Chapter 177 Many masters nodded in agreement.

At dawn, Mao Yi returned to the Changle Gang with a gloomy expression.

"Gang Leader! News from Cangzhou Prefecture has arrived!"

Just as he returned to the main hall, a black-clad figure appeared behind Mao Yi and respectfully handed over a letter.

This was his absolute confidant, who only took orders from him.

Mao Yi read the letter expressionlessly, his face unchanged.

But the veins on his arms, hidden behind his back, bulged, and his fists were tightly clenched, proving his inner turmoil.

Taking a deep breath, Mao Yi slowly calmed his mood.

He had long suspected the news of his son's death, and this time it was merely confirmed.

But Protector Meng Feixing was a Supreme Grandmaster, whose strength in the entire Changle Gang was only below three people, and yet he died at the hands of a kid who hadn't even grown his hair out yet?

To his Changle Gang, this was definitely a major blow.

"That Yan Chu... is he from the Empress Dowager's faction?"

"Yes!"

The figure behind him reported:

"According to the news, Central Province has already sent a team to Cangzhou Prefecture to provide support to Yan Chu. I heard they specifically selected a divine weapon from the Imperial Palace treasury to bestow upon him."

"The Empress Dowager must value this person very much, otherwise she wouldn't have bestowed a divine weapon."

"This is to ensure he can gain an advantage in the battle against Sima Tao!"

Mao Yi nodded with deep eyes, saying nothing.

Seeing this, his subordinate asked:

"Gang Leader, what did General Leng call you to talk about?"

Mao Yi was silent for a moment, then spoke:

"Recently, the war between the imperial court and the rebel army has been unfavorable. They plan to temporarily abandon the Heavenly Horse Ridge defense line and retreat three hundred miles to the Fuyang Pass area."

"What? Retreating again?"

The subordinate's expression changed slightly:

"Behind Fuyang Pass is a vast plain with no defenses. If Fuyang Pass is also breached, then Soaring Province will likely..."

He finally understood why the Gang Leader returned with such a gloomy face.

If Soaring Province was also captured by the rebel army, what would happen to their Changle Gang?

"That's not all!"

Mao Yi continued with a straight face:

"According to imperial scouts, the Tuoshan Vajra from Nalanda Temple might be in the rebel army camp. Leng Wushuang wants our Changle Gang to send three Mountain Shaking Realm experts to assist in the defense of Fuyang Pass."

"Tuoshan Vajra?! That is..."

That was a genuine Celestial Being Expert!

If the imperial court didn't send a Celestial Being Expert of the same level, what could they, these Mountain Shaking Realm experts on the front line, use to resist Tuoshan Vajra?

At their level, the number of ordinary soldiers lost its meaning.

Even if the Great Jin Dynasty's military formations were extraordinary, they could not threaten the existence of a Supreme Grandmaster level. Both sides were truly competing on the strength of their high-end combat power.

One Celestial Being Expert was enough to tip the scales of victory to the other side.

"The imperial court cannot be relied upon..."

The man in black sighed in his heart.

Now Northern Mang was eyeing them covetously, and a million troops could go south at any time.

This was a more serious threat than the rebels.

I heard the situation in the southern part of the Great Jin Dynasty was equally rotten.

Southern Wei colluded with the Holy Lotus Sect and had already controlled two or three provinces.

No matter how you looked at it, the Great Jin Dynasty was in a precarious situation. I don't know how those people in Central Province could still sit still?

"Go call Li Guodong here for me!"

The subordinate was stunned, then nodded hurriedly: "Yes!"

Li Guodong was the branch leader who escaped back from the Changle Gang's Ganzhou branch.

Before long, Li Guodong received the news and rushed over, bowing respectfully,

"Greetings, Gang Leader!"

Mao Yi turned around, looking at this subordinate who had been in the Changle Gang for decades, and said indifferently:

"If I, the Changle Gang, defect to Heavenly King Xue, what can he give me?"

