"Quite a lot of preparations here. I wonder if Fan Qinghui would vomit blood if she knew what happened here."
After Xie Hui's death, Duan Lang immediately headed to Duzun Fort's warehouse and took all the weapons, equipment, food, medicinal herbs, and other supplies stored there. Of course, he didn't forget the gold, jewels, and other valuables. For Daniel Davis, these were essential items.
Whether it was aiding refugees or training a new army, a vast amount of resources and wealth was needed. The current army in Luoyang was sufficient to defend the city, but it was far from enough to conquer the world. Compared to the Li Clan's army, which numbered in the hundreds of thousands, Luoyang's forces were pitifully small.
"Celestial Art: Heaven's Collapse and Earth's Shattering."
After securing all the supplies, Duan Lang made his way to the mountain wall behind Duzun Fort. Placing his left hand on the wall, he activated an earth-based celestial art.
Duzun Fort's terrain, built against a mountain, was indeed defensible, with only the stone bridge in front of the main gate providing access. However, for Duan Lang, this terrain offered an even simpler way to destroy the fort—by causing the mountain wall behind it to collapse.
"Run for your lives! Xie Hui detonated explosives and destroyed the mountain wall. If you don't leave now, you'll all die here!" As the entire mountain began to shake due to the earth-based celestial art, Duan Lang paused for a moment before using a loudspeaker to announce the situation.
At first, no one believed him. But when the ground started shaking and rocks began to fall, the majority of Duzun Fort's inhabitants abandoned their pursuit of Duan Lang and fled in panic. However, some, loyal to Xie Hui, continued to charge at Duan Lang.
"Such loyalty."
Duan Lang showed no mercy to these loyalists. After dealing with them, he quickly made his way to the main gate.
By the time Duan Lang reached the bridge, the onlookers had already fled to the opposite bank of the river. Among them was Song Yuhua, who had been taken away by members of the Ba Alliance. The Song Clan's reputation in Sichuan was immense, and no one would let anything happen to Song Yuhua.
"What happened?" An Long immediately asked when he saw Duan Lang approaching.
"Almost fell into the trap Xie Hui set for Song Que. I barely made it out," Duan Lang said, shifting the blame to Xie Hui and Cihang Jingzhai.
"Xie Hui was that ruthless? Thank goodness, thank goodness."
After hearing Duan Lang's account, An Long looked at the collapsing Duzun Fort with a mix of fear and relief. The fort's sturdy walls had saved many lives, as those who couldn't make it to the bridge in time had fled to the safety of the outer walls.
An Long was immensely grateful that he hadn't offended Xie Hui too much. He also finally understood why Xie Hui had formed a sworn brotherhood with him.
An Long's identity as a member of the Demon Sect could be hidden from most, but not from Xie Hui. Under normal circumstances, Xie Hui, as a member of the righteous path, would never have formed such a bond with him. Now, An Long understood why.
"I'm leaving."
Duan Lang glanced at Song Yuhua, who looked lost and heartbroken, and shook his head slightly. He then swiftly left the scene. Staying any longer would likely lead to more fighting as the survivors of Duzun Fort arrived.
As for Song Yuhua, there was no need for him to worry. With such a major incident, someone would surely notify the Song Clan, and they would handle the aftermath. At this point, Fan Qinghui's plans in Lingnan had completely fallen apart.
However, for Duan Lang, matters in Chengdu were not yet over. There was still the Great Stone Temple to deal with. The major forces of the Buddhist sect were targets Daniel Davis had to eliminate, regardless of whether they were involved in any wrongdoing. This was a necessary step to weaken the Buddhist sect.
Cihang Jingzhai, Jingnian Temple, White Horse Temple, Great Stone Temple, and the sects of the Four Great Holy Monks—Tiantai Sect, Sanlun Sect, Huayan Sect, and Chan Sect.
Originally, the Great Stone Temple didn't qualify for such attention, but it was home to a monk named Zhenyan, whose strength was said to surpass even Liaokong's and who might even be a grandmaster.
The Buddhist sect, despite its size, had difficulty achieving the level of "breaking the void" due to various ideological and practical reasons. However, grandmasters were not uncommon. The founders of Jingnian Temple and Cihang Jingzhai, Tianseng and Dini, had been half-step into the realm of breaking the void.
