Chapter 7: 122
Chapter 122: Alliance of Four Sides! Encircling the Pirates! The Law Sacrificial Divine Weapon and the Day-Chasing Bow! (4600 words, please subscribe)
Sizzling sounds.
The front of Han Zhao's chest, which had just been touched by Zhu Gangyi's hand, suddenly began to turn black, and a faint burning sensation emanated from his chest.
"Sizzle!"
Han Zhao's expression changed slightly, and he tore open his shirt.
The clothes had already started to blacken, showing signs of corrosion, and the part of his chest protected by Qi and strength had also turned purplish-black, with the contamination slowly spreading to the surrounding area.
Boom!
Han Zhao's body shook, and the blackened Qi and strength on his chest detached and hit the nearby wall, creating a small pit in the wall.
"This Zhu Gangyi's restrictive force actually carries such a terrifying poison! It can even corrupt Qi and strength?" Han Zhao's gaze sharpened as he stared at the small pit in the wall, and the red bricks in the middle of the pit quickly turned black with signs of corrosion and melting.
"Young Leader, are you alright?" Shui Jingfeng approached.
"I'm fine." Han Zhao took out a new set of clothes from his Qiankun Pouch and changed into them.
"Water Master, it seems that Zhu Gangyi and the Nine Hells Mansion are associated with the demonic side."
"Ah," Shui Jingfeng sighed, "The reason why our Furious Crocodile Gang is thriving in the territories along the Changlin River is because we have connections with every major power. On the surface, demons and humans are natural enemies, but those aristocratic families and demons are not that different."
Han Zhao fell into silence upon hearing this.
He recalled the records he had obtained from the Lin family, which indeed described how the Divine Weapon Families treated ordinary people like livestock.
These demons, on the other hand, treated people as food.
Both were two sides of the same coin.
"Our Leader and the former Leader haven't appeared in over a year. Now, it's not just the Nine Hells Mansion; the local aristocratic families in Yunzhou, as well as the He family where the city lord resides, are all testing our limits. The most hateful thing is Qianluo Mountain, the Vice Leader of the Furious Crocodile Gang, who directly colluded with the Nine Hells Mansion. He must have leaked a lot of secrets from the gang, otherwise, Zhu Gangyi wouldn't dare to be so audacious," Shui Jingfeng said with hatred.
"What's the current whereabouts of the former Leader?" Han Zhao asked in a deep voice.
He only knew that Shangguan Yunfei was still hiding on the island, but he had no idea where Shangguan Lie was.
Now, these external forces would have already divided the Furious Crocodile Gang if it weren't for their fear of Shangguan Lie, the Martial Saint. This couldn't be allowed; the Furious Crocodile Gang was within his grasp, and no one could take it from him.
"I'm not too sure about that either," Shui Jingfeng pondered.
Han Zhao's eyes flickered slightly.
In his first simulation involving the Furious Crocodile Gang, Shangguan Lie had intervened to force the head of the Martial Academy to retreat once. Judging by the current situation, Shangguan Lie should still have the ability to intervene.
As long as Han Zhao could ensure that his alchemy progress wasn't delayed, safety wasn't a problem in the short term.
However, the later events where Shangguan Yunfei confronted Shangguan Lie indicated that in one or two years, Shangguan Lie would likely lose his ability to resist due to a recurrence of his injuries, and he wouldn't have much time left.
"Regarding what Zhu Gangyi mentioned about an ownerless Divine Weapon appearing in the Southern Zhanhai, what's that all about?" Han Zhao changed the subject.
"Divine weapons are generally divided into two types. One is forged from various precious materials, while the other type randomly appears in different places at regular intervals, known as ownerless Divine Weapons.
The latter type randomly appears with various grades and functions, including high-grade auxiliary Divine Weapons with low killing power, and low-grade large-scale killing Divine Weapons.
Because Divine Weapons are the biggest reliance of the aristocratic families, every time an ownerless Divine Weapon appears, it stirs up a bloody storm," Wood Twin Ridge explained.
"The Nine Hells Mansion's arrival is just the beginning. I suspect the He family will send people soon," Shui Jingfeng said with a grim expression. Seeing Han Zhao remain silent, he consoled him, "Young Leader, there's no need to worry too much. Just focus on practicing and learning alchemy. We'll settle accounts with these people after the former Leader returns. For now, endure it."
"Water Master, I understand the situation. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave for now," Han Zhao nodded.