Li Guodong paused, a flash of joy in his eyes, and hurriedly said:

"Gang Leader, you have great insight!"

"When I met Heavenly King Xue, he personally promised!"

"If the Gang Leader is willing to rise up, he will support the Gang Leader to become the Martial Forest leader of the three provinces of Liang, Ganzhou, and Soaring Province!"

"Besides that, he will also seek a Blessed Land quota for the Gang Leader!"

"Martial Forest leader?"

Mao Yi narrowed his eyes and said:

"Is Heavenly King Xue so sure that he will win?"

"If the imperial court frees up its hands and sends a Celestial Being Expert, what will he use to deal with it?"

Li Guodong heard this and smiled calmly:

"Gang Leader, the imperial court is currently overwhelmed, and Northern Mang is eyeing them from above. This is a sharp blade hanging over their necks. How could they have any extra Celestial Being Experts to send here?"

"Besides, Heavenly King Xue has the support of Nalanda Temple."

"Many Great Masters have nodded, saying they will fully support Heavenly King Xue."

"Heh!"

Mao Yi heard this and said with a fake smile:

"If he has so many Great Masters supporting him, he doesn't need me!"

Li Guodong's expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly said:

"Gang Leader, you must consider carefully. Even if the imperial court sends a Celestial Being Expert, Soaring Province will be very difficult to hold. Heavenly King Xue can firmly take the three provinces!"

"What will you do then? What will happen to the Changle Gang?"

These words made Mao Yi fall silent.

After a moment, he slowly said:

"If you want me to defect to him, there is one more requirement!"

"Gang Leader, please speak!"

"I want Heavenly King Xue to help me kill someone!"

"Are you talking about... Blade Demon Yan Chu?"

Last night, news from Cangzhou Prefecture arrived. Li Guodong was also one of the high-level members of the Changle Gang. Although he had secretly defected to Heavenly King Xue not long ago, only the Gang Leader knew about this.

So he also knew that the Protector Meng Feixing died at the hands of Yan Chu.

Seeing the Gang Leader's expression at this moment, he immediately guessed it.

Thinking of the scene where he saw the Gang Leader's wife crying like rain this morning, pitiful and moving, Li Guodong felt a faint heat in his lower abdomen, and he had already comforted the Gang Leader's wife many times in his mind.

"Correct!"

Mao Yi finally revealed a bit of cold killing intent,

"Yan Chu killed my only son. If Heavenly King Xue wants me to submit, he must bring me Yan Chu's head!"

"When I see his head, that is when I will defect!"

"This..."

Li Guodong hesitated and nodded:

"I will convey your request to Heavenly King Xue and see how the Heavenly King responds!"

That Yan Chu could kill Meng Feixing.

Even if his strength was not as good as Gang Leader Mao Yi, it was probably not far off.

Killing such a Supreme Grandmaster was no small feat.

...

At the same time, Cangzhou Prefecture.

At this time, Cangzhou Prefecture was surging with undercurrents, and countless eyes were watching here.

Below Yellow Dragon Mountain, countless Jianghu guests had long been stationed, all waiting for tomorrow's great battle.

After this battle, the ownership of Cangzhou Prefecture would be decided.

This was the first time in decades that someone had challenged the prestige of the Old Marquis, and it was a young Prodigy in his twenties.

In everyone's opinion, at this moment, Yan Chu and Sima Tao must be preparing for the battle with peace of mind. After all, no one could bear the consequences of failure.

Outside Cangzhou Prefecture city, under the moonlight, a red-robed monk descended upon the Marquis of Annan's Estate.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

As soon as he landed, two sounds of breaking air rang out.

Two withered old men appeared on the left and right in front of the monk, their expressions solemn.

The red-robed monk's expression remained unchanged, a faint smile on the corner of his mouth,

"amitabha, this humble monk has come from afar. Is my old friend unwilling to come out to greet me?"

The voice was mellow and clearly passed through the back mountain into the Immortal Cave.

