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

Chapter 514 Relentless Slaughter

Internal strife and division, once started, can quickly spiral out of control. Wu Chengyu's choice of Fang Yaning as the one to take the lead was perfect.

Sufficient identity, the power left behind by Fang Yu, the martial prowess to stand alone after Yang Xu was injured, and most importantly, enough hatred for Yang Xu.

This is what Wu Chengyu cares about most. Fang Yaning was a witness to and participant in the entire process of Nangong Luan's rebellion. Once she has the opportunity to take revenge, this woman will definitely give everything.

As Wu Chengyu had predicted, in just over a month while he was drinking and gambling in Hou Tu Banner and waiting for the incident to unfold, the Ming Cult split into three factions.

The orthodox faction, led by the cult leader Yang Xu and the Left Envoy Wu Du, is currently the most powerful force under his command. The young and promising faction that he recruited to fight against Nangong Luan back then has, under his years of management, become the main force of the Ming Cult.

However, after being seriously injured, Yang Xu became hesitant. At least until his martial strength was restored, he did not show the courage to immediately suppress the rebellion. During this period, his subordinates gathered at the main altar to protect his safety.

In addition, he was always worried about the powerful fighting force hidden in the Ming Cult, and he devoted some of his energy to investigating Li Geda and others, but the more he investigated, the less he gained.

For Yang Xu, this force was lurking in the shadows, and its threat seemed greater than that of the other rebels who wanted to bring him down.

The former subordinates of Xiong Wang, Hu Wang, and Nangong Luan now call themselves the Fuming Hall, claiming to help the Ming Cult restore order. When Wu Chengyu heard this, he thought that someone wanted to overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming, while the Qing Dynasty was still eating raw meat and drinking blood outside the Great Wall.

This force is the weakest overall, mainly because it only has two top-tier experts on the surface and no one who can truly carry the banner. However, they are also the most tolerant. The initial purpose of these people gathering together was simply to prevent Yang Xu from purging them.

They usually occupy a mountain peak near Bright Summit. Apart from secretly stirring up trouble, they can hardly hold their heads high in the face of the other two factions and are mainly concerned with self-preservation.

On the surface, Fang Yaning is the most powerful. She has many skilled subordinates and calls herself the Holy Maiden Flag. She herself is also a top-tier fighter. When Yang Xu was still injured and dared not make a move, even Wu Du was inferior to her in a one-on-one fight.

The most troublesome thing right now is the Holy Maiden Flag, especially with Fang Yaning collaborating with those restless, senior members of the Elders' Hall, making a huge fuss.

On one hand, the elders were causing trouble every day, finding fault with Yang Xu and criticizing him harshly. Relying on their seniority, Yang Xu couldn't do anything about them for a while.

On one hand, Fang Yaning's experts were always provoking Yang Xu's subordinates. On this point, they were evenly matched, and Yang Xu did not dare to make a move. Fang Yaning and Wu Du were facing off against each other, and their subordinates fought each other, but they had not yet caused any unmanageable mess.

Overall, all three forces are maintaining restraint while trying to recruit more people and expand their influence.

Besides the Five Elements Banners under its command, the Ming Cult also had the Envoy and Dharma King above it, as well as many other halls, each with its own responsibilities. Not all of these people were under the command of these three factions.

Qian Hao is a disciple of the Ming Cult's Dharma Protector Hall. The Dharma Protector Hall is generally led by the four Dharma Kings of the Ming Cult and is also the main gathering place for the forces under these Dharma Kings.

The current Dharma Protectorate is no longer what it used to be. Divided by various forces, it is even more fragmented than the Ming Cult. The forces that originally belonged to Tiger King and Bear King have been pulled out and become semi-independent, while the remaining part still obeys the original Snake King, Wu Du.

As for Fox King Zhou Xuancheng, he had been lying low in Jiangnan for too long, and there were not many people left in the Dharma Protectorate. The few remaining old followers did not align themselves with the Fox King's son after he returned to the Ming Cult, and became idle members of the Dharma Protectorate.

