Chapter 108: History Repeats Itself

The situation for the Zhao family has taken a turn for the worse. Jiang Xiaotian, who was originally in a passive position and should have been easily captured, has seen his circumstances shift because the Ouyang family intervened, throwing all their plans off track.

Zhao Zheng hated Ouyang Zijing to the core, and his attacks grew increasingly ruthless. However, his cultivation base had been forcibly elevated, leaving a gap between him and the steady, well-trained Ouyang Zijing. Even with a one-level advantage, he could only manage a slight upper hand.

"You hag! Think about the consequences. Don't push me, or I will wipe out your entire clan once I obtain the treasure!" Zhao Zheng was anxious, seeing that Jiang Xiaotian was on the verge of pulling the sword free.

Ouyang Zijing, however, paid no heed to his threats. "Stop spouting nonsense! Get it first if you can!"

She was fighting with everything she had, not daring to let her guard down for a second. While Zhao Zheng hadn't been able to suppress her, she knew she couldn't maintain this indefinitely. Thus, she unleashed lethal moves, intent on ending the fight quickly.

But Zhao Zheng merely sneered; he was tired of playing.

"Whoever blocks me today dies!" As he spoke, his aura shifted, becoming erratic and deeply sinister.

He raised his hand, infusing his internal energy into the water. In an instant, razor-sharp water blades erupted and streaked toward Ouyang Zijing’s head.

She never expected this, and by the time she turned to dodge, it was too late. A searing pain tore through her shoulder, and her left arm hung limp as if shattered. Every slight movement sent a jolt of pain through her; it was dislocated, and a deep, gaping wound was oozing blood.

Ouyang Zijing feared neither pain nor injury, but at that moment, her face turned deathly pale, filled with disbelief. "This... this is the Water Blade Technique! Zhao Zheng! You!"

The Water Blade Technique was a unique martial art mastered by a rogue cultivator over a lifetime. It was the very move that had secured his standing in Dragon City, earning him respect and a comfortable life. Yet, he had been killed just recently—murdered in this exact fashion, his martial path stolen in a cruel, systematic way.

As Zhao Zheng unleashed this technique, the truth dawned on Ouyang Zijing.

"Zhao Zheng! You beast! You deserve to be executed by everyone!" Her voice was thick with fury and boundless killing intent.

Many of those fallen martial artists had been decent, kind-hearted people who had never committed a single evil act; some were even allies of the Ouyang family.

So, it was the Zhao family behind it all!

But Zhao Zheng, having crossed that line, no longer cared what anyone said. He was determined to secure the treasure. Once again, he condensed water blades, which flew toward Ouyang Zijing like a lethal net.

Having suffered once, she leaned against a wall, unable to fight head-on. She could only dodge repeatedly, retreating further and further from Zhao Zheng.

She failed to notice the wicked, sinister smirk curling at his lips.

Zhao Zheng condensed the water blades again, but just as Ouyang Zijing braced herself to dodge, he suddenly spun around and aimed his attack at Ouyang Ziqian, who was tending to the wounded on the shore!

"I wonder if your sister is as good at dodging as you are?" Zhao Zheng asked with a sadistic thrill.

"Don't you dare! Zhao Zheng, I’ll kill you!" Ouyang Zijing lunged forward like a madwoman, her speed pushed to its absolute limit.

But the distance was too great; there was no way she could outpace those water blades.

"No!" Perhaps seeing the inevitable result, Ouyang Zijing felt as if her heart had stopped. She could only watch in horror as the countless blades flew toward her sister.

"Ziqian, run!" she shrieked.

But even though Ouyang Ziqian saw and heard her, what could she do? She wasn't even a martial artist. She stood there, mouth agape, her face drained of color in pure terror.

Just at that critical, split-second moment, a figure shrouded in a faint flame flashed across the scene and threw his arms around Ouyang Ziqian.

The water blades struck him in full force—some were consumed by the flames, while others he took with his own body.

Ouyang Ziqian stared at Jiang Xiaotian, her eyes trembling. "You..."

Jiang Xiaotian managed a faint smile, but he immediately broke into a violent coughing fit, spitting blood as his entire body shook.

He had already exhausted almost all his spiritual energy pulling the sword; by tanking a blow from a martial artist of Zhao Zheng's caliber, he was gambling with his life.

Tears streamed down Ouyang Zijing's face as she saw this. She let out a long breath, clutching her chest; she had nearly lost her own flesh and blood.

