chapter 1 Ghost Faced war-god

"Don't even think about escaping. When I found you here, you were already dead!"

Under the cover of night, a young man moved like lightning through the thickets of weeds. Behind him lay the lifeless bodies stained red with fresh blood, scattered in all directions, filling the air with a pungent scent of gore.

He was draped in a black cloak, his face concealed by a ghostly mask, leaving only a pair of pitch-black pupils, fixed intently on the figure atop the island.

The man was the leader of Crimson Hell!

Crimson Hell was one of the most notorious underground forces globally, committing countless heinous acts, earning the wrath of both humans and gods alike.

This unnamed island was the headquarters of Crimson Hell.

At this moment, the entire island resembled a hell on earth, shrouded in an eerie silence, broken only by the echoes of the young man's voice.

"Crimson Hell does not quarrel with Zhanlong Palace. Why did you attack us?"

A man in a red cloak stood at the summit of the island, exuding a terrifying aura, his face a mix of shock and anger.

Anger, because the young man had just slaughtered a hundred and twenty-eight members of Crimson Hell's headquarters.

One man, one hundred victims, not a drop of blood on him!

This meant that all his efforts had gone to waste!

Shock, because he recognized the newcomer.

The ghostly mask.

It was the emblem of the Lord of Zhanlong Palace!

Zhanlong Palace was an organization born four years ago, not aligned with any nation.

In just four years, Zhanlong Palace had transformed from a silent, unknown minor power into a behemoth that struck fear into underground forces worldwide.

All of this was because, in the past four years, Zhanlong Palace had eradicated eight underground forces.

Two of those forces possessed war-god-level experts!

Decades ago, Budo had begun to thrive globally. Now, it was flourishing, and the number of martial artists had increased. However, those who could reach the level of a war god were still rare.

A war god was the pinnacle of martial strength on this planet!

Zhanlong Palace's astounding record made the world realize that the Lord of Zhanlong Palace was a war god and not just any, but one of the best in that field affectionately called the Ghost-faced War God.

As the leader of Crimson Hell, the man in the red cloak didn't believe he was weaker than the two deceased war gods.

Especially after hearing the young man's words just now!

"Twenty years ago, Lambert Ye of Long Country's Zhanlong Special Troops was ambushed while she was about to give birth. Her comrades fought to the death to buy her time, allowing her to safely deliver her child.

After the child was born, she only took one look before handing the baby to a comrade, instructing him to escape with the child.

She, covered in blood, faced the assassins and fought to the death!

At that time, her husband Leo Jiang was on the battlefield, fighting to end the battle quickly and return to his wife and newborn child.

However, when Leo returned victorious, he saw his wife's bloodied corpse!

The young man continued to advance, his pace unhurried, his voice low, and his tone hoarse.

With each word he spoke, the intensity of his killing intent grew stronger.

"This has nothing to do with Crimson Hell. You've got the wrong people!"

The man in the red cloak, struggling to contain his inner panic, was shaken.

"Twenty years ago, Leo returned from the border to Beijing, alone, with a knife. He slaughtered the Zhao family, leaving not a single member alive. Only you, Mark Zhao, were abroad and escaped unscathed!

The young man halted, brimming with killing intent, gazing at Mark as if he were a lifeless body. "Four years ago, I established Zhanlong Palace and infiltrated the underworld, all to find you!"

"You... Who are you?"

The man in the red cloak was now completely flustered.

Mark, that was his real name, but he hadn't used it in twenty years.

To be precise, he dared not use that name!

The reason he had hidden and gone incognito for the past twenty years was precisely because of what the young man had just described.

That event had shaken Long Country and even the entire globe!

Because that man called Leo had once been the youngest war god in the world!

Later, even though Leo had died, Mark had ten thousand reasons to believe that if his true identity were exposed, someone would find him within twenty-four hours and deliver him to his doom!

"My surname is Jiang, given name Nick," Nick responded coldly, slowly removing the ghostly mask, revealing a resolute face that belied his age, filled with anger and killing intent. "A soldier defends his homeland, and fights to the death, but among those he protects, there are those who turn their blades on his wife and children. As they were of the Zhao family, they had to be punished!"

"You... You're Leo's son? This... This can't be! You're only twenty years old this year. How could you become a war-god expert?"

As Nick pronounced his verdict, Mark stared at the unfamiliar yet oddly familiar face of Nick. He seemed to be confronting a specter, his words incoherent.

Could it be true?

Whoosh!

Mark's question was met with a sonic boom.

Nick's killing intent surged. Like a ghostly apparition, he instantly moved before Mark, his fist punching out.

In an instant, the true energy within him surged to his right arm, gathering in his right fist, emitting a terrifying energy fluctuation, laden with intense anger and killing intent, crashing towards Mark!

Mark's face changed. It was too late to dodge, so he immediately transformed his hands into palms, like a gateway, blocking in front of himself.