Besides a few of the Dharma King's subordinates, there are other small factions within the Dharma Protector Hall.

Qian Hao is now one of the representatives of the small faction. He is also considered an old man of the Ming Cult. He is over forty years old this year. The reason he is in the Dharma Protector Hall is because his ancestors also produced a Dharma King. He was the Dharma King when the next leader of the cult was in power after the failure of Fang La's uprising.

Later, his descendants were incompetent, and after the death of this Dharma King, no one was able to succeed him. The family fortunes declined, but they were still deeply rooted in the Dharma Protector Hall, and they had gathered some idle people, so their strength was neither too great nor too small.

Qian Hao is a very cautious man. He has over a hundred brothers under his command, and they are quite capable in combat. Recently, he has been trying to win over various parties. He always smiles at everyone and only goes through the motions of following orders. He is not exactly outwardly compliant but also doesn't put in much effort.

This guy's family martial arts skills are also quite good, top-tier second-rate. His Five Tigers Severing Door Saber is extremely fierce, and in the martial arts world, he is roughly at the level of Peng Lianhu and Sha Tongtian. He is already considered a rare master in the Dharma Protector Hall.

Neither Yang Xu, Fang Yaning, nor the former subordinates of Tiger King, Bear King, and Nangong Luan were willing to force him too much and push him to the enemy camp.

Qian Hao is currently a hot commodity, everyone wants him, and he's actually living quite comfortably amidst the chaos of the Ming Cult.

It was late at night, and he was drinking the fine aged wine that Fang Yaning had sent over, and eating the delicacies that Fumingtang had delivered that morning. He was quite pleased with himself.

The subordinate next to him was somewhat indignant: "Brother Hao, I think neither the Holy Maiden Flag nor the Fuming Hall are trying to win you over. They have no sincerity at all. It's just about food and drink. They want us brothers to risk our lives for them."

Qian Hao didn't react much, and said calmly, "The power of Fumingtang has been greatly reduced, and they don't have anything good to offer. But look, what they sent is vegetables. In the dead of winter, in the far west of Kunlun Mountain, to be able to get vegetables is already a great show of sincerity."

As for the young lady, she's used to being high and mighty. I wasn't even qualified to get close to her and talk to her before. Now that I'm able to take the initiative to show some goodwill, it's already a great honor for her. Why be so critical?

"With food and drink to eat and watch them fight, wouldn't that be wonderful?" "But although Leader Yang didn't send anything, he promised that when he reorganizes the Ming Cult in the future, he will give you the position of Protector King."

"Brother Hao, if you could become the Dharma Protector, wouldn't you be able to restore the glory of our ancestors, and we brothers would all benefit from it?"

Qian Hao scoffed, "It's precisely because my family produced a Dharma King who protected the faith that I know that position is not easy to hold. Now that I've submitted to Yang Xu, I'll just be cannon fodder when the war breaks out. I'll lose my life. What kind of Dharma King am I?"

"So, Brother Hao, what do you mean?"

"Isn't this good enough? Nobody dares to offend me. We'll make a decision when they're close to deciding the winner."

While it's true that offering help in times of need is worse than adding to someone's success, what you actually have in your hands is often the best. Enough said; let's focus on enjoying these good things first.

Just as the dozen or so people began to eat and drink recklessly, there was a sound of footsteps on the roof tiles. Qian Hao, being a top-tier second-rate expert, immediately noticed it, signaled to the others, and then drew his family heirloom sword.

The next moment, the tightly locked door was cleaved open with a single blow, and the wind and snow outside rushed in, with a figure flashing past in the blizzard.

Before Qian Hao could lock onto his opponent, he heard the screams of more than a dozen brothers around him almost simultaneously. He saw a figure flash before his eyes, accompanied by a flash of cold light and splattering blood.

