Chapter 753: White Falcon Alliance's Elite

Ma Wu absorbed ninety percent of the joyful fire from Fan Bicong, leaving the remaining ten percent to slowly burn on his back.

Qin Xiaopang looked at Fan Bicong, who was covered in smoke and dust, and chuckled, "You're about seventy to eighty percent cooked. Normally, I'd eat you while you're hot, but I heard an elder you know is your friend. Out of respect for them, I'll let you live a bit longer and take you to meet them."

Having lived to his age, Fan Bicong naturally knew which elder Qin Xiaopang was referring to. The moment he saw Ye Jianhuang, Fan Bicong straightened his back, knelt on the ground, and cried out, "Spare my life, and I'll do anything you say!"

Ye Jianhuang packed a pipe with tobacco, gently pressed it down twice, and said to Fan Bicong, "First, give me a light!"

Fan Bicong took a box of matches from beside the bed, struck one, and lit Ye Jianhuang's pipe.

Ye Jianhuang took a puff, and the smoke circled Fan Bicong's head twice. "Tell me, how do you want to die?"

Fan Bicong looked up and replied loudly, "I don't want to die!"

"Then tell me first, who sent you?"

"Mo Ruhei sent me."

"Mo Ruhei?" Ye Jianhuang gnawed on his pipe, gradually recalling the name. "Mo Ruhei, the Shadow Cultivator,Like you, he became a local deity over a decade ago. Haven't either of you advanced since then?"

Fan Bicong replied fearlessly, "Our territory is too remote to gather much popularity, so our cultivation hasn't progressed significantly."

Ye Jianhuang exhaled another puff of smoke. "Even if you haven't advanced, your lifespans are considerable. Why are you still working for Neizhou?"

"Neizhou?" Fan Bicong shook his head repeatedly. "This has nothing to do with Neizhou. Mo Ruhei and I just felt our territory was too remote. We saw He Yuxiu had a prime location, so we wanted to seize it.When Mo Ruhei and I first gained renown, He Yuxiu was still playing in the mud. Now that she's connected with Li Qi, she gets a prime territory. We resent that, so we intended to kill her—"

"Nonsense!"

Ye Jianhuang's pipe burned Fan Bicong's face, tearing away a large piece of flesh and skin.

Fan Bicong endured the pain, not daring to utter a sound.

Ye Jianhuang wiped his pipe and chuckled, "Stealing territory? Who are you trying to fool? If you truly wanted to kill He Yuxiu, you'd have to remove her from the territory first, otherwise, you'd violate the peddler's rules. With your character, you dare challenge a peddler? Do you really think I'm that easily deceived?"

Fan Bicong said, "Elder Ye, I wouldn't dare lie to you. Cui Tuogu and I came here to send He Yuxiu out of her territory. Then, Mo Ruhei and I would work together to trick her into giving up her deed and then kill her."

"Lies!"

Ye Jianhuang seared another large piece of flesh from Fan Bicong's face. First burned, then scalded, Fan Bicong was truly almost cooked through.

"Is this the Cui Tuogu you mentioned?" Ye Jianhuang held up the head of the female Wind Cultivator.

The corpse seemed incredibly light, as if a gust of wind could blow it away.

Fan Bicong glanced at it and saw that Cui Tuogu's eyes were lifeless and hollow.

Upon closer inspection, they were indeed completely hollow. Her eyeballs and irises were gone, leaving only two empty sockets in her eye orbits.

Not only were her eyes gone, but her brain matter, internal organs, and bone marrow had all turned to smoke and been absorbed by Ye Jianhuang. What remained before Fan Bicong was merely an empty husk of skin.

Ye Jianhuang asked again, "Is she Cui Tuogu? What is her relationship with Cui Duanfa, the Blade Cultivation Ancestor?"

Fan Bicong lowered his head and replied, "She is a descendant of Cui Duanfa. Her Wind Cultivation powder was given to her by Cui Duanfa. Elder Ye, we truly just coveted He Yuxiu's new territory; we have no connection to Neizhou!"

