Chapter 192

"Moreover, no matter what methods you use, you must find the villain who killed Yu'er." "If I don't torture him to death, if I don't tear him to pieces, I swear I won't be human!" The old woman gritted her teeth as she spoke. Her tone was chillingly cold, sending shivers down anyone's spine. "Mother!" The head of the Zheng family hesitated upon hearing this, "Since that person dared to oppose the Seven Kill Tower, his identity and background must be extraordinary. If we pursue this matter..." Before he could finish, the old woman glared at him with icy eyes. "So, you're saying we shouldn't avenge Yu'er?" The head of the Zheng family froze, swallowing hard before replying, "That's not what I meant. I just think we should consider this matter carefully." "Consider carefully? You just want to drag this out until I'm dead, right?" The old woman sneered. "Your son dares not!" The head of the Zheng family trembled and quickly lowered his head. "Hmph! Only you know what you're truly thinking. I just want to know if this dying old woman can still call the shots in the Zheng family?" "Mother is the pillar of our family. The entire Zheng family stands because of you, so you naturally have the final say." "Since I can still call the shots, then you will follow my orders obediently. No matter the cost, find that man's whereabouts before Yu'er's seventh-day memorial. I don't care who he is or how powerful his background is! I want his head, placed before Yu'er's grave, to honor his spirit in heaven!" Seeing his mother's vicious and sinister face, the head of the Zheng family knew that opposing her was futile. He could only lower his head and comply, "Yes, I will take care of it." Watching the head of the Zheng family leave in dejection, the old woman's face remained cold, her killing intent chilling and boiling, lingering around for a long time. The hall fell into a deadly silence; no one dared to move, not even to breathe loudly. Even the middle-aged beautiful woman was drenched in cold sweat, her back soaked. Outside the Zheng mansion, in another huge residence two miles away, a scholarly old man was leisurely writing in his study. Suddenly, his expression changed, his wrist trembled slightly, and a drop of ink fell from his brush, spreading on the paper. "What madness is that old woman from the Zheng family up to again?" The scholarly old man put down his brush, thought for a moment, and called a servant. "Go and invite the master over." Soon, a middle-aged man in a long robe, who bore some resemblance to the old man in demeanor, hurriedly arrived at the courtyard. "Grandfather, you called for me?" "Just now, I felt an astonishing killing intent from that old woman of the Zheng family. I don't know what madness she's up to again. Go and investigate." The scholarly old man said. "The old ancestor of the Zheng family?" The middle-aged man was shocked. "Who dares to provoke her? Are they tired of living?" "That's why I want you to check it out. That old woman is nearing the end of her life. If she goes mad now, no one can stop her." "Yes, I will investigate immediately." The middle-aged man left in a hurry. Ever since that old woman from the Zheng family was severely injured a few years ago and confirmed that she didn't have many years left to live, she had become an untouchable existence in the prefecture. After all, a Precelestial Realm expert with few years left to live, if truly driven mad, who could withstand her? After his grandson left, the scholarly old man looked up at the distant sky, which was faintly white, his emotions turbulent. It was indeed a turbulent time, with dark undercurrents surging everywhere. As a Precelestial Realm martial artist, he had an instinctive feeling that something extremely important was about to happen. At such a time, the old woman from the Zheng family must not go mad. Half an hour later, the middle-aged man returned, his face showing a very peculiar expression. He seemed both surprised and somewhat gloating. "Did you find out?" The scholarly old man asked calmly. "I did, but..." "But what?" "According to our spies, the second son of the Zheng family was slaughtered outside the city last night in a brothel, his head even smashed. The old ancestor of the Zheng family is furious because of this, and she has already killed several guards." The middle-aged man reported. "The second son of the Zheng family, the posthumous child of the late eldest son of the Zheng family?" The scholarly old man asked. "That's him, named Zheng Yu, very much loved by the old ancestor of the Zheng family. He was extremely arrogant in the prefecture. I