The Xiao Family's Demise, the Martial Arts Hall's Crisis

"What, even Chao Yun has gone missing? This is trouble!"

Sha Heihu finished reading the battle report submitted by his subordinates, and his brows immediately furrowed tightly.

He never expected that during the few months he had spent in seclusion, such a major incident had occurred within the gang.

After all, Qiu Yun's strength was not weak. Relying on his leg technique and speed, even if he encountered an enemy who had just broken through to the Tendon Transformation Realm, he would still have a chance to escape.

But the most troublesome one was Chao Yun. That brat was far too arrogant, and Sha Heihu had long found him hard to stomach, but his identity was that of King Chaotian's adopted son.

Now that the Sky Shaker Bandit Army was at the height of its power, even beating several surrounding counties into submission without any ability to fight back, Luoshan County was also in imminent danger. If King Chaotian suddenly remembered this adopted son of his, their Jinsha Gang would likely suffer a severe reprimand.

"What the hell have you all been doing? Useless trash."

Sha Heihu was furious, his internal energy surging throughout his body, radiating an extremely formidable aura. He waved his hand grandly and said, "From today onward, take over the Blacksmith Shop, Haolai Restaurant, and these other forces. Kill anyone who resists without mercy."

At this moment, the only way to avoid punishment was to bloodbath the small town and send these resources and forces to the Hantian Army to curry favor with King Chaotian.

After all, the Righteous Army needed to contend with government forces like the Luoshan Army. Matters of food, clothing, and material transport were all major problems that had to be solved. The Blacksmith Shop could forge armor, crossbows, and bows, while the restaurant's chefs could serve as field cooks—these were all urgent military necessities!

"The gang leader is wise. This subordinate will see to it immediately!" Jin Buhuan quickly accepted the order and went down to arrange matters for each hall, assigning tasks to seal off Jinshui Town overnight, so that not even a bird could fly out.

Just then, the Qingfeng Hall Master returned from outside. Seeing that Sha Heihu had emerged from seclusion, he was overjoyed and said:

"Congratulations to the gang leader on breaking through. That Xiao Tian is dead."

A martial artist at the Tendon Transformation Realm, even if he couldn't secure a position among the Five Great Heavenly Generals in the Sky Shaker Bandit Army, could still hold his own among leaders like the Myriad Commanders. Everyone felt their morale stabilize at Sha Heihu's breakthrough.

"Xiao Tian? Well done."

Sha Heihu nodded indifferently. From his subordinates' reports earlier, he had also learned of Xiao Tian's identity. His talent was impressive—no wonder he had become the closed-door disciple of the Iron Clothes Martial Arts School.

Just Yuan Tieyi alone was already hard to deal with. If Xiao Tian were allowed to grow up, that would be even worse. At least Jin Buhuan had finally used his brain and done something right this time.

However, Xiao Tian, who was only at Minor Bone Forging Accomplishment, was already as far removed from Sha Heihu's Tendon Transformation Realm as heaven from earth. Sha Heihu didn't take him seriously at all.

Seeing that the gang leader didn't ask further, Yang He wisely refrained from seeking credit. After hesitating, he still spoke with concern: "Reporting to the gang leader, this subordinate just discovered a mysterious martial artist. His movement technique and external defense skill were extremely impressive. This subordinate was no match for him."

Moreover, Yang He suspected that the mysterious person who killed Xiao Tian was very likely the one behind the Cheng Family—the ruthless individual who had silenced Hall Master Qiu.

Sha Heihu snorted coldly. Wielding his Black Tiger Blade, he slashed out, sending waves of vast, surging energy cutting through the air, cracking the ground in front of Yang He for three or four zhang.

"My Black Fiend Skill has reached great accomplishment. With fifty years of internal force and the body tempering realm of Tendon Transformation, who can withstand a single slash from me!"

Sha Heihu was extremely domineering. Being questioned about his strength by subordinates like Yang He greatly displeased him.

After all, starting from Skin Grinding, he had primarily cultivated the internal skill Black Fiend Skill, giving him a deep foundation of internal energy. Although his realm was only Tendon Transformation, if it came down to it, he wouldn't be afraid even of an ordinary Viscera Training and Strengthening martial artist!

"Practice martial arts without training internal skill, and you'll have nothing in old age." That saying referred to internal skills. The later the stage of internal skill cultivation, the greater the returns—something that external training skills like the Iron Cloth Skill could never compare to.

"The gang leader's divine might is invincible. There will surely be a seat for you in the Hantian Army!"

Seeing Sha Heihu display this level of power, the crowd below was both surprised and delighted. Jin Buhuan's scalp even went numb. The gang leader's internal skill cultivation was becoming more and more unfathomable. Fortunately, he hadn't made any sneaky moves to betray him while the leader was in seclusion.

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Sha Heihu's Tendon Transformation Realm already dominated the small town. Now, with his internal skill accomplished, he was simply not someone Yuan Tieyi or Xiao Tian could contend with.

