He felt his fingertips were about to touch Tang Fei's skin.

Soft and smooth...

Crack!

A black radiance flickered.

Lei Zongnan's smile froze on his face.

His body turned ice-cold, his heart sank.

He lunged into Tang Fei's embrace, but failed to grasp fate by the throat.

For his right hand, which he reached out, was gone, he could not feel its existence.

Only half an arm was left.

That hand had been severed by Tang Fei with a single sword strike.

The Yin Erosion Sword had appeared in his hand at some unknown time.

"You're too slow!"

Tang Fei patted his back, whispering softly in his ear.

Lei Zongnan's left hand turned into a claw, stabbing toward Tang Fei's forehead.

He no longer sought to capture, only to kill.

Even in death, he wanted to take someone with him.

Bang!

Tang Fei kicked out, sending Lei Zongnan's entire body flying.

Tang Fei disappeared on the sofa, but by the time he reappeared, he was standing on top of Lei Zongnan's body.

Yes, Lei Zongnan was flying through the air, while Tang Fei stood atop his body as if he were flying on a sword...

Except he was riding a person.

A heavy stomp on the chest, and Lei Zongnan's body plummeted to the ground.

Snap!

Broken into pieces.

Eyes wide open, he died with lingering resentment.

Tang Fei's body gently landed on the ground, not even sparing Lei Zongnan another glance. His gaze fell on Mr. Yan.

"Do you know why I didn't kill you?" Tang Fei asked.

Mr. Yan bowed deeply, then looked up directly into Tang Fei's eyes, speaking with candid directness, "The Flame Shrine has a public warehouse, but Lei Zongnan had three private warehouses, greater than the public one, holding truly valuable treasures... Only I know about these three private warehouses."

Tang Fei squinted with a smile, saying, "I knew Mr. Yan was a smart man. I like dealing with smart people."

"Thank you for the compliment, Sect Hierarch."

"..." Bai Wuxin.

Such a bootlicker.

"..." An Ning.

Why didn't I think of that?

It's a pity. It should have been me who thought of it first.

"Sect Hierarch?" Tang Fei looked at Mr. Yan with a playful gaze, a faint smile spreading at the corner of his mouth.

"With the Sect Hierarch's vigorous spirit, like a tiger's leap or a dragon's soar, a mere Lingyang Branch is obviously insufficient to satisfy your appetite. So, if I'm not mistaken, you surely plan to swallow the entire Flame Shrine."

"I merely shouted it out a few days earlier; I believe before long, that position of Sect Hierarch will fall into your hands. The position belongs to no one else but you."

"Oh? The Flame Shrine spreads across seventeen districts and nine states of Blue Star; it's grand, powerful... And you're that confident in my success?"

"They are nothing but a motley crew," Mr. Yan said with disdain, "The Sect Hierarch possesses profound skills, surrounded by strong allies, beckoning, and everyone comes at the call."

"Armed with sturdy ships and powerful artillery brought from New Star, advancing both machinery and martial arts... It's like a dimension-reducing strike. How could those people ever be a match for the Sect Hierarch?"

"What about the power of belief?" Tang Fei asked.

"Belief?" Mr. Yan's face grew even more mocking as he spoke, "Although the Flame Shrine worships the Flame God, in the end, they all just huddle together for warmth, a multitude gains strength, and those who outnumber others can bully the fewer."

"If it was the Flame Shrine in its nascent stage, with people sharing beliefs, thinking as one, working as one, willing to throw their heads and spill their blood for the Flame God, indeed it would be formidable."

"However, after centuries of development, both the high echelons of the Shrine and the Grey Robes below prioritize interests over all else, greedy and lascivious, sacrificing public welfare for personal gain."

"It's the same in the Lingyang District as it is in all the other major districts. The personal fortune of Lei Zongnan alone surpassed the entire public treasury of the Flame Shrine..."

"Under such circumstances, how could one expect the followers to remain pure of heart and loyally devote themselves to the end?"

"Just by solving everyone's basic needs, ensuring they're well-fed and clothed, at that time, naturally, you'll have the popular support, and everyone will be willing to embrace a new Sect Hierarch."

"It doesn't sound too bad."

Tang Fei looked at Mr. Yan with a smile and asked, "You don't like Lei Zongnan?"

"When I worked for Lei Zongnan, I liked him," Mr. Yan responded, understanding what Tang Fei was worried about, "In his position, he sought his job and shouldered his responsibilities."

