Chapter 79

The first step of revenge

A black-robed figure emitting a sinister aura looked around at the other black-robed figures gathered around him.

"Second and Third, surround the Zhencheng Gate. Don't let a single rat escape."

Two black-robed figures responded.

"Yes, sir!"

"First, take the front. Try to focus their attention there as much as possible."

"Yes, sir!"

"Fourth, take charge of where the servants live. Quickly secure as many hostages as possible and bring them out."

"Yes, sir!"

"Fifth, act with me."

"Yes, sir!"

"Try to minimize casualties as much as possible. This sect isn't worth much. Once this is over, we'll abandon this place... Understand?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Alright, begin the operation."

The black-robed figures, each leading their subordinates, disappeared in different directions. Soon, cries of "They're here!" and the sounds of weapons clashing echoed from all over the Zhencheng Gate.

The Zhencheng Gate was a righteous sect with a good reputation in the area. Its leader, Mo Zhong, was known as Zhengren Sword for his outstanding and upright character. He had never made enemies, nor had he done anything to deserve enmity. Despite his good nature, he hadn't significantly expanded the Zhencheng Gate, but he had gained the support of many other sects. Therefore, the sudden attack that night was like a bolt from the blue for Mo Zhong.

Without knowing who they were, Mo Zhong quickly picked up the sword beside him and rushed out to punish the upstarts attacking his sect, which had a good reputation in the area. He didn't even realize he was in his underwear, and he hadn't put on a shirt. Too impatient to put on shoes, he ran barefoot towards the main gate, where over 200 black-robed figures had climbed over the wall.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Once the swords clashed, Mo Zhong was surprised by the skill of his opponents. From the aura of malice they emitted, he had a rough idea of their affiliation. If his guess was correct, their skill was indeed impressive. However, there was no reason for the Demon Sect to come to this remote area and suppress his sect. He wasn't sure what the Demon Sect was after, but a messenger had come the morning before with a letter asking him to join their cause. Of course, as a righteous martial artist, he had refused. He hadn't expected them to act so quickly...

The Zhencheng Gate had nearly 1,000 martial artists, but against the 200 black-robed figures, their numbers were useless because the latter had the wall as a shield. Instead, the large number of people hindered each other, and those at the back were just resting.

At this moment, a voice, low but filled with inner strength, could be heard amidst the fighting.

"Stop, Mo Zhong! If you value the lives of the hostages, drop your sword."

Mo Zhong turned around instantly. Behind him, his wife, children, servants, and the families of the martial artists living in the Zhencheng Gate were kneeling on the ground. Around them stood over 400 black-robed figures, swords drawn.

"Drop your sword quickly. Do I need to set an example?"

"..."

When Mo Zhong didn't respond, the leader of the black-robed figures, who seemed to be in charge, spoke in a ruthless tone.

"Bring out ten of them at random and cut them down!"

"Yes, sir!"

Ten black-robed figures quickly moved, each grabbing the nearest person and lining them up. Their swords, gleaming coldly, were drawn from their scabbards, and in the next moment...

"Stop! I surrender."

Mo Zhong had no intention of compromising or surrendering to such a group, but he had no choice. Despite gathering nearly 1,000 people against just over 200, not a single one had been killed, and the injuries were minimal. It was clear that the other side had been holding back, intending to use the hostages from the beginning.

If he refused now, the Demon Sect would surely start a bloodbath. History had proven that if they said they would do something, they would. With 200 people, they couldn't be stopped, and with 600, they would surely devastate the place. Moreover, he had no idea how many more were surrounding the area.

When the leader of the Zhencheng Gate, Zhengren Sword Mo Zhong, dropped his sword, his disciples also threw down their weapons, their faces filled with resentment and frustration. However, Mo Zhong protested to the other side, though he knew it wouldn't make a difference. If he didn't protest, he would lose face in front of his subordinates and might die of anger.

