After crossing two more streets and alleys, they came upon a two-courtyard residence with a plain facade and a tightly shut, black-lacquered gate.
This was a rather secluded residential area in the eastern part of the Commandery City. Late at night, every household had long since extinguished its lights and gone to sleep. All was silent, save for the occasional dog bark in the distance, which only added to the cold stillness.
Elder Zhu stepped forward, used a key to open the bronze lock on the door, and pushed open the somewhat heavy wooden door with a faint CREAK.
Jiang Chaohong stepped over the threshold.
Elder Zhu followed close behind, stepping into the courtyard as well. He then gently closed the main gate and silently slid the bolt into place.
The moment Jiang Chaohong stepped into the small courtyard before the entryway, his body froze stiff, and his blood felt as if it had turned to ice.
There, under the cold moonlight in the center of the courtyard, stood a figure in a green robe with his hands clasped behind his back. He was standing there quietly, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
Who else could it be but Chen Li!
The color instantly drained from Jiang Chaohong’s face.
He subconsciously took a sharp step back, his heart pounding wildly, threatening to burst from his chest.
After the extreme shock, he struggled to compose himself as a flicker of anger welled up inside. His expression shifted several times before he finally forced a stiff smile, one that looked worse than a grimace. "El-Elder Chen? When... when did you arrive at my humble home? Your presence... truly brightens this shabby place."
Chen Li’s gaze swept over the two of them indifferently, his tone cold. "Young Master Jiang, you misunderstand. The roads of the Commandery City aren’t safe at night. I was... worried, so I took the liberty of escorting you to make sure you arrived home safely."
This casual answer, however, sent a bone-deep chill through Jiang Chaohong.
Jiang Chaohong took a deep breath and said, "There’s... there’s no need to trouble Elder Chen! This is an important part of the Commandery City. The Jingwu Bureau’s Night Patrol Team is constantly on duty. At the slightest disturbance, they will arrive in moments. Elder Chen should... should please leave, to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings."
Chen Li nodded slightly, as if accepting his suggestion.
But in that instant, a formless, intangible, yet vast and majestic fluctuation of the Divine Soul erupted without warning, as overwhelming as a physical tsunami.
"This is bad! Young Master, run!"
Elder Zhu, who had been on high alert the entire time, reacted with lightning speed.
At the exact moment the Divine Soul wave erupted, his gaunt body flared with astonishing power. Instead of lunging at Chen Li, he struck out with a palm suffused with Soft Strength, shoving Jiang Chaohong toward the inner courtyard.
He himself, without hesitation, began to burn his vital essence. The point between his eyebrows shone brightly, and the aura of his Divine Soul instantly became frenzied and unstable.
However, it was too late.
In the empty space above Chen Li’s head, a phantom wielding a pitch-black Qiankun Ruyi Staff materialized.
It took a single step forward.
It locked onto Elder Zhu, who was attempting to burn his essence blood, his aura raging, and brought the staff down in a simple, direct strike.
This strike ignored physical distance, hitting the very source of his Divine Soul.
A mortal terror gripped Elder Zhu.
He couldn’t comprehend this type of attack at all. He only felt his Divine Soul being crushed by an invisible, giant mountain, with no way to dodge and no way to escape.
Survival instinct made him choose his last resort—flee!
His Divine Soul instantly contracted to its absolute limit, transforming into a faint streak of light so small it was almost imperceptible, and shot recklessly toward the shadows under the eaves to the side.
"Futile."
Chen Li’s expression remained calm as he uttered a single word.
The staff in the Divine Soul phantom’s hand seemed to swing slowly, yet it moved second and arrived first, intercepting the streak of light’s path with absolute precision.
As if swatting a fly, it gave a light tap.
TSS!
The streak of light trembled violently, its glow instantly dimming by more than half as its escape speed dropped sharply.
Elder Zhu’s Divine Soul suffered a grievous blow and let out a silent, wretched howl.
Immediately after, the second strike of the staff followed.
The phantom flipped its wrist, changing the smash to a sweep. The staff whistled through the air, instantly covering a much larger area and completely cutting off all possible escape routes for the streak of light.
PUFF!
A soft, muffled sound, audible only on the Divine Soul level, was heard.
The dim streak of light, like a popped bubble, instantly burst and dissipated into nothingness, completely annihilated.
At the same time, Elder Zhu’s physical body in the courtyard suddenly stiffened. All the light in his eyes receded like a tide, his pupils dilating completely. With a THUD, he fell stiffly onto the cold stone slabs, all signs of life gone.
His Divine Soul was annihilated!
There wasn’t a single scratch on his body.
Chen Li had already secretly gauged Elder Zhu’s strength while following them. The man’s Cultivation was only at the Inner Mansion Pass of the Spirit Realm’s Third Level; naturally, he was no match for him.
He had chosen to use the Divine Sense combat Secret Skill—the Ape Strike Skill—simply to avoid a physical fight that would attract the Jingwu Bureau’s attention.
The assassination on the Divine Soul level was also surprisingly effective.
From start to finish, the entire exchange took only two or three breaths. Even though Elder Zhu had exhausted his Power of the Divine Soul to flee, he had only managed to prolong the process by a single breath.
As for Jiang Chaohong, who had been pushed toward the inner courtyard by Elder Zhu’s desperate palm strike, he hadn’t even run five steps.
He staggered and turned back, just in time to witness the entire process of Elder Zhu’s Divine Soul being scattered and his physical body falling to the ground, dead.
"...Elder Zhu!"
Jiang Chaohong was scared out of his wits. His legs went soft, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.
He backed away repeatedly until his back hit the cold wall, with nowhere left to retreat. His voice was distorted by extreme fear. "Wh-why? Elder Chen! Didn’t we... didn’t we already have an agreement? You promised!"
He grasped at the last straw. "If you’re not satisfied with the payment, we can renegotiate! Double! No, triple! All of the Jiang Family’s properties in Mirror Mountain—the manors, the shops... I can give them all to you!"
’You know too much. Only the dead can keep secrets forever.’
’Besides, killing you is far simpler than killing your father.’
Chen Li sneered but gave no reply.
The giant ape phantom’s indifferent gaze turned to him. The Qiankun Ruyi Staff in its hand, condensed from pure Power of the Divine Soul, rose once more and came smashing down on Jiang Chaohong’s head—simple, direct, and without any flourish.
"Urk..."
Jiang Chaohong’s pleas for mercy came to an abrupt halt, his eyes instantly becoming empty and vacant.
His body, as if all its bones had been removed, slid limply down the wall and crumpled to the ground, his breathing ceasing completely.
His physical body was completely unharmed, as if he had just fallen asleep.
Afterward, the giant ape phantom transformed into a faint streak of light and suddenly returned to Chen Li’s body. The suffocating pressure of the Divine Soul in the small courtyard dissipated along with it.
Chen Li stood motionless, his expression as calm as ever. Only the faintest ripple flickered deep in his eyes before quickly vanishing.
He quickly searched the bodies of Elder Zhu and Jiang Chaohong. Elder Zhu had only some broken silver and nothing else of value.
Jiang Chaohong, for his part, had only a single five-tael golden leaf and some broken silver.
After sweeping through the rooms of the residence and confirming there were no other valuables or hidden people, Chen Li picked up one corpse in each hand, walked straight to the latrine, and threw the bodies inside.
Then, with a light leap, his figure moved like a ghost, silently vaulting over the ten-foot-high courtyard wall, the hem of his robes fluttering in the night wind. In the next moment, he had completely melted into the vast night, disappearing as if he had never been there.
...