didn't expect him to go out of the city and get himself killed!" The middle-aged man's face showed a hint of schadenfreude. "No wonder that old woman went mad." The scholarly old man nodded. "The late eldest son of the Zheng family was exceptionally talented. He became a Martial Grandmaster before the age of thirty and had a bright future, with hopes of reaching the Precelestial Realm before forty, becoming the youngest Precelestial in our Cangzhou. But who would have thought that early fame and a smooth path of cultivation could sometimes be a disaster. The late eldest son of the Zheng family, being the youngest Martial Grandmaster in Cangzhou at the time, was arrogant and full of himself, even disregarding several Precelestial Realm experts in the prefecture. Due to the old woman of the Zheng family and the restrictions of the Sacred Mountain decree, we didn't pay much attention to him, which only made him more arrogant. Twenty years ago, a strange Precelestial Realm expert traveled to Cangzhou with his female disciple. The eldest son of the Zheng family, while out playing, saw that the female disciple was exceptionally beautiful and wanted to take her back to his mansion as a concubine. Naturally, this provoked the Precelestial Realm expert, who killed him on the spot. Upon hearing this, the old woman from the Zheng family went mad and chased the stranger for over three hundred miles. They fought to the death, and she managed to kill him. She even captured the female disciple and buried her with her son. But the old woman herself was severely injured, greatly reducing her lifespan. She hasn't fully recovered to this day." "I didn't know such a thing happened. So that's how the eldest son of the Zheng family died." The middle-aged man sighed. "You were still young at that time, traveling with your master. The eldest son's death was disgraceful, and the old woman was prideful, so few knew the details." The scholarly old man explained. "The Zheng Yu you mentioned should be the posthumous child of the late eldest son. After his death, the old woman of the Zheng family changed drastically, becoming extremely violent. Every day, servants were beaten to death in the Zheng mansion, and everyone lived in fear. Later, the wife of the late eldest son discovered she was pregnant. The old woman was overjoyed, and her violent tendencies gradually subsided. However, during childbirth, the wife of the late eldest son died, leaving only this single bloodline. The old woman naturally doted on him to the core. Sёarᴄh the nôvel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Now that you say he was killed, no wonder her killing intent was so intense earlier." The scholarly old man felt somewhat relieved. As long as it wasn't someone from his own household provoking that old woman, everything was still manageable. But he was also curious. "Did you find out who killed Zheng Yu?" "No, the spy reported that the Zheng family only knew it was a black-clothed martial artist. His identity remains a mystery. Moreover, it seems the black-clothed martial artist didn't specifically target Zheng Yu. He killed him while robbing the brothel." "It seems we have encountered a formidable outsider. The late eldest son of the Zheng family was also killed by a visiting Precelestial Realm expert. Unexpectedly, his son met the same fate." The scholarly old man sighed. If it were a local martial artist, no one would dare risk provoking that old woman by killing Zheng Yu. Only an outsider, unaware of the local situation, would dare to take such a risk. "But Grandfather, I also discovered something else." The middle-aged man's expression turned serious. "It's said that the black-clothed martial artist, while slaughtering the brothel, mentioned it was a stronghold of the Seven Kill Tower and that he was targeting them." "Is that true?" The scholarly old man was shocked. "I'm not sure, but that's what the guard beside Zheng Yu said before he died. It seems highly likely." "The claws of the Seven Kill Tower have reached our Cangzhou? They've always been entrenched in Zhongzhou. And who would dare provoke such an ancient sect?" The scholarly old man muttered, feeling that the matter was far from simple. However, the middle-aged man then dropped another bombshell. "Also, Grandfather, the spies found out that the old ancestor of the Zheng family, in her rage over Zheng Yu's death, not only killed all the guards who failed to protect him but also plans to capture their families and clansmen for live human sacrifice to accompany Zheng Yu." "What did you say?!" The scholarly old man was so shocked that he