Night fell, but the Holocaust Sect’s lights were still shining brightly.
The Holocaust Sect had taken over the Gao Family Castle, although they hadn’t physically moved their headquarters, the Gao Family Castle had effectively become the central hub for the Holocaust Sect.
At this moment, in the Holocaust Sect’s main hall, the elders were reporting to their sect leader, Yan Jiansheng.
"Sect Leader, during this period, we have purchased shops in all eight counties of Nanyang Prefecture. We are currently selling rare fragrances, and business is thriving."
"Moreover, we have expanded beyond Nanyang Prefecture and purchased shops in the surrounding three prefectural cities."
"In the future, the business of rare fragrances will definitely spread throughout the entire Da Yu Dynasty, and our Holocaust Sect will undoubtedly achieve unprecedented prosperity!"
Many elders and disciples of the Holocaust Sect were very excited.
The sect’s founder had been a martial artist in the Divine Power Realm, but since the founder’s time, the Holocaust Sect had not produced any martial artists in the Divine Power Realm.
That was until Yan Jiansheng became the sect leader. Not only did he reach the Divine Power Realm himself, but he also coincidentally created a unique fragrance using Ancient Rock Resin as the main ingredient, providing a continuous source of income for the entire sect.
Everyone knew that as long as Yan Jiansheng was around, the Holocaust Sect would surpass any previous era.
Even the sect’s original founder couldn’t compare to Yan Jiansheng.
However, unlike the jubilant atmosphere among the Holocaust Sect’s elders, Yan Jiansheng seemed uninterested and asked coldly, "What about Zhuang Thirteen? Any news about him?"
"Well..." Many elders exchanged glances.
Finally, one elder stepped forward to respond, "Reporting to the Sect Leader, during this period, we have mobilized all available resources to search for Zhuang Thirteen."
"But it’s strange, Zhuang Thirteen seems to have vanished from the mortal world. We haven’t found any traces of him, not even a single clue."
"Thus, we speculate that Zhuang Thirteen probably left Nanyang Prefecture a long time ago."
"Perhaps Zhuang Thirteen was never a resident of Nanyang Prefecture, and wiping out the Thirteen Knights of the Great Desert was merely a side task for him."
The elders’ speculations held some merit.
Many powerful martial artists often traveled the world.
Some acted as chivalrous heroes and intervened in injustices they witnessed.
But once their task was complete, they would move on and continue their travels.
The elders speculated that Zhuang Thirteen was one such martial artist.
Yan Jiansheng remained non-committal and continued to inquire, "What about Li Mu? Has he revealed anything about Zhuang Thirteen’s identity?"
"Li Mu is a cunning official who plays both sides. His words are often ambiguous. He did indeed accept our silver notes, but he has not uttered a single word about Zhuang Thirteen’s identity." Follow current novels on NovᴇlFir(e).nᴇt
"If he weren’t the Prefect, we would have dealt with him a long time ago. Is the Holocaust Sect’s money so easily obtained?"
The elders mentioned Li Mu, and none of them paid much attention to it.
In reality, if Li Mu had offended them, they would have dared to kill him.
Killing an official was perhaps something they wouldn’t have dared to do in the past, but now, with the chaos in the world, the imperial court’s control over the regions had weakened to an extreme.
A magistrate was just that, and the Holocaust Sect wouldn’t find it difficult to kill him.
"It’s a pity... such a good opportunity to establish our dominance. This Zhuang Thirteen is very fortunate, as he escaped unharmed," Yan Jiansheng shook his head.
With the current power of the Holocaust Sect, they had been searching for Zhuang Thirteen for days without success, suggesting that he had probably left Nanyang Prefecture.
Just then, the main hall’s door was forcefully pushed open.
Several bodies of Holocaust Sect disciples were thrown into the hall.
The Holocaust Sect’s elders immediately turned around, staring intently at the entrance.
From outside, a figure slowly walked in.
They hadn’t seen this figure before, but it was strangely familiar.
"You are... Zhuang Thirteen?" Yan Jiansheng’s eyes were extremely sharp, and he instantly "recognized" this unfamiliar figure.
After all, Yan Jiansheng had seen many portraits claiming to be "Zhuang Thirteen."
Although the resemblance in the portraits was only about fifty to sixty percent, he could still recognize it at a glance.
"Yan Jiansheng, the sect leader of the Holocaust Sect. Weren’t you trying to make a name for yourself, to trample upon my reputation in Nanyang Prefecture?"
"As you wished, I’m here!"
The newcomer was none other than Lu Changsheng.
He had once again changed his appearance to impersonate "Zhuang Thirteen" and had boldly entered the Holocaust Sect. Moreover, he hadn’t come in secret; he had entered openly, right under the scrutiny of countless people.
Since the Holocaust Sect wanted to make a name for themselves using him, Lu Changsheng was determined to completely crush the Holocaust Sect!
"Zhuang Thirteen, you’ve actually come on your own?"
"Do you really think that killing the Thirteen Knights of the Great Desert makes you invincible? Haha, how laughable, you’re just a frog in the well."
"That’s right, the Great Desert Thirteen Knights are just a bunch of troublemakers. If it weren’t for our Holocaust Sect refraining, we would have wiped them out long ago. There’s no chance for you."
These elders of the Holocaust Sect were all incredibly proud and didn’t regard the Thirteen Knights of the Great Desert highly.
Indeed, while the Thirteen Knights of the Great Desert had caused a lot of trouble, they hadn’t gained much fame in the martial world.
As for the Seven Brothers of Yunshan, the One-Armed Hero, and others, who knew how they had died?
They were more inclined to believe that it was the White Demon who had taken action and slain the Seven Brothers of Yunshan and the One-Armed Hero.
Lu Changsheng remained silent, not bothering to argue.
He simply took a step forward.
With each step he took, a bloody aura cloud appeared above his head.
One step, two steps, three steps...
With each step, the bloody aura cloud above his head expanded by a ring.
One ring after another, until it even covered the entire hall.
This wasn’t just a surge of blood.