Chapter 152: 136 An Old Friend Breaks His Sword, The Demon Rises a Hundred Feet (Seeking monthly tickets, recommendations, and subscriptions)_1
The night of the assassination attempt on November 2nd left Da Peng City split between joy and sorrow.

Overnight, the stronghold of the Old Gods Association secretively planted in Da Peng City had vanished into thin air.

If Jiang Xinrun remembered correctly, he had already seen Da Peng City’s official report by the next morning, which clearly indicated the complete eradication of the Old Gods Association’s stronghold in Da Peng City.

Silver Art…

Suddenly, that name came to mind.

He also witnessed that person.

Jiang Xinrun paused suddenly.

That’s right, the initial report suggested that both the strength-ranked 17 assassin and that guy called Black Shark were only suspected to be dead.

“So, you didn’t die after all.”

Jiang Xinrun couldn’t help but feel emotional, he suddenly reached to touch his forehead, and to his surprise, it was bleeding.

He didn’t understand.

Why was it that so many people were attacking one, and yet no blood was seen?

And yet he was bleeding now.

Looking at the bloodstain in his palm, his face was filled with confusion.

“Why?”

“You sure do have a lot of questions,” a woman’s voice suddenly rang out behind Jiang Xinrun. He froze, wanting to turn his head, but his vision suddenly blurred.

The last thing he saw in his life was countless earth spikes bursting from the ground, piercing through the bodies of the Death Warriors of Jiang Family, hanging them half a meter in the air, as their blood cascaded down like waterfalls.

Jiang Xinrun’s corpse was thus carelessly abandoned on the ground.

The newcomer, clad in a red robe, wore a playful smirk, her face mischievous like that of an elf. Though not tall and quite petite, she was nimble; appearing young, not more than seventeen, her killing was decisive and merciless, very unlike the tenderness suggested by her soft skin.

She slightly raised her head, looking past a dozen or so Black Armor Death Warriors, gazing at the Ghost Face Man behind Silver Art. As their eyes met, she suddenly made a silly face in her impish manner.

Pei Jinye tensed all over.

The moment he saw Silver Art, he understood that the Old Gods Association had never believed the news of the Demon King’s death.

Living up to his wild reputation, he resisted the urge to flee immediately, deciding it was better to simply kill himself and resurrect later if necessary.

Right now, he couldn’t be certain…

If the Faceless Elder was also in Da Peng City.

If he was here,

He might as well seek contact.

The fact that the other party had not immediately come to kill him already indicated that the situation was taking a turn, and there might be a chance for reversal.

“Demon King, I just knew you weren’t dead.”

Silver Art turned her head, her silver hair fluttering in the air, much longer than when he had first seen her, her gaze upon Pei Jinye filled with the joy of reunion.

Pei Jinye fell silent, he had wanted to feign ignorance with a “who are you,” but realizing it was futile from Silver Art’s gaze, he spoke his true thoughts softly.

“Long time no see.”

“Long time no see!” Silver Art seemed genuinely pleased and then looked at the Jiang family members around: “They all want to kill you, so let me do it for them.”

“Why are you here?” Pei Jinye didn’t answer Silver Art’s question; instead, he stayed on guard.

“The Elder sent us because the Jiang family has something we need.” Silver Art seemed to be completely naive, answering anything Pei Jinye asked.

A coincidence?

Pei Jinye’s tense expression eased quite a bit. However, before he could ask anything more, the remaining Death Warriors of Jiang Family in the courtyard were already charging towards them with furious cries. Silver Art cocked her head and made a swipe with her hand.

The merciless silver light fell.

Blood splattered.

She cut down several people in one sweep.

“Hey hey hey, we agreed I would do the killing, why are you stealing my kills?” The little girl in the red robe at the entrance of the courtyard pouted unhappily.

Silver Art tilted her head, looking apologetic: “Sorry.”

No sooner had she spoken,

Than she abruptly killed another Black Armor Death Warrior rushing toward her with her broken sword three feet long.

The red-robed girl huffily turned away as the spikes of earth shot up even more fiercely.

Pei Jinye fell into silence.

He had thought about devouring more Transcendents.

