Black Stone City, Outer City. The headquarters of the Water Snake Gang.
The sky was growing dark, and the air felt heavy with the promise of rain.
Two members of the Water Snake Gang, standing guard at the entrance, were looking around listlessly.
Seeing a passerby heading home for the night, one of the guards scowled. "Get lost! Are you blind? How dare you approach the Water Snake Gang’s main hall? One more step and I’ll break your legs!"
How could the pedestrian dare to cross such vicious gangsters? Terrified, he bowed repeatedly before scrambling away in a panic.
Seeing this, the two gang members burst into smug, wild laughter. As members of the Water Snake Gang—a group that had risen to prominence in the Outer City in recent years and even had connections in the Inner City—their daily lives were marked by extreme arrogance and tyranny.
However, in a dark, secluded courtyard not far away...
Public Security Bureau Commanders Li Jingxuan and Ye Xiaohong were looking down, taking in the entire scene. Their eyes were as cold as if they were gazing upon dead men.
Behind the two of them, a full one hundred Heavy Armor-clad Black Armor Guards stood silently in the courtyard like a black tide. There was not the slightest movement, only a suffocating, murderous aura that permeated the air.
"SCREEE—!"
The next moment, an eagle’s cry, sharp enough to pierce gold and shatter stone, suddenly rang out from the sky.
Li Jingxuan’s expression suddenly lit up with joy. He immediately took a special bone whistle from his robes and blew it forcefully. This whistle had been given to him by Su Yu before his departure; its frequency could only be recognized by the Blue-scaled Eagle with which he had a blood pact.
Sure enough, just as the short whistle blast faded, the sharp eyes of Qing Yuan, the eagle, locked onto the area below. It abruptly folded its wings, tracing a graceful arc through the air, and dove like a blue meteor, landing steadily in the center of the small courtyard.
"WHOOSH—!"
With a powerful flap of its half-zhang-wide wings, the Blue-scaled Eagle kicked up a cloud of dust in the courtyard. The powerful gust of wind forced the surrounding Black Armor Guards to involuntarily squint their eyes.
Li Jingxuan and Ye Xiaohong stared at the majestic and powerful Blue-scaled Eagle, both shaken to the core.
Such an avian Exotic Beast was wild and incredibly difficult to tame. An ordinary Martial Artist couldn’t even get close to one, let alone train it to be so obedient!
’What kind of monster is this Su Yu? Not only is his talent for Martial Arts astonishing, but he’s this strong in other areas too!’
Suppressing his shock, Li Jingxuan hurried forward and untied a sealed bamboo tube from Qing Yuan’s thick talons.
He quickly broke the wax seal, pulled out the parchment scroll inside, and after a quick glance, couldn’t help but break into loud laughter.
"Haha, Ye Xiaohong! Younger Brother Su has sent definitive intelligence. The Water Snake Gang is colluding with the Black Lotus Sect. We have both witnesses and physical evidence—it’s irrefutable!"
A murderous intent, almost tangible, erupted from Ye Xiaohong’s weathered, square-jawed face. He growled, "The audacity! A bunch of sewer rats daring to collude with those vile cultists to bring chaos to Black Stone City! Today, the Water Snake Gang must be destroyed!"
Li Jingxuan nodded heavily. "Then let’s stick to the plan. Immediately send the signal arrow to Mansion Master Pang. As for us, we close the net now!"
"Alright!"
Having reached an agreement, the two of them hesitated no longer.
The next moment, the closed courtyard gates burst open with a BOOM.
"Kill!"
The Black Armor Guard poured out like a black flood from a broken dam, accompanied by the resounding clang of Heavy Armor. In less than a minute, they had completely surrounded the Water Snake Gang’s headquarters, sealing it off entirely.
The two Water Snake Gang members at the gate, who had just been acting so arrogantly, looked as if their eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.
Seeing the approaching army of black-armored soldiers, they were scared out of their wits. They opened their mouths to turn and shout a warning.
"TWANG!"
A bowstring snapped taut.
