Chapter 109: Are you talking about this good-for-nothing?

"Show yourself, you wretched demon!"

Master Zhou stood in the courtyard, clad in a yellow Taoist robe and brandishing a Seven-Star Sword. He radiated an aura of righteous solemnity, reminiscent of the legendary Taoist Priest Lin.

His only reply was a series of eerie, rustling sounds cutting through the air.

Master Zhou narrowed his eyes and focused. From the darkness ahead, six human-sized paper figures emerged. Their faces were painted with the ferocious countenances of green-faced, fanged ghosts. They hovered three feet above the ground like specters. Suddenly, a strange whistle pierced the night; the six paper figures burst into clouds of smoke, from which six hideous, terrifying demons materialized. With disheveled hair and blood-curdling screeches, they lunged at Master Zhou.

"Trifling tricks! Behold the sword!"

Master Zhou remained undaunted. He let out a cold snort, wiped his fingers across the blade of the Seven-Star Sword, and chanted an incantation. He hurled the sword into the air, where it erupted in a brilliant yellow glow, circled once, and then slashed through the six demons like a streak of golden light. Some were cleaved in two, others cut at the waist, and some decapitated. In an instant, the six demons collapsed, reverting back into paper figures.

However, before Master Zhou could celebrate, the six tattered paper figures floated into the air simultaneously. A flash of green light restored them to their original state, and they immediately resumed their assault.

"A crude imitation of the Six Ding and Six Jia formation, but lightyears away from the real thing. Since you are made of paper, let us see how you fare against my Taoist True Fire." Master Zhou did not want to waste his spiritual energy on such a trivial spell. He reached toward the candle flame on his altar, caught a spark on his fingertip, and flicked it onto the hovering Seven-Star Sword. The blade was instantly enveloped in intense flames, glowing brilliantly in the night like the weapon of a fire god.

"Strike!"

With a low shout from Master Zhou, the Seven-Star Sword transformed into a streak of fire. In a few flashes, the demons were ignited. Unable to extinguish the flames, they let out piercing, harrowing wails.

Soon, the demons were dispelled, turning back into paper figures that withered and vanished under the searing heat.

*Did they not know paper fears fire?*

A mocking smile touched Master Zhou's lips, but suddenly, his nose twitched. He caught a scent—oil. Yes, it was oil!

The paper figures had been soaked in oil!

Master Zhou did not think his enemy was foolish; instead, he felt a sense of foreboding. Where there is an anomaly, there is a demon! He looked at the six paper figures again. Their bodies had been completely incinerated, but their heads remained intact—they shouldn't have lasted this long!

"Hahaha! Zhou Boxuan, you've fallen for it!" A cold, sinister laugh rang out from the darkness. Five figures emerged. Leading them was a middle-aged man with a single eye and a face paler than the paper figures. The other four were shrouded in black, their faces hidden behind masks.

"Thank you for your Taoist True Fire. It helped me complete the final step. Behold, my Green Nether Ghost Face!" The one-eyed man sneered and gestured with his hands. The six charred paper heads fused together with a bang. A massive, basin-sized green ghost face manifested, glowing with eerie, emerald flames. It was a terrifying sight.

*Whoosh!*

The green ghost face opened its mouth, and a pillar of green fire roared out, striking the altar in the courtyard and shattering it into pieces.

Fortunately, Master Zhou dodged in time, narrowly escaping injury.

"Master Zhou, now you know the power of the Green Nether Ghost Face. I know you are one of the three great masters of the mystic arts in Xiangcheng and a man of high prestige. Why involve yourself in my affairs? You've broken my Spirit-Hanging Spell and my Paper Puppet Grand Art; you have done enough for the Huo family. I originally wanted to watch the tragic spectacle of a son cutting down his own father, but never mind. Leave now, and I will spare you," the one-eyed man said coldly.

*So, he used the Paper Puppet Grand Art on Huo Xiao just to watch the Huo family tear each other apart!*

Master Zhou felt sickened by such malice. But if he left now, his reputation would be ruined forever. He naturally refused. With eyes as sharp as blades, he asked, "Are you Tang Yaozu?"

"Indeed. I have come today to reclaim everything that rightfully belongs to the Tang family!"

"Heh, you think you've already won? Dealing with your little ghost face is well within my means. Bring it on! How dare a practitioner of crooked paths bark in my presence!"

"You're courting death!"

A thick, venomous glint flashed in Tang Yaozu’s single eye. "I'll handle this old man; I’m going to drain his essence and blood. You lot, go inside, capture the Huo family, and bring them to me. As for the others—humph—leave no soul alive!"

The four black-clad men nodded silently and slipped into the darkness, heading toward the mansion.

