From the fake emperor to the concubine

Upon hearing this decision, everyone present fell silent.

Although the conditions offered by the Taixu Sect were indeed harsh, they were, after all, a chance to save one's life. Rejecting the Taixu Sect now meant facing the wrath of the ten major powers alone.

"Ancestor, what should we do now?" Zheng Tianhao asked worriedly.

"I've come up with a new strategy." A determined glint flashed in Zheng Yi's eyes. "Since a head-on confrontation isn't the solution, let's try a different approach."

"What's the idea?" Everyone became interested.

“A decapitation strike tactic,” Zheng Yi said slowly. “The reason the ten major powers were able to unite was mainly due to their respective leaders. If these leaders were to encounter problems, the alliance would naturally crumble.”

"You mean assassinate their leader?" Elder Zheng Tianhe asked in surprise.

“That’s right.” Zheng Yi nodded. “Instead of passively defending, we should take the initiative. I want to eliminate their key figures one by one, plunging the ten major forces into chaos.”

“But Ancestor, this is very risky,” Second Elder Zheng Tianlei said worriedly. “What if something happens to you?”

"The risks are indeed significant, but this is our best option right now," Zheng Yi stated firmly. "Moreover, I am confident in completing this mission."

"Ancestor, is there anything we need to cooperate with?" Zheng Tianhao asked.

“You all stay with the family and continue to strengthen the defenses,” Zheng Yi shook his head. “For this kind of assassination mission, having too many people is actually more inconvenient. I’m better suited to act alone.”

"Then Master, may I accompany you?" Zhang Yunfan requested.

“No,” Zheng Yi refused. “Your cultivation level is not high enough; following me will only be a burden. Besides, the family needs you to hold the fort.”

"But Master."

“Listen to me,” Zheng Yi said gently but firmly. “This operation is extremely dangerous, and I cannot let you take it.”

"So, which goal do you plan to start with?" Elder Zheng Tianhe asked.

Zheng Yi took out the intelligence report provided by Leiyin Temple and studied its contents carefully.

"The leader of the Blood Hand Gang is Blood Ruthless," Zheng Yi said, pointing to one of the names. "His cultivation is only at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, and he has a brutal personality, making him unpopular within the alliance."

"More importantly, the Blood Hand Gang is the closest to us; it only takes a day to travel there and back."

"Blood Ruthless is indeed a good target," Third Elder Zheng Tianfeng nodded. "After he dies, the Blood Hand Gang will definitely fall into internal strife and have no time to participate in our attack."

"Moreover, Xue Wuqing has made many enemies, and other forces may not necessarily avenge him," Elder Zheng Tianhe added.

"Then it's him!" Zheng Yi slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "Let's move tonight!"

"Tonight? So soon?" Everyone was somewhat surprised.

“Time is life,” Zheng Yi explained. “The longer we drag this out, the more prepared the enemy will be. And operating at night offers better concealment.”

"Then you must be careful," Zheng Tianhao cautioned. "Although the Blood Hand Gang isn't the strongest, their hideout is heavily fortified, and Xue Wuqing himself is very cunning."

“I understand,” Zheng Yi nodded. “Continue to strengthen the defenses and wait for my good news.”

That evening, Zheng Yi left the family alone.

To avoid being discovered by enemy spies, he did not use the main gate, but instead quietly left through the back mountain of his family's residence.

The headquarters of the Blood Hand Gang is located in Blood Fiend Valley in the southwest. The terrain there is treacherous and easy to defend, making it the Blood Hand Gang's stronghold that has been operating for hundreds of years.

Zheng Yi flew at full speed, heading towards Blood Fiend Valley under the cover of night.

Along the way, he carefully avoided all possible surveillance to ensure that his whereabouts were not discovered.

About three hours later, Zheng Yi arrived at the outer edge of Blood Fiend Valley.

From a distance, Blood Fiend Valley indeed appeared extremely treacherous. The entire valley was surrounded by towering cliffs, with only a narrow passage leading in. Moreover, a powerful array was set up at the valley entrance, emitting bursts of bloody light.

"The Blood Fiend Array?" Zheng Yi recognized the array. "An evil array set up with the blood of cultivators—it's certainly wicked."

The Blood Fiend Array not only has defensive capabilities, but it can also devour the blood of intruders, making it extremely powerful. Ordinary cultivators who encounter this array will quickly be drained of their life force and turned into dried corpses.

But for Zheng Yi, this kind of evil formation was nothing.

"The Righteous Yang Sword Technique - Illuminating All!"

Pure golden light emanated from Zheng Yi, instantly purifying a large area of ​​bloodthirsty energy.

Instead of forcing his way into the valley entrance, he sneaked in from the side cliff.