"Still not telling the truth?" Ye Jianhuang chuckled, holding Cui Tuogu's skin. "Do you want to end up like her?"

Around six in the morning, Fan Bicong, covered in injuries, arrived at a desolate area. He sat under a tree, panting heavily.

A black shadow appeared beside Fan Bicong and asked quietly, "Is it done?"

"What do you think?" Fan Bicong sneered. "If it were done, would I be in this state?"

The black shadow rose from the ground and urgently asked, "Where's Cui Tuogu? Didn't she come back with you?"

Fan Bicong shook his head. "Cui Tuogu died at Ye Jianhuang's hands. I wanted to help, but I wasn't fast enough."

The black shadow kicked him. "She couldn't die! She's Lord Nian's goddaughter! Why did you come back? She should have returned instead!"

Fan Bicong exploded in anger. "What the hell are you talking about? Is that even human language?"

The black shadow sighed. "How am I supposed to explain this to Lord Nian?"

Fan Bicong chuckled. "I think you won't have to explain anymore."

The black shadow froze. "What do you mean by that? How did you—how did you get back?"

Fan Bicong said nothing. The black shadow sensed something was wrong and quickly distanced himself. He tried to disappear on the spot, but it was too late; a thick cloud of smoke enveloped him.

The black shadow couldn't break free. His body, which had been ethereal like a shadow, solidified under the smoke's embrace.

Ye Jianhuang laughed, "Mo Ruhei, how many years has it been since we last met?"

Mo Ruhei repeatedly called out, "Elder Ye, there's a misunderstanding here. I wasn't after you, I was after He Yuxiu."

"Oh, so you were after me?" He Yuxiu slowly emerged from the smoke, stepped forward, and kicked the black shadow.

The black shadow was knocked to the ground and simply lay there. "Miss He, we saw you had a prime territory and became greedy, so we wanted to claim it for ourselves. We admit defeat this time. We only ask that Elder Ye and Miss show us mercy and spare our lives."

Ye Jianhuang's voice echoed from the smoke, "Another stubborn one. Fan Bicong has already told us everything. Stop with the nonsense."

The black shadow turned to look at Fan Bicong, who nodded apologetically.

He Yuxiu asked, "The 'Lord Nian' you just mentioned, is that Nian Shangyou?"

Mo Ruhei lay on the ground, motionless and expressionless, as his entire body was as black as a shadow.

This was his territory, so it was false to say he had no power to retaliate. He was waiting for an opportunity.

Now was a good time. Mo Ruhei's body swayed, releasing a dozen or so black shadows from the surrounding trees, preparing to besiege He Yuxiu and Ye Jianhuang.

These black shadows had been prepared by him long ago. In terms of combat strength, they couldn't compare to Banfeng Yi or Banfeng Zi.

However, they had a special use: when these shadows clung close to the ground, their bodies became rough and thick like earth, making them very difficult to harm. This was a quality not possessed by the "Shadow's Reflection" technique.

Mo Ruhei intended to use these shadows as cover to buy himself an escape opportunity.

The shadows moved back and forth around He Yuxiu's feet, following a formation practiced for years.

He Yuxiu didn't act rashly; she simply observed the shadows' movements.

Mo Ruhei accelerated the shadows' speed. Before He Yuxiu could react, two shadows burrowed under her feet, intending to disable her legs.

But before Mo Ruhei could make his move, the earth beneath them suddenly lifted off the ground and flew towards the depths of the smoke.

Mo Ruhei didn't understand. Who had collected the earth?

Even without the earth, the shadows remained. This was clearly a futile effort.

Mo Ruhei was still planning his escape when he suddenly realized his own shadow was flying into the air along with the shattered earth.

What was happening?

Mo Ruhei had never seen this move before. Was this a new technique developed by Ye Jianhuang?

