444: Rise

Five days later, South Heaven Valley, Jiang Family.

Jiang Yu sat on a wooden chair with his legs wrapped in bandages, holding a paintbrush and painting at a desk. This was a task his father had given him, intending for him to Cultivate his character and temper his disposition.

But as the brush touched the paper, a human figure gradually revealed its outline, then became clearer: narrow eyes were cold, and thin lips added a touch of severity.

“Crack~”

The paintbrush broke, ink splattered everywhere, and Jiang Yu looked at the portrait in his hand with hatred in his eyes, the desire for revenge almost consuming him.

“I want you dead! I must kill you!”

Jiang Yu gnashed his teeth, the person in the painting was Xu Sanyan.

He didn't know why; he had originally intended to paint a landscape, but his hand seemed to move on its own, sketching out the figure he “thought about day and night.”

Jiang Yu had never suffered such humiliation since childhood, being forced to beg for mercy in front of the person he liked. If Li Wuxing hadn't arrived, he would have surely died.

“Yu-di, are you feeling better?”

A voice came from behind him. Jiang Yu knew who it was without turning around; it was his elder brother, Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yu forced a smile, “Much better, thank you for your concern, Elder Brother.”

Jiang Yan slowly stepped forward, his gaze casually sweeping over the portrait on the table. His pupils suddenly contracted, and he instantly froze in place.

He subconsciously thought he had seen wrong, quickly stepped forward, snatched the portrait from Jiang Yu's hand, and examined it carefully, his expression changing rapidly like unpredictable weather.

“It's him! It's him!”

Jiang Yan clenched his fists, his heart a mix of emotions. Recalling what happened in the Hundred Saints Secret Realm, he felt both hatred and fear, and even a hint of admiration.

“Elder Brother… what's wrong with you?”

Jiang Yu saw his elder brother's grim expression and asked softly.

“You know him?!” Jiang Yan looked at his younger brother with sharp eyes, as if he was about to make a move the next second.

Jiang Yu looked at his unfamiliar brother, a hint of fear rising in his heart, “I know him. He is the one who broke my legs.”

“What?!”

Jiang Yan was greatly surprised. His younger brother's legs were broken in Qian Province City, which meant this person appeared in Qian Province City?

Ever since the Hundred Saints Secret Realm closed, this person seemed to have vanished into thin air. Countless people coveted the secret realm fruit in his hand, searching desperately but finding nothing. He never thought he was hiding here!

“Elder… Elder Brother, you also know him?”

Jiang Yu asked in confusion. Ever since the Hundred Saints Secret Realm closed, his elder brother had been staying at home. How could he know this person?

“Know him?”

Jiang Yan sneered, the portrait in his hand crumpled. “More than know him, even if he turns to ash, I won't forget him. He is… the Demon Sect Saint, Xu Sanyan!”

“What?!”

Jiang Yu's heart trembled. He had long heard of this famous name and knew that his elder brother's Heart Demon was caused by this person. He never expected that both brothers would fall into the hands of the same person?

“But his name is Liang Yongzhuo…”

“An alias!”

Jiang Yan said with certainty, “It must be an alias. He possesses a great treasure, and countless people are searching for him. How could Xu Sanyan dare to show himself under his true name?”

“No, no, something is wrong!” Jiang Yu suddenly roared, his eyes widening abruptly.

Jiang Yan didn't know what whim his younger brother was having again and asked, “What's wrong?”

“His cultivation is wrong!”

“How so?”

Jiang Yu connected the events in his mind and organized his words, “I remember Elder Brother said that during the Hundred Saints Secret Realm, this person was in the Mi Dao Realm, and later broke through in the Secret Realm to achieve Soul Refining initial stage, correct?”

“Correct.”

“But last time, Uncle Li said this person had already reached Soul Refinement Completion…”

“Impossible!”

Jiang Yan's face was full of disbelief. How long had it been since the Hundred Saints Secret Realm expedition?

Just over a year, and who could break through from Soul Refining initial stage to Completion in just over a year?

“I'm afraid it's not mistaken. This person gives me a feeling similar to Father…” Jiang Yu replied in a deep voice.

“…How is that possible?” Jiang Yan's expression was full of disappointment. He was only in the Mid-stage of the Mi Dao Realm! How could Xu Sanyan have already reached Soul Refinement Completion?

When the two first met, he had even considered him an opponent, but now it was difficult to even see his back. How did he Cultivate?

Wait!

secret realm fruit!

Jiang Yan's eyes flickered. Yes, it must be the secret realm fruit, otherwise, there's no explanation for how Xu Sanyan could break through two stages in such a short time.

“Hurry and report to Father, our brothers' opportunity has come!”

Jiang Yan's expression was excited. As long as the secret realm fruit was in hand, he would surely have a place among the heroes of this world!

“Mm.”

Jiang Yu nodded heavily, clearly also recognizing the importance of the matter.

Half an hour later, a group of five people walked out of the Jiang Family and headed straight for Qian Province City.

These five people included the Jiang Family Old Ancestor, the Jiang Family Head, the brothers Jiang Yan and Jiang Yu, and Sun Yingtang, the Qian Province Associate Prefect, who was a guest at the Jiang Family.

After listening to the brothers Jiang Yan and Jiang Yu's description, Sun Yingtang immediately realized the seriousness of the matter and felt extremely anxious.

That Xu Sanyan painstakingly infiltrated the city and tirelessly set up arrays for Qian Province City; he was definitely not doing good deeds. He must have an ulterior motive!

As the Qian Province Associate Prefect, if something went wrong in Qian Province, he would be held accountable by the imperial court immediately.

Please don't let anything happen… Sun Yingtang prayed silently in his heart.

But what he feared most came true. When they arrived about a hundred miles from Qian Province City, the Jiang Family Old Ancestor, who was flying at the very front, suddenly stopped and looked into the distance, a look of shock appearing on his face.

They saw a crimson glow shining in the sky, and a dark red light curtain instantly appeared in the clear sky, like a layer of blood-red transparent bowl completely enveloping an area of a thousand li.

“What is this…?”

Jiang Yan muttered to himself, looking at the spectacular scene and feeling a chill in his heart. A strong sense of crisis filled his mind, and the hairs on his skin stood on end.

At the same time, he also felt somewhat fortunate that they arrived late and were not enveloped by that light curtain.

“Hurry!”

Sun Yingtang was greatly alarmed, no longer bothering with them, and rushed towards Qian Province City alone.

…

Meanwhile, inside Qian Province City,

Xu Sanyan stood on the city wall, his eyes calmly looking at the sky, hearing countless noisy sounds, yet his heart was peaceful.

After long preparations, it could finally begin.

“Whoosh~ Whoosh~”

A strong wind blew from somewhere, the fierce, bloody wind rustling his long robe, carrying his body gradually into the air.

Someone with sharp eyes saw him, pointing at Xu Sanyan and shouting something, but the sound was lost in the wind.

As the light curtain rose, five cities were completely surrounded, and countless people were trapped within. Once the Soul-Gathering Life-Preserving Grand Formation was activated, no entry or exit would be allowed.

Prefect Qin's face was gloomy. The moment the blood-red light curtain rose, he immediately understood what was happening. It must be that ‘Liang Yongzhuo’ who tampered with it when setting up the array!

Besides him, no one else had this opportunity.

“Dad, look, isn't that Liang gege?”

Qin Shutong foolishly pointed at Xu Sanyan in mid-air, her voice full of anticipation, “Is Liang gege going to help us break the array?”