With his current strength, he could walk on the cliff as if it were flat ground. Moreover, the light power of the Zheng Yang Sword Technique could conceal his aura, making him difficult to detect.

Soon, Zheng Yi infiltrated the Blood Fiend Valley.

The scene inside the valley was even more eerie than outside. Everywhere there were buildings decorated with bones, and the air was thick with the stench of blood.

"These Blood Hand Gang members are truly perverted," Zheng Yi thought to himself. "Using human bones as decorations is utterly inhuman."

He carefully crept through the valley, avoiding the various patrolling Bloodhand Gang members.

Intelligence indicates that Blood Ruthless's residence is a crimson palace deep within the valley. This is the core area of ​​the Blood Hand Gang, and is heavily guarded.

After sneaking around for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Zheng Yi finally saw the blood-red palace.

The palace was entirely blood-red, appearing extremely eerie under the moonlight. A dozen or so elite disciples of the Blood Hand Gang patrolled around it, each possessing the cultivation level of the Golden Core stage.

"The defenses are indeed tight," Zheng Yi observed the palace's defenses, "but they're no match for me."

He activated the Zheng Yang Heart Technique, completely concealing his aura. Then, like a ghost, he approached the palace, avoiding the sight of all the patrol personnel.

The palace gates were tightly shut, protected by a sensing array. Forcibly breaking down the gates would surely alert everyone.

But Zheng Yi was prepared. He took out a small jade talisman from his pocket. This was a family heirloom called the "Wall-Passing Talisman," which allowed a person to pass through physical objects for a short period of time.

After activating the wall-passing talisman, Zheng Yi's body became semi-transparent, allowing him to pass directly through the palace wall.

Upon entering the palace, Zheng Yi found the furnishings to be extremely luxurious. Various precious decorations were everywhere, but they all carried a strong stench of blood, clearly stolen goods from the Blood Hand Gang.

The palace was very large, with many rooms. Zheng Yi carefully searched with his divine sense and quickly located Xue Wuqing's position.

In a secret chamber deep within the palace, a powerful aura was fluctuating, which must be Xue Wuqing cultivating.

"Luckily, he's in seclusion cultivating." Zheng Yi thought to himself with delight, "This is the perfect opportunity for assassination."

Cultivators in the midst of cultivation often conceal their divine sense, greatly reducing their perception of the outside world. This is precisely the best opportunity for assassination.

Zheng Yi cautiously approached the secret room, then used the wall-penetrating talisman again to pass through the door.

Inside the secret chamber, a tall, middle-aged man sat cross-legged on a futon. His face was full of menacing features, his eyes were tightly closed, and he exuded a heavy, bloodthirsty aura. His hands were blood-red, clearly indicating that he had practiced some kind of evil technique.

"That's him." Zheng Yi confirmed the target's identity.

Xue Wuqing was at a crucial moment in his cultivation and was completely unaware of the situation outside. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Zheng Yi silently drew his longsword, suppressing the positive energy on the blade to the extreme to avoid being detected by his opponent.

"Zhengyang Sword Technique - Silent Slash!"

This is a move that Zheng Yi created specifically for assassination. It makes no sound and has no obvious spiritual energy fluctuations, but its power is extremely terrifying.

A nearly transparent sword light silently slashed towards Xue Wuqing's neck. Just as the sword light was about to strike, Xue Wuqing suddenly opened his eyes.

"Who goes there?" he cried out in terror, rolling to the side to narrowly avoid a fatal blow.

The sword flashed past his neck, leaving a deep gash. Had he been any slower, his head would have been severed.

"Zheng Yi?" Xue Wuqing recognized the assassin, his eyes flashing with shock and anger. "How could you infiltrate this place?"

"Because your defenses are nothing but decorations in my eyes," Zheng Yi said coldly. "Tonight is your death day!"

"Arrogant!" Blood Ruthless roared. "You think you can escape from my Blood Hand Gang's stronghold?"

"The Bloody Hand Magic Technique·The Sea of ​​Blood to the Sky!"

Xue Wuqing frantically activated his cultivation technique, and the entire secret chamber was immediately filled with blood-red mist. This blood mist was not only poisonous, but it could also corrode the cultivator's protective spiritual power.

But Zheng Yi was not afraid at all, as the Zhengyang Sword Technique was designed to counter such evil arts.

"The Righteous Yang Sword Technique - Illuminating All!"

The golden light instantly illuminated the entire secret chamber, and the blood mist immediately dissipated under its glow.

"Impossible!" Xue Wuqing exclaimed in utter shock. "How can your technique be so effective against me?"

"Because justice will always triumph over evil!" Zheng Yi roared, "Zhengyang Sword Technique - Great Sun in the Sky!"

A huge golden sun rose in the secret chamber, and the terrifying pressure made Xue Wuqing feel suffocated.

