Volume 1, Chapter 139: The Mission Must Be Completed.

Jiang Chen brushed off the dust and said, "Let's go. It's settled."

Li Changsheng, standing to the side, was dumbfounded. Killing someone with a cigarette butt—was there any sense of justice left in the world?

"No, seriously, how many other things are you hiding from me? Can you just tell me instead of making me look like an idiot?" Li Changsheng clutched his head. He truly couldn't fathom why Jiang Chen was so overpowered.

"Don't obsess over it. You'll be this strong eventually. Besides, you can tell that my strength isn't limited to the Wuxiang Realm, but don't go guessing about it." Jiang Chen wasn't unwilling to reveal his true power; it just felt unnecessary. Even if he did, many people wouldn't believe him anyway, so it was better to say nothing at all.

"Fine, fine." Li Changsheng gave up on questioning and casually deactivated the sword array.

Liuli, who had been squatting inside the array, emerged and immediately kicked Li Changsheng in the leg, followed by a flurry of playful, angry punches. "I'll kill you! How dare you make decisions on your own! How dare you ignore me! I'll kill you!" As she spoke, tears rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably.

Li Changsheng chuckled sheepishly, "Pardon the scene."

Jiang Chen rolled his eyes, while Li Changsheng comforted her, "It's not safe here. Let's head back first, and once we're home, you can hit me as much as you like."

Liuli gave a light huff. "I'm not that easy to appease. This isn't over. You chauvinistic pig!"

Clearly, Liuli was still angry about being trapped by Li Changsheng earlier, though it was evident that his "chauvinism" had actually been somewhat useful.

Jiang Chen analyzed the situation nearby. A moment later, sounds emerged from the woods. Li Changsheng tensed up instantly. "Someone's coming."

Jiang Chen patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, they're our own."

Soon, Shen Huaizhu and Ye Zhi emerged. But the next moment, they were stunned.

There were two Jiang Chens standing there.

"This... what is going on?" Ye Zhi was also dumbfounded to see another Jiang Chen. Why were there two Brother Jiang Chens? She was only one person; she couldn't marry two of them. She immediately sank into deep self-reproach. "Why can't I be two people? Then Brother Jiang Chen wouldn't have to worry."

The two Jiang Chens exchanged a glance, and just in the distance, yet another Jiang Chen appeared.

Ye Zhi was completely bewildered. "Oh no, oh no, now there are even fewer to go around!"

"Those two were created using the Qingshan Bronze Mirror; they possess one-third of my strength," Jiang Chen explained.

Only then did the others understand why Jiang Chen had been so confident in letting them split up; he had been prepared all along.

"It's a pity, though," Jiang Chen added. "I had hoped it could fully replicate my abilities, but it consumes far too much mental energy."

Li Changsheng patted his shoulder in consolation. "It's alright, we're all safe, aren't we? If this mirror could really replicate your full power, it would be classified as an absolute forbidden artifact."

Given how terrifying Jiang Chen’s strength was, if he could replicate a whole army of himself to carry out assassination missions, it wouldn't take long for those pesky enemies to be wiped out.

"I assume you've all found the location of their headquarters?" Jiang Chen looked at the group.

They nodded with relaxed expressions. Jiang Chen said, "Let's head back. You can give me the information, and then we'll plan the next step."

...

On a ridge in the northwest, Sakamoto Tanaka stood looking into the distance.

Corporal Ozawa said with a trembling voice, "Mr. Sakamoto, all the people we sent to intercept them have lost contact."

Sakamoto Tanaka was stunned, barely able to process the news. "What nonsense are you spouting? How is it possible they were all wiped out? They are the geniuses of our Empire!" He refused to believe it.

Corporal Ozawa handed over the walkie-talkie. "You can try calling them, but I expect they won't be answering anymore. If you don't believe me, we can go down and confirm it ourselves."

Seeing this, Sakamoto Tanaka had no choice but to believe it, as he couldn't imagine any other possibility.

"But why? Even if the Daxia people were all at the Wuxiang Realm, it shouldn't have happened this fast. There must be a trick. Did they use some kind of powerful forbidden artifact?" Sakamoto analyzed.

Corporal Ozawa replied, "I'm not sure, but it's safe to assume they've discovered our hiding place. It won't be long before they arrive, so we must prepare for the next step immediately. We cannot be caught off guard."

Sakamoto Tanaka agreed with Ozawa's analysis, but he reasoned that the men they had sent were undeniably strong. Even if they had lost, the Daxia side must have suffered heavy casualties as well.

Sakamoto looked at the lines on his palm. "We don't need to panic. They can't be at their peak strength right now. We must hurry to find the Dragon Vein. Besides, we have the protection of the Great Orochi; even if a Land Immortal came, they would die here."

They hadn't come to find the Dragon Vein unprepared. Before leaving, their leader had helped them borrow a portion of the Great Orochi's divine soul to withstand any attacks from Daxia. They wouldn't use the Orochi unless absolutely necessary.

"Corporal Ozawa, how far along is your work? How much longer will it take?" Sakamoto asked anxiously.

Ozawa looked at the map in his hands. "It shouldn't take much longer. We've found clues to the Dragon Vein. Once we confirm it, we'll know if this is indeed the spot. As soon as it's verified, we will use explosives to sever the vein."

Hearing that they had leads, Sakamoto Tanaka breathed a sigh of relief. They were here for the Empire, and even if they failed, they couldn't leave without doing something. Even if they knew they would be held accountable by Daxia after this, it would all be worth it if they could sever the Daxia Dragon Vein.

"Corporal Ozawa, I leave this to you. Remember, no matter what happens, we are acting for the Empire. We must finish this task with single-minded focus. Even if we don't succeed, we must make them pay dearly."

Corporal Ozawa bowed. "Rest assured, I guarantee the mission will be completed!"