Ye Jianhuang was a Smoke Cultivator from Above the Clouds, and cultivators at that level could indeed create their own techniques, so new methods were not unreasonable.

However, Smoke Cultivators typically fought using infiltration methods; they hadn't been known for such powerful techniques.

Whether to retrieve the shadows or not put Mo Ruhei in a dilemma. If he retrieved them now, he would lose his chance to escape. But if he didn't, he would lose a portion of his life with every shadow lost, which was a shadow cultivator's greatest weakness.

Losing a portion was better than harming his main body. Although Ye Jianhuang could pull shadows from the ground, Mo Ruhei gambled that he didn't have a quick way to destroy them. He chose to continue fleeing.

After a short while, Mo Ruhei's speed slowed. All the shadows pulled into the air had been eliminated, causing severe damage to Mo Ruhei.

Was this Ye Jianhuang's technique or He Yuxiu's doing?

He Yuxiu didn't seem to have acted.

Mo Ruhei gritted his teeth and moved through the ground, when suddenly, he caught a faint whiff of smoke.

He was doomed!

The smoke had infiltrated the ground, and Mo Ruhei's main body was surrounded.

With no other choice, Mo Ruhei burst from the ground and fled towards an open area, only to be caught by He Yuxiu in two steps. She delivered a flurry of kicks, leaving him half-dead.

He Yuxiu dragged Mo Ruhei over to Ye Jianhuang and threw him to the ground. Mo Ruhei looked up and saw a powerfully built man standing beside Ye Jianhuang.

Mo Ruhei had investigated those close to He Yuxiu; he knew this strong man was Qin Tianjiu, the Grand Gold Seal of the Three Heroes Gate.

It was said this fellow had no real abilities and had only reached his current position thanks to Li Qi's patronage. What was he doing here?

Could it be that Qin Tianjiu was the one who destroyed all the shadows just now?

How could he possibly have such power?

Not only was Mo Ruhei surprised, but Ye Jianhuang was also somewhat puzzled. He had personally watched Qin Tianjiu devour all of Mo Ruhei's shadows.

Ye Jianhuang had seen this technique once before; it was called "Sweeping Winds and Scattered Clouds," a Cloud-Level technique of Food Cultivation.

The essence of this technique was to select a general target, devour it indiscriminately, then filter it, expelling the useless and retaining the useful.

This technique was quite difficult, and Cloud-Level Food Cultivators generally didn't learn "Sweeping Winds and Scattered Clouds." Ye Jianhuang thought Qin Tianjiu's cultivation shouldn't have reached the Cloud-Level yet, but he had indeed used a Cloud-Level technique, which struck Ye Jianhuang as illogical.

Mo Ruhei squatted on the ground, glaring at Fan Bicong. "You bird, you just sold me out like that?"

Fan Bicong remained seated under the tree. "If it were you, you'd sell me out too. Let's not blame each other."

Mo Ruhei turned to Ye Jianhuang. "Elder, don't listen to Fan Bicong's nonsense. We sought Miss He because—"

Ye Jianhuang exhaled a puff of smoke directly onto Mo Ruhei's face. "Before you speak, consider the consequences."

Mo Ruhei lowered his head, hesitated for a moment, then told the truth. "I secured a position in Neizhou. Nian Shangyou is my superior. Although this territory is technically mine, I no longer manage it; I typically serve in Neizhou. This time, Nian Shangyou assigned me the task of killing He Yuxiu and seizing her deed.If I succeeded, Nian Shangyou would reward me with a large amount of popularity. So, I enlisted Fan Bicong and Cui Tuogu.I wanted to get the job done, and once it was accomplished, I would share half of the popularity with them."

He Yuxiu chuckled upon hearing this. "That's a profitable business for you: you don't do any work and get half for free!"

Mo Ruhei quietly said, "I found this deal, so I should rightfully get this share—"

He Yuxiu kicked Mo Ruhei. "Don't talk about business in front of me! That's my life and my territory. Now that you've failed, how will you explain it to Nian Shangyou when you go back? You're going to die either way, so perhaps I'll just finish you off here!"

