Chapter 1410: Chapter 631: Buddha (Part 3)

"I was bewitched by Diao Deyi, that’s the only reason I recruited them as Guest Elders!"

"These days I’ve actually been secretly on guard against the two of them as well. Whoever they’ve met, where they’ve gone and come, I’ve kept an eye on all of it!"

"In fact, our Forest Snake Gang had long wanted to report these two uninvited guests to the Foolish Underworld, but our Forest Snake Gang is weak. Under Diao Deyi’s coercion we simply didn’t dare resist! Fortunately you two lords came here to investigate and rescued our Forest Snake Gang!"

In his words, Fang Yu had already become a heinous criminal, involved with the Defiled Blood Clone Demon, using this chance to infiltrate the Forest Snake Gang and seize everything of the gang.

"Oh right! That Diao Deyi also said that in the future he’d come to our Forest Snake Gang again to demand supplies! If he contacts me again, I’ll immediately inform you two lords and help the Foolish Underworld capture the Rebel Army traitors!"

That sycophantic face made even the honest Xiong Rudong have to turn his head away.

He understood the Gang Leader’s painstaking intentions, but twisting the facts like this still made him feel uncomfortable.

For the Forest Snake Gang to survive, keeping his mouth shut was already Xiong Rudong’s greatest effort.

"Very good, I roughly understand the situation."

Jinfang Zai spoke expressionlessly, but his gaze fell into the distance.

His subordinates were already surging over with people in tow.

Not only that, he could sense that all around the Forest Snake Gang, personnel from the Foolish Underworld had encircled it so tightly that not even a fly could get out.

"Lord Jin..." Song Zhenrong led a team over to salute, expression complicated.

Not long ago he had specially sent people here to welcome Divine Doctor Ding, and now it had turned into this...

"Zhenrong."

Zang Sanqian happened to return at this moment. Behind him, the various buildings of the Forest Snake Gang were almost all collapsed; some of the womenfolk who hadn’t yet come out of their houses were now lying amid the rubble, faint cries and wails drifting out.

"Have all the others been notified?" Zang Sanqian looked at Song Zhenrong.

Song Zhenrong lowered his head and said, "Not yet. I saw Lord Jin hastily heading this way, so I wanted to bring people over for reinforcements first..."

"No discipline! I’ll settle accounts with you later!"

After saying that, Zang Sanqian looked to Jinfang Zai and gave a slight shake of his head.

"I’ve searched everywhere, but didn’t find them. They’ve really already run."

"I also asked around. They left two or three hours ago in a carriage. Traveling with them were a man and a woman, probably just the two Rebel Army personnel you mentioned, the ones in charge of shifting positions."

"Lu Qiaochun and Yu Ji?"

"Right."

It matched.

Everything matched!

Zang Sanqian’s eyes went icy cold, carrying killing intent.

"Where did they escape to? If they went by carriage, they must have left tracks!"

"Exactly. That’s the biggest flaw they’ve left, but neither of us is good at that sort of tracking. So Song Zhenrong came at just the right time. Go call over all those in our unit who are skilled at tracking."

"Yes!" Song Zhenrong answered and withdrew.

Now that things finally had some clues, the two were in relatively good spirits.

Looking at Fa Hongwen kneeling on the ground, Zang Sanqian walked straight over.

"L‑Lord... my lord?" Fa Hongwen asked nervously.

"Don’t be nervous, I just want to ask you: the Forest Snake Gang colluded with the Rebel Army—how do you think this matter ought to be resolved?"

Thud!

Fa Hongwen hurriedly kowtowed.

"My lord! The Forest Snake Gang was deceived by the Rebel Army traitors, that’s the only reason we did such a thing. It was not our gang’s true intention! I beg my lord to show mercy, to give us a chance!"

Zang Sanqian smiled and said, "I’m a very reasonable man. Since the Forest Snake Gang was merely deceived, then just a small punishment will do. The one behind you should be your wife, right? Then do this: go over there and cut off her head, and we’ll call it even."

