Hearing Niu Lansan say everyone was dead, Niu Lansi couldn't help but look at him in confusion.
“A high-grade array has been activated in the courtyard to block sound, light, and spying.
If the Black Snake Gang had won, there would definitely be some noise.”
Niu Lansan analyzed as he stared at the quiet courtyard.
...
Just as Niu Lansi was about to speak, several figures rushed over from the distance at high speed.
A moment later, a crowd from the Black Tiger Gang and the Black Hand Gang stood at the entrance of the Heavenly Demon Sect's residence.
The exact same scene played out before the Niu brothers.
Someone scaled the wall, then opened the gate.
The crowd swarmed inside, and then... there was no then.
After a long while, the courtyard gates swung wide open. Lights flickered inside, and signs of activity returned.
Only then did Niu Lansan and his brother walk up to the entrance.
“Ah, you two officers are here! Our Sect Master invites you inside.”
Diao San warmly welcomed them in with a face full of smiles.
As the Niu brothers stepped into the courtyard, they found it spotless and quiet.
It didn't look like a battle had taken place at all.
If not for the lingering aura of slaughter radiating from the Heavenly Demon Sect disciples, Niu Lansan would have believed the other gangs had never even set foot here.
“Fellow Daoists, here are the corpses, and here are the spirit stones.”
Upon seeing them, Lu Ming directly handed Niu Lansan two storage bags.
He had known they were waiting outside all along; after all, they had a job to do recording the deaths.
Niu Lansan swept his gaze over one of the storage bags.
His eyes instantly narrowed, because the corpses inside had all been turned into desiccated mummies.
Every drop of their blood energy was gone.
Furthermore, the number of corpses matched the exact head count of the gang members who had arrived.
Their eyes flickered with shock. Not a single soul had been left alive!
“Hehehe...”
Lu Ming chuckled. “After all, this is a grudge involving the destruction of a sect. I’d hate to leave any loose ends.”
Hearing Lu Ming's words, Niu Lansan was slightly puzzled. How did it become a grudge over the destruction of a sect?
Then, a realization hit him, and he asked:
“Are you planning to wipe out the headquarters of all four gangs?”
Lu Ming nodded firmly.
Of course he was. This was a blood feud. As the saying went, if you don't pull up the grass by its roots, it will only grow back when the spring breeze blows.
He didn't want some guy showing up with a sword many years down the road, saying:
“On a night many years ago, you killed my so-and-so, and now I've come for revenge.”
Only for him to get decapitated, dying with his eyes wide open.
Niu Lansan suddenly realized that Lu Ming was a rather contradictory person.
He gave off a vibe that was simultaneously wicked, sinister, and yet kind-hearted.
He was willing to spend a fortune to save Diao San, a complete stranger.
Yet now, he could smile cheerfully while wiping out entire organizations.
“The spirit stones in the storage bag are the full amount. The portion saved from the discount tokens is yours to keep as a tip for your hard work.”
As Niu Lansan's thoughts swirled, Lu Ming's voice rang out.
The Niu brothers' eyes widened instantly, and their breathing turned shallow and rapid.
The discount for a hundred kills was forty free.
This time, the Heavenly Demon Sect had killed 118 people in total, which meant they pocketed the spirit stones of 18 people for free.
That was a total of 9,000 spirit stones! This... the two of them would have to work for two whole years in Black Fiend City to earn that much!
Beside him, Niu Lansi was also breathing heavily, staring at the storage bag in Niu Lansan's hand.
If this happens a few more times, wouldn't we be filthy rich?
Right then, Niu Lansan suddenly spoke up:
“Young Hero, our brotherhood doesn't want the spirit stones. Can we join your Heavenly Demon Sect instead?”
Hearing his elder brother's words, Niu Lansi, who was still caught up in his excitement, froze.
Why did Big Brother change his mind again? Didn't he say we should wait until they came out of the secret realm?
Hmph, what a fickle man.
However, he didn't object. Instead, he nodded along. He would follow his brother's lead.
Lu Ming was also taken aback by Niu Lansan's request.
He hadn't expected them to want to join the Heavenly Demon Sect.
After a brief hesitation, Lu Ming spoke up:
“Is it easy for you to resign from your current posts?”
Niu Lansan nodded. “Yes.”
