From afar, a black sedan sped toward the Ye Family Manor but dared not come closer than a hundred meters.
A middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and a square face stepped out of the car.
The moment he arrived, Li Yong and the others rushed up to him, stammering nervously,
“Chief, what kind of people are those inside the Ye estate?! Why are there so many experts gathered in Yunshan City all of a sudden?”
Cheng Jianhui’s eyes widened sharply.
“Don’t ask what you shouldn’t! Just stay right here and keep your mouth shut!”
Barking that order, he sprinted toward the manor.
Suddenly, the distant whir of helicopter blades echoed through the sky.
Cheng Jianhui looked up just in time to see a gray-green military chopper dive rapidly toward them. Within moments, it hovered twenty meters above the ground. From midair, a man leaped out like lightning and landed soundlessly on the lawn.
Even with just a glimpse of the man’s side profile, Cheng Jianhui froze in disbelief.
He recognized him immediately as one of the ten great commanders of the Yanlong Nation’s National Defense Corps, a peak Heaven-rank powerhouse: Guo Haijun!
Guo Haijun, visibly excited, rushed straight into the manor. The moment he saw Xiao Zhan, he slammed his right fist over his heart and choked out,
“Temple of the War God, former Instructor Corps officer Guo Haijun, reporting to the Temple Master!”
Xiao Zhan gave a faint nod, his expression unreadable.
“Go back and tell your superiors, my return this time is only to protect my wife and daughter. I have no other intentions.”
Guo Haijun bowed deeply and stepped aside, his face full of concern as he glanced at the unconscious Ye Wei in Xiao Zhan’s arms.
“Temple Master, I have a villa on the outskirts of the city. The environment is quiet and safe, perfect for Madam’s recovery.”
Xiao Zhan nodded.
“Good. Since you’re here, take Weiwei there to rest first.”
He paused, eyes darkening.
“Also, last night, a man named Lei Zhen tried to abduct Weiwei. Do you know who he is?”
Murderous intent flashed across Guo Haijun’s face.
“Reporting to the Temple Master, Lei Zhen is the young master of the Lei family.”
“The moment he dared set his eyes on Madam,” he growled, “he sealed his family’s fate. I’ll lead my men to annihilate the Lei clan at once!”
But Xiao Zhan shook his head, his tone cold and absolute.
“No. Simply inform your superiors. If the Lei family truly had a hand in this, then I will personally bathe their house in blood. Anyone who dares to stop me… will die.”
He added sharply,
“And one more thing, seal the area. Not a single word of what happened here is to leave this place.”
Then, with a heavy stomp, Xiao Zhan launched himself skyward, landing cleanly inside the hovering helicopter.
The aircraft immediately rose and sped toward the provincial capital.
…
At that same moment, Lei Zhen had returned home.
He lay on his bed, chest tightly bound in blood-soaked bandages.
Beside him stood the Lei Family Patriarch, Lei Biao, his narrow eyes gleaming with murderous fury.
Two Western men stood nearby as well, both clad in dark-red tactical jackets and camouflage pants, heavy combat boots grounding their tall figures. Relief flickered in their eyes; they were the only survivors.
Black Mamba, the world’s top mercenary organization, had sent thirty Earth-rank experts to Yanlong Nation to find Xiao Zhan’s daughter. The Temple of the War God slew more than half; now, only these two remained.
Had they personally gone to the Ye estate last night, they would’ve encountered the Heaven-rank expert Jiang Yuan and died without a corpse left behind.
Lei Biao glanced at the two mercenaries, gritting his teeth.
“If my son’s heart hadn’t grown on the right side, he’d be dead by now.”
“I know this Jiang Yuan fellow,” he continued darkly. “He’s a famous Heaven-rank master. I don’t know why he saved Ye Wei, but I’m certain he’ll keep meddling.”
“My father’s also Heaven-rank,” he added, “but his age has caught up to him. So I’ll need the two of you to contact Black Mamba’s Heaven-rank operatives. Only then can we be sure of capturing Ye Wei.”
The two men exchanged glances, but said nothing.
From the moment they arrived in Wanshan Province, all contact with Black Mamba headquarters had been lost, and it still hadn’t been restored.
They didn’t know that Black Mamba had already been erased from existence by The Temple of the War God.
Lei Biao’s heart began to sink at their silence.
Suddenly, a suffocating aura appeared at the doorway.
An old man, stooped and frail as if he could crumble any moment, slowly entered the room.
The oppressive might unique to Heaven-rank experts filled the air, making it hard for the two mercenaries even to breathe.
