Chapter 169: Have You Ever Considered That He Might Die?

Under the blazing sun, only a handful of ashes and a long sword remained.

Jiang Changkong sheathed his sword, his expression calm. “The Star Stone should be given to me now.”

“Here you go. A young prodigy indeed. This old bone truly can’t compare.”

Yuntian Mountain sighed and handed over the ring. “May I take the ashes back?”

Jiang Changkong took the ring. It no longer felt slippery, but the Star Stone was correct. “As you wish.”

“Thank you.” Yuntian Mountain collected the ashes and turned to leave.

Jiang Changkong stored the Star Stone and walked away without looking back.

The surrounding Martial Artists watched him with complex expressions, deeply shaken by the two strikes from earlier.

No one said a word as they turned and departed.

Jiang Changkong didn’t call out anything either. Since there was no one in Anding Province worth fighting, he took the Star Stone and left directly.

“Changkong, I’m on your side.” Anding Bang ran over. “Don’t take Lin Yunwang’s words seriously.”

“I know. It has nothing to do with you,” Jiang Changkong said indifferently.

A chairman still had his pride to maintain. Would he go around boasting after being robbed?

It was likely someone from the Martial Arts Association who spread the news, which Lin Yunwang then learned about.

“Congratulations, brother Changkong. I knew you could handle it easily.”

Li Changtian changed his tone in front of him.

“Congratulations.” Heng Yongxing walked over with a smile, then paused. “You’re injured?”

“No—” As soon as Jiang Changkong opened his mouth, he vomited a mouthful of Golden Blood, and blood began seeping from his nose unnoticed.

“What’s going on?” Anding Bang’s expression changed. “Are you really hurt? Were you just holding on earlier?”

The blazing sun rolled, and vast Star Power instantly filled his entire body.

A strange force was corroding his internal organs from within.

If not for his indestructible body, his organs would have failed before he could even react.

The Taiji Diagram emerged, forcibly suppressing the corrosive force.

Barely managing to suppress it, Jiang Changkong’s face darkened. “Damn it, I still fell for it.”

“What exactly happened?” Heng Yongxing asked with concern.

“A force is corroding my internal organs. I can only suppress it temporarily.”

Jiang Changkong’s expression was grim. Even the Taiji Diagram could only temporarily suppress this corrosive force.

To remove it, he would likely need to use the Gold-Silver Taiji Diagram.

“Corroding internal organs? That’s the Sin Domain’s poison. There’s no cure in Pingan City. How could Lin Yunwang have it?” Heng Yongxing’s face paled.

“Sin Domain’s poison? What’s that?” Anding Bang asked, confused.

“Yuntian Mountain.” Li Changtian’s expression turned grave. “Didn’t that person from the Yun family go to the Sin Domain back then?”

“Don’t follow me. I need to detoxify.”

Jiang Changkong left these words behind and hurried away.

“Changkong, I’ll ask someone to help suppress it. It can hold for a day. I’ll have my family bring the antidote,” Heng Yongxing called out.

“No need.”

Jiang Changkong tossed back the reply, activated the Mystic Yang Step, and combined it with the Spirit Control Art, vanishing in an instant.

He didn’t head to the abyss but instead moved far from Pingan City, stopping in a patch of weeds.

Within him, Taiyin and Taiyang simultaneously emerged and merged into the Taiji Diagram.

The black-and-white Taiji Diagram absorbed the two forces, transforming into gold and silver.

Taiyin and Taiyang intertwined, doubling the Taiji Diagram’s power. Strands of the strange corrosive force were expelled from his body.

The expelled corrosive force touched the weeds, causing them to instantly wither and emit a foul odor.

Jiang Changkong breathed a sigh of relief. The Taiji Diagram could resolve it—it would just take some time.

Strands of energy were expelled as Vajra Indestructibility automatically activated, repairing and strengthening his internal organs.

Time passed bit by bit until eight in the evening, when the Gold-Silver Taiji Diagram finally expelled the last trace of energy from his body.

“Impossible to guard against. The problem must have been with the ring.”

Jiang Changkong’s expression darkened. “But why didn’t it activate at first? And later, that slippery sensation disappeared.”

As he pondered where the issue lay, the more he thought, the colder his heart grew.

“First, recover my strength, then go and behead Yuntian Mountain. After that, I’ll question Heng Yongxing and the others.”

Jiang Changkong considered that expelling the corrosive energy had consumed a significant amount of Star Power.

However, searching blindly on his own would likely be futile—Yuntian Mountain had probably already fled.

He sent a message to Tang Ruoxi, who quickly replied: “Where are you? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Yuntian Mountain acted as a witness today, and I’d like to thank him, but I can’t find him,” Jiang Changkong said.