Rumble!

The door of the Immortal Cave opened from the middle, and the Old Marquis Sima Tao, with white hair combed meticulously, walked out of the Immortal Cave.

"Joyful Buddha, how have you been!"

...

"Heh! Decades have passed, and the Marquis is still as stylish as ever!"

Joyful Buddha wore a red kasaya, a string of large prayer beads hung on his chest, he had a crew cut, a slightly chubby figure, looked kind, and was all smiles, looking just like a benevolent Great Master of Buddhism.

No one would have thought that he was the cultivation-draining demon who had harmed thousands of young girls, the notorious leader of the Huanxi Sect in the Jianghu.

The Huanxi Sect, as a branch of the Esoteric Buddhism, mostly circulated in the Western Regions, and there were very few Buddhist Disciples in the Great Jin Dynasty who practiced this branch.

Moreover, because the method of practice was special, the Huanxi Sect had always been denounced by Buddhism as a heretical path and was not welcomed.

Even in the Western Regions, which were full of Buddhist kingdoms, the Huanxi Sect was not liked.

If it weren't for this generation's Joyful Buddha joining the Ten Thousand Buddha Cave, perhaps the Huanxi lineage would have long since vanished.

Sima Tao knew these things clearly.

However, Joyful Buddha's own cultivation was not weak. The two had fought once in the past, and they were evenly matched. After this incident, the two had some friendship.

Sima Tao waved his hand, and the two subordinates bowed and retreated.

Now that the Marquis of Annan, Sima Yutang, had taken his wife and children and secretly left Cangzhou Prefecture, the entire Marquis's estate, apart from the servants, was only guarded by a few of them, inevitably giving rise to a sense of desolation.

"What is your purpose for coming to Cangzhou Prefecture in the middle of the night?"

Joyful Buddha smiled and said:

"This humble monk has an unfilial daughter who died in Cangzhou Prefecture not long ago."

"I have come to Cangzhou Prefecture now to avenge her!"

"Oh?"

Sima Tao narrowed his eyes. He also knew about the death of the Great Joy Bodhisattva,

"Could it be that you have already found out who the murderer is?"

"amitabha!"

Joyful Buddha restrained his smile a bit, with a faint murderous tone:

"I planted a blood-guiding secret technique on that wicked creature. The moment she died, I saw who the murderer was!"

Originally, Joyful Buddha cultivated the Great Joy Bodhisattva so that when his own cultivation could not advance further, he could swallow her and turn her into resources for his own advancement.

Now that it had been cut off halfway, the murderous intent in his heart was extremely intense.

Cutting off someone's path was like killing their parents.

No! It was much more serious than killing their parents!

After all, his biological parents were killed by himself.

Sima Tao's expression remained unchanged. He knew very well what kind of person was in front of him, so he asked indifferently:

"Who is the murderer?"

Joyful Buddha's chubby face had his eyes narrowed into a slit,

"You should be most familiar with this person; it is the Blade Demon Yan Chu who has an appointment to fight you!"

"Yan Chu?!"

Sima Tao's tone was confused, but his face did not change much.

At his stage of cultivation and age, there was little that could stir his emotions.

Although this answer surprised him.

Moreover, he himself did not take the death of the Great Joy Bodhisattva to heart.

A mere person who broke through to the Supreme Grandmaster level by opportunistic means, if her father were not Joyful Buddha, she would not even be qualified to meet him.

"Then why did you come to my place?"

Sima Tao's expression was flat, and he said with his hands behind his back:

"Shouldn't you go find Yan Chu to take revenge?"

"Heh!"

Joyful Buddha smiled and said:

"Not long from now is the date of the battle between Brother Sima and that Blade Demon. How can this poor monk steal the limelight from Brother Sima?"

"Besides, this poor monk is just a monk, it is better to kill less, so as not to cause the Buddha to blame me when I go to the Western Heaven in the future!"

"Hmph!"

