The Curtain Falls

The Curtain Falls

"Flying Crane Fist, Twin Crane Pecking Eyes!"

The Xu Family steward moved like a soaring spirit crane, swift and silent, both hands pecking at Zhou Shan's eyes like crane beaks.

This steward's cultivation had also reached the Superclass level.

Zhou Shan's expression remained calm. Even a Peak Superclass Martial Artist could not withstand a single move from him, let alone an ordinary Superclass Martial Artist. The steward's hands arrived in an instant, but they struck nothing but empty air.

Zhou Shan had already swept behind the steward. Without even turning his head, he struck the steward's back with a backhand Great Strength Vajra Palm. A surging force, accompanied by abundant Internal Force, erupted and instantly shattered the spine in his back.

A powerful surge of Internal Force rushed into the steward's body, pulverizing his internal organs.

"Pfft!"

At once, the steward spewed a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of organs. Then he smashed face-first into the ground. Though he had not died immediately, he was taking more breaths out than in, not far from drawing his last.

"You little beast, I'll wait for you below. My son Haoran will avenge me."

Knowing he could not escape death, Xu Hongtao roared at Zhou Shan.

"So that's your last words. Don't worry, I'll soon send your son Xu Haoyu down to reunite with your family below. I won't make you wait too long down there.

"As for Xu Haoran, I'll be waiting for him!"

As his words fell, Zhou Shan killed Xu Hongtao with a single palm strike.

As for Xu Haoran—

Zhou Shan did not take him to heart.

Although Xu Haoran was a Martial Dao genius and had become an Aperture-Opening Martial Artist just after turning twenty, compared to Zhou Shan, they were as far apart as heaven and earth. Zhou Shan could increase his cultivation by a year in a single day.

He was already at the peak of Aperture Opening. His next step was to open the twelve primary meridians and the eight extraordinary meridians.

Once he opened the Ren and Du Meridians, he would become an Innate Realm grandmaster.

If Xu Haoran dared come looking for trouble, he would be seeking his own death.

Zhou Shan would not mind sending Xu Haoran below to see Xu Hongtao and reunite their family.

"Kill!"

"Kill them!"

At this moment, the Black Armored Army also charged into the Xu Family and suppressed them.

At present, there were not many elite martial artists left within the Xu Family.

The black-clad masked men who had broken out of prison earlier had been composed of elite martial artists from the Xu Family, Hundred Herbs Gang, and Datong Merchant Guild. When those martial artists saw Zhou Shan effortlessly slaughter three Superclass Martial Artists like chickens, their spirits collapsed, and they scattered in all directions.

Naturally, these people were not foolish enough to flee back here. Instead, they immediately tried to escape the city. With their strength, they could scrape out a living anywhere; remaining in the city was simply courting death.

Thus, the Black Armored Army quickly took control of the Xu Family.

"He Yong, leave behind a squad to confiscate their property. The rest of you, come with me to the Hundred Herbs Gang's headquarters."

Seeing that the Xu Family had been brought under control, Zhou Shan led the Black Armored Army swiftly toward the Hundred Herbs Gang's headquarters.

Not one of the forces that had acted tonight would escape.

Moreover, the Hundred Herbs Gang had ties to the Blood Fiend Sect, making them a natural target for the Black Armored Army's extermination.

Besides them, there were also forces such as the Datong Merchant Guild and the East City Li Family.

This night—

was destined to be sleepless.

Luyang County's richest merchant family, the Xu Family, the Hundred Herbs Gang, the Datong Merchant Guild, the East City Li Family, and others were wiped out one after another by the Black Armored Army. The major forces throughout the city all trembled in fear, terrified that the Black Armored Army's butcher's blade would fall upon them.

It was not until dawn, when they saw that the Black Armored Army had not come for them, that these forces finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, news of the Xu Family, Hundred Herbs Gang, and other forces being wiped out swept through Luyang County like a storm. All the city's commoners wept tears of joy.

"Have you heard? Last night, the Xu Family, Hundred Herbs Gang, Datong Merchant Guild, East City Li Family, and other forces tried to break prisoners out of jail, but the Black Armored Army suppressed them all. Those forces were wiped out too."

"This news spread through the whole city ages ago. There's no one who doesn't know."

"What a satisfying turn of events! Those forces had grown used to lording it over everyone, yet they even dared to break prisoners out of jail. They were simply asking for death."

"If you ask me, Lord Zhou is the one with real courage. Back when the imperial court still existed, these forces were the court's moneybags. Who knew how much silver they handed over to the county office every month for all those officials? Lord Zhou took office and wiped them out just like that."

"Lord Zhou is a just magistrate reincarnated."

"Heavens above, bless Lord Zhou with a long life of a hundred years."

"Pah, pah, pah... aren't you cursing Lord Zhou? I heard that if a martial artist cultivates to the Innate Realm and becomes a Martial Dao Grandmaster, they can live to two hundred. Lord Zhou will definitely become a Martial Dao Grandmaster, perhaps even a Supreme Martial Dao Grandmaster."

"Then may Lord Zhou live for a thousand years, ten thousand years."

"..."

The destruction of the Xu Family, Hundred Herbs Gang, and the other forces could be said to have set the entire populace aflame with excitement, with the whole city celebrating.

Some commoners even set up longevity tablets for Zhou Shan in their homes, praying to Heaven to bless Lord Zhou, who stood up for the people, that he might reach the peak of Martial Dao and live for a thousand, ten thousand years.

Near noon—

Xu Haoyu, the Hundred Herbs Gang's young gang leader, and the other young masters were also escorted out of the prison and taken to the execution ground.

"Xu Haoyu, you beast, you have this day too!"

"Die, you beast!"

"Beast, today is your day of death!"

"..."

Along the road to the execution ground, the surrounding commoners, having received the news, threw prepared rotten vegetable leaves, stinking eggs, dead cockroaches, dead rats, and the like at scum and beasts such as Xu Haoyu.

"Ah! I'll kill you! I'll kill you all, kill every last one of you!"

The moment rotten vegetable leaves, stinking eggs, dead cockroaches, and such were thrown onto them, Xu Haoyu and the others immediately cried out in alarm.

"Kill? Kill my ass! The Xu Family has been exterminated!"

"The Hundred Herbs Gang has been destroyed, yet you're still trying to act tough?"

"You scum and beasts have committed every evil under heaven. You should have gone to hell long ago."

"Go die!"

The surrounding commoners cursed furiously.

"My lords, move aside a little. This is a bucket of manure." One commoner had the escorting Black Armored Army move farther away, then poured the bucket of manure over Xu Haoyu and the others, roaring, "Eat shit, all of you!"

"Ah, it stinks!"

Xu Haoyu and the others were so overwhelmed by the stench that they vomited wildly.

They had always lived in fine clothes and rich food, with people attending to every aspect of their daily lives. When had they ever suffered such humiliation? Manure had actually been splashed all over them. Their lungs nearly burst with rage; they were practically driven mad.

Several of them even suffered mental breakdowns and fainted from fury.

Along the way, no one knew how many rotten vegetable leaves and stinking eggs were hurled at Xu Haoyu and the others.

Soon, it was the third quarter of noon.

"Execute!"

At the command, the executioners' ghost-headed blades fell from high above.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft—

In an instant, the heads of Xu Haoyu, the Hundred Herbs Gang's young gang leader, and the other worthless playboys were severed from their bodies and rolled across the ground.

With the beheading of these worthless playboys, the Xu Family, Hundred Herbs Gang, Datong Merchant Guild, and other forces that had dominated Luyang County finally drew their curtain to a close, becoming relics of the past.