Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 256 Rakshasa Cult Leader, Evil Ghost Jade Rakshasa
"When...did this old man appear?"

After this period of tempering, Bru is no longer as arrogant and conceited as he once was, believing that he can run rampant in the world just because he has the energy box in his hands.

The martial arts world is full of talented people; perhaps a reclusive master is hiding somewhere.

His idea would be impossible to realize even in the Western Regions, let alone in the Central Plains.

The longer one practices martial arts, the stronger one becomes.

A young man in his early twenties may not necessarily be weak. But an old man with white hair and beard who is still wandering the martial arts world must be quite powerful.

At this moment, the old man not only looked old, but he was also able to quietly appear beside them without them noticing at all.

His true strength must be unfathomable.

Bru said, "Old sir, you saw it yourself. How crazy those people were to snatch the Rakshasa Token? Even a Second-Grandmaster would find it hard to take the Rakshasa Token from them, let alone my two brothers, who are only at the Innate Realm. It's better for us not to get involved in this mess."

"Oh? You're just giving up like that? Are you really willing to accept it?"

The old man asked with a smile.

Bru said, "There's no such thing as being willing or unwilling. If you lack the ability, you can only accept your fate."

The old man nodded: "It's good to have self-awareness. There are countless people in the martial arts world who clearly lack the ability but still have ambition, always wanting to meddle in matters they shouldn't. I think people like them should learn from you."

Blue's heart jumped.

What did the other person mean by that?
Just a simple reflection?
Or does it have a deeper meaning?
The old man continued, "Having self-awareness is enough to make you better than them. The three brothers working together are also far superior to those three. I have high hopes for you all. After this matter, how about coming to serve under me?"

Bru was taken aback, never expecting that after talking for so long, the other party would actually try to recruit them.

After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Which faction do you belong to, sir?"

The old man chuckled and said, "The Rakshasa Sect!"

"What?!" The three brothers were all shocked upon hearing this.

The old man laughed and said, "What's so surprising about that? Right now, the matter of the Rakshasa Token is related to the succession of our Rakshasa Sect's leader. How could we not care?"

"I see. May I ask which protector of the Rakshasa Cult you are, sir?" Bru nodded and then asked.

"Guardian? Haha, you'll find out soon enough."

The old man moved and suddenly disappeared in front of the three brothers.

If it weren't for the echo of the old man's voice in their ears, the three of them would have thought they were seeing a ghost.

This shows how superb the old man's lightness skill was.

The vanished old man had now reappeared before Kunsha.

Kunsha's expression changed, but he still politely clasped his hands in greeting: "Sir, in the current situation, it might cause misunderstandings if you approach others rashly."

The old man said, "Young man, you are quite cautious. Caution is good. Unfortunately, I came to find you because of something presumptuous."

Kunsha took two steps back and asked, "What is it?"

The old man chuckled and said, "The belt around your waist is quite extraordinary. May I take a look?"

Kunsa's expression changed, and he immediately reached down and pressed on his waist.

A golden light burst forth, instantly enveloping his entire body and transforming into a suit of armor with a golden base and interwoven white cloud patterns.

The old man's eyes seemed to be shining: "Looking at it again, it still feels mysterious. There is such a treasure in this world."

He reached directly for Kunsa's waist, attempting to snatch the energy box.

Kunsha quickly stepped back, his body shimmering with cloud patterns that gathered in his palm, and suddenly emitted a cloud of energy.

The old man easily shattered the cloud with a backhand palm strike, then flashed over to catch up with Kunsha and struck Kunsha's shoulder with another palm strike.

The immense force knocked Kunsa to the ground.

He reached down and pulled the energy box out from the waist.

The golden light faded, and the armor disappeared.

Kunsha, his face pale, gathered his inner energy in his throat and shouted, "Brother Lu, save me!"

Lu Xiaofeng, caught in the midst of the fierce battle, turned around and was immediately shocked. He stomped his foot and used his lightness skill to fly over and rescue Kunsha.

He had expected Bluebeard and the others to intervene at this moment, and he was even prepared to fight back. However, to his surprise, everyone was stunned and looked incredulous.

Lu Xiaofeng had no time to think. He flashed to Kunsha's side, holding the Thunderclap Sword horizontally in front of him: "Senior, at your age, it's a bit unreasonable for you to deal with a seriously injured young man, isn't it?"

The old man ignored him, holding the energy box in his hand and studying it curiously.

