https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-161-The-Downfall-of-the-Hao-Family/13026190/
Chapter 160: The Moment of Awakening
Chapter 160: The Moment of Awakening
Ssss! Ssss!
The rain seemed to come alive, transforming into countless droplets of water that swirled and gathered, forming a majestic water dragon under the guidance of Yu Jiujiang's fishing rod. It surged towards Cheng Houhua with tremendous force.
Cheng Houhua smiled faintly, and with a swift stroke of his frost sword, he unleashed not a blade of light but a burst of white, misty cold air. It collided with the approaching water dragon, instantly freezing its entire body into segments.
Just then, Yu Jiujiang suddenly opened his mouth and spat out.
"Zha!"
It was like a command.
The frozen water dragon's mouth erupted with a concentrated stream of water, like a sword beam, shooting towards Cheng Houhua. The intent to kill was palpable.
Cheng Houhua's expression changed slightly, and before he could react further, he could only block the stream of water with his frost sword. However, the force of the water arrow still pushed him backwards, causing his entire sword to bend into an arc.
As he flew back nearly ten zhang, the cold white mist emanating from the frost sword continued to freeze the stream of water, eventually forming a nearly ten-zhang-long ice line that spanned across the street!
"..."
Seeing that this attack was still ineffective, Yu Jiujiang's face grew serious. Just as he was about to continue moving forward, he suddenly seemed to realize something, causing him to pause, and his movements slowed down.
Cheng Houhua's gaze also shifted slightly, and the faint smile at the corner of his mouth faded.
"The He family is beyond help. A bunch of useless people, unable to even test the extent of Yan Jingqing's backup plans. It's only fitting that they follow the heavenly order and meet their end."
Today's actions were more of a test to see if Yan Jingqing had any other backup plans, and for someone like Chen Mu, it wasn't worth a full-scale conflict. The He family seemed to be too incompetent, as they couldn't even handle a mere Inspector Bureau with a powerful weapon like the Blood Fury Arrow.
Cheng Houhua shook his head slightly.
According to the calculations of the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion, most of the He family's possible futures led to their annihilation. Since their fate was sealed, it was only natural to make the most of them before their demise.
Ssss!
A stream of water transformed into a sharp arrow, flying from the side and piercing Cheng Houhua's right abdomen. It penetrated from his lower right abdomen all the way to his left shoulder, finally bursting out of his body.
However, as Yu Jiujiang watched from a distance, his face remained expressionless. He slowly lowered his fishing rod.
Crack!
Cheng Houhua's body developed a crack from his chest, and in an instant, his entire body lost its color, turning into an ice sculpture that shattered and scattered. The surrounding cold white mist also dissipated quickly, and his figure vanished without a trace.
Almost two breaths later, Chen Mu's figure appeared silently in the alley. With a single step, he crossed over the frozen ice dragon, ice line, and solidified streams of water, reaching Yu Jiujiang's side. In a deep voice, he asked, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Yu Jiujiang shook his head and sighed. "It was a True Lineage disciple from the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion... an old man, he could stop me, but I couldn't hold him back."
Chen Mu glanced at the scene, and even though he wasn't there earlier, the unusual icy landscape covering the entire street suggested an intense battle. It was clear that Yu Jiujiang had gone all out.
"Ice... that should be Cheng Houhua, a True Lineage disciple of the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion, cultivating the Frost Winter Intention from the Four Seasons Intention. It's the perfect time for him, and water can easily block ice, but ice is hard to stop. You've worked hard."
Fundamentally, the Frost Winter Intention does have some suppression over the Water Divination Intention.
"Cough, cough," Yu Jiujiang quickly suppressed his aura and coughed twice before smiling. "It's nothing. At most, I'll retire a year earlier. But how did you get here so quickly?"
It's understandable that the True Lineage disciple of the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion didn't target Chen Mu directly. After all, if they did, it would be a direct confrontation with Yan Jingqing and the Seven Mysteries Sect. Now, with the He family as a buffer, whether it's Yan Jingqing or the Seven Mysteries Sect, they would deal with the He family first before settling scores with the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion.
"I was worried about your safety, so I came as soon as I finished handling things," Chen Mu replied.
As he sensed two auras coming from the Demon Slaying Bureau, preparing to head over, the auras quickly subsided, indicating that the people from the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion had retreated swiftly without any delay. It seemed that only two people were involved, and one of them was a Five Viscera Realm cultivator, possibly a sect elder or a True Lineage disciple.
"I'm fine. Although the True Lineage disciple from the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion is not weak, he hasn't advanced to the second step of the Frost Winter Intention," Yu Jiujiang coughed twice more. "What do you plan to do next...?"
"I'm going to the He family," Chen Mu said as he walked forward, his figure soon disappearing into the misty rain.
"It's time to settle the He family's matters," Yu Jiujiang said, watching Chen Mu's departing back. He looked up at the sky and shook his head slightly, murmuring, "The Mystic Mechanism Pavilion has played a good hand."
Only now did he realize that the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion's plan went beyond this. He recalled that Yan Jingqing had taken away a large number of He family's elite, including He Wuyou, leaving the city unprotected.
After inciting the He family to attack Chen Mu, if they succeeded, the He family would be supported to confront Yan Jingqing directly. If they failed, the Yu family and Chen Mu would not spare the He family. Once the He family encountered trouble, the elite group, including He Wuyou, would completely turn to the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion, becoming an external force for them.
Even if they reported the situation to Yan Jingqing as quickly as possible, it might already be too late. The Mystic Mechanism Pavilion, having taken the initiative, would have made preparations beforehand. They would take He Wuyou and the others away and hide them before Yan Jingqing received the intelligence and took action.
