Betrayal

Jiang Kaitai's words were half true and half false.

If Qin Yuancheng and Chen Yuan truly followed Jiang Kaitai's instructions, slaughtered people for a blood sacrifice, and then went to activate the formations in the South City and North City courtyards, they too would be devoured by the Blood Sacrifice Grand Formation.

The formations in South City and North City were Jiang Kaitai's true trump cards, reserved for himself.

The formations in those two places were not blood sacrifice formations, but Blood-Killing Formations.

Once activated, every living being within several miles would be consumed by blood qi and absorbed into the Seven Kill Stele beneath Linked Mountains City.

Those two locations were the most densely populated areas in Linked Mountains City. Once the formations activated successfully, they would yield an enormous amount of blood qi.

And as the ones activating the formations, they naturally would not be able to escape the speed at which the formations erupted. They too would be blood-sacrificed.

That had also been Chu Ziping and Qin Yuancheng's fate in the original story.

The reason Jiang Kaitai had hesitated just now was that he was somewhat reluctant to blood-sacrifice Chen Yuan as well.

In his eyes, Chen Yuan was still very "obedient" and very "loyal."

Not only was he obedient and loyal, but Chen Yuan was also highly talented.

He had reached the peak of the Body-Tempering Realm while cultivating trash like the Azure Wood Method. If Jiang Kaitai got him a profound-grade or earth-grade cultivation method in the future, his achievements might not be inferior to those young talents from major factions.

Once Jiang Kaitai fused with the divine artifact, he would need some capable subordinates at his side as well.

But Jiang Kaitai only hesitated for an instant before hardening his heart and deciding to sacrifice Chen Yuan too.

He did not trust the other Heavenly Wolf Gang hall masters with this matter.

Those old foxes might not fall for his deception. They might even go to Murong Qing and expose him.

His two young adopted sons were still easier to fool.

Although he felt some regret over losing an obedient, loyal, and talented adopted son.

As long as he succeeded in one stroke this time, what sort of adopted sons or subordinates would he be unable to find in the future?

"Rest assured, Foster Father. Big Brother and I will certainly help you fuse with the divine artifact and ascend to the pinnacle of the martial world!"

Chen Yuan's face was filled with fervor, causing Jiang Kaitai to feel a brief flicker of guilt.

Of course, it lasted only for that instant.

"Good, good, good. I will go fuse with the divine artifact now. Watch the timing carefully. It can be neither too early nor too late."

After saying that, Jiang Kaitai left.

Qin Yuancheng paced back and forth inside the room, somewhat excited and even more nervous. From time to time, he glanced at Chen Yuan.

Originally, he had felt that the position of Heavenly Wolf Gang leader was surely his. The third brother did not want to compete with him, nor could he.

But now their foster father had encountered an opportunity and would possess even greater power in the future, yet he said he would leave it to the two of them.

The third brother might not want to fight for it now, but would he suddenly want to fight for it in the future?

Chen Yuan had no idea what Qin Yuancheng was thinking, nor was he interested in knowing.

As soon as Jiang Kaitai left, he closed his eyes to rest and recover his mental strength while calculating the time.

After pacing around for a while, Qin Yuancheng could not hold back any longer. He asked, "Third Brother, shouldn't we make our move? We should go prepare in advance and begin the blood sacrifice the moment the time arrives."

"Are you really that impatient to die?"

Qin Yuancheng froze, frowning. "Third Brother, what nonsense are you talking about? Why can't I understand you?"

Chen Yuan gently shook his head. "Forget it. It's not so bad to die a confused ghost."

Qin Yuancheng's expression darkened.

How dare the third brother speak to him like that?

What confused ghost? With such an important matter at hand, he was spouting nothing but inauspicious nonsense!

He had just been about to rebuke him when he saw Chen Yuan flick his wrist, the Wild Goose Feather Saber already drawn.

In an instant, it was like autumn water skimming across a lake, bringing with it a brilliant flash of saber light.

