The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 513 Torn Apart
Although these frozen corpses all looked gruesome, anyone with a little experience in the martial arts world could tell at a glance.

These twisted limbs are the result of immense pain before death, but none of them showed any obvious injuries on their faces, suggesting they died from poisoning.

There is no other explanation besides this. These thirty-odd people are not ordinary Ming Cult disciples; they would be considered martial arts masters in the outside world.

Wu Du walked up to a person and examined him carefully. He even dipped his finger in the black blood at the corner of the person's mouth and smelled it. His expression immediately became somewhat strange.

Fang Yaning remained silent with a cold expression, while Yang Xu asked in a deep voice, "Is it poisoning? Did Left Envoy Wu discover anything?"

After hesitating for a moment, Wu Du finally spoke: "It is indeed poisoning, and it is snake venom."

All eyes, both inside and outside the house, immediately focused on Wu Du, who looked helpless and unsure where to begin.

Fang Yaning sneered: "There are many people in my Ming Cult who are skilled in using poison, but I'm afraid only Wu Zuoshi is skilled in using snake venom. Going back three generations, your family were all snake kings of my Ming Cult. I wonder how Wu Zuoshi explains that."

Wu Du was quite helpless. From the moment he discovered it was snake venom, he knew he couldn't explain himself. He had originally wanted to kill these guards as soon as possible, and the Ming Cult knew this. The key point was that he was indeed the most skilled at using snake venom.

The name "Green-Eyed Snake King" comes from the fact that he came into contact with too many venomous snakes, which gradually turned his eyes green. He was usually proud of his skill in using snake venom, but unexpectedly, he became the prime suspect this time.

"Holy Maiden, you are wise. Although I am skilled in using snake venom, I would never easily harm my disciples, let alone kill so many people with snake venom in one go."

Furthermore, even if I were to kill someone, I wouldn't do it so obviously, letting everyone know it was me. In my opinion, someone is definitely framing me on purpose.

Yang Xu nodded and said, "As you know, Junior Sister, a group of people have infiltrated our Ming Cult and are causing trouble. The deaths of these brothers must have been their doing. Left Envoy Wu has no reason to do such things."

Fang Yaning sneered, "Is that so?" Her words implied a silent doubt about Yang Xu's claim of having no reason. In her opinion, Yang Xu and Wu Du had far too many reasons, and even she believed that these people in front of her were not killed on Yang Xu's orders.

But sometimes the facts don't matter; what matters is that the other party is a suspect, and that's enough. A reason to make a fuss about it has already been given.

Fang Yaning ignored the two men and knelt on one knee before her dead brother, making a lotus flower shape with her hands and muttering incantations.

"Burn my broken body, raging fire, what joy is there in life, what bitterness in death? Do good and eliminate evil, only for the sake of light. Joy and sorrow, all return to dust. Pity me, the people of this world, for I have many worries. Pity me, the people of this world, for I have many worries."

As her voice grew louder, more than sixty guards outside knelt down on one knee at the same time, joining her in reciting the Ming Cult's eulogy. Even Yang Xu and Wu Du's men echoed her sentiments.

After Fang Yaning finished reading, she turned around and stopped looking at Yang Xu and Wu Du, and ordered, "Collect the brothers' remains and come with me. We don't need to see this sacred fire."

The remaining sixty-odd guards bowed their heads and accepted the order. More than thirty men stepped forward to pick up the corpses on the ground, while the rest closely protected Fang Yaning.

"Senior brother, given what has happened today, let's not dwell on our past agreement. Some things must come to a conclusion. I will report this matter to the elders and seek justice for these brothers."

Yang Xu's expression also turned extremely ugly. Fang Yaning was now openly defying him, claiming to be seeking justice for her brother, but what she really wanted to settle was the cause of Fang Yu's death.

However, the situation he was facing was no longer under his control. First of all, he could not take action. Fang Yaning's martial arts were also top-notch. He only had Wu Du by his side to fight against her, but there were also more than sixty personal guards. This force was enough to prevent him from making any rash moves.

He could only watch helplessly as Fang Yaning left with her personal guard, and the other believers no longer seemed to look at him with the same awe.

From this moment on, his prestige as the leader of the cult plummeted once again, and he was no longer able to control the situation.

He turned to look at Wu Du, who still looked loyal: "Since it's snake venom, can you confirm who did it?"

Wu Du shook his head: "I know all the venomous snakes near Kunlun Mountain. I have never seen this kind of venom before, but its toxicity is terrifying."

These guards, after being poisoned, should have immediately lost their mobility and died within a few breaths from immense pain. The onset was rapid and swift; if I were poisoned, I couldn't guarantee I would survive.

Yang Xu took a deep breath: "I'll leave this matter to you to investigate. We've already confirmed that there's a terrible enemy hiding on Bright Peak, and we must find him as soon as possible."

Furthermore, I ordered the Five Elements Flags to be deployed with strict defenses, stopping any unfamiliar faces entering from the outside. My Ming Cult can no longer withstand any more turmoil.”

"Your subordinate understands, but Master, Fang Yaning has now made it clear that she intends to rebel. Does Your Master have a countermeasure?"

