Xiantian Aura

"Xiantian Aura!"

After hearing City Guard Ni’s explanation, Teng Qinghu was somewhat dazed. If that was the case, then since he had long been able to influence throwing knives with his spirit, shouldn’t he have already broken through the Niwan Palace with his spirit? In other words, he could now attempt to break through to the Xiantian realm.

"Bang~"

Gu Sheng threw a punch, sending the White Horse Battalion soldier blocking his way flying, then walked straight toward Fourth Master Hong and his son, who were retreating again and again.

"Ah~"

Hong Zhenjie roared and charged over with his treasured blade. Fourth Master Hong had originally been preparing to flee, but when he saw his son rush forward, he hurriedly turned and met him.

Gu Sheng twisted aside to evade Hong Zhenjie’s slash. His right hand suddenly jabbed forward, striking Hong Zhenjie’s wrist, then one hand clamped around his throat and lifted him into the air.

Gu Sheng held Hong Zhenjie with one hand and spun several times in succession. The White Horse Battalion soldiers, afraid of injuring Hong Zhenjie, all retreated. Fourth Master Hong also stopped, anxiously watching his beloved son roll his eyes as he struggled to breathe.

Fourth Master Hong shouted, "Teng Qinghu, release my son at once, or this old man will make you pay!" His voice was indeed loud, but it carried an unmistakable hint of bluster masking fear.

"Heh heh! Young Master Hong, I heard you particularly enjoyed ruining little girls who hadn’t even grown up yet. How does it feel now?"

Holding Hong Zhenjie, Gu Sheng sneered and kicked him squarely between the legs. Hong Zhenjie shuddered violently, then convulsed and spasmed, his voice hoarse. If Gu Sheng hadn’t been squeezing his throat, who knew what kind of screams he might have let out!

"Teng Qinghu, you bastard!"

When Fourth Master Hong saw the blood left between Hong Zhenjie’s legs, his old face flushed red with rage.

"Urk~"

In the midst of Fourth Master Hong’s fury, Gu Sheng suddenly tightened his grip. Hong Zhenjie’s neck twisted to one side, and his body went limp.

"He committed countless evils. He deserved to die long ago!"

Gu Sheng tossed Hong Zhenjie’s corpse aside like garbage, then turned to face the trembling, enraged Fourth Master Hong.

"Teng Qinghu, I want you dead!"

Looking at his son, who had already stopped breathing, Fourth Master Hong made the threat through bloodshot eyes, tears streaming down his aged face.

"White Horse Battalion, follow me into battle!"

With a furious roar, Fourth Master Hong took the initiative and led his men in surrounding and attacking Gu Sheng.

"Ah!"

The Cold Moon Blade in Fourth Master Hong’s hand instantly burst forth with eighteen Light Shadows. Just as they neared Gu Sheng, they suddenly merged into a single white streak that hacked downward.

"Clang~"

Gu Sheng’s right hand flashed and accurately seized the hilt of Fourth Master Hong’s blade. He then lifted Fourth Master Hong’s entire body straight into the air, leaving him completely unable to exert any strength.

"Get lost~"

Gu Sheng suddenly spun several times, using Fourth Master Hong in his hand as a weapon and smashing him into the surrounding White Horse Battalion soldiers. After sweeping across the area, he cleared a vast empty space. Apart from Gu Sheng and Fourth Master Hong in his grip, no one remained standing.

"Thud~"

Blood seeped from Fourth Master Hong’s nose and mouth as he helplessly released the Cold Moon Blade. Gu Sheng had just swung him around and smashed him in every direction like a giant hammer, shattering all his internal organs.

"Urk~"

Fourth Master Hong fell backward onto the ground and lay there limply, staring up at the sky. After seeing Gu Sheng, he asked in utter confusion, "Why? Why? I was already willing to surrender. Why did you have to kill me and my son?"

That was what Fourth Master Hong understood least. He had clearly already submitted, so why had Gu Sheng still refused to let him go, insisting on wiping them out completely? Didn’t this brat know that without Fourth Master Hong’s cooperation, dealing with the bandit scourge in Yicheng would be countless times more difficult?

"Why? When you slaughtered villages and wiped out estates, when you abducted other men’s wives and daughters, didn’t those people ask why as well?"

Gu Sheng sneered coldly. "Our Teng Village was considered a large village for miles around, but during my father’s generation, he died at the hands of bandits, and my aunt was also abducted by bandits. Tell me, what reason do I have to spare scum like you?