"Fan Qinghui is quite cautious. The letters don't reveal anything incriminating. But then again, someone like her would never write about love and romance in her letters. For Xie Hui, just receiving a letter was enough."
Back at his residence in the Sanhua Pavilion, Duan Lang curiously opened the letters Fan Qinghui had written to Xie Hui. The contents were mostly mundane greetings, which made sense. Even if Xie Hui was a simp, leaving him unattended for decades would have made Fan Qinghui doubt his loyalty, regardless of whether he remained devoted.
"It seems I can't use these letters for anything. But it doesn't matter now. The current situation is enough." The catastrophic collapse of Duzun Fort was proof enough of Xie Hui's schemes against Song Que. No one would believe otherwise.
"It's good to be cautious. I shouldn't underestimate certain people." Xie Hui's trap made Duan Lang reflect. Even for someone like him, if not careful, it was possible to be outmaneuvered by someone weaker.
Daniel Davis had previously considered how to deal with grandmasters without relying on peers. One method he came up with was using nets reinforced with seastone, a tactic used by the Marines in the world of One Piece to capture Devil Fruit users.
In theory, with enough nets and a large number of skilled fighters, it was possible to trap and kill a grandmaster, even if it meant sacrificing many lives. However, once someone reached the level of a grandmaster, their status and importance made such sacrifices unlikely.
With this in mind, Duan Lang waved his right hand, and the letters from Xie Hui burst into flames. Since they were no longer useful, there was no point in keeping them.
"Brother Xie, I never expected Fan Qinghui to be so formidable."
Not long after, An Long appeared at Duan Lang's residence. He brought up Xie Hui but quickly shifted the conversation to Fan Qinghui. Indeed, from a strategic standpoint, Fan Qinghui was incredibly capable.
In reality, Duan Lang had overestimated Fan Qinghui. She didn't possess his omniscience. To her, Xie Hui had been nothing more than a disposable pawn. If he proved useful, great; if not, it was no loss.
At the time, Emperor Wen of Sui had just ascended the throne, and the Sui Dynasty was at its peak. No one could have predicted its rapid decline, not even Fan Qinghui. The audacity of Emperor Yang to challenge the powerful clans was beyond anyone's expectations.
Under the Nine-Rank System, without overwhelming power, it was impossible to oppose the influential clans. Historical figures like Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Yang, Wang Mang, and even Cao Cao had learned this the hard way.
Many might not understand why Cao Cao was included, but a look at his failure to become emperor, while his son Cao Pi succeeded shortly after his death, reveals the reason. Cao Cao had refused to accept the Nine-Rank System, which led to the clans' opposition. Had he accepted it, he could have easily declared himself emperor.
After Cao Cao's death, Cao Pi quickly ascended the throne by fully embracing the Nine-Rank System. This was why Daniel Davis, despite his immense power, chose to proceed cautiously. He had both the strength and the time to do so.
"She's indeed far superior to your Demon Sect." While Zhu Yuyan might rival Fan Qinghui in martial prowess, in terms of strategy, she was no match.
Wan Wan, on the other hand, seemed to have absorbed Fan Qinghui's wisdom. Her two disciples—one became an empress, and the other the abbot of Jingnian Temple.
Shi Zhixuan might have been stronger, but his mental breakdown after Bi Xiuxin's death had left him incapacitated.
"The Song Clan won't let this slide. Things are about to get interesting." Fan Qinghui and Xie Hui's schemes against the Song Clan involved not just Song Que but also Song Yuhua. The Song Clan would undoubtedly seek revenge.
"You should be careful. After all, you were Xie Hui's sworn brother."
"Ah."
An Long's cheerful expression immediately stiffened. In this situation, even if the Song Clan knew his true origins, they might still take their anger out on him. With Xie Hui and Xie Wenlong dead and Duzun Fort buried under a mountain of rubble, An Long was an easy target.
"I need to lay low for a while." The thought of the Song Clan coming after him made An Long uneasy. He quickly bid Duan Lang farewell, likely to arrange matters with his businesses before going into hiding.
"Sanhua Pavilion, Shanglin Garden, Manqing Tower—quite interesting."