"Oh no! Help! Enemies!" Xue Wuqing shouted for help while fending off Zheng Yi's attacks.

However, the soundproofing of the enclosed room is excellent, and people outside cannot hear anything inside.

"It's no use, no one can save you," Zheng Yi sneered. "Just obediently accept your death!"

"Bloody Hand Divine Skill - Blood God Descends!"

Xue Wuqing fought desperately, burning his own life essence to summon a huge blood-red figure.

This blood-red figure was several meters tall, exuding a terrifying killing intent. It was the phantom of the Blood God worshipped by the Blood Hand Gang.

"Hmph! Another one of those wicked tricks." Zheng Yi had seen similar moves before. "The Righteous Yang Sword Technique - Sun God Sword!"

A gigantic lightsaber, thousands of feet long, condensed in the air, radiating the power to destroy everything.

"go!"

The Sun God Sword roared as it slashed towards the Blood God's phantom, and the two great divine powers clashed fiercely in the small, secret chamber.

"boom!"

A terrifying explosion rang out, and the entire palace shook violently.

When the light faded, the phantom of the Blood God had been completely destroyed, and Xue Wuqing was also severely injured and collapsed due to the backlash.

"No, impossible," Xue Wuqing said weakly. "How could I lose to a mere Nascent Soul stage brat?"

"Because you cultivate evil arts, while I cultivate the righteous path." Zheng Yi slowly walked towards Xue Wuqing. "Evil cannot prevail over good; this is the law of nature."

"Besides, who told you I was in the Nascent Soul stage?"

As he spoke, Zheng Yi released his true aura. The terrifying pressure of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator instantly enveloped the entire secret chamber.

"Late Nascent Soul stage?!" Xue Wuqing's eyes widened. "How could you possibly break through to the late Nascent Soul stage in such a short time?"

“This is my secret.” Zheng Yi raised his longsword. “Now, it’s time to send you on your way.”

"Wait!" Xue Wuqing hurriedly begged for mercy, "I'm willing to withdraw from the alliance! I'm willing to apologize to your Zheng family! Please spare my life!"

"Too late," Zheng Yi said coldly. "Since you dare to oppose the Zheng family, you must bear the consequences."

"The Righteous Yang Sword Technique - One Strike to the Throat!"

A thin, thread-like sword light shot out, accurately piercing Xue Wuqing's throat.

Xue Wuqing stared wide-eyed, wanting to say something, but no sound came out. A few breaths later, the leader of the Blood Hand Gang died.

"The first one." Zheng Yi sheathed his longsword. "There are nine more."

Just then, hurried footsteps and exclamations came from outside.

"Boss! What happened?"

Why is the palace shaking?

"Go check on the gang leader!"

Clearly, the battle had been too loud and had alerted the guards outside.

“It’s time to leave.” Zheng Yi had no intention of lingering.

He has achieved his goal; now all he needs to do is make a clean getaway.

"Wall-penetrating talisman!"

Zheng Yi activated the treasure again, his body became transparent, and he passed directly through the wall of the secret chamber.

When the Blood Hands gang rushed into the secret room, all they found was Bloodless's ruthless corpse.

"The gang leader is dead!"

“Who did it?”

"Search the entire valley immediately!"

The Blood Hands gang was in complete chaos, with everyone frantically searching for the assassin.

But Zheng Yi had already left Blood Fiend Valley and was flying towards his family under the cover of night.

"First mission accomplished," Zheng Yi thought to himself. "With the Blood Hand Gang losing its leader, it's bound to fall into internal strife. Now it's time to choose the second target."

The news of Xue Wuqing's assassination spread like wildfire throughout the cultivation world.

The next morning, the Blood Hand Gang's messenger arrived at the Heavenly Dao Sect headquarters with news of Xue Wuqing's death.

"What? Xue Wuqing is dead?" Li Xiaoyao's face turned ashen upon hearing the news. "How did he die?"

"Reporting to the sect leader, he was assassinated," the Blood Hand Gang envoy replied, trembling. "Last night, someone infiltrated Blood Fiend Valley and killed the gang leader in a secret chamber."

"Have you discovered the assassin's identity?"

"Based on the traces of sword intent left at the scene, it must have been Zheng Yi who did it," the envoy reported truthfully. "Only he could unleash such pure sword intent."

“Zheng Yi!” Li Xiaoyao gritted his teeth. “That guy actually dared to take the initiative!”

"Sect Leader, now that our leader is dead, our Blood Hand Gang is leaderless and we may not be able to continue participating in the siege of the Zheng family," the messenger said cautiously.

After Xue Wuqing's death, the Blood Hand Gang immediately descended into a fierce power struggle. Several vice-leaders began secretly vying for the leadership, leaving them with no time to deal with the Zheng family. (End of Chapter)