Free Web NovelChapter 390: Chapter 182: Breakthrough
The night was deep, but Golden Sand Castle was brightly lit.
Miao Feng sat in the master’s seat, his expression so dark it seemed to drip with gloom.
Seated across from him was a man in his forties—his sworn brother, Ji Qixuan, with whom he had co-founded Golden Sand Castle.
Ji Qixuan slowly set down his teacup and shook his head. "We’ve searched everywhere, inside and outside the castle, both overtly and covertly. There isn’t a single clue. Let it go."
He looked at Miao Feng, his expression complicated.
Based on what he had learned, the bizarre disappearance of Miao Zhicheng and his entourage, and the gruesome deaths of those experts from the Earth Element Sect... the scene was wiped clean with Corpse-Dissolving Powder. Such methods were anything but ordinary.
While he didn’t believe Chen Qing of the Wutai Sect had the skill to pull it off alone, the matter was undoubtedly connected to him, and perhaps even his master-uncle, Shen Xiuyong.
Provoking a newly ascended Astral Force master with limitless potential was unwise, to say nothing of the Wutai Sect backing him.
He was well aware of his sworn brother’s grief, but the future of Golden Sand Castle had to take priority.
"I know."
Miao Feng said gravely.
He had seven sons, but Miao Zhicheng was the one into whom he had poured the most effort, the heir on whom he had pinned his greatest hopes. Losing him was like losing a limb. How could he possibly accept it?
Seeing his state, Ji Qixuan sighed. He rose, walked to Miao Feng’s side, and patted his shoulder. "My condolences. There are many matters in the castle that still require your leadership. I’ve already had the bounty withdrawn."
"Hmph." Miao Feng grunted in acknowledgment.
Ji Qixuan paused for a moment, then lowered his voice and said meaningfully, "Brother Miao, some things don’t need to be rushed. The future is long... there may yet be an opportunity. Just keep it in your heart for now."
His words were veiled, but they hinted at a future opportunity for clandestine revenge.
Hearing his brother’s words, Miao Feng took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
The two chatted for a bit about miscellaneous castle affairs, like income, expenses, and guarding the ore mines. Seeing that Miao Feng’s spirits remained low, Ji Qixuan rose and took his leave.
Silence returned to the hall, leaving Miao Feng alone.
’I must endure for now,’ he thought, ’but the pain of losing my son is like a venomous fire searing my heart.’
The pressure from the Wutai Sect and the veiled warnings from the Earth Element Sect left him feeling utterly stifled and enraged.
HUFF—
He let out a long, heavy breath, as if trying to expel all his resentment. "For a true gentleman, ten years is not too long to wait for revenge..."
Just as his Heart and Spirit roiled and he was about to rise, every hair on his body suddenly stood on end!
There, at the entrance to the hall, a figure had appeared, silent and unnoticed.
The person was silhouetted against the cold moonlight, their face hidden in shadow. All that was visible was a slightly hunched outline, suggesting they were no longer young.
He simply stood there, so still it was as if he belonged there, one with the surrounding shadows.
Miao Feng’s pupils contracted to pinpricks. A chill shot up his spine to the very top of his skull. His heart hammered against his ribs, threatening to burst from his chest.
’I have Astral Force Cultivation! My Spiritual Sense is sharp; I can detect the slightest disturbance within a radius of a hundred yards! Yet this person managed to slip in, completely undetected, until he was this close?!’
’What terrifying Cultivation is this? What an uncanny Body Technique!’
"Who are you!?"
Miao Feng shot to his feet, his True Astral instinctively flaring to form a protective barrier around him.
The visitor seemed to chuckle, a sound that was particularly eerie in the dead of night. "Someone asked me to come and solve a little problem for them."
The calmer his tone, the more bone-chillingly terrified Miao Feng became.
At his Realm of cultivation, he knew all too well how vast the world was and how many powerful experts it held. The methods of some of those old monsters were far beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
This feeling of being at the mercy of an unknown entity who could decide his life or death with ease gave rise to a sliver of terror within him.
"Your Excellency... Senior..."
Miao Feng forced down his nearly frantic heartbeat, his throat dry. "Are... are you an assassin from Yidao An?"
The first name that came to mind was the enigmatic Yidao An.
"No," the visitor replied simply.
"Then... who are you, Senior?"
Miao Feng strained to see the man’s face.
"Who I am is not important." The visitor shook his head slightly and took a step forward.
That single step unleashed an invisible pressure, as heavy as a mountain, that instantly enveloped the entire hall. The very air seemed to freeze.
Miao Feng felt his breath catch in his throat. His Body-Protecting True Astral flickered unsteadily, crushed by the immense pressure!
Miao Feng’s courage evaporated. His survival instinct took over completely as he blurted out, "Senior! The one... the one who hired you, what was their price? I, Miao Feng, can match it! Double! No, triple! I only ask that you show mercy!"
"Oh?"
The visitor paused, seeming to take an interest. "Show me your sincerity."
As if clutching at a lifeline, Miao Feng said hurriedly, "I have it! I have it! Golden Sand Castle’s accumulations over the years... I wouldn’t dare say we’re as wealthy as a nation, but we have some treasures! The finest Treasure Medicine, rare Ore, and... and a Treasure Artifact passed down through my Miao Family! It’s all... it’s all in a hidden compartment in my study! As long as you spare my life, Senior, you can take it all!" freewebnσvel.cѳm
He knew that buying his life was his only chance of survival.
"Good. I understand."
The visitor’s tone remained placid as he nodded in satisfaction.
But that tone made Miao Feng’s heart plummet, as if he’d been plunged into an icy abyss!
’He has no intention of negotiating!’
A ruthless glint appeared in Miao Feng’s eyes. With a sharp cry, he flicked his left hand, which had been hidden in his sleeve!
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Three ink-black, longan-sized orbs shot toward the visitor in a triangular pattern. They were Golden Sand Castle’s secret weapon: the incomparably vicious Poisonous Demon Thunder!
At the same time, his body shot back like an arrow from a powerful bow. Unleashing all of his True Astral without reservation, he crashed toward the window that led to the inner chamber!