Duan Lang was currently staying at the famous Sanhua Pavilion, a high-end brothel. Along with Shanglin Garden and Manqing Tower, it reminded him of the establishments in Qin's Moon—Zilanxuan, Feixue Pavilion, and Zuimeng Tower.
Duan Lang wasn't staying here for the brothel. Unlike the Twin Dragons, who had a peculiar obsession with visiting brothels after achieving success, Duan Lang simply enjoyed the luxurious accommodations. When he had the means, he never hesitated to indulge himself.
"Great Stone Temple is indeed extraordinary."
The day after the Duzun Fort incident, Duan Lang, carrying the Fire Lin Sword on his back and a massive spiked club in his right hand, arrived at the gates of the Great Stone Temple in Chengdu.
While not as extravagant as Jingnian Temple, the Great Stone Temple was still an impressive complex, with numerous halls such as the Heavenly King Hall, Seven Buddhas Hall, Great Hero Hall, and Arhat Hall. The temple was also adorned with countless statues of Buddha, including the famous Five Hundred Arhats.
These stone-carved arhats, while not as valuable as the copper statues in Jingnian Temple's Small Copper Hall, were still priceless, as they contained the unique Buddhist martial art, the Nine-Syllable Mantra.
The Nine-Syllable Mantra existed in both Taoism and Buddhism, but their meanings had diverged significantly due to differences in philosophy and doctrine.
"They're prepared."
As Duan Lang stood at the temple's gates, the monk sweeping the entrance noticed him and immediately dropped his broom, fleeing inside in panic.
As the "Buddha's Enemy," the Kirin Demon Duan Lang's arrival in Chengdu had not gone unnoticed by the local Buddhist community. However, they hadn't expected him to target Duzun Fort first.
Duzun Fort had no prior connection to the Buddhist sect, but the events of the previous day had already spread throughout Chengdu and were rapidly making their way across Sichuan and the Central Plains.
Duan Lang paid no attention to the fleeing monk and closed his eyes.
"Amitabha, Benefactor Duan."
Soon, a large group of monks emerged from the temple, led by the abbot, Great Wisdom Monk, the younger brother of the previous abbot, Great Virtue Monk.
The Great Stone Temple had a long-standing feud with the Demon Sect's Heavenly Lord Xi Ying. The previous abbot, Great Virtue Monk, had been Xi Ying's nemesis. However, before Xi Ying could exact his revenge, Song Que intervened, forcing Xi Ying to flee to the deserts beyond the Great Wall.
Song Que's pursuit of Xi Ying was simple: Song Que's title was "Heavenly Saber," while Xi Ying's was "Heavenly Lord." The use of "Heaven" in Xi Ying's title was a direct affront to Song Que, prompting the latter to take action.
Because of this incident, no one in the martial world dared to use "Heaven" in their titles. Taboos were taken very seriously in feudal times, especially when it came to the emperor's name. For example, after Yang Guang became emperor, anyone named Yang Guang had to change their name.
Speaking of name changes, Xu Shiji's name was quite interesting. After rendering great service to the Li Clan, he was granted the surname Li, becoming Li Shiji. However, when Li Shimin ascended the throne, the character "Shi" in his name conflicted with the emperor's, so it was dropped, leaving him as Li Ji.
"Benefactor Duan."
Just as Great Wisdom Monk was about to speak, Duan Lang, who had been standing with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. His cold, emotionless gaze froze the words in Great Wisdom Monk's throat. The other monks, upon seeing Duan Lang's icy stare, trembled in fear. They had never seen such a cold, terrifying look—it was the gaze of a god of death.
"The Buddhist sect, greedy and overreaching, dares to choose an emperor on behalf of Heaven. They deserve death."
As he spoke, Duan Lang's figure blurred, and he appeared beside Great Wisdom Monk. The spiked club in his right hand transformed into a black lightning bolt, smashing into the monk's head. Despite Great Wisdom Monk's desperate attempt to block with his staff, the sheer force of Duan Lang's strike shattered the staff and crushed the monk's skull, causing his body to explode and leaving a deep crater in the ground.
Duan Lang's earlier closed eyes weren't for rest but to recall his experiences at the border between the Central Plains and Goguryeo, as well as the tragedies China had endured. His anger and killing intent had reached their peak, fueled by the suffering of the Central Plains during the era of the Five Barbarians and Sixteen Kingdoms.
(End of Chapter)
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