Urban Martial Saint

The Executioner Scholar called the Wanyan Family, and it was Wanyan Second Master who answered. Therefore, only he knew exactly what the Executioner Scholar had said.

”He also mentioned the situation over at Chatiang Peak...” Wanyan Second Master furrowed his brow, saying, ”From what he implied, it seems that the people at Chatiang Peak still don’t know about this. At the very least, the people we placed over there have yet to report back anything!”

”So you’re saying there’s a chance the people at Chatiang Peak don’t even know Ye Qing and the others have returned alive to Shenchuan City?” Wanyan Hongsheng took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping across the room as he spoke gravely, ”That means it wasn’t the Seven Rudders of the Hong Alliance who rescued Ye Qing and the others; they walked out of the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master by themselves!”

”Walked out themselves? How is that possible?” Before anyone else could speak, Wanyan Second Master said sternly, ”The entrance and exit were all blown up by us—how could they have walked out on their own?”

”We think the entrance and exit have been blown up, but whether they’re completely destroyed is hard to say!” Wanyan Hongsheng said coldly, ”After all, we don’t even know how many entrances and exits there actually are!”

At these words, the people in the room looked at each other, then turned toward Wanyan Hongsheng. Old Fifth Wanyan was the first to speak, saying, ”Third Brother, by this logic, is it those few from the South Ridge Sect causing trouble?”

”It’s unlikely they’re causing trouble!” Wanyan Hongsheng shook his head, ”What they practice is the Demonic Sect Technique that I modified. After successful cultivation, I had already planted a Heart Demon in them. With the Heart Demon Technique, I can completely control them, even if they’re more powerful than me. There’s no way they could break free from this control. They certainly aren’t the problem!”

”If they’re not the problem, then what do you mean by what you just said, Third Brother?” Wanyan Second Master asked.

Wanyan Hongsheng said, ”What I mean is, even those few from the South Ridge Sect might not truly be able to figure out how many entrances or exits the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master has. After all, the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master was left by Guiguzi, the greatest Great Saint of the Taoist Sect for thousands of years. If his tomb could be so easily figured out by anyone, would he still be Guiguzi?”

These words resonated with everyone, as Guiguzi’s abilities were well acknowledged. Not to mention other things, just the fact that he left Heaven, Earth, and Man to guide the direction of the world showed how powerful he was. If his tomb was really so easy to decipher, then people wouldn’t believe it. Thus, according to Wanyan Hongsheng, it was understandable that those from the South Ridge Sect couldn’t figure out everything about the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master, and thus missed an exit.

Wanyan Second Master said, ”It’s pointless to talk about this now. The crucial thing is Ye Qing and the others have come out of the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master, and even Fu Qingping is out. Even Old Seventh has come out of the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master, so how should we handle this matter?”

Everyone fell silent again, knowing that the Seventh Elder had also been trapped in the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master. Now that they knew this fact, for a moment, no one knew how to respond. The truth was, all of them supported Wanyan Second Master and Wanyan Hongsheng’s decision to sacrifice the Seventh Elder, being direct relatives of the Wanyan Family, while the Seventh Elder was a branch member. In the eyes of these direct relatives, branches were expendable. Also, sacrificing the Seventh Elder alone to drag so many experts with him was something they deemed very worthwhile.

But even though they all supported sacrificing the Seventh Elder, that was only when they were certain he couldn’t return alive. Now that the Seventh Elder had returned alive from the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master, things became complicated. Not to mention anything else, just knowing that he was treated this way by his own people, how would the Seventh Elder feel? How would he treat the Wanyan Family? This also became a rather complicated issue.

Taking a deep breath, a man in his fifties standing at the far end suddenly said sternly, ”Hmph, I don’t think there’s any need to worry about this at all. As members of the Wanyan Family, we’ve all taken vows to rise for the family’s sake, even at the cost of our lives. Since Old Seventh is a member of the Wanyan Family, he should be prepared to sacrifice himself for the clan at any time. This situation arose suddenly and was for the family’s great cause. How could he have any complaints?”

The man speaking was a peer of Wanyan Hongsheng, ranking as Old Tenth. He was the youngest but also a Peak Master, so he was qualified to discuss these matters with the other Wanyan Family members.

After hearing Old Tenth’s words, everyone could only smile wryly. Old Tenth was young and had a rather extreme personality, often not thinking things through completely, so it was expected he’d say something like this. But everyone else clearly understood that even if they’d all prepared to sacrifice themselves for the family, when it came to sacrificing one individual, who would willingly go? This time, the Seventh Elder was betrayed by his own. Who could guarantee he wouldn’t have any thoughts?

