Chapter 192: The Cao Manor's Demise

Chapter 192: The Cao Manor's Demise

At the Cao Manor.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the dark entrance of an underground passage.

The group was momentarily stunned.

"An underground passage? The Cao family has an underground passage beneath their estate?"

"No wonder! No wonder Jiang Ning was stomping and shaking the ground like that!"

". . ."

As the group whispered among themselves.

Jiang Ning stared at the dark entrance, "What are you hiding? Come out!"

Just then, a chilling laughter echoed from the black passage.

"Commander Jiang, you're full of tricks!"

"Show yourself! Don't hide your tail!" Jiang Ning commanded.

"If Commander Jiang has chosen a dead end, then I'll come out," the voice said, and in an instant, a figure burst out of the dark passage, appearing like a ghost under the night sky and heavy rain.

"Commander, be careful!"

". . ."

Xie Xiaojiu, Feng Jiuge, and the others cried out in shock.

They found the figure's speed astonishing, far surpassing their own. In the blink of an eye, the figure seemed to have teleported, appearing within three feet of Jiang Ning.

They could only warn him, unable to react in time.

This speed indicated a lot.

The figure's strength was undoubtedly far superior to theirs.

In other words, the figure's strength was at least above the seventh stage of the Martial Dao, ranking among the powerful sixth-stage martial artists.

In the blink of an eye—

A thunderous boom reverberated.

A flash of lightning lit up the sky, turning the darkness into a sinister white.

Clang!

The flash of a blade and the splatter of fire followed.

The next moment, the figure dashed backward at incredible speed.

"Impressive skills!"

"Commander Jiang, you've been hiding your true abilities!"

The voice carried a hint of awe.

Feng Jiuge, too, looked at Jiang Ning in amazement.

"What's the story behind that weapon in your hand, Commander?"

"But... Commander, you didn't have a weapon with you just now!" Feng Jiuge thought to herself as she watched Jiang Ning wielding a sword.

Boom!

Jiang Ning kicked off the ground, sending mud and rainwater flying.

"Half of you, go to the rear yard and block the passage entrance there. Make sure no one escapes through the passage, especially not the Idolatry Sect followers!"

"Feng Jiuge, take your team to capture all members of the Cao family and bring them to the front yard. Kill anyone who resists!"

Jiang Ning gave orders as he swiftly approached the figure.

"Yes, Commander!" they responded.

Without delay, Feng Jiuge led her team deeper into the Cao Manor.

The lightning flash revealed the figure's appearance—an emaciated old man wearing a black hood and robe, his face a mere skeleton covered by skin.

As the old man retreated, he shouted, "Cao Guangsheng, Zhao Ming, use the cover of night to break out with your men! Don't get caught up in a fight!"

The guests around were astonished at these words.

"Cao Guangsheng? A member of the Cao family is in the underground passage?"

"Indeed! It seems the Cao family is in deep trouble, associating with the Idolatry Sect."

"The Cao family is in trouble, but so is Commander Jiang Ning! He led a team to raid the Cao Manor. What will he do when Cao Rong comes charging from Dongling?"

"Cao Rong... This is indeed a problem for Commander Jiang Ning. Among the seventh-stage martial artists, Cao Rong is an undefeated champion in Dongling. With Cao Rong's skills, even sixth-stage experts would tremble if he gained any distance."

". . ."

As the group discussed, whispers emerged from the underground passage.

In the next breath, several figures burst out of the passage.

Clang!

Xie Xiaojiu drew her sword at the sight.

Ran Hongmei, who was about to lead her team to the rear yard, turned back upon seeing this.

The old man, who had been repelled by Jiang Ning's sword earlier, returned like a bird, his Serpent Spirit Sword glowing with a greenish light in the darkness.

"Commander Jiang, let this old man see the true strength of a Celestial Prodigy from the Dragon Ascension Chart!" The old man spoke, his eyes glinting with cold intent.

Jiang Ning swung his sword again, facing the charging old man.

After their brief exchange, Jiang Ning had a good grasp of the old man's strength.

The old man was a seventh-stage martial artist, likely on par with Liu Qingsong.

Previously, when facing Liu Qingsong, a seventh-stage martial artist, Jiang Ning wouldn't dare to engage in a direct confrontation, even underwater.

But today was different. After their simple exchange, Jiang Ning found it easy to deal with the old man.

Without lifting his bodily restrictions, activating his latent dragon power, or even using his inner breath, Jiang Ning effortlessly sent the old man flying with a single sword strike.

