At the main hall of the Fuhu Gang, the courtyard walls, Treasure Vault, and houses that had previously been destroyed by the Two-Horned Tiger had been rebuilt, looking even more luxurious than before.

At the entrance, four Bone Marrow Cleansing Masters with formidable auras stood with long sabers at their waists. They were rooted to the ground like four long spears. The perimeter of the courtyard was filled with both open and hidden sentries, ensuring that even a fly would be detected if it dared to trespass.

Xu Yang lay hidden in the distant bushes, his gaze slowly scanning the entire Fuhu Gang.

The Treasure Vault had been reinforced. The walls and doors were much thicker than before, cast entirely from refined iron, and seemingly mixed with some low-grade Spirit Iron. Of all the locations, this place was guarded the most strictly. There were experts of the Fuhu Gang guarding the front, back, left, and right of the Treasure Vault. The one leading them was even a Celestial Essence Martial Artist, who was currently sitting cross-legged at the entrance to absorb Spiritual Qi for his Cultivation.

“I am in dire need of resources. Robbing the Fuhu Gang is far safer than heading to Jade Dragon Mountain,” Xu Yang thought. “Besides, there’s bad blood between us anyway. These animals do nothing but evil deeds, bullying even ordinary old farmers. I won’t feel any psychological burden robbing them.”

Furthermore, the Fuhu Gang still had a bounty on his head. Now that he had the strength, it was only natural to respond. He could vent his anger and acquire resources at the same time.

“ROAR!”

Suddenly, a tiger’s roar rang out from a corner of the Fuhu Gang.

Xu Yang swept his gaze over and saw a fierce tiger with two horns lying under a massive shed. It was none other than Yang Zheng’s former mount, the Two-Horned Tiger.

“It actually wasn’t killed?”

Xu Yang remembered that during his last visit, this Two-Horned Tiger had lost control and slaughtered an unknown number of Fuhu Gang experts. He had assumed it was either dead or had fled. To his surprise, it was still here.

“It seems to have become Pang Xiong’s mount and Pet Beast, and its strength has improved as well.”

Even from a distance of over a hundred feet, he could sense the Two-Horned Tiger’s tyrannical aura, which was comparable to a Celestial Essence Third Layer Martial Artist. It was far stronger than when he last saw it. Its tiger eyes harbored an astonishingly fierce glint, and its abundant, vigorous Qi-Blood seemed ready to burst out of its body.

“Rumor has it that Exotic Beasts reaching the Celestial Essence Third Layer will condense Exotic Beast Essence Blood in their hearts. This Essence Blood is a Body Refining treasure that can cleanse bones and blood.”

Last time, lacking sufficient strength, he hadn’t killed the Two-Horned Tiger. Even if he had, the benefits wouldn’t have been significant. This time, he didn’t plan on letting it go. The Exotic Beast Essence Blood of a Celestial Essence Third Layer creature might not be as effective as a Profound Water Spirit Loach, but it wouldn’t be much weaker.

However, he was in no rush to make a move. He intended to get closer and release his Mental Sensing to get a clear picture before taking action. The Fang family backed the Fuhu Gang. After the previous incident, who knew if there were experts lying in ambush here?

Concealing his aura, Xu Yang floated down from the tree canopy. Just as he hid himself and released his Heart Spirit, he saw several figures approaching. These were the very same people he had seen at the Wu Family Castle, the ones who had violently robbed the old farmer of his Spirit Medicine.

He thought they had managed to escape with their lives, but to his surprise, they had returned at this exact moment. It was the perfect opportunity to deal with them all at once.

The three men wore excited expressions, carrying several Jade Boxes filled with the stolen Spirit Medicine.

“There really is no end to killing them.”

These three all possessed Celestial Essence First Level Cultivation. Last time, all the Celestial Essence Martial Artists of the Fuhu Gang had been wiped out by him and the Two-Horned Tiger. He hadn’t expected so many to pop up again so quickly.

“We finally made it back safely, and we picked up a few stalks of Spirit Medicine for nothing. It’s a pity we couldn’t push it too far, otherwise the Wu Family Castle would have intervened,” a man with a face full of fierce-looking flesh said. They had thrown their weight around inside the Wu Family Castle, but once outside, they too feared being ambushed in the dark.

