As night fell, the sky was overcast, and the moon hadn't been seen for several consecutive days.
In the inky-black night sky, gusts of cold wind blew, carrying an inexplicable bone-chilling coldness.
The once bustling Wanhua City also seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep at this moment, the long streets were empty, and even the barking of dogs in some houses had disappeared.
White Dragon Gang, Headquarters.
Inside the main hall.
In the empty hall, there were only Shi Yan and Shi Kai.
"Brother, after tomorrow, it will be time to pay the tax silver. Let's take advantage of the last day to make another big haul. I've been keeping an eye on the Zhao Family. The Zhao Family is very wealthy and is currently in the process of relocating. It's a good opportunity to strike. If you and I, the two brothers, take action ourselves, it will surely be as easy as turning a hand."
Shi Kai looked at his Brother, his face showing greed, and spoke somewhat impatiently.
He had just received news from his subordinates and had basically figured out the details of the Zhao Family. The Zhao Family's business spread throughout Linjiang Prefecture, accumulating a lot of wealth. Even if it wasn't as good as before, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Doing this job would definitely bring in a lot of money.
Hearing his second brother's words, Shi Yan's face showed a thoughtful look, seemingly moved by the suggestion, but in the end, he still shook his head slightly and rejected it.
"Second brother, we can't delay any longer. That old fellow Wei Bo is hiding so deeply, his strength is probably no weaker than that old fellow Ouyang Bing. He has been hiding in the city for so many years, it's better for us to be careful and not cause any more trouble. Let's leave now."
"Leave now!?"
Hearing this, Shi Kai frowned, a hint of unwillingness on his face. Giving up the fat meat that was almost in his mouth like this truly pained him, but he also understood that his Brother was right.
They had gained a lot during this time, and there was no need to take this risk again.
"There's no time to delay, let's leave now. I received news that Wei Bo has already gone to Fu City. Now is a good opportunity to leave formally while he's not in the city. If we wait for that old fellow to come back, there might be some trouble."
"Okay, then Brother, I'll follow your lead. Let's go now."
Shi Kai nodded heavily.
Seeing this, Shi Yan had no intention of delaying further. He went to a corner of the main hall, where there was a half-height black Qilin statue. He extended two fingers and directly inserted them into the Qilin's eyes, prying forcefully.
A person-wide secret door was revealed on the floor in the corner of the main hall.
"Let's go. I prepared this underground tunnel 30 years ago. We can leave Wanhua City directly."
"Brother's preparations are indeed thorough." Seeing the deep underground passage, Shi Kai's face showed joy. Although leaving Wanhua City silently with their combined strength wasn't a difficult task, having this tunnel was undoubtedly more secure.
The two quickly disappeared into the main hall one after another, and the cracked floor quickly returned to its original state.
However, after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Shi Yan and Shi Kai walked out of a cave several miles outside Wanhua City.
At this time, the appearances of the two had greatly changed. Each was wearing a black martial artist's uniform. Their originally strong and tall figures had shrunk, becoming much thinner, and their facial features had also changed significantly. Even acquaintances would definitely not recognize them.
"Brother, now we can leap like fish in the vast sea and fly like birds in the high sky..."
Shi Kai moved his neck, a smile appearing on his face.
Shi Yan, who was beside him, also had a face full of smiles. Just as he was about to say something, his smile froze on his face.
Because just tens of meters in front of them, several figures were standing in the forest.
The one standing in the center was none other than Wei Bo.
"Wei Bo... How could you be here!?"
Shi Yan's pupils contracted violently, and he couldn't help but speak. Besides Wei Bo, the other several people also filled his heart with dread.
"Wu Xing Sword Shi Hui, Situ Yang, Tian Sanye!! You..."
None other than these few people, without exception, were all top masters at Bones Transformation Seventh Layer, and they were from Tianxiang Sword Sect, Situ Family, and Yuanyang Beast Sect.
"Shi Yan, you two brothers have helped me quite a bit, saving me a lot of trouble. To repay you, hand over that Midnight Ghost Art on you, and perhaps I will spare your life."
Wei Bo had a smile on his face, but his eyes were full of mockery.
"Run!"
Shi Yan didn't hesitate at all. The next moment, his figure shot out in the opposite direction from the few people.
He directly activated a secret technique to unleash his full power. Facing these four people, even just one of them was not his match, let alone four together.
If it were just Wei Bo alone, perhaps he and his second brother could still fight. But in the current situation, there was no other way but to escape.
However, in just a breath, he heard a scream from behind him.
But the scream was quite familiar; it was from his second brother, Shi Kai.
He didn't even dare to turn his head, only burying his head and running frantically for his life.
