Fantasy: Immortality Begins with Absorbing Demons

Chapter 734 Breaking the Stalemate (Part 8)

"No, it's a trap!"

Chen Fangping sensed something amiss beneath his feet and retreated hastily, but it was too late.

"Heaven and earth possess righteous energy, which manifests in myriad forms..."

Suddenly, an old man's voice rang out reciting poetry.

Whoosh...whoosh...

A silver character for "benevolence" appeared prominently beneath Chen Fangping's feet.

After the silver light characters appeared, countless silver-white lines quickly branched out from them, firmly fixing his body in place.

Swish!

From the dark corner, a silver 'Ren' character also appeared, flying rapidly towards him and instantly imprinting itself on his chest. "This...this is...?!" Chen Fangping's pupils dilated, his gaze fixed stiffly on his chest, as if he had remembered something.

hiss…...

Fine bloodstains appeared on the skin around the character '仁'.

"Spare me...spare me...I surrender..." Chen Fangping's face was deathly pale, as if he had lost all his strength in an instant.

boom!

Before he could finish speaking, his entire body exploded like a bomb in the blink of an eye.

There was no blood, flesh, or bone fragments, only large clumps of silver light that suddenly drifted away from the sky.

"Just like that, he died?!" Han Yi stood in the corner, his pupils suddenly shrinking.

After much deliberation and discussion with Zhong Han, he finally decided to attend Dong Ruojing's invitation.

For no other reason than out of curiosity.

Curious about what methods the other party would use to ambush and seize Chen Fangping, the Soul-Hook.

After all, as far as he knew, Chen Fangping was not weak and was extremely alert. If anything seemed amiss, he would run away.

Unexpectedly, Dong Ruojing's plan was merely to set a trap and lure them in, which they easily succeeded in.

It's that simple...

The trap beneath Chen Fangping's feet...

Even he didn't realize it.

Thinking of this, Han Yi's eyes suddenly darkened.

He originally thought the invitation was a gesture of support, just in case.

Looking at it now...

They didn't need him to lift a finger; they just wanted to show off their muscles in front of him.

"Sect Leader Han... I knew you'd come." Dong Ruojing slowly stepped forward, smiling as she looked at Han Yi. "You're dressed quite cautiously, it wasn't necessary. I told you, the Sect Leader doesn't need to intervene, just provide support... So, do you believe me now?"

At this moment, Han Yi was shrouded in a wide black robe, and his face was covered with a white wolf mask.

Considering the possibility of making a move, he naturally wanted to conceal his identity to prevent others from recognizing him.

"...Truly a brilliant method...exquisite..." Han Yi said calmly. "When traveling, it's best to be on the safe side. If our identities are discovered, wouldn't that just lead to more bloodshed?"

Upon hearing this, Dong Ruojing chuckled.

"The sect leader's words are truly witty..."

Before she could finish speaking, a refined-looking old man walked over.

The old man had a calm expression. He wore a white robe and held a steel calligraphy brush that was more than half a meter long in his hand. He nodded to Dong Ruojing, then turned and quickly left.

“This person…” Han Yi narrowed his eyes, intently observing the departing figure.

He could sense a subtle, unusual aura emanating from the brush.

The aura emanating from the silver 'Ren' character that caused Chen Fangping's death was exactly the same.

This power... was unknown to him, something he had never seen before.

It was exactly the same as the strange aura that was hidden and surging beneath the surface of Dong Ruojing's body.

As if sensing Han Yi's doubts, Dong Ruojing smiled and explained, "This is righteous energy. The one just now was Elder Jiuli, one of the four elders of our Benevolence and Righteousness Society."

"The Righteous and Righteous...the Benevolent and Righteous...Association?" Han Yi's gaze sharpened. "Is this the force behind you?"

“I want to confirm one thing…” Dong Ruojing did not answer, “Sect Leader, can you completely trust us now? We are mortal enemies with Fan Hongchou, not your enemies.”

"..."

Han Yi paused for a moment, then glanced around.

As expected, Zhang Songlan was also a member of the Benevolent Society.

After Chen Fangping's death, he returned and, with a group of Songlan Society disciples, began to massacre government soldiers.

With him there, only a few breaths passed.

Most of the soldiers that Chen Fangping brought had already been slaughtered.

No wonder Zhang Songlan couldn't hand over the inheritance...

At this moment, Han Yi vaguely understood something.

It is estimated that Zhang Songlan was originally a member of the Renyi Society and was placed in Rongcheng to control the situation.

