"Report, the monitoring of Huihao Mansion shows that the person who kidnapped Mr. Li went to Huihao Mansion!"
"Huihao Mansion?!"
Hearing these four words, a flash of cold, murderous intent crossed Li Changhu's eyes instantly.
Wasn't Huihao Mansion a property of the Li Family!
Li Changhu never expected that his own brother would be kidnapped and taken to their family's company!
"Assemble, assemble everyone! Surround Huihao Mansion for me, and don't let a single ant get out!"
"No matter who it is, for daring to make a move against the Li Family, I will make them regret ever being born!"
......
Huihao Mansion, top floor!
Tianjiu stood beside Li Changshun, the military dagger in his hand still dripping with blood!
By now, Li Changshun had lost all his previous arrogance. He looked thoroughly wretched, his entire body covered in wounds, yet Tianjiu's blade still did not stop!
The punishment of death by a thousand cuts required no less than three thousand slashes—how could it stop here?!
"Ah... you bastard... you bastard, how dare you treat me like this? Just wait... just wait until my brother gets here, and he'll make sure you find no grave in which to be buried!!"
"Ah... ah... ah..."
Bound tightly, Li Changshun let out agonizing screams with every single cut Tianjiu inflicted!
Standing at the exact spot where Qin Xiaorou had jumped to her death, Chu Tianhe looked out into the distance, completely ignoring the miserable screams behind him. His expression was grim, his eyes seemingly brimming with an endless, lingering longing!
Even the hardest of hearts can feel; even someone as decisive and ruthless in battle as Chu Tianhe possessed human emotions and desires.
"That woman was the love of my life!"
"Back when I was destitute and down on my luck, she defied her family's objections and resolutely eloped with me!"
"During my hardest times, she asked for nothing in return, cared nothing for wealth, and vowed to stay by my side through thick and thin!"
"We once slept out on the streets together, gazed up at the starry sky, talked about our ideals, and dreamed of a wonderful future!"
"I once made a promise: when I returned in triumph, I would use the vast rivers and mountains as my betrothal gift, lay out a hundred miles of red silk, and make her my bride!"
"In all my life, Chu has walked upright and open-handed, my word is law, and I have never once broken a promise—except this time..."
Gazing into the distance, Chu Tianhe felt a profound sorrow, his eye sockets turning slightly red. He raised a hand and reached out toward the horizon, as if trying to hold hands with Qin Xiaorou in heaven.
For a long, long time!
Finally, Chu Tianhe could only let out a heavy sigh and asked, "Tianjiu, do you know what a man's greatest wealth is in this lifetime?"
"This subordinate does not know."
Tianjiu delivered another cut, then hurriedly replied. The corners of Chu Tianhe's mouth twitched slightly, his gaze fixed on the distance, filled with grief.
"A man's greatest wealth in this lifetime is neither money nor fame and fortune, but the fact that when you have nothing left, when you are condemned by all and even bear a lifetime of infamy, there is still a woman willing to walk the path beside you."
"Yet she is gone!"
As his voice fell, Chu Tianhe's expression changed abruptly, turning razor-sharp. A fierce, chilling murderous intent flashed in his eyes as he swept his gaze directly toward Li Changshun, saying coldly: "It was your Li Family that drove her to her death!"
Chapter 7
"Boom!!"
With Chu Tianhe's words, a fierce thunderclap tore across the sky, and in an instant, dark clouds rolled in to blot out the sun. The previously clear skies over Jiangzhou City grew gloomy and overcast!
The sudden drop in atmospheric pressure made it hard to breathe, especially for Li Changshun. When he met Chu Tianhe's icy, murderous gaze, he froze in place as if struck by lightning. Even the excruciating pain in his body was instantly numbed by his senses, because he was witnessing something far more terrifying!!
A pair of terrifying eyes straight out of the Avici Hell, seemingly capable of piercing a person's soul in a single instant!
"Whoosh!"
The next second, Chu Tianhe surged forward like a speeding bullet, kicking up a terrifying wave of air that sent Tianjiu tumbling back seven or eight steps. Tianjiu hurriedly dropped to one knee, a layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Chu Tianhe reached out and gripped Li Changshun's neck, lifting him entirely off the ground with just one hand!
"Cough, cough, cough... I... you..."
Li Changshun let out a flurry of coughs, his eyes already filled with sheer terror!
"You... you want... want... what are you doing... my brother..."
With Li Changshun dangling by his neck in a single grip, Chu Tianhe walked straight toward the edge of Huihao Mansion, holding Li Changshun's body suspended out in the open air, completely outside the building!
If Chu Tianhe let go right now, Li Changshun would plummet from the thirtieth floor of this skyscraper and smash into a pulp of flesh and bone!
