Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 741 The Blade Returns to Its Sheath, Revenge Ends

As night fell, the Yunxiao Mountains were shrouded in darkness, yet their majestic grandeur remained undiminished. Under the moonlight, their precipitous peaks resembled crouching beasts, casting deep shadows. The cliffs, as if carved by an axe, appeared even more stark and imposing under the moonlight. A thin mist hung in the mountains, like a veil, adding a touch of mystery to this magnificent landscape.

The mountains and forests were quiet, with only the gentle breeze rustling the leaves.

The bright moon hangs high, casting its silvery light and draping the mountains and forests in a cool veil.

In the stillness of the night, a black figure silently emerged from the woods, its movements ghostly. With a light touch of its toes, it moved with the agility of a cat, dashing towards the Zhang family's Luyuan Garden, disappearing into the night in an instant.

Luyuan Garden was the most important property of the Zhang family, and the Zhang family's ancestral land was built next to Luyuan Garden.

Nestled in the valley between the two mountains, pavilions and towers stand quietly, their outlines appearing ancient and rustic under the moonlight. Occasionally, a gentle breeze rustles through the leaves, as if softly singing a nocturne, and the entire Zhang family compound is tranquil and filled with a spiritual charm.

Under the bright moonlight, the black figure gradually emerged in front of the Zhang family's gate. The person was dressed in black, and his face was also completely covered by a black cloth, revealing only a pair of sharp, hawk-like eyes.

With keen eyes, he quickly scanned the surroundings and, after confirming that there was no movement, he silently sneaked into the Zhang family's territory.

The Zhang family's ancestral land was vast and exceptionally exquisite and magnificent, adorned with numerous exotic flowers and rare herbs amidst pavilions and towers, though it appeared somewhat eerie under the hazy night sky.

The dark figure hid among the dense vegetation, carefully observing the paths and layout of the garden.

His gaze wandered among the pavilions and houses, sometimes crouching low to avoid the moonlight, sometimes using the shadows of the pavilions and buildings to conceal himself.

Soon, his figure appeared outside the gate of a secluded courtyard in the backyard.

This is an extremely simple and ancient courtyard with only three main rooms. In one of these dimly lit rooms, an old man is sitting on a bed, meditating with his eyes closed.

Suddenly, the old man opened his eyes wide.

"who!"

Before he could make any move, a chilling blade of light came hurtling towards him.

A bright glint flashed in the old man's eyes, and he suddenly struck out with his palm, his earth-yellow true essence acting like a shield to block the blade's edge.

With a crack, as if a real shield had shattered, the earthen-yellow true essence instantly scattered in all directions.

Immediately afterward, the old man rolled awkwardly to the side, and a bright yellow blade suddenly appeared.

Unfortunately, the attacker's blade was too fast. Before the bright yellow blade could even be drawn, the icy light had already pierced his chest.

"Ah~~"

The old man let out a miserable howl and tried to fight back.

The blade flashed upwards, actually flipping him from his chest all the way down to his shoulder.

Bright red blood splattered, staining the gray curtains hanging on the bed.
The old man's eyes bulged as he stared intently at the man in black before him. "Who are you? Cough cough~"

The man in black looked at him with indifferent eyes, and his deep, hoarse voice rang out.

"Soul-breaking Sword!"

Ahem~~
The old man's mouth and nose were covered in blood. He stared intently at the man in black, his eyes filled with fear and resentment.

The man in black sheathed his long sword, and his figure vanished from the room like a ghost. The old man's eyes gradually dimmed, just like the dim room, devoid of any light.

The person was awakened in the dead of night.

The once tranquil Zhang family home suddenly became noisy, with screams and howls rang out, and a series of hurried footsteps completely shattering the peaceful night.

Zhang Chenghuai walked out of the room with a gloomy expression. "What happened?"

"Master, there's an assassin!"

"What?" Zhang Chenghuai's expression changed slightly.

At this moment, a large number of Zhang family members had gathered like a tide inside and outside Zhang Chenghuai's courtyard. Their faces were filled with panic, their eyes scanning their surroundings warily, their hands gripping their weapons tightly, their bodies trembling slightly. The agonizing screams rose and fell, like sharp claws tearing at their nerves, causing them to shudder uncontrollably.

The air was thick with tension and fear. Occasionally, a breeze would blow, rustling the leaves and branches of the plants, but the sound was quickly drowned out by the panicked shouts of the crowd.

Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed across the rooftop at incredible speed, leaving only a fleeting afterimage.

A gasp of alarm erupted from the crowd. Someone pointed frantically in the direction of the dark figure, their voice trembling: "There! An assassin!"

Zhang Chenghuai looked in the direction of the sound and only saw a fleeting afterimage. His expression changed repeatedly.

"Shut up!"

Frustration surged to his head, and he couldn't help but shout coldly.

The panicked commotion instantly subsided.

A cool night breeze gently blew by, but it did not bring Zhang Chenghuai any relief; instead, it made his heart even hotter.

