Fallen

After killing Sun Yonghua and Sun Yongyan, Bi Changsheng did not halt his march of slaughter. He swept through the entire Sun Manor.

Now, aside from Bi Changsheng, not a single living person remained in the entire Sun Manor.

Once it was done, Bi Changsheng did not leave Sun Manor immediately. Instead, he went to the Sun Family's treasury.

"If only I had a Storage Artifact."

Looking at the money and treasures in the treasury, Bi Changsheng sighed again.

Because these were extraordinary times and time was pressing, Bi Changsheng had no choice but to painfully part with what he could not carry. For convenience's sake, he took only the stack of silver notes from the treasury, abandoning the gleaming silver and everything else.

To avoid drawing attention, Bi Changsheng did not use flames to erase the traces this time. He simply left Sun Manor and headed for his next target.

Bi Changsheng's original next target, chosen according to the principle of proximity, had been the County Office. Yet when he arrived nearby, he sensed the Qi and Blood Realm aura emanating from Bai Yingfei's direction within the County Office. He decisively turned around and changed course toward the Zhao Family.

What Bi Changsheng did not know was that, despite how careful he had been, someone had still noticed the disturbance he caused.

An elderly man with somewhat gloomy eyes stood atop a roof near the County Office, quietly watching its direction and keeping track of Bai Yingfei's situation.

This old man was Chen Pengfei, an elder of the Yellow Heaven Cult.

"Hmm?"

Sensing someone approach this area before swiftly departing again piqued Chen Pengfei's curiosity.

"He should have gone that way."

Seeing that the overall situation on Bai Yingfei's side had been settled, Chen Pengfei recalled the direction in which Bi Changsheng had departed. Then his figure vanished from the spot in an instant as he gave chase.

At this moment, Bi Changsheng still had no idea someone was following behind him. Upon reaching Zhao Manor, he did just as he had at Sun Manor—he smashed through the gates and began a bloodbath.

Although the Zhao Family had Zhao Wenbai, a Late Inner Strength Realm martial artist, guarding it, it made no difference whatsoever to Bi Changsheng. Zhao Manor followed in Sun Manor's footsteps and was thoroughly drenched in blood.

Before being torn apart by Blood Qi Sword Qi, Zhao Wenbai recognized Bi Changsheng. After recognizing him, his heart too filled with regret.

Like Sun Yonghua, he was equally shocked by Bi Changsheng's speed of cultivation. The difference was that he regretted participating in the affairs of the Bi Family for those benefits back then, bringing such a terrifying enemy upon the Zhao Family. The Zhao Family's foundation would likely be ruined by their own hands.

"Found him."

Just as Bi Changsheng killed Zhao Wenbai, Chen Pengfei, who had been searching this area, sensed Bi Changsheng's aura again. His figure vanished once more, shooting straight toward Zhao Manor.

After bathing the Zhao Family in blood, Bi Changsheng likewise went to their treasury. Before he could inspect it closely, the hairs all over his body suddenly stood on end, as though he had been targeted by some peerless ferocious beast.

Without time to think, Bi Changsheng grabbed the stack of silver notes from the chest. He clenched them in his hand, without even having time to put them away, and smashed through the window. Qingfeng Sword Steps surged beneath his feet to their utmost limit as he swiftly vanished from Zhao Manor.

"That little rat runs quite fast."

Less than ten breaths after Bi Changsheng disappeared, Chen Pengfei arrived by treading through the air, slowly descending into Zhao Manor. This was an ability of True Qi Realm martial artists—they could remain suspended in the air for brief periods.

While searching for Bi Changsheng, Chen Pengfei had already roughly guessed that Bi Changsheng was the Qi and Blood Realm martial artist Bai Yingfei had told him about, the one hiding within Lin'an City.

Seeing that he could no longer find any trace of Bi Changsheng, Chen Pengfei did not dwell on it and turned to leave Zhao Manor.

In Chen Pengfei's eyes, Bi Changsheng was merely a tiny Qi and Blood Realm martial artist, incapable of stirring up much trouble. If Bi Changsheng dared show himself again, Chen Pengfei could suppress him with one hand.

After leaving Zhao Manor, Bi Changsheng first made several circles. Only after confirming that no one was watching him did he head back to his own small courtyard.

He had not expected a tiny place like Lin'an City to draw a True Qi Realm martial artist. This was beyond Bi Changsheng's expectations. He had originally thought that, at most, Qi and Blood Realm martial artists would get involved in this incident.

Fortunately, he had always adhered to the principle of caution. Otherwise, he might very well have run into that True Qi Realm expert. Someone capable of giving him such a powerful sense of danger was likely no ordinary True Qi Realm martial artist.

With Bi Changsheng's current Cultivation Level, conventional methods certainly could not contend with that True Qi Realm martial artist. But if they truly met, Bi Changsheng was not without ways to deal with him.