"Alright, Young Leader, please go ahead," Shui Jingfeng said, clasping his hands.
Han Zhao glanced at the lifeless body of the woman on the ground, then turned and left.
The avatar followed closely behind.
Once they left, Shui Jingfeng muttered, "Shuangling, do you think this kid knows where the former Leader is?"
"I don't think he knows. Shangguan Yunfei is wary of everyone, even the two of us, so how could he possibly tell this kid," Mu Shuangling said as he approached him.
"The Nine Hells Mansion, Changsheng Sect, and the He family. I suspect a few more aristocratic families will come soon. It all depends on whether the former Leader can appear before they obtain the Divine Weapon. Otherwise, we'll have to seriously consider which faction to join."
Shui Jingfeng sighed.
Shangguan Yunfei had specifically sought out Han Zhao to learn alchemy, indicating that he wanted to refine something extremely important, but he didn't want anyone else to know. He probably had plans to eliminate all witnesses.
Currently, there were rumors that both the former Leader and Shangguan Yunfei had obtained the blood of a Jiaolong in the battle with the dragon. Han Zhao had witnessed Shangguan Yunfei's injuries firsthand, but he wasn't sure about the former Leader.
Until the former Leader appeared, as long as there was no concrete news of his severe injuries and death, nearby major forces wouldn't directly divide the Furious Crocodile Gang. However, taking a few pieces of meat was a certainty.
As for Shangguan Yunfei, unless he broke through to the Martial Saint realm, even if his injuries fully healed, he couldn't change the overall situation.
After leaving the side hall, Han Zhao walked back to his own courtyard.
"Young Master."
On the way, Silk and Bamboo passed by in the corridor, carrying two cups of hot tea. Seeing Han Zhao approaching, they bowed respectfully.
"Hmm." Han Zhao nodded, "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to serve tea to the new guests, Young Master."
"No need to go. Just return to the courtyard. Starting today, avoid getting close to the side hall and the kitchen."
Silk and Bamboo seemed surprised. "Ah?"
"Did you hear me clearly
?" Han Zhao's voice grew slightly stern.
"Yes, Young Master." Startled by Han Zhao's seriousness, Silk and Bamboo quickly complied.
"Good."
Han Zhao continued on his way and returned to his small courtyard.
Boom!!
"Damn it!"
Han Zhao struck a huge tree in the courtyard with a fierce punch, and a violent force and true Qi burst forth. The entire tree exploded from his punch, and wood chips scattered in the raging wind.
"Nine Hells Mansion! Demons!" Han Zhao's eyes darkened with anger; the Nine Hells Mansion and the demons were truly pushing their limits!
In the simulations, he couldn't even remember how many times he had been killed by demons, often encountering attacks from the Nine Hells Mansion's master.
Now, they had come directly to his doorstep.
"If you want to eat me, I hope your teeth can bite through my invulnerable body!"
Asking if he would get angry? Once he broke through to the Grandmaster realm, he would make you regret it even in the afterlife!
Han Zhao took a deep breath to calm himself down.
"The poison contained in the restrictive force of this Nine Hells Mansion envoy is incredibly potent. If I didn't have the protection of Supreme Yang True Qi and the immunity of the Yin Demon Palm, I might have suffered a great loss just now." Han Zhao's eyes became deep as he sank into thought.
He had always held the upper hand when facing martial artists of the same level. With dual cultivation of internal and external skills, multiple martial arts techniques, and the effects of the attributes, fighting opponents of a higher level was not a problem for him.
However, the encounter with Zhu Gangyi had set off alarm bells.
At the Restrictive Level Five Pattern, equivalent to a Grandmaster in the Three Qi realm, the opponent gave him a feeling of a deadly threat, as if he had no chance of winning with his current strength.
"I need to accelerate my cultivation speed and refine more high-grade elixirs. As long as I break through to the Grandmaster realm, I won't need to fear exposing my progress."
With this in mind, Han Zhao headed to the medicinal pavilion at the foot of the mountain to get some medicine from Yan Jing.
Ten days passed quietly.
During this time, apart from receiving visitors from the He family in the capital city five days ago, Han Zhao spent almost all his time in his room, refining elixirs, taking medicine, and practicing.
The Furious Crocodile Gang had essentially changed hands by now, with envoys from various major forces issuing orders and this powerless new gang leader being whispered about by gang members behind his back.
