Chapter 456: Abandoned Disciple, Loyal Dog

Chapter 456: Abandoning Disciples, Loyal Dogs

A dazzling star amidst the dark clouds, carved seal scripts floating above a corpse, the wavering figure of a Red Robe Daoist in the shifting light and shadow.

The sudden anomaly caused those present to tense their minds once again, which had just been relaxed.

“What in the world is this thing? Dammit, is it the one that causes thunder?”

Fan Wuji muttered under his breath, his eyes lifting with a lingering unease toward the sky above.

Back in Dog Mountain City, he had witnessed Chen Qishan summon the ancestral ritual array. Since then, he had never forgotten the sinister nature of such a thing.

“It’s merely a projection, why be so nervous?”

Li Jun lowly hissed, soothing the agitated Guards of the Brocade, his gaze boldly ascending toward the figure.

“Are you a descendant of the Zhang family in the Heavenly Judges Office?”

The Daoist’s face obscured, he fixed his gaze upon Li Jun without answering his question, turning instead toward the trembling Yanglong behind him.

“Yanglong, this time you’ve done well—your movements are graceful, your bearing fitting for a dragon or tiger. The Heavenly Judges Office takes note.”

“The Celestial Sovereign praised me—I only did what I ought to, daring not take credit.” Yanglong lowered his brows, his respect profound.

The Daoist approved of his humble demeanor, nodding: “Upon returning to the sect, go to the Heavenly Judges Office to report. Someone like you, if you stay in the ‘array department,’ would be a waste.”

Yanglong hesitated: “Your Excellency, I must respectfully decline—”

“Decline what?”

“My master is the head official of the array department. Without his approval, I cannot leave.”

“I’ll handle the matter with the Xuanhuo faction myself. You need only obey.”

Yanglong’s heart sank like a stone. He bowed deeply: “I humbly obey the Celestial Sovereign’s decree.”

“As for you all.”

The Daoist cast his gaze upon the remaining martial artists, his voice icy: “Each return to your respective departments. Detail your actions precisely. Whether punishment or reward—let your superiors present your case to the Heavenly Judges Office!”

“We humbly obey the Celestial Sovereign’s decree!” they chorused.

No reward for those who act.

A single phrase sealed their fate for life and death.

Yet the others dared not argue, not even a whisper escaping their lips. With heads bowed and faces grimy, they followed Yanglong away from the Midway Street.

Raindrops pierced through the interlaced beams of light, making the Daoist’s form sway slightly.

His crimson robe glowed like a pulsing ember, a chilling aura radiating outward.

Only then did the Daoist turn fully, his eyes descending upon the kneeling martial artist.

“You are Li Jun?”

The Daoist’s words shattered Li Jun’s name.

Yet Li Jun felt no surprise—the guards’ aliases were mere farces in these eyes.

“You ask, knowing the answer?”

Li Jun’s voice crackled with gunpowder.

“I am Xuanlong, known in the mortal world as Zhang Qingsheng. The Zhang Qing who died by your hand was my younger brother, of our ancestral clan.”

Zhang Qingsheng paused, each word deliberate: “He was crafted from the genetic legacy of our forebear, the Earth Immortal, bearing a divine root, embracing the Dao’s essence—destined to become a new Earth Immortal. Yet now he perishes in your grasp, his body and spirit both extinguished.”

Li Jun said coolly: “The outcome is already decided; there need be no repetition.”

“I came to tell you this: your actions have cost the Zhang clan an Earth Immortal’s seat in the White Jade Capital. That loss must be repaid with your life.”

Zhang Qingsheng spoke slowly, each syllable grave: “You will be utterly annihilated, your very genes, your lineage, will be uprooted by the Heavenly Judges Office!”

Li Jun laughed, his tone mocking: “Do your Zhang clan members always indulge in such useless babble?”

“The ignorant fear nothing. When you leave the Wa region, you’ll learn how high the Longhu Mountain stands—and how much higher the Heavenly Judges Office towers above it!”

“You Zhangs, selecting a day and hour for assigning death?”

Li Jun’s fury erupted: “Choosing a day? Let’s settle this here and now, with blades and bullets!”

“Su Ke cannot protect you forever. The Wa region is no haven for you.”

Zhang Qingsheng’s eyes turned glacial: “Your days of exploiting tiger’s power through fox’s cunning are numbered!”

“So you’ve babbled here at length, but still refuse to enter the Wa region?”

Li Jun took Fan Wuji’s gun, his words sharp as blades: “You lot are nothing but a herd of cowards!”

