Alchemy Sovereign with Divine Soul

C26 – Acting in a Show

“Mr. Jiaang Lang, is that the cave up ahead where the Azure Demonic Wolf is said to be slumbering?”

Sensing several streams of murderous intent firmly targeting him from the shadows, Jiaang Lin acted as if he hadn’t noticed.

He scanned the area, his eyes settling on the vast cave before him.

The cave’s entrance was shrouded in various vines and plants. In the dark, foreboding forest, one would struggle to find it without a thorough search.

“Exactly! Mr. Jiaang Lin, could you venture inside and slay the Azure Demonic Wolf for us? The rest of us will wait here for you!”

​Jiaang Lang asked earnestly.

“Absolutely, consider it done!” Jiaang Lin responded, grinning.

​He then dashed off, swiftly making his way toward the cave, and disappeared into its depths in the blink of an eye.

After a while, Jiaang Lin emerged from the cave and turned to look back at Jiaang Lang, who was at a distance.

“Mr. Jiaang Lang, there was no Azure Demonic Wolf in there!”

“You imbecile!”

An icy voice abruptly cut through the silence.

Several figures gradually materialized from the darkness—it was Jiaang Gao and Jiaang Feng among others.

“Huh? What are you all doing here?” Jiaang Lin feigned surprise upon seeing them.

​”We’re here to kill you, of course!” Jiaang Gao glared at Jiaang Lin, his face twisted with malice and his voice dripping with venom.

“Kill me? With just the few of you?” Jiaang Lin looked at Jiaang Gao, Jiaang Feng, and the rest, a taunting smile playing on his lips.

“I’ll concede that you, Jiaang Lin, are quite powerful now. Your cultivation has reached the Body Refining Level Seven Peak Stage. Just the other night, I was soundly defeated by you in a single move. But did you really think we wouldn’t come fully prepared to deal with you?” Jiaang Gao sneered menacingly.

From the shadows, more figures swiftly emerged, quickly encircling Jiaang Lin.

These were none other than Nan Wuyan and a group of assassins.

​”You’ve actually brought in assassins?!” Jiaang Lin’s face feigned astonishment as he regarded Nan Wuyan and the others.

“That’s right! I spared no expense in hiring these assassins. Not a single one is a pushover. They’re all at Body Refining Level Seven, and there’s even a master at Body Refining Level Eight!

With their assistance, taking down Jiaang Lin, who’s merely at the Body Refining Level Seven Peak Stage, will be a breeze!”

Jiaang Gao sneered with confidence.

“I… I never imagined you, Jiaang Gao, could be so devious and cruel!”

“Mr. Jiaang Lang, I implore you to lend me your strength. Alone, I fear I’m no match for these killers!”

Jiaang Lin’s face was etched with horror as he scanned the area, his eyes landing on Jiaang Lang, Jiaang Ren, and the others, pleading for their help.

Yet, Jiaang Lang and Jiaang Ren ignored Jiaang Lin’s pleas as if they heard nothing.

Instead, they smirked coldly, looking at Jiaang Lin as if he were a fool, their eyes filled with scorn and derision.

“I used to think you were clever, Jiaang Lin. Turns out, you’re hopelessly foolish!”

Jiaang Lang finally spoke, his voice heavy with disdain.

“Mr. Jiaang Lang, what are you implying?”

Jiaang Lin feigned ignorance.

“What am I implying? You fool, we deliberately brought you here today for one reason—to kill you!”

Jiaang Ren interjected with a triumphant grin before Jiaang Lang could respond.

“Kill me? Weren’t you here to share a drink and become brothers with me today?”

Jiaang Lin expressed his bewilderment.

“It was all an act. As if anyone would want to be brothers with you!”

Jiaang Ren scoffed.

“So that’s how it is.”

Jiaang Lin murmured to himself.

“Any last words? Speak now, for soon you won’t have the chance!”

At that moment, Jiaang Gao fixed a cold gaze on Jiaang Lin, his voice icy.

“There’s nothing left to say. Today, all of you can meet your end!”

Jiaang Lin slowly lifted his head, his gaze sweeping over Jiaang Gao, Jiaang Feng, Jiaang Lang, Jiaang Ren, and the other Jiaang family disciples, as well as the assassins like Nan Wuyan. A bright smile played on his lips.

Upon hearing the words, Jiaang Gao, Jiaang Feng, Jiaang Lang, Jiaang Ren, and the rest were all taken aback.

They couldn’t fathom why Jiaang Lin could still muster a smile when he was clearly in a desperate situation.

Moreover, the audacity of the other party to declare that they could all go die was not only arrogant but also foolish, showing a clear lack of understanding of the current predicament.