As her words fell, He Yuxiu drew a dagger and used it to pry open Mo Ruhei's skull, revealing a glimpse of his brain.

"You're not dead from this?" He Yuxiu stared closely at the crack in his skull. "Your brain is different from others'. I brought a spoon; I'll save a scoop for you to see."

Qin Tianjiu said, "Sister Xiu, Mo Ruhei is an elder, after all. We shouldn't treat him like this. Wait, I'll go get some dipping sauce."

Mo Ruhei shrieked, "Miss He! Spare my life, and I can explain things to Nian Shangyou. If the task isn't completed, I just won't take the reward.I can still be useful. I'll return to Neizhou and act as an informant for all of you. If there's anything big or small happening in Neizhou, I'll immediately come back and report it to you!"

He Yuxiu wiped her knife on Mo Ruhei's face. "You're just a foot soldier. What kind of news could you possibly get?"

"I have news! Important news!" Mo Ruhei held his skull, afraid it would be pried open again. "I know the whereabouts of the Scourge Suppression Camp. This isn't hearsay; I've been there myself.When I was working for Nian Shangyou, I delivered letters to the Scourge Suppression Camp. I've seen the encampment and the imperial generals and soldiers inside. From now on, whenever there's any movement from the Scourge Suppression Camp, I'll tell you all so you can prepare early and surely win every battle.If you kill me now, Nian Shangyou will definitely become suspicious. He'll surely know that the news of the Scourge Suppression Camp has leaked, and then the camp will move. Such a good opportunity would be missed!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Tianjiu looked at He Yuxiu.

He Yuxiu was also unsure and looked at Ye Jianhuang.

Ye Jianhuang asked, "Where is the Scourge Suppression Camp?"

Mo Ruhei immediately replied, "In Moyi."

Ye Jianhuang, who had some understanding of Shang Country, found Mo Ruhei's statement absurd. "Nonsense! Moyi is a land of music and dance. How could it be a training ground for soldiers?"

Mo Ruhei insisted, "I'm not lying. It's precisely because no one would expect that place that the operation is so secretive!"

Ye Jianhuang was silent for a long time. He pulled out a deed paper from his pocket, blew a puff of smoke onto it, and handed it to Mo Ruhei. "You understand the rules of Proluo Province."

Mo Ruhei naturally dared not refuse. He turned to Fan Bicong and said, "I can definitely handle this, but I'm just afraid this man will leak the information."

"No need to fear," Ye Jianhuang said, looking at Qin Tianjiu. "Brother, are you hungry?"

Qin Tianjiu slightly shook his head.

Ye Jianhuang waved his hand. Smoke began to emanate from Fan Bicong's body, but he couldn't scream.

Within the smoke, a spider swayed on its web for a moment before crawling away along a branch.

Li Banfeng stood in the backyard of the Marquis's Residence, over thirty meters from the Jadeite Tower. He quieted his mind, perceiving Jiang Ling'er's every move.

Jiang Ling'er sat on the second floor of the attic, flicking a vase by the bed with her finger, producing a crisp sound.

Outside the building, Li Banfeng's fingertip trembled. Using the "Connected Vast Bridal Chamber" technique, he moved the vase from inside the room to outside, where it landed right beside him.

Jiang Ling'er then touched a handkerchief.

The silk handkerchief was soft and smooth, making almost no sound.

Li Banfeng sensed for dozens of seconds, then used the "Connected Bridal Chamber" to switch out the handkerchief as well.

Jiang Ling'er opened the third drawer of the cabinet, inside which she opened a sewing kit and felt an embroidery needle in the fifth compartment of the box.

After waiting for over a minute, Li Banfeng suddenly shouted from outside the building, "Don't go too far!"

Jiang Ling'er smiled chillingly, a hint of triumph in her expression.

Li Banfeng was about to take a short break when Luo Shaojun delivered a letter.