Now, it seemed best to conserve some physical strength, just in case.

He quickly glanced at his attribute panel.

[Vitality Value]: 14-16.9;

[Stamina]: 15-16.8 (average value for ordinary people is 1);

[Psychic Power]: 13-20.1

After devouring Jiang Suhu, Pei Jinye’s Vitality had slightly decreased, but who would have thought that the hefty Investigation Team was sheared like a sheep by him, fainting once and replenishing his Vitality each time, already breaking through 20.

Having devoured the seasoned Jiang Qingcang and a swordsman not weak in blood energy this night, his Vitality dropped once more.

But for now…

He could still devour some more!

Pei Jinye’s gaze began to search the crowd for Transcendents with a focus on the physical body.

The vehicles of the Night Patrol Department were drawing nearer and nearer in the distance.

Pei Jinye frowned and looked over.

But Silver Art, who had been by his side the whole time, said indifferently: “They can’t get in. Black Shark and the others are at the front courtyard.”

“Black Shark is here too?” Pei Jinye asked, surprised.

He quickly started to recall his own actions on the night of November 2nd.

Whether it was killing the Shadow Bow or the Heavenly Calculation… all his actions were done under a guise, not his true face.

So even if someone from the Old Gods Association truly had the ability to Retrogress and identified the perpetrator, it would be someone from Heaven God or the Judgement Place, not him.

What they did, what does it have to do with me, Pei Jinye!

“Leave this to me, you go help that young girl.” Pei Jinye suddenly made his move before Silver Art could, not waiting for Silver Art to say anything, Pei Jinye unleashed his full momentum, and after a clash with his opponent, both burst through the surrounding wall, tumbling into the room.

The next second.

Blood sprayed from the broken wall.

After Silver Art dealt with the death warrior in front of him, he turned back and saw that Pei Jinye still hadn’t come out, and couldn’t help wondering. Just as he was about to step forward to ask, a few pieces of broken brick fell to the ground, and Pei Jinye kicked through the broken wall, stepping out, his Vitality seeming a bit unsteady for a moment.

“You alright?” Silver Art asked with concern.

The girl in the red robe at the doorway clicked her tongue, “Is this the newcomer of your stronghold? Seems kind of weak to me.”

Pei Jinye turned his head to look, his gaze silent, “Young girl, your makeup is smeared.”

The little girl in the red robe quickly turned her back, taking out a small mirror.

Silver Art cocked his head, as if he had heard the words “truly green” from Pei Jinye’s mouth, and he couldn’t help but look over curiously, “Do you like girls of this type?”

“Hmm?”

Pei Jinye paused, “She possesses good ability.”

Silver Art obviously did not understand the deeper meaning behind Pei Jinye’s words, “Hong Luo’s ability is also elemental, but her range of application is a tiny bit larger.”

Pei Jinye’s gaze unintentionally drifted over.

An explosion erupted from a distant street.

It seemed that the Old Gods Association had already made their move.

Following Silver Art, they left the back courtyard and headed towards the Jiang Family Ancestral Hall. Dozens of people lay dead in the corridor, leaving the Jiang ancestral home mired in a sort of chilling silence.

The Faceless elder sat on a window-facing couch in the loft of the Jiang Family Ancestral Hall, his expression unwavering as he watched the upheaval within the Jiang family estate.

“Elder.”

Silver Art and Hong Luo brought Pei Jinye to the loft.

It hadn’t been a week since their last meeting, and meeting again, Pei Jinye felt no sense of joy in his heart.

The Faceless elder, who could make both the righteous and wicked of Central State tremble with fear, now only used his eyes that showed from behind the mask to stare at Pei Jinye.

“Long time no see.”

Pei Jinye stood in place, lips pressed together, silent, but inwardly he sighed, wondering whether he had chosen the wrong time to seek revenge on the Jiang family, or if the other party had anticipated his move and took advantage of it.

The Black Shark standing in front of the Faceless elder suddenly spoke with a strange expression, “Elder, should we verify the identity of the Demon King… after all, we’ve lost contact with him for some time, and I suspect… ”

Pei Jinye looked up.

After a long absence, this guy was still as annoying as before.

