92: Gu Jian's whereabouts

Sword King Sect Main Hall.

Wang Chao was reporting the spoils of this operation to Chu Jiang.

"Lord Thousand-Household, in the various halls, pavilions, and secret chambers of the Sword King Sect, we have seized a total of eight hundred thousand taels of silver and thirty thousand taels of gold."

"Two hundred Body Tempering pills, fifty Essence Pills, and ten Innate Breakthrough Pills!"

"One hundred and fifty Three-Turn True Essence Pills, forty Four-Turn True Essence Pills, twenty Five-Turn True Essence Pills, ten Six-Turn True Essence Pills, and three Seven-Turn True Essence Pills."

"Dozens of various sword manuals: forty Innate grade, fifteen Vajra grade, and seven Grandmaster grade."

"Three hundred Low Grade swords, fifty High Grade swords, and six top-quality swords."

"Additionally, a Demon Suppression Guard discovered a secret chamber. From it, we seized one thousand-year-old Spirit Medicine, one Great Restoration Pill, two Small Restoration Pills, and three Jade Brilliance Pills."

"Hmm?"

Chu Jiang was stunned, his eyes gleaming with golden light; he hadn't expected such an unexpected gain.

But after pondering carefully, he understood.

This batch of Medicinal Pills clearly came from the same source. It was likely that someone approached the Sword King Sect, asking them to kidnap those close to him from the county government.

Then the Sword King Sect subcontracted it to Qingfeng Stronghold.

Qingfeng Stronghold then sent people to the county government to capture the targets.

Layer upon layer of subcontracting.

The Sword King Sect swallowed the majority themselves, only offering a small profit to get Qingfeng Stronghold to act.

Perhaps initially, the mastermind wanted the Sword King Sect to dispatch a Grandmaster to kidnap the people, but after passing through several hands, they ended up sending someone in the Vajra Realm.

Subcontracting is fatal.

"Not bad."

With these resources, plus the Spirit Medicine from the Forbidden Ground, the strength of his Demon Suppression Guards would certainly advance by leaps and bounds, and he could also easily upgrade the Demon Hunters of the county's Demon Hunting Division.

"Right."

"This Demon Suppression Guard wouldn't be the same one who discovered the secret chamber in Qingfeng Stronghold last time, would he?"

A look of curiosity appeared in Chu Jiang's eyes.

"Exactly. This kid is named Zhang Huan. He can always discover details that others miss and find unexpected treasures," Wang Chao replied, his words filled with praise for him.

"What is this person's current Realm?" Chu Jiang asked. Such keen observation skills were indeed rare.

"Innate Peak!"

"Very well, reward him with one Six-Turn True Essence Pill, and leave his training to you."

This Demon Suppression Guard was definitely a talent. If he brought him along when raiding houses in the future, who knew how many unexpected gains he would bring? He must be heavily cultivated.

"Lord Thousand-Household, I have one more matter to report!"

"We inspected the corpses of everyone in the Sword King Sect, but one person is missing: the next successor of the Sword King Sect, Gu Jian!"

Wang Chao said, bowing.

"Bring Gu Hongchen and Li Haoran to the hall!"

Chu Jiang's eyes turned cold. One must root out the weeds, otherwise, they will grow again with the spring breeze.

"Yes!"

Soon, two gruesome, bloodied figures were dragged into the hall.

Both had their shoulder blades pierced.

Especially Gu Hongchen, who already lacked all four limbs, leaving only his head. He had also been pierced through the shoulder blades, looking like a ball of flesh being dragged across the floor.

If not for the Sword King Body that Gu Hongchen cultivated, which kept his internal Qi and blood vigorous, he would have long since returned to the underworld after suffering such torture.

As soon as Gu Hongchen entered the hall, he began to wail.

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; do not bully my Sword King Sect for having no one left..."

"You will regret what you have done today!"

Gu Hongchen let out a desperate sound. The Sword King Sect's best seedling, his son Gu Jian, had already left Dahe Prefecture.

"Speak, where has Gu Jian gone!"

Chu Jiang didn't waste words with him; he mobilized his Heart Fire to begin burning him.

Gu Hongchen's eyes instantly widened, his pupils contracting.

He instinctively wanted to beat his chest with his hands, only to realize he couldn't.

Because he had no limbs.

The pain he felt now was more than ten times more intense than what an able-bodied person would suffer; even his screams sounded weak.