From a hundred paces away, Li Jingxuan himself had drawn his bow. Two steel armor-piercing arrows tore through the air like black lightning and, with a SQUELCH, pierced straight through both men’s throats!
The two men couldn’t even make a sound. Gushing blood from their mouths, they collapsed limply into the muddy water.
...
"BOOM!"
A clap of thunder echoed in the sky.
Immediately, pattering raindrops began to fall.
Deep within the Water Snake Gang headquarters, in a hidden, luxurious secret chamber.
Two tall figures stood facing each other. The atmosphere was incredibly tense.
"Boss Hong, don’t bother looking. All the outer sentries have been eliminated. Our stronghold has been completely exposed!"
A burly man, completely shrouded in a wide, black cloak, spoke in a low, raspy voice.
This man’s name was Luo Gui, a high-ranking Incense Master within the Black Lotus Sect. He possessed the terrifying strength of the Muscle Forging Realm at Perfection and had even comprehended the domineering "Asura Blade Stance," earning him the moniker "Asura Blade King." In his early years spreading the sect’s teachings in Liangzhou, he had once single-handedly slain a Liangzhou military general of the same rank with a single slash of his blade, making his vicious reputation well-known.
And standing before him, his face as dark as water, was none other than the boss of the Water Snake Gang, Hong Lei!
Hearing the faint, murderous sounds of a military formation outside, the flesh on Hong Lei’s face twisted instantly. His expression was one of pure rage as he stared death at Luo Gui.
"Damn it! Incense Master Luo, didn’t you swear to me that your disguises were absolutely flawless and that not a single whisper would get out?"
Luo Gui’s brows, hidden beneath his hood, also furrowed tightly. He, too, was filled with shock and suspicion.
The group of cultists he led were all elites personally bestowed with the "Formless Divine Power" by the Earth King. This power not only allowed for perfect disguises but could even temporarily alter one’s bone structure and body shape. Logically, they should never have been exposed so quickly!
’Unless someone has been keeping a close watch on the Water Snake Gang all this time!’
At this thought, Luo Gui sneered and retorted, "Boss Hong, don’t be in such a hurry to sling mud. Are you sure it wasn’t one of your Water Snake Gang’s enemies who has been watching you? Otherwise, with the divine power granted by the Earth King as cover, and with all our brothers lying low lately, how could we have been so easily exposed?"
"You! You’re spouting nonsense!"
Hong Lei was choked with anger, his face turning ashen. He himself wasn’t entirely sure how they had been exposed.
But now that his collusion with the Black Lotus Sect was exposed, it meant that the Water Snake Gang, the foundation he had painstakingly built over half his life, would be reduced to ashes tonight!
"Boss Hong, at this point, there’s no use dwelling on who leaked the information. The Public Security Bureau’s Black Armor Guard has us surrounded. We have to find a way to escape!"
Luo Gui’s tone shifted, his raspy voice now laced with temptation. "Since you’ve already joined our sacred sect, has the Earth King ever held back even half a bit of the resources and rewards he’s given you? Now is the time for you to show your loyalty to the sect!"
"As long as you cover me and help me escort this sacred statue safely out of the city, you will have performed a monumental service! When the time comes, I, as Incense Master, will personally request a reward for you from the Earth King! The Earth King will surely bestow upon you a legendary Profound Bone Pill to help you shatter your shackles and break through to the Profound Bone Realm!"
’A Profound Bone Pill?’
Hearing those three words, Hong Lei’s heart trembled violently. An uncontrollable fervor and greed erupted in his eyes.
’Why did he collude with the Black Lotus Sect in the first place? Wasn’t it to break through to the Profound Bone Realm!’
’If I can really get a Profound Bone Pill, I’ll definitely be able to break through my bottleneck!’
’Then, whether I continue with the Black Lotus Sect or go to another province, it won’t be a problem!’
’As for the Water Snake Gang... I can just rebuild it!’
"Alright! Incense Master Luo, I hope you keep your promise!"