In an instant, members of every hall went out with torches, sealing off the main intersections of Jinshui Town.

On the other side, the Iron Clothes Martial Arts School was desolate and cold. Yuan Tieyi had received news of his disciple's death the moment it happened, and he was undoubtedly shocked and grief-stricken.

"Which hall master did he offend? To kill Tian'er in just two or three moves—this grudge!"

Yuan Tieyi looked at Xiao Tian's cold corpse in the courtyard, his eyes bloodshot, his hair gray, as if he had aged twenty or thirty years. This grudge—he might never be able to avenge it!

When he had fled from the county town, he had sustained hidden injuries, leaving him with less than half his peak strength. Even if he fought to the death and erupted with Tendon Transformation-level combat power, at best he could only take down one Jin Buhuan in exchange.

And Sha Heihu had already been unfathomable before going into seclusion. Now, he was likely at Minor Tendon Transformation Accomplishment—not someone a martial master with declining qi and blood like him could measure up to.

Yuan Tieyi was dejected and despondent, his heart completely dead. Even when he had been driven out of Luoshan County and his school had been kicked out by rivals, he had never felt such despair. Now his most talented disciple was dead, and he couldn't even avenge him—it was like a knife twisting in his heart.

"Tian'er, it was I who harmed you. I only wanted to give you the best resources, making you too sharp and conspicuous, which led to the Jinsha Gang's jealousy."

Yuan Tieyi hugged the corpse and wept bitterly, reflecting deeply. He felt that his own indulgence and pampering had caused Xiao Tian's premature death. If he had listened to his second disciple Cheng Yu's advice and reined Xiao Tian in, perhaps the outcome would not have been like this.

Who could have imagined that during the day, they were still feasting and celebrating at Haolai Restaurant, basking in glory, thinking Xiao Tian could carry the Iron Cloth Skill's reputation back to the Luoshan County Martial Masters' Association—only for him to meet with foul play by nightfall!

"Master, please restrain your grief."

"The Jinsha Gang is full of wolfish ambition. Master must not show any weakness at this time, or the villains will take advantage."

"Second Senior Brother warned us long ago. The Jinsha Gang has colluded with the Sky Shaker Bandits. Now they're probably going to make a move on our school!"

Everyone tried to console Yuan Tieyi, but they couldn't hide their fear. When the sky falls, the tall ones hold it up, and Master Yuan was currently that pillar.

Just then, Cheng Yu also arrived at the school. He took one look at Xiao Tian's deathly state and felt a twinge of regret. Back then, when the master had refused to take in Zhou Qiming, who had poor Root Bone, and instead chose to invest in Xiao Tian, Cheng Yu believed it had been a mistake.

No matter how great one's talent, if one didn't know how to keep a low profile, they would end up like Xiao Tian—dead in the street. Look at Zhou Qiming instead. He had also run into a Jinsha Gang hall master, yet he had led the Cheng Family's group to safety. Afterwards, he hadn't sought favors or repayment, hiding his merit and fading into obscurity.

"Master, the various halls of the Jinsha Gang have already blatantly sealed off the town. We must band together for warmth and absolutely not let them pick us off one by one."

Cheng Yu stepped forward to report, hope shining in his eyes. At this moment, only Yuan Tieyi had the authority to rally the other forces in the town and gather them for defense.

If the Muscle Cultivation and Bone Forging experts from each family could cooperate and fight to the death, they might be able to hold the Jinsha Gang at bay for a while, perhaps long enough to hold out until reinforcements arrived from the county government.

While everyone was panicking and at a loss, several more disciples rushed into the courtyard.

"Disaster! The Xiao Family Patriarch tried to flee with his family members, but they were all slaughtered by Qingfeng Hall before they could even leave the city!"

This bloody news struck the crowd like a hammer. Not a single member of the Xiao family survived; their wealth and resources were all plundered. With Sha Heihu emerging from seclusion, the Jinsha Gang had completely dropped all pretense, baring their vicious claws.

Anyone could imagine the Xiao family's despair and collapse. With Xiao Tian, their pillar, dead, staying in Jinshui Town would only mean eventual annexation by other forces, while fleeing to the county seat was merely trading one death for a quicker one.

"I couldn't even protect your family. What use am I as a master?" Yuan Tieyi, upon hearing the tragic news, grew even more self-reproachful. He hadn't expected the Jinsha Gang to be so ruthless.

Before they colluded with the bandit army, they only collected an annual protection fee in town and occasionally extorted some petty sums—the violence was still within manageable limits. But now, their momentum made it clear they were hell-bent on bathing Jinshui Town in blood.

His disciple's corpse was not yet cold, and his blood relatives had been wiped clean by Qingfeng Hall. This left the master himself deeply humiliated and consumed by guilt.

"You can still escape through the Secret Passage now. This old man's bones are worn out—I'll just be buried here with the martial arts school." Yuan Tieyi waved his hand, dismissing his disciples.