The only thing he could move was his head.

"Chu Jiang... you... don't even think about it!"

Gu Hongchen's face was twisted and terrifying, yet he still refused to yield.

Now that the Sword King Sect was destroyed, his only hope was his son, Gu Jian.

He could not speak.

This was their only chance to turn the tables.

"I have compromised my whole life as a father; today, let me be tough for once!"

"My son, your father has not been defeated!"

Gu Hongchen's face was ferocious, his eyes fierce, the veins on his head bulging.

The intensity of the Heart Fire burning increased.

Gu Hongchen's pain grew stronger, but he refused to reveal a single word.

Eventually, he passed out from the sheer pain.

Chu Jiang frowned. Gu Hongchen was already resigned to death. The Sword King Sect was destroyed, and he had placed his only hope on Gu Jian.

Even if he burned him again, the result would likely be the same.

After all, Gu Jian was his own son.

He turned his gaze to Li Haoran and struck his Heart-Controlling Thunder into his body.

It detonated instantly.

"Ah... damn it, what is this ghostly thing? Get out of my body..."

Li Haoran rolled around in pain, feeling as if his heart was being struck by lightning and burned by fire. It twisted violently, and he could not resist it at all; it was worse than death.

He had just thought that Gu Hongchen's resistance was too weak to endure such torture, but after experiencing it himself, he realized how astonishing the pain was.

He actually endured it for a full two minutes.

But he hadn't even lasted a minute before he was already failing.

"This Seat is the greatest Genius of the Sword King Sect in a century; how could I yield? I would rather die..."

The pride of a Genius would not let him bow his head.

Furthermore, if a junior could endure for two minutes, he, as a Sect Master...

...had to last longer than him.

"Speak!"

The Heart-Controlling Thunder increased in intensity again. Li Haoran felt as if his heart was about to explode, hovering repeatedly on the edge of death.

"Ah... oh... stop, This Seat will tell you!"

Li Haoran's face turned pale, and in the end, he had to bow his head. Although he wanted to resist, he couldn't guard against it; Chu Jiang's methods were too cruel.

"First tell me, how many minutes did I endure!"

"Nearly three minutes. What? Want to go again?"

Chu Jiang said with a faint smile.

"Enough, enough!"

Li Haoran felt a sense of relief; he hadn't embarrassed himself. He, Li Haoran, even as a prisoner, still had his pride.

In every aspect, he had to be stronger than others.

"Gu Jian has already left Dahe Prefecture and headed to an outer prefecture for training."

"I have officially designated Gu Jian as the next successor of the Sword King Sect. Every successor must enter the mortal world to train for a period of three years."

"After three years, he is to return to the Sword King Sect to hold the inauguration ceremony for the Young Sect Master."

"As for which specific prefecture he went to, This Seat does not know."

Chu Jiang looked at Li Haoran and said coldly, "This is your Sword King Sect's successor. Won't you send a few people to protect him? What if he dies outside? Wouldn't all your efforts be in vain?"

"If he dies, he dies; that just means it was his fate!"

"A Genius who hasn't weathered the storm is ultimately just a flower in a greenhouse, collapsing at the slightest touch."

"The person who inherits my Sword King Sect in the future must be a powerhouse tempered in Ironblood, not a sheep protected by others."

"You are not being honest!"

Chu Jiang lightly clenched his palm, and the Heart-Controlling Thunder flared up again, instantly causing Li Haoran immense agony. "Damn it, This Seat has already told you! Why are you still torturing me!"

How could a Sect Master not know the general whereabouts of his own successor?

He was still hiding it.

The Heart-Controlling Thunder continued to increase in intensity, and Li Haoran could no longer hold out.

"I will speak! Before Gu Jian left, This Seat suggested he go to Ziyan Prefecture. The founding Ancestral Master of my Sword King Sect was once an old acquaintance with a certain Sect Master of the Purple Flame Demon Sect."

"If he encounters trouble, he can seek protection from the Purple Flame Demon Sect!"

"As for whether he follows my advice or not, I truly do not know. Gu Jian has extraordinary talent and is very arrogant; he might choose other dangerous places, who knows."

"This is also why I value him... Ah... Everything I should have said... I have said..."

The Heart-Controlling Thunder vanished instantly, and Li Haoran felt as if his entire body was falling apart, collapsing to the ground.