Chapter 580: Chapter 253: Profound Nether Copper Ship

"At the very least, Tingtiao Pavilion will be allowed to continue on."

Fang Shuwen nodded.

"Alright. I agree."

His purpose in killing was to eliminate any future trouble. Since he had Suhe Lan’s guarantee, and he wasn’t a truly bloodthirsty man, there was no reason he couldn’t leave some of Tingtiao Pavilion’s members alive.

Suhe Lan was taken aback, apparently not having expected Fang Shuwen to agree so readily. But she immediately nodded.

"Thank you."

With Suhe Lan’s help, the subsequent tasks became much simpler.

Many things didn’t even require Fang Shuwen’s personal intervention. Suhe Lan gathered those she could trust, obtained the antidote for ’One Drop Fragrance’ from Saint Mother Chaoyin’s people, and administered it to them.

After explaining the situation and asking them if they wanted to live or die, she ultimately secured a group of usable people.

The rest... were all slain on the spot.

However, though this all sounds simple, the actual business of it all was so chaotic that it dragged on nearly until dawn.

Amidst the chaos, Fang Shuwen first made his way to Tingtiao Pavilion’s library.

He had destroyed part of it earlier, but most of the collection was still intact.

He lingered in the library for over two hours before coming to the plaza in front of the main hall. There, he watched as a grievously wounded, dying woman frantically destroyed Suhe Zhen’s body.

Fang Shuwen didn’t ask the woman’s identity, nor did he inquire about the nature of the grudge between her and Suhe Zhen.

He simply watched as the woman, in a frenzied state, tore Suhe Zhen’s body to shreds.

Ultimately, she herself died in that very pool of blood.

At this point, of the three masters Saint Mother Chaoyin had sent, only two remained.

And those two were now standing before Fang Shuwen.

Fang Shuwen gently pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Gather all your people here."

Hearing him speak, the two men dared not hesitate. They immediately gathered all their subordinates to the spot.

"H-Hero Fang."

One of them spoke up:

"Everyone is here. We await your instructions, Hero Fang."

Fang Shuwen glanced at him.

"What are your names?"

The two exchanged a glance, then answered separately.

"I am Qi Wen."

"And I am Luo Sheng."

Having said this, they then spoke in unison:

"We pay our respects to the Demon Evil God!"

Fang Shuwen’s gaze fell upon the two of them as he spoke in a low voice.

"You are Saint Mother Chaoyin’s men?"

"Yes."

The two men nodded.

Fang Shuwen continued,

"So, the earlier assassination and last night’s raid were all part of your plan?"

"That’s right."

Qi Wen nodded.

"You saw that woman earlier, Demon Evil God."

"She and the two of us served under Saint Mother Chaoyin."

"It’s just... her life was tragic..."

Qi Wen recounted the woman’s story. While Fang Shuwen’s expression remained unchanged, the eyes of Luo Shuqing, visible through her mask, betrayed a hint of anger.

After explaining everything, Qi Wen continued,

"The Eight Forbidden Lands are sanctimonious hypocrites. They act all high and mighty in public, but in reality, they engage in dirty dealings behind the scenes."

"It was because of this that our Master decided to go to war with Tingtiao Pavilion."

"The earlier assassination was just a feint, meant to draw Suhe Zhen into hunting the Assassin while ignoring other matters."

"We used that opportunity to seize control of the docks, which allowed for last night’s surprise attack."

Fang Shuwen nodded.

"It all sounds perfectly reasonable."

Qi Wen and Luo Sheng exchanged a glance, then hurriedly cupped their fists and said,

"We came to this island only for Suhe Zhen."

"We had absolutely no intention of making an enemy of the Demon Evil God. We beg you, Demon Evil God... please be lenient."

Fang Shuwen waved his hand.

"There are a few things I don’t understand. I need you to enlighten me."

"If you can make me understand, you are free to leave..."

Fang Shuwen left unsaid what would happen if they couldn’t.

Qi Wen and Luo Sheng nodded hurriedly.

"Please, ask your questions, Demon Evil God."

Fang Shuwen didn’t waste any time and asked directly,

"First, I am not familiar with Suhe Zhen’s abilities. But how could Saint Mother Chaoyin, one of the Four Saints of the East Sea, not be?"

"Relying on a so-called ’rare poison’ like ’One Drop Fragrance’ to control Suhe Zhen... isn’t that a bit far-fetched?"

"This..."

Qi Wen and Luo Sheng were momentarily stunned.

After a moment’s hesitation, Luo Sheng spoke.

"We... did indeed underestimate him."

"Even if you underestimated him, surely Saint Mother Chaoyin wouldn’t have?"

Fang Shuwen said with a smile,

"Years ago, Emperor Guixu, Taishi Cheng, fought the former Island Master of Hengyang Island for three days and three nights, and only managed to win by half a move."

"Saint Mother Chaoyin should know full well in her own heart how she measures up against Emperor Guixu."

"That being the case, is it possible she was truly unaware of the capabilities of Suhe Zhen, who was also a Lord of the Forbidden Land?"

"Sending the three of you here to poison and kill Suhe Zhen... wasn’t that simply sending you to your deaths?"

"This..."

Qi Wen gritted his teeth.

"What are you implying, Demon Evil God? Are you saying our Master overestimated us, or that she underestimated Suhe Zhen?"

The corner of Fang Shuwen’s mouth curled into a faint smile as he suddenly looked at Qi Wen.

In that instant, Qi Wen felt as if he were standing amidst a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

Towering waves of blood churned, and innumerable vengeful spirits howled.

His mind reeled from the shock. An invisible force pressed down on him, forcing him to his knees.

"Who the hell do you think you are, to talk back to me?"

Fang Shuwen slowly rose to his feet.

"Saint Mother Chaoyin is no fool. And you..."

"You could have acted sooner, you could have acted later. But you just so happened to muster the courage to attack Tingtiao Pavilion right after I arrived."

"To act this way when you’re clearly outmatched suggests you had some other scheme in mind."

"Don’t tell me I was part of that scheme?"

As he said this, the faces of both Qi Wen and Luo Sheng turned deathly pale.

Fang Shuwen took in their reactions and continued,

"But that just raises another question..."

"Not many people knew that I had come to the East Sea."

"So how did you know I was here?"

"If I recall correctly, one of Black Island’s leaders is still alive."

"Could it be that Emperor Guixu’s faction passed the information directly to Saint Mother Chaoyin?"

"Or... was Saint Mother Chaoyin also involved in the Black Island affair?"

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