"Xiaorou jumped from right here. Now it's your turn!"
Intense murderous intent filled Chu Tianhe's eyes. Down below on the street outside Huihao International, countless Divine Martial Guards had already gathered. Li Changhu had just arrived at the scene as well, and the moment he looked up, he happened to catch the sight of Chu Tianhe choking Li Changshun by the neck and holding him suspended in mid-air!
"Brother!!"
"Damn it, stop right there for me!!!"
With eyes bulging in fury, Li Changhu let out a roaring command, then waved his hand frantically. "Charge! Charge! Charge up there for me! I'm going to tear that bastard into pieces, I'm going to skin him alive!!"
At Li Changhu's command, a thousand Divine Martial Guards behind him surged frantically toward the upper floors.
Consumed by blazing rage, Li Changhu rushed into Huihao Mansion himself!
"My brother is here! You're dead meat now, bastard! My brother is going to hack you to pieces and chop you into mincemeat!!"
Seeing Li Changhu arrive, Li Changshun regained his backbone!
Under the protection of the Divine Martial Guards, who would dare lay a hand on their Li Family?
Yet at that moment, Chu Tianhe merely cast a calm glance downward and said, "Tianjiu, is the one down there the last member of the Li Family?"
"Replying to the Temple Master, yes!"
"Good!" Chu Tianhe nodded. Just as Li Changhu took his first step to enter Huihao Mansion, Chu Tianhe let go!
"Ah...!!"
Li Changshun's piercing scream tore through the sky, causing everyone to look upward. Li Changhu was no exception. When he saw his brother's body plummeting at high speed, his eyes filled with shock and fury!
Someone actually dared to harm his brother right in front of him?!
He deserved to die, he deserved execution, and his entire clan must be wiped out!
"Bang!!"
Barely five seconds later—before anyone even had time to gasp, and before Li Changhu could utter another syllable—with a dull thud, Li Changshun crashed directly onto the ground right in front of Li Changhu, his eyes wide open, dead with unrequited grievances!
"Brother!!!"
With his eyes splitting in grief, Li Changhu dropped heavily to his knees before his brother's corpse and let out a sky-shaking roar!!
The Divine Martial Guards standing behind Li Changhu were completely dumbfounded!
In an instant, a trace of dread washed over everyone's faces!
Li Changshun was dead?
Just like that, right in front of Li Changhu, he had been thrown straight down from the top floor!
The heavens of Jiangzhou were about to collapse!
After a brief moment of shock, everyone looked upward. To their even greater astonishment, Chu Tianhe showed no intention of fleeing whatsoever. He stood calmly at the edge of the rooftop, looking down like a supreme deity surveying all living beings!
"What are you all staring at for? Charge! Take him alive! I'm going to peel his skin off with my own hands!!!"
Blazing fury soared into the heavens. Li Changhu's roar was deafening, and snapped the Divine Martial Guards back to their senses as they began charging frantically into Huihao Mansion once more!
"Temple Master, how should we deal with them? Shall we kill them?"
Watching tens of thousands of fully armed Divine Martial Guards storm crazily into Huihao Mansion, Tianjiu frowned, turned to Chu Tianhe, and cupped his fists in inquiry.
"Soldiers commit no crime; the blame lies with the commander!"
A cold, murderous flash crossed Chu Tianhe's eyes. His target was singular: to wipe out every last member of the Li Family!
These Divine Martial Guards had committed no wrong; they were merely following orders!
"It's him! Surround him!"
A group of Divine Martial Guards rushed to the top floor. The squad leader didn't hesitate for a second, waving his hand to order his men to encircle Chu Tianhe!
"Bang!"
Shortly after, Li Changhu kicked open the access door to the roof of Huihao Mansion, bursting out with raging fury and killing intent!
"Damn it! How dare you kill someone from the Li Family? Today I'm going to skin you alive..."
Venting his burning rage and murderous aura, Li Changhu cursed as he strode up to Chu Tianhe. But the moment his eyes locked onto Chu Tianhe's gaze, his tirade cut off abruptly!!
"Whoosh!"
A chilling breeze instantly raced up Li Changhu's spine!
He swore he had never seen such a terrifying gaze in his entire life. A simple glance made him feel as though he had been instantly cast into the netherworld, with the shrieks of ghosts ringing in his ears!!
"Gulp..."
Li Changhu swallowed hard. Unlike Li Changshun, who was a businessman ignorant of battlefield slaughter and ancient martial arts, Li Changhu was a military commander who had licked blood from the blade in his youth. Naturally, he could tell at a glance that Chu Tianhe was no ordinary man!
Unless one had survived countless trials of life and death and baths of blood and fire, it was simply impossible to possess such a terrifying gaze!
"Who the hell are you?"
