Chapter Nineteen: The Second Stage Completed

Why? Chang Yuan did not answer.

Beneath a grove of trees to the north of the city, a hundred meters underground, there was an unexpected space. At this moment, the place was already filled with copious blood, pooling like a sea around an altar.

Nearby, three shadowy figures appeared.

"According to my calculations, with the blood of countless living beings, this place ought to be opened. For this scheme, we have plotted for nearly a hundred years, arranged everything without exposing ourselves, and sacrificed more than half the population of the county city. Why is there still no reaction?"

"Could it be that this method does not work?"

"Every possible approach has been tried, but none have succeeded! If even this doesn't work... This altar contains an unfathomable power. Could it require some special method? Yet, with our combined efforts, we've pursued clues for so many years and found nothing!"

"Then..."

"Let us try once more!"

The three of them floated cross-legged in the air, channeling a secret technique. In an instant, the gathered blood of countless souls ignited and transformed into a beam of blood-red light that struck the altar.

A deep buzzing ensued.

The altar trembled, emitting a strange ripple that instantly vaporized the blood light, leaving not a trace behind. The shockwave blasted the three figures away, each spitting blood, faces ashen with terror.

Their auras were utterly depleted.

The ripple continued.

"Go!"

Terrified, the three quickly tunneled away through the earth.

The underground space returned to silence.

"What now?"

"Wait! This must be a great opportunity. Once we've recovered from our injuries, we'll join forces again!"

"Very well!"

After their discussion, the three departed.

At dawn, reinforcements arrived.

The remaining water demons were annihilated, and the pursuit along the river reached all the way to the Red River!

The Red River, with its many tributaries, flows straight to the sea.

By midmorning, Jiang Zheng'an and his companions emerged from the underground palace. Upon seeing the courtyard full of desiccated corpses, grief overwhelmed them.

In the main hall, Jiang Zheng'an sat upright, gazing left and right at the emptiness around him—only a handful of them remained.

His wife and child, a nephew, and two young maids.

As for the others, not a single one survived.

Jiang Zheng'an sighed, closing his eyes for a long while before opening them again. "Xiaofan, Xiaoshan, you two gather the bodies together—burn those that should be burned, and lay the rest to rest as appropriate."

"Xiaoqing and Xiaoqian, clean the residence!"

"Xiaoyue, take five million silver notes to the county governor's office. Tell them this is the Jiang family's contribution to the city's reconstruction. Also, find out how many casualties there were, and whether there are any hidden truths behind the numbers."

He assigned the tasks one by one.

The others nodded silently.

Jiang Fan and Jiang Shan began to tidy up from the front courtyard to the back. Aside from direct relatives, all others were cremated in a single fire; otherwise, so many corpses would be a daunting task to bury.

The two worked without a word.

Even Xiaoqing and Xiaoqian fetched water to wash away the bloodstains.

By noon, Nangong Yue returned, her face sorrowful. "Half the city's population died, and with the villages outside, at least five to six hundred thousand are dead!"

Jiang Zheng'an's face darkened.

Grief clouded Jiang Fan's expression.

To some, these were mere numbers, but behind each digit, who knew how many families had been wiped out? Even the survivors would be left in mourning.

"Those evil fiends deserve death!" An unprecedented hatred rose in his heart.

In the following days, family members gradually returned—those who managed family properties, mostly distant branches or their kin, and some stewards. Altogether, just over twenty came back.

Each returnee wore a mournful expression.

Once the numbers were tallied, they began preparing for the funerals.

Not only the Jiang family—almost every household was in mourning. The sorrowful atmosphere shrouded the entire city.

News continued to arrive. The imperial court was furious, dispatching airborne soldiers to the coasts, slaughtering untold numbers of water demons and sea beasts—even a few legendary Nascent Soul-level great demons had been slain.

In the main hall—

"Xiaoshan, though our family has declined, we still have ample resources. From now on, all efforts will be devoted to your cultivation, so you may one day become a Dao Initiate!" Jiang Zheng'an instructed. "But before that, you must marry!"