“Alright then. Once the sect handles these gangs and exchanges the bounties, you can resign and join us.”
“Excellent, excellent...”
Niu Lansan agreed repeatedly. A mid Foundation Establishment cultivator, along with a 2nd-rank spirit beast, had managed to slaughter five Foundation Establishment experts.
What kind of monstrous talent was this? He suspected Lu Ming could fight opponents far above his own realm.
Following such a faction definitely guaranteed a bright future.
Nevertheless, Lu Ming still insisted they take the spirit stones. It was their hard-earned tip.
Afterward, Lu Ming led a group to wipe out the Black Tiger Gang, while Big Yellow led another to destroy the Black Hand Gang.
Huang Tianbao and Diao San teamed up to eliminate the Black Snake Gang.
Meanwhile, Fu Chen and Erniu led a squad to crush the Black Eagle Gang.
Since the Foundation Establishment experts and elites of these major factions were already dead, Lu Ming and his crew easily dealt with the remaining gang members.
The next morning, when the residents of the slums stepped outside, they noticed something different.
The entire slum area was significantly quieter.
The arrogant gang cultivators who usually extorted protection fees and bullied the weak had completely vanished.
While they were still wondering what was going on, someone discovered that the headquarters of these gangs were completely empty. Everyone was gone.
Only later did rumors begin to spread that these gangs had been entirely wiped out.
The low-cultivation practitioners in the slums couldn't help but cheer and celebrate upon hearing the news.
Many were even moved to tears, shouting in gratitude that their grievances had finally been avenged.
Everyone felt that the destruction of these gangs was incredibly satisfying; they got exactly what they deserved.
When Huang Tianbao returned at dawn, Ye Fan asked him curiously:
“Where did you go last night?”
Huang Tianbao blinked and glanced at him.
“I went to find some women. I'll invite you along next time.”
Ye Fan was instantly choked up. Who was he?
Would someone like him ever lack women? Why would he need to go out looking...
“Just be careful. Don't let someone from the Joyous Union Sect drain you dry.”
Too lazy to argue with Huang Tianbao, Ye Fan simply left him with a casual warning.
Huang Tianbao curled his lip. “Got it.”
With that, Huang Tianbao went back to his room to rest.
Once the Niu brothers settled the accounts with Lu Ming and his crew, they resigned immediately and joined the Heavenly Demon Sect.
Counting them in, the Heavenly Demon Sect now boasted four Foundation Establishment stage cultivators.
For a period of time after that, Black Fiend City remained relatively quiet.
Everyone was busy preparing to enter the secret realm.
Meanwhile, Lu Ming led the entire sect out of Black Fiend City to find a place for seclusion.
It was about time for Diao San and the others to establish their foundations.
Staying in Black Fiend City was inconvenient, as it might attract unwanted attention.
Besides, the commotion Lu Ming caused during his own cultivation was simply too massive.
“Clatter, clatter... screech, screech...”
Watching the sparks and lightning trailing from the rear of the spirit boat, Diao San and the others silently thought to themselves: We finally understand.
Lu Ming and his group eventually located a decent mountain range.
Shortly after, Lu Ming had Wang Defa set up arrays.
He laid down several in a row: a Spirit Gathering Array, a protective array, an illusion array, and more.
Before Diao San and the rest began their breakthroughs, Lu Ming also had Niu Lansan and his brother share their experience with establishing a foundation.
His own circumstances were too unique, making his experience completely unsuitable for Diao San and the others.
As Diao San and the rest entered seclusion, Lu Ming gave a few instructions and began his own cultivation.
The moment Lu Ming activated his cultivation technique and began practicing, Niu Lansan and the others were utterly speechless.
They watched as the spiritual energy gathered from the entire mountain range by the Spirit Gathering Array funneled frantically into Lu Ming.
It felt as though he was trying to swallow all the spiritual energy in a single gulp.
We are all cultivating here. Is it really reasonable for you alone to consume more spiritual energy than all of us combined?
Wang Defa grumbled as he used an array to isolate Lu Ming.
Otherwise, with Lu Ming cultivating like that, everyone else would be left with nothing but to watch.
“Boom...”
Just as Lu Ming returned to Black Fiend City with Diao San and the others, who had successfully established their foundations, a golden beam of light shot straight into the sky outside the city.
Rate on N.U.