But he didn't care. As long as he improved his strength, he could handle everything by himself.
"Two more days, and I can simulate again."
[Current Balance: 3000 gold taels]
During these days, he had sent Yu Niang to inform Xu Ling and exchanged some gold taels for items that were sent to him in Qiankun Pouches. This amount would be enough for several simulations.
Money was not the issue at the moment; it was the lack of Yin Qi.
"With Zhu Gangyi's strength, if I can eliminate him, the Yin Qi in his body should be enough for me to simulate once. I need to find a way to secretly kill him!" Han Zhao's eyes glinted with determination.
He needed to hunt down strange creatures or directly participate in the contest for the ownerless divine weapon. Unlike the fragments of divine weapons he had obtained before, this was an intact divine weapon. How much Yin Qi would it contain?
Even if he couldn't absorb it all at once, he could slowly draw upon it as a stable source of Yin Qi.
"Master."
At this moment, the sound of footsteps echoed in the courtyard, and the music of Silk and Bamboo filled the air.
"What is it?"
"The senior members of the gang have gone to the main hall. There are guests from Yunzhou City, and the Water Master asks for your presence to preside over the gang's meeting."
"I understand."
Han Zhao nodded and got up from his bed. He headed to the middle of the mountain to the Furious Crocodile Hall.
Once he entered the main hall, dozens of senior members of the gang were gathered inside. This included the Five Elemental Regional Envoys - Earth, Wood, Water, Fire, and Metal - the Deputy Gang Leader Qian Luo Shan, the six Grandmasters, and various branch leaders and incense masters who were seated on either side.
The main seat, though vacant, was flanked by ten long chairs, four of which were occupied. The six Grandmasters of the Furious Crocodile Gang took the last six seats. In front of the four occupied seats, from left to right, were Zhu Gangyi, a charming young woman, He Xuan, and an unfamiliar handsome young man.
"Oh! I didn't expect the new Furious Crocodile Gang's junior gang leader to be such a handsome young man. It's quite unexpected!" Upon seeing Han Zhao enter the hall, the alluring young woman's eyes lit up, and she covered her mouth with a laugh, looking like she was eyeing prey.
[Restrictive Level Six Pattern (Four Qi Grandmaster), heir to a prestigious family with a strong Fire Malevolent Qi]
"Lady, you're kidding me," Zhu Gangyi said with a smile.
"Are you calling me a sow, you pig?" The woman's expression turned cold, and a terrifying aura that sharply increased the temperature in the air emanated from her.
"You can try!" Zhu Gangyi's body, covered in black fur, suddenly emitted a gloomy light, and his bristle-like fur stood upright like needles.
"Enough, let's discuss the business at hand," a young man sitting below Zhu Gangyi interrupted, sounding impatient.
[Half-demon, half-human, Martial Artist at the Two Qi Grandmaster level with a Restrictive Pattern covering his body, Restrictive Level Five Pattern (Three Qi Grandmaster)]
"High Baijie, your patience is too short," the woman rolled her eyes.
"High Deputy Leader, let's deal with this woman first, shall we?" Zhu Gangyi's eyes showed a hint of madness, as if he were not joking.
"Both of you can try it!" The woman's expression turned cold.
"Everyone, we have gathered here today because of the appearance of the ownerless divine weapon, the Day-Chasing Bow, in the Southern Zhanhai. Therefore, we need to rely on the Furious Crocodile Gang's assistance. I hope the junior gang leader won't refuse," He Xuan said with a smile, but his tone carried a hint of firmness, making it clear that there was no room for rejection.
"Senior, please speak plainly. What do you need the Furious Crocodile Gang to do?" Han Zhao asked seriously. With the four major forces united, he had no room to refuse.
"It's simple. We need to determine the exact location of the divine weapon through a ritual. So, the Furious Crocodile Gang only needs to send more manpower to surround and eliminate the pirates gathering on the islands in the Southern Zhanhai. It's also a good deed for the people. The junior gang leader shouldn't refuse, right?" Xue Han laughed coyly.
"I wonder how many people you need us to send?" Han Zhao inquired, as there was no room for refusal when the four major forces were collaborating.
"Not many, just a few hundred should suffice. As long as enough people die, the ritual will be completed," Zhu Gangyi waved his hand, as if he were talking about slaughtering cattle and sheep.
"Enough of this nonsense. Let's focus on the matter at hand," He Xuan said, interrupting the dispute.
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