Jiang Wang was not one to revel in slaughter, yet neither was he one to shrink from it.

He did not believe killing to be the sole solution, yet he never flinced from its necessity.

If Hai Zongming harbored killing intent towards him, his first thought would be to preemptively end Hai Zongming’s life, plain and simple.

Thus, the immediate question was: how to accomplish this?

His first thought turned to the shadowy organization, Hell No Door.

Given Hell No Door’s prowess, eliminating a peak Outer Building expert would be no insurmountable feat, perhaps even without requiring Yin Guan’s personal intervention. The crux of the matter, however, lay in the cost. Could he afford it?

Examining his personal resources, he possessed the Ethereal Garment, the Fixed Wind Pearl from the Hidden Star Realm, a collection of secret techniques and Daoist methods, and a supplementary cache of Dao Origin Stones. This array, he estimated, should be sufficient to purchase Hai Zongming’s head. Faced with peril, Jiang Wang would not begrudge the expenditure of his treasures.

Naturally, if he were to pledge his allegiance to Hell No Door, the price might well evaporate.

Establishing contact with Yin Guan was not a significant obstacle.

Though every prior encounter with Yin Guan had involved the latter appearing unbidden, Jiang Wang did not possess a direct means of communication.

However, given Hell No Door’s burgeoning notoriety, locating their peripheral organizations should not prove overly difficult. A simple connection, a preliminary deposit, and then the patient wait for the deed to be done would suffice.

For Hell No Door, these external bodies served merely as conduits for information, solely for the purpose of disseminating assignments. Those with ulterior motives seeking to penetrate Hell No Door’s inner workings through these outer layers would find their efforts fruitless.

Hell No Door represented a contingency plan. Their advantage was their guaranteed ability to eliminate Hai Zongming. Their drawback was the exorbitant cost, for disposing of Hai Zongming would inevitably involve shedding a significant portion of his wealth. Furthermore, becoming too deeply entangled with Hell No Door could invite a multitude of complications.

As for the forces within Qi Country, setting aside the Chong Xuan family, other powers were even less worth considering. Qi Country would, of course, offer him protection by virtue of his Blue Card identity, and Yue Leng would not passively witness his demise. However, none would likely offer the level of dedicated support as Chong Xuan Chu Liang.

Since he currently had no intention of immediately returning to Qi Country, this option was thus set aside.

Turning to the prospect of leveraging external aid, two possibilities remained.

One was the Suspended Temple. The old monk Ku Jue, though irksome, possessed undeniable strength. The obstacle here lay in Jiang Wang’s willingness to embrace the monastic life.

The other was the Ling Xiao Pavilion. As the backing sect of Cloud Country, the Ling Xiao Pavilion should also be capable of dealing with a single Hai Zongming.

Yet, having entrusted Jiang An An to the care of the Ling Xiao Pavilion for such an extended period, would it be appropriate to bring trouble to their doorstep on the rare occasion he finally visited his sister?

Furthermore, given Hai Zongming’s speed, could he reach the Ling Xiao Pavilion before being intercepted?

Setting aside external forces, he re-evaluated his own capabilities.

Having opened his first Inner Mansion, he had obtained the Samadhi True Fire divine ability. Furthermore, he had just secured the Star Fire Secret Treasury. Among Inner Mansion cultivators, he could certainly be considered strong. Compared to someone like Lei Zhan Qian within the divine ability Inner Mansion, his strength should not be found wanting.

Moreover, he had Xiang Xiang at his side, a cultivator albeit only in the Teng Long realm, but possessing era-defining sword techniques that could inflict damage on par with an Inner Mansion expert.

If Hai Zongming were an ordinary peak Outer Building cultivator who had not acquired a divine ability, then perhaps a combined effort by him and Xiang Xiang could pose a challenge.

However, if Hai Zongming had ascended from a divine ability Inner Mansion to the Outer Building realm, then Jiang Wang’s options were limited to either joining Hell No Door or immediately submitting to a monastic tonsure.

He possessed unwavering resolve, but he was certainly not foolish. Becoming an assassin or a monk was infinitely preferable to facing death.

As for retreating to Lin Zi, that was not even a consideration. An An’s incessant letters often brought a lump to his throat. He had already made arrangements with Ye Qing Yu, intending to surprise his little sister. Cowering and shrinking away for an extended period simply because of Hai Zongming was absolutely not his style.

The next step was to await news from Chong Xuan Sheng. He held complete faith in Chong Xuan Sheng’s capabilities. Since Hai Zongming was a genuine elder with real power within the Fishing Sea Tower, he was not some obscure figure. Chong Xuan Sheng would undoubtedly unearth some crucial information.

With a deeper understanding of Hai Zongming, his confidence in dealing with him would be bolstered.

