Peking Opera Cat: I Became A Zi's Brother

Deep in the abandoned cellar in the heart of Dazong, the stench of decay and the strong smell of blood were intertwined, making people feel sick.

The stone wall was densely covered with dark red moss, which looked like countless twisted blood vessels under the flickering dark green phosphorescence.

"What a damned fellow!"

The scarlet eyes of the leader of the Red Snake Hall exuded cold murderous intent. The cat's tail slowly coiled up, and the scales rubbed against each other, making a rustling sound. Smelly venom dripped from its sharp fangs.

"That brat named Bai Tang can be so abstract in battle. This is definitely not a coincidence!"

The leader of the Red Snake Hall suddenly roared, and venom splattered on the ground, instantly corroding a large area of ​​charred marks.

"They must have some ulterior motive behind this. Perhaps they want to completely overthrow our rule in Dazong!"

"You're all paying attention to the wrong thing!"

The sharp claws of the white-faced cat, the leader of the White Tiger Hall, were deeply embedded in the armrests of the stone chair, sending wood chips flying everywhere.

A sinister look flashed across his face, and he sneered:

"Even more terrifying is that Mo Zi. Her sect's secret technique is incredibly elusive, and a single wave of her ice fan can freeze an area dozens of feet in radius. She must have come here this time because she's aware of the Chaos Key and wants to take it for herself!"

"These idiots didn't realize that we are all An's subordinates!"

The leader of the Black Claw Gang was wrapped in a black robe, and the rotten half of his face looked particularly hideous and terrifying in the dim light.

He let out a bloodcurdling shriek, his voice filled with a frenzy for the power of Chaos:

"Lord An has long predicted that the Twelve Sects will send people to stop us from awakening the Chaos Key. However, do they think they can succeed with a few brats and a has-been proprietress? That's simply wishful thinking!"

"But we can't take it lightly."

The black-robed man suddenly stopped smiling, a fierce look flashed in his eyes.

"Those kids in Xingluo Squad are all incredibly talented. Especially Mingyue, who's so unpredictable and could very well infiltrate our ranks to gather intelligence. And Dafei, while seemingly simple and honest, is actually incredibly powerful. Once unleashed, he could destroy our carefully constructed stronghold."

"It seems like none of this Xingluo squad is simple!"

An elder from the Red Snake Hall came forward with a flattering smile on his face:

"Sir, why don't we strike first and raid the inn tonight, catching them off guard! Get rid of them all and put an end to them once and for all!"

"idiot!"

The black-robed man roared angrily and slammed his rotten palm down on the stone table, causing the skull on the table to jump up.

"The inn is definitely well-defended. Any rash action will only alert the enemy. We must let them walk into the trap themselves!"

He slowly took out a tattered animal skin map, on which the terrain of Dazong and various secret strongholds were drawn in blood.

"See this?" the black-robed man said grimly.

"This is the Chaos Altar beneath the old Dazong site. As long as we can lure the Xingluo Squad here and activate the altar's Chaos Power, we can trap them inside forever and make them the sacrifice to awaken the Chaos Key!"

The white-faced cat's eyes lit up and he said excitedly:

"Good idea! But how can we get them to enter the altar obediently?"

The man in black robe smiled strangely and took out a small bottle from his sleeve. The bottle was filled with black sticky liquid that gave off a disgusting stench.

"This is the Chaos Poison Mist gifted by Lord An. It is colorless and odorless, but it can cause hallucinations and cause complete mental deprivation."

He said sinisterly,

"We can first spread rumors in Dazong City, saying that the Chaos Key is at the old altar, to lure them there. At the same time, we can fill the area around the altar with poisonous fog. Once they arrive, we can activate the mechanism and make them kill each other in a hallucination!"

The leader of the Red Snake Hall licked his lips, his eyes filled with bloodthirsty desire:

"Great! When most of them are dead, we'll come out to clean up the mess and take the Chaos Key. By then, the entire Da Zong and even the Cat Land will be ours!"

"It's more than that."