However, the Faceless elder didn’t even look at him, “No verification necessary, he is my man.”

Just one sentence made the Black Shark swallow the rest of his words.

He looked up at Pei Jinye, fell silent for a moment, and bowed to the elder, “It was my mistake, Meng Lang.”

The sound of a hovering car came from not far away.

It seemed they did not want anyone to disturb their conversation at this moment.

The Faceless Elder waved his hand, “Go and deal with them all.”

Black Shark acknowledged the command, and the people guarding the attic stepped back one after another, drawing their longswords to begin hunting down the Federation Transcendents trying to break into the sealed area.

When Silver Art passed by Pei Jinye, he looked up at him. The silent gaze held the joy of reunion, but Pei Jinye’s mood could hardly be considered good right now.

The only ones left in the Jiang Family Ancestral Hall were Pei Jinye and the Faceless Elder sitting on a small couch.

However, the ordinarily composed Pei Jinye tensed up suddenly as the Faceless Elder spoke with a calm tone.

The two were less than five steps apart, and it was the first time Pei Jinye was this close to such a notorious big demon head in Central State… even during the last sealing mission, he had only looked on from a distance.

But back then, the Faceless Elder exuded an aura that was anything but heavenly, unlike his current approachable demeanor.

“Joining the Old Gods Association means you are a member for life,” the Faceless Elder said, flicking his finger. A muffled grunt sounded from the void not far away, followed by an explosion of blood mist as a masked person vanished into the night.

He turned his gaze back to Pei Jinye.

As if he had just done something trivial.

“Whether you’re Lan Feng or Pei Jinye, you are a person of the Old Gods Association. This isn’t merely my personal opinion, but it is the instruction of the gods. We are all but following the guidance of divine prophecies, searching for the truth in this mortal world.”

Pei Jinye couldn’t help but look up.

If he hadn’t witnessed the old man wearing a faceless mask kill without blinking an eye, he might have mistakenly believed he was being indoctrinated by a brainwashed zealot preaching to a model young citizen of the Federation.

The Faceless Elder spoke softly, “Don’t worry, even if you kill members of the Old Gods Association, it doesn’t matter. My tolerance for you is much higher than you can imagine… by a billion points.”

Pei Jinye looked up calmly once more.

The Faceless Elder spoke softly again, “Ever since I arrived in Da Peng City, I have been secretly watching you. I must admit, you are stronger than I imagined. You must have a profound understanding of the Federation’s decaying order, and perhaps you should appreciate the taste of freedom even more.”

At the chilling moment for Pei Jinye, the Faceless Elder sighed deeply, “Indeed, those who carry divine instructions cannot be judged by common logic. Your extraordinary martial arts aptitude is indeed enviable. Honestly, I am beginning to look forward to seeing how much further you can grow.”

The Faceless Elder stood up and said, “Walk with me.”

Pei Jinye followed him.

At such close range… he couldn’t help but glance at the Faceless Elder’s neck, as if it could be snapped with just a light grip.

But in the end, he silently withdrew his gaze.

No certainty…

Moreover, the attitude of the other party towards him was not as confrontational as he imagined.

If he truly could obtain the support of this elder, then the resources he could leverage would definitely extend beyond just that of the Federation.

The idea of playing both sides resumed floating in Pei Jinye’s mind.

He contemplated the feasibility of such a plan.

“From today onward, the death of Lan Feng signifies the conclusion of the past. Your identity will only be known by me and Silver Art, so you needn’t worry about the Federation tracking you down, nor should you worry about us leveraging your parents to emphasize your loyalty. As I mentioned, you are the key figure named in the divine prophecy. Whether you admit it or not, you and the Old Gods Association are already bound together.”

Pei Jinye narrowed his eyes, “It seems I have no chance of refusal?”

The Faceless Elder chuckled softly, “Refuse? Of course you can. But do you think, one day when the Federation’s Star Ring also learns all the information about the divine prophecy, that they and their lapdogs will let you live in peace?”

Pei Jinye said solemnly, “May I ask Elder, what exactly is the divine prophecy?”

“Year 404, the divination is greatly inauspicious…” The Faceless Elder said deeply, “And beneath this ominous warning, it seems I have seen you…”