Bang!

The bullet shot from the barrel, scattering the floating talisman and Zhang Qingsheng’s words into splinters upon the Cross Street.

The explosion of gunfire soared into the heavens, echoing across the district, sweeping over dazzling lights and ethereal projections, reaching the far end of the Osaka Castle.

On the towering buildings that seemed to pierce sky and earth, Xie Shiliei sat atop a grotesque beast’s head, watching the distant old man with silvered hair.

“Why have you come here?”

“I wonder if you believe your deeds could’ve fooled the heavens?”

“I meant no offense.”

Xie Shiliei’s wild mane, matted with rain, streaked down his angular features.

“Your audacity to come to Osaka Castle—how dare you!”

Xie Shiliei scoffed: “Pretending ignorance? An honest man would simply stay and tend his own affairs—your Three-Chuan Heavy Industry, waiting for the Ming Dynasty’s new policies to stabilize, then finding a high seat to lean on, serving as another’s dog, gnawing on the bones your master gave you. Such a life suits you, doesn’t it? After all, you’ve done this before—why not do it again?”

“You traitor, daring to lecture me?”

Ou Yang Yuan changed his posture, his anger no longer smoldering but blazing. His blade pointed at Xie Shiliei’s chest.

“If we were in the age of war between Japan and the Ming, you wouldn’t even have the right to pat my horse.”

“You should be grateful I wasn’t born yet.”

Ou Yang Yuan’s voice was a low growl: “Otherwise, leaders like you wouldn’t have survived to this day.”

“I’ll let history judge my deeds and transgressions. But you, this foreign dog kept by the Miyoshi, will never see that day.”

A faint hum emanated from the old man’s chest, nearly lost in the thunderous rain.

“The worst thing Toyotomi Hideyoshi ever did was give you the chance to rise.”

“The mistakes he made were not limited to that single act.”

Xie Shiliei slowly rose, his black feathered cloak rustling, his naked skin etched with grotesque demonic features, teeth bared, claws outstretched, hungry for prey.

“But you lack the right to know these things. In Toyotomi’s eyes, you’re merely a docile dog meant to be bitten!”

The hum grew louder, Ou Yang Yuan’s voice dripping with malice: “What did you say?”

“You’re too old to hear, aren’t you?”

Xie Shiliei laughed: “You think Toyotomi was your leader, the one to fulfill your life’s wish? He never saw you as a companion!”

“Do you know what he did in secret—keeping the cranes in hiding? Our three families plotting with the Lamba King? His plan to betray us all for a lifetime of wealth?”

“You really think the High Field was built for your restoration? Ou Yang Yuan, your old eyes are dim with folly—you truly believe a mere dream could shield the Ming’s tigers and leopards from their watchful gaze? The High Field was nothing but a pawn in his game, just like you and me!”

Feng Shengshi gazed mournfully at the old man, declaring, "From start to finish you know naught; for the master's deeds a dog cannot govern, and you, you are the very hound he bred!"

Buzz.

The ferocious roar of the mechanical heart cleaved gold and stone, instantly smothering the clamor of wind and rain!

Shut up!

Feng Chen Yuanjiang's hair, a tangled tapestry of black and white, fluttered wildly in the wind; his massive arms tore open his robe sleeves, and flames surged from his back like a thunderbolt aimed at Feng Shengshi.

Unaware of life or death.

Feng Shengshi sneered cruelly, clenched his five fingers into a fist, and hurled it forward!

Thud!

Raging gusts lifted the shrouded gray tiles and shattered the stone beasts that lined the spine.

Both fought with reckless abandon, attacking headlong; amid clashing fists, shattered fragments and vivid crimson blood were hurled into the air.

Amid the mournful wail of overburdened timber, the majestic building gave way, collapsing into a heap of ruin.

Entangled figures crashed into the lower building, a terrifying fissure racing down the walls as glass facades exploded into shards.

I have long desired to kill you, especially beholding your foolish, loyal‑dog demeanor; I especially wished to end your tragic life with my own hands!

Feng Shengshi's fist smashed the figure before him; his massive form glided like a ghost through the debris, flashing behind Feng Chen Yuanjiang's airborne silhouette as his leg struck like an axe.

Feng Chen Yuanjiang raised both arms to shield himself, yet unimaginable force dragged him down, his back smashing through a floor and carving a huge crater.

Feng Shengshi grinned wickedly, lunged after him, but a blinding torrent of gold surged forward, instantly swallowing him.

The roar of gunfire explosions thundered, shaking the entire building.

