Chapter 581: The Fear Family (Two-in-One)

Hearing Yan Jing's words, Chengfa's expression instantly changed.

He turned around without the slightest hesitation. His weird energy surged, and a billowing black mist poured from the black camera lens in his right eye.

That black mist could reflect the inner fears of anyone who looked at it. Once a target believed what they saw, those fears would descend and manifest as reality.

This was Chengfa's trump card, his true killing move.

Having witnessed Yan Jing's power, he didn't dare hold anything back. He only hoped this ability would entangle Yan Jing and Wuhe long enough to buy him time to escape.

But—

A hint of azurite blue rippled in the depths of Yan Jing's eyes. He reached out, waving the black mist away as casually as secondhand smoke, and slapped his palm against Chengfa's chest.

It was a simple slap, yet Chengfa heard a thunderous roar erupt inside his own chest. He instantly saw stars, and blood began to trickle from his facial orifices.

With just one strike, his entire chest was shattered.

"Pfft—uh, uh..."

Blood flowed backward from his chest into his windpipe. Unable to speak, he could only plead for mercy with his eyes.

However—

Yan Jing acted as if he hadn't noticed at all. Finely fragmented soul runes surfaced in his palm and drilled directly into Chengfa's mouth.

"Urgh—"

Chengfa's body jerked like a dying fish as his eyes rolled forcefully upward, turning pure white. Countless strands of pure soul essence exhaled from his mouth. Staring blankly at Yan Jing, he looked as if his soul had been entirely stripped away.

"Grandpa Chengfa, were you a participant in this?"

Yan Jing asked with a smile.

"...Yes."

Chengfa replied, his voice hollow.

"Who was the mastermind?"

Yan Jing asked calmly.

"The Second Young Master," Chengfa answered flatly.

"As expected..."

Wuhe frowned.

Of the seven children in this generation of the Fear Family, he ranked fifth.

His eldest brother was honest and loyal; he listened to his wife about everything.

His second brother schemed the deepest. He colluded with multiple factions, all for the position of family head.

His third brother was a martial fanatic who typically ignored worldly affairs.

His fourth brother was sickly and could never reach the Summit in this lifetime.

The sixth and seventh brothers, San Shan and Yi Ji, had gone missing years ago.

In his view, only his second brother was capable of orchestrating such a thing.

But Yan Jing raised an eyebrow and suddenly flipped his palm.

As those finely fragmented runes reversed, Chengfa abruptly clutched his neck. He looked to be in excruciating pain and even began to convulse.

"There's something fishy here. Someone set up a mental block in advance."

Yan Jing explained to the confused Wuhe beside him. "Fifth Brother, hold him down!"

Wuhe hurriedly reached out and pinned Chengfa's shoulders.

Yan Jing released his grip on Chengfa, and countless fragments of Sorcery Energy materialized.

To guarantee success this time, he abandoned using his soul as a cover and returned directly to the most fundamental essence of his abilities.

The true core of Wen Xu's power was Sorcery Energy.

The rest of his abilities were merely manifestations of what his Sorcery Energy had learned and evolved into.

With the injection of the Sorcery Energy fragments, Chengfa gradually calmed down.

He opened his mouth again. "My Lord... you're here... Yes... yes, alright... I will definitely complete it... You..."

Chengfa's head drooped slightly. Judging by his demeanor, he was starkly reenacting his exact attitude from when he had spoken to that person.

A second later, he convulsed violently again. Before Yan Jing could stabilize him, his neck exploded with a loud pop.

Pitch-black blood and gore splattered from the explosion, but before they could coat the interior of the car, Yan Jing's weird energy encapsulated them all.

"It doesn't seem like Second Brother."

"Of course, we can't completely rule him out."

Yan Jing bundled the flesh and blood together with Chengfa's corpse and tossed them into the passenger seat.

These were all evidence to be presented later.

He vaulted into the driver's seat and adjusted the height and position of the chair.

While he was tweaking the rearview mirror, Wuhe offered a bitter smile from the backseat. "Xiao Yi, do you think coming back this time is the right choice?"

"Right or wrong, we have to go back." Yan Jing glanced at the dashboard. After confirming he knew how to drive this model, he released the handbrake. "Counter soldiers with generals, water with earth. Let's go, Fifth Brother. It's time we went back to see exactly which one of our brothers wants to keep us away from home so badly."

With those words, the car drove forward once again.

Beneath the gloomy sky, silence—absolute, soundless silence—spread wantonly across the city before them.

Compared to all other cities, the most defining feature of this place seemed to be its quietness.

There was no honking of cars, no crying of children, no footsteps of pedestrians, or chatter of companions. There wasn't even the sound of the wind or breathing.

No birds flew in the sky; no vehicles drove on the streets.

Pedestrians on the sidewalks hid their figures beneath black robes, each silently walking their own path.

On the far western edge of this very city stood a towering mountain peak. A winding road connected the urban sprawl to the summit, where a black ancient castle loomed in quiet solitude.

This was the Fear Family's castle.

