Chapter 237: Jiang Shanhai Keeps His Appointment

Canlie walked with steady steps, striding toward Jiang Sun.

Each step seemed to tread on everyone's hearts as he said, "My reputation, do you know it? My name, have you remembered it?"

Although Jiang Sun enjoyed teasing crickets and seemed frivolous, he was extremely calm in handling matters.

He calmly raised his head, his gaze unafraid as he met Canlie's eyes and said, "Naturally I know."

Canlie nodded satisfactorily and continued asking, "Then do you know why I kidnapped you and brought you here?"

Jiang Sun nodded without hesitation, his voice firm as he said, "Naturally I know; you intend to use me to force my father to submit to you."

A smile appeared on Canlie's face, that smile looking especially sinister beneath the Golden Dragon Mask as he said, "You are quite clever."

Since you know my purpose, make a choice!

Either submit to me and persuade your father to also surrender, sharing wealth and honor.

Or I will kill you myself and let the Divine God Sect be reduced to ashes.

Faced with Canlie's threat, Jiang Sun fell into silence.

Chu Xiong beside him immediately stepped forward, the Crimson Flame Phoenix phantom around him becoming more solid as he threatened, "Kid, you'd better not agree, or I'll personally smash your skull to avenge Ghost Wind!"

Yang Cheng also chimed in from the side, his withered fingers trembling slightly as he said, "Don't be ungrateful!"

Li Tianyuan adopted a solemn demeanor, walking slowly to Jiang Sun's front and speaking earnestly: "Jiang Sun, those who discern the times are outstanding."

The Unending Gate's rise is already the prevailing trend; now the Supreme One's subordinates are strong as clouds, resources countless, those who submit prosper, those who resist perish.

As long as you surrender to the Unending Gate, wealth and honor will be inexhaustible; if you resist, there is only a dead end.

Of course, I would prefer the Supreme One to take the Divine God Sect without bloodshed.

Please consider it carefully.

Jiang Sun narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, then said slowly, "I need to talk with my maid."

Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but burst into bitter laughter and shake their heads.

A sect's young master actually needs to discuss strategy with a maid—how ridiculous.

But Canlie waved his hand magnanimously, the black aura on his body slightly rolling as he said, "You may talk, but don't take too long—my patience is limited."

Jiang Sun turned, gazing at A Jiao and speaking calmly: "A Jiao, do you know why the flowers have withered?"

A Jiao blinked in surprise.

In an instant she understood the young master's meaning.

Having grown up together since childhood, they understood each other's hearts; this coded phrase meant they would rather die than submit.

She took a deep breath, her eyes firm as she replied, "A Jiao understands why the flowers have withered."

Jiang Sun likewise took a deep breath.

Their eyes met, their hearts in sync.

In that instant, both simultaneously circulated their inner Qi, the surging Qi rushing through their meridians, ready to shatter their five viscera and six bowels.

To declare their resolve with death, they would never submit to the Unending Gate.

They secretly believed that, as the Sect Master of the Divine God Sect, their father, who firmly refused to submit to the Unending Gate, must have profound plans.

Over the years, their father often taught them that, as disciples of the sect, they should prioritize the greater good of the world and not bend their knees for temporary personal gain.

Now they have been captured here, becoming hostages the Unending Gate uses to threaten the Divine God Sect.

If they were to commit suicide, the Unending Gate's plot of using them as hostages would come to nothing.

In this seemingly hopeless desperate situation, suicide might be the only chance to break the deadlock.

However, they gravely underestimated the strength of the Unending Gate's Chieftain, Canlie.

Within this carved-beam-and-painted-pillar hall, a strange aura permeated the air; the night pearls inlaid in the walls flickered with a gloomy cold light, as if countless eyes were watching.

As the Chieftain of the Unending Gate, Canlie's perception was extraordinarily keen.

He lounged lazily on the throne carved with demons, a faint black aura swirling around him like a demon god emerging from the Nine Abyssal Hell.

Just as Jiang Sun and A Jiao had begun to circulate their Qi,

Canlie's pupils contracted, and he snorted coldly, "Hah! Trying to commit suicide? You're really crafty."

No sooner had his words fallen,

He casually waved his hand, two invisible forces like lightning slicing through the air, precisely seizing the flow of their Qi through their meridians.

Immediately afterward,

He quickly formed seals with both hands, condensing two clusters of dark power emitting a strange light in his palms.

With a low shout, this power struck like a cannonball at Jiang Sun and A Jiao's dantian.

Only two 'crack' sounds were heard.

Like the crisp sound of glass shattering, it echoed in the vast hall.

Their dantian deflated like a punctured ball, and their cultivation vanished in an instant.

Wah!

Jiang Sun and A Jiao each spat a mouthful of blood, which stained the precious Xuanhuang tiles beneath their feet red.

Jiang Sun's gaze was icy, staring fixedly at Canlie, his eyes full of resentment and anger as he looked at his opponent: "You—"

Before he could finish, the intense pain made him cough.

Canlie abolished their dantian, completely cutting off their thought of suicide.

Now they are limp and powerless, not even as strong as an ant, able only to be manipulated.

Someone, gag them and hang them from the beams!

Canlie gave the order coldly.

'As ordered!' two masked men flashed out from the shadows like ghosts.

They quickly stepped forward and used black cloth to gag their mouths.

Afterwards, he skillfully slipped the rope over them and gave a strong pull; the two were hoisted high onto the beam.

A breeze blew through the hall's cracks, and their bodies swayed gently with it, like two marionettes on strings.

Just then.

A powerful aura surged like a raging tide from outside the hall.

The dust on the ground was swept up by this air current, forming small vortices.

The newcomer was Jiang Shanhai, sect master of the Yushen Sect, and also the father of Jiang Suan.

As soon as he stepped into the hall, he saw Jiang Suan and A'jiao hanging from the beam at a glance.

His pupils contracted instantly, and a flicker of shock and anger that could not be concealed flashed in his eyes.

His son and personal guard had actually suffered such a vicious act; as a father, how could he not feel anguish?

But soon, he regained his composure.

As a sect master, in this perilous moment, he could not lose his composure.

He strode into the hall, his gaze like a torch, scanning everyone inside, finally locking onto Canlie seated in the main seat.

"If I'm not mistaken, you are a member of the Wujian Sect, right?"

Jiang Shanhai's voice was low and imposing.

As one of the world's top experts, he knew all the factions like the back of his hand.

The dark aura and arrogant demeanor emanating from the person before him allowed him to easily guess the other's identity.

Canlie slowly raised his head, his lightning-like gaze meeting Jiang Shanhai's and said, "That's correct."

"Wujian Sect's altar master, Canlie."

Canlie's voice was icy, as if it could freeze the air.

Jiang Shanhai took a deep breath; the great battle from a hundred years ago seemed still before his eyes.

Back then, the five great sects united in hatred of a common enemy, countless experts shed blood on the battlefield, thereby driving the Wujian Sect out of the outer territories.

Who would have thought that a hundred years later, the Wujian Sect would make a comeback, its power ever-growing, while the five great sects that once fought side by side...

... now three of them have surrendered to the Wujian Sect.

He glanced at Jiang Suan and A'jiao, suppressed the worry in his heart, and asked, "Speak, what exactly do you want to do?"