Clang!

The fire splattered.

The old man's face instantly turned crimson.

In an instant, he took a few steps back.

"Quickly break through the encirclement, I'll hold off Jiang Ning!"

Upon hearing these words, whether it was the head of the Cao family, Cao Guangsheng, or Xie Xiaojiu and the others, they were all stunned.

As peak eighth-rank martial artists, they merely glanced at the commotion of the two fighting.

In an instant, they realized that this old man was indeed a seventh-rank martial artist.

Yet, this seventh-rank martial artist could only utter the words to hold off Jiang Ning.

"Could it be that the Commander has broken through again?" Xie Xiaojiu's mind instantly sparked with this thought.

"Hold me off?" Jiang Ning's face remained calm as he spoke.

Then, he swung his sword once more.

With this strike, the five levels of force erupted, his vital energy surged within, and his inner breath suddenly burst forth.

This strike was as swift as flowing light.

The sword light flashed.

Clang!

The Serpent Spirit Sword was instantly split in two by Jiang Ning's sword.

As disbelief filled the old man's eyes, Jiang Ning's sword swiftly turned, aiming for the old man's throat.

In that instant, the old man's expression was filled with horror, and the major muscle in his body tensed like a bowstring.

He instantly shifted from stillness to motion, retreating rapidly towards the rear.

Although the old man was fast, Jiang Ning's sword-wielding speed was even faster.

With the enhancement of his inner breath, this strike was 30% faster than his previous ones.

30% increase in sword speed meant the difference between life and death.

Whoosh!

The old man opened his mouth, and black blood poured out, silencing his words.

"I... refuse to accept this!" he struggled to say amidst the blood spitting.

His eyes were filled with intense reluctance.

In his heart, he knew he still had many techniques he hadn't used.

If he transformed into a divine descendant's form, he would gain an immortal body.

In the face of an immortal body, such sword wounds would merely be flesh wounds.

As long as his neck wasn't completely severed, he could recover in no time.

Even if his neck was severed, as long as it was reattached quickly, he could still live.

But at this moment, it was too late.

His cervical vertebra was severed, leaving only a thin layer of flesh connecting his neck.

Even a divine being couldn't save such an injury!!

At the same time, in the front yard, everyone was shocked by this scene.

"Is the Commander so powerful? A seventh-rank martial artist was killed by the Commander's few strikes?" Xie Xiaojiu watched in disbelief.

"So powerful!!" Ran Hongmei, who had just returned, could only think of these two words upon witnessing the scene.

At this moment, Cao Guangsheng, the head of the Cao family, felt as if he had fallen into an icy pit.

No one knew the old man's identity and strength better than him.

This old man was the only incense master in Luoshui County, with seventh-rank martial arts prowess.

If he used divine descendant techniques, even a typical sixth-rank martial artist would be helpless against him.

Such strength and status, yet he never imagined that he would fall so easily here.

With the death of this incense master, the Cao family's decline was sealed.

Jiang Ning's ability to kill the incense master meant his true strength was unleashed. Who could stand against him now?

The Cao family's seventh-rank martial artist was old and frail, and stubbornly refused to become a divine descendant.

Under such circumstances, how could he be a match for Jiang Ning?

"Why are you hesitating? Why aren't you attacking?" Jiang Ning looked at the stunned Xie Xiaojiu and Ran Hongmei and spoke up.

"Yes, Commander!" Ran Hongmei replied.

"Yes, Commander!" Xie Xiaojiu also snapped out of her daze and replied.

"Surrender and you won't be killed!" Xie Xiaojiu immediately shouted to the Cao family members.

"Surrender and you won't be killed!" Ran Hongmei also shouted.

"Avenge the incense master! Follow me!" The cultist who had just emerged from the secret passage, upon seeing the old man's death, turned red with rage and charged towards Jiang Ning with his sword drawn.

At this moment, Xie Xiaojiu and Ran Hongmei immediately joined the fray.

With their eighth-rank martial arts prowess, they were like tigers among sheep.

The long whip cracked, sending people flying and severing limbs.

The sword flashed, and blood splattered in the sky.

"I am a member of the Inspection Office. I am well aware of their ways. If we fight with all our might, we can still break through and have a chance to preserve the Cao family's legacy!"

"Surrender, or there's only a dead end!"

"The Inspection Office is using our Cao family to scare others!"

Someone from the Cao family broke the silence and spoke up.

As his words fell, he charged forward, leading the way.