Qian Hao knew he had encountered an unprecedented expert tonight. The newcomer didn't say a word, just raised his knife and started killing. He knew that only by fighting desperately could he survive.

“We have not agreed to pledge allegiance to either side. If you spare my life, we will certainly be willing to submit to you. However, we do not know which side you belong to.”

Shouting as he spoke, Qian Hao wielded his knife with lightning speed. In this life-or-death moment, he unleashed the full potential of his Five Tigers Breaking Gate Knife technique, which he had honed since childhood. Yet, his heart grew colder and more panicked.

The five strongest moves of the Five Tigers Severing Gate Saber are: "White Tiger Leaps into the Ravine", "A Roar Creates the Wind", "Scissors and Pounces Freely", "Dominating the Mountains", and "Subduing the Elephant and Overcoming the Lion", which are used in succession.

However, each move was only halfway executed before being intercepted by the opponent's longsword, forcing the opponent to change moves midway to protect themselves. The White Tiger leaped out halfway, but before it could even roar, its scissors could not be extended. The Overlord seemed like a joke, and the Elephant Lion seemed like an immature child.

All of Qian Hao's sword strikes were forcefully shattered by the opponent's longsword. He felt as if a fishbone was stuck in his throat, and instead felt a tightness in his chest, making it difficult to relax. He steeled his heart and forcefully condensed and burst forth the offensive power he had been holding back. He focused entirely on offense and had no defense, gathering all his strength to slash at the opponent.

But this time his blade missed completely. The figure vanished before his eyes, followed by a sharp pain throughout his body. His limbs scattered in the air almost simultaneously, and finally, a chill ran down his spine. Qian Hao's vision went black, and he was no longer alive.

"The Five Tigers Severing the Gate Blade is nothing more than that." These were the last words he heard.

After the figure disappeared, an unknown amount of time passed, until the smell of blood dissipated, which caused the surrounding Ming Cult disciples to gasp in alarm.

Following Qian Hao, several other gangs also ran into trouble within two months. They were all small forces that wanted to switch sides, and their leaders all died in assassinations, powerless to fight back. The only certainty was that the person who did it was a terrifying swordsman.

Inside the Ming Cult's secret passage, Wu Chengyu frowned as he looked at Li Geda. The murderous aura and bloody smell emanating from him were almost suffocating his eyes and nose. This kid's bloodlust was too great; he had killed so many people recently, and it was almost impossible to control him.

"After the Ming Cult matter is settled, you'll come with me to Jiangnan. You're not allowed to fight anyone for a year. If this continues, I'm afraid you'll become a murderous maniac."

Li Geda never disobeyed Wu Chengyu's orders. Although he didn't say anything, he obediently nodded in agreement.

This kid is incredibly talented, and he's received the best training from Wu Chengyu. Of the three strongest members of the Beiwei Army, Xiao Lu has to lead the secret agents in Xixia, Song Mu has to be distracted by military affairs, and only he is focused on either martial arts or killing.

In a few years, once this kid's skills have deepened further, he'll probably be among the top experts, leaving the other two far behind.

Jiang Ruocheng, standing nearby, was also shaken by the cold and stern Li Geda. This kid was not only ruthless in killing, but his methods were even more ruthless. After those people were killed, Jiang Ruocheng also went to check on them, and basically none of them had a complete corpse.

“Brother Wu, as you predicted, those opportunists were terrified after their leader was killed. They basically all believe that one of the three factions was behind it. Now these guys are all looking for someone to join them. Except for the elderly, women and children, the entire Ming Cult has basically been taken over by these three forces.”

"That's perfect. Every single member of the Ming Cult will be involved."

"What are your plans next?"

"Now the only way for the three families is to go to war. The loser will die without a burial place, and the winner can lead the Ming Cult. They have no way to retreat. All that is needed is a fuse."

"Before, we killed the opportunists; now, we'll target their trusted subordinates."

(End of this chapter)