Upon opening it, he saw it was from He Yuxiu. The letter detailed their investigation into the Scourge Suppression Camp and specifically emphasized that they had placed an informant beside Nian Shangyou.

Li Banfeng read it several times, always feeling that some details were off, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly what.

His wife took the letter, read it, and asked Li Banfeng, "Husband, have you ever heard of this person named Mo Ruhei?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I haven't."

His wife read the letter again, analyzing the entire sequence of events, then shook her head. "This person knows too much."

Li Banfeng had a similar thought but felt there were several unclear points in his reasoning. "Wife, please elaborate."

"The purpose of Shang Country's action — killing He Yuxiu and seizing her deed — is currently unclear. We shouldn't dwell on unclear matters. Regardless of Shang Country's intentions, this is an issue directed at Proluo Province, which we'll call an 'external affair.'" His wife brushed away a layer of topsoil on the muddy ground in the courtyard, drew a line, and, following it, gradually helped Li Banfeng organize his thoughts.

"Rebuilding the Scourge Suppression Camp is a top priority for Shang Country. Regardless of where the encampment is, how many soldiers are trained, or for how long, these are Shang Country's internal matters, which we'll call 'internal affairs.'Both internal and external affairs have specific people handling them. Therefore, it's not unusual for a minor figure to know about one of these matters.However, if a minor figure knows about both internal and external affairs simultaneously, that's somewhat abnormal. Especially since Qiao Yi is leading this matter, he shouldn't allow someone like Mo Ruhei to know too much. Therefore, I believe this matter requires careful consideration."

As soon as his wife finished speaking, Li Banfeng had already picked up his pen to write a letter, instructing He Yuxiu and the others to hold their ground and await further news.

He remained in Boundless City to continue studying his techniques.

Shang Country, Moyi.

Unlike other cities in Shang Country, Moyi had no complex nine-tiered city structure or many factories. Instead, it boasted numerous tea houses, taverns, inns, music halls, and dance establishments.

As Neizhou had no sunlight, Moyi was constantly illuminated. Street-side shops operated in shifts, with songs, melodies, and laughter continuously echoing. Both high-brow and low-brow entertainment were available, catering to all tastes, appreciated by both refined and common folk.

If scouts hadn't discovered soldiers in Moyi three times before, Zuoyana would never have believed that Shang Country's Scourge Suppression Camp would be stationed here.

Under the disguise of illusion and transformation techniques, Zuoyana's stature became as tall as a Neizhou native. She grew two extra legs, moving on all fours, her green robes and slender form resembling a praying mantis.

Behind her were over a hundred similarly tall women, heavily made up and thinly dressed, clearly identifiable as dancers.

In Chaoge, over a hundred dancers walking through the streets would surely arouse suspicion, but in Moyi, it was commonplace. The previous year, when a Qing Daifu held his sixtieth birthday banquet, he invited six hundred dancers to entertain guests, and during the banquet, the Qing Daifu still felt the display wasn't grand enough.

Zuoyana led her group down a deserted street. The illusion gradually shifted, and the number of dancers dwindled. After walking for over three minutes, all the dancers disappeared.

Occasionally, passersby noticed something unusual. They looked in the direction the dancers had been, but under the influence of some power, their gaze quickly drifted elsewhere. Their attention was drawn by distant music, and the vanished dancers soon faded from their memories.

Zuoyana, still in stealth, led her group into a residence. The residence had no owner or servants, but soldiers stood guard and patrolled.

Zuoyana intensified her illusion to ensure the group remained undetected. They all entered a well in the backyard, descended dozens of meters, then resurfaced into an underground training ground.

On the training ground, soldiers were drilling. Each soldier had three heads, signifying their unique bloodline.

Zuoyana removed a hair ornament from her head, and a peach blossom scent permeated the air, signaling the start of the operation.

The more than one hundred dancers behind her retrieved their equipment and, still invisible, swiftly charged into the military formation, ready for battle.