”I feel that the focus here has shifted a bit!” Amid the silence, Wanyan Hongsheng suddenly spoke, ”In this event, I think the primary concern should be whether anyone else has come out!”

”What other people?” some people asked in confusion, not understanding immediately.

”For example, those ninjas from Iga-ryu and those people from the Church!” Wanyan Hongsheng said gravely, ”The ninjas from Iga-ryu and those from the Church are whom we should truly be worried about. Let’s not forget that we sent Old Seventh to Iga-ryu initially to uncover their secrets. If those ninjas from Iga-ryu died in the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master, their power would be largely diminished, making Iga-ryu negligible. Old Seventh wouldn’t matter much then, since he doesn’t know many family secrets!”

Wanyan Hongsheng’s words elicited nods from throughout the room, and Wanyan Second Master also nodded, saying gravely, ”So now, our primary task is to investigate whether those Iga-ryu ninjas and Church members have exited the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master!”

”Yes, exactly!” Wanyan Hongsheng affirmed, ”Especially those from the Church—they’re an extremely dangerous group!”

Wanyan Second Master recalled the time when the Cathedral Grand Master single-handedly challenged both Fu Qingping and The Immortal Lord, and he couldn’t help but feel anxious. They had sealed the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master’s entrance and exit back then mainly out of fear for the Cathedral Grand Master’s power, unwilling to confront him directly. If he had come out alive, it would indeed be a perilous situation, considering that their side’s Corpse Ghost Dragon and The Immortal Lord might not be a match for the Grand Master!

”And what about the stuff inside the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master?” Old Fifth Wanyan suddenly asked, ”Are those items not important?”

”No doubt, what’s inside the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master is crucial, but it’s not the right time to fight for them now!” Wanyan Hongsheng said, ”Everyone knows that Ye Qing and the others entered the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master, and they all know what’s inside is of grave importance. Therefore, no matter whose hands the tomb’s items end up in, they will excite competition from all over the world. Whoever holds onto the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master’s items will become a target. Let’s refrain from taking action for now and let them fight amongst themselves. Once they’ve both suffered heavy losses, it will be much easier for us to take them away, won’t it?”

With these words, Old Fifth Wanyan was overjoyed and said, ”Third Brother, your plan is truly brilliant. Yes, let those fools fight to their deaths, and then we can reap the benefits!”

”Does this mean we only need to sit back and watch the tigers fight?” Old Tenth Wanyan asked curiously.

”Just watching the tigers fight isn’t enough!” Wanyan Hongsheng shook his head, saying, ”If we want them to fight more fiercely, we need to pour some oil onto the fire.”

”Pour oil on the fire? How do we do that?” everyone wondered aloud.

”Ye Qing and his team just returned to Shenchuan City, and as soon as the people from Chatiang Peak hear about it, they will surely rush to Shenchuan City to confront them, forcing them to hand over the items from the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master.” Wanyan Hongsheng smiled and said, ”Among those people are some who have defected to our family. When the time comes, let them cause a bit of a commotion in Shenchuan City, which will intensify the struggle. This way, the drama will become all the more exciting!”

Everyone in the room was pleased. Wanyan Hongsheng’s idea helped to alleviate their previous concerns, and now, they eagerly anticipated watching the chaos unfold in Shenchuan City.

”Third Brother, in any case, you should first check in with Old Seventh!” Wanyan Second Master suddenly said gravely, ”Test his attitude, see what he truly thinks. If he’s still willing to work for the family, then regarding the matter of the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master, we owe him, and the family will certainly compensate him in the future.”

”Second Brother is right, regardless, Old Seventh is still part of our Wanyan Family. If he’s willing to continue working for the family, he’s still our brother!” Old Fourth Wanyan quickly expressed his agreement from the corner. He had a good relationship with Old Seventh, so he was the first to agree when Wanyan Second Master said this.

”No problem, Second Brother, I’ll arrange that!” Wanyan Hongsheng replied with a smile, glancing at Old Fourth Wanyan, while secretly amusing himself. Though Wanyan Second Master’s words seemed benevolent on the surface, Wanyan Hongsheng clearly understood their true meaning. Wanyan Second Master had stated clearly that if Old Seventh was willing to continue working for the family, then the family would accommodate him. But what if Old Seventh harbored resentment and refused to work for the family?

In essence, Wanyan Second Master was implicitly instructing Wanyan Hongsheng: if necessary, Old Seventh could be eliminated!