His strength likely came entirely from what he learned in the Benevolent Society. If it were handed over to Fan Hongchou, it would be tantamount to admitting defeat without being asked.

So they decided to turn the tables and set a trap to ambush and kill Chen Fangping.

Now that you mention it…

Zhang Songlan's supposed fall off a cliff, her miraculous survival, and the inheritance she received...

It's highly likely that this is just a smokescreen to mislead people.

Han Yi was puzzled from the start.

There are hardly so many coincidences in this world.

The only characters in traditional Chinese folktales who can survive falling off a cliff and discover a secret martial arts manual are the ones who get this kind of treatment.

"What has the Sect Master decided? Time is of the essence," Dong Ruojing whispered again. "And there's only one chance!"

"Things have come to this point. It seems I only have one choice..." Han Yi came back to his senses and said with a wry smile, "Tell me what you want to do."

This is essentially tacitly agreeing to join the Benevolent Society.

Initially, he planned to conceal himself and wait for an opportunity to act. Fan Hongchou's obvious purpose was to be aggressive and relentless, throwing mud and infamy at the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, squeezing all of their power, and refusing to give them a way out.

To surrender and await one's fate is not Han Yi's style.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

We'll temporarily join forces with the Benevolent Society; we won't discuss the future for now.

Whether they are friends or enemies, we'll discuss it further.

At the very least, they can hold out until the current predicament is over and the crisis can be resolved.

“Wait another three months… as long as the sect leader can hold on until the eighth day of the eleventh month, once our Benevolent Society is ready… that will be the day Fan Hongchou dies!” Dong Ruojing said decisively without wasting any words.

"November 8th... three months..." Han Yi took a deep breath. "Insist... you mean... our Ten Thousand Beasts Sect will remain unchanged?"

"You're right," Dong Ruojing said with a smile. "Unfortunately, there's no reward."

“This joke… isn’t funny…” Han Yi’s expression turned serious.

After several encounters with Dong Ruojing, he had witnessed the power behind her and the strength of the Renyi Society.

Therefore, the veracity and credibility of Dong Ruojing's words are not low.

It is indeed possible that, as stated, Fan Hongchou's problem can be resolved on schedule.

However, this brings up another problem.

"Aren't you overlooking something...?" Han Yi slowly began, "What if... I'm making a hypothetical assumption? If we can't hold out for three months, and before that... Fan Hongchou makes his move against us, then what do we do?"

This possibility is not nonexistent, and is extremely high. Judging from the intelligence Zhang Ruoning reported, the government troops seem completely unconcerned about his quiet disappearance.

Instead of showing any fear, they increased the demands on the Myriad Beasts Sect, making their burdens grow daily and causing them immense suffering.

This illustrates one point.

Fan Hongchou wasn't afraid of his threats at all and didn't take him seriously.

Withdraw the Huayang forces and hide in the Black Mist Mountain base, leaving a way out.

Even if the government troops were to break off relations and take action against a small portion of the forces within the Huayang Huahu Villa.

The Myriad Beasts Sect is still able to retain most of its combat strength.

As long as they cannot find a suitable location, the Beast Sect can maintain its position for a long time by virtue of its secluded environment.

They could seize the opportunity to launch a bloody revenge.

This was Han Yi's initial plan. He thought that the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect was hidden in the mountains, with miasma to conceal it and constant patrols around the clock, making its base sufficiently secretive.

But then something happened that changed Han Yi's mind.

Since Dong Ruojing of the Benevolent Society was able to find the secret hideout he relied on, then...

Fan Hongchou, whom the Benevolent Society considers a major enemy, must also possess some special search skills to find what he considers a hidden hideout.

Once their base is found, the Myriad Beasts Sect will have no way out.

“No, no, no, nothing is missing…” Dong Ruojing smiled, somewhat coldly, “I can make the decision. Apart from the sect leader, the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect can select ten people to enter my Benevolent Society's stronghold together, and they will be safe and sound.”

"What?!" Han Yi's pupils dilated instantly. "You mean, you want us high-ranking members to abandon our disciples and flee to your ranks for refuge?!"

“Your Ten Thousand Beasts Sect… apart from those former academy leaders, aren’t the rest of you basically all newly recruited disciples?” Dong Ruojing said calmly. “As long as you people are still here, the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect can rise to power at any time.”

"Once this scoundrel is dead, our Benevolent Society can provide resources to support you in regaining control of the Huayang area. It's even highly possible that we can restore your original name, Jingtian Manor, and rejoin the five major powers of Yunzhou."

"..."

