Long Sihai was too important to the Long family; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was irreplaceable.
The Long family possessed vast industries that supported a large number of people, providing them with resources for cultivation.
The daily consumption of resources by the Long family members was astronomical, requiring immense financial backing. This was especially true now, as the Long family's headquarters, Canglong Valley, had been struck by lightning, necessitating substantial funds for reconstruction.
This further highlighted the importance of this financial pillar. Ironically, this pillar possessed no martial arts skills, which was why the family head, Long Yaotian, had specifically assigned guards to protect Long Sihai.
The car drove into a manor and stopped in the courtyard. The bodyguards disembarked first, scanning the surroundings. Once they confirmed the area was clear, a bodyguard walked to the car door and opened it. Long Sihai then stepped out.
He surveyed the environment and was quite satisfied with the accommodation. Accompanied by his bodyguards, they proceeded towards the mansion.
However, at that moment, the bodyguards tensed up. They had suddenly spotted a man on the roof of the mansion.
"Enemy attack!" "Assassin!" "Protect Lord Sihai..."
The bodyguards drew their weapons, their demeanor growing tense.
To everyone's utter astonishment, the man standing on the rooftop suddenly spread his arms, pointed his fingers to the sky, and shouted, "Jí!"
Instantly, a long sword leaped from its scabbard on his back and shot down like lightning, directly towards Long Sihai's chest.
The sword flew with incredible speed. Under the sunlight, a flash of white light streaked towards them. Seeing this, a Long family elder pushed Long Sihai aside and raised his own sword, slashing at the flying sword.
But in that very instant, the flying sword, as if possessing a life of its own, dodged the incoming sword and then plunged fiercely into Long Sihai's chest!
This all happened in the blink of an eye. The other Long family bodyguards had no time to react!
Long Sihai, staring at the sword hilt protruding from his chest, was stunned. The next moment, the flying sword automatically withdrew from his chest, blood gushed out, and his body collapsed to the ground!
Witnessing this, the Long family bodyguards' eyes turned red. They were acutely aware of how crucial Long Sihai was to the Long family.
Yet, here he was, dead before their eyes, despite their heavy protection. They could only imagine the severe punishment they would face upon their return, possibly having their martial arts crippled, or even being ordered to make amends through sacrifice.
The leader of these bodyguards, named Long Jingtian, was a senior elder in the Long family. On the night of the incident, Long Jingtian had been by Long Yaotian's side and had the good fortune to escape into an underground shelter, thus saving his life.
When Long Jingtian saw his subordinates clamoring to save the man, he became furious. The person was already dead; what was there to save!
"He's dead, what are you trying to save him for? Hurry up, all of you, go and capture the killer! As long as we can capture the killer, we still have a sliver of hope. Otherwise, we're all doomed, and we might even have to be buried with Lord Sihai..."
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately sobered up. They also realized the gravity of the situation. So, except for two people left to handle the body, the rest of the group pursued the direction the killer had fled.
Soon, the Long family bodyguard running at the forefront spotted the murderer. He immediately shouted and lunged forward. However, in the next moment, a long sword descended from nowhere, piercing his throat, and then was swiftly withdrawn, flying away silently.
This sudden attack caused the other bodyguards to halt. They didn't want to die, but they couldn't comprehend where the attack had originated!
Seeing this, Long Jingtian angrily shouted, "You bunch of useless cowards, what are you all waiting for!
If you don't catch the killer, all of you, including me, are doomed."
Hearing this, they snapped out of their daze, quickly turned, and again pursued in the direction the killer had fled.
But soon, they realized something was wrong. The killer didn't seem to be fleeing desperately; instead, he was stopping and starting, constantly provoking them!
"Bastard, if I don't kill you today, I'm not a Long!" Long Jingtian, gritting his teeth in fury, charged towards the killer with all his might. However, at that moment, the thick layer of fallen leaves on the ground suddenly exploded, and a treasure sword shot out from within, targeting Long Jingtian.
Long Jingtian was caught off guard. He had been guarding against attacks from above but had neglected the ground. He never expected this sword to erupt from below to attack him, slicing him open.
At this point, all the Long family bodyguards stopped in their tracks. They didn't want to die, but the opponent's attack methods were too bizarre, and any further pursuit would only be a futile sacrifice.
Seeing that the Long family members had stopped chasing, the man beckoned, and the treasure sword flew back to him, landing steadily into its scabbard behind him.
This man was none other than Ling Tian. His attire and physique were identical to Yun Hantian, the sect leader of the Tianshan Sword Sect, whom he had encountered that day.
Furthermore, he had disguised himself to resemble Yun Hantian.
Ling Tian was well aware that to deal with a behemoth like the Long family, one had to strike decisively and finish them off completely. Otherwise, once the Long family recovered its strength, they would likely face a brutal retaliation.
Therefore, the best course of action was to add more fuel to the fire!
Ling Tian had learned through information from the Misty Rain Pavilion that Long Sihai had the audacity to go to Bing Tian Pharmaceutical and act arrogantly. Under such circumstances, Ling Tian could not let him off the hook.
Thus, Ling Tian, using Haidongqing, monitored them throughout their journey and then stealthily landed on the mansion's rooftop.
There were many ways to kill. Ling Tian chose the flying sword for two reasons: firstly, it was the most cost-effective way to inflict injury amidst heavy protection; secondly, the Long family and the Tianshan Sword Sect were already locked in a fierce conflict.
If a key figure of the Long family were to be injured by a flying sword from the Tianshan Sword Sect at this juncture, the blame would inevitably fall upon the Tianshan Sword Sect. This was truly killing two birds with one stone!
About 10 minutes later, in a Long family manor, the Long family head, Long Yaotian, and his son, Long Xiao, received the devastating news. Long Yaotian slumped into his chair, completely overwhelmed!
The death of Long Sihai would have a significant impact on the entire Long family's commercial structure. Moreover, another person, Long Jingtian, had also died. This man was one of the few high-level combat forces remaining in the Long family!