Chapter 622: Dongfang Jue's Shock!

Jiangnan, Songshan City Hall.

The city's night is livelier than its day, with towering skyscrapers and bright lights; every building's façade is fitted with huge screens looping advertisements and city promos, the modern atmosphere hitting you head‑on.

Yet in the heart of this bustling metropolis, there is an area that is an exception.

It is the most central plot of Songshan City Center, a piece of land where every inch is worth a fortune, which should belong to shopping plazas and high‑end office towers.

Instead, this zone is enclosed by a high wall strung with an Electric Net, and every few dozen metres a Sentry Tower stands, manned by guards whose sharp eyes sweep everything inside and outside the wall.

Inside the wall rise several modern towers, each at least thirty stories tall, their exteriors of dark‑gray metal gleaming coldly under the night lights.

Here, the security is so tight it makes one's hair stand on end.

From the first post on the outer perimeter of the wall to the last door entering the building, there are at least three layers of checks.

Each layer is guarded by elite soldiers with rifles, fully armed, eyes vigilant, fingers resting on the trigger guard, ready to respond to any sudden situation.

Every few metres a Surveillance Probe is placed, providing a 360‑degree, dead‑angle‑free coverage of the whole area; even a bird flying by is recorded.

Here is the core of the Dongfang Family's layout in Jiangnan.

Officially it is the headquarters of a large corporation, but in reality it is a quasi‑militarized fortress.

Stationed here is a combat legion that only the Dongfang Family's Family Head Dongfang Lin can mobilize, fully staffed with a thousand men, well equipped, well trained, and not inferior to the Imperial Capital Northern Army far away in Kyoto.

It is said that this legion's combat power ranks among the top in the entire empire, making it one of the Dongfang Family's most central forces.

During this period, the defense of this military stronghold has become especially tight.

The already exaggerated pattern of a guard every three steps and a post every five steps has become even more extreme; the outer patrols have increased from a shift every two hours to one every hour, the Sentry Tower guards have risen from two to four, and even the Electric Net on the wall has been swapped for a higher‑power model, its humming current sounding especially clear at night.

No one knows why the defense was suddenly strengthened.

The soldiers only received orders, without being told the reason. Yet they could feel from the hurried footsteps of those high‑ranking officials coming and going that something had gone wrong.

And on the top floor of the tallest building, in a room made entirely of metal, Dongfang Jue sits cross‑legged in the center of the room with his eyes closed.

This room has no Window; all four walls are thick Alloy Plates, about a foot thick, capable of withstanding a full‑force strike from a Heavenly Being.

The floor is also metal—cold and smooth—and the temperature inside is so low that breath turns to white vapor, but this is exactly the environment Dongfang Jue needs.

Since being rescued from Jia Shan Yu by that mysterious person for Jiang Feng, Dongfang Jue has been sent here by his own old ancestor using the Supreme Secret Method.

The old ancestor tore open the void, pulling him out of the terrifying beast's mouth, but that force still injured his foundation. His Divine Soul cracked under the beast's pressure, and his qi and blood were violently shaken; had he delayed even half a breath, he might already have been dead.

During this time he has been hiding in this metal room, healing his injuries.

Every day, aside from eating and drinking, he sits cross‑legged there, circulating his cultivation method to repair his damaged Divine Soul and Meridians.

The old ancestor left him several high‑quality Elixirs; he takes one each day, and once the medicine power is released it circulates within his body, nourishing the organs and channels that were shaken.

Fortunately, here is safe enough.

The Dongfang Family has operated in Jiangnan for many years, and the defensive strength of this fortress ranks among the empire's best; even a Martial Ancestor Strongman attempting to break in would pay a heavy price.

Moreover, he is confident that the mysterious person, however strong, could not chase Here.

Dongfang Jue slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a long puff of foul breath.

His complexion is still a bit pale, but it has improved a lot compared to a few days ago.

His breath steadied by three points, the chaotic qi and blood have been suppressed, and the cracks in his Divine Soul are slowly healing under the Elixir's nourishment. He raised his hand, wiggled his fingers, feeling the power gradually returning to his body.

