Jiang Dao's eyes were ice, but his body was a burning meteor.
His muscles swelled and hardened, purple-black veins coiling under his skin like trapped dragons, surging with kinetic violence. He tore into the pitch-black alleyway, a juggernaut of momentum.
The moment he breached the darkness, a writhing tide of black hair surged to meet him. It reeked of sewage and ancient grudges, a tangled ocean of rot aiming to drown him.
Jiang Dao didn't slow down. He plowed straight through, detonating his Fire Poison Field.
Boom.
The hair didn't just burn; it withered and exploded, severed strands dancing wildly in the scorching air. A shrill, inhuman shriek pierced the noise.
Jiang Dao's claws lashed out, tearing into the mass. He dragged out a head—ghastly pale, charred, and twisted. It was a grotesque jigsaw puzzle of a face, looking as though it had been stitched together from a dozen different victims. Mismatched eyes, noses, and mouths crowded the scorched skin, teeth sprouting haphazardly from cheeks and scalp.
Every mouth on the face screamed in unison.
Jiang Dao flashed a feral grin. "I didn't expect a bonus prize... Heh."
Crunch.
His grip tightened. Violent force erupted from his fingers, pulverizing the head instantly. A net of Fire Poison energy enveloped the gore, incinerating flesh and bone until nothing remained but drifting ash.
Jiang Dao didn't stop. He barreled through the rest of the alley, emerging into a dead end.
Here, the darkness was absolute. No lanterns lit the gloom. Before him stood a dilapidated courtyard, scarred by fire. The air was thick with Yin energy—a suffocating cocktail of malice and misfortune radiating from the ruins.
Jiang Dao's expression was cruel. He strode forward, his heavy boots crushing debris into powder.
"You scumbag," he rumbled, his voice low and dangerous. "You led me on a chase all night, and you think you can hide now?"
The air around him shimmered with toxic heat.
"I don't care about your beef with Green Luo City. I don't care how many strangers you slaughter. But you touched the Flame Gang. You killed my people. For that, even if the King of Heaven stands in my way, he dies today."
Crack.
He stomped on a spirit tablet, grinding it to dust.
Boom!
A column of pure resentment erupted to his left, warping the space around it. The pale, middle-aged man materialized from the gloom, shrouded in rolling black mist. His eyes were void of death, fixed hatefully on Jiang Dao.
"Who are you?" the spirit hissed. "Why interfere? Why?"
"Interfere?" Jiang Dao looked back, a savage smile stretching his face. "You killed my Branch Master. You wasted my time. You call that interfering?"
"Damn you! Do you think I'm helpless?" The man's voice rose to a shriek. "Anyone who stops me dies!"
"Hahahaha!" Jiang Dao threw his head back and laughed. "Show me. Show me how you kill me."
The spirit howled, pointing a finger at the intruder. The black mist surged, transforming into waves of ebony fire.
"Necro Poison Fire!"
The eerie flames roared toward him. Instead of dodging, Jiang Dao opened his mouth and inhaled.
Whoosh.
Like a whale swallowing the ocean, the terrifying flames were sucked straight into Jiang Dao's maw. The Fire Poison aura inside him surged, wrapping the necrotic energy in a net of Qi and refining it instantly. It didn't harm him; it fed him.
Jiang Dao wiped his mouth and took a heavy step forward.
The spirit looked horrified. What kind of monster eats Necro Poison Fire? In this domain, the spirit's power was tripled, yet it meant nothing.
"Infernal Ghost Domain!"
Desperate, the spirit screamed. The mist boiled, spawning thousands of ghostly faces—weeping, laughing, raging. They swarmed Jiang Dao like a plague of locusts.
Jiang Dao didn't flinch. He simply expanded his field.
Boom!
A shockwave of scorching, masculine, toxic energy swept outward. The ghost faces didn't stand a chance; they popped like soap bubbles, evaporating into ash before they could even touch him.
The attack was useless.
"You..." The spirit scrambled backward, terror finally setting in.
Jiang Dao vanished.
He reappeared instantly, a massive invisible palm slamming into the spirit's face. The air compressed and detonated with a thunderous clap, sending the entity flying. Before it could hit the ground, Jiang Dao was there. He caught it by the throat and slammed it into the earth.
The ground shattered. Spiderweb cracks tore through the stone.
"You little bitch," Jiang Dao snarled, pinning the spirit down. "You were so good at running last night. Go on. Run."
The Fire Poison Gas Net tightened around the spirit, locking its ethereal form in a cage of burning Qi. It tried to dissolve and escape, but the net held fast. It was paralyzed.
"Let me guess. You're Fang Zhongze," Jiang Dao mocked, his mouth splitting wide to reveal rows of shark-like teeth. "Tragic backstory. Very moving. But my Branch Master was innocent. Was he not pitiful? You think your pain gives you a pass?"
The spirit broke. "I'll take you with me!"
A blood-red light flared on its forehead. Its resentment spiked tenfold, turning its body crimson. Its arms elongated into spears, stabbing toward Jiang Dao's chest.
Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew. It was like striking a divine bell. Jiang Dao didn't even blink.
"Die, you little bastard."
Snap.