Zhao Zheng glanced at him, then back at the sword still embedded in the center of the lake, his grin widening. "Oh, killing two birds with one stone. Jiang Xiaotian, you waste, you really can't stay away from women, can you? Hahahaha!"

Zhao Zheng was ecstatic. He hadn't expected this move to hit Jiang Xiaotian instead of killing Ouyang Ziqian, but it was far better than he had anticipated!

Jiang Xiaotian wanted to curse him, but his injuries were too severe; as soon as he spoke, he coughed up more blood. He hadn't fully recovered from the injury inflicted by the old Black Dragon, and taking this hit on top of that—if not for his Dragon Breath Technique and the last of the dragon saliva, he would have surely perished.

Ouyang Ziqian was heartbroken, her tears flowing uncontrollably. "Why... why did you do that... lie down! Don't move!"

But how could Zhao Zheng let this opportunity slip?

"Jiang Xiaotian! Since you dared to meddle, you can leave your life here today!"

As Zhao Zheng prepared to strike again, Ouyang Zijing, consumed by rage, launched a frenzied assault. Every strike was filled with murderous intent, forcing Zhao Zheng to retreat step by step, unable to get close.

Ouyang Ziqian seized the chance to tend to Jiang Xiaotian, but in the next second, the unexpected happened again!

A black-clad old man suddenly emerged from the lake and, with a single reach, dragged Jiang Xiaotian into the depths, vanishing from sight!

Ouyang Ziqian was stunned, then wailed and reached out to grab him, but it was too late.

Ouyang Zijing and Zhao Zheng watched the scene, their expressions starkly different. The former was so shocked she couldn't utter a word, while the latter threw his head back and laughed. "Hahahaha! Didn't expect that, did you? Jiang Xiaotian is a dead man! You Ouyang family didn't think I had a backup plan, did you?"

Ouyang Zijing gritted her teeth, refusing to believe it. Fighting through the pain, she shouted to the crowd, "Are you still martial artists of Dragon City? The Zhao family are the culprits who murder and steal martial paths! The victims were innocent—some were our friends, some were our families! Even so, will you still support the Zhao family?"

Hearing this, the crowd exchanged shocked glances, and some martial artists who had supported the Zhao family began to waver; the Zhao family's actions were truly too depraved.

"Tch, so what if my Zhao family did it? Now that Jiang Xiaotian is dead, think carefully. Whoever dares to resist, I will use this sword to behead you first!" Zhao Zheng glared viciously at those who were wavering.

Some cowards immediately looked away, not daring to resist, but many hot-blooded warriors switched sides, joining Ouyang Zijing’s camp.

Li Qing, who had been helping Zhao Zheng, remained guarded. He was searching for something. To be honest, he didn't believe the authorities were willing to hand over the treasure, and now that the three families were locked in a life-or-death struggle, it was clearly what the higher-ups wanted to see.

Ouyang Zijing had abandoned all restraint. She was furious. Zhao Zheng had killed Jiang Xiaotian and even tried to take her sister's life; why should she endure this?

"All of you with a sense of justice! I, Ouyang Zijing, on behalf of the Ouyang family, declare that today we will fight the Zhao family to the end! They are the vermin of Dragon City!" With tear-reddened eyes and her injured body, she charged at Zhao Zheng...

On the other side, Jiang Xiaotian had sunk to the bottom of the lake, but he was not drowning, shielded by a bubble. The one who had pulled him down was, naturally, the black-skinned serpent.

Having learned of Jiang Xiaotian's identity and seeing that the Dragon Clan intended to protect him, the serpent dared not harm him further. It wasn't just Long Xuan'er's terrifying strength that frightened him, but also her willingness to spare his life.

Moreover, he finally understood the meaning behind Long Xuan'er's words.

Regardless, the black-skinned serpent's power far exceeded that of the people above. But Long Xuan'er had forbidden him from speaking out, so he couldn't reveal himself. Seeing that Jiang Xiaotian was about to die, he had simply rushed to save him.

He could say he knew Jiang Xiaotian, or he could say he didn't. Having lived for hundreds of years, growing from a tiny black snake to his current form, he had witnessed the rise and fall of the Dragon Clan and had seen that genius youth a hundred years ago who had shocked all the races. He could never forget that face filled with such confidence.

So, when he saw Jiang Xiaotian, he only whispered those few words: "Are you going to repeat the same mistakes again?"