The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

Xu Zong had already completed his patrol of Jiangzhou. Just as he was preparing to leave, a massive lake suddenly appeared in the region, forcing him to stay behind and investigate.

Upon receiving this news, he immediately grasped its gravity. The appearance of four Celestial Spirit Powerhouses in Jiangzhou was a major event, especially since they were from a Hidden Sect and appeared to be targeting Chen Dong. While the Military Suppression Department typically ignored personal vendettas between Martial Artists, this incident involved a total of five Celestial Spirit Powerhouses and a Hidden Sect. Xu Zong had no choice but to take it seriously.

Members of Hidden Sects were a huge headache for the Military Suppression Department. These reclusive sects had long been detached from the world, and their disciples had a profound lack of awareness regarding secular laws and order. They acted without restraint, often endangering the lives of ordinary people, which kept the Military Suppression Department constantly busy. Fortunately, the situation had improved significantly in recent years thanks to the Department's strict control over these Hidden Sects and their various branches.

As for the four Celestial Spirit Powerhouses from the Star-Picking Sect, Xu Zong immediately ordered his men to keep them under tight surveillance, leaving no room for error. He himself would head over at once to provide support.

As fate would have it, Chen Dong returned shortly after the four Guardians from the Star-Picking Sect had left. When he heard the security staff's report, his heart skipped a beat. In his current state, confronting four Celestial Spirit Powerhouses would be a massive problem. The injuries he had sustained in the Fuyuan Tomb had yet to show any improvement, and he had only just gotten a lead on a Pill Furnace to refine the Purifying Void Pill.

A murderous glint flashed in his eyes. 'The people from the Star-Picking Sect had better know what's good for them and stay away from the Li Family!'

But things rarely go as planned. The four Guardians, having just retreated, were now goaded on and led by Huang Yongfeng to the vicinity of the Li Manor.

Just as before, only the four of them approached. Huang Yongfeng pointed them in the right direction, made an excuse, and promptly left.

The four walked up to the manor's main gate. With a look of profound wisdom, the Second Guardian warned the Great Guardian yet again, "You had better not say another word!"

The Great Guardian reluctantly agreed, "Alright, alright, I won't speak!" At the same time, he muttered to himself, "A song that breaks the heart... Where at the ends of the earth can one find a kindred soul!"

The Second, Third, and Fourth Guardians immediately shot him a cold stare.

The Great Guardian nodded hastily. "I get it, I get it!"

The Second Guardian let out a contemptuous snort and announced gravely, "The most brilliant strategies are often the most simple and unadorned, and so is our move! In a moment, follow me. We charge straight in. We kill every man we see, every dog we see. We will bathe the Li Manor in blood and let the world know the price for offending our Star-Picking Sect!"

The other three Guardians nodded, their faces filled with murderous intent.

The Second Guardian's gaze hardened. With a suave turn, he began to walk forward, leading the way with a swagger in his step.

They passed the main gate. The manor, which usually had two guards posted, was eerily empty. The only person in sight was a little girl, about five or six years old, who had her back to them. She was leaning against a tree trunk up ahead, counting, "Four... five... six... seven..."

The Second Guardian, walking at the very front, began to gather True Qi in his left hand. Even though she was just a little girl, he prepared to strike a ruthless killing blow to stoke his party's bloodlust and morale.

The Star-Plucking Hand, his most practiced killing move and the Star-Picking Sect's signature technique, was already fully formed. A single claw-like strike was all it would take to pierce the little girl's fragile body. He was three steps away—the perfect distance. If he struck from here, she would be blown to pieces, with not even a complete corpse left behind.

"Eight... nine..." The little girl was none other than Li Wang. Sensing someone approaching, she turned her head to look.

The three Guardians behind him were waiting for the Second Guardian to cruelly kick off the slaughter.

But to their surprise, the Second Guardian froze on the spot. His voice, filled with a mixture of extreme earnestness and fear, called out, "Stay back! Don't you dare make a move!"

He struggled to hold the fully-formed Star-Plucking Hand in place, the veins on his arm bulging, showing the immense strain he was under.

Li Wang tilted her head. "Do you want to play together?" she asked.

The Second Guardian clamped his right hand down on his left, willing to damage his own meridians rather than risk moving. He forcibly snuffed out the Star-Plucking Hand that was straining to be released and roared one word: "Run!"

With an explosive leap, he shot backward fifty or sixty feet, clearing the Li Manor's grounds in a single bound. The instant the Second Guardian yelled "Run!", the other three Guardians also vanished from the manor at incredible speed.

The four of them regrouped nearly a mile away from the Li Manor.

The Second Guardian was drenched in sweat, his body trembling uncontrollably, his eyes wide with terror.

The Great Guardian's face was also grim. The Fourth Guardian, being the youngest, asked in confusion, "Why did we run?"

The Second Guardian, looking as if he'd just seen a ghost, said, "Terrifying! Absolutely terrifying! That is an existence we cannot possibly oppose. A single word from her was enough to rock my sea of consciousness—it's still reeling! And my discerning eyes are never wrong. That little girl is a hundred—no, a thousand times more terrifying than our Sect Leader!"

Upon hearing this, the Third Guardian sucked in a sharp breath. "What!" he exclaimed in astonishment.

The Great Guardian also managed to speak, his voice strained. "After the Second Guardian's warning, I could vaguely sense that little girl's power, but I never imagined she was *that* strong!"

The Fourth Guardian was still unconvinced. "She's just a little girl. How strong could she possibly be?"

The Second Guardian spoke slowly. "You became a Guardian more recently; you may not know about the unique power of my eyes. I was born with Discerning Eyes that can perceive a person's true strength. In my vision, that little girl was like a heaven-swallowing titan that could slap all of us into oblivion with a single strike!"