His gaze swept across the surrounding buildings as time ticked by.

Until the screams stopped.

He didn't know how much time had passed when a ray of rosy clouds appeared on the eastern horizon, as if he had seen the dawn in the dark night. Zhang Chenghuai let out a long breath.

But before he could exhale completely, his trembling heart suddenly jumped up again.

"Ancestor! Quick, go see the Ancestor!"

In his panic, he didn't care about anything else and hurriedly ran towards the small courtyard at the back.

Needless to say, all they saw were corpses, including the one on the bed in the courtyard.

As dawn broke, the surviving members of the Zhang family emerged from their hiding place, their eyes filled with a mixture of relief and exhaustion at having survived the ordeal.

Some people sobbed softly, while others silently cleaned up the mess; a heavy atmosphere enveloped the entire Zhang family.

The first rays of dawn brought light, but they could not dispel the gloom in people's hearts.

……

Lingxi Mountain.

"Master, the Zhang family of Luyuan was attacked last night, suffering heavy casualties!"

Early in the morning, Yang Zhengshan had just returned from the land of spiritual energy when Li Chang came to report to him.

"Oh! How badly?"

Yang Zhengshan asked in surprise.

Li Chang said with a solemn expression, "It is said that more than half of the Zhang clan members were massacred, including the Zhang family's Earthly Fiend stage ancestor!"

Yang Zhengshan suddenly raised his head. "Who did this?"

The patriarch of the Zhang family was quite a figure, considered a top expert in the northeastern part of Shanggu County.

But he just died like that?
"I don't know. It's said that only one person sneaked into the Zhang family's territory in the dead of night, killed the Zhang family's patriarch, and then went back and forth in the Zhang family's territory several times before quietly leaving at dawn!"

Li Chang unconsciously lowered his voice, as if afraid of being overheard by the lingering shadows in the dead of night.

Yang Zhengshan narrowed his eyes slightly. This result was really beyond his expectations. He originally thought that the two families would fight for a long time before a winner could be determined. He did not expect that the Zhang family would be crippled in just one night.

As for whether the Wan family did it, Yang Zhengshan had a hunch that the Wan family was definitely involved.

"Have Chen Zhongshu find out who the person who made the move is?"

This matter deserves attention; the death of the Zhang family patriarch so quietly is truly chilling.

The Zhang family patriarch was a martial artist at the Earthly Fiend stage, so the person who made the move could be a martial artist at the Earthly Fiend stage or the Heavenly Gang stage.

After killing the Zhang family patriarch, that person was still able to easily slaughter so many members of the Zhang family, which shows that his strength was extraordinary.

"Yes!" Li Chang replied. After he left, Yang Zhengshan stroked his beard and pondered for a moment.

He was considering the implications of this matter.

The rivalry between the Zhang and Wan families is no secret.

At this time, the Zhang family was attacked and their patriarch died a violent death. Anyone would think that the Wan family was the culprit.

But the Wan family shouldn't have that kind of strength. If they did, they wouldn't have been forced into such a miserable situation by the Zhang family.

So the question is, who is helping the Wan family?

Or rather, who did Wanjia hire to help them?
What is Lu Jianghua's attitude towards this matter?

Should we ignore it, or help the Zhang family get revenge?
……

Inside the county government office in Nanxia County.

Zhang Chenghuai staggered and knelt down in front of Lu Jianghua with a thud. At this moment, his eyes were red and swollen, tears streaming down his face like a burst dam, and snot was flowing uncontrollably. He was crying so hard that he couldn't speak.

"Lord Lu, please uphold justice for my Zhang family!"

Zhang Chenghuai's voice trembled, filled with endless sorrow, "Last night, that assassin, like a ghost in the dark, silently infiltrated my Zhang family's territory..."

His voice trembled as he recounted the attack he had suffered the previous night.

When Zhang Chenghuai spoke of seeing his ancestor's corpse, he was overcome with grief. He collapsed to the ground with a thud, pounding his fists on the earth and wailing loudly, as if he were trying to release all the pain and despair in his heart.

Lu Jianghua, dressed in apricot-yellow brocade robes, sat behind the desk, listening to Zhang Chenghuai's narration, his expression suddenly becoming solemn.

"Did you get a good look at the assassin's attire?"

"All I know is that he was an assassin dressed in black," Zhang Chenghuai said.

What kind of weapon was used?

"A knife! All my family members who died tragically were wounded by knives!"

"Where is the scent left by the knife wound?"

"This is a chilling blade aura, neither metal nor water, extremely cold!" Zhang Chenghuai said urgently, recalling the blade wounds he had examined.

Upon hearing this, Lu Jianghua abruptly stood up, shouting, "The Soul-Severing Blade!"

His face instantly turned extremely pale.

Zhang Chenghuai was puzzled and looked at him with some astonishment.