"Listen, I don't know what this is about, but why are you doing this when we have no enmity?"

The leader of the black-robed figures, watching his subordinates gather the dropped weapons, replied calmly.

"Think about it. It's now the early hours of the morning, so it was yesterday. Yesterday morning, I asked you to become a base for our sect. You refused, and this is the result."

"If the Demon Sect touches the righteous sects, the surrounding sects won't sit idly by."

However, Mo Zhong's threat had no effect on the leader. The leader smiled and pulled out a few letters from his pocket.

"You seem to believe in this. Of course, I've caught all the messengers who were supposed to deliver these. I considered killing them, but we need to start on a good note. I don't think any sect will come to your aid after receiving your message."

Despair clouded Mo Zhong's face.

"What do you want?"

The leader looked at Mo Zhong's despairing face with amusement. He wondered why the reactions of the sect leaders he had destroyed were so consistent. He replied calmly.

"The Zhencheng Gate will now serve as a supply base for our sect. Of course, once our mission is complete, we'll leave quietly. If the fact that we've taken over this place becomes known, it will soon turn into a battlefield. We'll just retreat, but the Zhencheng Gate will likely be destroyed. Understand?"

Mo Zhong looked at him in disbelief.

"Why would we suffer if it becomes known? You would suffer."

"We're not fighting the righteous sects."

'If the Demon Sect isn't fighting the righteous sects, who are they fighting?'

The leader, seeing Mo Zhong's puzzled expression, smiled bitterly and continued.

"We are in conflict with the main headquarters of our sect. The Zhencheng Gate will serve as a supply base for the attack on the headquarters."

Mo Zhong sneered in disbelief.

"Hahaha, don't talk nonsense. A fight among the Demon Sect...?"

The leader's expression hardened.

"Whether you believe it or not is your choice. But I've warned you, and all the consequences of ignoring this warning will be on you."

The leader looked around and shouted.

"Gather the weapons in one place, confine the hostages in one area, and guard them thoroughly. Then, house them in the training hall on the east side and keep an eye on them."

"Yes, sir!"

"Mo Zhong, come here."

Mo Zhong, though wary of what the other side might do, tried to maintain a dignified appearance in front of his subordinates and walked over as confidently as he could.

"What is it?"

"Since you're the leader of a sect, you deserve slightly better treatment. You have a job to do."

"What...?"

"Pick two well-known figures from your sect. I'll assign two of my subordinates who don't emit malice to accompany you. You'll need to go around the nearby villages to reassure them. Of course, you don't need to do it yourself... If you go, it might raise suspicion, so send your subordinates. Understand?"

Mo Zhong understood the other side's intentions. If he did this, the nearby villagers would feel reassured and go back to sleep, and the leader would remain here without any qualms. However, he couldn't refuse the leader's suggestion, as the other side held the power. Mo Zhong reluctantly replied.

"Understood."

"Tell them to reassure the villagers that there was an attack tonight, but it was repelled. They should feel safe."

"Understood."

While Mo Zhong was explaining the task to two of his disciples, the leader of the black-robed figures selected two subordinates who emitted less malice. After receiving detailed instructions, they set out to reassure the villagers.

The leader, now that everything was in place, sat down on the veranda and instructed a subordinate to bring him some wine. When the subordinate brought wine and snacks from the kitchen, the leader filled his cup and drank it with satisfaction.

"Ah, this is good wine. Come, have a drink. You must be feeling quite upset tonight."

"I don't want to drink."

Yanwang Dizi (the Flute of the King of Hell) smiled sardonically.

"Already refusing my orders? That won't do. I'll have to cut a few throats..."

Mo Zhong quickly sat down in front of the leader and poured the wine, swallowing it in one gulp.

'Damn, why did I end up like this...?'

Seeing Mo Zhong's forced drinking, Yanwang Dizi smiled.

"Do you know how much effort I put into not killing your sect members tonight?"

