But he was soon proven wrong.

Early the next morning, a disciple discovered notices posted in several alleyways not far from the Extreme Fist Sect.

The notices were written in blood-red characters:

'You have three days to evacuate, and there will be no further consequences. After three days, your sect will be razed to the ground, leaving not even chickens or dogs. Do not say you were not warned!'

The notice didn't mention any names.

But the blood on white paper, along with the sharpness that seemed to break through the paper, was something everyone who saw the notice could feel.

Even though the notice was quickly torn down by an elder of the Extreme Fist Sect,

the matter had already spread rapidly within the sect, becoming common knowledge.

For a moment, everyone was in a state of panic.

"The Heavy Sword Sect wouldn't really go that far, would they?"

"Ridiculous. Our Extreme Fist Sect is not a pushover. Besides, would the City Lord's Mansion sit idly by while the Heavy Sword Sect acts so arrogantly?"

But as more news came in, those who were initially optimistic became silent.

"The shopkeeper of the Storm Tower was found stabbed to death in his bed this morning. Ah, what a miserable death, with blood flowing out the door!"

"I remember this shopkeeper was somehow related to the death of an elder from the Extreme Fist Sect back in the day. But wasn't his son-in-law a Colonel in the City Lord's Mansion? The Heavy Sword Sect is getting too bold..."

"A guest of the Yuan Family, who practiced the Great Circulation, disappeared yesterday and was found dead in the wilderness today!"

"This guest was a descendant of the long-declined Light Sword School, which has always had a rivalry with the Heavy Sword School. Even though the Light Sword School lost, their heritage isn't extinct yet.

But why didn't the Yuan Family protect their guest?"

"How could they dare? They probably can't even protect themselves. The Heavy Sword Sect now has a Martial Artist capable of wiping out the whole Yuan Family!"

The ruthless methods of the Heavy Sword Sect were warning everyone that this time they were determined to settle scores with any dissenters.

And which sect had the deepest hatred and most entanglements with the Heavy Sword Sect?

Anyone who grew up in Tai City, even a seven-year-old child, knew it was the Extreme Fist Sect.

Despair, fear, and hopeless negative feelings weighed down on everyone in the Extreme Fist Sect, making it hard for anyone to breathe.

If the worst were to happen, could the Extreme Fist Sect withstand the Heavy Sword Sect's attack?

Everyone had an answer to that question in their hearts.

An old granny in charge of cleaning the latrines was the first to make an escape.

As she quietly slipped out the back door with her bundle, she was angrily stopped by Zhou Yang, who was leaning on a cane.

"What are you doing? Do you intend to betray our sect?"

The old granny froze, her face filled with panic, not knowing what to do.

"Forget it, let her go." The always aggressive Elder Zhou spoke in a low voice, trying to smooth things over.

"But this..." Zhou Yang's expression changed several times, but he said nothing more.

Seeing the sect's lenient attitude,

the people doing odd jobs in the sect started to have second thoughts.

Such as the cooks, the gardeners trimming the trees, the maids cleaning, etc.

They had no martial arts skills, received no resources for development, and shared little connection with the sect, it was simply an employer-employee relationship.

Therefore, there was no question of loyalty.

After the granny cleaning the latrine left,

these people also left one by one, instantly reducing the number of people in the Martial Arts Hall by half, making it quite desolate.

Soon after, another batch of Outer Disciples tendered their resignation.

Outer Disciples either relied on silver or connections to enter, but they hadn't learned any Breathing Techniques and were the most peripheral figures in the sect, of very low importance.

For these people, the Extreme Fist Sect didn't care at all.

However, not all Outer Disciples left.

Some who had a strong sense of belonging to the sect or had some moral qualms stayed behind.

Such as Lou Yi's former roommates, Niu Peng, He Yu, and Jie Bai, who all remained.

But how long they could hold on was uncertain.

As for the Inner Sect Disciples who had learned some Breathing Techniques, and the Inner Disciples who had achieved Martial Artist status by breaking through their barriers, none dared to react just yet.

Every disciple who joined the sect had learned the sect's rules.

The first rule was not to betray the master.

...

Meanwhile,

Lou Yi and the Black Bear Spirit were engaged in a close-quarter combat battle in the cave.

'Bang bang bang!'

'Thud thud thud!'

The huge commotion spread far away, attracting Zhu Darui, Huang Lei, and others over.

When they arrived, they were dumbfounded by the exaggerated scene before them.

The five-meter-tall Black Bear Spirit was being beaten down by someone whose height didn't even reach its waist!

'Boom boom boom boom!'

Rocks shattered, trees broke, and dirt flew as if the end of the world was coming.

Lou Yi's whole body was bursting with Qi-Blood, with muscles swelling like hills, straining the fabric of his clothes tightly.

On the skin surface, bizarrely, there were visible crisscrossing red lines, as if his tendons and veins were about to burst through.

'Boom!'

A punch grazed a rock, smashing the person-sized boulder into pieces, sending fragments flying everywhere.

Another punch landed on the Black Bear Spirit's abdomen, making the bear bend over in pain, clutching its stomach and retching.

Its two jet-black eyes seemed about to pop out alive.

Every time the Black Bear Spirit tried to attack Lou Yi, Lou Yi would deftly dodge, barely visible as a blur.

Though the fight was fierce and the noise was shocking,

the reality was the Black Bear Spirit was continuously being pummeled, turned into a bear-meat punching bag—a truly pitiful sight.

'Boom!'

"Aw!"

'Boom!'

"Aw!"

The Black Bear Spirit retreated step by step, wailing incessantly.

To be fair, this Black Bear Spirit was quite powerful, far exceeding ordinary spirits.

Despite receiving so many hits from Lou Yi, it was still bouncing around, showing no signs of a lethal injury.

Its strength was also fearsome, breaking rocks and snapping trees with a single swipe, capable of casually slapping a large insect to death.

Unfortunately, it encountered a freak like Lou Yi.

His strength was in no way inferior, his footwork was amazing, and most importantly, his speed was unbelievably fast, making it impossible to even touch a corner of his clothes.

"Roar!"

The two sides tussled for a while.

The Black Bear Spirit suddenly let out an angry roar, its fur standing on end like steel spikes.

Lou Yi remained vigilant, quickly taking a few steps back to guard against a counterattack.

Unexpectedly, after the roar, the Black Bear Spirit turned and fled, landing all fours on the ground, leaping nimbly like a monkey.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Lou Yi once again activated his 'Swift' talent, his legs flexing slightly before shooting forward like a cannonball at the Black Bear Spirit's back.

'Boom!'

Another punch knocked the Black Bear Spirit to the ground.

"Woo... woo woo..."

The Black Bear Spirit held its head, whimpering in sorrow.

Then, unbelievably, it knelt down like a human, kowtowing and begging Lou Yi for mercy.

At the same time, its large fan-like paws folded before its chest in a gesture of supplication, though who taught it was anyone's guess.

Lou Yi was genuinely stupefied by the scene, momentarily dumbfounded.

"Oh my god, this Bear Spirit is actually kneeling?" Zhu Darui exclaimed, "And it's making a bow!"

The bandits all looked at each other, their faces filled with disbelief.

...

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