Li Changhu quickly forced himself to calm down. Despite the boundless fury in his heart, he dared not strike rashly right now!
"Pantheon, Temple Master!"
"Chu Tianhe!"
Chapter 8
"Pan... Pan... Pantheon... Temple Master, Chu... Chu Tian... Chu Tianhe!!!"
"Hiss!"
Hearing this name, every single Divine Martial Guard present drew a sharp breath in unison. Fear washed over their faces as they involuntarily took several steps back, looking at Chu Tianhe as if they were gazing upon a ghost or deity of heaven and earth!
What kind of existence was the Pantheon? It was like a giant mountain towering between heaven and earth—how could mere ants like them ever hope to shake it?!
"Chu... Chu Tianhe... Th... This is impossible!"
"No, absolutely impossible! How... how could the Temple Master come to Jiangzhou City?"
Li Changhu was dumbfounded, cold sweat soaking through his clothes. Although he had recognized that the man before him was extraordinary, he still refused to believe that Chu Tianhe was actually the Temple Master of the Pantheon!
Even though he had received prior notification from the War Department stating that Pantheon Temple Master Chu Tianhe had arrived in Jiangzhou, he simply refused to believe that someone standing at the pinnacle of the world, a god-like existence, would actually come to a small backwater like Jiangzhou!
"What? Do you suppose there is anyone in this world bold enough to impersonate Chu?"
Chu Tianhe swept his gaze across the crowd, striking terror into everyone's hearts. Not a single Divine Martial Guard dared to meet his eyes!
No one in this world dared to impersonate the Pantheon!
Let alone impersonate the Pantheon Temple Master!
"Live on your knees, or die on your feet—choose for yourselves!"
After scanning the crowd once more, Chu Tianhe's cold, majestic voice rang out once again, sounding like a death summons from the underworld and turning everyone's faces pale with fright!
"Clatter..."
Barely a second later, the entire assembly of Divine Martial Guards dropped simultaneously to one knee, lowering their heads in submission!
A kingly aura and terrifying pressure!
Even though Chu Tianhe had done nothing, merely standing here and uttering the three words "Chu Tianhe" was enough to overawe all present!
"Thud!"
Under such terrifying pressure, Li Changhu finally broke. He crashed heavily to his knees, his eyes completely hollow!
He knew very well how many filthy deeds the Li Family had committed over the years, many of which he had personally overseen, relying on his authority to sweep everything under the rug.
But now, standing right in front of him was Chu Tianhe!!
"Just yesterday, right in this very place, Chu said he would exterminate your entire Li Family. Now, you are the last one!"
Chu Tianhe's voice was exceptionally cold, reeking of boundless murderous intent!
Hearing this, every single Divine Martial Guard felt their hearts skip a beat, and all eyes instantly snapped toward Li Changhu!!
Many of these Divine Martial Guards had harbored deep resentment toward Li Changhu. After all, the Li Family's tyranny and abuses in Jiangzhou over the years had driven the people to anger and despair—everyone knew it, but they had been constrained by Li Changhu's status as a commander wielding regional military power. Soldiers considered obedience to orders their bounden duty, so they had swallowed their anger in silence.
"Lord Temple Master, please spare my life! I too have served on the front lines, fought bandits, and achieved meritorious service for the country!"
Li Changhu wept. Faced with impending death, extreme terror made his tears and snot stream down together; any trace of his former arrogance was completely gone!
"Tianjiu, do it!"
Yet Li Changhu's tearful pleas bought him not a shred of pity!
Let alone having accumulated some military merits—even if it were Zhang Zhenhu of the Great Xia Country's War Department kneeling before him, Chu Tianhe would show no forgiveness!
The humiliation and murder of his late wife must be repaid in blood!
"Whoosh!"
A flash of cold light sliced through the air. Right in front of all the Divine Martial Guards, Tianjiu raised his blade and brought it down, cleanly severing Li Changhu's arms!
"Ah..."
A blood-curdling scream rang out, chilling to the bone!
"Whoosh!"
Another flash of cold light, and Li Changhu's legs were hacked off in one clean stroke, whittling him down into a human stump by Tianjiu's blade!
"Ah..."
Screams—screams of absolute terror. Overwhelmed by fear, Li Changhu gagged and vomited a mouthful of dark green bile.
"Whoosh!"
With a final stroke, Tianjiu decapitated Li Changhu. With that, the heads of every villain in the Li Family had been completely severed, leaving none behind!
......
Northern Jiangzhou, Lingxiao Cemetery!
Before a gravestone set on elevated ground, twelve heads were laid out in a row!
Looking at the photograph of his beloved on the tombstone, Chu Tianhe stood in silent mourning for a long time, uttering no words.
At this moment, it seemed no words could ever wash away the guilt in Chu Tianhe's heart toward his late wife.