Seeing Master Zhou attempt to intercept them, Tang Yaozu grinned hideously and charged forward. "Your opponent is me!"

"You go too far!"

Master Zhou was furious. He immediately unleashed his most powerful artifact: the sandalwood prayer beads in his hand. He was a master of both Buddhism and Taoism!

After he threw the beads, they coiled around the Seven-Star Sword. The sword tripled in size, transforming into a massive blade that, guided by his hand, slashed fiercely at the ghost face.

The sword and the face clashed violently in mid-air, evenly matched for the moment.

Tang Yaozu stood unmoved. Seeing that Master Zhou showed no signs of panic, he smiled inexplicably. It was time.

*BOOM!*

A powerful aura erupted from the backyard—it was a Grandmaster-level expert!

"Haha, Old Man Zhou, you've been tricked again! Among the four subordinates I sent in, one is a top-tier expert from our Yama Gate. Not only is he a master of ancient boxing, but he has also tempered his body with spirit-descending arts, making him even stronger than me. Even if you had a backup plan, it’s useless now. What a pity; the Huo family is finished tonight." Tang Yaozu laughed triumphantly, his laughter turning manic toward the end.

However, Master Zhou looked at him with an expression one might reserve for an idiot.

"You mean this piece of trash?"

A corpse was flung from the darkness and landed at Tang Yaozu’s feet. It was lifeless, its eyes wide with immense, unresigned despair.

Tang Yaozu’s laughter cut off abruptly. He stared fixedly at a young man emerging from the shadows. The man was remarkably handsome, yet he radiated no aura of power at all.

"You killed a member of my Yama Gate and ruined my plans? Who are you? Are you not afraid that the Yama Gate will slaughter your entire family?" Tang Yaozu, driven mad with rage, spat out the threat without thinking.

"And are you not afraid that I will wipe out the entire Yama Gate?" Jiang An replied with a smile.

Master Zhou coughed drily and said, "Tang Yaozu, the man standing before you is Mr. Jiang An. I suggest you show some respect."

Jiang An?

Upon hearing the name, Tang Yaozu was briefly confused, then a spark of realization hit him like a lightning bolt! The Demon King, Jiang An! How could it be this killer?

As someone who moved in the underworld, Tang Yaozu naturally knew what that name represented. He looked at the man again—his age, his appearance, they matched the rumors, and he possessed the strength to kill a Grandmaster in a single blow. There was no doubt!

His previous arrogance vanished, replaced by a bone-chilling cold. The rumors and the corpse at his feet told him how terrifying this young man was. He was no match for him, especially at such close range!

In a fight between magic and martial arts, one must maintain distance. Otherwise, a martial arts Grandmaster could close the gap in a few flashes, and close-quarters combat was their total advantage. Thus, even though Tang Yaozu was terrified, he dared not move, his mind racing to find a way to escape.

"Mr. Jiang, I have long admired your reputation..."

He kept his eyes locked on Jiang An as he spoke, but suddenly, a flick of a finger sent a gust of wind through the air. A bloody hole appeared between Tang Yaozu’s brows, and his body slumped to the ground, growing cold. It was only then that the Jiang An standing opposite him dissipated like smoke in the wind.

A shadow-clone distraction!

The real Jiang An, who had stepped out from behind Tang Yaozu, didn't spare the corpse another glance. He said to Master Zhou, "Master, I leave the rest to you!"

*His killing intent is far too great! That was a Grandmaster-level expert, and he killed him without a second thought. Dare I say a word of dissent?*

Master Zhou felt a shiver down his spine. He quickly dispelled the uncontrolled ghost face. Since both major threats had been eliminated by Jiang An, he was left only to clean up the mess.

"It is done."

Jiang An walked into the house and spoke to the Huo father and son.

The pair was overjoyed and immediately rose to thank him. Huo Xingge, in particular, completely abandoned his pride, showering Jiang An with endless flattery. Finally, he shifted the topic: "...In short, it is all thanks to Mr. Jiang that the Huo family has been spared this calamity. However, the Yama Gate..."

*The old man is a bit greedy,* Jiang An thought, feeling slightly displeased. Nevertheless, he said, "Rest assured. Spread the word that I was involved and that I killed those men. I doubt those rats will dare to touch you again."

"Oh, thank you, Mr. Jiang! I am eternally grateful! Beyond what was promised, the Huo family will provide an additional ten billion Chinese Yuan. I hope you will not refuse," Huo Xingge said, realizing he had offended Jiang An earlier and rushing to make amends.

"I have no need for your money. Just give me the goods," Jiang An said coldly.

Huo Xingge broke into a cold sweat, not daring to meet Jiang An’s eyes. "Yes, yes, yes! Mr. Jiang, please follow me!"