Lu Xiaofeng said, "Senior, it's not a good habit to steal other people's things. How about we return this to Brother Kun?"

The old man then looked up: "You want something from me?"

"Returning things to their rightful owner is a matter of course."

"Reason?" The old man chuckled. "For many years, no one has dared to stand before me and ask me to reason with them. How many years ago was the last one? Hanmei, my memory is bad, can you help me remember?"

Lu Xiaofeng was startled: "So the old senior is Hanmei's old friend."

"Old friend? Hanmei doesn't deserve that title. Don't you think so...?"

The old man glanced at the plum blossom in the cold.

The two were separated by a distance of several dozen feet, but that one gaze made Han Mei's face turn pale. She couldn't help but take several steps back, almost falling, and said in a panic, "Sect... Sect Leader! You? You're not dead?"

Bishop?

Hanmei's trembling voice seemed contagious, causing everyone present to shudder involuntarily.

Some people were shocked.

For example, the three Blue brothers never expected that this mysterious old man was actually the legendary deceased leader of the Rakshasa Sect—Jade Rakshasa!

"Just now... he was trying to recruit us, right?"

Red said, somewhat incredulously.

Although their initial target was the Rakshasa talisman, after a period of constant setbacks, while the three still verbally claimed they wanted to steal it, they were clearly no longer as enthusiastic as before.

Under these circumstances, Yu Luosha even personally approached them to recruit them.

So, perhaps accepting this offer is a good option.

In contrast, the other people from the Western Regions were filled with fear.

When the name "Jade Rakshasa" reached the Central Plains, it might have simply been a name.

But in the Western Regions, his reputation for ferocity was so great that he could be considered a synonym for evil spirits.

Unlike the Central Plains, the Western Regions lacked a peaceful environment and rich cultural heritage. Instead, it was filled with one hostile state after another, and countless people who judged themselves solely by strength. It was impossible to educate them with virtue; only force and slaughter could intimidate them.

The journey of Jade Rakshasa can truly be described as a path where one sect's success is built on the bones of countless others.

People from the Western Regions, especially those from the area close to the Yuan and Ming dynasties, all feared the name "Jade Rakshasa."

The most feared of all were the Three Friends of Winter, who were under the command of Jade Rakshasa.

Hanmei turned pale and retreated repeatedly after just one glance from Yu Luosha.

The two, Kusong and Guzhu, felt similar fears, or even greater.

Just then, Jade Rakshasa turned her gaze to the two of them again: "Elder? I don't recall that there is such a position in the Rakshasa Sect, is there?"

Kusong's body trembled, and he said, "Master...I...I..."

As he spoke, the trembling spread throughout his body. Suddenly, he stopped, his eyes widened, his body straightened, and then he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

He died! He was scared to death by just one sentence from Yu Luosha!

Although the poor condition of the pine tree was also due to previous injuries and poisoning.

But the fact that a dignified Second Flower Grandmaster was scared to death by the appearance of Jade Rakshasa and by a single question from her is enough to prove how terrifying Jade Rakshasa is.

Gu Zhu's mental fortitude was clearly stronger; upon seeing this, he immediately knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly.

The resounding kowtow echoed through the silent night.

"Master! I deserve to die! I deserve to die a thousand deaths! But please, Master, have mercy on me..."

"If you deserve to die, then die! Why waste so much breath!"

With a swift movement, Yu Luosha appeared before Gu Zhu like a ghost, her icy voice cutting off Gu Zhu's words like a sword.

He then reached out and struck Gu Zhu with a palm, instantly killing him.

The corpse lay on the ground, its eyes wide open, bloodshot pupils revealing the fear it felt before its death.

Upon seeing that both men were dead, Hanmei turned and fled without saying a word.

But a palm strike came chasing after him, and while he was still in mid-air, he fell straight down and crashed into the ruins.

With a crisp sound, it shattered into dozens of pieces.

I don't know what kind of skill Jade Rakshasa used to make someone die so tragically.

After killing his three subordinates, Jade Rakshasa moved again and appeared behind Bluebeard.

"I've long heard of your reputation as the Flying Jade Tiger, which has allowed you to lead the Black Tiger Hall to hold off my Rakshasa Sect for so many years. Now that we've finally met, why do you leave without saying a word?"

Bluebeard was actually already retreating, but he didn't expect the Three Friends of Winter to disappear so easily and quickly, so he didn't get very far.