"I won’t hide it from you. I came to the White Horse Gang today intending to kill its people and destroy the gang. Every bandit in Yicheng—even those I merely happen to encounter—I will kill. Even if corpses pile into mountains and blood flows like rivers, I will wipe you all out completely.

"After I’m done, there will be no bandits in Yicheng collecting annual fees."

"You’re truly insane. There are so many sects, gangs, and bandits across the Nine Provinces. Some are even controlled from behind the scenes by the Eight Great Sects. Do you really think you have the ability to kill them all?"

Fourth Master Hong spat out a mouthful of blood, never imagining that this would be the situation.

"I indeed lack the ability to sweep across the Nine Provinces right now!"

Gu Sheng snorted coldly. "But I can clean up Yicheng! Yicheng is my hometown. Since I have the ability, I must do something for it. At the very least, I can clear out parasites like you who suck its blood. That’s why I attacked your White Horse Gang."

"Pfft~"

Fourth Master Hong still wanted to speak, but Gu Sheng had no interest in continuing to argue with him. He directly chopped off his head, casually tossed it to Li Yanshan, then ordered Li Yanshan, Liu Shui, and City Guard Ni, "Carry the heads of the Hong father and son through Yicheng and make the announcement.

"Starting today, no bandits may remain within Yicheng. Any bandits who have not withdrawn from Yicheng within three days—I will personally attack their mountains and destroy their strongholds!"

"Yes~"

When Gu Sheng looked over, none of the people present, including City Guard Ni, dared to meet his eyes. They lowered their heads and obeyed his arrangements. Liu Shui personally cut off Hong Zhenjie’s head, then joined Li Yanshan and the city guards in carrying the heads through Yicheng.

"Liu San!"

Gu Sheng ignored the White Horse Gang members, who were as frightened as startled birds, and directly instructed Liu San, "Fourth Master Hong is dead. The White Horse Gang is yours now. I can spare the White Horse Gang, but it must be thoroughly purged from top to bottom.

"I don’t want to see any of Fourth Master Hong and his son’s diehard followers again. Those who once raided villages and towns, abducted other men’s wives and daughters, killed, or wantonly slaughtered innocents—you should know how to deal with them."

Gu Sheng had originally wanted to add "those who killed and committed arson," but after thinking it over, he realized that there probably wasn’t a gang member without at least two lives on his hands. Still, he couldn’t kill them all, so he changed it to "those who wantonly slaughtered innocents."

"Do it!"

A ruthless look flashed through Liu San’s eyes. He hacked down a White Horse Battalion soldier, then called on his loyal followers to attack. The White Horse Battalion was Fourth Master Hong’s loyal force. Even if Gu Sheng hadn’t said anything, Liu San would never have kept them alive.

"Let’s go. We’re heading back!"

Gu Sheng had no interest in watching Liu San massacre the White Horse Gang. He turned, took Chu Xin’s little hand, mounted the Black Wind Leopard, nodded at Teng Qingshan, and left directly.

The top-ranked person on the Earth Ranking, Teng Qinghu, eighteen years old, a native of Teng Village in Yicheng, Jiangning Prefecture, Yangzhou…

On the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, Teng Qinghu single-handedly broke through the White Horse Gang’s ten thousand-plus members. White Horse Gang Leader Fourth Master Hong was dead, and Young Master Hong Zhenjie was dead. Not one of the eight hundred White Horse Battalion soldiers survived, while more than half of the gang members were killed or wounded. Nearly two thousand gang members died directly at Teng Qinghu’s hands in this battle.

On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, Teng Qinghu carried the heads of Fourth Master Hong and his son through Yicheng and ordered the suppression of the bandit scourge. Qingfeng Stronghold, Black Cloud Stronghold… Eighteen gangs boldly formed an alliance. Teng Qinghu led three thousand elite soldiers and broke through ten strongholds in one day, beheading thirty thousand bandits. Nearly three thousand were killed directly by him alone.

Within five days, Teng Qinghu had crushed bands of bandits numbering in the hundreds of thousands and personally beheaded more than ten thousand. He was known as the Butcher, and his fearsome reputation shook Yicheng.

The Myriad Manifestations Sect established the Myriad Manifestations Pavilion in Yicheng, with Huo Yancha as its master.