Initially, Hai Zongming intended to kill him, with Hai Zongming in the shadows and Jiang Wang exposed. Now, thanks to the timely intelligence from his friends, he knew of Hai Zongming’s impending pursuit, while Hai Zongming remained oblivious to this knowledge.

At this juncture, the tables had turned, with him in the dark and the enemy exposed. This, too, was an advantage.

Sorting through these possibilities in his mind, the immense pressure of facing a powerful adversary had already significantly dissipated.

Hai Zongming was not an insurmountable foe; the paths to his demise were numerous!

Jiang Wang calmed his spirits, then turned his attention to another matter – the killing of Hu Shao Meng had occurred a considerable time ago. Why did Hai Zongming suddenly seek his life now?

The news had been conveyed by Zhu Bi Qiong, albeit somewhat vaguely. She likely did not fully understand the reason herself, merely speculating that Hai Zongming sought vengeance for his disciple.

But this explanation simply did not hold water.

If Hai Zongming’s master-disciple bond with Hu Shao Meng was truly that profound, he would have sought retribution long ago. Why wait until now?

Surely, some factor had emerged, altering Hai Zongming’s intentions.

He considered the matter from a different angle.

Killings are generally driven by only two motives: enmity or profit.

Hai Zongming’s lack of reaction at the time of Hu Shao Meng’s death already negated the former.

Turning to the concept of “profit.”

“Profit” encompassed benefits of all kinds, including those who derived pleasure from killing, evil path cultivators who cultivated through slaughter, and so forth. Hai Zongming, however, clearly did not fall into these categories.

The Fishing Sea Tower was an upright, renowned sect, a leader among the islands near the sea.

Given Hai Zongming’s status, what “profit” could possibly sway him? To the extent that he would risk killing Jiang Wang?

One had to remember that given Jiang Wang’s current identity, even if Hai Zongming successfully killed him, he would not emerge unscathed.

So, what “profit” related to Hu Shao Meng could exist?

The answer was becoming increasingly clear – the Red Makeup Mirror!

At that time, Jiang Wang had obtained only two items from Hu Shao Meng: a copy of the Brilliant Light Art and the Red Makeup Mirror.

The Brilliant Light Art held little practical use; its grade was not particularly high, and Jiang Wang spent most of his time in a powerful country like Qi, where treasures were usually spoken for.

The Red Makeup Mirror, on the other hand…

Previously, he had not fully grasped the Red Makeup Mirror’s true value. The more he saw, the more he understood its significance.

Enduring the Flying Snow Tribulation had strengthened his divine soul, and the enhancement of his divine soul was undeniable. He had never encountered any other treasure capable of strengthening the divine soul. Secret techniques involving the divine soul were usually beyond his reach at this level.

And it was by relying on his strong divine soul, using the Flame Flower Sea as a foundation, that he had replicated the divine soul Flame Flower. Subsequently, through the Hidden Snake King’s divine soul secret method used to invade the Tong Tian Palace, he had copied the divine soul Hidden Snake.

One must realize that even prodigies with impressive backgrounds and talent, such as Zuo Guang Shu and Wang Yi Wu, currently only possessed defensive capabilities in the domain of the divine soul, lacking any offensive power.

Now that he had stepped into the Inner Mansion realm, he had begun to “cultivate” his divine soul, further highlighting the preciousness of the Red Makeup Mirror. Ordinary cultivators progressed step by step, from “stumbling to walk” to “striding like a swift breeze.” The Red Makeup Mirror, however, allowed him to bypass the “walking” and “running” stages and directly begin “flying”!

Now, Hai Zongming, a peak Outer Building elder of the Fishing Sea Tower, a man who could be said to possess anything he desired, harbored designs on this Red Makeup Mirror.

The inherent value of the Red Makeup Mirror was likely far greater than Jiang Wang had estimated.

The difficulty of enduring the Flying Snow Tribulation had made Jiang Wang extremely cautious with the Red Makeup Mirror. He feared that one day he might carelessly fall into it, his divine soul dissolving.

His original plan was to explore this treasure after his divine soul had grown stronger.

But due to Hai Zongming’s killing intent, he decided to proceed earlier.

Having experienced several encounters at the divine soul level, coupled with the growth of his divine soul power during this period, he felt he possessed a certain degree of confidence.

“Xiang Xiang.”

Jiang Wang called out, waking the snoring dead fish face. “I need to explore a treasure. Help me stand guard. If you see my divine soul begin to collapse, immediately end my life with a single sword strike!”

Xiang Xiang’s hazy, sleepy eyes opened. Upon hearing the words, her gaze sharpened, the lingering sleepiness dispelled by the thought of a decisive sword blow.