Chapter 12963 A Madman Without Principles

The chains that were hovering in the air and flashing with faint light seemed to have lost their power and slowly dissipated into nothingness.

He looked up in the direction where the sound came from, with both confusion and vigilance in his eyes.

In the distance, several figures were approaching at an astonishing speed. Their movements were agile and their clothes fluttered, as if they were immortals descending from the clouds.

When I got closer, I could see clearly that they were the reinforcements of the Jiang family. Although there were only four of them, each of them exuded a strong Tongtian realm aura, which made people dare not underestimate them. Especially the leader, he walked steadily, with a strong momentum, and surrounded by an indescribable majesty and oppression. It was obvious that he was already a leader in Tongtian realm.

"Jiang Lianheng!" Jiang Xiruo exclaimed, with a hint of disbelief and nervousness in her voice. This name was both familiar and strange to her. Familiar because it represented the supreme authority and glory of the Jiang family, and strange because she had never thought that she would meet this legendary patriarch in such an occasion.

Her face turned pale instantly, and she quickly turned her head to look at Ling Xiao, her eyes full of worry and anxiety, "Be careful, he is the current head of the Jiang family, Jiang Lianheng, his cultivation is unfathomable, you must not be careless!"

Ling Xiao's eyes penetrated through the obstacles and ignored Jiang Lianheng's aggressive momentum. All his attention was now focused on Ahri, who was tightly held in Jiang Lianheng's hand. Ahri, the once lively and energetic little fox, was now like an eggplant hit by frost, listless.

Its limbs were tightly wrapped in cold chains, which seemed to have spirits, tightening continuously, leaving shocking scars all over its skin. Its breath was weak, and every breath seemed so difficult. Its once lively eyes had lost their former luster, leaving only endless fear and exhaustion.

It was as if there was a fire burning in Ling Xiao's chest, a flame of anger and heartache. He could not imagine that such a small life could endure such cruel torture. Every weak moan of Ahri was like a sharp knife, cutting scars in his heart.

Ahri, the first friend he made after entering the Southern Territory, not only brought endless joy to his boring life of practice with her innocence, but also helped him many times at critical moments, becoming one of his closest comrades-in-arms.

However, now that he had suffered such hardship because of himself, Ling Xiao's heart was filled with endless guilt and self-blame.

This made him feel extremely sad, as if countless sharp blades were silently and accurately piercing into the softest part of his heart.

Every time the needle pierced his body, it was accompanied by a violent twitch, which was a tremor deep in the soul, and the regret and self-blame for being unable to protect.

He closed his eyes, trying to let the surging flood of emotions rest for a moment, but every time he thought he had calmed down, the needles seemed to deepen a little more, the pain and bitterness intertwined, indescribable.

After the pain, what follows is hatred, a deep and endless hatred that devours all light and reason like an abyss.

He hated himself, hated why he didn't have enough strength, and could only watch Ahri suffer when she needed him the most. The little fox's clear and innocent eyes were full of trust and dependence on him, but now, this trust has become the heaviest burden in his heart, making him miserable.

He hated the Jiang family even more. He hated their vicious hearts and cruel methods, and they could actually do such a cruel thing to such an innocent and lovely little life. In his eyes, these people were no longer human beings, but demons in human skin. Their existence was a blasphemy and defilement of the beauty of this world.

A strong desire to kill surged in his heart, and he wanted to kill these demons one by one and make them pay the price for their crimes.

"Kill!" The word echoed in his mind, shocking like thunder. His eyes turned red, as if there were flames dancing in them, which was the embodiment of his inner anger and hatred. However, although his evil will was surging wildly, like a black storm about to erupt, his expression remained unusually calm, without the slightest fluctuation.

This calmness was not because the anger and hatred in his heart had dissipated, but because he knew very well that at this moment, any loss of control over his emotions would only make the situation worse.

He must stay calm and use reason to think about how to rescue Ahri and how to find a ray of hope in this crisis. He understands that the more he cares about Ahri, the more dangerous Ahri will be, because the opponent's bargaining chip is precisely his care and reluctance.

Therefore, he must bury his emotions deep in his heart and deal with the current difficulties with calmness and wisdom.

Jiang Lianheng's eyes met Ling Xiao's, as if two invisible forces were colliding fiercely in the air. In his eyes, hatred burned like a raging fire, almost devouring everything around him. Every word he uttered seemed to be squeezed out from his teeth, with deep hatred: "My son, Jiang Feng, his death, you have something to do with it, right?"

Facing this sudden accusation, Ling Xiao's lips curled up in a faint arc, but his eyes revealed deep sarcasm.

He did not directly answer Jiang Lianheng's question, but said in an almost provocative tone: "It is really sad that the head of the Jiang family, one of the seven major families in the East China Sea, could do such a despicable thing - using an innocent little girl as a bargaining chip to threaten an opponent who has no deep hatred for you. Such behavior not only tarnishes the reputation of the Jiang family, but also tramples on the word face to be worthless."

Jiang Lianheng's expression remained unfathomably calm, as if Ling Xiao's ridicule was nothing but a passing wind to him.

He shook his head slightly, with a disdainful sneer on his lips: "Face? In this world where the strong are respected, face is just a fig leaf for the weak to deceive themselves. When I, Jiang Lianheng, act, I only care about the results, not the process."

"Since I can easily threaten you with Ahri, why not? As for you, Ling Xiao, you may be outstanding in some aspects, but in my eyes, you are just an insignificant opponent after all, not worth my time and effort to deal with."

Ling Xiao couldn't help but frown when he heard this. He knew very well what kind of ruthless opponent he was facing. This kind of lunatic who had no principles and would do anything to achieve his goal was often more difficult to predict and deal with than those enemies who followed the rules and valued morality.

Their behavior is often beyond common sense and hard to guard against. Ling Xiao couldn't help but feel a strong sense of crisis. He knew that if he wanted to win this contest, he had to be more cautious and more intelligent in dealing with every move of Jiang Lianheng.