Douluo: A Century-old Legend I Am the Second Uncle Chenxin

Chapter 1848 Opening the Gap
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Yan Zhen was struck dumb, his massive body swaying violently in the chains. He stared intently at Dou Jing: "Vice-Captain... this... this is real?! You and Barton... you guys..."

He gritted his teeth and looked at Dou Jing, who remained silent as a rock.

The dark blue runes on the chains still emitted a cold light, reflecting on Dou Jing's blood-stained and lifeless face.

Li Wuyai struggled to raise his head, veins bulging in his neck, and roared hoarsely in Chen Xiaojun's direction: "So be it! Boss did the right thing! I'll go with you! I only regret not killing you—!!"

The cave was deathly silent.

The roar just now seemed to have exhausted all his breath, leaving only Dou Jing's heavy, desperate panting like a broken bellows, and the cold, long "buzzing" sound of the heavy chains binding the five people as they struggled slightly, echoing in the blood-scented air, adding to the oppressive atmosphere.

Chen Xiaojun's gaze swept calmly over Li Wuyai before finally settling on Dou Jing.

"Pry open your mouth, Dou Jing? Perhaps it won't be that difficult. Your bones may be tough enough, but the 'marks' Patton left on you and the eyes of your brothers..."

A barely perceptible smile seemed to appear at the corner of his mouth. "They've already told us enough information."

His tone suddenly changed: "Yan Zhen."

Yan Zhen's massive body shuddered violently. He raised his confused eyes and looked blankly at Chen Xiaojun.

“Your ‘secondary seat’,” Chen Xiaojun pointed to Dou Jing, who was panting with his eyes closed, like an empty shell, “has nothing more to say.”

"And you? Will you continue to be kept in the dark and become their sacrificial lambs, or... give yourself a clear answer?"

All eyes instantly focused on Yan Zhen.

Qin Luguang licked his gleaming white teeth, while Zhu Yanfeng crossed his arms and took a leisurely drag.

Dou Jing's final desperate counterattack not only failed to harm Chen Xiaojun in the slightest, but also tore apart the fragile facade of their relationship, pushing Yan Zhen, who trusted Dou Jing the most, to the brink of despair.

Yan Zhen's large, round eyes trembled violently, his Adam's apple bobbing as he made incomprehensible "ho...ho..." sounds.

The string of "loyalty" and "trust" was stretched to its limit in the face of irrefutable facts.

Zhu Yanfeng crossed his arms and added coldly at the opportune moment: "Kid Yan, choose your own path. Don't... narrow your path."

Yan Zhen's massive body shook violently. He squeezed his eyes shut, and when he opened them again, he finally spoke in a hoarse voice: "I...I'll talk."

Chen Xiaojun nodded slightly, slowly raised his right hand, and pointed his index finger at Dou Jing's own brow.

A dark red halo quietly appeared. Upon closer inspection, the halo seemed to be formed by the compression and condensation of countless tiny, ferocious, and twisted yin energy, creating a miniature, slowly rotating vortex.

The dark red mark was lightly placed between Dou Jing's eyebrows and then disappeared. The instant the mark sank into his skin, Dou Jing suddenly choked, the muscles on his blood-stained face twitched violently, his pupils dilated abruptly, then completely lost focus, and an invisible gate slammed down, completely sealing him away from his soul nest.

Yin Sha Shen Yuan Seal!
Having just been ambushed by Dou Jing, we naturally cannot give him another chance to use his mental power.

Then, he calmly sat back down in the middle chair, his posture serene.

Yan Zhen's confession was as simple and direct as his rugged appearance, with very little information: "I... I was only responsible for killing. The specific arrangements of the group, the secret transactions... were all handled by the vice-captain, Barton and a few others."

"All I know is... that Patton outwardly relies on his co-pilot quite a bit. Some things, like handovers with people on the ground, he designates his co-pilot to handle... I... I think that's just Patton's way of doing things, trusting his brothers to do things, and I've never thought much of it..."

As he spoke, he clenched his huge fist. He had joined the Bone-Digging Gang to escape the Spirit Hall's enemies, but now he found himself serving under their protection. This shock almost broke him.

His words confirmed Chen Xiaojun and Zhu Yanfeng's guesses—Yan Zhen was indeed the "cleanest" one among the core high-ranking members of the Bone Digging Gang, a pure henchman, and a shield that was being used.

"I...I'll say it too!" Mo Li's voice trembled noticeably as Yan Zhen finished speaking.

He looked up, his face pale. "I don't know much either... I'm mainly responsible for some peripheral disposal of stolen goods. Barton... Commander Barton is a bit mysterious. Many orders are either issued to his side or through Blood Fang to the vice-commander, who then assigns them to us."

“Once… I overheard the co-pilot arguing with Bloodfang. It was about… about the pressure from ‘above,’ apparently because they thought the progress was too slow… Bloodfang was very firm, saying something about ‘limited patience’… I was terrified and ran away immediately, never daring to ask again…”

Mo Li's voice grew softer and softer.

After listening, Zhu Yanfeng crossed his arms and chuckled, twirling his pipe between his fingers: "Tsk, it seems that all you know is just a few bits and pieces. That old crocodile, Patton, has really kept his secrets well."

Suddenly, Yin Jiu's hoarse, self-deprecating voice rang out from the side: "Heh heh... scraps? Not even scraps! Barton... he only trusts Bloodfang! Bloodfang is his arm, his leg, his other mouth! All of us... including Deputy Commander Dou..."

His sinister gaze swept over Dou Jing, who remained silent with his eyes closed. "In his eyes, they are nothing more than pawns that can be used, or... troublesome stones. Only Blood Fang knows best what is truly deadly."

"Oh, maybe...maybe Bloodfang himself was sent by the Spirit Hall to be Barton's deputy, eyes and ears, and liaison? The information I'm in charge of from the undercover agents and informants is all fragmented; the most important leads are all in Bloodfang's hands. Otherwise...his combat strength is nothing like ours, hehe...too bad, he's been taken by you..."

His gaze swept over Chen Xiaojun, "...He was cleaved in two with a single sword strike, leaving not even a trace of him."

"Blood Fang?" Chen Xiaojun raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly, and the image of the burly figure that had clashed with his "Peerless Glory" on the battlefield and ultimately forced him to use "Sword of War - Blood Slaughter Edge" to completely kill him flashed through his mind—that martial soul was the Soul Saint of the Ferocious Blood Fang War Elephant.

No wonder... I felt that this person was exceptionally strong back then, with a foundation far exceeding that of ordinary Soul Masters of the same level, and their teamwork was terrifyingly seamless. It turns out that he was Barton's most trusted confidant!
That's right, he was in charge of supervising the team that day.

This explained a lingering doubt in his mind, but it also meant that a crucial clue had been completely severed.

Patton's shrewdness and caution are evident.

(End of this chapter)