296: My name is Jiang Donghua!

Xuanming Sect, Elder Pavilion.

Inside a gloomy hall filled with countless soul jade tablets, the atmosphere was solemn and grave.

Each tablet represented a wisp of the soul imprint of a Xuanming Sect Dou Huang expert.

At this moment, a black-robed old man responsible for guarding the place suddenly opened his eyes, which burst forth with sharp light. A pressure belonging to a Dou Zong uncontrollably spread out, causing the air in the entire hall to solidify!

He stared intently at a certain spot on the jade shelf ahead.

There, two soul tablets belonging to outer elders, which had been placed side by side, had completely shattered and turned into dust!

"Who is it?! What audacity! To dare kill my Xuanming Sect Elder!"

The black-robed old man, who was precisely the Fifth Elder of the Xuanming Sect, spoke with a voice like ten thousand years of ice, brimming with monstrous rage.

Although the ones who died were just two non-core Dou Huang Elders, this was tantamount to slapping the face of the Xuanming Sect!

He flicked his sleeve, and a streak of light shot out of the hall.

Moments later, several powerful experts, wearing the uniform of the Xuanming Sect's Hall of Enforcement, strode in quickly, knelt on one knee, their expressions respectful yet murderous.

These individuals were all Peak Dou Huang cultivators!

"Fifth Elder!"

The Fifth Elder's expression was gloomy as he pointed to the two empty spots.

"The soul tablets of the two outer elders, Zhao and Sun, have shattered!"

"The location is near the Hong Family ruins! You are to immediately take men there and investigate thoroughly for this Seat! Even if you have to turn the ground over for this Seat, you must find any trace the murderer left behind!"

"I want to see which reckless fool dares to harm my Xuanming Sect's people in the Northern Region of Central State!"

"Understood!"

The Peak Dou Huang Experts from the Hall of Enforcement accepted the order, their eyes filled with killing intent, and swiftly turned to leave.

The Fifth Elder looked at the empty jade shelf, his eyes flickering.

At this critical juncture, the simultaneous killing of the two Elders guarding the Hong Family ruins was certainly no coincidence.

Could it be the remnants of the Hong Family, or someone related to them, who has returned?

At the same time, inside a secretive VIP room in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.

Sitting across from Mu Chen was a middle-aged manager with a refined handlebar mustache and sharp, intelligent eyes.

After paying an enormous fee amounting to several million gold coins, the information he received was sparse, but every piece was critically important.

The handlebar-mustached manager took a sip of fragrant tea and spoke unhurriedly.

"According to the information currently held by our Hundred Treasures Pavilion, the situation on the night the Hong Family suffered its calamity was indeed tragic."

"The Xuanming Sect dispatched eight Dou Zong Elders and a large number of Dou Huang experts."

"Three Dou Zong from the Hong Family, including the Patriarch, fought to the death, none surviving."

The manager's tone was calm, as if discussing an ordinary matter.

"However, the Hong Family's Grand Elder, who had been in secluded cultivation for many years and held the potential to step into the Dou Zun realm, seemed not to have been within the clan at the time. Thus, he luckily escaped the disaster, and his current whereabouts are unknown."

Mu Chen's heart tightened, and he pressed further.

"What about the Hong Family's eldest young lady, Red Silk?"

The manager put down his teacup and stroked his handlebar mustache, a hint of undetectable shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"Regarding Miss Red Silk, it is quite interesting."

"From start to finish, the people of the Xuanming Sect seem never to have found her, or rather, she never appeared at the Hong Family in the first place."

He paused, looked at Mu Chen, and gave his assessment.

"Therefore, in my humble opinion, this Hong Family eldest young lady is highly likely still alive. But as for her specific whereabouts, pardon my frankness, she is very likely no longer in the Northern Region of Central State."

"Otherwise, with the methods and intelligence network of the Xuanming Sect, it would be impossible for a living person to vanish without a trace."

No longer in the Northern Region of Central State?

Mu Chen frowned deeply.

If Red Silk wasn't in the Northern Region of Central State, where would she go?

Jia Nan Academy? Or somewhere else?

Does Jiang Donghua know this information?

The clues seemed to have become vague again, but at least two points were confirmed: Red Silk was likely still alive, and she had probably left the Northern Region of Central State, this place of trouble.

And the Hong Family still had a powerful Grand Elder who survived!

"Thank you for informing me."

Mu Chen suppressed the thoughts in his heart, stood up, and bid farewell.

He needed time to process this information and consider his next move.

Should he continue investigating the Xuanming Sect and the Grand Elder's whereabouts in the Northern Region of Central State, or find a way to relay the information back to Jiang Donghua?

Watching Mu Chen's retreating figure, the handlebar-mustached manager's eyes flashed, and he muttered softly.