He recalled that day's events, and a chill ran down his spine.

The person standing on the beast's back.

When that gaze met his, he felt like an ant being pinched in a hand, life and death hanging on a single thought.

He had never seen such a terrifying presence; even his own old ancestor never gave him that feeling. That person said a casual sentence, and he almost died there.

Jiang Feng's luck is truly good.

He can encounter such a being, and cling to such a backing.

Dongfang Jue's jaw clenched briefly, then quickly relaxed.

He lowered his head, looked at his palm, and the corner of his mouth curled into a cold arc.

"Unfortunately, next time, I will need your life!"

"This time it was under‑prepared; next time he will make perfect preparations."

The Dongfang Family's depth goes far beyond what is seen on the surface; he still has undeployed trump cards and unexecuted methods.

As long as he is given time, as long as he restores himself to his peak, he will certainly make Jiang Feng pay the price.

Dongfang Jue closed his eyes, ready to continue circulating his cultivation method.

He must recover quickly, then find a way to locate Jiang Feng's whereabouts.

The clue about that spacetime law is still there; he won't just leave it at that.

Just as his eyes were about to close, the alarm in the room suddenly rang.

The sound was sharp and grating, bouncing back and forth between the metal walls.

Dongfang Jue's complexion changed in an instant.

His eyes snapped open, his Pupils slightly constricted, and he rose from his cross‑legged posture to a standing position.

His movement was swift, almost like a launch; one hand pressed the nearby Control Panel and hit the topmost red button.

The room's door slid open silently, and a skinny man rushed in.

The man wore a black combat suit, short in stature but extremely agile, running almost silently. Sweat covered his face.

"Jue Shao, not good!"

Dongfang Jue stared at him, his gaze sharp as a blade.

"Speak."

The skinny man swallowed, his voice tightening.

"All our Dark Stakes in Jiangnan lost contact an hour ago!"

Dongfang Jue's body froze hard.

His Pupils contracted rapidly, his Mouth pressed into a straight line, his whole face looking as if frozen with ice, chillingly cold.

"All?"

"Yes, all of them."

The skinny man nodded forcefully.

"From the outer Information Node to the Core Stronghold, there are seventeen Dark Stakes in total, all of which are unreachable. Whether Secret Line or Open Line, no one responded, no stronghold has any signal feedback."

"All lost contact within an hour?"

Dongfang Jue's voice grew even colder.

"We've been placing Dark Stakes for years, each stronghold has more than three layers of backup communication methods; how could they all be lost within an hour?"

The skinny man's complexion grew worse, his Mouth trembled, wanting to say something but not daring to.

He lowered his head, both hands gripping his trouser seam, knuckles white, cold sweat on his back already soaking his combat uniform.

Dongfang Jue looked at him, and the chill in his heart grew heavier.

He understood, it wasn't a communication failure, nor an accidental loss of contact…

Someone is pulling out all the nails that the Dongfang family placed in Jiangnan.

One after another, cleanly, leaving none.

To pull out seventeen Dark Stakes within an hour, and ensure none of them even have a chance to send a distress signal, this is definitely beyond what an ordinary Faction can achieve.

It would require at least one information network covering all of Jiangnan, and at least three or more experts acting simultaneously, to complete such a sweep in such a short time.

Dongfang Jue Standing There, Brain racing rapidly.

Except for the other three of the Four Great Families, who could do it…

But why would they suddenly strike the Dongfang family?

Dongfang Jue's eyebrows knit into a shape resembling the character for "river," his fingers tapped the control panel twice, then stopped.

He glanced at the still trembling skinny man, and said coldly.

"Order everyone to move, strengthen outer perimeter guard. Also, Immediately contact Kyoto Headquarters, tell the ancestor that something happened Here."

The skinny man nodded forcefully, turned and rushed out.

Only Dongfang Jue remained, eyebrows tightly knit.

He could feel a terrifying great net quietly unfolding towards him…