"It's actually the Soul-Severing Blade? How could it be the Soul-Severing Blade?" Lu Jianghua's expression was extremely solemn.
Others may not understand the horror of the Soul-Severing Blade, but Lu Jianghua does.

He had heard about the Soul-Severing Blade many times before.

The most unbelievable of all was an assassination attempt fifty years ago.

An elder of the Xuanqing Sect was killed by a single blow within the sect.

He was killed within the sect!
This is a great disgrace to the Xuanqing Sect.

This was not only a great humiliation for the Xuanqing Sect, but also a provocation for the Wuxiang Sect and Huanyue Sect.

The three major sects hold an unchallengeable position in the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty. How could the three major sects tolerate the fact that the Soul-Severing Blade dared to infiltrate their sects to carry out an assassination?

Therefore, the three major sects joined forces to eliminate all of Duanhundao's strongholds in the Lingxiu Sea, completely driving Duanhundao out of the Lingxiu Sea.

This incident greatly embarrassed the Xuanqing Sect, and since then, the Soul-Severing Blade has become a taboo in the Lingxiu Sea, with few daring to mention it openly.

Although the Lu family was not a prominent family in the Lingxiu Sea before, Tianque City was very close to the Lingxiu Sea, which is why the Lu family was able to know these hidden matters.

Lu Jianghua had heard about this from his elders.

The most distinctive feature of the Soul-Severing Blade is that their Qi-cultivation method is not the conventional one, but rather a sinister and malevolent one. Therefore, the traces they leave behind after each assassination are those extremely cold and malevolent energies.

"You may leave now. I have my own plan for this matter!" Lu Jianghua said after thinking for a moment.

"grown ups!"

Zhang Chenghuai wanted to make another request, but Lu Jianghua's icy glare stopped him, and he could only tremble and leave the room.

Lu Jianghua's face was extremely gloomy.

Faced with such a ruthless assassin force as the Soul-Severing Blade, Lu Jianghua was filled with trepidation.

If that Soul-Severing Blade were to find him, he would lose his life.

The thought that the Soul-Severing Blade was in Nanxia County gave him an urge to escape back to Tianque City.

It wasn't that he was cowardly; it was simply that the Soul-Severing Blade had too great a reputation.

……

Lan Peng arrived uninvited at Lingxi Mountain.

"The Soul-Severing Blade?"

Yang Zhengshan looked at Lan Peng in surprise.

Lan Peng's mood today was not as cheerful as usual, but rather solemn, something Yang Zhengshan had never seen before.

"The Soul-Severing Blade is extremely dangerous. Fifty years ago, they assassinated an elder of the Xuanqing Sect, a Martial God Realm elder!" Lan Peng said.

Yang Zhengshan looked shocked.

"The assassination was carried out within the Xuanqing Sect's territory. It was a one-hit kill, and the assassin left quietly. Although the three major sects later joined forces to hunt down Duanhundao, in the end, they only killed a few of Duanhundao's henchmen!"

"After that, the Soul-Severing Blade rarely appeared in the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty. However, it did appear all the time. Thirty years ago, Shi Yuancai, the head of the Beishi family, was assassinated while he was away. More than twenty years ago, Qu Yan, the prime minister of the Great Zhao Dynasty, died tragically in his study!"

At this point, Lan Peng slightly raised his eyes, a cold glint flashing in them, "With Qu Yan dead, the Great Zhao Dynasty had no chance of recovery and ultimately faced its inevitable destruction!"

"And in recent years, the Soul-Severing Blade has appeared more and more frequently in the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty! This year alone, they have already made three moves!"

"This is only what I know; there may be other things I don't know!"

Yang Zhengshan couldn't help but gasp.

Infiltrate the Xuanqing Sect and assassinate its Martial God Realm elder!
Meow!

This Soul-Severing Blade is ridiculously powerful.

The Xuanqing Sect not only has several Martial God Realm elders, but also Martial Immortal Realm experts, and it is also protected by a sect formation.

However, this Soul-Severing Blade was still able to infiltrate the Xuanqing Sect and escape unscathed after killing a Martial God Realm elder.

Not only that, despite being besieged by the three major sects, the Soul-Severing Blade was not destroyed, but instead continued to operate in the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty.

There are two Shi families in Lingxiu Sea, the Northern Shi family and the Southern Shi family. It is said that these two Shi families used to be one family, but later they separated and became two different Shi families due to some events.

The Grand Chancellor Qu Yan was also a remarkable figure. When he was alive, he seemed capable of saving the dynasty from collapse, but unfortunately, he died too young.

It was precisely because of his death that the Great Zhao lost its last chance to struggle and was on the path to complete destruction.

Compared to these people, the Zhang family members were just a bunch of lackeys, not worth mentioning at all.

However, since the Soul-Severing Blade has attacked the Zhang family, it means that they are once again operating in the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty in a grand manner.

They used to be more cautious and only accepted large orders, but now they're taking on even small orders, which shows that they're starting to make a comeback.

(End of this chapter)