Main Text — Chapter 126: Having Settled the Matter, He Brushes Off His Sleeves and Leaves

"Ha, that is Master Wen Zuoxian, a grandmaster of the third realm from our great nation of Korea. He is always fond of looking after us juniors. Mr. Jiang may have heard of his reputation; since you have come to Korea, why not come and be a guest with me?"

Cao Taihuan felt a delirious sense of relief, as if he had just survived a brush with death. However, not wanting to provoke Jiang An directly, he sought only to stall for time. He avoided any mention of Jiang An's intent to kill him, effectively offering his opponent an out while hiding sharp barbs within his words. He believed Jiang An would make the sensible choice.

"Are you finished? If you are, then go to your death!"

To his surprise, as soon as Cao Taihuan finished speaking, Jiang An responded coldly and immediately unleashed his full momentum, lunging at him with murderous intent. Cao Taihuan felt a jolt of alarm and instinctively channeled his internal energy to put up a fight. Just then, a powerful gust of wind erupted behind him. His eyelids twitched, and he performed an agile somersault, only to see that Jiang An had somehow circled behind him for a sneak attack.

*I only need to hold on until Master Wen Zuoxian arrives. I refuse to believe I cannot even withstand one strike from this man!*

With that thought, Cao Taihuan braced his chest, gathering his energy to unleash his most powerful technique. He would give his all to win a chance at survival!

*Puff!*

Just as he prepared to strike, the Jiang An in front of him vanished like a bubble. Sensing danger, he moved to react, but it was too late. A massive, steel-like fist struck his heart with lightning speed, shattering his vital meridians in an instant. He spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying against a wall, sliding down past a hanging scroll.

"I... I..."

Lying on the ground, his breath shallow, he tried to speak, but he could not catch his breath, and with deep resentment, he went to meet the God of Korea.

It turned out that the Jiang An behind him had been nothing more than a phantom image; the real body had been in front all along. Jiang An had used the decoy to draw his attention and mask his true movements. Jiang An was highly skilled in these tactics of illusion. Given Cao Taihuan’s actual strength, he should have been able to withstand at least one or two blows, but his deep-seated fear of Jiang An had made him paranoid, causing him to falter and fail to utilize his true capabilities.

"How bold! To kill in front of me!"

The scene of Jiang An easily dispatching Cao Taihuan was witnessed by a yellow-clad figure sprinting from afar. Enraged, the man accelerated, reaching the courtyard in moments. He stood atop the wall, looking down at Jiang An with an imposing, majestic air, his earthen-colored battle armor emphasizing his formidable presence.

"Cao Taihuan! And this brat! Whose disciple are you? Why have I never seen you before?"

Wen Zuoxian recognized Cao Taihuan and was secretly shocked. He looked at Jiang An with deep dissatisfaction, assuming Jiang An was a member of some Korean sect with a personal vendetta against Cao.

"Is my business any concern of yours? A word of advice: leave now. I do not wish to kill you!" Jiang An replied in a cold, domineering tone in Chinese.

Wen Zuoxian was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage. "So, you are Chinese! To run wild on Korean soil and kill a Korean grandmaster right before my eyes—do you know the gravity of your crimes, boy?"

"No, no, you are mistaken," Jiang An said, shaking his head slightly. "I haven't just killed your grandmaster; I have the blood of hundreds of Korean coast guards on my hands as well. So what?"

"What? You did all of this!"

Wen Zuoxian’s breathing grew ragged, revealing his profound shock. He had come because he heard gunfire from the Red Leaf Mountain in the distance; he had intended to ignore it, but upon seeing the Coast Guard station engulfed in flames and sensing the presence of a master above the grandmaster level, his curiosity had been piqued. He had expected a routine internal conflict, not an invasion by a foreign enemy!

"Good! Good! How daring! I have fought the Japanese, and I have fought your people before. If you think you can bully us on our own doorstep, then do not blame me for using my seniority against you! State your name. I, Wen Zuoxian, will capture you myself!" Wen Zuoxian declared with a degree of cultivation.

"I am Jiang An. If you wish to fight, Mr. Wen, do it quickly. It is almost dawn, and I am in a hurry to return," Jiang An said with a smile.