"Lei Zongnan respected and esteemed me, supplied me with food and drink. Therefore, I had to serve him."

"Now, having a new master... I will also exhaust my mind and body to serve my master."

"I am not a person who can easily trust others, but I am willing to give you a chance," Tang Fei said aloud.

"Thank you, Sect Hierarch," Mr. Yan bowed again.

Tang Fei turned to Bai Wuxin and said, "Have Chen Fenglei bring people over to take over the Divine Palace."

"Summon the Black Robes from each district to a meeting at the Divine Palace, and those who do not come... treat them as traitors and execute them without question."

"Have Yan Jinnian send someone to inspect the public granary, to see how much food is there, and calculate how long it can feed the base and the society's populace..."

"Also, have the medical team come over, with An Ning to oversee their deployment... The urgent task is to help the people within the society with the epidemic virus first."

"Yes."

Bai Wuxin complied and turned to leave.

Tang Fei looked at Mr. Yan and said, "Keep the private storerooms for now, I will send someone to take them over later."

"Yes, Sect Hierarch. I will guard them for you for now," Mr. Yan nodded in agreement.

Tang Fei turned to An Ning with a smile and said, "I had thought about killing some and keeping some, but Xiao Bai acted too quickly, wiping them all out. That shouldn't affect anything, right?"

"It's no trouble at all," An Ning shook her head and assured, "Originally, we thought to maintain the existing system so that the organizational framework wouldn't collapse."

"Now we need to provide medicine as well as grain. If they still cannot be of use to us... then we'll just let them survive or perish on their own."

"In this chaotic world, human life is as cheap as grass. Fighting alone is hard to survive, and those Predator Organizations won't let them go either."

"I believe they will make the wise choice."

"Hmm," Tang Fei nodded and asked, "The first step is somewhat completed. How do we initiate the second step?"

"I had wanted to keep Lei Zongnan alive, then let him lead me into the Shrine headquarters to find an opportunity to round up those White Robes and Red Robes, capturing the Sect Hierarch if possible..."

"With Lei Zongnan dead, we've lost our bridge to the headquarters. A head-on attack would mean heavy casualties. We need to think of another approach."

Tang Fei's recruits from New Star, whether it was his own Ghosts, Yan Jinnian's Inspection Bureau Black Riders, or Chen Fenglei's Beehive, were all heroes capable of taking on a hundred each.

If these men were to fall in the battle against the Flame Shrine, it would be deeply painful to Tang Fei.

How can porcelain clash against tiles?

His hope was to use the Flame Shrine as a base, and integrate the people he brought back into key positions across the districts, indirectly controlling the entire Flame Shrine through them.

If the previous members of the Flame Society continued to hold these important roles, firstly, there was no loyalty; they would simply continue the old ways, and with their previous benefactors dead, they would become the new beneficiaries.

In their eyes, there was only themselves, no Shrine, and certainly no Sect Hierarch.

Secondly, they lacked organization and discipline, acting individually and only responsible for their own affairs. Even when the signal was given, the King's troops did not converge. What use were such people?

Mmost importantly, they lacked combat ability: timid, scattered, idle, Tang Fei was not willing to feed a group of worthless people with that precious grain.

In time, he planned to draft these people into the army following the regular military structure of New Star, subjecting them to intense military-style training.

He even had a candidate in mind, his father's close comrade-in-arms, General He Xiaohua.

A woman who had emerged from within the male-dominated military to become one of his father's most reliable lieutenants. Wouldn't organizing a few troops be an easy task for her?

Tang Fei needed people, he needed a large army.

This was his basis and confidence for the counterattack on New Star and the contest with the Shen Family for the fate and fortune of the State.

An Ning looked at Tang Fei, her eyes gleaming with laughter, and said softly, "Brother, I have a way."

'Brother?'

Mr. Yan was taken aback.

He knew the Holy Daughter must be connected to Tang Fei, but... wasn't this relationship a bit too close?

Lei Zongnan did not lose unjustly.

Storms raged in his heart, but his face remained expressionless.

I heard nothing.

I saw nothing.

"What way?" Tang Fei looked at An Ning and asked.

"A Red Robe from the Shrine headquarters was inspecting Lingyang and, unfortunately, contracted a wicked illness... In his moment of crisis, I saved his life and owed me a favor."

"If I take brother to visit the headquarters, he should be willing to lend us a hand..."

Tang Fei was overjoyed and said with a laugh, "I'm sure he'd be very happy to make a friend like me."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.