Qin Yuancheng had no time to react before that blade was already at his throat.

Such a fast saber...

That was the only thought to flash through Qin Yuancheng's mind. A streak of blood flashed, and in an instant, his head fell to the ground.

"Come to think of it, you should thank me.

"If you had helped Jiang Kaitai do all this, only to discover afterward that he had deceived you and intended to blood-sacrifice you too, leaving everything empty, that feeling would not have been pleasant."

Chen Yuan gently shook his head, picked up Qin Yuancheng's head, and headed straight for Murong Qing's residence.

He had at least let Qin Yuancheng die with less suffering. Borrowing his head should not be asking too much, right?

Murong Qing lived in what had previously been Jiang Kaitai's residence, and it had even been renovated. All the furnishings had been replaced with new ones.

At that moment, Murong Qing was drinking tea, all the while disparaging the poor quality of tea in Linked Mountains City.

Back in Dragon City, he drank only premium spirit tea, prepared with several rare herbs. Its fragrance was rich, and drinking it could even promote the circulation of inner force.

Just then, a knock sounded outside.

"Young Master Murong, Chen Yuan requests an audience."

Murong Qing flicked his hand, sending out a burst of true qi that directly pushed open the door.

"Come in."

Murong Qing's impression of Chen Yuan was fairly good.

At the very least, Chen Yuan was sensible and knew how to speak, much better than his elder brother.

Once that old dog Jiang Kaitai died in the future, Murong Qing felt that he could mention it to the clan and have Chen Yuan take over the Heavenly Wolf Gang.

Even being a dog had its standards. At the very least, one had to know how to read the room and get things done.

With Qin Yuancheng's character, he was not even qualified to be a dog.

Chen Yuan entered the room carrying Qin Yuancheng's head, and Murong Qing frowned.

"Chen Yuan, what is the meaning of this?"

"Young Master Murong, I have discovered who is behind the blood sacrifices in Linked Mountains City!"

Murong Qing pointed at the head in Chen Yuan's hand, looking utterly baffled. "Don't tell me the mastermind is Qin Yuancheng."

After interacting with him these past few days, Murong Qing already knew exactly what kind of person Qin Yuancheng was.

He was simply an idiot whose brain did not work very well.

Born in a minor gang, his horizons and vision were narrow, and he was clumsy in both speech and action.

Yet he had plenty of petty thoughts, always wanting to flatter Murong Qing, but every time he tried to kiss up, he kicked the horse's leg instead.

Could someone like that cultivate so many loyal death warriors? Could he toy with Murong Qing for so many days?

"Not Qin Yuancheng, but my foster father, Jiang Kaitai!"

Holding up the head in his hand, Chen Yuan said, "Just now, Jiang Kaitai came to Qin Yuancheng and me. He personally admitted that he was the mastermind behind the Linked Mountains City blood sacrifices.

"The reason was that when he was a bandit, he obtained a treasure map. It recorded that there was a hidden place beneath Linked Mountains City, where the divine artifact Seven Kill Stele was buried!

"From that moment on, Jiang Kaitai secretly trained death warriors and arranged formations, all so that one day he could conduct a blood sacrifice and fuse with the divine artifact!

"But now that Young Master Murong has intervened, Jiang Kaitai could no longer carry out the blood sacrifice peacefully and could only set it in motion ahead of time.

"That was why he revealed everything to Qin Yuancheng and me, telling us to help him kill people for the blood sacrifice while he fused with the divine artifact in advance.

"Qin Yuancheng was tempted, but I only pretended to agree. After Jiang Kaitai left, I killed Qin Yuancheng and came to report this to you, Young Master Murong."

What was buried beneath Linked Mountains City was actually only a fragment of the divine artifact Seven Kill Stele.

But Chen Yuan did not know whether Jiang Kaitai truly did not know it was merely a fragment, or whether he had deliberately told them otherwise to make them more tempted.

Of course, that was not important, and Chen Yuan did not bother correcting him.

