Chapter 64

“Everyone be careful—there might be ambushes inside,” Li Da whispered.

The squad members nodded, gripped their weapons tightly, and crept cautiously into the factory.

The factory’s interior was in ruins, littered with discarded machines and parts. They followed the stairs down to the basement.

The basement was vast, stacked high with countless spiritual-energy weapons: guns, ammunition, bombs, and more.

Several people in white lab coats moved about busily, clearly researching and producing spiritual-energy weapons.

“So they’re here!” Li Da’s eyes flashed with anger. “Attack!”

The squad members surged forward, engaging in fierce combat with the Black Crows.

Jiang Xia and Wang Teng joined the fight; their strength was immense, and they quickly eliminated many Black Crows.

At that moment, a man in a black suit stepped out of an office.

He appeared to be in his forties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, a faint sneer on his face.

“I didn’t expect Itachi to find this place,” the man said. “But none of Itachi will leave alive today.”

With a snap of his fingers, holes suddenly opened in the surrounding walls, and countless spiritual-energy robots poured out.

These robots stood over two meters tall, armed with spiritual-energy rifles, and armored in thick plating.

Their combat power was formidable; the squad members soon found themselves in dire straits.

“I’ll handle these robots,” Wang Teng said. He formed a hand seal with his left hand; countless black runes surged from his palm, wrapping around the robots.

The runes struck the robots, emitting a sizzling sound; their movements instantly slowed.

Jiang Xia activated his Sharingan, scanning the surroundings for the man in the suit.

He spotted the man standing before a control panel, operating something.

“Itachi’re Zhao Tianxiong, leader of the Black Crows, aren’t Itachi?” Jiang Xia asked coldly.

Zhao Tianxiong looked up, surprised. “I didn’t expect Itachi to know me.”

He paused, then added, “But knowing me won’t save Itachi—Itachi’ll all die here today.”

Jiang Xia said nothing. His body blurred into a streak of afterimage as he lunged toward Zhao Tianxiong.

Zhao Tianxiong immediately pressed a button on the control panel. A barrier of energy suddenly appeared before him, blocking Jiang Xia’s attack.

“Your strength is decent—but Itachi’re still too green to defeat me.”

Zhao Tianxiong sneered and pressed another button. The ground around the control panel split open, and countless spiritual-energy traps rose up.

Jiang Xia’s eyes hardened. He activated Shinra Tensei, his body phasing out of reality to evade the traps.

He landed in front of the control panel, his right hand forming a Chidori, slamming it into the energy barrier.

The barrier shuddered violently, cracks spreading across its surface.

Zhao Tianxiong’s face darkened. He hastily pulled a spiritual-energy pistol from his pocket and aimed it at Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia had anticipated this. His Sharingan activated instantly, transferring the spiritual-energy bullets into the Shinra Tensei space.

Then, Jiang Xia attacked again, smashing the energy barrier with a single palm strike and seizing Zhao Tianxiong.

“Tell me—who is the force behind the Black Crows?” Jiang Xia asked coldly.

Zhao Tianxiong’s face turned pale, but he still defiantly replied, “I don’t know what Itachi’re talking about. The Black Crows have no higher power.”

“Is that so?” Jiang Xia’s eyes flashed with coldness. He activated Tsukuyomi; a powerful spiritual force surged into Zhao Tianxiong’s mind.

Zhao Tianxiong’s body convulsed violently, his face twisted in agony.

“I’ll tell Itachi, I’ll tell Itachi!”

Zhao Tianxiong finally broke. “The Black Crows are backed by the Cult of the Evil God—they’ve been funding us and supplying us with technology.”

Jiang Xia and Wang Teng both frowned. They hadn’t expected the Black Crows to be tied to the Cult of the Evil God again.

“What is the Cult of the Evil God’s purpose in having Itachi produce spiritual-energy weapons here?” Jiang Xia pressed.

“I don’t know the exact purpose. They only ordered us to produce the weapons and ship them to Shanhai Pass,” Zhao Tianxiong said.

Jiang Xia nodded. The Cult of the Evil God was clearly making major moves at Shanhai Pass.

He handed Zhao Tianxiong over to Li Da, then joined Wang Teng in clearing the factory’s remaining spiritual-energy robots and Black Crow remnants.

After clearing the factory, Jiang Xia and Wang Teng returned to the base. Li Da spoke to them.

“Thanks to Itachi, we not only destroyed the Black Crows’ secret warehouse but also captured their leader, Zhao Tianxiong.”

“The headquarters has been informed and has commended Itachi both.”

Jiang Xia and Wang Teng smiled but said nothing.

In the following days, Jiang Xia and Wang Teng assisted the base in handling the aftermath of the Black Crow organization and eliminated the remaining beasts around Jiangcheng.

Jiangcheng’s situation gradually stabilized; the base’s soldiers finally breathed easier.

That night, Jiang Xia and Wang Teng sat on the base’s rooftop, gazing at Jiangcheng’s night skyline.

“I didn’t expect this Jiangcheng mission to tie back to the Cult of the Evil God,” Wang Teng said. “It’s more complicated than we thought.”

Jiang Xia nodded. “Yes. The Cult of the Evil God’s influence is growing. We must strengthen our power quickly to face what’s coming.”

He paused, then added, “I’m on the verge of breaking through to Wu Zong. I’ve felt it for days—I’ve just been suppressing it to refine my foundation.”

Wang Teng’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really? That’s great! If Itachi break through to Wu Zong, our strength will surge dramatically.”

Jiang Xia smiled. “I plan to enter seclusion tomorrow and strive for a breakthrough.”

“Good,” Wang Teng said. “I feel I’m close to breaking through to mid-stage Great Martial Master too—I’ve just grasped twenty percent of the Yin-Yang Secret Seal.”

The next morning, Jiang Xia entered the base’s training chamber and began his seclusion.

Wang Teng stood guard outside the chamber, ensuring no one disturbed Jiang Xia.

Inside the chamber, darkness reigned—only a faint glow emanated from Jiang Xia’s body.

He sat cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed, beginning to circulate his spiritual power.

During the Battle of Destiny’s Luck, his spiritual power had long since reached its bottleneck—he had merely suppressed it, polishing his foundation.

Days passed; the glow within the chamber grew stronger.

On the seventh day, the chamber erupted with a powerful aura, shaking the entire base.

Wang Teng’s face lit up with excitement. “Success! Jiang Xia broke through to Wu Zong!”

The chamber door opened. Jiang Xia stepped out, radiating immense power, his gaze sharper than before.

“How do Itachi feel?” Wang Teng asked eagerly.

“Excellent. My strength has increased dramatically since breaking through to Wu Zong.”

Jiang Xia extended his right hand, forming a white-blue electric light in his palm—charged with immense power.

At that moment, Su Changfeng’s communication suddenly came through. Jiang Xia pressed the answer button; Su Changfeng’s voice echoed from the device.

“Jiang Xia, Wang Teng—Itachi’ve performed excellently on your Jiangcheng mission.”