Zhangke Boxing.

At this moment, Mark applied his combat instincts and life-and-death battle experience to the fullest, countering with the renowned Bagua Boxing of the Long Country's martial arts world.

Boom—

Fists clashed, and Mark's palms exploded upon impact. Then, Nick's iron fist struck his chest, causing an instant collapse. Mark was sent flying, blood mixed with fragments of his innards sprayed from his mouth.

"This... This can't be..."

Mark fell like a kite with a broken string, his pale face filled with disbelief.

Below thirty, no war god.

This had once been the consensus in the global Budo community.

Back then, Leo became a war god at twenty-eight, creating legends in the global Budo realm!

And now, Mark, a war god himself, was almost killed by the twenty-year-old Nick!

This completely overturned Mark's understanding of martial arts!

"Mom, the last remnants of the Zhao family have been eliminated. Rest in peace."

As if responding to Mark, Nick closed his eyes and spoke softly.

Bang!

As Nick's words fell, Mark fell heavily to the ground. His body curled up like a dead dog, convulsing violently, continuously spitting blood. He seemed beyond saving.

Nick put on the ghostly mask again, no longer sparing a glance at Mark, and turned away.

"You... you bastard. Although your martial talent is astonishing throughout the ages, you're Leo's son. Once your identity is exposed, you'll surely meet the same end as Leo and be buried with our Zhao family. Haha..."

Mark, facing his imminent demise, suddenly burst into sinister laughter as he watched Nick's departing figure.

Nick's steps halted abruptly. He turned around abruptly, his gaze as sharp as a knife, sweeping towards Mark.

Then, without waiting for Nick to ask, Mark's smile stiffened, and then his head tilted, completely lifeless.

Looking at Mark's body, recalling Mark's last words, Nick furrowed his brows slightly, silent for a few seconds. He then turned, his figure flashing, swiftly heading towards a helicopter that had been waiting near the beach.

Inside the helicopter, a young girl with short hair sat in the co-pilot's seat. She watched Nick approaching rapidly, her eyes gleaming with fervent light.

"Lord Sofia, where are we going now?"

When Nick boarded the helicopter, the girl with short hair asked for Nick's instructions, her look of fervor replaced by reverence.

That respect was etched into her soul!

"Back to headquarters."

Nick issued the command, then leaned back against the seat, appearing to rest his eyes, but he was replaying Mark's final words in his mind.

An hour later, when the helicopter Nick was on flew out of the area covered by the natural magnetic field near the island, the satellite phone inside the helicopter rang.

"Speak."

The girl with short hair glanced at the satellite phone and, seeing it was a call from Oscar, the intelligence chief of Zhanlong Palace, she answered the call.

"Lord Sofia, is the Lord present?"

Oscar asked as he opened, his words filled with respect for the girl.

All of this was because of a girl named Sofia Dongfang, who was only eighteen years old but possessed terrifying strength. In Zhanlong Palace, she was second only to Nick, and she was Nick's absolute confidante.

"Oscar, what's the matter?"

Nick opened his eyes and asked.

"Lord Sofia, the Zheng family of Long Country's Guishan is threatening and pressuring Mia Su to marry. After I received the information, I reported to you at the first opportunity. However, I couldn't reach you or Lord Sofia, so I had Lord Wenzler go first..."

On the other end of the phone, Oscar's heart instantly leaped to his throat. He immediately reported without any pause, because he remembered Nick's words very well: No member of Zhanlong Palace is allowed to set foot in Long Country, except for Mia and her mother!

"Sofia, go to Long Country!"

Nick directly interrupted Oscar's words, and a terrifying killing intent surged from him in an instant.

"Yes, Lord."

Sofia immediately took the command and promptly accelerated the helicopter to its maximum speed.

Nick squinted, gazing at the pitch-black sky. His mind was completely occupied by the figure of a girl.

The girl wore an ink-painted cheongsam and a pair of black leather shoes. She tied her hair in cute pigtails, revealing adorable dimples, looking like a little fairy.

When he was a sickly child, after his mother brewed medicine each time, the girl would watch over him, coaxing him to finish the medicine. Then she would tell him, "Nick, don't worry. As long as you keep taking the medicine, your body will become as healthy as mine, and you'll never get sick again."

Whenever he was bullied by the kids from the Su family, the girl would roll up her sleeves, clench her fists, and protect him like a mother hen shielding her chick.

After the girl received something delicious from the elders, she would secretly give it to him, lying that she had already eaten. Then, she would prop up her chin, watching him happily as he ate.

Twelve years ago.

To help him recover sooner, the girl stole the precious medicine that Old Master Su had exchanged for a thousand gold and gave it to him. She was then discovered by Old Master Su and was beaten to unconsciousness.

The girl's name was Mia, and she was his sister.

Though not by blood. Even closer than blood!

...