“Wait half an hour. I’ll look into it for you.”

Tang Ruoxi replied.

Jiang Changkong felt reassured as he recovered his strength. Tang Ruoxi was now Professor Yun’s assistant.

While she might not have extensive connections herself, the institute did, and she could leverage them.

In less than half an hour, Tang Ruoxi sent another message: Yuntian Mountain was still in Pingan City and hadn’t left.

“He actually didn’t run?” Jiang Changkong was surprised. Did he think I was already dead?

But this was just as well—if he hadn’t fled, it would make things easier for me.

Closing his eyes to recover his Star Power, two hours later, Jiang Changkong’s internal Star Power was restored, and his injuries had healed as well.

Fortunately, his Vajra Indestructibility was strong enough—the earlier injuries had been minor.

Changing into black clothes, Jiang Changkong swiftly made his way to Pingan City.

He knew who had poisoned him, but he had no evidence, and since the gathering had already dispersed, normal channels wouldn’t work.

In that case, he could only use an alternate identity. It was a good opportunity to test the Three Blades of the Fleeting Swan.

Entering Pingan City, Jiang Changkong headed straight for Yuntian Mountain’s location.

A luxurious villa stood brightly lit. Jiang Changkong arrived directly outside the villa.

Yuntian Mountain’s voice reached his ears: “Old friend Lin, your contingency plan really came in handy.”

“Jiang Changkong, I’ve sacrificed a lifetime of integrity to spare your life.”

Hum

The door silently swung open, and a chilling cold surged in from outside, quickly forming a layer of silvery-white ice on the ground.

“Who’s there?” Yuntian Mountain exclaimed in alarm. His gaze fell upon the ice, and his face paled in terror. “Moonforce? The Heng family?”

Jiang Changkong, clad entirely in black, stepped into the villa. The Lunar Yin Blade emitted waves of cold, and the Moon Laurel Leaf swayed gently.

“One question: who ordered you to poison me?” Jiang Changkong said coldly.

“Lin Yunwang,” Yuntian Mountain replied, his expression shifting slightly. “The Taiyin Heng family has no connection to Jiang Changkong, does it? Are you going to kill me for him?”

“Lin Yunwang—was he worth resorting to such despicable methods?” Jiang Changkong’s voice grew icy.

Yuntian Mountain’s expression darkened. “Taiyin Heng family, don’t push me too far. This is Anding Province, Pingan City.”

“Moonlit Fleeting Swan.”

Jiang Changkong said no more. The Lunar Yin Blade flashed in an instant.

A moonlit shadow flickered within the villa, only to vanish as quickly as it appeared.

“You—”

Yuntian Mountain’s expression turned cold. Just as the Star Power within him was about to erupt, an impossibly swift blade arrived in an instant.

A single slash sealed his throat, leaving no visible wound. Moonforce spread from within to without, transforming him into an ice sculpture.

Jiang Changkong approached the ice sculpture and retrieved a ring from his hand, containing one hundred Fifth Rank High-Grade Star Stones.

Finding nothing else of value, he turned and left.

Leaving Pingan City directly, Jiang Changkong entered the abyss to hunt Star Demons.

Meanwhile, Heng Yongxing, Li Changtian, and Anding Bang gathered together, their brows furrowed deeply.

“Whether Jiang Changkong lives or dies isn’t important. I still want to win over Jiang Changyue,” Heng Yongxing said gravely.

“Give it up. Jiang Changyue is clearly just like Jiang Changkong—impossible to win over,” Li Changtian sighed.

“Even if we can’t win him over, we must find out how he cultivates.”

Heng Yongxing frowned and said, “The more I think about it, the more something feels off. His Taiyin Star Power is problematic.”

“Problematic? Could it be fake?” Li Changtian asked curiously.

“No, his Taiyin Star Power is stronger than the Star Power cultivated through the Cold Moon Art.”

“After obtaining the Cold Moon Art, someone in the family has already switched to practicing it. Compared to him, they fall short by a margin or two.”

“Moreover, he was able to cultivate the Cold Moon Art to this level, which strongly suggests he has access to further methods.”

Heng Yongxing said with a serious expression.

“Young masters,” Anding Bang spoke softly, “you’ve been discussing this for so long, but have you considered that Yuntian Mountain might die?”

The two were momentarily stunned, then their expressions changed drastically.

“Why didn’t you say so earlier? Hurry to Yuntian Mountain’s residence!”

Would Yuntian Mountain die? According to Jiang Changkong’s story, Jiang Changyue’s feelings for Jiang Changkong were absolutely not ordinary.

Jiang Changyue would definitely take action and kill Yuntian Mountain!