Just then, a lightning bolt seemed to tear through the night, illuminating the entire Cao Manor as bright as day.

In the lightning's glow, everyone clearly saw the identity of the attacker.

It was Cao Zijian, the most outstanding young genius of the Cao family's younger generation, who had recently joined the Inspection Office.

He charged forward, continuing, "To keep the Cao family's flame alive, follow me and kill!"

"Yes! Brother is right!" Someone in the crowd immediately shouted, "Let's kill alongside Brother!"

"Kill! The rain tonight is heaven's aid to the Cao family, giving us hope! Follow me and kill!"

"Kill!"

"..."

For a moment, the crowd surged forward.

Some charged towards Jiang Ning, while others scattered towards the surrounding walls, and a few turned back, rushing into the hall behind them, instantly extinguishing the candlelight.

Witnessing this, Jiang Ning decided it was time to stop watching.

There were over three hundred people in the Cao Manor, and if they truly resisted with all their might, it would be challenging.

With so many people and the stormy weather, even with the City Guard surrounding the perimeter, there might still be loopholes.

For both public and personal reasons, Jiang Ning didn't want to let the Cao family escape.

The next moment, as Jiang Ning took action, he was like a tiger among sheep.

With each flash of his blade, a life was taken.

Amidst the chaos, Jiang Ning's blade slid across Cao Guangsheng's throat.

In the moment of his bewilderment, his life faded away.

Just then, the remaining light from the hall was also extinguished by someone.

Under the dark clouds and pouring rain, the entire front yard of the Cao Manor was plunged into pitch darkness.

"Run! Climb over the walls and escape!" Someone shouted.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning's heart stirred.

In the dark night, the raindrops in the air coalesced into water blades, resembling the longsword in his hand.

Since his psychic energy had reached a level where he could briefly project his mind, Jiang Ning discovered that his control over water had strengthened, allowing him to manipulate it more freely.

His cloud manipulation abilities had also improved; if necessary, he could almost cover the entire Luoshui County with dark clouds.

Before, he could only manage half of the county.

At this moment, as he manipulated the water, three water blades took shape under his control.

With his current abilities, this level of precision was the limit of his control.

The next instant, the three water blades, combined with his own longsword, instantly quadrupled his efficiency in taking lives.

Ah—

Ah—

Ah—

Screams erupted one after another.

In the pitch-black night, these screams chilled the hearts of everyone present.

Especially those guests who had come to celebrate Cao Guangsheng's fiftieth birthday, they now cowered in the corners like quails, afraid to make any sudden movements.

With visibility limited to about ten zhang, everyone feared being struck by blades.

This scene lasted for over ten breaths.

Outside the Cao Manor.

Suddenly, a voice rang out, "Commander Jiang! I'll lend you a hand!"

As the voice sounded, fire torches were thrown into the Cao Manor from outside the walls.

These torches were unique; even under the heavy rain, their flames didn't diminish.

In the torchlight, the darkness was dispelled.

Jiang Ning ceased his slaughter, and although his longsword had taken many lives, with a few drops of blood washed away by the rain, it still gleamed like new.

As for the water blades Jiang Ning had just manipulated, he had already dispersed them before the torches illuminated the Cao Manor.

At this moment, everyone's hearts were chilled.

Corpses lay on the ground.

The entire front yard of the Cao Manor was stained red with blood.

In the vast front yard, those who had emerged from the secret passage and those who had been in the hall, now numbered only over ten people.

The guests, upon seeing this scene, felt their legs go soft.

"How long has it been? So many people killed?"

"Yes! Even slaughtering chickens isn't this fast!"

"What level is Jiang Ning? It can't be the Eighth Rank of the Martial Dao!"

"Who knows? Go ask him!"

"..."

Amidst the guests' whispered discussions, Jiang Ning's gaze fell on Cao Guangsheng.

"Do you still want to resist?"

Cao Guangsheng scanned his surroundings and stumbled, his knees buckling as he sank to the ground.

This time, Cao Guangsheng's fiftieth birthday, and all the Cao family members had returned.

Almost all the core members of the Cao family were at the banquet.

At this moment, among the corpses around him, he saw his son, grandson, granddaughter, and younger cousin.

Such a bloody scene instantly dimmed Cao Guangsheng's eyes.

After a moment of silence, his voice hoarse as he spoke to Jiang Ning, "If we surrender, can my clan live?"

"Whether they live or die depends on the Governor's decision!" Jiang Ning replied.

Upon hearing this, Cao Guangsheng fell silent.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end