Li Yuanwai's Mansion.
The man with upturned eyes shoved open the red lacquered gates and strode inside.
The gates immediately shut tight behind him.
Inside the courtyard, the green-brick ground was swept clean.
A few young servants in gray robes stood by the wall with their hands at their sides.
Their knuckles were thick and their necks bulged with veins, clear signs of powerful Qi Blood. Their auras were remarkably similar to the man who had been chasing Jiang Che earlier.
In the middle of the courtyard, a man dressed in a white silk robe with a red fox mask on his face stood with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Sacrificial Envoy Li, where is he?!"
The masked man's voice was deep and hoarse.
The man with upturned eyes, addressed as Sacrificial Envoy Li, hastily bowed, his voice trembling with fear:
"Lord Sacrificial Minister! I tracked him to the small woods, but I only found signs of a struggle. There was no one there, and the footprints had been erased!"
"Hm?"
The masked man, the Sacrificial Minister, sounded displeased.
Sacrificial Envoy Li bowed even lower.
"That brat just entered the Qi Blood Realm. He's no match for a Sacrificial Priest! I suspect an expert at the Iron Skin Realm, or maybe even the Force Integration Level, took him away!"
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
The Sacrificial Minister before him possessed unfathomable power.
Even though Sacrificial Envoy Li was an expert at the Peak of the Iron Skin Realm, just a hair's breadth away from Force Integration, when facing the Sacrificial Minister, he still felt the man could crush him with a single finger!
Moreover, this Sacrificial Minister was notoriously volatile. He would execute subordinates for the slightest displeasure.
Sacrificial Envoy Li's predecessor had said the wrong thing and was fed to a Blood Sacrifice by the Sacrificial Minister!
That Blood Sacrifice had a green face and tusks, with glowing green eyes. It specialized in eating human entrails, and its cattail-fan-sized palm could crush a head in one go.
The thought of being eaten made Sacrificial Envoy Li's face turn pale with fright.
"An expert?!" the Sacrificial Minister's voice tinged with anger. "Haven't we already captured all the experts in Hengsha City? Where would another one come from?!"
"I suspect… the Seven Stars Gang!" Sacrificial Envoy Li said quickly.
"The Seven Stars Gang?!" The Sacrificial Minister's voice shot up.
"Yes… it must be that old bastard Li Hanchuan! He destroyed our branch in Lin Yuan City, causing a Blood Sacrifice to escape, and now he dares to meddle in Hengsha City! This is an outrageous insult!"
In an instant, his white robe billowed without any wind, and a terrifying pressure spread through the air.
Sacrificial Envoy Li felt like he was facing a tsunami, and his legs buckled, forcing him to his knees.
"You, go eliminate one of the Seven Stars Gang's 'stars'! I want their Seven Stars to become six!" the Sacrificial Minister commanded.
Besides their Gang Leader, Li Hanchuan, the Seven Stars Gang had six Elders. These seven were named after the seven stars of the Big Dipper.
In addition to Li Hanchuan's Tan Lang Star, there were the Ju Men Star, Lu Cun Star, Wen Qu Star, Lian Zhen Star, Wu Qu Star, and Po Jun Star.
Although the other six stars were not as strong as Li Hanchuan, they were all first-rate experts.
But in the mouth of the Sacrificial Minister, these people sounded like fruit on a roadside tree, ready to be picked at will.
Sacrificial Envoy Li, however, breathed a sigh of relief. The other six stars were strong, but he was no weakling either.
"I will not fail this mission!"
The Sacrificial Minister nodded, placed his right hand across his chest, and intoned:
"Through pain, we forge the Divine Tier; all Spirits return to the Abyss!"
Sacrificial Envoy Li's expression turned solemn as he mirrored the gesture, placing his right hand across his chest and repeating the words.
"Through pain, we forge the Divine Tier; all Spirits return to the Abyss!"
"Alright, you are dismissed," the Sacrificial Minister said with a wave of his hand.
"Yes, sir!"
Sacrificial Envoy Li then exited the gates and hurried away.
The Sacrificial Minister turned and walked into the inner room.
He sat down in a grandmaster's chair and gently pressed a mechanism on the armrest.
RUMBLE—
Instantly, the entire wall behind him, along with the chair, began to rotate.