“See? I told you from the start that following Mr. Pang had a bright future. If we were still out there working solo, the Wu Family Castle would have dealt with us ages ago.” The speaker’s face was covered in a thick, unruly beard.

“That old geezer was crying and whining just now. If we weren’t in the Wu Family Castle, I really would’ve twisted his head right off. I take a stalk of his Spirit Medicine, and he actually dares to cry,” the man with a facial scar sneered.

“He’s just an old bag of bones. Let him cry. If we killed someone there, the Wu Family Castle would be forced to step in, even if they didn’t want to,” the burly man spat.

“Elders, you’ve finally returned. The Gang Leader is looking for you.” As the three were talking, a Fuhu Gang lackey ran over.

“The Gang Leader is looking for us in such a hurry. Do you know what it’s about?” the burly man asked.

“It seems to be related to the Fang family.”

“The Fang family?” Xu Yang’s heart stirred. His five senses spread out, slowly probing into the Fuhu Gang along with the three men.

Carrying the Jade Boxes, the three crossed a Martial Arts Arena and entered a grand hall. Inside, a middle-aged man with an unfathomable aura sat on a large tiger-skin chair, with sandalwood incense burning nearby. The man sat in a bold, commanding posture. One of his hands rested on a gleaming Treasure Saber. The blade was exceptionally thick, wider than a palm—a Heavy Weapon at first glance.

The three men hurried into the hall, cupping their fists in a salute. “Your subordinates greet the Gang Leader. May we ask why you summoned us?”

This man was none other than Gang Leader Pang Xiong! Confirming his identity, Xu Yang’s five senses silently bypassed him, enveloping the entire Fuhu Gang to detect if there were any hidden experts.

“Gang Leader, is it time to make a move?” the bearded man asked. Seeing Pang Xiong’s posture, he knew it was likely a mission to kill; otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought out his Treasure Saber.

“The Fang family wants us to kill Xu Yang,” Pang Xiong stated flatly.

The Fuhu Gang was backed by the Fang family. Their sole purpose for existing was to do the dirty work that the Fang family couldn’t conveniently handle themselves. Major clans all cared about keeping up appearances and protecting their reputations. They wouldn’t usually use their own people for common matters; Guests were the ones assigned to do the work.

“Kill me?” In the bushes, Xu Yang narrowed his eyes. Did the Fang family already know that he was the one who killed Yang Zheng?

On second thought, it seemed impossible. At that time, besides the Black Tortoise Mountain-Suppressing Fist and that Treasure Robe, he hadn’t left any clues. He had never worn the Treasure Robe, and he had never revealed the Black Tortoise Mountain-Suppressing Fist in front of anyone. It was highly unlikely that the Fang family knew his identity.

“The Celestial Strategy Academy genius Xu Yang who beat Lin Jingyu to death?” the burly man asked.

Disciples of the Celestial Strategy Academy were not easily killed. Doing it quietly was fine, but if even a sliver of information leaked out and the Celestial Strategy Academy found out, the entire Fuhu Gang would be uprooted.

Pang Xiong nodded. “That’s him.”

At these words, all three of their pupils shrank. “How did Xu Yang offend the Fang family? He’s a student of the Celestial Strategy Academy. If this gets exposed, the Fang family is doomed as well.”

Naturally, they didn’t want to kill a student from the Celestial Strategy Academy, but the Fang family funded them. They didn’t have the luxury of refusing a job just because they wanted to.

“Mr. Fang Xu had a feud with Xu Yang.” Pang Xiong gave a brief explanation before adding, “We’ve already been informed about this. If we don’t do it, we’ll be silenced. Since Xu Yang has left the Celestial Strategy Academy, he should have gone to the city. You guys head into the city right now and find him. Once you do, don’t alert him. Come back and report to me.

“Although this matter is dangerous, as long as the target is dead, there won’t be any issues.”

The three of them breathed a sigh of relief. Disciples of the Celestial Strategy Academy were protected by the Academy, but it wasn’t as if none had ever died before. In the Jianghu, a few Celestial Strategy Academy disciples would die under mysterious circumstances every year. As long as it was kept a secret, it was fine.