A divine artifact was far more enticing than a mere fragment.

After hearing Chen Yuan out, Murong Qing's expression abruptly changed.

He came from the Murong Clan of Dragon City, which possessed the divine artifact Starshift. It was the lifeline of the Murong Clan.

Because of this, Murong Qing understood the value of divine artifacts far better than Qin Yuancheng did.

The Murong Clan's divine artifact, Starshift, was actually more inclined toward defense. It could redirect any force and strike it back at its source.

In other words, Starshift could not be used for active attacks. If the enemy did not strike first, the Murong Clan's Starshift was merely decoration.

But he had also heard the legends of the Seven Kill Stele. It was formed from the Source of Killing Intent and had been one of the supreme divine artifacts of ancient times, a peerless treasure of slaughter.

If they could seize the Seven Kill Stele, then with the Murong Clan wielding two great divine artifacts—one for offense and one for defense—their talk of restoring the nation would no longer be empty fantasy!

Was it not because the Daxia Zhao clan possessed both the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow and the Human Sovereign Sword that its rule had remained secure for so many years?

With Starshift and the Seven Kill Stele in hand, how would the Murong Clan be inferior to the Zhao clan?

But after the excitement faded, Murong Qing calmed down again and stared at Chen Yuan.

"Jiang Kaitai is your foster father. If he fuses with the divine artifact, he will surely soar to great heights in the future. As his adopted son, the benefits you would receive would be countless. Why were you not tempted? Why betray him instead?"

Chen Yuan lowered his head and said in a deep voice, "Because Jiang Kaitai is harsh and ungrateful. He is not worth trusting!

"These past years, Jiang Kaitai has always guarded against us adopted sons. Otherwise, why would he only tell us about blood-sacrificing the divine artifact at the very last moment?

"What if, after he blood-sacrificed the divine artifact, he kicked us all aside? What would I do then?

"Rather than be kicked aside by him afterward, I might as well sell him for a good price.

"The Murong Clan are descendants of royalty, with a thousand-year legacy. In Youzhou, you are greatly respected and beloved by the people.

"Rather than believe Jiang Kaitai's nonsense, I would rather trust the Murong Clan's reputation and sell Jiang Kaitai for a good price.

"I believe the Murong Clan will not mistreat those who render merit, and I believe even more that Young Master Murong will not mistreat me."

"Hahaha! Good! Well said!"

Murong Qing looked at Chen Yuan with appreciation. "My Murong Clan does not fear greed among those below us. What we fear is insatiable greed!

"Chen Yuan, you are very good.

"Greedy, yet measured. You understand the times and know when to advance and retreat.

"Rest assured, the Murong Clan will not mistreat you, and I certainly will not mistreat you!

"In the future, not only will the Heavenly Wolf Gang be yours, but my Murong Clan will personally negotiate with the One Qi Piercing Sun Alliance and hand all of Linked Mountains City over to you!"

If Chen Yuan had just claimed he betrayed Jiang Kaitai because he was loyal to the Murong Clan or some other nonsense, Murong Qing would have immediately used the Black Dragon Finger to blow his head apart.

Who was he trying to fool?

But Chen Yuan had spoken so bluntly. He wanted benefits, nothing more. That instead made Murong Qing appreciate him.

Greed was not frightening. What was frightening was insatiable greed and failing to recognize one's own limits.

Jiang Kaitai was exactly that sort of person—insatiably greedy and ignorant of his own limits.

If he had handed the news of the divine artifact to the Murong Clan back then, the Murong Clan certainly would not have mistreated him.

Yet he had been so greedy that he dreamed of claiming the divine artifact for himself. He truly deserved death!

A divine artifact, a demonic weapon passed down through the hands of ancient demonic gods and powerful experts—was an old dog like Jiang Kaitai worthy of possessing it?

Only the Murong Clan, descendants of royalty, noble from birth, were qualified to wield divine artifacts and demonic weapons!