Urban Martial Saint

Shenchuan City was thrown into chaos overnight. Helian Tiehua and the Bloody Monk Wolf Monk challenged over a dozen Peak Masters in a single night, escalating the situation. Almost everyone knew that Ye Qing was no longer in Shenchuan City. So, the next day, many Peak Masters left Shenchuan City. Some went searching for Ye Qing, while others went to handle different matters. Of course, some remained hidden in Shenchuan City, eyeing the Six Keys of Sha Men with great interest.

The opening of Heaven Earth Man Three Gates is imminent; the people from Twelve Green Halls have already brought the Heaven Earth Man Tri-Map into Huaxia. At this moment, possessing the Seven Keys and the Three Maps means getting the opportunity to enter Heaven Earth Man Three Gates. Who would be willing to give up such an opportunity? For these Peak Masters, entering Heaven Earth Man Three Gates equals a chance for extending life and gaining immortality!

In a residence in the North Suburb of Shenchuan City, Wanyan Hongsheng sat across from four people including Snake Gentleman. Sky-Killing Master had lost an arm and looked even more haggard than before. The four looked at Wanyan Hongsheng, their faces unkind.

”Wanyan Hongsheng, how do you explain this?” Slaughter Venerable demanded in a deep voice, ”You said we should deal with Huangfu Ziyu and would definitely force Ye Qing to hand over the Buddha’s Relic. But now Ye Qing has left Shenchuan City, disappeared without a trace. What kind of situation is this? You gave us advice, but Ye Qing ran away. Even if we catch Huangfu Ziyu, we can’t find Ye Qing to force him now!”

Facing their angry expressions, Wanyan Hongsheng remained calm. He glanced at Slaughter Venerable and said, ”I indeed asked you to catch Huangfu Ziyu to force Ye Qing. But you didn’t manage to catch Huangfu Ziyu; is that my fault? If you had caught Huangfu Ziyu directly, you would have forced Ye to hand over the Buddha’s Relic. Instead, you let Huangfu Ziyu escape and even spooked Ye Qing. It’s your incompetence, not my advice, that was wrong!”

”What nonsense!” Slaughter Venerable shouted angrily, ”We could have caught Huangfu Ziyu, but who would have thought that the Purple Robe Lama would intervene? That old monk’s Qinggong was so fast he took away Huangfu Ziyu. Can you blame us for incompetence? But you, staying in Shenchuan City, didn’t know the Purple Robe Lama was going to help Huangfu Ziyu? If you had informed us sooner, we would have been prepared, avoiding this outcome!”

”Adding guilt is easy without proof!” Wanyan Hongsheng sighed and looked at the Executioner Scholar, saying, ”If you truly think it’s my fault, I have nothing to say. But now, I believe casting blame achieves nothing. Ye Qing is missing, and the crucial thing is finding Ye Qing, not us pushing responsibility back and forth!”

”What nonsense are you saying? Who is shirking responsibility?” Slaughter Venerable shouted, standing up. His temper was fiery and his nature violent, ready to fight at any disagreement.

”Third Brother,” the Executioner Scholar gently called out. Slaughter Venerable glanced at the Executioner Scholar, reluctantly sitting down despite his reluctance.

Although the Executioner Scholar was the youngest among them, he was the strongest and most strategic, making his words the most valued and becoming the leader of the four.

The Executioner Scholar looked at Wanyan Hongsheng, frowning slightly. He knew it wasn’t Wanyan Hongsheng’s fault; they were pressuring him to leverage Wanyan Family’s power to find Ye Qing. What Wanyan Hongsheng said fit perfectly with the Executioner Scholar’s plans.

”Mr. Wan Yan, how do you suggest finding Ye Qing?” the Executioner Scholar asked calmly.

”Huaxia is vast, and with modern transportation, finding someone is no easy task.” Wanyan Hongsheng chuckled lightly and said, ”But remember, Ye Qing isn’t the only one missing!”

”Right, there’s also Fu Qingping!” Slaughter Venerable shouted immediately. Hearing these three words, a cold glint flashed in Sky-Killing Master’s eyes, showing deep resentment.

”Could it be Fu Qingping kidnapped Ye Qing?” Snake Gentleman asked gravely.

”This is hard to say,” Wanyan Hongsheng replied. ”Fu Qingping has good relations with the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance, so logically, he wouldn’t do such things. But we, as hidden figures, understand what extending life means to us. If Fu Qingping wasn’t afraid of death, why did he hide for so long? Everyone covets the Buddha’s Relic Ye Qing possesses. Could it be that Fu Qingping has no such thoughts?”

”He’s no saint, how could he have no thoughts?” Snake Gentleman said solemnly.