couldn't think about the Seven Kill Tower anymore. He stood up abruptly, staring at his grandson in disbelief. "Live human sacrifice! That old woman has truly gone mad!" At that moment, the scholarly old man felt a wave of overwhelming sorrow, accompanied by cries and wails, coming from the northwest. That was where the Zheng family was located. He shuddered, ignoring his grandson, and immediately used his body technique to rush towards the Zheng family. When the scholarly old man arrived at the Zheng family, he saw a large group of people chained and kneeling on the ground, crying and begging for mercy. There were old and young, men and women, even infants still in swaddling clothes. Nearby, an elderly man had been decapitated, blood flowing everywhere. His severed head stared with wide eyes, filled with anger and sorrow. The scholarly old man knew that the sorrow he felt earlier was from this elderly man before his death. He also recognized the old man. He was a steward of the Zheng family, with considerable internal organs cultivation, quite renowned in the prefecture. This man had always been loyal to the Zheng family, managing many of their businesses efficiently. It was said his eldest son also served as a guard in the Zheng mansion, but he too died here. "Spare us, old ancestor, spare us!" Cries for mercy rang out from the chained crowd. Some kowtowed so hard their foreheads bled, staining the green stone slabs with blood. But others stared at the old woman with eyes full of hatred. "Spare you?" The old woman remained indifferent, unmoved by the scene before her. "If I spare you, who will spare my Yu'er? Your men were supposed to protect Yu'er, but they neglected their duty, causing his death. Those worthless wretches deserved to die. You, as their family and clan, are also unforgivable and must be buried with my Yu'er!" "No, old ancestor, please don't. It's not our fault. Spare us, old ancestor!" The chained people were terrified, desperately kowtowing and begging for mercy. But the old woman remained unmoved. She waved her hand. "Take these wretches away and lock them up. On the day of Yu'er's burial, send them down to serve him." "Yes!" Immediately, guards stepped forward, dragging the chained people away. "I won't go, I won't go, spare us, old ancestor, spare us!" The crowd panicked, some refusing to leave but were forcefully dragged away by the strong guards. Those who tried to escape were whipped until their flesh was torn. The scene at the front gate of the Zheng mansion was filled with screams and cries, a tragic sight. Finally, when everyone was dragged away, peace returned to the front gate of the Zheng mansion. The nearby residents heard the cries but, fearing the Zheng family's power, no one dared to come out and watch, let alone intervene. "Old man, since you're here, don't hide. Come out." Once everything quieted down, the old woman suddenly spoke. The scholarly old man, his face grim, revealed himself. The surrounding Zheng family guards were startled. They hadn't noticed his presence until he revealed himself. To hide his presence so well under their noses. The answer was obvious. This old man must be one of the few Precelestial Realm experts in the prefecture, not to be provoked. "Old lady Zheng, don't you think you've gone too far?" The scholarly old man said grimly. "Oh, I'm just punishing my family's slaves. How is that too far?" The old woman sneered, "They all have contracts with my family. Even if I kill them all, it's a family matter. Since when is it your business, old man?" "You have the right to punish your servants, but if you perform live human sacrifice, it concerns me." The scholarly old man said solemnly. "Live human sacrifice is too cruel, against the principles of heaven and earth, and the Sacred Mountain forbids it. Anyone has the duty to stop it!" "Hahaha, heaven and earth principles?" The old woman laughed as if hearing a joke. Then her face twisted with hatred. "If heaven truly had eyes, why didn't it protect my Yu'er? My obedient Yu'er, just playing outside the city, and he met such a fate! Those worthless guards failed to protect him, didn't they deserve to die? I want them all to be buried with my grandson! Whoever dares to stop me, I'll fight them to the death!" With that, a powerful aura burst from the old woman. She slammed her dragon-headed cane on the ground, cracking the stone slabs. Her eyes locked onto the scholarly old man. "Old man Lin, are you sure you want to stop me?" Feeling the old woman's overwhelming aura and her madness. The scholarly old man's face changed, finding himself in a dilemma. Table of content