The Reaping

The northern part of the city.

The Four Seas Gang's headquarters was situated here.

Inside a meeting room, Chen Dao, leader of the Four Seas Gang, was playing chess with a middle-aged man. A closer look revealed that the man was none other than Liu Jing, the Liu Family's second master!

"Second Master Liu, the Tang Family hasn't attended the Mid-Autumn Gathering for two years. If they miss it again this year, their standing in Cloud City will surely plummet. Our rash attack on the Liu Family today has undoubtedly offended the Tang Family.

"If they still want to salvage their reputation, they'll have to strike at our Four Seas Gang. I'm afraid we're in for a tough battle." After so many years of clawing his way through Cloud City and facing enemies of every stripe, Chen Dao had long since developed a meticulous mind.

Chen Dao knew perfectly well why the Liu Family had goaded the Four Seas Gang into provoking the Tang Family.

"Rest assured, Gang Leader Chen. The Tang Family is the weakest of Cloud City's four great Lineages. If they truly fight the Four Seas Gang, their strength will suffer a devastating blow. If they dare to fight you, tonight will be the night the Tang Family falls. At most, they'll come to threaten you and demand justice. They'll never act rashly."

Taking a sip of tea, Liu Jing continued, "Besides, how many men can they send? Thirty guards at origin tier ninth grade? Fifty? A force that size might not even defeat the Four Seas Gang.

"The Tang Family will never guess that our Liu Family has men lying in wait within the Four Seas Gang.

"Forty at origin tier ninth grade and fifteen yellow tier experts. With that strength added to the Four Seas Gang's men, why would we fear the Tang Family? Once they resort to force, we'll make sure they never return!"

"You're absolutely right, Second Master Liu. But our Four Seas Gang is taking an enormous risk this time. Once the Tang Family is destroyed, twenty percent of their holdings will belong to us, as agreed," Chen Dao said with a smile.

"Of course." Liu Jing smiled and nodded.

The two exchanged a glance, then threw back their heads and laughed, as though the Tang Family was already in the bag.

"Report! Gang Leader, the Tang Family's men are charging this way!" A scout rushed into the hall to report.

"Oh? They're here already?" Chen Dao and Liu Jing raised their eyebrows.

"How many men did the Tang Family send? Who's leading them?" Chen Dao asked.

"Elder Mo of the Tang Family is leading them. Twenty men, all Tang Family Guards. They'll reach headquarters in about seven minutes!" the scout promptly replied.

Chen Dao breathed a sigh of relief at the scout's report.

"Gang Leader Chen, most of the Tang Family Guards are only at origin tier ninth grade. With fifteen yellow tier martial artists holding the line, there's nothing to worry about. Whatever demands the Tang Family makes, simply refuse them," Liu Jing said with a smile, looking as though everything was under his control.

"I'll follow your instructions, Second Master Liu." Chen Dao nodded knowingly and issued a loud command. "Muster the men! All martial artists at origin tier eighth grade and above, assemble!"

At Chen Dao's command, more than a hundred men gathered in the rear courtyard, including the Liu Family's guards. Over eighty were at origin tier ninth grade, and more than twenty were yellow tier martial artists.

"Chen Dao, you brat, get out here!" Upon reaching the Four Seas Gang's headquarters, Uncle Mo looked at the mansion's main gate and roared, mustering all his true qi.

"So it's Steward Mo. Forgive me for failing to welcome you sooner." Chen Dao opened the courtyard gate and walked out with more than a hundred men following close behind. Tilting his head to glance at the men behind Uncle Mo, he feigned surprise. "Steward Mo, what's the meaning of bringing so many men here?"

Uncle Mo glared at Chen Dao, his expression icy, and snapped, "Gang Leader Chen, let's speak plainly. You knew the Liu Family was allied with our Tang Family, yet you attacked them anyway. Where does that leave our Tang Family?

"The Tang Family has an agreement with every allied Lineage: we advance and retreat together, sharing glory and disgrace alike. After provoking us like this, unless you give us an explanation, our Tang Family will never let this rest!"

Chen Dao's eyes chilled at those words. Throwing back his head, he laughed. "Steward Mo, you've grown old, and your brain no longer works properly. You should know that the Tang Family today isn't the Tang Family of old. So what if I've offended you? I suggest you head back while you can, lest you never return and sully the scenery outside our Four Seas Gang's gates."

Just as Chen Dao was contemptuously deriding Uncle Mo, his gaze suddenly swept across several groups of men rushing toward them from the distance. Judging by their numbers, there were seventy or eighty of them!

Chen Dao's heart lurched. This is bad. For all his calculations, he had never anticipated that the Tang Family would split its men into several groups to evade the Four Seas Gang's watchers.

"It seems you refuse to repent, Gang Leader Chen! Kill!" Keeping Tang Yan's instructions firmly in mind, Uncle Mo wasted no more words. With an angry roar, he charged at the Four Seas Gang before Chen Dao could react.

"Kill!" The Tang Family Guards approaching from behind had arrived. More than a hundred yellow tier experts charged at the Four Seas Gang, their eyes blazing red.

Before setting out, Uncle Mo had already announced that every enemy killed would earn a reward of a hundred taels of silver!

In their eyes, the Four Seas Gang's members were no longer people, but walking silver!

Every man strained to fight harder, wishing he could wipe out the entire Four Seas Gang himself. A hundred taels per head-how much silver could they earn?

"Everyone in the Four Seas Gang, assemble! Kill!" Chen Dao was utterly frustrated. He had thought the Tang Family had only forty men, but now his side did not even have an advantage in numbers.

"Aah!" As screams rang out again and again among the Four Seas Gang, Chen Dao's eyes nearly split with fury!

At that moment, Chen Dao felt an urge to tear the scout apart alive.

What kind of horseshit intelligence was that? Misreporting the Tang Family's numbers was bad enough, but among this black mass of Tang Family Guards charging at us, with such powerful auras, which one isn't a yellow tier martial artist?

When did the Tang Family acquire so many yellow tier experts?

Before he could think further, Uncle Mo was already thrusting his spear at him.

Tang Yan had recently given Elder Tang and Uncle Mo plenty of spirit herbs. Uncle Mo had already been at profound tier eighth grade; now he had reached the peak of the eighth grade and was on the verge of breaking through to the ninth.

Chen Dao, however, was only at profound tier seventh grade, leaving a considerable gap between him and Uncle Mo.

"Second Master Liu, help!" Under Uncle Mo's ferocious assault, Chen Dao finally could no longer hold out. He turned and shouted.

At Chen Dao's words, Uncle Mo's eyes turned cold! Second Master Liu? So the Liu Family really is behind this!

Second Master Liu had also reached profound tier fifth grade. If the two joined forces against him, Uncle Mo would have trouble gaining the upper hand. He had to end this quickly and deny them the chance to work together. With an angry roar, his aura surged, and his attacks grew even fiercer.

Meanwhile, the Tang Family's hundred-odd men were all yellow tier experts. Under that overwhelming advantage in strength, the numbers of the Four Seas Gang and the Liu Family's guards began to plummet. In just fifteen minutes, more than half had been wiped out.

The Four Seas Gang's men had been outmatched even one-on-one. Now, facing two or even three opponents apiece, their defeat became a landslide, and they were swiftly annihilated.

The underlings below origin tier ninth grade who rushed out afterward were even less of a match for the Tang Family Guards. Like reaping chives, the guards swiftly cut down the Four Seas Gang.