"A Three-star Dou Zong inquiring about the Hong Family and the Xuanming Sect... It seems the Northern Region of Central State is about to become restless again. This intelligence must be reported up the chain..."

Whether it was the Xuanming Sect's investigation or the Hundred Treasures Pavilion's attention, Mu Chen's arrival indicated that a significant stone had been cast into the waters of the Northern Region of Central State.

Ripples were spreading.

Stepping out of the luxurious gates of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, the light outside was slightly dazzling.

Mu Chen stood at the bustling intersection, his mind in turmoil.

Red Silk's fate was uncertain, but she was highly likely no longer in the Northern Region of Central State. The Hong Family Grand Elder survived, but his whereabouts were also completely unknown.

What should he do next?

"Write a letter to inform Donghua?"

The thought flashed through his mind, then was immediately rejected.

Red Silk's life, death, and location were all unconfirmed. Should he cause Jiang Donghua, who was far away at Jia Nan Academy, to worry needlessly, perhaps even rushing prematurely to Central State, this den of dragons and tigers?

This was definitely not a wise move.

"So be it!"

A look of determination flashed in Mu Chen's eyes.

"Since I temporarily cannot find Red Silk, I will stay here in the Northern Region of Central State and properly contend with the Xuanming Sect!"

He thought of Jiang Donghua's terrifying talent and strength, believing that it wouldn't be long before he arrived on the even wider stage of Central State.

By then, the foundation he laid and the turmoil he stirred up here might become a source of assistance.

Mu Chen touched the icy jade slip in his embrace, which contained a life-saving killing blow left by Jiang Donghua from Xiao Han's family ancestor, and his heart settled slightly.

"With this trump card left by Donghua, combined with my strength as a Three-star Dou Zong, if planned correctly, there might be a chance to incapacitate or even kill a low-star Dou Zong!"

According to the intelligence from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, the Xuanming Sect had more than ten Dou Zong, the weakest of whom was a One-star Dou Zong.

This was certainly a terrifying force, but it also meant that they couldn't always stay together.

As long as he operated correctly, he had a complete opportunity to defeat them one by one, continuously weakening their strength and throwing them into chaos!

"As long as I cause enough trouble and make the Xuanming Sect frantic, if there are truly surviving Hong Family members watching in secret, they might take the initiative to contact me!"

A sharp light flashed in Mu Chen's eyes. This was a dangerous move to lure the snake out of its hole, but it was also the only possible way to find clues about the Hong Family currently.

"Since that's the case, I can no longer use the name Mu Chen. The Hong Family people probably don't know who I am, but they should know who their eldest young lady loves!"

A cold, sharp arc curved at the corner of his mouth.

"I shall borrow Brother Jiang's name for a while! It will also let those scoundrels from the Xuanming Sect know exactly whose people they have provoked!"

With his mind made up, Mu Chen no longer hesitated.

He needed an opening show that was sensational enough and sufficiently displayed Jiang Donghua's style!

Three days later.

A shocking piece of news spread like a whirlwind throughout all corners of the Northern Region of Central State, causing considerable commotion!

A mysterious man claiming to be Jiang Donghua, relying on a bizarrely domineering and incomparably vicious Wood Attribute Dou Technique, brazenly intercepted and killed an elite team from the Xuanming Sect led by four Peak Dou Huang Elders outside a major city on the edge of the Northern Region of Central State!

According to eyewitnesses, Jiang Donghua's actions were ruthless and decisive. The sky-filling, strange green vines were like living things; they could not only devour Dou Qi but also corrode flesh and blood, making them impossible to guard against.

The four Elders, who held relatively high positions within the Xuanming Sect, were unable to hold out for long under his hands, and one after another, they had their Dou Qi sucked dry and their heart meridians crushed to death!

The entire process was nothing short of a crushing defeat!

As the news spread, all forces in the Northern Region of Central State were in an uproar!

"My heavens! Four Peak Dou Huang! Just killed them?"

"Jiang Donghua? I've never heard that name! Where did this ruthless person spring from?"

"A Wood Attribute Dou Technique cultivated to such a vicious and domineering level—it's truly unheard of!"

"He is openly challenging the Xuanming Sect! Does he hold a deep hatred for the Xuanming Sect?"

"The Xuanming Sect has lost tremendous face this time! I hear the higher-ups are furious and have already sent stronger Elders to pursue and kill him!"

In an instant, the name Jiang Donghua, along with his terrifying Wood Attribute Dou Technique, quickly gained a considerable fierce reputation in the Northern Region of Central State!

Everyone realized that a mysterious expert who dared to openly provoke the Xuanming Sect had appeared on the lands of the Northern Region of Central State.