Jiang Mingzhuo stood up with a smile. "Then what are you waiting for? Of course you should protect him."
"I understand."
Zhang Que grinned.
At this moment, Xu Mu was still surrounded by people. Now that they knew he was an alchemist, even Wei Jingzhi began inviting him to join the Sanitation Bureau unit.
Just then, two black-robed figures approached.
One of them said, "Xu Mu, please join us. Our organization will make sure you're satisfied."
As that black-robed man drew near, his qi suddenly erupted.
Boom!
In an instant he appeared beside Lü Pinlong.
Lü Pinlong reacted at once, raising his hand to counterattack—only to see the man's arm sheathed in blue qi.
"Grandmaster?"
Lü Pinlong's face drained of color. Before he could flee, his arm was seized.
Crack!
A chilling sound rang out as five fingers sank directly into his flesh.
"Argh!"
Lü Pinlong screamed.
At the same time, the other black-robed man grabbed Xue Kaixuan and stabbed his fingers into Xue's arm in the same manner.
"Courting death! How dare you lay hands on members of the Sanitation Bureau!"
Guo Wenmo roared and lunged toward Lü Pinlong.
Wei Jingzhi, for his part, flashed toward Xue Kaixuan—
but stopped abruptly.
He saw yet another assailant rushing straight at Xu Mu.
Boom!
Wei Jingzhi stomped down. The ground collapsed, and he instantly reversed course, appearing in front of Xu Mu. Compared to the others, Xu Mu's life clearly mattered more than Xue Kaixuan's.
Holding his thermos in one hand, Wei Jingzhi clenched his other fist and punched at the black-robed attacker.
The black-robed man also threw a punch, his qi surging to the limit.
Rumble!
Their fists were still a full meter apart when the opposing qis collided.
A spherical ripple exploded outward in all directions; whatever it touched shattered.
People all around were blasted away.
Sect experts managed to resist, but the three men who had just taken the Marrow Cleansing Pills coughed blood and fainted on the spot.
Xu Mu felt his body jolt and was flung backward—
but he righted himself midair and landed steadily.
"Mu, are you okay?"
Chen Xuan rushed over.
"I'm fine. That sudden hit felt like someone gave me a super-hard massage. Hurts a little," Xu Mu said, staring into the distance, unsure what exactly had happened.
Bang!
The unleashed force sank the earth several meters; even the elevated platform in the distance crumbled to dust.
The black-robed man flew backward like a bullet and smashed into the hillside, gouging a deep crater.
"As expected of Wei Jingzhi. This junior is still far behind,"
Jiang Mingzhuo remarked with a faint smile, looking at his bleeding forearm.
The blood on his arm began to glimmer a dark crimson, then turned into a mist.
That red blood-mist spiraled around him—reeking of iron, eerie and terrifying.
"This technique…"
Wei Jingzhi's eyes widened. He turned toward Jiang Sheng.
"Bastard! Jiang Mingzhuo! Kneel before me!"
Jiang Sheng's eyes were bloodshot as he roared with fury.
"Heh heh! Father, it's been a while."
Jiang Mingzhuo lightly flared his qi.
Crack!
His black robe burst apart into shreds.
Underneath was a middle-aged man in a suit with a red tie.
Crew cut, stubbled jaw, a weathered gaze—
and in that moment, his pupils glowed a chilling crimson.
Jiang Xingjun saw Jiang Mingzhuo and instantly erupted with power, charging at him.
"Honey!"
Zhou Shui cried out in panic.
But Jiang Xingjun didn't stop. In a flash he appeared before Jiang Mingzhuo and drove a fist forward.
Swish!
Jiang Mingzhuo caught his wrist. "Xingjun! After all these years, is that how you greet your elder brother?"
Boom!
He kicked Jiang Xingjun square in the chest, sending him flying.
Without pausing, he lunged again—this time straight at Xu Mu.
"Damn it!"
Xu Mu cursed inwardly. So the bastard was holding a grudge against his dad.
He had probably already guessed Xu Mu was Xu Shou's son.
"Don't worry. I've got you."
Zhang Que appeared behind him, stepping in front of Xu Mu.
"Senior, you're so handsome," Xu Mu said quickly.
But Zhang Que didn't get a chance to act.
"Unfilial son!"
Jiang Sheng thundered, blocking Jiang Mingzhuo's path.
Bang!
Blood-mist burst outward from Jiang Sheng's body.
In an instant he flashed to Jiang Mingzhuo's front.
"Father! Since I was a child you said with my talent I'd surpass you by thirty or forty. I'm already past fifty!"
Bang!
Blood-mist exploded from Jiang Mingzhuo as well.
Swish, swish, swish—
Their figures flickered again and again. Each exchange tore the ground apart.
The onlookers were dumbfounded.
Wasn't this supposed to be a marriage tournament?
How did it suddenly turn into a melee of top experts?
"Senior, what's going on?"
Xu Mu asked Zhang Que at his side.
"I've no idea,"
Zhang Que said around his cigarette.
Bang!
Jiang Sheng was blasted away into a hillside—
but a heartbeat later, he turned into a red meteor and streaked back at Jiang Mingzhuo.
"Old Jiang! Leave him to me!"
Wei Jingzhi appeared in front of Jiang Sheng, thermos in hand. "With two Senior Cleaners present, you still dare to behave so wantonly? You've got guts."
"Senior Wei, then why are you the only Senior Cleaner making a move?"
Jiang Mingzhuo asked with a smile.
At that, Wei Jingzhi and Jiang Sheng looked back—
and saw Guo Wenmo crouched by Lü Pinlong, whose face had gone purple.
Lü Chuan knelt at his side, howling.
Not only him—Xue Kaixuan, as well as several surrounding sect experts, all had faces turning the same ominous shade.
"Is this… poison?"
Wei Jingzhi glared at Jiang Mingzhuo.
"That's right. Our Eternal Life Research Institute's latest toxin—on par with the potency of a Grade-7 heavenly material,"
Jiang Mingzhuo said with a grin. "Oh, and by the way, the three of us don't have the antidote on us."
"Unfilial brat! You joined the Eternal Life Research Institute?"
Jiang Sheng snapped.
"I joined years ago. A villain like me—only the Eternal Life Research Institute would take me,"
Jiang Mingzhuo said with a shrug.
"What exactly do you want?"
Wei Jingzhi asked coldly.
"Half a month ago, your Cleaners captured three of our people from the Eternal Life Research Institute—then released them,"
Jiang Mingzhuo said, looking at Wei Jingzhi. "Senior Wei, you know me. I'm a bad man, but I keep my word. Release them, and the antidote arrives immediately."
"Then I'll just capture you. I doubt the Eternal Life Research Institute wants to lose a powerhouse of your caliber,"
Wei Jingzhi sneered.
"Senior Wei, think carefully. When the Cleaners enter a relic on a mission, what are the first procedures you always perform?"
Jiang Mingzhuo pulled out a pack of Furongwang cigarettes and gripped one in his teeth. "Need me to remind you? I was a Sanitation Bureau captain too, after all."