Truth

"Gang Leader Gao truly was extraordinary. You guessed everything right, but unfortunately, there's no reward."

Han Zheng clapped his hands and praised, "If things had developed normally, Cao Bin and Jiang Tai definitely wouldn't have been able to defeat you. But unfortunately, there are no ifs in this world."

As his words fell, Han Zheng stamped his foot, like a dragon elephant treading upon the earth, producing a muffled boom.

His hand formed a fist seal—Vajra Demon Subduing, crashing down from above!

The Vajra Demon Subduing Seal carried a majestic, overwhelming force. It was simply and directly using momentum to crush one's opponent.

Gao Kaiyuan had previously erupted with a surge of qi and blood. At this moment, the poison within his body rebounded even more severely.

Han Zheng used force to suppress him, and Gao Kaiyuan had no choice but to withstand it head-on.

Each time the Vajra Demon Subduing Seal descended, Han Zheng was knocked back, but a thread of black blood would flow from Gao Kaiyuan's mouth.

If this continued, he would sooner or later be worn to death by Han Zheng!

A trace of determination appeared in Gao Kaiyuan's eyes. One final gamble!

He suddenly jabbed both hands toward the meridians within his body. Powerful inner force directly sealed off some of his meridians and acupoints, completely blocking the poison within those few meridians.

Martial artists in the late Xiantian Mortal Transformation Realm already possessed extremely powerful control over themselves, precise enough to reach every sliver of flesh and blood.

This way, although Gao Kaiyuan could no longer use the power of some meridians and acupoints, he would no longer be affected by the poison.

After all, Han Zheng was two minor realms below him.

As long as he defeated Han Zheng quickly, there was still hope for everything!

Qi, blood, and inner force boiled and erupted. Gao Kaiyuan let out a furious roar, his Shattered Jade Hand chopping horizontally and vertically. Dark shadows filled the sky as they frantically attacked Han Zheng.

Han Zheng formed a fist seal before his chest, pushing the power of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill to its utmost limit.

Vajra Demon Subduing, immovable as a mountain!

The inner force cultivated by the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill was incomparably dense, and even Han Zheng's physical body was three parts stronger than that of martial artists of the same realm.

The Shattered Jade Hand, powerful enough to split steles and shatter rocks, slammed into Han Zheng, instantly making the qi and blood throughout his body boil as he retreated.

Even Han Zheng's feet were blasted three inches into the ground.

Yet Han Zheng did not yield in the slightest. With the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill empowering him, the Vajra Demon Subduing Seal struck out once more.

Attack against attack, fierce and unmatched!

The inner force waves erupting between the two even shattered the ground within roughly one zhang around them. Han Zheng was directly driven a foot into the earth, abruptly becoming shorter by a section.

Amid their frenzied exchange, a trickle of blood flowed from Han Zheng's mouth as well.

Though he could not feel pain, his sense of touch remained. Looking inward, he could detect faint cracks in his internal organs from the shock.

Clearly, Han Zheng was the one struggling to hold on, yet Gao Kaiyuan was drenched in cold sweat, as though he were incomparably anxious.

The next moment, Gao Kaiyuan suddenly let out a pained groan. He spat out a large mouthful of black blood mixed with chunks of flesh.

Blocking was worse than dredging. Gao Kaiyuan had sealed the poison with his meridians, but it brought an even fiercer backlash.

By now, the poison had directly destroyed several of his meridians. Even if Gao Kaiyuan did not die today, his cultivation would be half-crippled.

Strike while he was sick—take his life!

The qi and blood around Han Zheng boiled and swelled. Like a white ape raising its arms, he leaped from the earthen pit and smashed toward Gao Kaiyuan with a piercing, howling gale!

His arm swung out like an Iron Whip. Gao Kaiyuan blocked several moves, but he was forced back several steps.

Because his qi and blood had run dry, his Shattered Jade Hand was no longer black as before. Instead, it carried a hint of pallor.

