Chapter 340: Sacrificing for the Greater Good

Chapter 340: Sacrificing for the Greater Good

Pei Xiaolou appeared in this hidden backyard, holding a bamboo staff. He looked around and remarked sarcastically, “How lively!"

Marshal Thunder got up from the recliner and clasped his fists in salutation. “Greetings, Sage Pei.”

Pei Xiaolou looked at Marshal Thunder. “The Heavenly Court’s Twin Thunders—God of Thunder and Marshal Thunder—and the Dual Winds—God of Wind and Marshal Wind. You must be one of the Wind and Thunder Marshals who have made quite a reputation in Jianghu. Your reputation precedes you.”

“You flatter me, Sage Pei.” Marshal Thunder was humble.

Pei Xiaolou smiled slightly and stopped talking nonsense. He raised the bamboo staff in his hand, which emitted countless streams of light, like tiny meteors. The trailing streaks spiraled and danced in the air.

Marshal Thunder stood in front of Yuan Chongzong and ordered. “Send Old Master Yuan away from here!”

Two people appeared from the shadows, dressed neatly with daggers hanging on their waists, flanking Yuan Chongzong.

Yuan Chongzong was flustered, but in the end, he sighed in resignation and left with the two escorts.

The reason they chose to burn the account books in this backyard was due to the proximity to a tunnel in the back hall of the Yuan Residence that led out of the city.

Yuan Chongzong and the two escorts came to the back hall. A huge relief titled, The Transformation of the Primordial Daoist Ancestor, came into view. Both the Primordial Daoist Ancestor and the green bull he was sitting on were in their actual sizes, with lifelike expressions and details.

The green bull shook its head and wagged its tail when Yuan Chongzong approached the relief. He grabbed the green bull by the horns and rotated it like the hands of a clock. A clicking sound of a mechanism could be heard before the floor tile moved, revealing a stone staircase to an underground tunnel.

Yuan Chongzong walked in first, followed by the two men.

On the other side, Marshal Thunder casually slapped away the small meteors that were shooting at him. His robes swayed, and countless black qi gathered upward.

Although he was called Marshal Thunder among the Four Marshals of the Heavenly Court, his moves had nothing to do with the thunder spell. It was just his made-up name.

A black cloud grew above Marshal Thunder’s head until it morphed into an evil dragon about 30 meters long. It was made of black smoke and mist, but its teeth and claws were sharp and lifelike. This was the power of a Heavenly Being.

With the mighty power of heaven, the black dragon abruptly descended and crashed into Pei Xiaolou.

Pei Xiaolou waved the bamboo staff, shooting out dozens of small meteors at the black dragon. The trails of light passed through the dragon’s body, causing countless ripples. Finally, the dragon and the light dispersed.

Marshal Thunder stomped on the ground, leaving a large crack. He leaped into the air and pushed one palm out toward Pei Xiaolou.

Pei Xiaolou raised his staff to block the palm strike, conjuring the howling wind.

At the first touch, the two Heavenly Beings separated from each other, standing about 10 meters apart.

Pei Xiaolou was unrelenting. He tapped the ground with the bamboo staff and said, “Rise!”

A stream of light that was as thick as an adult arm broke out of the ground.

Fortunately, Yuan Chongzong had anticipated such a day to come, so he transferred his assets overseas over the years. He purchased a lot of properties in Nanyang and had enough capital to make a comeback.

Yuan Chongzong asked, “Do you know what is happening with my son?”

The person who led the way replied, “Please rest assured, Old Master Yuan. We have already made arrangements. You will be able to reunite with Master Yuan soon.”

Yuan Chongzong felt a little relieved. His thoughts returned to Nanyang, which he had not visited for many years.

At this moment, Yuan Chongzong felt a sudden pain in his back. He slowly lowered his head, only to see the tip of a blade protruding from his chest and his blood slowly dripping down to the ground.

The person behind him added, “Old Master Yuan, you can meet your son and grandson on the road to hell. It’ll be a happy reunion!”

Yuan Chongzong’s eyes widened in horror. He was in the Guizhen stage, so he still had the energy to resist.

At this moment, the person leading the way turned around, ramming another dagger through the old man’s heart.

Yuan Chongzong’s life force began to drain away rapidly.

Before he died, Yuan Chongzong truly did not understand what Marshal Thunder meant by a foolproof plan until this very moment. The Wind and Thunder Marshals were indeed sending him and his family away, but to the netherworld, not Nanyang.

Marshal Thunder’s two close subordinates were also at the Guizhen stage. With two against one and a sneak attack, they easily succeeded in their mission.

However, to ensure that Yuan Chongzong would stay dead, the two of them continued stabbing the old man a few more times.

In the dead silence of the tunnel, only the sound of a blade piercing through flesh could be heard.

Finally, Yuan Chongzong’s body collapsed to the ground with a thud.

One of the men took out gasoline, poured it over the old man’s body, and lit it on fire.

Almost at the same time, a series of blazing fires broke out all over the Yuan Residence.

The Censor of Huzhou and the Garrison Chief quickly left the Yuan Residence, so they were not harmed. However, their expressions were solemn.

No one expected the situation to escalate so quickly.

The two officials went to the Yuan Residence’s main entrance and turned around. A heatwave struck them as the flames burned through the eaves, lighting up most of the night sky.

Since two high-ranking officials were at the scene, the response from various local government offices in the city was extremely fast. Even the Green Phoenix Guard’s Lieutenant Colonel’s Office and the Black Robes were dispatched to the Yuan Residence.

This fire was not accidental. It was fueled by gasoline and various talismans to keep the fire burning, so the flames spread very quickly. Even with the government’s quick response, they could not put out this inferno. All they could do was form an isolation zone to prevent this fire from spreading outward to the whole town, then wait for the flames to dissipate on their own.

Meanwhile, Marshal Thunder and Pei Xiaolou were still fighting in the sea of fire.

Marshal Thunder gestured to his arm and smirked. “Do you think that we would be so stupid as to repeat the same mistake of not cutting off a limb when necessary?”