The black-robed man continued, with a crazy glint in his eyes.

"We must discredit the Xingluo Class. Brothers of the Black Claw Gang, immediately forge letters claiming the Xingluo Class is colluding with the Chaos forces and spread them throughout Dazong. Let the cat people of Dazong believe that the Xingluo Class is the culprit behind this disaster."

"Hahahaha!"

The white-faced cat laughed loudly,

"If they do this, even if they're lucky enough to survive, they'll be scorned by the cat people in Dazong and become the rats crossing the street!"

"By the way, the proprietress can't stay either."

The man in black robe said coldly,

"She knows too many secrets from the past and must be eliminated. We can poison her food or create an accident to make her disappear without a trace."

"!"

The cats were discussing heatedly when suddenly a slight noise came from the top of the cellar.

Everyone instantly became alert, drawing their weapons and assuming defensive postures.

"Who?!"

The leader of the Red Snake Hall shouted sternly, raising his snake tail high, ready to attack at any time.

I saw a black shadow quickly passing through the vent at an extremely fast speed, leaving only a faint fishy wind.

The man in black robe had a gloomy expression and said with gritted teeth:

"It's the Xingluo Squad! They're definitely spying on us! But that's exactly what I want. Let them hear this so they'll fall into our trap!"

Everyone smiled at each other, their eyes filled with the pride of having their conspiracy succeeded.

……

The atmosphere in the cellar instantly froze, as if even the air was frozen.

"But the more I think about it, the angrier I get!"

The Red Snake Hall leader's tail slammed heavily onto the ground, making a dull thud. He roared angrily:

"Chase! Don't let him escape!"

The cats, like a group of wolves smelling blood, held torches and weapons and ran towards the direction where the shadow disappeared.

The damp tunnel was filled with a pungent smell of sulfur.

The cats followed the intermittent fishy wind and after turning a few corners, a rune barrier emitting a faint blue light suddenly appeared in front of them.

The white-faced cat suddenly stopped, and its sharp claws scratched five deep marks on the ground:

"This rune...was not left by our people!"

The black-robed man leaned in to examine it carefully, a look of doubt and uncertainty on his rotten face:

"This is... a mystical rune I've never seen before. It has a cold and eerie aura, and it's definitely not something the Xingluo Squad or any of us could use."

Before he finished speaking, the rune barrier suddenly trembled violently, turned into specks of blue light and dissipated in the air, leaving only a faint wisp of strange fragrance.

An elder of the Red Snake Hall suddenly covered his mouth and nose and shouted in horror:

“Oh no! This scent is wrong!”

Before he could finish his words, his body began to twitch uncontrollably, his eyes rolled back, and black foam overflowed from the corners of his mouth.

"what……"

The black-robed man's expression changed drastically. He quickly took a few steps back and said sternly:

"Hold your breath! This is... the long-lost Soul-Eating Incense!"

When the fragrance faded, everyone was still in shock. On the ground, the elder was already dead, his body a strange purple-blue, as if some evil force had drained his life force.

The black-robed man squatted down and carefully examined the corpse, a trace of fear flashing in his eyes:

"Those who can wield the Soul-Devouring Incense are no ordinary individuals. It seems that besides the Xingluo Squad, there is a third party secretly spying on us, and their strength is unfathomable."

The white-faced cat frowned and pondered:

"Who could it be? Could it be that other sects have also discovered the secret of the Chaos Key and sent people to snatch it in advance?"

"No matter who they are, we can't let them ruin our plans!"

The leader of the Red Snake Hall said viciously, his snake pupils full of murderous intent.

"From now on, everyone must be vigilant and closely monitor Da Zong's every move. Anyone who is suspicious will be killed without mercy!"

The black-robed man stood up, his eyes as cold as ice:

"It seems the plan needs to be brought forward. Immediately notify all subordinates and speed up preparations. Before a third party emerges, we must obtain the Chaos Key and take control!"

The night grew darker, dark clouds gathered over the sky above Dazong, and a bigger storm was quietly brewing in the darkness.