"Third Uncle, I only wish to train wholeheartedly and avenge our kin as soon as possible!" Jiang Shan shook his head.

He spoke, clearly referring to vengeance against the water demons and the evil god who corrupted Jiang Zhengde.

"Family inheritance is above all else!" Jiang Zheng'an said with no room for argument. "Leave descendants, then do as you will. I am both the family head and your third uncle. I am not discussing this with you—I'm informing you! If you have someone you like, I will propose on your behalf. If not, your third aunt will choose for you."

"Very well." Jiang Shan replied bitterly, but could only nod.

"And you, Xiaofan!" Jiang Zheng'an turned to his own son.

"Father, I'm still young!" Jiang Fan protested at once.

Jiang Zheng'an frowned. "Eighteen is not young!"

"Father, at least wait till I'm twenty! Besides, now that you've become a Dao Initiate, your lifespan will be at least two hundred years. By that count, you're still young. And Mother is an innate expert—given time, she might advance further. Why don’t you two have some more children for me—a few younger siblings?"

"You rascal!" Jiang Zheng'an couldn't help but laugh, but he let go of the idea of marrying Jiang Fan off immediately.

In the rear courtyard—

Jiang Shan sat cross-legged on a bluestone, cultivating his qi.

These days, he trained without pause, and with Jiang Zheng'an sparing no expense in resources, his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds. He had already reached the peak of the Qi Refining stage, only a step away from entering the Innate realm.

Upon reaching the Innate stage, he would marry—this, at least, was a privilege he had won for himself.

Jiang Fan improved even faster.

His mastery of blade, footwork, and fist techniques progressed with every moment.

Of course, his main focus remained the Profound Dao Diagram.

This day, Jiang Fan finished his practice, a look of joy on his face.

"The eighteenth diagram of the Profound Dao is now complete!"

The eighteenth diagram marked the final picture of the second stage.

Diagrams nineteen through thirty-six comprised the third stage.

Completing the second stage was equivalent to reaching the peak of Qi Refining—their combat strength was now formidable.

"My original goal was fifty days—I've finished a day ahead of schedule!" Jiang Fan calculated inwardly.

Just then, Xiaoqian came to summon him and Jiang Shan to the main hall.

Jiang Zheng'an and Nangong Yue were already seated, their expressions grave.

"Father, is there something urgent?" Jiang Fan asked after sitting.

Jiang Shan looked equally serious.

"The siege by river demons, the disaster in the county city—the masterminds have been identified," Jiang Zheng'an said.

"Who are they?" Jiang Shan leapt to his feet.

"The Eight-Legged Demon God, and the Three-Eyed Evil God," Jiang Zheng'an replied. "These names came from the provincial capital. When the imperial experts moved to encircle them, they had already fled and vanished. News of this has been kept from spreading within the county city."

"Eight-Legged Demon God? Three-Eyed Evil God?"

Jiang Shan was puzzled; Jiang Fan had never heard of them.

"Just remember their names. If you want revenge, you'll need to reach the Nascent Soul realm—anything less is wishful thinking. I tell you this only to inspire you to train harder. Knowing your enemy but being powerless is only a source of more grief," Jiang Zheng'an said.

"Two Nascent Soul demons?" Jiang Fan drew a sharp breath.

Above Dao Initiate is Nascent Soul.

There isn’t a single Nascent Soul expert in all of Baihe County.

"Strictly speaking, the Eight-Legged Demon God is a great demon, while the Three-Eyed Evil God is a fiend," Jiang Zheng'an corrected. "Whether demon or fiend, they all must be slain!"

"If they were Nascent Soul-level, why didn't they show themselves after the city fell?" Jiang Fan questioned.

"There is more to it than you need to know for now," Jiang Zheng'an replied. "Just remember that your enemies are formidable. What you must do is cultivate diligently—never slacken!"

"Nascent Soul or not, I will have my vengeance!" The weight in Jiang Shan’s heart only hardened his resolve.

Jiang Fan simply nodded in silence.

As long as he advanced step by step, what was there to fear from a Nascent Soul?