In the blink of an eye, he was on the other side of the wall.
Before him was a stone staircase leading down.
He slowly descended the stone steps and soon reached a dungeon.
The dungeon was enormous, filled with hundreds of iron cages holding men, women, and children of all ages.
The people inside were dressed in rags, their faces sallow, their eyes devoid of light.
Outside the cages, a team of young servants in gray robes patrolled back and forth.
Upon seeing the Sacrificial Minister descend, they bowed in unison.
"Greetings, Lord Sacrificial Minister!"
These were the Sacrificial Priests.
The Sacrificial Minister gave a slight nod and walked straight ahead.
When the people in the cages saw the Sacrificial Minister, they shrank back into the corners in terror, afraid of being noticed.
The Sacrificial Minister didn't pause, walking all the way to the end.
At the very end stood an exceptionally large iron cage.
Inside was a "person" about two meters tall, with long arms and legs, its body covered in green fur.
It had disheveled hair, a green face, and sharp tusks. Its eyes glowed with a faint green light, making it look like a demon that had crawled out of Hell.
A Sacrificial Priest standing guard in front of the cage immediately bowed upon seeing the Sacrificial Minister.
"How is this Blood Sacrifice?" the Sacrificial Minister asked.
"My Lord Sacrificial Minister, its blood has been completely replaced, and the Black Abyss Flesh has begun to congeal! In another year, it should be ready to receive our Lord's Clone!" the Sacrificial Priest replied, his tone fanatical.
"Hmph! If it weren't for that old bastard Li Hanchuan, I wouldn't have had to raise a new Blood Sacrifice!" the Sacrificial Minister said with a hint of fury.
With that, he turned and opened a nearby cell.
The people inside shrieked in terror and scrambled backward.
The Sacrificial Minister's gaze swept over them. He suddenly grabbed a middle-aged woman by the ankle and dragged her out like a dead dog.
The woman screamed, clawing at the ground. Her ten fingers were scraped raw, instantly leaving ten bloody streaks on the floor, but she was still thrown into the Blood Sacrifice's cage.
Seeing someone thrown in, the Blood Sacrifice let out a savage grin and leaped forward.
It gently wrapped its giant palm around the woman's head. With a slight squeeze, her head burst like a watermelon!
Then, it extended its long fingernails and, with a single swipe, disemboweled the headless corpse, exposing the internal organs.
It then pulled out the organs and began to gnaw on them.
...
...
After leaving the woods, Jiang Che hurried toward the prearranged meeting spot with the escort team.
As he walked, he thought, 'Who exactly was that young servant who tried to kill me?'
'The man had a strange accent, one I've never heard before.'
'I'm sure he wasn't a local.'
'And on top of that, a mere young servant with the power of the Stone Skin Realm!'
'It's absolutely unheard of!'
'The Stone Skin Realm! The leaders of many mid-sized gangs are only at the Stone Skin Realm!'
'How could a mere landlord have a servant at the Stone Skin level?'
'It's impossible! This isn't the Imperial Palace!'
'There's definitely something seriously wrong with Li Yuanwai's Mansion!'
'My parents' disappearance is definitely connected to them!'
As these thoughts raced through his mind, Jiang Che felt a growing sense of dread.
'Li Yuanwai's Mansion is too dangerous. I have to escape back to Lin Yuan City immediately!'
'As for my parents' whereabouts, I can only investigate once I'm stronger.'
He also considered reporting it to the Government Office, but he quickly dismissed the idea.
'For one thing, I just killed someone. The Government Office would definitely investigate me.'
'And what if Li Yuanwai's Mansion and the Government Office are in league with each other? I'd be walking right into a trap.'
'Even if they aren't, based on how the Government Office usually operates, they'd probably just brush it off.'
'In any case, I can't just tell anyone about this. It would only bring disaster upon myself!'
Besides, he had a sinking feeling that his parents might already be gone.
'But as their son, I have to find out the truth, no matter what!'
'Otherwise, I'll never be at peace!'
'A gentleman's revenge is a dish best served cold!'
Jiang Che quickened his pace, and before long, he saw the Zhenyuan Escort Agency's convoy.
He hurried toward it, a small sense of relief washing over him.