Stepping forward and closing in, Han Zheng charged like a dragon elephant. His arms wrapped around as though a white ape offering fruit, then swung in a full arc and smashed down!

With a muffled boom, Gao Kaiyuan's Shattered Jade Hand, capable of splitting steles and shattering rocks, was blasted crooked and broken by that strike, exposing jagged white bone. His entire body flew backward.

With another cough, Gao Kaiyuan spat out black blood. His aura had weakened to its absolute lowest, and he had completely lost the ability to fight.

Han Zheng drew a deep breath and asked in a low voice, "Gao Kaiyuan, back then, why did you have Wang Xiong find young people with strong qi and blood and take them out of the city?"

Gao Kaiyuan looked at Han Zheng in disbelief. "You don't know? You actually don't know?"

Han Zheng pointed at his own head and said blandly, "That day, I hit my head and lost a day's worth of memories. I completely don't remember what I encountered outside the city.

"But don't even think of deceiving me. Otherwise, you'll die horribly—so horribly that you'll regret ever having lived."

Gao Kaiyuan paid no heed to Han Zheng's threat. He suddenly broke into wild laughter, laughing so hard that tears nearly came out.

"So you actually know nothing!"

"If I had known you knew nothing, why would I have sent people to find you?"

"To end up like this just to silence someone who knew nothing—this is simply a joke!"

Han Zheng frowned. "Done laughing? Are you going to talk or not?"

"If I talk, will you spare me?"

Han Zheng picked up the Wild Goose Feather Saber that had been knocked away earlier and walked toward Gao Kaiyuan.

"If you don't talk, you'll die now."

"I'll talk! I'll talk right now!"

Gao Kaiyuan had never been a man of backbone. As long as he could live, he did not mind bowing and scraping, wagging his tail and begging for mercy.

"Actually, you found the wrong person for revenge. I'm merely someone who does dirty work. The one who took you out of the city and nearly cost you your life wasn't me—it was the Song Family."

"The East City Song Family? At death's door, you still want to frame others at random?"

Gao Kaiyuan smiled miserably. "I've already fallen this far. I only seek to survive. What meaning is there in framing anyone? It truly was the Song Family that ordered me to do it.

"Between Shannan Dao and Huainan Dao lies Blustering Wind Mountain. Within it dwells a Great Demon of the Profound Gang Realm, known as the Tearwind Great King.

"The Song Family had an agreement with the Tearwind Great King. Every month, they were to send two pairs of young men and women with healthy, abundant qi and blood as blood food for him to enjoy. In return, the Tearwind Great King would give the Song Family a Spiritual Medicine called the Heavenly Demon Vermillion Fruit.

"So every month, I had Wang Xiong find people and send them a hundred li outside the city. The minor demons under the Tearwind Great King would naturally come to receive them there.

"Only when I traded with the Tearwind Great King again some time ago did I learn this.

"After Wang Xiong delivered the people last time, that minor demon had diarrhea halfway through and was careless for a moment, allowing one person to escape. That was why I had Feng Yuan hurry and investigate.

"Only after Feng Yuan was killed by you did I determine that the dead were all connected to that matter. I had to find that person.

"Before, I only thought that person knew about my transactions with Demons, so they had to be silenced. I never imagined that the one who acted would be the very person who escaped!"

By the time Gao Kaiyuan reached this point, his teeth were itching with hatred.

Whom did he hate?

Naturally, Wang Xiong and Ma Gui!

Wang Xiong was not his strongest trusted subordinate, but he was one of the subordinates Gao Kaiyuan trusted most. That was why he had Wang Xiong handle this matter every time.

But who could have expected Wang Xiong to be lazy enough to have Ma Gui trick someone into coming—and that the person he tricked would be a baleful star like Han Zheng!

How long had it even been? Han Zheng had risen from a Martial Arts Academy apprentice who had not even reached the Early Acquired Stage to the Innate Realm. Could he possibly be an ordinary person?

And after learning Han Zheng had survived, Wang Xiong had not immediately informed him.