“Gang Leader, are you confident you can kill Xu Yang?” the burly man asked.

Pang Xiong sneered. “Xu Yang’s Battle Tower run stopped at the Ninth Layer. He doesn’t yet possess the strength to fight above his level. It won’t take me more than two moves to kill him!”

The moment the word “moves” left his lips, his expression drastically changed.

Within his five senses, he saw a massive fist blasting over from the mountain forest outside the Fuhu Gang. It was like a meteor crashing to earth from outer space, radiating the terrifying momentum of a landslide.

“Look out!” Pang Xiong roared as his aura erupted like a volcano. Gang Yuan surged out like a tidal wave to form a Protective Body, his entire form erupting with brilliant light.

“Who goes there?!” At the same time, he grabbed the large saber beside him and swung it, ready to unleash a slash.

However, he was ultimately a step too slow. Before the blade could strike out, the colossal, meteor-like fist had already smashed through the roof and crashed into the grand hall.

The burly man and the other two reacted even slower. They only just realized they were under attack, but it was already too late. Before the three could even summon their Protective Gang Yuan, the massive fist landed right in their midst.

BOOM! RUMBLE!

A deafening boom echoed out. The massive fist, like a meteor striking the floor of the hall, exploded in an instant. The earth trembled as spiderweb-like cracks rapidly spread. A violent shockwave, carrying a tyrannical force that could crush everything, swept out in all directions.

Smoke and dust skyrocketed. Wherever the shockwave passed, tables, chairs, and the structure of the house were entirely reduced to fine powder. The burly man and his two companions tried to retreat, but the moment their bodies moved, the destructive blast engulfed them. They were submerged in an instant, their bodies disintegrating into nothingness.

The entire Fuhu Gang shook as if an earthquake had struck. A visible shockwave spread frantically. Every building in its path was obliterated, and people were crushed to death by the reverberations. In just the time it took to take a breath, the buildings within a radius of two to three hundred feet were leveled, leaving not a single person alive.

“Bastard!” Pang Xiong soared into the sky, his face flushed red.

Having been at the very epicenter of the fist’s explosion, his Protective Gang Yuan had blocked the shockwave, but he still felt his Qi-Blood churning and his breathing falter. What made his eyes practically split with rage was that his trusted subordinates hadn’t even had time to scream before that single punch literally pulverized them to the point where no bones remained. The other members of the Fuhu Gang had also suffered heavy casualties.

The Fuhu Gang’s compound, which covered nearly a thousand feet in radius, was now completely destroyed, save for the specially constructed Treasure Vault. All the other buildings had been reduced to ruined walls and rubble. A few gang members crawled out of the ruins in a panic, bleeding from all their orifices, their internal organs severely damaged by the tremors.

“Get your ass out here!” Pang Xiong roared, a mix of shock and fury boiling within him, his killing intent almost solidifying.

Without the slightest hesitation, he swung his saber and unleashed a slash toward the direction the fist had come from. There, a Celestial Essence Third Layer aura was awakening like a furious dragon, drawing in vast amounts of the Power of Heaven and Earth.

BOOM!

Pang Xiong raised his hand, his Gang Yuan pouring out like a tidal wave. The sharp Sword Aura sliced through the soaring smoke and dust, tearing the air apart as it slashed out with the momentum of splitting heaven and earth.

Amidst the blinding glare of the blade, a giant, ferocious-looking Tortoise manifested in the forest. The surrounding vegetation exploded as the Power of Heaven and Earth surged like a tide.

The next moment, a figure charged out from the smoke and dust, exuding a tyrannical pressure.

Wearing a face mask, Xu Yang’s eyes were filled with chilling killing intent. Suppressing the fluctuations of his Spirit Bone, he moved like a phantom. Faced with the Sword Aura slashing down right at his head, his body flashed, and he evaded it.

BOOM! RUMBLE!

The blade’s glow scraped past his body and struck down, cleaving the forest apart as dust flew into the air. Like a bolt of racing lightning, he continued his rapid approach toward Pang Xiong.

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