Chapter 106: The Blood Butcher

He slammed his foot down on the gas, and the Hummer roared forward, racing toward Blue Sky Gardens.

Over half an hour later, Zhang Xiaofan arrived at the residential complex and dashed upstairs. The door was locked. He knocked for a while but received no response. He waited outside for a long time, yet Chen Yuanyuan still did not return.

He dialed her number dozens of times, but there was no answer. A sense of unease grew heavy in his heart. Chen Yuanyuan was a police officer; it was a fundamental rule of her profession to never be without her phone. Furthermore, she should have been home from work hours ago. Her absence was highly irregular.

After a moment’s thought, he called her workplace. They informed him that she had clocked out long ago. Zhang Xiaofan’s eyes narrowed. He then made another call, this time directly to the Dragon Soul.

"Help me track someone and find their last known location."

"Understood. Send the name and identity," the voice on the other end replied.

Zhang Xiaofan hung up and immediately sent over Chen Yuanyuan’s information. Within two minutes, a reply came back, accompanied by a video file.

As he watched the footage, Zhang Xiaofan’s eyes narrowed, and a chilling, intense glint flickered within them. When Chen Yuanyuan had left work, she was driving home, but halfway there, a group of men had intercepted her. With swift, practiced efficiency, they subdued her and dragged her into a vehicle before speeding off. The group appeared highly trained; their movements were sharp and decisive, without a hint of hesitation.

"Is this the work of Lin Siyu’s enemies, or mine?" Zhang Xiaofan pondered. Watching the route taken by the kidnappers' vehicle, he did not hesitate. He rushed downstairs, jumped into the Hummer, and tore out of the complex. On the city highway, he shifted gears relentlessly, pushing the speedometer to one hundred and fifty kilometers per hour.

It had been less than an hour since Chen Yuanyuan was taken. If he pushed hard enough, he might catch up before the kidnappers could prepare, and he had no idea what they might do to her.

The vehicle eventually stopped near Mount Canglong, the same place where Zhang Xiaofan had once helped Song Wenwen race. There were no surveillance cameras on the mountain roads. Driven by urgency, he reached Mount Canglong in half an hour.

Stepping out of the car, he examined the tire tracks at the entrance. They were complex and overlapping, but based on the vehicle type, Zhang Xiaofan identified the correct set. The car hadn't followed the highway out of Jinghai City; instead, it had headed deep into the mountain. The tracks grew clearer, eventually narrowing down to a single path.

Zhang Xiaofan followed them along a small, overgrown trail far from the main road, dotted only by a few abandoned, dilapidated houses. Gradually, only the tracks of that specific vehicle remained on the dirt road.

Hiding in such a remote area clearly indicated they were avoiding detection. As it was a coastal city, rain was frequent, and dark clouds gathered in the sky, plunging the world into twilight.

Zhang Xiaofan drove along the narrow path for over half an hour. A light drizzle began to fall, and an hour later, an abandoned factory appeared before him. The structure was built from weathered bricks, likely a former agricultural processing plant. It was desolate, surrounded by nothing but overgrown weeds.

By now, the light had faded significantly, making it difficult to see. Fortunately, Zhang Xiaofan’s vision was exceptional. He didn't drive all the way up, instead parking the Hummer in a patch of tall grass that provided excellent cover.

He didn't know who these people were or if they were targeting him or Chen Yuanyuan, but regardless, they had touched his bottom line. These people had to die.

Inside a room in the abandoned factory, an old gas lamp cast a dim, flickering light. A shirtless man in his thirties, with a blood-red scorpion tattooed across his chest, downed half a bottle of Erguotou in one go. Beside him sat the group that had abducted Chen Yuanyuan earlier that afternoon.

"Blood Lord, the captive is secured," the subordinates reported respectfully. "We were extremely careful; we weren't followed."

The man known as Blood Lord finished his drink, his eyes turning sharp and fierce. "With his skills, no matter how careful you were, it wouldn't matter... He’s already here. Go. I will settle my brother's debt alone."

