Volume One, Chapter 66: My name is Huang Ming, not Gu Master.

A crisp sound echoed, as if struck upon a great bell, and the force of the blow left Ye Qingfeng completely stunned, erasing any intention he had of fighting back. He stood dazed where he was, unable to feel his own face anymore. Reaching up, he found his cheeks slick with fresh blood.

The Vajra Realm, derived from the Buddhist Vajra, was said to render a practitioner's body as indestructible as the Diamond Guardians of legend. Ye Qingfeng was bewildered—after all, he had reached the Vajra Realm. That sorcerer had sworn to him that as long as he achieved this state, he would be among the true masters, unrivaled among the younger generation. That was what he'd been told!

“You… you can’t possibly be this strong! I used the blood essence of over a hundred men to refine my elixir—how could you, so young, be superior to me?” Ye Qingfeng refused to believe anyone could shatter his defenses so easily.

Jiang Chen’s voice was cold. “The path of martial cultivation is forged step by step. It’s not something you can reach by taking shortcuts. Look at you—neither man nor ghost—do you really consider yourself worthy of the Vajra Realm?”

In truth, Ye Qingfeng’s real strength was only at the pinnacle of the True Qi Realm. The elixir had merely granted him the defensive power of the Vajra Realm ahead of his time, but his foundation was feeble, pitifully so. His techniques were scattered and without form—he was no true martial artist, his fighting style little better than a street thug’s.

His faith, convictions, plans, and the martial prowess he so prided himself on all collapsed in an instant. His father was gone, his company destroyed, and his once-glorious business empire was utterly ruined.

“Jiang Chen! I’ll have your life!”

Having lost everything, Ye Qingfeng lunged at Jiang Chen like a madman, reckless and frenzied. Gone was any semblance of rationality—everything he once possessed had been lost to his own arrogance and pride.

“You die! I want you dead!” But his hysteria was useless.

Jiang Chen raised his hand, his palm descending like a celestial force, pinning Ye Qingfeng to the ground.

“Did you really think that throwing a tantrum would let you defeat me?”

“Or do you believe you’re so powerful that a fit of madness could tip the scales?”

“Honestly, I rather admire people like you—always blaming others for your failures, then gasping your final breath with a, ‘I’m not reconciled!’”

“Pathetic.” Jiang Chen pressed him underfoot, and no matter how Ye Qingfeng struggled, he could not break free.

Bang—

Jiang Chen lifted his foot and stomped down, shattering Ye Qingfeng’s body for all to see—the so-called Vajra physique split apart before the crowd.

“Damn, I always knew Brother Jiang wasn’t really human, but I never imagined he was this inhuman,” Li Jing Beast muttered to himself.

Jiang Chen caught sight of the sorcerer sneaking away—he was already nearly a hundred meters distant. The moment Jiang Chen looked his way, the sorcerer bolted in terror.

Yet what good did it do to run? In Jiang Chen’s eyes, his speed was no better than a turtle’s. Employing the Daoist art of Shrinking Earth from Mount Longhu, Jiang Chen covered a hundred meters, then a kilometer, in the blink of an eye, appearing before the sorcerer.

“Compared to Ye Qingfeng, you’re the true culprit. Perfect—I'll send you both on your way together and save myself the trouble.” With that, Jiang Chen struck the sorcerer’s head with his palm.

The sorcerer didn’t even have a chance to resist before he was dead beyond saving.

With the two dealt with, Jiang Chen hastened to Ning Rou’s side, untying the rope binding her. Her once-cold demeanor melted away the moment she saw him.

With a wail as resonant as a great bell, she burst into tears.

Jiang Chen gathered her into his arms, soothing her gently, “Don’t cry, don’t cry, it’s all right now, my dear. It’s over, the bad guys are gone.”

He rubbed her back, comforting her as if she were a child.

Leaning against Jiang Chen’s shoulder, Ning Rou sobbed in grievance, “Why did you take so long to come? If only you’d come sooner… You liar!”

Arguing with a girl when she’s upset is pointless—and besides, Jiang Chen knew he was in the wrong. All he could do was endure her complaints, letting her vent her feelings as she wished.

From where he was slumped against a tree, Li Jing Beast came over sniffling, seeking a hug as well, but a single look from Jiang Chen froze him in his tracks. Afraid of being kicked again, he awkwardly returned to Xu Congcong and the others.

“All right, no more tears. Want to hear some good news?” Jiang Chen coaxed.

Ning Rou looked pitifully at him. “What good news? Did you bring another girl home?”

Now it was Jiang Chen’s turn to feel awkward—he hadn’t expected Ning Rou to know he’d gone to pick up his senior sister. But that wasn’t what he meant to say.

“From now on, your Ning Group and the Su family’s Su Chenglong will be the most prominent companies in Qing City. Are you happy?” Jiang Chen lifted Ning Rou by her slender waist, gently pinching her fair cheek.

With a soft humph, Ning Rou slipped off him. “Why should I be happy? What’s there to celebrate? You’re nothing but a playboy—a romantic scoundrel—I wouldn’t dare be happy.”

“I…” Jiang Chen lowered his head. Who could have imagined that the Hades, feared across the globe, would be rendered speechless before a girl? If the felons in the world’s toughest prisons saw this, they’d never believe it.

“Enough excuses. Carry me home, I want to go home—I’m exhausted!” Ning Rou demanded.

Jiang Chen sighed in relief. “All right, all right, let’s go home.”

Meanwhile, the Shanshui Group headquarters had already been sealed off, with Su Yike herself leading the team. She and Fang Longcheng moved in tandem, wiping out numerous criminals trafficking contraband and seizing nearly a basketful of evidence.

In Qing City, the upper echelons of power all learned of Shanshui Group’s downfall at the first opportunity. Even Li Jing Beast’s father, Li Nian Tong, who had been on a business trip abroad, returned immediately, hoping to carve out a share amidst the upheaval.

Night fell over Qing City. In a basement, the sorcerer’s remnant spirit appeared out of thin air, so fragile it seemed a mere breeze could extinguish him.

Clutching Ye Qingfeng’s intact soul, the sorcerer’s spirit gloated, “At last, my eighteen-year plan is about to succeed!”

“One body, two souls—a supreme corpse fiend—hahahaha! Success, at last! Jiang Chen, when I return, I will drown Qing City in blood!”

His manic laughter rang out, spent of all strength.

Inside a bottle, Ye Qingfeng’s soul awoke. “Sorcerer, let me out! I want revenge! Don’t you want revenge too?”

“Fool. Did you really think I was helping you out of the goodness of my heart? You were nothing more than material for crafting the world’s finest corpse. Just an experiment!” With that, the sorcerer’s spirit tossed Ye Qingfeng’s soul into a zombie corpse.

“Oh, right. My name is Huang Ming—not Sorcerer.”