Wen Zuoxian was livid. He had dominated Korea for half a century; for decades, he had been showered with praise wherever he went. Even the President of Korea offered him gifts and respects during the holidays. When had he ever been treated with such insolence by a youth? He was about to lash out when he realized the name "Jiang An" sounded familiar. It seemed he had heard of a rising cultivation genius from China.

*No matter. I will capture you first!*

"Insolent brat, ignorant of the heights of the world. Let me show you the power of a third-realm grandmaster!"

As he spoke, his energy peaked, pressing down on Jiang An with overwhelming force. The earthen-colored armor on his body glowed with flowing light, radiating an aura as heavy as a mountain.

Jiang An remained unmoved, then chuckled lightly. "It would be a pleasure to cross blades with you, but have you thought this through? If I am not mistaken, your lifespan is near its end; you are like a lamp burning out of oil. You could live a few more years by relying on your deep cultivation, but if you fight me, regardless of the outcome, you will exhaust your blood and energy, damaging your foundation and hastening your death."

As he spoke, he released his own momentum without reservation. The terrifying power of his surging blood-energy was so dense it almost took physical form, casting a chilling, blood-red hue into the night. It contained a ferocity of baleful energy that Wen Zuoxian had never even seen before.

*How many people has this man killed!*

Wen Zuoxian hesitated. He did not strike immediately because Jiang An’s momentum was not only a match for his own but was arguably more vigorous and active. As the saying goes, "the fist fears the youth." Against a lesser grandmaster, he could crush them with ease, but against an equal, he would have to use his full strength. In doing so, he would suffer a massive loss of the vital energy he relied on to sustain his aging body. As Jiang An said, once the battle began, he would not have long to live.

"Hmph! Boy, do you think I care about such things? The glory of Korea shall not be trampled by anyone. You have committed murder and arson—you are a villain of the highest order. It is only right that I take you down. If you were truly as strong as you claim, why talk so much? You would have attacked already. I see through your bluff!"

The stubborn old man prized his face above all else. Though the cost of battle would be high, he could not allow his opponent's words to make him back down.

"Oh? If you could really take me down, you would have already. Why waste time telling me this?" Jiang An retorted.

Driven to fury by shame, Wen Zuoxian stopped talking and instantly threw eight punches, sealing off every direction around Jiang An.

The fist force of a grandmaster is imbued with unique energy, possessing immense power and speed. The moment Wen Zuoxian acted, eight earthen-yellow fist energies appeared before Jiang An, each capable of severely wounding or even killing a first or second-realm grandmaster.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

A series of explosions rang out as the eight energies erupted, engulfing the entire backyard. The ground was blasted into a deep crater, walls collapsed, and several cars in the yard exploded into flames and scrap metal.

In that instant, Wen Zuoxian did not see Jiang An try to resist with his own punches. Instead, he watched as his powerful strikes hit Jiang An directly. Two of the blows landed squarely on Jiang An’s chest, yet he remained unharmed, while the other six were deflected away through some unknown method.

When the dust settled, Jiang An was no longer there, leaving only a sentence in the wind: "I have urgent matters to attend to, so I cannot keep you company. We shall spar another time. Farewell."

Wen Zuoxian gritted his teeth, watching Jiang An’s retreating figure. He hesitated for a moment but ultimately abandoned the idea of pursuit.

"If Youxian were here, he would have kept this person here, and he would have had the power to do so, alas..."

He sighed, feeling a sense of desolation. In truth, his talent was superior to his younger brother, Wen Youxian, and he was arguably smarter—otherwise, he would never have reached his current realm. But his greatest flaw was a lack of resolve and the indomitable heart of a warrior that always strives for progress. That was why he had been surpassed by his brother. Especially in recent years, realizing that becoming a Great Grandmaster was impossible, he had essentially given up on cultivation, becoming instead enamored with the vanities of the world. He doubted that chasing after Jiang An would be of any use, especially after witnessing Jiang An’s ability to resist his energy with his physical body alone.

*I am old, truly old. I should just go home and live out my final years in peace.*

Wen Zuoxian turned and left, ignoring the wreckage, unaware that the ripples of this night had only just begun.