Chapter 442 - 205: Killing Intent Under the Night (3)

Soon, at the end of the reed marsh, they arrived before a large manor.

Upon seeing the manor, Hua Yuerong had a sudden realization.

"This is Wanshui Manor!"

"Wanshui Manor?"

Jiang Ran gave Hua Yuerong a questioning look.

Hua Yuerong explained to him:

"Hero Jiang, you’ve likely never heard of it. Wanshui Manor is the Hu family’s territory."

"The Hu family is a somewhat renowned martial arts family in this area. They have disciples studying among the Seven Sects, so naturally, their status has risen accordingly."

"Wanshui Manor is where they made their fortune, and it is also their ancestral home."

"Their family returns to Wanshui Manor to worship their ancestors on the twenty-third of the tenth month."

"Right, today is the twenty-third of the tenth month!"

"On this day, Hu family disciples from all over return to this place..."

A thought stirred in Jiang Ran’s mind as he saw the group of black-clad men halt their movements.

The leader waved his hand, and several squads of black-clad men immediately fanned out to the sides of the manor. In moments, they had it surrounded.

Then, the leader made another hand signal.

The next moment, the black-clad men surrounding the manor all took something out from within their robes.

It was an object that looked something like a crossbow.

But it was rather crude.

An arrow was already nocked, and a small bamboo tube was tied to its head.

They simultaneously raised the objects in their hands, aimed them diagonally into the air, and pulled the triggers. A WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH sound split the air.

One after another, the arrows traced parabolic arcs and landed inside the courtyard.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Explosions went off one after another. The sound wasn’t loud, but thick smoke billowed out.

In an instant, the entire manor was thrown into utter chaos, filled with cries of alarm.

"We’re under attack!!"

"There’s something strange about this smoke! Cover your mouths and noses!"

"Who dares to intrude upon my Wanshui Manor?"

"The Manor Lord, where is the Manor Lord?"

As shouts rang out, the leader of the black-clad men remained unmoved.

It seemed he had seen such scenes many times before and was completely unfazed.

With just a light wave of his hand, another group of black-clad men leaped into the air, landing in various parts of the courtyard. Moments later, flames shot into the sky.

Only then did the leader finally speak, his voice cold.

"Kill them! Leave no one alive!!"

The black-clad men behind him immediately shot forward, storming into Wanshui Manor from all directions.

Only then did screams of agony begin to pour out from the manor.

Hua Yuerong’s face turned pale.

"They... they..."

Jiang Ran, however, spoke softly.

"You wait here. I’m going to save them."

He scanned the surroundings, then carried Hua Yuerong up into a large tree and had her sit securely.

"This spot is still far from the manor. As long as you don’t make any loud noises, I doubt those black-clad men could possibly detect you, no matter how skilled they are."

Hua Yuerong covered her mouth with both hands and nodded at Jiang Ran.

Only then did Jiang Ran’s figure flash, like a phantom, appearing outside the manor in the blink of an eye.

With another leap, he was on top of the wall.

Arriving there, he looked down and saw a black-clad man strike a young man who looked like a guard with his palm.

After the palm strike landed, bloody lines split open all over the young man’s body.

With a jolt of Inner Strength, the young man was sent flying by the blow.

His body shattered into pieces in mid-air.

Seeing this, Jiang Ran’s expression darkened.

"So it’s you!!"

Tang Huayi was actually right. In the martial world, there really aren’t many who can use their Inner Strength to shatter a person to pieces with a single palm strike.

Jiang Ran could do it because his Inner Energy was profound.

But it was impossible that any random person could be such an expert.

Now it seemed the martial arts cultivated by these black-clad men were anything but ordinary.

These manor guards seemed to have inhaled the smoke, causing their limbs to go weak. Seeing the ferocity of their enemies, they didn’t dare to fight and turned to flee.

The black-clad man was utterly cold. Seeing his opponent flee, he showed no reaction at all, simply tapping his foot and appearing behind the guard.

He thrust out his palm to strike!

Halfway through the strike, a hand suddenly shot out from the side.

It seized the man’s wrist.

The black-clad man remained unfazed by this and tried to grab Jiang Ran’s hand in a backhand motion.

But Jiang Ran simply reversed his grip and squeezed his five fingers slightly. With a CRACK...

Empowered by Barbaric Dragon Strength, the man’s entire palm was instantly deformed.

The pain was excruciating, beyond anything ordinary.

Unexpectedly, the man’s expression didn’t change at all. His eyes were clear but lifeless, radiating only a bone-chilling killing intent.

He tugged hard, only to find he couldn’t pull his hand free.

So he tapped his foot, spun his body in mid-air, and using the force of Jiang Ran’s grip, a series of CRACKS echoed as the bones in his arm shattered.

The next moment, he yanked backward with all his might.

In an instant, blood gushed everywhere!

The man had pulled back, but his hand remained in Jiang Ran’s grasp.

Jiang Ran was momentarily stunned. ’Since starting my journey in the martial world, I’ve met all sorts of opponents. But this is the first time I’ve seen someone who, without a moment’s hesitation, just breaks off their own hand... Can this guy regenerate limbs like a gecko?’

Just as the thought crossed his mind, the man moved. He lunged forward and thrust his arm out to stab.

He actually intended to use his own bone as a sword to kill Jiang Ran.

That bone-chilling, incredibly sharp, yet gruesomely white and blood-red splinter of bone was at his neck in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Ran exhaled and suddenly shot out a kick.

The black-clad man, not expecting such a heavy blow, was sent spinning through the air.

Blood sprayed from him as if it were free. But even after he landed, he actually tried to get back up.

But suddenly, a pair of feet appeared before him.

Jiang Ran lifted his leg and stomped down. With a CRACK, the black-clad man breathed his last and died.