Waiting forever.

Jiang Mingzhe swallowed hard.

This South Sea Crocodile God’s favorite way to kill was a swift snap of the neck.

Just now, when he twisted the bodyguard’s neck, his movement was so fast it was almost invisible.

That bodyguard, weighing around 150 to 160 pounds, was thrown with one hand as if he were nothing but a light sack.

Jiang Mingzhe had a deep impression of this man.

To Jiang Mingzhe, a villain like Ding Chunqiu was not truly frightening; the real terror lay in madmen with formidable martial arts skills.

The South Sea Crocodile God was precisely such a madman.

He was known as the foremost lunatic in the Heavenly Dragon World, killing as easily as drinking water or passing gas. Compared to him, A Zi’s innocence and kindness seemed almost saintly.

Jiang Mingzhe took a deep breath. “Junior just now said, could it be that you are the world’s second greatest villain, the infamous South Sea Crocodile God? Now that I have seen your bearing, I am certain you are indeed the world’s second greatest villain.”

“Hmm.” The South Sea Crocodile God nodded ambiguously. After staring at Jiang Mingzhe for a moment, he suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter. “Ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha! This pretty boy has some insight, knowing that I am the world’s second greatest villain! Ha ha ha ha ha!”

“Ha ha, ha ha,” Jiang Mingzhe quickly laughed along, seeing the man doubled over with laughter.

Unexpectedly, the Crocodile God’s smile vanished abruptly. His massive head leaned forward, his tangled hair nearly poking Jiang Mingzhe’s eyes. Above his bulbous nose, two tiny, beady eyes stared intensely.

“What are you laughing at?” he demanded.

Damn it, this lunatic!

Though Jiang Mingzhe had known the man was crazy, being face to face with him made it hard to keep up.

Quickly recovering, he thought up an excuse. “Junior is new to the martial world and did not expect to meet such a remarkable figure. I feel deeply honored and could not help but laugh.”

“I see.” The Crocodile God nodded, then asked, “You say I am remarkable. In what way am I remarkable?”

Jiang Mingzhe replied, “You are the world’s second greatest villain. Anything ranked in the world is extremely difficult to achieve. Even being second in appetite or drinking capacity is impressive. How much more so, then, for you to have reached second in villainy? Surely, without extraordinary martial skills and exceptional intelligence, you would have long been captured by the authorities or brought down by righteous heroes. How else could you have maintained your villainy to such a degree? Isn’t that remarkable?”

“Ha ha ha ha! Makes sense!” The Crocodile God opened his wide mouth, revealing beast-like sharp teeth, and laughed approvingly. “You pretty boy actually have some insight. Those words make a lot of sense.”

Then his smile faded. He grabbed Jiang Mingzhe by the chest. Startled, Jiang Mingzhe prepared to fight back, but a strong force lifted him off the ground. When he regained his footing, he realized he had been spun around and was now behind the Crocodile God.

Standing before the Crocodile God now was a subordinate of the Manduo Manor.

The Crocodile God asked expressionlessly, “This pretty boy says I am the world’s second greatest villain. What do you think?”

The subordinate hesitated, forcing a smile. “I... I somewhat disagree. Your martial arts are extraordinary; you must be a renowned hero. How could you be—”

Before he finished, Jiang Mingzhe knew trouble was brewing. As expected, the Crocodile God’s face darkened abruptly. He shouted, “You say I’m not evil enough?”

With a crack, he twisted the man’s head 180 degrees.

Behind him, another subordinate of Manduo Manor saw his companion’s head swivel back to glare at him, his soul nearly fleeing. He turned and fled.

The Crocodile God casually tossed the corpse off the bridge, took a step forward, then snapped another neck with a grim smile. “Daring to run from me? Not afraid of death enough, huh?”

He threw this body into the river as well and pointed at the next man. “You say! Is he not afraid of death enough?”

The man was Mu Nai, a Yi tribesman swordsman. Seeing the Crocodile God casually kill three men, his courage shattered. He dropped to his knees, kowtowing repeatedly. “Spare me, sir! Spare me, sir!”

The Crocodile God growled, “If I spared you just because you begged, wouldn’t that mean I’m not evil enough?”

Mu Nai shouted and, without rising or raising his head, unleashed a blade strike.

Jiang Mingzhe’s eyes flashed—Mu Nai’s swordsmanship was formidable.

But the Crocodile God stomped his foot; the blade vanished. The Yi sword was pinned firmly under his foot.

Without hesitation, Mu Nai abandoned his sword and rolled aside, attempting to escape by jumping into the river.

Though the current was swift, there was still a chance of survival. Against this villain, however, survival was impossible.

Yet the Crocodile God reacted with lightning speed, bending down to grab Mu Nai mid-roll. With a snap, he broke his neck and let go. Mu Nai’s body fell straight down.

Opportunity!

At the back of the group, a bodyguard’s eyes lit up. Taking advantage of the Crocodile God’s momentary pause, he shoved a companion hard and turned to run.

“Zhang Lao Si, you’ll die a miserable death!” the pushed companion shouted in despair and charged involuntarily at the Crocodile God.

The Crocodile God rose swiftly. His shoulder struck the man’s neck; with one hand he grabbed the hair, twisted sharply—the man’s head nearly touched his back with a crack. The Crocodile God swept the corpse off the bridge and leapt after Zhang Lao Si.

But Zhang Lao Si’s agility was no less impressive. Without a trace, he vanished into the forest on the riverbank.

The Crocodile God roared furiously, then pointed at Jiang Mingzhe. “Stay here and wait for me. I still have questions for you!” He then plunged into the woods.

Jiang Mingzhe blinked, thinking, Screw waiting for you. He ignored the trembling suspension bridge and ran toward the opposite bank.

Only one thought filled his mind: Duan Yu truly is the protagonist. Though lacking martial arts skills, he genuinely fears no death!

Reading about Duan Yu teasing the South Sea Crocodile God was amusing, but facing this cold-blooded killer firsthand made Jiang Mingzhe realize just how courageous Duan Yu’s spirit was.

Take himself, for example. He was not timid and knew the Crocodile God’s two weaknesses: his vanity and his heavy commitment to promises. With these, he could have crafted a verbal trap to lure the madman in, perhaps even turn him into his own weapon.

Yet, thinking of how swiftly the Crocodile God snapped necks, he could not help but tremble. At least until his martial skills were formidable, the best strategy was to keep as far away from this madman as possible.

Fearing the Crocodile God might chase him, he avoided the road and instead followed the riverbank, hiding behind large stones while stumbling cautiously along.

After walking more than ten miles, estimating that the Crocodile God would not pursue him this far, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and paused.

Only then did he take in his surroundings: beneath his feet was a sheer cliff seventeen to eighteen zhang high; the top few zhangs sloped gently, while the lower section dropped sharply into the rushing river.

Across the bank rose towering mountains and dense forests. Not far away, the river bent, revealing a stretch of shallow water.

Jiang Mingzhe’s mind stirred: that looked like the spot where he and A Zi had come ashore!

As he prepared to examine the area more closely, a movement caught his peripheral vision. Turning, he saw a figure climbing up the slope’s end.