Suddenly, a strong sense of danger came from underground. He reacted extremely quickly, immediately leaping up. At the same time, a huge bloody mouth emerged from the ground, grazing past his legs. Although he avoided it, the large mouth spat out a ball of mist, instantly enveloping him. He held his breath, focused his mind, and circulated the Bone Strength throughout his body, blowing away the surrounding mist. A golden-threaded saber had already appeared before his eyes.
Soon, everything returned to calm.
Shi Yan's figure returned to its original appearance. He knelt on the ground with a thud, his eyes vacant and motionless.
Wei Bo lightly snapped his fingers, and Shi Yan stood up again.
His movements were quite stiff, like a Puppet.
"For today's matter, I am grateful for your assistance."
He wore a smile on his face, his gaze falling upon the other three people.
"This person's True Art is somewhat unique, but unfortunately, his strength is average. Even Constable Wei would be enough to take him down."
The one who spoke was a thin old man with a long white beard. The old man's name was Situ Yang, the Second Elder of the Situ Family and a master at Bones Transformation Seventh Layer. His gaze swept over the Puppet-like Shi Yan, and his eyes flickered.
"However, Constable Wei's Soul Capturing Art, I didn't expect it to be effective against Bones Transformation Martial Artists. It's truly quite impressive."
"Brother Situ is jesting. This Soul Capturing Art is not very useful; it only has some unique points when interrogating prisoners."
Wei Bo shook his head slightly and spoke calmly.
"After I obtain the True Art method from his mouth, I will definitely order someone to make three copies and send them to your three Sects."
"In that case, thank you, Constable Wei."
Hearing this, smiles appeared on the faces of the three at the same time.
"However..."
At this moment, Wei Bo's tone changed.
"Although the White Dragon Gang's Midnight Ghost Art can be considered a Peerless True Art, it is incomplete and fundamentally unable to break through to the Divine Transformation Realm. This is quite a pity."
Hearing this, Shi Hui, Situ Yang, and Tian Sanye narrowed their eyes. Shi Hui, holding a long sword, spoke slowly.
"Brother Wei, what do you want to say?"
"There's no need for me, Wei, to say more about the value of Peerless True Arts. In Wanhua City, besides the White Dragon Gang, the Peerless True Arts held by the Seven Forms Sect and the Fang Family are genuine. The Seven Forms Sect, needless to say, was a Divine Transformation Realm Sect a thousand years ago. Its True Art is undoubtedly several times higher than that of the White Dragon Gang, especially regarding the requirements for Bloodline potential, which are not as strict as other True Arts. This point is particularly valuable."
"As for the Fang Family, although its Peerless True Art has Bloodline restrictions, I imagine Brother Situ should be very interested."
Wei Bo spoke slowly with a half-smile.
"Constable Wan has already ordered to clear out Wanhua City. The Seven Forms Sect and the Fang Family are naturally on the list. It's just inconvenient to take direct action due to the Ten Thousand Sects Alliance. If the three of you are willing to help, I can make the decision that each of these two True Arts can be copied once."
Hearing this, Shi Hui, Situ Yang, and Tian Sanye exchanged glances, a thoughtful look appearing on their faces.
"Regarding this matter, I will report it to my Sect and will give Brother Wei a reply soon."
"Okay, then I will quietly await your good news."
*
*
White Dragon Gang's First Boss Shi Yan and Second Boss Shi Kai, who colluded with bandits to commit robbery and caused turmoil in Wanhua City, were heinous criminals and were executed last night...
As soon as it was light, constables were already shouting loudly on the main streets of Wanhua City, immediately causing a huge uproar in the city.
Even the White Dragon Gang members were still confused, as if in a dream. Before they could react, large numbers of constables and soldiers had already swarmed into the White Dragon Gang's strongholds and properties in the city.
Capturing all the White Dragon Gang members within.
Those who tried to resist were killed on the spot. After dozens of heads rolled, no one in the White Dragon Gang dared to resist anymore and were honestly captured by the officials and taken back to the Prefecture Yamen.
In just two or three months, two of the four major forces in Wanhua City had been wiped out.
Even the White Dragon Gang, which had the shortest history among these two, could be traced back for over a hundred years. Yet, it was completely wiped out in a single night.
The main hall of the Yamen.
At this moment, the main hall was completely silent.
Three figures stood facing each other.
A dangerous Aura emanated between them. Fang Tiankui's face was ashen, staring fixedly at Wei Bo, who was seated in the upper position.
"What? Brother Fang, do you have something to say?"
Wei Bo had a smile on his face, seemingly not seeing the other party's gloomy and unpleasant expression.
"Lord Wei, how come we didn't hear anything about the White Dragon Gang matter? Such a result overnight seems a bit unreasonable, doesn't it? The White Dragon Gang didn't commit the grave crimes of secretly mining or hoarding god seeds. If you continue to act arbitrarily without distinguishing right from wrong, I, Fang, will personally send a message to the Ten Thousand Sects Alliance."