"..."

"Actually, the subordinates I brought are only half of my total force. The other half was borrowed by a military commander. But even with half, we could have turned this small sect into a mountain of corpses. However, the commander asked me to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, so I was careful. Why? Because the commander of the follow-up forces is not familiar with such operations."

Mo Zhong, though not particularly curious, responded out of politeness. It was always good to gather information about the other side.

"Who is he?"

"You'll find out soon. I doubt you'll owe him for more than a few years. I can't say how long it will take, but I promise to avoid harming you and your sect. In return, you must ensure that this secret doesn't leak out."

As they exchanged light conversation, about an hour passed. The leader of the black-robed figures, now on his third bottle of wine, felt the ground tremble slightly.

"They're finally here."

Mo Zhong looked around but saw no one. About an hour later, the black-robed figures opened the main gate, and over a thousand cavalrymen rode in. They had prepared thick cloths to wrap around their horses' hooves, so they made almost no sound. A tall, black horse led the way, and a heavily armored figure dismounted and approached the leader, bowing respectfully.

"Good to see you, Leader Yanwang Dizi."

"Welcome, Lord Guanji. I'm sorry the operation is already over. This is Zhengren Sword Mo Zhong of the Zhencheng Gate, who will be under our control."

Mo Zhong, with a twisted face, gave a simple salute to the heavily armored figure. Seeing the level of armor and the thousand subordinates, it was clear that this person was planning something on a war scale. Though they claimed to be from the Demon Sect, they might be a group taking advantage of the chaotic times to start a rebellion. If so, Mo Zhong, by providing them a base, might end up as collateral damage in a larger conflict.

Guanji, seeing Mo Zhong's thoughts, bowed respectfully.

"I am Guanji. I look forward to working with you."

Han Zhongping, addressing Guanji as "Lord Guanji," did so out of respect for his military rank, despite his unjust exile. As a commander of a thousand men in the Black Wind Corps, he was equivalent to a general.

"You finished quickly."

"A small sect like this can be easily turned into a field of weeds with just a hundred of the Yanwang Corps. By the way, did you encounter any problems on the way?"

'Yanwang Corps? I've heard this term before...'

Mo Zhong, overhearing their conversation, started to piece together some information about their affiliation. If he had heard the term "Zixing Manma Corps," he would have been shocked, but "Yanwang Corps" didn't ring a bell, as it was not widely known.

Regardless of Mo Zhong's thoughts, the conversation continued.

"I had to take a roundabout route to avoid leaving traces, which delayed me."

Guanji, giving Yanwang Dizi a slightly uneasy look, prompted Yanwang Dizi to send Mo Zhong back to his room. The upcoming conversation was not for others to hear.

"Moving during this time when the leader is unwell might not be a good idea."

Guanji, worried, contrasted with Yanwang Dizi's calm demeanor. Yanwang Dizi, who had absolute faith in the leader's martial arts and resilience, responded.

"No matter what others say, the leader is the greatest master of our sect. He will recover soon. We just need to prepare everything before he wakes up. I understand your concerns, Lord Guanji, but the enemies won't attack until they are certain the leader is unwell."

Yanwang Dizi, suddenly remembering something, asked.

"By the way, what about the others?"

"They are moving separately and will arrive soon."

"Let's have a drink while we wait for them. I found some good wine here."

"Yes, sir."

As dawn broke, the 4,000 men of the Black Wind Corps, led by Guanji, arrived.

The Black Wind Corps, having decided to join Mo Xiang, had discarded all their horses and armor. Though their martial arts were inferior to those of the Demon Sect, they excelled in cavalry warfare and were trained as soldiers, specializing in group combat. Thus, Xue Wu provided them with excellent warhorses, military-grade heavy armor, thick shields, and other equipment they requested. Over time, as the control over the area loosened, even former members of the Black Wind Corps joined, increasing their numbers to 4,