Yang Xu turned and descended the mountain, leaving only one sentence: "She can't do anything for now. I still have enough power to suppress her. I'll make plans after I recover." Moments later, news of Fang Yaning spread throughout Bright Peak. Everyone knew that this young lady had raised the curtain against Yang Xu, and Yang Xu's weak performance gave those with good intentions hope.

Inside Hou Tu Tang, Wu Chengyu was eating snake soup, with Pang Kun and Pu Zhishen beside him.

Pang Kun looked at the snake soup in front of him, its aroma was enticing, but he didn't dare to touch it at all: "I didn't expect you, Brother Wu, to be so skilled in using poison. More than thirty experts were all killed. You are truly amazing. The title of Snake King of Wu Poison should be given to you."

Wu Chengyu ate the snake meat in large mouthfuls, swallowing the entire bowl before finally speaking with satisfaction.

"I'm not actually good at using poison, but I'm extremely knowledgeable about snake venom. Or you could say I'm the ancestor of snakes. I can just catch a few different venomous snakes, take out their venom sacs, and mix them in different proportions."

Even if that Wu Poison King is the Snake King, he wouldn't be able to tell that these are mixed poisons. But we can't waste this snake meat. What are you afraid of? Compared to concocting poisons, I'm much better at making snake soup. It's not only delicious but also very nourishing, perfect for you old men.”

Seeing that Pang Kun and Pu Zhishen politely declined, Wu Chengyu did not insist any further: "I heard that Fang Yaning led her personal guards directly to Shouxiu Peak, where you can soak in hot springs, and drove away all the disciples who originally belonged to Yang Xu. Moreover, she spread the word that the succession of Yang Xu as the leader is in doubt."

Pu Zhishen smiled broadly: "Master is indeed wise. It seems that Yang Xu has become timid after being seriously injured, and he actually turned a blind eye and let Fang Yaning run rampant."

"What about the other forces of the Ming Cult? Have they made any unusual moves?"

"Reporting to Master, the former subordinates of the Bear King and the Tiger King did want to join forces with Fang Yaning, but Fang Yaning believed that they had participated in the rebellion of Nangong Luan and they were all driven off the mountain."

However, the forces left behind by the Bear King and the Tiger King were not small. They gathered a group of people and occupied a hall outside Bright Peak. Although they did not make any public announcement, their intentions were obvious to everyone.

The loyal followers of Nangong Luan, who had previously cowered in fear of being punished by Yang Xu, are now beginning to stir. They've started to connect with the Bear King and Tiger King's men, and have even gathered a force of their own.

Wu Chengyu nodded. The Ming Cult members had now seen Yang Xu's weakness, which was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them. If they didn't act now, they would miss their chance.

"What is that Elders' Hall? I've never heard of the Ming Cult having such a hall before."

Pang Kun replied, "It's just a group of former high-ranking officials who have stepped down. These people don't actually have much real power anymore, but they have considerable influence below them. When Fang Yu was in power, he was very domineering, so these people all kept to themselves."

However, these people are all old in age but young in spirit. After Yang Xu ascended the throne, they relied on their seniority to start vying for the vacant position of Dharma King. Now that Yang Xu is injured, these old guys are even more unwilling to be idle.

Fang Yaning also used the Elders' Hall as a pretext to question Yang Xu's status, and now it seems she has joined forces with the Elders' Hall.

"How many people do Yang Xu and Wu Du still have under their command? Even if Yang Xu can't fight now, his old subordinates should still be quite strong."

Pu Zhishen replied, "Many medium-sized families and young members of the Ming Cult are under Yang Xu's command. In fact, my Pu family also belongs to Yang Xu, and some people in the Five Elements Banner also obey his orders. So, if you count it this way, there are at least two or three thousand Ming Cult disciples who are completely under his command."

Wu Chengyu counted them and found that, apart from Yang Xu and Wu Du's group, the Ming Cult had now split into four factions: Fang Yaning, the Elders' Hall, the former subordinates of Tiger King and Bear King, and the remnants of Nangong Luan.

Fang Yaning and the Elders' Hall colluded with each other. The former subordinates of Tiger King and Bear King and the remnants of Nangong Luan were actually from the same faction before, but they have now joined forces again.

When Yang Xu's prestige was shaken and he could no longer use his martial arts, these two forces were enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with Yang Xu. Of course, this does not include the Five Elements Camp's direct descendants hidden in the Five Elements Banner, totaling more than 1,500 people.

"Right now they are just hostile to each other, and neither dares to start a war for the time being, for fear of benefiting the other side."

Yang Xu will need at least two more months to recover some of his strength and be able to fight others, so he will not launch an attack during these two months.

What I want is for them to eventually have to go all out in the war, but these things can't be rushed; this pot of meat needs to simmer a little longer to become fragrant.

So, Brother Pang, Commander Pu, give me a list. First, those guys with some standing in their respective factions, but don't touch those for now.

My first targets are those who want to be fence-sitters, or those who choose to remain aloof and unwilling to get involved, while also having a certain influence within the Ming Cult.

I will hand this list over to my subordinates. Speaking of which, I have a great young man who loves assassination. In the next two months or so, I will have him lead his men to call out names one by one. At that time, everyone will either die or be in danger and have no choice but to take sides.

What I want is the complete annihilation of the entire Ming Cult, so that no one can escape unscathed.

(End of this chapter)