Chapter 192: The Destruction of the Cao Family

Chapter 192: The Destruction of the Cao Family

At the Cao Family residence.

Everyone was stunned as they gazed upon the pitch-black entrance to the underground passage.

"An underground passage? The Cao Family has a secret tunnel beneath their estate?"

"No wonder! No wonder Jiang Ning was stomping on the ground just now! He was trying to detect the underground passage!"

The group whispered among themselves.

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

Just then, a chilling laugh echoed from the black tunnel.

"Commander Jiang, what a cunning move!"

"Show yourself! Come out!" Jiang Ning commanded.

"Since Commander Jiang has chosen this path, I might as well reveal myself," the voice said, and in that instant, a figure burst out of the dark tunnel, shrouded by the night and heavy rain, appearing like a ghostly specter.

"Commander, be careful!"

Xie Xiaojiu and Feng Jiuge exclaimed in shock.

They realized that the black shadow was moving at an incredible speed, far surpassing their own. In the blink of an eye, it seemed to teleport, appearing within three feet of Jiang Ning.

They could only react by shouting a warning.

This speed represented something significant.

The black shadow's strength was undoubtedly far superior to theirs.

In other words, the black shadow's strength was beyond the Eighth Stage of the Martial Path, reaching the Seventh Stage, a formidable warrior.

Suddenly, a flash of lightning illuminated the dark clouds above, casting an eerie white light over the entire area.

Clang!

The flash of a blade and the splatter of sparks filled the air.

The next moment, the black shadow retreated rapidly towards the rear.

"Impressive move!"

"Commander Jiang, you've been hiding your true strength!" The voice carried a hint of apprehension.

At this moment, even Feng Jiuge was surprised as she looked at Jiang Ning.

"Where did the Commander get that weapon?"

"But... he didn't seem to have any weapons with him earlier!" Feng Jiuge thought as she observed Jiang Ning's sword-wielding stance.

Just then, Jiang Ning stomped on the ground.

In an instant, mud and rainwater splattered everywhere.

"Half of you, go to the backyard. The entrance to the underground passage is there. Make sure no one escapes from the tunnel, especially the Cult of Malevolent Gods' followers!"

"Feng Jiuge, take your team to capture every member of the Cao Family and bring them to the front yard. Anyone who resists, kill them!"

Jiang Ning commanded as he swiftly advanced towards the black shadow.

"Yes, Commander!" The group responded.

Without hesitation, Feng Jiuge, too shocked to react, led her squad members deeper into the Cao Family residence.

At the same time, the lightning illuminated the scene, allowing everyone to see the figure in the black shadow.

It was an emaciated figure, wearing a black hood and robe, their face revealing only bones and skin.

As the figure retreated, they spoke again, "Cao Guangsheng, Zhao Ming, use the cover of night to break out with your people. Don't linger!"

Upon hearing this, the guests were stunned, "The head of the Cao Family is in the underground passage?"

"It seems so. The Cao Family is truly in trouble, associating with the Cult of Malevolent Gods."

"The Cao Family is in trouble, but so is Commander Jiang Ning! He led the team to raid the Cao Family estate. When Cao Rong arrives from Dongling City, how will Commander Jiang face him?"

"Cao Rong... this is indeed a problem for Commander Jiang Ning. Among the Seventh Stage warriors, Cao Rong is considered an invincible figure in Dongling County. With his arrow skills, once he creates distance, even Sixth Stage warriors would tremble in fear!"

The group discussed, and whispers emerged from the underground passage.

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

Clang!

Xie Xiaojiu drew her sword upon seeing this, and Ran Hongmei, who was about to lead her team to the backyard, turned back upon witnessing the scene.

The elder, who had been knocked back by Jiang Ning's sword, returned like a flying bird. His Serpent Spirit Sword glowed with a greenish light in the darkness.

"Commander Jiang, let this old man see how powerful you are, a Heaven's Pride on the Rising Dragon Ranking!" The elder's eyes gleamed with cold determination.

Facing the charging elder, Jiang Ning swung his sword once more.

After their brief initial clash, Jiang Ning had a rough idea of the elder's strength.

The elder was a Seventh Stage warrior, likely on par with Liu Qingsong.

Previously, when facing the Seventh Stage Liu Qingsong, Jiang Ning dared not engage in direct combat, even underwater.

But today was different. After their brief exchange, Jiang Ning found it effortless to deal with the elder.

Even without lifting the human body restrictions, without using his inner breath, Jiang Ning easily sent the elder flying with a single sword strike.

Clang!

The sparks of fire splattered everywhere.

The old man's face instantly turned crimson.

He took a few steps back.

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

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

As peak eighth-rank martial artists, they only needed a glance to understand the intensity of the battle between the two.

They could tell that the old man was indeed a seventh-rank martial artist.

However, this powerful seventh-rank martial artist could only utter those words, trying to hold off Jiang Ning.

"Has the Elder broken through again?" Xie Xiaojiu's mind instantly filled with this thought.

"Hold me off?" Jiang Ning asked calmly.

He swung his knife again, and with a burst of fivefold force, his internal energy surged, and his inner breath erupted.

This strike was as swift as flowing light.

The blade flashed.

Clang!

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

As disbelief filled the old man's eyes, Jiang Ning's knife turned towards the old man's throat.

In an instant, the old man's expression was filled with horror, and his major tendons tightened like bowstrings.

He quickly moved from stillness to action, retreating swiftly towards the back.

Although the old man was fast, Jiang Ning's knife swing was even faster.

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

30% faster knife speed was the difference between life and death.

Whoosh!

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

"I don't accept this!" he managed to say through the blood, his eyes filled with reluctance.

His heart was filled with regret, as he had many more techniques he could have used.

If he transformed into a divine descendant, he would have gained an immortal body.