The old man glanced at Lei Zhen’s wound, and a sinister glint flashed across his age-spotted face.
This was Lei He, Lei Biao’s father and the former patriarch of the Lei family.
Without hesitation, Lei He extended both hands gnarled like dry bones and thrust them toward the mercenaries.
Their faces twisted in horror.
“Lei He! Are you betraying Black Mamba?!”
But before the words finished leaving their mouths, Lei He’s claws pierced their chests, crushing their hearts in his grasp.
Lei Biao’s pupils constricted violently.
“Father, why…?”
“Silence!” Lei He’s cold glare cut him off.
“And you call yourself head of the Lei family? What a fool, blinded and used like a child.”
“Do you even know why Black Mamba came to hide within our family? Or why did they want that woman, Ye Wei?”
Lei Biao stiffened, as if struck by lightning.
“They wanted to use Ye Wei to threaten someone,” Lei He continued grimly. “Someone even Black Mamba feared to provoke. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent Heaven-rank experts to protect her.”
Lei Biao’s voice trembled. “You mean…?”
Lei He’s face darkened, the wrinkles and liver spots deepening as his expression grew cold.
“Exactly. That woman, Ye Wei, is the wife of the Temple of the War God’s Temple Master.”
“The man Black Mamba tried to threaten… is none other than the legendary Dragon King himself.”
Lei Biao’s face turned deathly pale, and cold sweat soaked through his robe.
“Black Mamba must be insane! Even if they’re the world’s top mercenary corps, before the Temple of the War God, they’re nothing but dust! Aren’t they afraid of bringing destruction upon themselves?”
Lei He let out a disdainful snort.
“Too late for that. Word just came in, Black Mamba has already been annihilated by the Temple of the War God.”
“All Temple of the War God members have now entered Yanlong Nation. Any force tied to Black Mamba… will share the same fate, total eradication.”
Lei Biao’s body wavered, nearly collapsing.
“Then… doesn’t that mean our Lei family is doomed as well!?”
Lei He hesitated briefly, then pointed to the two corpses on the floor.
“As long as you dispose of these bodies properly, no one will ever know we were connected to Black Mamba.”
Lei Biao frowned.
“But Lei Zhen went to the Ye family last night and was gravely injured by Jiang Yuan. How are we supposed to cover that up?”
Lei He chuckled faintly, clapping his hands.
A man who looked exactly like Lei Zhen stepped into the room.
“Tomorrow is Lei Zhen’s birthday. Hold a grand celebration, let everyone see that your son is perfectly fine.”
“If anyone mentions last night’s incident, just insist it was someone impersonating Lei Zhen.”
Lei Biao finally exhaled in relief, breaking into a strained smile.
“Father, truly, age brings wisdom. Where did you even find someone who looks so much like my son?”
Lei He’s expression remained blank as he turned to leave. His tone was icy.
“Back then, when you weren’t home, your wife gave birth to twins. One of them was born mentally impaired.”
“They even share the same birthmark. Not even an immortal could tell them apart.”
With that, Lei He’s figure flickered and vanished from sight.
…
At dawn, a helicopter landed on the outskirts of the provincial capital.
A black sedan that had been waiting nearby quickly pulled up.
Xiao Zhan climbed in, his tone cold as steel.
“Shadow, you’ve disappointed me.”
The man behind the wheel trembled, guilt written across his face.
“Temple master, it’s my failure.”
The leader of Shadow, a man who had once shaken all of Yanlong Nation’s underworld, now had red-rimmed eyes.
Xiao Zhan’s single word, “disappointed,” cut deeper than any blade.
Three years ago, his entire family had been massacred by enemies. It was Xiao Zhan who saved his life and took him in as his only disciple.
A year ago, when a certain high-ranking figure personally requested Xiao Zhan to establish the Shadow Organization to deter criminals across the nation, Xiao Zhan had recommended him as its leader.
Yet now, he couldn’t even locate his master’s missing daughter.
Clenching his fists, Shadow slammed one against his own chest, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
“Master, your disciple is useless. I deserve death!”
Xiao Zhan didn’t reply. Instead, his voice turned quiet but sharp.
“What’s the Lei family’s current situation?”
Shadow gritted his teeth.
“No abnormalities. But today, the Lei family is holding a grand birthday banquet for Lei Zhen. Every major family in Wanshan Province will attend.”
“By all logic, after being struck in the chest by Jiang Yuan’s blade, Lei Zhen should’ve been dead on the spot.”
Xiao Zhan’s gaze turned distant.
“Then we’ll see for ourselves… what the truth really is.”