Over the past half month, Bi Changsheng had not only been improving his Cultivation Level—he had also successfully cultivated the forbidden technique he obtained from Zhu Shi. Bi Changsheng had yet to test how powerful the strike he comprehended from the perfected Thirteen Swords of Qingfeng would become if he pushed Jade Burn to the greatest intensity his current body could endure.

If he truly encountered that True Qi Realm expert, Bi Changsheng would not mind letting him give it a try.

Of course, this was a choice Bi Changsheng would not make unless driven into a corner. Let other geniuses handle fighting across realms—he preferred the simple crushing advantage of a higher realm.

No further twists arose afterward, and Bi Changsheng successfully returned to his small courtyard.

After learning that a True Qi Realm expert had arrived in Lin'an City, Bi Changsheng secretly resolved that he would be exceedingly cautious for the coming period. He would avoid taking action whenever possible; ideally, he would not even step beyond his courtyard gate.

At Lin'an City's gates, the brutal slaughter had already continued for some time.

By now, few refugees and city guards remained. As for the refugees, after the city guards' defensive line was torn open, many had seized the chance to flee the battlefield and blend into Lin'an City. The city guards, on the other hand, were simply close to being wiped out.

After reinforcements from the Zhao Family and Sun Family arrived, the city guards had barely managed to stabilize the situation.

Yet the reinforcements from County Magistrate Shi Kangshun, for which they had waited so long, still had not arrived.

They now had only two Inner Strength Realm martial artists on their side, while the refugees had three.

Among the Inner Strength Realm martial artists on both sides, Sun Chengde and Ning Siyuan possessed equal cultivation, both being at the Late Inner Strength Realm. Naturally, the two became locked in battle.

Ning Siyuan cultivated the same technique as An Yan, the Soul Severing Saber, and its power was formidable.

Sun Chengde had likewise cultivated the Sun Family's ultimate art, the Nine Yin Heart Destroying Palm, to a very high level.

The two traded blows back and forth, neither able to determine victory or defeat for the moment.

Zhao Honglang's cultivation, meanwhile, was equal to Lou Lanxin's. Both were at the Middle Inner Strength Realm, and the two naturally came to blows as well.

Though Lou Lanxin looked frail and delicate, she cultivated a fierce and forceful technique like the Great Stele-Splitting Hand. Yet Zhao Honglang was no slouch either—the Zhao Family's inherited ultimate art, the Prajna Palm, was incomparably fierce in his hands. The two were likewise evenly matched for the time being.

But the problem was that the refugees also had an Inner Strength Realm martial artist like Yu Hong. Though he was only at the Early Inner Strength Realm, who would have expected the burly Yu Hong to cultivate a concealed weapon technique like the Heart-Piercing Nail?

In the gaps between harvesting city guards' lives, Yu Hong would also occasionally assess the situation and fire hidden arrows at Zhao Honglang and Sun Chengde, forcing the two to devote part of their attention to evading them.

Thus, Zhao Honglang and Sun Chengde gradually fell into a disadvantage.

"When will reinforcements arrive?"

"When will the county magistrate and the others get here?"

Zhao Honglang and Sun Chengde could not help questioning the commander of the city guard.

Even the usually steady Sun Chengde felt the urge to curse. They had received the county magistrate's orders and brought men to provide support, yet after all this time, the county magistrate's group was nowhere to be seen. They were left being beaten back by the enemy, and naturally, they were furious.

"Stop waiting. They aren't coming."

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out. Bai Yingfei came rushing over at incredible speed.

"Greetings, Hall Master."

Seeing Bai Yingfei arrive, the Yellow Heaven Cult members were overjoyed. They all ceased fighting, pulled away from their enemies, and went to Bai Yingfei's side to bow. The entire battlefield came to a halt as a result.

"The county magistrate is dead. Those who surrender will not be killed."

He first waved to the Yellow Heaven Cult members, then tossed the two heads he had been carrying onto the ground before the city guard. They were the heads of County Magistrate Shi Kangshun and Chief Constable Fan Shao.

Finally, Bai Yingfei unleashed the oppressive aura of a Qi and Blood Realm martial artist upon the people of Lin'an City.

Looking at Shi Kangshun's and Fan Shao's heads on the ground, the people of Lin'an City struggled inwardly beneath Bai Yingfei's overwhelming pressure.

"We surrender."

Sun Chengde was the first to set an example. When the Yellow Heaven Cult members had addressed Bai Yingfei as Hall Master, he had already vaguely guessed their identities. He had never expected that although the Sun Family had fled Jin'an Prefecture, they still could not escape the Yellow Heaven Cult.

For the sake of their lives and the continuation of his family, Sun Chengde could only lead the few remaining members of the Sun Family in surrender.

After seeing Sun Chengde surrender, Zhao Honglang also gave up any thought of resisting and led the remaining members of the Zhao Family to surrender as well. As for the city guard, there was no need to say more. After the commander of the city guard—utterly loyal to the county magistrate and unwilling to surrender—was killed to make an example of him, they too laid down their weapons and abandoned resistance.

Thus, Lin'an City fell.