"Blood Lord, what are you saying? We aren't afraid of death. We want to avenge Master Ren, too," the subordinates insisted.

"Leave. It is precisely because of your loyalty that I don't want you to die for nothing. This man is formidable," Blood Lord said gravely. He then rose abruptly and walked toward the door. Before leaving, he commanded, "Do not harm the woman. I only took her to lure him here. I, the Blood Butcher, haven't sunk so low as to use a woman as a bargaining chip."

In the factory courtyard, Zhang Xiaofan stopped hiding. He knew he had been discovered, and he could sense a master—a martial artist at least on his own level.

When he saw the face of the man emerging from the house, Zhang Xiaofan’s eyes constricted. If he remembered correctly, the middle-aged man exuding such intense, bloody aura was a Gold-ranked assassin, ranked within the top two hundred on the Assassin’s List.

He was known as the Blood Butcher.

The Assassin’s List was categorized strictly: those outside the top five hundred were Bronze; five hundred to two hundred were Black Iron; two hundred to one hundred were Gold; one hundred to fifty were Platinum; fifty to ten were Diamond. And the top ten were the King-tier!

A Gold-ranked assassin possessed at least the strength of the Spirit Opening Realm. The rankings were notoriously brutal, which made the power of the King-tier assassins truly terrifying.

"What? Surprised to see me?" The Blood Butcher wore a cold smile. "Or perhaps you know who I am?"

"The Blood Butcher from the Assassin’s List. You kidnapped my woman? If I recall correctly, assassins ranked Gold and above are forbidden from targeting ordinary civilians."

Even in the underworld, there were rules—rules set by the King of Assassins. Assassins ranked Gold or higher were prohibited from harming civilians; if caught, they would be hunted down and erased from the list.

The Blood Butcher replied, "Don't worry. I only took her to draw you out. Once I kill you, I will let her go."

"In that case, you’re still a man of your word. But do you really think you can kill me? And may I ask why you are after me?" Zhang Xiaofan asked.

"You killed my brother, Ren. Do you really need to ask why?" Red light flickered in the Blood Butcher’s eyes, radiating intense malice.

"If that’s the case, then you certainly have a reason to kill me. If it were me, I’d seek revenge too. No more talk—let’s fight." Zhang Xiaofan’s expression turned icy, and he felt a sudden, inexplicable pressure.

This Blood Butcher was no amateur.

A debt of blood for a brother meant this would be a fight to the death. Since it was a battle of life and death, Zhang Xiaofan would show no mercy.

He moved, charging toward the Blood Butcher with incredible speed, every muscle in his body braced for impact. He felt a surge of gratitude toward Li Jun, the Void-Breaking expert from the Beast Taming Sect. Although Li Jun had wounded him, his recovery had pushed his strength to the late stage of the Spirit Opening Realm.

As Zhang Xiaofan moved, so did the Blood Butcher. A brilliant, crimson blade-light flared into existence.

*Swish—*

In an instant, a long, blood-red blade appeared—the signature weapon of the Blood Butcher. The blade swept toward Zhang Xiaofan’s neck, the light expanding to envelop him in a web of crimson death.

Zhang Xiaofan didn't pause his charge. He flicked his wrist, and a silver needle—the Pure Yang Needle—appeared in his hand. Infused with spiritual energy, it pierced through the air with a piercing cold light.

Facing the projectile, the Blood Butcher felt a deep sense of dread. The needle threatened his very life. Was this the hidden weapon the boy used to kill his brother?

The Blood Butcher’s heart tightened, and he was forced to pull back his blade to parry. The once impenetrable web of light faltered.

In a flash, the needle was knocked aside, yet it miraculously curved back into Zhang Xiaofan’s hand. The Blood Butcher’s blade showed no sign of damage; it was clearly no ordinary weapon.

Zhang Xiaofan was briefly surprised, but he had already reached the Blood Butcher’s chest. He unleashed a punch, channeling eight layers of hidden force directly into his heart.