Sima Tao flicked his sleeves and said impolitely:

"You bald donkey, stop giving me that act!"

"Tell me! You came to see me in the middle of the night, what is your purpose?"

If Joyful Buddha killed few lives, then there were no bad people in this world.

To be able to make a name for himself in the Western Regions, who was a good person?

Not to mention the other party was a famous evil monk of Buddhism.

The women he captured in the back mountain of the Marquis's estate were absolutely nothing compared to the other party, not even a fraction.

Many of the Huanxi Sect's Disciples were actually his children and descendants.

Joyful Buddha did not mind Sima Tao's tone and address, still with that expression, smiling:

"This poor monk heard that Brother Sima also practices a Dual Cultivation method, which was obtained from Fengyin Sanren?"

Whoosh!

Sima Tao's expression immediately became cold, his eyes icy,

"Where did you hear that from?"

Joyful Buddha waved his hand and said:

"Old friend, do not be angry. This matter is not a big secret."

"You were close friends with Fengyin Sanren in the past, which is known to the Jianghu. Later, Fengyin Sanren disappeared in the Great Jin Dynasty, and you, as one of his few good friends, suddenly understood the Dual Cultivation method, so it is natural to guess."

"If I could find Fengyin Sanren, I wouldn't have to beg you!"

"Hmph!"

Sima Tao snorted coldly,

"So what if it is?"

"What? Your Huanxi lineage is proficient in Dual Cultivation, and you also look down on the crude Cultivation Technique in my hands?"

"Old friend, you are joking!"

"How can the Cultivation Technique gifted by Fengyin Sanren be called crude?"

Joyful Buddha's expression became much more solemn when he mentioned the four words Fengyin Sanren,

"The Huanxi lineage passed down to my hands has flaws in its Cultivation Technique, so this poor monk came here to beg for the Cultivation Technique from Brother Sima, to see if I can draw inferences about other cases."

Sima Tao pondered for a moment after hearing this, and said:

"What can you offer?"

"amitabha!"

Joyful Buddha chanted a low Buddha name and said:

"For the battle with Blade Demon Yan Chu, I am willing to lend a hand to Brother Sima!"

"No need!"

Sima Tao refused bluntly, cold and stern:

"I have roamed the world all my life. If I need someone else's help to fight a junior, how will the Jianghu evaluate me?"

"In this battle, if I win, that is as it should be!"

"If I lose, that is fate!"

"What do I have to fear?"

Saying this, Sima Tao seemed to have returned to his prime, those years of domineering arrogance.

Even his aura and Primordial Spirit seemed to have some reaction, faintly strengthened a little.

Unfortunately, he was in his twilight years after all.

If he had always had this spirit, maybe after a few more decades, he could have broken through to a higher level.

"Immeasurable Life Buddha!"

Joyful Buddha pinched the prayer beads, lowered his head and closed his eyes:

"Brother Sima has high aspirations, I am not as good!"

Sima Tao sighed and shook his head without speaking.

If he had realized this truth earlier, always advancing bravely on the path of martial arts, and not pursuing those side-door life-prolonging methods, how could he have ended up like this?

Maybe he would have already broken through to a new level, and his Lifespan would naturally be worry-free.

This truth was realized too late after all!

Thinking about it now, the look in Fengyin Sanren's eyes when he looked at him was unusual, but he didn't give any advice...

But there is one more thing that must be done now. As long as Yan Chu is eliminated, a glimmer of life can be earned for his son Yutang, and his Sima Family will not be without descendants.

"Then what does Brother Sima want?"

Joyful Buddha asked.

Sima Tao narrowed his eyes, his gaze deep, and slowly said:

"I am at this age, I have no other requests. Now the only thing I can't let go of in my heart is my descendants!"

"Good! This poor monk understands!"

Joyful Buddha nodded,

"For the sake of our many years of friendship, after this matter is over, I will find your son and protect him until he advances to Supreme Grandmaster."