Han Yi felt a chill in his heart and remained silent for a moment.

Isn't this just living under someone else's roof?

No, it's even worse than living under someone else's roof.

Why does the Myriad Beasts Sect have so many conflicts with the government army, and why is it repeatedly targeted by Fan Hongchou?

Isn't it because they've always wanted to maintain their independence, preserve their heritage, and not allow outsiders to interfere in their internal affairs?

If they, like the Hu family, were to completely belong to Fan Hongchou and become part of the government army, they would honestly carry out their missions and diligently arrest people every day.

They may have some bad reputation, but they won't be used as pawns; once they lose their usefulness, they'll be eliminated.

If they did as Dong Ruojing suggested, their Ten Thousand Beasts Sect would become a subordinate force of the Benevolent and Righteous Society.

In fact, the effect that Fan Hongchou wanted to achieve was no different.

If that's the case, why should the Myriad Beasts Sect resist so fiercely? Why not just surrender to Fan Hongchou directly?

Moreover, judging from Dong Ruojing's words, she was treating the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect as a consumable item.

It was used as bait to buy time and exhaust Fan Hongchou's energy!

Once these high-ranking officials flee, the remaining disciples and followers will definitely be unable to withstand the suppression by the government army.

How many people is that?

At least several hundred lives were lost!

Just like that, you give up? The Benevolent Society, the Benevolent Society…

With the concepts of benevolence and righteousness attached to it, Han Yi originally thought it would be a benevolent force... at least, much better than Fan Hongchou's style of brutally killing the innocent...

Looking at it now...

These powerful forces... are all birds of a feather!

"I'm sorry... I can't agree." Han Yi took a deep breath and shook his head in refusal.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it then." Dong Ruojing wasn't surprised by this answer, but her tone was somewhat regretful.

Originally, in the Renyi Society's plan, the Wanshou Sect, as an opposing force to Fan Hongchou's side, was not given this treatment.

The initial idea was to intensify the conflict between the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect and Fan Hongchou, causing them to fight each other and deplete their strength internally.

After all, in their view, the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect had committed numerous evils, indiscriminately killed innocent people, and lacked any sense of benevolence or morality; such an end was to be expected. As things progressed, the members of the sect noticed that the Holy Master, Tantai Xunzhen, seemed to have some unusual feelings for Han Yi.

This led to the change in the original plan.

They chose to completely win over Han Yi and bring him to their side.

Unfortunately, the other party did not agree.

Of course, in Dong Ruojing's view, it was normal for Han Yi not to agree.

With so many disciples and followers present, she wouldn't have agreed either.

I understand, but I still feel regretful.

The treatment they gave Han Yi was undeniably generous.

They proactively offered shelter and even promised to provide resources for future development...

Normally, some forces that want to join the Benevolent Society not only have to pull strings, but also have to actively hand over resources.

It is no exaggeration to say that Han Yi's treatment was unprecedented within the Benevolent Society.

"So... the talks broke down?" Han Yi's expression was calm, revealing no inner emotional fluctuations.

"It's not that bad, we're still partners." Dong Ruojing gently shook her head. "It's just that Sect Leader must think carefully. During these three months, our Benevolent Society will be stretched thin and unable to spare any resources to solely assist the Myriad Beasts Sect..."

Therefore…preserving the core leadership and making a comeback is the best course of action now.”

"It's alright. I'll find a way." Han Yi said calmly, "What Fan Hongchou wants is to force our Ten Thousand Beasts Sect to complete the mission and capture enough qualified individuals. Three months... As long as we use this as leverage, we may have a chance to delay it."

“Difficult, difficult, difficult…” Dong Ruojing shook her head repeatedly and sighed, “Do you know how many arrangements Fan Hongchou made throughout Yunzhou? It’s not just here in Huayang that there are arrangements for the number of people to be arrested.”

Besides, three months may seem short, but it feels incredibly long once you return to reality. To put it bluntly, if Fan Hongchou wanted to make a move against your Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, it wouldn't take him a single night.

"No matter what..." Han Yi said calmly, "Don't mention again the matter of me abandoning the sect and running away alone!"

"Is the sect leader so confident? Aren't you afraid of failure?" Dong Ruojing couldn't help but ask. "Knowing there will be danger, aren't you really afraid of the lineage being cut off?"

“If that’s really the case…” Han Yi paused, “I will slaughter Fan Hongchou’s entire family.”

(Happy Lunar New Year's Eve! Wishing everyone a happy new year, and may all your wishes come true and bring you great wealth!!!)