At that moment, feeling that terrifying aura behind him, Bluebeard's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally died.

He took out a piece of purple ancient jade from his bosom. It was intricately carved with countless demons and evil spirits; it was the Rakshasa Token.

"I thought all of this was within my calculations, but now it seems that all my schemes are still in your hands."

"good."

Jade Rakshasa reached out and took the Rakshasa Token into her palm. Her true energy surged and surging, manifesting as immense power, which she then applied to the Rakshasa Token.

Then a cracking sound was heard, and the Rakshasa tablet burst open, breaking into countless fragments that scattered all over the ground.

"Hahaha, so the real Rakshasa Token has always been in your hands, and you have never given it to your son... No, I'm afraid that Yu Tianbao isn't your son at all!"

Bluebeard chuckled self-deprecatingly.

He was a smart man; when he saw Yu Luosha appear, he knew that all his plans were just a joke in other people's eyes.

The poisoning and the sneak attack were probably just Yu Luosha's way of creating the illusion that she had faked her death.

Yu Tianbao was not his son to begin with, and his bringing the Rakshasa Token to the Central Plains was probably a scheme.

As for Yu Luosha's purpose, it's not hard to guess: she wanted to use it to lure out Feitian Yuhu, who had been hiding in the shadows and manipulating the Black Tiger Hall and the Rakshasa Sect against her.

At the same time, we can also see how many ambitious people within the Rakshasa Sect, and even in the Western Regions, are coveting the Rakshasa Sect, and eliminate them all.

It can be said to kill two birds with one stone.

"No wonder you can control the Black Tiger Hall and oppose me for so many years. You are indeed clever," Jade Rakshasa praised.

Bluebeard smiled wryly: "But I'm still not as cunning as you."

"Ready to die?"

"Could you give me a little last time to leave a final message?"

"it is good."

Jade Rakshasa nodded in agreement.

Bluebeard let out a long breath, then raised his hand and scratched his face, tearing off another disguise mask.

It turns out that his disguise skills were exquisite, allowing him to cover his face with two layers of disguise masks.

The first layer is the face he is currently displaying, which is exactly the same as Zhong Tianyu's.

The second layer, naturally, is the face of the bluebeard.

Bluebeard is slightly overweight and has a blue beard, which he uses to try to conceal the drawbacks of this double-layered disguise.

He had previously removed Bluebeard's disguise mask, but he still wore another layer on his face to conceal his true identity.

But at this moment, all concealment is meaningless.

He immediately removed the disguise mask, revealing his true face.

It was a young and handsome face.

Many people present looked surprised, because they all knew this person.

This face is Fang Yufei's original appearance.

In people's minds, he is a rising star among the younger generation in Northwest China.

He also has another identity: Bluebeard's brother-in-law.

Who would have thought that these two identities belong to the same person?

If this were any other time, it would probably have already sparked a lot of discussion.

But now, under the power of Jade Rakshasa, everyone was silent and trembling, and many were looking around at their surroundings, thinking about how to escape.

They had no time to care about Fang Yufei's identity.

Fang Yufei tore off his mask, took a deep breath, and suddenly said, "Whether it's Bluebeard, the owner of Silver Hook Gambling House, or Flying Jade Tiger, the leader of Black Tiger Hall, they are just identities I have. I... am Fang Yufei!"

"Is this your last words? Heh, well, what a fine man you are."

Yu Luosha instantly understood Fang Yufei's meaning.

A true man, if he cannot live on five tripods of food, he shall die cooked in five tripods!
Fang Yufei's scheme failed, and he is destined to die here today. There's nothing more to say.

But he could not bear to die as Bluebeard, Flying Jade Tiger, or Zhong Tianyu.

He is Fang Yufei, and no one else!

While he was alive, he used various aliases and identities to advance his schemes and plots.

But before he died, he revealed his true identity to the world.

Even Jade Rakshasa couldn't help but show a hint of admiration for such behavior.

Even so, when Yu Luosha made her move, she did not hesitate at all; in fact, she was even more swift and ruthless.

A fleeting afterimage flashed by.

No one could even see his move clearly.

Fang Yufei's breath grew weaker.

He revealed his true self to the crowd, and then fell straight down.

The owner of Silver Hook Gambling House ultimately died there, along with the hundreds of martial artists he had tricked and killed.

As Yu Luosha turned her head and focused her gaze on the others, it seemed to imply that more lives would perish here!

(End of this chapter)