Chapter 167

A steward rolled and scrambled into the council chamber, face as pale as paper, voice trembling so badly it barely formed words.

"Re—Report to the Patriarch! The Changhua Prefecture, Changkang Prefecture, Changwei Prefecture… last night… last night, all three branch families were wiped out!"

"It… it was the Black Dragon Guild! Their mark was left on the walls!"

"…"

Fang Hongyi, the patriarch of the Fang family, seated at the main seat, suddenly jolted his teacup—scalding tea splashed out, burning his wrist, yet he felt nothing.

Only his face remained as dark as stormwater, forcibly suppressing the raging storm within.

"Understood. Withdraw. Seal the news… no, it's probably already too late to seal it."

After the steward withdrew, Fang Hongyi could no longer maintain his composure—he slammed his palm onto the tea table, and the priceless purple sandalwood table instantly turned to dust.

"Summon all senior members immediately! Go!"

"Yes." A guard standing in the corner, expressionless, bowed and replied.

Moments later.

The core strength of the Fang family gathered in the secret chamber.

Besides Patriarch Fang Hongyi, there were Fang Hongdao, Fang Hongtu, and others, along with Fang Ronghe, who had just entered the Earth Altar Realm.

"What? All three branches wiped out in one night?"

Fang Hongtu shot to his feet, eyes bulging like bronze bells, filled with shock and disbelief.

Fang Hongdao's face was equally solemn, dripping with gravity; his knuckles whitened from clenching, "Why would the Black Dragon Guild suddenly target us? We've had no conflicts with them in recent years."

"Just a few days ago I negotiated a deal with them! These bastards—no feedback, no warning, and now they're after us!" Fang Hongtu gnashed his teeth.

"The Black Dragon Guild only takes money and gives no loyalty."

"Who? Who exactly wants to exterminate our Fang family?"

"…"

The others debated wildly, speculating endlessly, yet none reached a conclusion; the secret chamber was thick with unease and fear.

Fang Ronghe, who had been meditating with closed eyes, slowly opened them—his cloudy eyes flashed a glint of sharpness, his voice hoarse yet carrying undeniable authority: "Need we guess? Who else could hate us so deeply, willing to spend their entire fortune hiring the Black Dragon Guild, except the last surviving remnant of the Zhang family we exterminated half a year ago?"

Fang Ronghe's words were like ice water poured over their heads—Fang Hongyi, Fang Hongtu, and the others instantly turned pale, their faces shadowed with dawning realization and deeper Solemnity.

"The Zhang family… it was that escaped rat!" Fang Hongtu growled.

"It's useless to dwell on this now."

As patriarch, Fang Hongyi forced himself to calm down, his voice low and steady: "The priority now is how to respond. The Black Dragon Guild strikes—no surrender, no mercy. We must consolidate our forces!"

He made his decision instantly: "Send word immediately to the remaining three prefectures' branches—abandon all assets, travel light, and rush to the main lineage in Changlong Prefecture at maximum speed! Concentrate all strength, hold our ground, await reinforcements… or find that killer!"

The orders were swiftly transmitted.

The entire main lineage of the Fang family became a clockwork wound tight, operating in tense motion, everyone waiting anxiously.

Yet.

From dawn until the sun dipped west, until evening fell, what they finally received were only three guards—drenched in blood, covered in wounds, fleeing from different directions!

They brought nearly identical nightmares: the other three branch teams, en route to Changlong Prefecture, had each been ambushed and annihilated.

The Black Dragon Guild assassin moved like a phantom, his archery divine, his methods ruthless—he prioritized assassinating the family's elite warriors, then slaughtered the rest.

These three were deliberately spared, sent back to deliver the news.

Thud!

One guard, after reporting, collapsed from severe wounds and exhaustion.

…

In the secret chamber, deathly silence.

Fang Hongyi's face turned ashen, his body trembling slightly.

Fang Hongtu roared, smashing a fist into the wall, shattering a hole through it.

Fang Hongdao closed his eyes, breathing heavily.

Even Earth Altar Realm cultivator Fang Ronghe's eyelid twitched violently—a cold killing intent surged uncontrollably, dropping the chamber's temperature several degrees.

"Good! Excellent Black Dragon Guild! What a ruthless tactic!"

Fang Ronghe's voice was like ice frozen for ten thousand years: "They mean to sever the roots of our Fang family! That monster has surely infiltrated Changlong Prefecture already!"

He turned sharply to Fang Hongyi: "Issue orders—every person in the estate, raise your vigilance to the utmost. Appear relaxed, but tighten internal defenses—double the sentries, visible and hidden! All Pre-Nascent Soul warriors, stand ready. Let me see if this killer has three heads and six arms!"

"Yes!"

…

Night fell again.

The Fang family of Changlong Prefecture was lit up brightly, yet it resembled a vast tomb, thick with oppression and terror.

Chen Mu slipped through the high walls like a wisp of smoke, infiltrating the heavily guarded estate.

This time, he did not use his bow.

Two patrols of five men each were crossing paths along their fixed routes.

They strained their eyes, gripped their weapons tightly, nerves stretched to the breaking point.

Yet, under his "Night Vision" skill and with his stealth experience, Chen Mu moved at night as easily as in daylight—perhaps even more fluidly.

Like a leopard emerging from shadow, he appeared suddenly!

In his hands, two pitch-black, lightless daggers, like venomous fangs.

Hss! Hss! Hss!

Speed beyond measure.

The daggers sliced precisely across throats, pierced through hearts!

The guards never had time to cry out—they collapsed silently, leaving only the soft gurgle of flowing blood.

Chen Mu's movements didn't pause; the instant the second wave of guards noticed something was wrong and were just opening their mouths to shout, his figure swept past like a phantom.

The short blade once again carried the whisper of death!

In the blink of an eye, all ten elite guards were dead.

【Corpse discovered. Pick up?】

"Yes!"

……

With the card in hand, Chen Mu cast a cold glance at the corpses on the ground, walked to a pillar of the corridor, and swiftly carved that sinister black dragon emblem into it with his short blade.

Immediately, his figure flickered and melted back into the darkness, vanishing without a trace.

A moment later, another patrol discovered the gruesome scene here, and terrified screams and the clang of gongs instantly tore through the night sky.

"An assassin has gotten in~!"

"Alert! Alert!"

The Fang residence instantly descended into chaos.

Fang Hongyi, Fang Hongtu, and others rushed to the scene at the first moment. Looking at the miserably dead guards on the ground and that glaring black dragon emblem, Fang Hongyi was so angry his whole body trembled, while Fang Hongtu was even more furious to the point of madness, roaring, "This is going too far! This is going too far!"

Fang Hongdao was comparatively calmer and suggested, "If this goes on it won't work. Rather than that, why don't we few Innates personally lead teams and patrol by zone! I refuse to believe we can't catch him!"

"We can't!"

A voice immediately objected—it was a steady and experienced guest elder of the Fang family. "That assassin is clearly provoking us, trying to force us to scatter! He's skilled at covert killing; if everyone splits up, we're simply giving him the chance to pick us off one by one. The only option now is to hold tight to the core area, rely on the formation and our numbers, and wait for him to come attack!"

Fang Hongyi's face shifted through several expressions, and finally he said through gritted teeth, "The elder speaks reason! Contract the defenses! Everyone, fall back to the inner courtyard! Activate the formation!"