Chapter 321: Chapter 161: Bloodthirsty (Part 2)

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Du Lingchuan said, "Can’t take it already?"

Chang Xing took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "Master... I..."

"You think my methods are too cruel? That they violate the harmony of nature?"

Du Lingchuan said flatly, "But are you aware of the villages and towns they used for their blood sacrifices? The women, children, and elderly were all reduced to withered bones! And the Assassins, Lone Rangers, and even disciples of my Xuanjia Sect they murdered? Their deaths were horrifying. Against these inhuman demons who treat life like worthless weeds, compassion and righteousness are useless!"

He turned to face Chang Xing. "Only by being more ruthless than them! More merciless! Only then will they feel fear! Only then can we use killing to stop the killing, and repay blood with blood! Do you understand?!"

A chill ran through Chang Xing. She nodded heavily. "I understand!"

Du Lingchuan turned back to the Demon Sect expert. "Where did the Essence Blood go? How many more strongholds are there? Which Noble Families are you in contact with? Think carefully before you answer."

The Demon Sect expert clearly knew how vicious Du Lingchuan could be, and his body began to tremble violently.

"I’ll talk! I’ll talk! I beg you, just give me a quick death!"

He shrieked, his psychological defenses completely shattered.

Du Lingchuan stepped closer, his voice dropping to a low growl. "Speak!"

"...Most of the Essence Blood is sent to the Sub-Pavilion to be refined into Blood Essence Pills... A small portion is handled by the strongholds themselves... to trade for resources."

"I only know of one stronghold... the Yongsheng Granary in Tanglin Town, two hundred li outside the Prefecture City..."

"The Li Family and the Zhao Family on Wealth Street in the Prefecture City provide them with secret protection and medicinal herbs... As for the others, I don’t know..."

He revealed a few names and locations in fits and starts, his voice growing weaker and weaker.

Du Lingchuan listened intently, cross-referencing the information with the scattered intelligence the Sect had secretly gathered. His brows furrowed ever deeper.

The information was largely correct, but it didn’t contain many new, unexpected details.

"You’re a sensible one."

Du Lingchuan straightened up. His face was devoid of expression, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

His fingers came together like a blade as he jabbed out with lightning speed!

PSHFT!

A single finger pierced through the man’s brow.

The Demon Sect expert’s body went rigid. The light in his eyes instantly faded, and his head slumped forward, devoid of life.

Clean and decisive, without a hint of hesitation.

Chang Xing looked at the lifeless corpse, then back at Du Lingchuan’s indifferent face. The chill in her heart intensified, but it was accompanied by a burgeoning sense of understanding.

’This is the cruelty of the war against the Demon Sect,’ she thought. ’It’s black and white, with no room for sentiment.’

"Master, this information..." Chang Xing began.

"It’s more or less what we already knew. It seems he didn’t dare pull any tricks before he died."

Du Lingchuan cut her off, his tone heavy. "But that’s precisely what makes this so unsettling. Even with the Four Great Sects working together to constantly suppress them, the Demon Sect hasn’t stagnated. Instead, their strongholds have become more clandestine, their network has grown deeper, and they’ve even managed to win over Noble Families to support them..."

He walked over to a basin of water and methodically washed the blood from his hands. The water quickly turned red.

"We can’t wait any longer."

Drying his hands with a flick, Du Lingchuan said in a low voice, "It’s time to close the net. We must pull out these nails and crush their arrogance. Otherwise, the trouble will be endless!"

"I’ll go see the Sect Leader at once to report this and discuss a plan of action."

Afterward, Du Lingchuan strode to the Profound Armor Tower. After being announced, he entered the top floor.

At that moment, Shi Kaishan was sitting cross-legged on a prayer mat, eyes closed, regulating his breathing.

"Sect Leader," Du Lingchuan said, offering a cupped fist salute.

Shi Kaishan slowly opened his eyes. "What’s the situation?"

"We broke him."

Du Lingchuan was concise. "The Yongsheng Granary in Tanglin Town is one location. There’s also a hidden nest on West Sun Mountain. Furthermore, the Li Family, the Zhao Family, and even the Liu Family and the Zhu Family in the Prefecture City all have countless ties to them—providing medicinal herbs, fencing stolen goods, and even offering secret protection. The chain of evidence is almost complete. The Demon Sect’s network here runs deeper than we anticipated."

Shi Kaishan showed no surprise at the news, merely snorting coldly. "Hmph. A bunch of parasites, fattening themselves on the blood of Yunlin Prefecture while daring to collude with the Demon Sect and bring chaos to the region! Since we’ve gathered enough evidence..."

"Then we close the net! We cannot allow them to continue to fester and spread. Send down the order: prepare according to the plan. In two days, we will move simultaneously with the other Three Sects. We must act with the force of a thunderbolt and eradicate these malignant tumors in one fell swoop!"

"Yes!"

A sharp glint flashed in Du Lingchuan’s eyes as he accepted the order and departed.

....

「Two days later.」

A long-brewing storm swept through the entirety of Yunlin Prefecture City with the force of ten thousand thunderbolts.

Experts from the Four Great Sects descended like divine soldiers from the heavens, simultaneously raiding the mansions of several families in the city that were colluding with the Demon Sect.

The sounds of battle cries, clashing weapons, and panicked, terrified wails instantly shattered the usual tranquility of the Prefecture City. Thick smoke and the stench of blood filled the air.

The Wutai Sect even dispatched the battle-hardened Wutai Army. Their Profound Armor heavy infantry formed battle formations, crushing all resistance like a torrent of steel.

In the streets, teahouses, and restaurants, people discussed the events in a flurry of fear and excitement.

"Did you hear? The Li Family, the Zhao Family... and the Wang Family from the west side of the city, they’re all finished! They say they were colluding with the Demon Sect and got wiped out by the Four Great Sects!"

"That’s not all! I heard several families managed to escape! It’s like they got a tip-off ahead of time. They took all their valuables—their gold, silver, and jewelry, and even their legendary Martial Arts Secret Manuals! Now they’re scrambling to flee the city!"

"My heavens! The winds are changing! Which families escaped?"

"I think the Liu Family, owners of the Juyuan Bank—the wealthiest in the region—was one. And the Zhu Family, who built their fortune on mining and have countless Tributors under their command... These are all behemoths, not much weaker than the other Liu Family! With such deep roots, everything is in chaos now!"