The Young Lord of the clan?
Jiang Chen let out a cold laugh. This one-eyed brute killed without batting an eye — earlier he had slaughtered Commander Zhang's subordinates like chickens, not so much as furrowing his brow.
A vicious, cruel man like this — Jiang Chen naturally had no intention of sparing his life just because of a few words.
"As long as he doesn't come, that's fine. But if he dares to provoke me — I can kill you today, and I can kill him another day." As he spoke, he flickered the Flying Feather Mirror.
The one-eyed brute tried to dodge, but the speed of the Flying Feather Mirror was far beyond what he could evade. It flashed several times in quick succession, and he had nowhere to run.
Before long, the mirror caught him. A single petal of the Ice Fire Demon Lotus unfurled wide, and with a wet slap, swallowed the one-eyed brute whole.
The Ice Fire Demon Lotus needed to constantly devour in order to evolve.
And powerful cultivators were the finest nourishment for that purpose.
Every time the Ice Fire Demon Lotus consumed a strong fighter, the true essence that fighter had cultivated would be absorbed by the lotus, accelerating its evolution.
The Ice Fire Demon Lotus was originally a species from the Myriad Heavens Planes. When Jiang Chen first obtained it, its form was far inferior to what it was now.
Back when he was in the Spirit Realm, the Ice Fire Demon Lotus had been Jiang Chen's trump card. Now that he had entered the Saint Realm, it remained a lethal killing weapon.
After eliminating the one-eyed brute, Jiang Chen tidied up the scene. Every trace of the battle was cleared away, leaving behind not the slightest clue.
Once that was done, Jiang Chen sent out a message via divine sense: "Commander Zhang, come out."
Commander Zhang held Jiang Chen in the highest respect. After being ordered to withdraw earlier, he had not dared to observe the battle — but he had remained on guard the entire time.
Hearing Jiang Chen's summons, he hurried over.
"Hm? Where are the others?"
Commander Zhang saw that the scene had been restored to its original state, with no sign that any battle had taken place, and was thoroughly bewildered.
"Killed them all. I cleaned up the scene too. The remains of your brothers are all in this Storage Ring. Take them back and give them a proper burial. This matter — I'm the one who dragged you into it. I will make compensation later."
Jiang Chen was not the sort to be coy about it, nor was he one to shirk responsibility.
He knew full well that this affair was, in fact, enormously consequential.
That group led by the one-eyed brute had not been hunting some Spirit Beast at all — they had been chasing Huan'er. The two of them must have been spotted from a distance by this bunch while traveling along the road.
There had been people coming and going all along the way, and Jiang Chen hadn't paid much attention. He never expected that Huan'er's exceptional bearing would attract this pack of vicious servants.
Commander Zhang was overcome with shame: "This is because our skills were lacking, and we failed to live up to the trust placed in us. How could we dare accept compensation from the Alchemy King?"
Jiang Chen said, "We'll discuss that later. For now, take your people and withdraw — before things get worse."
"Get worse?" Commander Zhang froze.
"That group are vicious servants under the Murong Great Clan. Their master is nearby and will likely arrive soon. Get your people away from the scene immediately, so you won't be implicated later."
Commander Zhang, however, was made of sterner stuff. He raised his eyebrows: "How can we do that? If we leave now, isn't that running from our duty? How could we face the Panlong Great Clan after everything they've invested in us?"
Jiang Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "This isn't a matter for the Panlong Great Clan — it's my personal grudge. I've dragged you into it, and my conscience is uneasy."
Seeing that Commander Zhang still wanted to argue, Jiang Chen's expression darkened: "Commander Zhang, if you care about the brothers under your command, take them and leave right now. This matter has exceeded your jurisdiction. Even if the Panlong Great Clan has questions, I will speak on your behalf."
Commander Zhang saw how resolute Jiang Chen was and let out a helpless sigh. He looked at Jiang Chen, gritted his teeth, and said: "Brothers, we're pulling out!"
Watching Commander Zhang lead his men away, Jiang Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Some Young Lord of the Murong clan — Jiang Chen wasn't afraid of that. He had already met Wang Teng, the Young Lord of the Wangting Great Clan. Why would he be afraid of some Young Lord Murong?
Though Jiang Chen didn't know where the Murong Great Clan ranked among the twenty-eight great clans, one thing was certain: they absolutely could not compare to the Wangting Great Clan.
The Wangting Great Clan was qualified to compete with the Panlong Great Clan for the top position — their status was undoubtedly a cut above the rest.
Even if the Murong Great Clan had some foundation, they could not possibly be stronger than the Wangting Great Clan.
Since he had already offended the Wangting Great Clan, what was there to fear from a Murong Great Clan?
As the saying goes — when you've got enough lice on you, you stop itching.
Jiang Chen was not one to go looking for trouble, but when trouble landed on his head, he had no reason to be afraid.
After all, it wasn't Jiang Chen who had provoked them — they had provoked him out of nowhere.
"Huan'er, those crude brutes spoke rudely and caused you distress." Though Jiang Chen had eliminated the one-eyed brute and his men, the anger in his heart had not fully subsided.
Huan'er, however, gave a soft smile: "Such trifles are hardly a great grievance. If anything, it's Huan'er who has dragged Brother Chen into trouble."
She sighed softly as she said this.
Though she did not subscribe to the notion of a beautiful woman bringing disaster, Huan'er knew that her appearance sometimes truly attracted unnecessary trouble.