Fang Tiankui clenched his fists and said slowly.
"Tsk tsk... Family Head Fang, Shi Yan and his accomplice arbitrarily plundered and disrupted the public order of Wanhua City, causing a great impact on the city. The Prefecture Yamen naturally couldn't just sit idly by. Since the culprits have been found, there is certainly no reason to let them go. Moreover, last night, the two attempted to escape by changing their appearance and evade tax silver, which is a serious crime punishable by confiscation of property. I have been very benevolent and righteous by not killing all the White Dragon Gang members from top to bottom, don't you think?"
In response to Fang Tiankui's words, Wei Bo smiled faintly and replied unhurriedly.
"You..."
Fang Tiankui opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but was completely unable to retort.
The other party's words were completely reasonable, leaving no room for rebuttal.
He naturally knew about the robbery incident in the city, and he had also secretly suspected it, and naturally knew that the White Dragon Gang was suspicious.
But with the power of the Prefecture Yamen, they would have definitely investigated thoroughly long ago after detecting some clues. They had delayed taking action until this last day, and the large amount of wealth plundered by Shi Yan and his accomplice had clearly fallen into the opponent's hands.
If it were in the past, upon learning of the White Dragon Gang's destruction, he would definitely applaud happily. After all, the competition among the four major forces was significant, and one less opponent meant that their Fang Family's interests would increase.
But in the current situation, this was not what he wanted to see.
Although the four major forces were entangled in competition with each other, when facing external forces, as local powers deeply rooted in Wanhua City, they would naturally unite against outsiders.
But how much time had passed? Two of the four major forces had actually been wiped out.
Taking a deep breath, Fang Tiankui also understood that arguing further was pointless. He took out a wooden box from his Pregnant, flexed his hand, and flicked it onto the desk.
"This is my Fang Family's tax silver, 3 million taels, not a single cent less. Lord Wei, please count it carefully to avoid any disputes in the future."
His voice was low, clearly suppressing anger.
And Ouyang Bing, who had been silent on the side, also took out a wooden box from his Pregnant and placed it on the button.
He was also deeply shaken by the White Dragon Gang incident, but he also knew very well that since Wei Bo dared to act, he must have been completely confident. The matter was a foregone conclusion, what could they do?
"The tax silver has been paid. Lord Wei is busy with official duties, so we two will not delay your good work..."
After Fang Tiankui finished speaking, he flicked his hand and was about to get up and leave.
"Brother Fang, Brother Ouyang, please wait."
However, Wei Bo stopped the two.
"Lord Wei, is there anything else?" Fang Tiankui frowned and said in a deep voice, with quite a bit of impatience in his words. He didn't want to see that smiling tiger-like face for another moment.
"Stopping the two of you is naturally for official business. Although you two have paid the tax silver, it's not enough..."
"It's the full amount, 3 million taels. Tell me where it's not enough?"
Fang Tiankui let out a cold laugh, a hint of mockery appearing on his face.
"Lord Wei, please don't judge a gentleman's heart with the heart of a villain."
"Tsk tsk tsk... I naturally believe Family Head Fang and Sect Leader Ouyang. I also believe there are 3 million taels of silver on the desk. But the situation has changed. The Fang Family and the Seven Forms Sect should each pay 4.5 million taels of tax silver."
Wei Bo didn't mind the mockery in the other party's words at all and said with a smile.
"4.5 million taels!! Wei Bo, are you toying with us?"
Hearing this, Fang Tiankui's old cheeks instantly flushed with blood. He slammed his palm heavily on the desk, and the finely carved desk immediately shattered into pieces.
Ouyang Bing, who was beside him, also furrowed his brows tightly and stared fixedly at Wei Bo.
"How could I toy with Family Head Fang? The previous 3 million taels was because the White Dragon Gang was here. But now the White Dragon Gang no longer exists, so its share naturally falls on the two of you."
"You... are going too far!! Although the White Dragon Gang no longer exists, wasn't the foundation of the gang taken by your Yamen?"
The powerful Aura belonging to Bones Transformation Peak emanated from Fang Tiankui. He pointed at Wei Bo.
"Family Head Fang, your words are incorrect. One thing is one thing. The White Dragon Gang committed crimes and was raided, which is how it should be. The tax silver cannot be included in that."
At this moment, the smile on Wei Bo's face suddenly disappeared, revealing a hint of coldness.
"Family Head Fang, it seems you are not very satisfied with the Imperial Court's rules. Does your Fang Family intend to defy the imperial decree?"
After speaking, his palm was already resting on the large ring saber beside him, gently rubbing the hilt.