Chapter 29

The next morning, Jiang Chen woke up, having been woken up by someone. The reason was that early in the morning, Guo Xiang's maid, Xiao Bangtou, discovered that her young mistress had disappeared.

This news immediately caused chaos in the Guo household. Although Jiang Chen was a guest, he could not avoid being disturbed. Huang Rong was about to go out to search for her daughter, but at this moment, news of the Yuan-Mongol army's approach kept coming in. It was clear that Yang Guo's efforts to burn their supplies and set up ambushes had not only failed to intimidate the Yuan-Mongols but had instead further enraged them.

The military situation was urgent, and national affairs took precedence. Guo Jing had to persuade Huang Rong with great difficulty. He began to mobilize the city's defenders, the Beggar Sect members, and the many martial artists who had gathered.

When Jiang Chen got up and heard these two pieces of news, he couldn't help but sigh. Guo Xiang's sudden departure at night must have been to follow Yang Guo to the Valley of Absolute Affection. As for the Yuan-Mongol army's strong advance, this was an inevitable event. After breakfast, Jiang Chen was about to take his leave, but unfortunately, it started drizzling in Xiangyang. It was almost winter, and the morning wind was quite cold. Even a supreme expert like Jiang Chen couldn't help but feel a chill. He knew this chill came from his heart.

Jiang Chen stood under the eaves, watching the rain, pondering when it would end. The Yuan-Mongol army was advancing fiercely. If they reached the city, even if he broke through to the fifth stage and became a supreme grandmaster, he would still be unable to face the thousands of soldiers head-on. Therefore, before the Yuan-Mongol army arrived, a night attack was his only feasible method.

"Jiang Xiaoye, you have a good mood," Huang Rong said, walking over and standing beside him. "Unfortunately, the autumn rain is cold, and it's unclear when it will stop."

Jiang Chen replied, "I'm hoping it ends soon. If not, I might have to set out in the rain."

Huang Rong was surprised, "You want to leave Xiangyang? Where are you going? You're not planning to intercept the Yuan-Mongol army again, are you?"

"Exactly," Jiang Chen frowned. "The Yuan-Mongol army has two routes. The northern route is led by Mongke himself, with many experts, including the Golden Wheel Dharma King. I can't do anything about them. However, the southern route, though Kublai Khan has a large army, if I'm careful and don't get surrounded, I can kill a few thousand a day. Even if he has a hundred thousand soldiers, how long will it take me to kill them all?"

"This..." Huang Rong, despite being prepared, still couldn't help but gasp. This person's killing intent was too strong, and even if he wasn't evil, he certainly wasn't a good person.

"Are you thinking that I'm too bloodthirsty, that even if I'm not a villain, I'm not a good person?" Jiang Chen laughed. "In my opinion, there are no purely good or evil people in this world. Killing a good person is murder, and killing a bad person is also murder. Killing one person is murder, and killing a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand is also murder."

Huang Rong couldn't help but laugh bitterly, "Aren't you afraid that excessive killing will lead to madness?"

"Ha," Jiang Chen laughed loudly, "I am already a demon, why would I need to go mad?" With that, he ignored Huang Rong's shock and walked straight into the rain and wind. For a moment, the rain and wind enveloped him, as if trying to wash away the dust from his heart.

Huang Rong watched, stunned. Thinking about what she and her husband Guo Jing had done, her eyes showed a hint of uncertainty and melancholy.

Two days later, the rain had not stopped. Jiang Chen bid farewell to Guo Jing and Huang Rong. Although Guo Jing tried to persuade him to stay, Jiang Chen was determined to leave. Before he left, he gave Guo Jing and Huang Rong a great gift: the Black-robed Asura reappeared and killed all the corrupt officials and villains in Xiangyang, including the city's commander, Lü Wendeng.

This left Guo Jing unsure whether to be angry or happy. He intended to report to the Southern Song court, but with the war imminent, he had to abandon the idea at Huang Rong's persuasion and take charge of Xiangyang's defense. Jiang Chen only smiled slightly, and by then, he had already left Xiangyang, heading straight for Dali to intercept Kublai Khan's route of the Yuan-Mongol army.

This route of the Yuan-Mongol army, starting from Dali, consisted of about a hundred thousand soldiers, divided into two parts. The front part was led by Mongke's trusted general, Wulianghetai, and the rear part by Kublai Khan. Although the two armies were divided, they advanced together, carrying the momentum of the conquest of Dali, with great force.

Jiang Chen's lightness skill was unparalleled, even faster than a horse. In just a few days, he met Wulianghetai's route of the Yuan-Mongol army halfway. Without hesitation, he infiltrated the Yuan-Mongol camp at midnight, intending to kill the generals first to disrupt the army. However, with fifty thousand soldiers, the camp stretched for miles, making it difficult to find the generals, which would be time-consuming and risky.

"Fine, soldiers and generals are the same, they all need to be killed," Jiang Chen thought. He silently infiltrated a tent and started killing. His martial arts were already at the pinnacle, and with the unbreakable Broken Gold Sword, he was extremely efficient.

The sharp blade was far more effective than a dagger. He preferred to strike at the neck, ensuring the victim couldn't cry out before dying. The Broken Gold Sword's sharpness could decapitate a person with a single stroke. The Yuan-Mongol soldiers died in their sleep.

After finishing one tent, Jiang Chen moved to the next. Despite the many patrolling soldiers, no one could detect him. Even the so-called experts in the army couldn't sense his presence unless he wanted to be noticed or by sheer coincidence.

In a single breath, dozens of Yuan-Mongol soldiers lost their lives. Jiang Chen, like a black-robed Asura from hell, declared his existence through slaughter.

After nearly an hour, Jiang Chen, having killed all the soldiers in a tent, leaned on his sword to rest. Although his martial arts and physical strength were not greatly drained, the mental strain made him somewhat tired.

After all, he had killed not just a few but hundreds or even thousands. This massacre involved at least three to four thousand people, and he had to be cautious to avoid detection by the Yuan-Mongols.

"It's time to leave." Estimating that staying longer might be noticed, he left the tent, using the dim light to cover his departure, just as he had come, leaving no trace.

Sure enough, shortly after Jiang Chen left, the Yuan-Mongol camp discovered the massacre. Upon inspection, over fifty tents had been attacked, with a total of 4,700 soldiers killed.

This news was shocking, and it was immediately reported to General Wulianghetai, who was furious. He immediately ordered increased defenses to prevent such an incident from happening again.

Unfortunately, no matter how strict the defenses, they could not stop a supreme expert from launching a night attack. For several days, Jiang Chen attacked every night, killing hundreds or even thousands each time. Even with Wulianghetai's order for half the soldiers in each tent to stay awake, it made no difference.

Jiang Chen's lightness skill and swordsmanship were unparalleled. To maximize efficiency, he focused on speed, combining it with his lightness skill. In a blink, he could kill all the soldiers in a tent, whether they were asleep or awake, giving them no chance to cry out.

"Damn, damn," in the main tent, Wulianghetai, looking at the casualty reports on the table, was beside himself with rage. His continuous angry shouts could not fully express his fury.

As a Yuan-Mongol general, he had never encountered such a situation. Half of his fifty-thousand-strong army had been mysteriously decimated, and he still didn't know who the enemy was: male or female, fat or thin, how many, or even if they were human or ghost.

"One day, I will find you and tear you apart," Wulianghetai roared, sweeping the reports off the table. At that moment, a panicked shout came from outside:

"General, bad news, our supplies... are on fire."

...