The Executioner Scholar’s face was cold as he spat, ”Just a hypocrite deceiving the world!”

”Whether he’s a hypocrite deceiving the world or a true saint of high morals, one thing is certain: Ye Qing’s disappearance is absolutely inseparable from Fu Qingping!” Wanyan Hongsheng chuckled and said, ”Finding Ye Qing is not easy, but finding Fu Qingping is not that difficult. After all, for a peak master like him, it’s impossible to remain hidden like this for life!”

”You mean...” The Executioner Scholar frowned deeply, speaking in a low tone, ”You want us to find Fu Qingping?”

”Fu Qingping’s prowess is unparalleled; now that he’s captured Ye Qing, he might have already found the Buddha’s Relic.” Slaughter Venerable gritted his teeth and said, ”Even if the four of us find him, we may not be his match. At that time, not only might we fail to obtain the Buddha’s Relic, but we may also lose our lives. Is this your plan?”

Wanyan Hongsheng glanced at Slaughter Venerable, thinking: These people were already terrified of Fu Qingping after the last battle with him; how would they dare oppose him again? If I directly tell them to find Fu Qingping, they would absolutely refuse, so I must devise a way to trick them into action!

”I’m well aware of Fu Qingping’s strength. Hence, I would never have you four take the risk of confronting Fu Qingping directly.” Wanyan Hongsheng said, ”My Wanyan Family has already dispatched people to find Fu Qingping. Once they locate him, my family will personally act to capture him; there is no need for you all to worry about this!”

”Does your Wanyan Family have the strength to seize Fu Qingping?” Slaughter Venerable sneered coldly.

The Executioner Scholar slightly frowned; he wasn’t as fearful of Fu Qingping as the other three. In fact, he knew in his heart that as long as Fu Qingping’s power didn’t surpass the peak, the four of them together could definitely handle him. But now, upon hearing that the Wanyan Family was already involved in this matter, he felt some concern.

Judging by Wanyan Hongsheng’s demeanor, the Wanyan Family’s strength is probably not weak; finding Fu Qingping and dealing with him shouldn’t be troublesome for them. If they manage to find Fu Qingping first, they surely have the means to capture him. By then, wouldn’t Ye Qing and the Buddha’s Relic fall into their hands? This is the last thing the Executioner Scholar wants to see; if the Wanyan Family gains control over the Buddha’s Relic, wouldn’t all peak masters under heaven be suppressed by them? Would there still be any opportunity for the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates or others?

Although they had previously reached an agreement with Wanyan Hongsheng to assist the Wanyan Family in exchange for life extension and longevity, the Executioner Scholar is inherently ambitious and refuses to submit to anyone. Thus, he still harbors ambitions for the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates.

”Since our four brothers have already allied with the Wanyan Family, how can we not assist in such matters?” the Executioner Scholar suddenly said, ”Wanyan, we four brothers will go together to search for Fu Qingping.”

”Fourth Brother...” Slaughter Venerable’s countenance changed, repeatedly signaling the Executioner Scholar to dissuade him from agreeing. However, the Executioner Scholar seemed oblivious to him, saying, ”If we find Fu Qingping, we will naturally contact Wanyan. By then, with your reinforcements, we will surely capture this old villain.”

Slaughter Venerable frowned deeply, puzzled by the normally astute Fourth Brother’s sudden folly. Taking on the matter of dealing with Fu Qingping is like asking for trouble. Though they could deal with Fu Qingping, it would come at a heavy cost.

Inwardly, Wanyan Hongsheng chuckled. His earlier words were intended to deceive the Executioner Scholar. Although the Wanyan Family is strong, most of them were busy at the moment, and no forces could be diverted to tackle Fu Qingping or seize the Buddha’s Relic. However, they must acquire the Buddha’s Relic; otherwise, they wouldn’t dare to use the Corpse Ghost Dragon recklessly, as the Relic is its nemesis.

Thus, unable to do otherwise, Wanyan Hongsheng had to find a way to make the four Snake Gentlemen assist in dealing with Fu Qingping and seize the Buddha’s Relic. His earlier words were intended to provoke the Executioner Scholar. The calculated Executioner Scholar finally fell into Wanyan Hongsheng’s trap, volunteering to confront Fu Qingping.

This is exactly what Wanyan Hongsheng wanted to see. When the four Snake Gentlemen and Fu Qingping exhaust each other, the Wanyan Family can step in, surely obtaining the Buddha’s Relic. With the Relic, not only would the Wanyan Family’s strength greatly increase, but they could also use the Corpse Ghost Dragon without restraint. By then, under heaven, who could oppose them?

”Of course,” Wanyan Hongsheng smiled faintly and said, ”As soon as we receive word from the four of you, the Wanyan Family will rush to your aid!”