"Xiaorou, you said you loved looking at Lingxiao Lake the most. Now I have buried you here; this is the only spot in the entire cemetery with a view of Lingxiao Lake."
"Weiming Mountain, which you loved, can also be seen from here, and your favorite roses—I have already planted them for you."
Chu Tianhe's voice was filled with sorrow, as if he were the only person left between heaven and earth, whispering intimate secrets known only to him and his departed wife.
"Temple Master, the War Department has arrived. Zhang Zhenhu is heading toward the cemetery with three thousand elite troops."
Chu Tianhe's wrath had shaken the entire Great Xia Country. Zhang Zhenhu had reacted immediately, mobilizing all elite forces to rush over. The three thousand elite troops he brought this time were all heavy hitters, effectively representing the entire combat strength of the Great Xia Country, with one hundred thousand elite Dragon Guards stationed behind them as reinforcements!
And everything he did was to keep Chu Tianhe in check!
After all, this was Great Xia Country, where murder demanded a life and the laws were strict. Not just anyone could run amok, or the War Department would become nothing more than a decoration!
"I wish to speak with Xiaorou. Since he is here, go stop him."
Facing the approaching army of the Great Xia Country's War Department, Chu Tianhe merely waved his hand indifferently, never once taking Zhang Zhenhu, the supreme commander of the War Department, seriously from start to finish!
"Understood!"
A sharp gleam flashed in Tianjiu's eyes as he turned squarely and walked out of the cemetery grounds.
Outside the cemetery gates, Zhang Zhenhu had already arrived with his three thousand elite troops, radiating a ferocious aura!
"Is Chu Tianhe inside?!"
Seeing Tianjiu blocking the cemetery entrance, Zhang Zhenhu frowned slightly and interrogated him without a trace of courtesy.
Zhang Zhenhu didn't care about the eradication of the Jiangzhou Li Family, but Li Changhu's death demanded an explanation!
After all, Li Changhu was a commander affiliated with the War Department. If the War Department ignored his death, where would the military's face go?
"Zhang Zhenhu, have your wings grown stiff now? How dare you address the Temple Master by his given name?!"
Facing Zhang Zhenhu and his overwhelming military force, Tianjiu showed not a flicker of fear. Instead, he frowned slightly and rebuked him sharply!
"I asked you, is Chu Tianhe inside or not?!"
A surge of anger flared in Zhang Zhenhu's chest as he barked the question again.
"He is. So what?" A cold, razor-sharp intent flashed in Tianjiu's eyes, and a piercing murderous aura erupted, locking firmly onto Zhang Zhenhu as he shouted sternly, "The Temple Master has given orders: no one is permitted to enter, including you, Zhang Zhenhu!"
"All under heaven belongs to the king! Chu Tianhe doesn't have the authority to seal off this cemetery and bar others from entering!"
Furious now, Zhang Zhenhu stepped forward aggressively. Though Chu Tianhe was the Temple Master of the Pantheon, he, Zhang Zhenhu, was the supreme commander of the Great Xia Country's forces!
"Are you trying to force your way in?" Tianjiu's face darkened as his right hand slipped to a short dagger, its blade gleaming with an eerie, chilling light. "With me, Tianjiu, standing here today, go ahead and try!"
Chapter 9
"Whoosh!"
Seeing Tianjiu draw his blade, the three thousand elite troops behind Zhang Zhenhu instantly bared their weapons, their combined battle intent soaring straight into the clouds!!
"You dare draw a weapon against me?"
Fury blazing in his eyes, Zhang Zhenhu glared wrathfully at Tianjiu. The man was merely a personal bodyguard by Chu Tianhe's side, yet he dared to draw a weapon against a commander of the realm—have they lost their minds completely?! Moreover, behind him stood three thousand elite Dragon Guards, with hundreds of thousands more troops stationed behind them!
Where did he get the guts?!!
"Take one more step forward, and I will kill you!"
Tianjiu offered no superfluous words—crisp and absolute!
Even facing a powerhouse like Zhang Zhenhu and the three thousand elite Dragon Guards backing him, he showed not the slightest hint of fear!
"Hahaha..." Zhang Zhenhu laughed out of sheer fury, his expression twisting into a ferocious scowl. "I've always heard that the people of the Pantheon are arrogant, and today I see it for myself. A mere bodyguard dares to speak such arrogant nonsense to me!"
With that, Zhang Zhenhu raised his hand slightly. Though he himself hadn't moved, the three thousand elite troops behind him all took a synchronized step forward!
This was a blatant provocation!
Zhang Zhenhu versus Tianjiu—one-on-one, the outcome might still hold some suspense. But now, Zhang Zhenhu had three thousand elite troops at his back!