The first time Fa Hongwen heard this, he almost thought he’d misheard.

When he lifted his head in shock and saw that false smile pasted on Zang Sanqian’s face, a wave of intense nausea surged up from his heart.

"M‑my lord..."

His voice almost trembled, but one look from Zang Sanqian scared him into scrambling to his feet.

Drawing the sword at his waist, he took one step, then another, toward the woman kneeling on the ground, shivering.

They had only just enjoyed a few days of marital bliss, stuck together like glue. Fa Hongwen simply couldn’t bring himself to lay a hand on this woman, and only felt that he was less than human.

But the one who was truly less than human was this beast Zang Sanqian!

So in order to live, in order for the Forest Snake Gang... he steeled himself and suddenly swung his sword down! 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Pa!

But at that moment, the sword he swung down was pinched firmly between two fingers.

"M‑my lord?"

Fa Hongwen was dumbfounded.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."

Pinching the blade with two fingers, Zang Sanqian laughed and sighed. "To prove your loyalty, you really are willing to go all out."

"My lord, our Forest Snake Gang’s loyalty to the Foolish Underworld can be witnessed by the sun and moon!" Fa Hongwen hastily knelt again and said.

Just as he finished speaking, Fa Hongwen saw the fastest sword of his life.

The sword light flashed past his neck like a little brook.

His head naturally rolled down.

"Aaaahhhhh!!!"

The Gang Leader’s wife, who had been kneeling the whole time, already scared out of her wits, saw the head roll to a stop in front of her and let out a shrill scream. Her eyes rolled white, and she fainted dead away.

"Gang Leader?!"

"No!!!"

"Foolish Underworld... why would the Foolish Underworld..."

"..."

Some were furious, some suddenly shot to their feet, but most stayed kneeling in silence, like ostriches, not daring to make a sound.

"Why did you kill him?!" Jinfang Zai had thought Zang Sanqian was just toying with him, and never expected he’d really strike to kill. "He said Diao Deyi would come to him later for supplies! By killing him you’ve severed that line!"

Zang Sanqian only gave him a sidelong glance. "Tonight we’ve turned the Forest Snake Gang upside down like this. If Diao Deyi has even half a brain, he’ll never have anything to do with the Forest Snake Gang again. This man was already useless! They’ve only lost a Gang Leader, while we’ve lost a Hall Master. This ledger has only just begun to be settled."

"..."

Jinfang Zai fell silent, and everyone else trembled all the more.

Fortunately, Zang Sanqian only killed the Gang Leader; the others merely awaited their sentencing.

With Song Zhenrong bringing over those skilled in tracking, they followed the carriage tracks along the road. Zang Sanqian and Jinfang Zai left the Forest Snake Gang behind, letting this place, after the chaos, gradually fall back into silence, with only the occasional sobbing echoing here, lingering for a long, long time.

And with Fa Hongwen and Fa Xiao both dead, it seemed no one thought to question why the two of them looked so alike.

...

Mountain of Tribulation.

A tiny pebble rolled down the mountain slope.

The All Demons on the mountain were long used to such things.

But this time was a bit different, because the Thousand Feet Stone Buddha’s massive eyes slowly opened a slight crack.

As if it had received a message from its Clone, its gaze seemed to fall on that distant direction where... Thunder City lay!

"Master Ancestor?" The black bird perched on the Thousand Feet Stone Buddha’s shoulder opened its eyes in puzzlement.

"..."

The Thousand Feet Stone Buddha gave no reply, only rumbled as it slowly closed its eyes again.

The next instant...

...

Inside Thunder City.

In the various Buddha statues scattered throughout the city, streams of Qi seemed to suddenly resonate with something, and they all opened their eyes one after another.

"...What is this?!"

"...The time is drawing near!"

"After all these years, at last..."

"The day we ’become Buddhas’ is almost here!"

...