"Rest assured, Boss Hong. You are an expert at the Perfection level of the Muscle Forging Realm. You’re exactly the kind of person our sacred sect wants to recruit. Why would the Earth King go back on his word to you?"
...
「Meanwhile, outside a branch stronghold of the Water Snake Gang.」
"WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH—!"
Dozens of heavy military crossbow bolts, glinting with a cold, sinister light, shrieked through the light rain and forced Hong Qiao, who was trying to break out, back into the stronghold.
"Damn it! Damn it all!!"
Hong Qiao landed on his feet after retreating, his expression one of extreme anxiety.
The heavy crossbows of the Black Armor Guard’s military formation were simply too domineering. Even an expert like him, at the Grand Perfection of the Flesh Refining Realm, didn’t dare to face them head-on!
’But if it were just these Black Armor Guards, I wouldn’t be afraid. At worst, I could wear them down for a while. As long as I break through their encirclement, it would be like a tiger let loose among sheep. I could kill them all!’
’But not tonight!’
’Because behind me, there is a God of Slaughter!’
’I’ll risk it all!’
Hong Qiao once again desperately channeled the Qi and Blood in his body, concentrating it at the vital points in his chest and arms, intending to forcibly break through the formation and escape by tanking the crossbow bolts.
"Fire!"
The Black Armor Guard Captain on the perimeter gave the order without hesitation.
"SWISH SWISH SWISH..."
Another scalp-numbing volley of crossbow bolts flew out, forming a dense net around Hong Qiao.
In mid-air, Hong Qiao threw a series of punches. With a constant stream of BANGS, he knocked down seven or eight crossbow bolts in a row and actually managed to open a gap. He was just about to escape.
"SWOOSH!"
From behind him, a golden coin dart shot toward Hong Qiao like a flash of lightning, leaving a trail in mid-air.
A Martial Artist’s intuition is astonishing. Hong Qiao immediately sensed the fatal danger from behind. The hair on his body stood on end, and with a loud shout, he rolled to dodge.
But the coin dart was even more astonishing. It was a shot from Su Yu, using the highest-level technique of his Coin Toss skill, the "Tongbei Flick."
As if it could track its target, the coin dart traced another bizarre arc in the air and, with a THWIP, sank into the enemy’s back.
The Spiral Armor-Breaking Trait was unstoppable. The defensive hide of a cultivator at Refining Flesh Realm Perfection like Hong Qiao was not enough to block it. The dart easily penetrated his flesh, and even a rib was snapped clean in two!
"Aargh!"
Hong Qiao cried out in pain and fell to the ground. But he didn’t dare to linger. His courage completely shattered, he ignored his injuries, frantically clutched his side, and tried to scramble up to flee again.
However, a pair of blue battle boots had already appeared silently before his eyes.
Su Yu stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the pathetic figure of Hong Qiao. A trace of disappointment flashed through his mind.
’Looks like my luck is bad today. Neither of the two Black Lotus Sect deacons had any divine blood.’
’In that case, you can just die!’
"Mountain-Toppling Annihilation!"
Su Yu chanted the name of the technique in his mind. The flesh apertures throughout his body chimed in unison, and a vast, ocean-like torrent of Qi and Blood erupted from him.
An astonishing demonic ape-like baleful aura instantly coiled and condensed around his right fist, forming a giant, blood-colored demonic ape fist that smashed down toward Hong Qiao’s head!
The surrounding air was seared and distorted by the terrifying pressure of the fist, letting out a harsh CRACKLE.
"No! I am a deacon of the sacred sect—"
Amidst Hong Qiao’s unwilling and despairing roar, the giant blood-red fist broke straight through his desperate two-armed defense and slammed into his skull.
"SPLAT!"
Like a ripe watermelon struck by a sledgehammer, Hong Qiao’s head instantly burst apart under the ferocious power of the Ming Jin!
A mixture of red and white matter splattered everywhere.
The headless corpse staggered forward two more steps before falling with a THUD, face-first into the cold, muddy water.
"DRUM... DRUM..."
The rain began to pour, and the pooling water formed small rivulets, washing away the sticky blood.