With an immortal body, such a knife wound would only be a flesh wound.

As long as his neck wasn't completely severed, he could recover in a short time.

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

But at this moment, it was all too late.

His cervical vertebrae were severed, leaving only a thin layer of skin and flesh connecting his neck.

Such an injury was beyond even divine intervention!

At the same time, the crowd in the front courtyard watched in shock.

"Is the Elder that powerful? How could a seventh-rank martial artist be killed by the Elder's few strikes?" Xie Xiaojiu watched in disbelief.

"So strong!" Ran Hongmei had just returned and witnessed the scene, and these two words were all she could think of.

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

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

The old man was the only Sect Leader in Luoshui County.

With seventh-rank martial prowess and divine descendant techniques, even a typical sixth-rank martial artist would be helpless against him.

Such strength and status, yet he had fallen so easily.

The death of the Sect Leader of the Cult of Malevolent Gods signified the decline of the Cao family.

With the Sect Leader's death, Jiang Ning's true strength was unleashed, and no one in the courtyard could stop him.

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

In this situation, how could he possibly stand against Jiang Ning?

"Why are you still hesitating? Move!" Jiang Ning shouted at the stunned Xie Xiaojiu and Ran Hongmei.

"Yes, Elder!" Ran Hongmei replied.

"Yes, Elder!" Xie Xiaojiu quickly snapped out of her daze and responded.

"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 echoed.

"Avenge the Sect Leader! Follow me and charge!" A follower who had just emerged from the secret tunnel saw the old man's death and charged forward with tears in his eyes, brandishing his knife.

Xie Xiaojiu and Ran Hongmei immediately joined the fray, their eighth-rank martial prowess like tigers among sheep.

With a flash of the sword, blood splattered into the sky.

"Fellow clan members, I am a member of the Inspection Bureau. I know the Bureau's ways better than anyone. Fight with all your might, break through, and there's still hope to preserve the Cao family's legacy!"

"Surrender, and there's only one path to death!"

"The Inspection Bureau is using our Cao family as a warning to others!"

A member of the Cao family broke the silence and spoke up.

As his words fell, he charged forward.

Crack!

A bolt of lightning seemed to tear through the night, illuminating the Cao family manor as bright as day.

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

It was Cao Zijian, the most outstanding young talent of the Cao family!

He had recently joined the Inspection Bureau.

As he charged forward, he continued, "To leave a spark for the Cao family, follow me and kill!"

"Yes! Brother is right!" someone in the crowd suddenly exclaimed, "Let's kill alongside Brother!"

"Kill! The rain tonight is a sign of heaven aiding the Cao family. Let's give the Cao family hope and kill!"

"Kill!"

". . ."

In an instant, the crowd surged forward.

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

Seeing this, Jiang Ning stopped watching the spectacle.

There were over three hundred people in the Cao family, and if they were allowed to resist with all their might, it would be a formidable force.

With so many people and the raging storm, even with the City Guard Army surrounding the perimeter, there was still a chance for mistakes.

For the public and his personal interests, Jiang Ning did not want any unexpected changes to this matter.

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

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

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

In his dazed eyes, life instantly slipped away.

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

Under the cover of dark clouds and pouring rain, the entire front courtyard of the Cao family plunged into pitch darkness.

"Escape! Climb over the walls and run!" someone shouted frantically.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning's heart stirred.

In the dark night, the raindrops in the air gathered to form water blades, resembling the long sword in his hand.

Ever since his mental energy had become substantial and could briefly detach from his body, Jiang Ning discovered that his water control aura had become stronger, and he could manipulate it more freely.

His cloud and rain invocation aura had also been enhanced.

If necessary, he could almost cover the entire Luoshui County with dark clouds.

Before, he could only manage half of Luoshui County.

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

With his current abilities, this level of precise control was the limit of what he could achieve.

The next moment, with the three water blades working in tandem with him, the efficiency of his life-harvesting increased fourfold.

Ah—

Ah—

Ah—

Screams echoed one after another.

In the almost pitch-black night, these screams chilled everyone's hearts.

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

With visibility limited to about one zhang, everyone feared attracting the blade and spear upon themselves.

This scene lasted for over ten breaths.

Outside the Cao family's walls.

Suddenly, a voice rang out.

"Commander Jiang! I'm here to lend you a hand!"

As the voice sounded, torches were thrown over the walls into the Cao family manor.

These torches were special; even in the heavy rain, their flames remained unwavering.

The darkness was instantly dispelled by the torchlight.

Jiang Ning stopped his slaughter, and although his long sword had taken many lives, 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 dispersed them before the torches illuminated the Cao family manor.

At this moment, everyone's hearts were filled with dread.

In the darkness, the courtyard was stained red with blood.

The vast courtyard, once filled with Cao family members who had emerged from the secret tunnel and those who had attended the banquet, now had only a dozen or so survivors.

The guests, witnessing this scene, felt their legs go weak.

"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 possibly be the Eighth Stage of the Martial Dao!"

"Who knows? Go ask him?"

". . ."

Amidst the guests' hushed discussions, Jiang Ning's gaze fell upon Cao Guangsheng.

"Do you still intend to resist?" Jiang Ning asked.

Cao Guangsheng stumbled, his knees buckling, and he slumped to the ground.

For his fiftieth birthday, all the Cao family members from outside had returned.

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

At this moment, among the surrounding corpses, Cao Guangsheng saw his son, grandson, granddaughter, and younger brother.

The sight of blood-soaked bodies made Cao Guangsheng's eyes dim.

After a few breaths of silence, his voice hoarse, he asked Jiang Ning, "If I surrender, will my clan be spared?"

"If you surrender, your clan will live," Jiang Ning replied.

Upon hearing this, Cao Guangsheng's heart sank.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end