After going through this process, the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion suffered almost no losses and gained a new source of strength. The only downside was provoking the Yu Family and Yan Jingqing, but a conflict between the Pavilion and the Seven Mysteries Sect was inevitable. As for the Yu Family and Chen Mu, the Pavilion would never put them in their eyes.
The Yu Family was, at most, a minor external force within the Seven Mysteries Sect. Although Chen Mu had considerable talent and might reach a level comparable to a true direct disciple of the sect in the future, it would take time. Moreover, the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion wouldn't pay much attention to a mere direct disciple.
At the very least, it would take a figure of Yan Jingqing's caliber for them to be considered slightly significant in the Pavilion's eyes.
Not everyone could become a Yan Jingqing among the true direct disciples.
...
Hao Family Residence.
At the very center was the main hall.
He Zhengya leaned on his cane, sitting in a purple sandalwood chair with his eyes half-closed. Beside him, He Guangxun paced back and forth with a furrowed brow.
"Sit down."
He Zhengya suddenly spoke up.
Hearing his son, He Guangxun, so agitated and unable to stay still, He Zhengya couldn't help but sigh. Ever since the incident with Yan Wan Si, when Yan Jingqing had demoted him, removing his position as the deputy director of the Smelting Office and reprimanding him, He Guangxun had become increasingly less composed.
Upon hearing his father's words, He Guangxun didn't dare to argue. He sat down in the chair next to him but still appeared restless. "Father, this concerns the very lives and fortunes of our entire Hao family..."
He Zhengya slowly opened his eyes and glanced at He Guangxun before speaking softly, "The decision has been made. Now, wait calmly for the outcome. With the help of the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion and their various means, Chen Mu will not escape this calamity. Instead of worrying, you should consider how our family should respond to the changes that will follow Chen Mu's death."
He Guangxun took a deep breath, calming himself. After a brief moment of thought, he said, "Previously, Yan Jingqing didn't want the Hao and Yu families to engage in an internal conflict too early, so he kept us in check. Now that we've sided with the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion, Yan Jingqing won't interfere anymore. There will inevitably be a battle between our family and the Yu Family, but if the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion blocks Yan Jingqing, there's nothing to fear from the Yu Family. However, the main issue is that the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion is just using our family as pawns and cannon fodder."
He Zhengya slowly replied, "Being able to see this shows that your mind is still clear. The Hao family is a pawn, and so is the Yu family. Aren't the Xie and Xue families also pawns? Ever since the four sects entered Yu Prefecture, we four families have been destined to be embroiled in conflict; it was just a matter of time."
"Even as pawns, if we make the right choices, we can still struggle in the midst of the raging waves and have a chance to reach the shore. After this, we should arrange for some of our clan members to settle in the Mystic State as soon as possible. Additionally, we should send our disciples of suitable age and good aptitude to the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion, whether they join the inner or outer sect."
Upon hearing this, He Guangxun nodded slightly.
Knock, knock!
Just then, a gentle knock sounded from outside the main hall.
"Enter."
He Zhengya leaned on his cane and spoke softly.
A servant entered the hall, bowing respectfully, and handed a crumpled piece of paper to He Zhengya. After reading it, He Zhengya passed the paper to He Guangxun, saying, "This is news from the Purple Mist Mountain Range. You should take a look as well."
He Guangxun nodded and took the paper.
The servant carefully retreated from the hall and closed the door behind him.
After reading the paper, He Guangxun immediately stood up. As he placed the paper on the lamp and lit it, he turned to He Zhengya and said, "Father, this is about the Purple Mist Mountain Range..."
Whoosh!
Before he could finish his sentence, the door behind him suddenly opened again, this time without a knock. It seemed like someone had barged in, their footsteps echoing on the crystal tiles of the hall.
"How dare you!"
He Guangxun's brow furrowed, and he shouted in reprimand. As he turned to see who the bold servant was, he saw He Zhengya frozen in place, staring at the figure behind him. In He Zhengya's aged eyes, a hint of disbelief flickered.
When He Guangxun turned around, he also saw the figure and his face changed dramatically.
"You?! How... how did you get here?!"
Clop,
Clop,
Chen Mu, his official boots splattered with mud and water, continued walking forward, leaving clear footprints on the pristine crystal tiles of the hall.
Ignoring He Guangxun, Chen Mu's gaze swept across the entire hall, and he shook his head slightly.
"A hall like this, adorned with pearls and gold, how much wealth was plundered from the people to build it?"
Although the four great clans of the inner city were all formidable powers, and the Yu Family had accumulated immense wealth, none were as extravagant as the Hao family, who had created this main hall that resembled a small palace, adorned with pearls and gold.
Hao Family.
Perhaps they had always dreamed of becoming emperors in this prefecture.
But dreams are just dreams, and there comes a time to wake up.
He Zhengya sat there like a statue, unmoving, his eyes showing a momentary daze as he watched Chen Mu approach. With a sigh, he seemed to age a decade in an instant.
Boom!!!
Suddenly, a cannon-like boom reverberated outside, followed by countless chaotic sounds—shouts, screams, and the patter of fleeing footsteps, gradually drawing closer and merging into one.
"What's happening? What's happening?!"
He Guangxun's eyes widened in shock, and he looked outside again, his mouth opening and closing. He seemed to want to go out and see what was happening, but with Chen Mu standing in front of him, he hesitated to make any move, his hand resting on the knife at his waist, afraid to draw it.
"There's no need to go out," Chen Mu said calmly.
"This is the sound of the Inspector Bureau, the City Defense Bureau, and the Demon Slayer Bureau—the three bureaus' troops surrounding and suppressing the Hao family's rebellion."
(End of Chapter)
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