Jiang Dao's fingers closed. The Fire Poison Gas Net contracted violently, crushing the spirit's neck. The explosive Yang energy flooded its system, purging the resentment in an instant.
"I curse you..." the spirit wailed. "I won't let you—"
Splat.
The body exploded. A final streak of Yin energy shot toward Jiang Dao's forehead, a last-ditch curse.
Jiang Dao's internal defenses flared. The Regimen Manual energy met the curse like a brick wall. The Yin energy sizzled, struggled, and finally dissolved into nothing.
Jiang Dao stood up, dusting off his hands. At his feet, a pile of ash was scattered in the wind. The oppressive atmosphere of the courtyard lifted instantly.
With the vengeful spirit of Fang Zhongze destroyed, the illusion collapsed. The sprawling ruins disintegrated, fading from reality until only the natural landscape remained.
Jiang Dao exhaled. His hulking physique shrank, muscles compressing until he returned to his human form—though still towering and bare-chested.
Was the ghost pitiful? Sure.
But the men under Jiang Dao's protection were dead. He didn't care about morality; he cared about ownership. If you touch the Flame Gang, you die.
Gallop, gallop... Whoa!
Hoofbeats approached. Guo Dutian and Qi Rongfa led a cavalcade of gang members, sliding off their horses as they neared.
"Gang Leader..."
"We ride tomorrow," Jiang Dao said curtly.
The men exchanged glances, realizing the deed was done.
"Yes, Gang Leader!"
"Qi Rongfa," Jiang Dao said, turning to the man. "Your Branch Master is dead. You're taking his place. Do good work, and I won't be stingy."
Qi Rongfa fell to his knees, trembling with excitement. "This subordinate will serve until death!"
"Mn." Jiang Dao took a fresh coat from Guo Dutian, threw it over his shoulders, and mounted his horse.
The next morning, Jiang Dao did one final sweep. The ruins were gone. The job was finished.
News spread that Tang Bin, the magistrate of Green Luo City, had been found hanging in his garden. His family was dead, his mind broken; suicide was the only logical end to his story.
Inside the carriage, back to Dry Origin City, Jiang Dao reviewed his internal status panel.
Name: Jiang Dao
Attributes: Strength 16.5 | Speed 13.8 | Spirit 3.0
Skills [Immutable]:
Extreme Devil Saber (12 Forms): Fast, Baleful, God-Killing.
Extreme Heavenly Devil Body: Indestructible, Solar Heat, Flesh Mutation.
Regimen Manual: Healing, Yin-Yang Harmony, Internal Defense.
Congenital Fire Demon Gang: Poison Fire Field, Qi Net.
Black Demon Baleful Heart: Soul Seizing.
He had gained four modification points from the kills. Two went to the Regimen Manual to balance the violent Yang energy threatening to consume his mind. The other two went to his physique, widening his meridians to hold more power.
Jiang Dao looked at his hands—calloused, massive, lethal.
Am I even human anymore?
He smirked at the thought. In a world full of monsters, humanity is just a liability.
He clenched his fist. The air inside his palm compressed and popped with the force of a firecracker. By the standards of spirits, he was likely already at the Nightmare Level.
"Guo Dutian," he called out. "When we get back, check Li Family Village and Xinfeng Wharf. See if the demons are still active there."
"Understood, boss."
A day later, the convoy rolled into the Flame Gang headquarters.
Xiang An, the Right Protector, rushed out to meet them. He looked anxious.
"Gang Leader, the Tuoba family of spirit hunters... they've been poking around. Testing our defenses."
"And Qin Qingqing?" Jiang Dao frowned.
"Safe. I've kept her in the secret chamber."
"Good." Jiang Dao's eyes narrowed. The Tuoba family... maybe he should just wipe them out? They were gnats buzzing around a tiger.
"Take me to her."
Xiang An led him through the compound to a secluded stone chamber. Inside, surrounded by racks of weapons, was Qin Qingqing.
The girl was drenched in sweat, balancing precariously on jagged plum blossom piles. She was covered in bruises and scrapes, her small face flushed with exhaustion.
"Big Brother Jiang!" She hopped down, landing unsteadily.
Jiang Dao crouched, patting her head. The monster who crushed ghosts with his bare hands was gone; his voice was gentle. "Tired?"
"Yes," she chirped. "But I can keep going."
Jiang Dao smiled. He took her small, battered hand in his. It was wrapped in crude bandages.
He activated the Regimen Manual. A warm river of internal Qi flowed from his palm into hers, circulating through her limbs. The effect was immediate. Scabs fell away, bruises faded, and new, pink skin knit together over her wounds.
Xiang An watched, jaw dropped. He was a Blood Boiling realm expert, but he had never seen martial arts used to heal like magic.
"Can you feel that heat?" Jiang Dao asked, leaving a seed of Qi inside her.
"It's warm," she said.
"Good. Every day after practice, try to move that heat around your body for six hours."
"Okay!"
Jiang Dao stood up, satisfied. "Xiang An, let her sleep in a real room tonight. The stone chamber is too damp."
"Yes, Gang Leader," Xiang An hesitated. "But... what about the Tuoba family?"
Jiang Dao began walking away, his voice flat and dismissive.
"What Tuoba family? Just a few dead men walking. Why worry about them?"
Xiang An shivered. The evil star was ready to kill again.