Naturally, this city belonged to the Fear Family as well.

A woman in a white court dress stood at the castle gates, gazing down the narrow road outside.

Her face carried a charm settled by the passage of time, yet she exuded a youthful aura that defied her age. Her bright, lively eyes resembled those of an innocent young girl. She looked to the left, then to the right. "Why aren't they here yet..."

"They should be here soon, Madam."

The female housekeeper beside her appropriately handed over a towel and wiped the sweat from the woman's forehead.

"It's been a whole day..."

The woman took off her white veil, accepted the water handed to her by the housekeeper, and gulped it down.

She was indeed very sensitive to the heat, which was exactly why her loving husband had specifically built their home on this mountain peak.

After drinking, she bluntly ripped off a newly grown fleshy tentacle from her face and tossed it at her feet.

The housekeeper took a handkerchief and wiped the blood from the torn stump. In almost an instant, the wound vanished completely without a trace.

"They should be here soon. That fellow Chengfa drives rather slowly, as you well know," the housekeeper comforted her softly.

"I hope so," the woman said, pursing her lips.

"Is Ah Yan back yet?" she asked, bringing up her husband's whereabouts.

Ever since he went out two days ago to discuss the impending Advent Day, he hadn't returned home.

Although this had happened before, the woman always felt a lingering dread whenever her husband wasn't by her side.

"The Master should also be back soon. I checked with the people in Sin City. They said their Lord City Master hasn't returned yet either, only that it would be soon."

"Mhm."

The woman wanted to ask something else, but suddenly, as if sensing something, she turned her head toward the left side of the road, her face lighting up with joy.

"They're here, they're here!"

Sure enough, a black sedan slowly drove up from the distance and rolled to a smooth stop in front of them.

The back door opened, and Wuhe stepped out.

"Mom."

Wuhe looked at the woman waiting by the door, whose hands covered her mouth.

"Ah He!"

The woman rushed over and threw her arms around Wuhe. The tremendous force of her hug made his eyes bulge for a few seconds.

"Mom, you're... still as affectionate as ever."

Wuhe caught the woman's hands as she tried to bear-hug him again and chuckled bitterly. "I've only been away from home for a few years. You should go hug my younger brother instead."

"Oh, right, right, I almost forgot!" The woman hurriedly scurried to the back seat. Before she even saw anyone, a bright smile had already blossomed on her face. She poked her head inside. "Ah Shan! Ah Ji!"

Hearing his mother call out "Ah Shan," Wuhe's expression darkened. He walked over to the tall housekeeper. "Granny Chu, didn't Mother hear the news?"

Granny Chu sighed, her eyes downcast. Her lips moved slightly, and an imperceptible voice slipped into Wuhe's ear. "It was the Master's decision. The Madam has a fragile state of mind and is naive to the ways of the world. If she found out about Young Master San Shan, I'm afraid she wouldn't be able to bear it."

Wuhe frowned.

Didn't that mean they would have to keep San Shan's death a secret forever?

How could that work?

If this kept up, when would they ever hold San Shan's funeral?

"Ah Shan? Ah Ji?"

The woman stared blankly at the empty back seat, wondering why the two precious sons she'd been longing for weren't there.

Right at that moment, Yan Jing, who was sitting in the driver's seat, turned around and smiled. "Mom."

"Are you..." The woman blinked, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes. "Ah Ji!"

She threw her arms directly around Yan Jing's neck.

That immense physical strength and the sheer vitality radiating from her body allowed Yan Jing to instantly deduce her Pathway.

Life.

It was the long-unseen power of Life. Yan Jing recalled the dandelion garden back in Old Sin City.

Hadn't they said the Deities of Life had all fallen? Yet the woman before him was clearly at the Ninth Tier and possessed divinity.

But these thoughts fleeted by in just a fraction of a second. Yan Jing patted the woman's shoulder and smiled. "Mom, it's alright. I'm already home."

Yet right at that moment, an entirely unexpected scene occurred.

"Come here, let Mom give you a kiss!"

The woman suddenly opened her mouth and bit down hard on Yan Jing's neck.

The bite carried significant force, but Yan Jing's constitution was tough enough that it didn't break the skin.

The woman smacked her lips, then smiled happily. "It really is my Ah Ji."

Yan Jing froze for a second, then gave a helpless smile.

It was obvious that when the woman noticed such a forceful hug hadn't provoked a reaction from him, she had grown suspicious of his identity.

She had merely used her own unique "method" to test him.

For some reason, looking at her behavior, he suddenly felt that this woman wasn't the naive, sweet airhead she appeared to be; beneath that sweet exterior lay a deeply cunning nature.

But she didn't give Yan Jing any more chances to observe her. She stepped away and walked over to Wuhe. "Ah He, why don't I see Ah Shan? Or your Grandpa Chengfa?"

Wuhe froze. Catching Granny Chu's signaling gaze out of the corner of his eye, he quickly fabricated an excuse. "Little San... he needs to stay out a while longer. He probably won't be coming back for a bit."

"Oh... I see..."