Feng Chen Yuanjiang, alone like an army, his twin muzzles dense as a forest, unleashed a storm of metal that tore Feng Shengshi's clothing into fragments, while the embedded bullets clad his flesh like dark‑yellow armor.

Soldiers are but substitutes for martial prowess; you, a counterfeit, dare to challenge the true master?

A phantom like a specter rose against the flow of bullets, its terrifying fist silhouette swelling larger before Feng Chen Yuanjiang's eyes.

Clang!

The old man's arm cannon suddenly contracted, and a gleaming blade shot forth from his palm.

The blade's edge sliced the fist, sparking a cascade of dazzling flashes.

Feng Shengshi, wild in posture, his nearly naked body bore fierce eyes; his mighty physique dismissed Feng Chen Yuanjiang's blade, and he met the clash of bare fists, the sound echoing long.

Mmm.

A deep, suppressed groan escaped Feng Chen Yuanjiang's mouth as his fist, lodged in his abdomen, shattered several hard mechanical bones; sharp fragments pierced the mechanical organs in place of his viscera, erupting arcs of electricity and sparks.

Unmindful of his abdominal wound, Feng Chen Yuanjiang turned his head, dodging a frontal punch; a razor‑sharp fist wind slashed his cheek, tearing away vast swaths of synthetic flesh to reveal inhuman steel bone.

In the moment of life and death, he kicked fiercely at Feng Shengshi's chest, using the momentum to pull himself back.

Sizzle!

The arm pulling out of his gut dragged a large broken piece, clinking and clattering onto the dust‑covered ground.

Knowing he was no match, he still came to die.

Feng Shengshi bowed his head, brushed away nonexistent dust from his chest, and sneered, "Do you think such cheap loyalty can wash away your treachery against Wa?"

Feng Shengshi gave a cold laugh, lifted his head, and collided with Feng Chen Yuanjiang's indifferent gaze, an unexpected tremor stirring in his heart.

The eyes in his gaze were not those of a doomed loser about to die, but of a rational, calm mercenary.

He waited for an opening, waiting for a chance to kill himself completely.

Though he thought such a notion absurd, Feng Shengshi became quietly aware.

Buzz.

The overclocked mechanical heart's buzz, sharp as an invisible blade, pierced Feng Shengshi's mind.

His eyes suddenly went blank, and he fell into a brief unconsciousness.

Boom!

A fierce explosion engulfed the entire floor, surging flames washing everything to ash, even turning the exposed rebar in the columns red‑hot.

Ting!

A cold blade plunged into the flames; its fierce force twisted a spiral of wind, and the scattered fire revealed Feng Shengshi's still bewildered face.

So. You swapped a mechanical heart?

In Feng Chen Yuanjiang's shocked gaze, those eyes filled with bewilderment suddenly flickered with a cold light.

Sizzle!

Feng Shengshi raised his hand, gripping the long knife that had pierced his face, its tip half an inch into his brow, and the crimson blood slowly dripped down his high nose.

No matter how Feng Chen Yuanjiang thrust his blade, he could never advance another millimeter.

Alas, your desperate strike is but the beginning for me.

Feng Shengshi curled his lips, showing a row of pristine teeth, "The gap between us cannot be bridged by a single mechanical heart!"

Bad!

Feng Chen Yuanjiang's heart sank as his five fingers, gripping the knife, were about to release, but it was already too late.

Amid a sickening metallic distortion, the blade gripped by Feng Shengshi twisted like a pretzel, the contorted force rolling up the blade, tearing his arm holding it into a rain of fine fragments.

No screams of agony, no feeble pleas.

With only one arm left, Feng Chen Yuanjiang mustered fierce lone courage, snatching the blade flashing past and thrusting it viciously into Feng Shengshi's eye socket.

The embedded blade halted just before the raging eyes, missing by a hair's breadth.

Yet that hair's breadth is a chasm older man can never cross.

Feng Shengshi bent his knees slightly, opened his fists, his body shimmering with dark gold light, the vivid demon tattoos across his bulging muscles undulating as if ready to burst from his flesh.

Every steel rod was soaked in fierce flame, each iron bone exposed its sharp edge.

Feng Shengshi, like a descending demon lord, gathered raging power into his right fist, unleashing a thunderous assault forward.

Thump!

Feng Chen Yuanjiang's body, like a shell torn open, surged through broken walls, charging out of the building and into the raging storm.

Maimed limbs whistled down, fading into the boiling neon glow like a purgatorial inferno.

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