Did he really believe that with his Body Refining Level Seven Peak Stage abilities, he could take on formidable assassins like Nan Wuyan and then proceed to kill them all?

“To boldly claim that we should die? That’s just delusional!”

Eventually, Jiaang Gao came to his senses, shaking his head mockingly.

Similarly, Jiaang Feng, Jiaang Lang, Jiaang Ren, and the other Jiaang family disciples scoffed. They continued to mock Jiaang Lin, labeling him an utter fool.

Meanwhile, Nan Wuyan and the other assassins remained silent, a sense of unease growing within them.

As professional killers, they were highly attuned to murderous intent and the hidden dangers that surrounded them.

At that moment, Nan Wuyan and his companions could sense a chilling and violent aura encroaching upon the dark forest, making their skin crawl.

“Something’s not right!”

Nan Wuyan declared, his voice grave.

His icy stare swept the sinister forest, and he could feel the oppressive, wild aura intensifying.

Soon after, he heard chilling wolf howls coming from every direction.

The eerie howls wove through the forest, relentless and unending, sounding like the wails of countless tormented spirits, enough to make anyone’s scalp tingle.

“What’s happening?”

In the midst of their mockery, Jiaang Gao, Jiaang Feng, Jiaang Lang, and Jiaang Ren, who had been calling Jiaang Lin a fool, suddenly looked stricken.

They, too, heard the fearsome howls and felt the overpowering, savage aura that accompanied them.

The intensity of the atmosphere caused them to shake uncontrollably, their complexions turning deathly pale.

After what seemed like an eternity, Jiaang Gao and the others witnessed green lights beginning to flicker all around the ominous and pitch-black forest.

One pair, two pairs, three pairs, four pairs… twenty pairs.

The green luminescence, brimming with a malevolent aura, belonged to none other than massive Demonic Wolves!

Each Demonic Wolf measured three meters in length and stood one meter tall, their bodies cloaked in green fur that bristled like steel needles.

Their claws were as sharp as knives, their fangs as piercing as swords, their lethal nature barely concealed.

“An Azure Demonic Wolf!”

Upon surveying their surroundings, they were met with the sight of twenty enormous Azure Demonic Wolves encircling them.

Jiaang Gao and his companions were stricken with terror, their hearts seized by panic.

“How is this possible? Our prior investigations showed that this area wasn’t the domain of the Azure Demonic Wolf. Why then are there so many here all of a sudden?”

Nan Wuyan and the other formidable assassins stared at the large, menacing Azure Demonic Wolves radiating a savage energy, their expressions turning grave.

Their seasoned eyes could immediately discern that these Azure Demonic Wolves were fearsome Demonic Beasts of the ninth level, their power on par with that of Body Refining Level Nine Cultivators!

Any single one of them could effortlessly annihilate everyone present.

And there wasn’t just one Azure Demonic Wolf; there were twenty!

This revelation left Nan Wuyan and the others profoundly shaken and equally baffled.

They had meticulously planned their ambush, having scouted the area and ascertained that this eerie forest wasn’t claimed by the Azure Demonic Wolf.

Yet now, inexplicably, there stood twenty Azure Demonic Wolves, each with the might of a Body Refining Level Nine Cultivator, collectively before them.

This conundrum left Nan Wuyan and his group utterly perplexed.

“Could it be… the work of that young man?”

A thought struck Nan Wuyan as he cast a glance toward Jiaang Lin.

“No, that young man is merely sixteen years old. How could he possibly lure twenty Azure Demonic Wolves at once?

“Moreover, even if he managed to use the wolves to kill us, he wouldn’t be able to escape unscathed!”

Ultimately, Nan Wuyan dismissed his own theory.

Little did he know, the sudden appearance of the Azure Demonic Wolves was indeed orchestrated by Jiaang Lin.

Previously, Jiaang Lin had ventured into a cave where he discovered Blood Star Grass.

Blood Star Grass is an herb imbued with a potent blood scent. When crushed, its odor can waft over a distance of a thousand meters, drawing in the Azure Demonic Wolf that is drawn to the scent of blood.

Jiaang Lin was intimately familiar with the properties of Blood Star Grass.

Thus, after acquiring and crushing the Blood Star Grass, he engaged in a calculated dialogue with Jiaang Gao and the others, biding his time for the arrival of the Azure Demonic Wolf lured by the scent of the herb.

He then wielded the Blood Eye Battle Soul to manipulate the Azure Demonic Wolves, orchestrating the demise of Jiaang Gao, Jiaang Feng, Jiaang Lang, and Jiaang Ren!

In the same vein, he faced assassins like Nan Wuyan, who sought his life.