Their equipment was very simple: each had a staff. When these staffs were inserted into designated positions, they immediately formed a powerful magic array.

Under the command of these more than one hundred witches, the magic array would unleash immense power, annihilating all the Scourge Suppression soldiers present.

With all staffs in place, Zuoyana re-donned her hair ornament. The scent of peach blossoms spread again, and all the witches began to cast their spells.

The staffs emitted a shimmering light, transforming into invisible blades that sliced through the Scourge Suppression Camp soldiers, yet without harming the witches in the slightest.

These witches were the elite of the White Falcon Alliance.

One Scourge Suppression Camp soldier fell to the ground, all three of his heads severed.

Bones and flesh were visible in the wounds, but no blood.

A nearby witch was surprised, staring at the corpse for a moment.

These beings seemed to have blood, but it wasn't a color they recognized.

Another witch faintly smelled something oily. It seemed that oil, not blood, flowed from these soldiers. "They're puppets!" a witch cried out.

"They're all puppets! This isn't the Scourge Suppression Camp; it's a trap set by Shang Country," another witch realized after examining several corpses.

Zuoyana immediately gave the order to retreat. The witches gathered their staffs, preparing to return the way they came, but found that the original path had vanished.

The training ground was littered with the bodies of the soldiers, but no matter which direction they tried, they couldn't find an exit from the grounds.

Zuoyana shouted, "Don't panic! This is Shang Country's illusion array. We'll find a way out together!"

The well-trained witches raised their staffs together, preparing to break the illusion array.

Suddenly, raging flames surged from the ground, instantly sweeping through every corner of the training ground, fueled by the "soldiers'" corpses.

In Chaoge, Shang Country.

Qiao Yi pulled out a document and handed it to Nian Shangyou. "Moyi was attacked. Few people should know about that encampment. Only one person has recently been to Proluo Province."

Nian Shangyou nodded, took the document, and left.

Arriving at a residence in the Triple City, Nian Shangyou summoned Mo Ruhei. "Lord Qiao has an important matter to discuss with you privately."

Mo Ruhei was taken aback. Given his status, Qiao Yi rarely assigned him tasks personally. It seemed there was a major mission for him this time.

In the past, Mo Ruhei would have seen this as a chance for advancement, but today, he felt conflicted. He hesitated whether to tell He Yuxiu about it.

He didn't want to tell He Yuxiu; he didn't want to jeopardize his bright future in Shang Country, but he hadn't yet found a way to bypass the deed's restrictions.

Upon reaching Qiao Yi's official residence, Nian Shangyou led Mo Ruhei to a side room and had the guards lock the door.

Nian Shangyou asked, "Old Mo, were you captured alive by them?"

Mo Ruhei shook his head. "Absolutely not. Your subordinate fought fiercely, broke through the encirclement, and escaped back."

Nian Shangyou remained expressionless. "Tell the truth now. It's still not too late."

"My lord, every word I said is true."

Nian Shangyou slammed the table. Two nails drilled up from the floor, piercing Mo Ruhei's feet. These nails were a weapon designed to prevent Mo Ruhei from using his techniques.

Mo Ruhei didn't dare struggle, continuously explaining, "Lord Nian, I wasn't captured. I truly broke out and escaped."

Nian Shangyou's fingertips tapped lightly on the table. The nails rose higher and higher, slowly bending, and soon pierced Mo Ruhei's knees.

The intense pain was unbearable for Mo Ruhei. In less than ten minutes, Mo Ruhei changed his story. "Lord Nian, I was indeed captured alive. I was captured by—"

A cloud of thick smoke drifted out of Mo Ruhei's mouth.

Nian Shangyou called for the medical officer to come and rescue him. By the time the officer entered the room, the smoke had dissipated, and Mo Ruhei stood in place, his body completely empty.

Many thanks to Alliance Leader General Shenwei, and for the strong support for the Lord of Proluo. Divine Farmer Daoist Sovereign is mighty!