhao Yi.

When opened, it revealed Zhao Wuyang's spirit tablet.

Zhao Yi said, "That was thoughtful, Vice Captain."

Tan Wenbin corrected, "Not me. A-You specifically went into the ancestral hall to get it for you. He got injured by the remaining formation inside, and he didn't dare come over himself, afraid Brother Xiaoyuan would scold him.

A-You said you might need this, to keep as a memento."

"Li, don't scold him this time. It's on me."

He paused,

then Zhao Yi added,

"From now on, anything concerning your A-You will be my responsibility."