Instead, afraid of punishment, Wang Xiong had wanted to kill Han Zheng himself to silence him, only to be silenced himself. As a result, no one knew Han Zheng's identity anymore, giving him time to rise.

One misstep became an eternal regret.

Gao Kaiyuan had gone from the Second Gang Leader of the Three Harmonies Gang to this miserable state. At its root, it was because Ma Gui had glanced at Han Zheng one extra time among the crowd.

Han Zheng frowned deeply. He had not expected matters to become complicated again. How had this become entangled with the Song Family once more?

Seeing Han Zheng remain silent, Gao Kaiyuan thought Han Zheng did not believe him.

"It truly was the Song Family that had me do it!

"The Tearwind Great King wanted young men and women with abundant qi and blood, not scrawny beggars.

"Those who met such requirements were surely children from respectable families who never lacked food or clothing. If too many people like that vanished, it would draw the attention of those above.

"Once it was discovered that I was sending people to Demons to be eaten, my reputation would certainly be ruined. Everyone would condemn me, and I might even draw the attention of the Demon Extermination Division.

"By then, forget the Three Harmonies Gang—I wouldn't even be able to remain in Black Stone County. Why would I bother doing something so thankless and exhausting?

"It was only because the Song Family promised to help me seize power over the Three Harmonies Gang that I dared risk universal condemnation and do such a conscience-destroying thing for them.

"The Song Family is no good either. They've been stringing me along all this time, never saying when they would help me seize the position of gang leader.

"As long as you spare my life today, I am willing to seek revenge against the Song Family with you!

"The Song Family's old ancestor, Song Xingfeng, is a Xiantian Mortal Transformation Realm Perfected expert who has cultivated the Water-Fire Immortal Robe.

"You may have rapidly broken through from the Houtian Meridian Opening Realm to the Xiantian Mortal Transformation Realm, but among the Four Xiantian Realms, every step is as difficult as climbing to the heavens. Only with my help will you have any hope of revenge!"

Gao Kaiyuan's tongue was like a blooming lotus, wanting only to persuade Han Zheng to spare his life.

Han Zheng considered for a moment. What Gao Kaiyuan said did not sound false. Even if he had fabricated it in haste, he could not have made it so airtight.

Thus, the threads of the matter had become clear.

The Song Family had ordered Gao Kaiyuan to find people for a transaction with the Tearwind Great King. Gao Kaiyuan had sent Wang Xiong, Wang Xiong had found Ma Gui, and the task had been subcontracted layer upon layer.

Then something went wrong with a minor demon under the Tearwind Great King, allowing him to escape. Yet for some reason, a Broken Temple had appeared, causing the Han Zheng of "this life" to be crushed to death and allowing him to transmigrate.

Afterward, Ma Gui discovered him and told Wang Xiong. But afraid of punishment, Wang Xiong had not immediately notified Gao Kaiyuan. Instead, he had tried to silence Han Zheng, only to be killed by him.

At first, Gao Kaiyuan had not been sure whether Wang Xiong and Ma Gui's deaths were related to the Tearwind Great King transaction. Only after Feng Yuan died and he traded with the Tearwind Great King once again had he confirmed it, which was why he had begun investigating Han Zheng with all his strength.

But by then, it was already too late. Han Zheng had already begun plotting against Gao Kaiyuan.

Looking at Gao Kaiyuan's hopeful gaze, Han Zheng smiled.

Behind the Monkey Face Mask, Gao Kaiyuan could not see Han Zheng's expression. He could only see that Han Zheng's eyes seemed to carry a trace of amusement.

Gao Kaiyuan immediately heaved a sigh of relief.

But the next instant, the Wild Goose Feather Saber in Han Zheng's hand slashed out fiercely, beheading Gao Kaiyuan in a single stroke.

"I'll avenge this myself. You won't escape, and neither will the Song Family!"

Thanks to reader Most Dazzling Life Dream for the 45,000 Qidian coin donation (^ω^)