Chapter 188: Sudden Anomaly

Bang!

A deafening crash echoed, and dust swirled inside the warehouse.

Zhao Wuji had thought he was doomed, but found himself unharmed.

He opened his eyes and saw a tiny, slender figure blocking him.

The figure wore a gray robe and a mouse mask on its face.

"Mouse... Mouse Manager?"

Zhao Wuji's voice trembled, tinged with surprise.

"Useless."

Mouse Manager's voice was high-pitched, like a mouse's squeak.

He turned and kicked Zhao Wuji in the stomach.

Zhao Wuji let out a wail, his body curling up like a tiny shrimp.

"Thank you, Mouse Manager, for saving my life."

Zhao Wuji endured the excruciating pain, struggled to rise, and spoke respectfully.

"Hmph, a bunch of useless ones, can't even handle a little brat."

Mouse Manager's tone was icy, his eyes full of contempt.

"Yes, yes, my subordinate is incompetent, my subordinate is incompetent."

Zhao Wuji nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at grain.

"You are Jiangnan?"

Mouse Manager turned and looked at Jiangnan, his tone carrying a hint of scrutiny.

"It is I."

Jiangnan replied, his voice calm, though a flash of apprehension crossed his eyes.

The Mouse Manager before him was not weak; he was already in the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

Although a realm below him, his backing was clearly not to be underestimated.

"Indeed, heroes emerge in youth."

Mouse Manager's voice was sharp, with a hint of admiration.

"So young, yet possessing such cultivation, truly enviable."

"You flatter me."

Jiangnan's tone was cold, showing no emotional shift despite the praise.

"I observe your remarkable bones and extraordinary talent; are you interested in joining our Shadow?"

Mouse Manager suddenly spoke, his tone laced with temptation.

"Join the Shadow?"

Jiangnan furrowed his brows and asked back.

"Exactly."

Mouse Manager nodded and continued.

"As long as you join the Shadow, wealth and honor will be within easy reach."

"Moreover, our organization possesses countless cultivation resources, which can help you ascend another level."

"Even breaking through the Golden Core to reach a higher realm is not impossible."

Mouse Manager's tone was full of temptation, like a devil beguiling the heart.

"Hehe, that sounds good."

Jiangnan's mouth twitched upward, revealing a faint, playful smile.

"How about it? Interested?"

Mouse Manager's eyes flickered with a hint of expectation.

"Not interested."

Jiangnan replied, his tone crisp and decisive.

"You..."

Mouse Manager's complexion changed, a flash of anger in his eyes.

"Do you know what fate awaits those who refuse our Shadow?"

Mouse Manager's voice was cold, with a hint of threat.

"I don't know, and I don't want to know."

Jiangnan's tone remained calm, as if nothing concerned him.

"Fine, very well."

Mouse Manager laughed furiously, his voice sharp and grating.

"Since you refuse the offered wine and take the punitive one, don't blame me for being unkind."

"Hold on."

Ye Qingcheng suddenly spoke, cutting off Mouse Manager.

Her beautiful eyes were filled with fury as she questioned.

"You Shadow, why do you intend to annihilate the Ye family entirely?"

"The Ye family?"

Mouse Manager was taken aback, as if recalling something.

"Oh, you mean that overreaching little clan?"

Mouse Manager's tone was contemptuous, as if speaking of a trivial matter.

"What did you say?"

Ye Qingcheng's delicate body trembled, and her beautiful eyes were filled with disbelief.

"Do you think a mere Ye family could contend with our Shadow?"

Mouse Manager's tone was full of mockery.

"You... you are utterly depraved!"

Ye Qingcheng scolded angrily, her voice trembling, tears swirling in her eyes.

"Depraved? Heh, in this law‑of‑the‑jungle world, strength is everything."

Mouse Manager sneered, his gaze full of cruelty.

"You all deserve death!"

Ye Qingcheng gritted her teeth, each word forced out between her teeth.

"Deserve death? Hahaha…"

Mouse Manager threw his head back and laughed, his voice sharp and piercing.

"Little girl, you are still too naive."

"Today, you all will die!"

Mouse Manager's eyes hardened, murderous intent blazing.

"Bold words without shame."

Jiangnan snorted coldly, his tone full of contempt.

"Is it bold words without shame? Just try it and you'll see."

Mouse Manager's voice suddenly turned cold; his figure flickered, and he vanished from the spot in an instant.

"So fast!"

Ye Qingcheng gasped, unable to see the other's movements at all.

Jiangnan's gaze grew solemn; he could feel that Mouse Manager's strength was far more than that of the previous Shadow Messengers.

Suddenly, a strong sense of danger surged from Jiangnan's heart.

He spun around sharply and launched a punch.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud sounded as Jiangnan's fist collided with a withered hand.

The ground beneath their feet cracked inch by inch, spreading outward like a spider web.

Mouse Manager's body flickered, stepping back a few paces, a flash of surprise in his eyes.

"You're strong, but still not enough to be seen."

Mouse Manager's voice was hoarse, carrying a hint of gravity.

Jiangnan's gaze was icy; he gave no reply, feeling that the opponent's strength was not weak.

"Jie jie jie, again!"

Mouse Manager let out a strange laugh, his figure flickering, and vanished again.

Jiangnan's eyes narrowed; he spun sharply and hurled a punch behind him.

"Bang!"

Another muffled thud, and Mouse Manager's figure reappeared.

Their fists and palms met, Strong Wind burst forth, and the surrounding goods were shaken into disarray.

Inside the warehouse, chaos reigned; the two figures moved like lightning, constantly intersecting.

Each collision produced deafening sounds, terrifying everyone.

Ye Qingcheng stood aside, her eyes full of worry; she wanted to help but was powerless.

In a battle of this level, she couldn't intervene at all, only fidget anxiously.

"Is this the Foundation Establishment Late Stage power? Indeed terrifying."

Ye Qingcheng murmured to herself, her voice carrying a slight tremor.

Zhao Wuji stood nearby, his face bearing the relief of surviving a disaster, his eyes full of resentment and poison.

"Jiangnan, today is your death day."

Zhao Wuji gritted his teeth, secretly hardening his heart.

"Hmph, who will claim the deer's death? It's still uncertain."

Jiangnan let out a cold laugh, his tone brimming with confidence.

He thrust a punch forward forcefully, the fist wrapped in a faint golden light.

Mouse Manager's complexion changed; he could feel that the punch's power was far from trivial.

He dared not meet it head‑on, his body flickering as he tried to dodge.

But it was too late; Jiangnan's fist had already reached his chest.

"Bang!"

A huge blast rang out, and Mouse Manager's chest instantly caved in.

A mouthful of black blood spewed from his mouth, his body like a kite with a cut string, flung backward.

"Plop!"

Mouse Manager crashed heavily onto the ground, struggled a few times, then fell still.

"This..."

Ye Qingcheng's eyes widened, her face full of shock—Is it over already?

Zhao Wuji's smile on his face instantly froze, and his eyes were full of disbelief.

"You... how could you be so strong?"

Zhao Wuji's voice trembled, carrying a hint of fear.

"You talk too much."

Jiangnan looked at Zhao Wuji, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Don't... don't kill me, I can give you money, a lot of money."

Zhao Wuji spoke in terror, his body trembling continuously.

"Do you think I would be short of money?"

Jiangnan's mouth corner lifted slightly, revealing a trace of disdainful smile.

"I... I can also tell you a secret, a secret about the Shadow organization."