Chapter 245: Chapter 122: "Nine Blood Soul Blades" Breaks the Limit, Sword Gang Infused with Fiend, Corroding Flesh and Bone, Slaying the Mind and Spirit

Night enveloped Cyan Yang Ancient City like a dormant behemoth, swallowing all the clamor of the day.

The wind beat like a drum...

The Seven Stars Gang’s meeting hall was brightly lit.

The battle at Mist Marsh had been harrowing. Rescuing over one hundred and fifty disciples brought Cao Feng and the others little joy. In fact, it only cast an even deeper shadow over them.

Gang Leader Cao Feng, Cao Yan, Li Qingxue, and several Core Elders were gathered in the meeting hall, the atmosphere as heavy as ink.

"Many have had their legs and feet broken. I fear they’ll never be able to practice martial arts again," a Cao Clan Elder sighed.

"The others have some injuries, but nothing too serious. They should recover after a few days of rest."

"Everyone has been properly settled."

"Should we send word to the Government Office?"

"No need," Cao Feng said, shaking his head. "Before, we handed over clues that the Seven Stars Castle was colluding with the Moon Worship Sect and using refugees for a Blood Sacrifice. The report vanished without a trace. Constable Lu Tao wanted to investigate, but he was suppressed by Zhang Yunpeng..."

"If we report this now, forget about whether Zhang Yunpeng will believe us. I’m afraid it will only invite a greater disaster."

The meeting hall fell eerily silent.

In truth, everyone present understood the situation clearly...

Either the County Magistrate, Zhang Yunpeng, had received some immense benefit from the Seven Stars Castle and was turning a blind eye...

Or... he was in the same boat as the Moon Worship Sect!

For the Moon Worship Sect to be entrenched in Cyan Yang Ancient City for over two years, committing one bloody crime after another without consequence—who would believe they didn’t have official protection?

If Zhang Yunpeng truly was in league with the Moon Worship Sect...

How was the Seven Stars Gang supposed to respond?

Aside from waiting for the Demon Suppression Bureau to arrive, there seemed to be no other option.

A Li Clan Elder said grimly, "Those people from the Seven Stars Castle are completely insane. They sent over one hundred and fifty people to the Moon Worship Sect, obviously so the sect could help them repair the Blood Refining Array faster."

"If they actually manage to repair the Blood Refining Array and then use Demon Techniques to raise their Cultivation..."

"Even with an astonishingly talented person like Chu Fan on our side, the Seven Stars Gang still won’t be able to match them!"

Li Qingxue said, "I went to Flowing Cloud Mountain a few days ago. The forest at its base was completely shrouded in mist, making it impossible to enter."

"The area covered by the mist is clearly a Grand Array."

"Anyone who rushes in recklessly will certainly be trapped inside, unable to escape."

Flowing Cloud Mountain was the very place where Chu Fan had originally found the Blood Refining Array.

A Cao Clan Elder frowned. "How did the person you sent before find the Blood Refining Array? And how did they get back safely from that misty forest?"

Neither Cao Feng nor Li Qingxue spoke.

They hadn’t told the clan elders of the Cao and Li Families that Chu Fan had broken the Blood Refining Array, killed Hall Master Qin Fei of the Cyan Wood Hall, and wounded Lin Luoxue.

That was why when Cao Yan got into trouble, the group of elders didn’t believe for a second that Cao Feng was sending Chu Fan to rescue him.

They had no idea that Chu Fan had already killed an expert of the Mortal Transformation realm, making him the Seven Stars Gang’s strongest hidden blade.

Cao Feng and Li Qingxue exchanged a glance.

’Looks like we’ll have to rely on Chu Fan to investigate the true state of the Blood Refining Array.’

With the Resentful Spirit from the White Bone to guide him, Chu Fan naturally had no fear of the mist in the forest.

But the task was simply too dangerous...

The danger came not only from Mortal Transformation experts like Lin Luoxue and Shen Shikang, but also from the Resentful Spirit sealed beneath the Blood Refining Array!

That was why, despite being anxious to know if the Moon Worship Sect could repair the Blood Refining Array, Cao Feng hadn’t dared to ask Chu Fan to investigate in the past few days.

According to Chu Fan, he had broken the Blood Refining Array, and it would be impossible to restore it in anything less than a few months.

Naturally, they hoped that was the case.

But Chu Fan had never studied Arrays. How could he possibly know that the Moon Worship Sect couldn’t repair it in a short amount of time?

A sense of unease lingered in the hearts of Cao Feng and the others.

After a moment of silence, Cao Yan spoke, his voice cold and hard. "Send men to watch the refugee camps outside the city."

"The Blood Refining Array requires young boys and girls... Watch them, and cut off their path to using Demon Cultivation Skills at the source!"

"Also, spread the news that the Seven Stars Castle sent over one hundred and fifty people to the Moon Worship Sect. Get the word to the Castle itself and to those Seven Stars Gang Sub-Branches outside the city. We’ll tear down their foundation from within."

The group of clan elders nodded in agreement.

At this point, it was the only thing they could do.

After the clan elders of the Cao and Li Families left, only Cao Feng, Cao Yan, and Li Qingxue remained in the meeting hall.

Another thorny problem now lay before them...

What were they to do about the Cyan Snake, the Great Demon that had followed Chu Fan back from Mist Marsh?

Associating with Demon Fiends was a major taboo in the eyes of the imperial court.

County Magistrate Zhang Yunpeng might not care if the common people lived or died, or if the gangs slaughtered each other until the sky turned dark, but he would never pass up an "achievement" that could earn him a promotion.

Cao Yan and Chu Fan had indeed found a powerful ally for the Seven Stars Gang.

But they had also brought huge trouble to the Seven Stars Gang’s doorstep.

The moment Zhang Yunpeng found out, he wouldn’t care about the truth. He would just see it as a monumental achievement and use the charge of "colluding with Demon Fiends to sow chaos" to uproot the Seven Stars Gang entirely!

"You two..." Cao Feng rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. "You’ve really brought a huge mess back with you."

The "two" he was referring to were Cao Yan and Chu Fan.

But since Chu Fan wasn’t present, only Cao Yan was there to silently endure the lecture.

Cao Feng couldn’t rest easy with a Great Demon of the Mortal Transformation realm on his hands, regardless of whether she was kept inside the gang or sent away.

Her unpredictable nature and extraordinary power alone were a huge risk. If she caused trouble in the city, the Seven Stars Gang would be the first to be held responsible, and there would be no way to deny their connection.

When they returned this afternoon, they held an urgent discussion. Cao Feng personally met with the Cyan Snake and set three conditions: she was not to reveal her demonic form within the city, she was not to harm anyone without reason, and she must stay by Chu Fan’s side at all times.

The Cyan Snake, for her part, had no objections.

She had followed Chu Fan here in the first place because she sensed the lingering Demonic Qi of her sister, the White Snake, on him. She saw him as the key to finding her.

Staying by Chu Fan’s side was exactly what she wanted.