Fantasy, starting with a treasure bowl

"A conspiracy? No, no, no, Nephew Kong, you've greatly misunderstood me, Uncle Zhao..."

Faced with Kong Yi's angry questioning, Zhao Yihu shook his head slightly, his smile unwavering. "The attack on your escort mission had nothing to do with the Jiangnan Escort Agency, and I did not intend to wipe out your entire Kong family..."

"I once gave that old fellow Kong Youde a chance. If he led his people to convert to the Holy Church of No Life, the Kong family would remain as before and live in peace. But that old fellow didn't know what was good for him and insisted on being an enemy of the Holy Church..."

At this point, Zhao Yihu stood with his hands behind his back, a rare look of fanatical reverence on his face. "Therefore, for the great cause of the Holy Church's revival, I have no choice but to personally send that old fellow Kong Youde on his way. How can a mere bit of brotherhood compare to the great cause of the Holy Church's revival...!"

"The Holy Teachings of No Birth..."

"So you're a remnant of the demonic cult...!"

Upon hearing these words, Kong Yi and the surviving guards of the Kong family all changed their expressions drastically, revealing fear.

After all, the Wusheng Sect is no ordinary sect. It is said that fifty years ago, when the Wusheng Sect was at its peak, it stirred up a storm in most of the Eastern Xuan Region. Its influence was so widespread that it made all the righteous forces in the Eastern Xuan Region wary and turn pale at the mere mention of it!

What Kong Yi and the others did not expect was that the Wusheng Sect had not only resurfaced, but its influence had even extended to remote areas such as the four kingdoms of Lingnan. Even Zhao Yihu, the former chief镖头 (chief镖头, head镖师) of the Jiangnan镖局 (镖局, a type of security escort agency in southern China), was a follower of the demonic sect.

"Young Master, I never expected this Zhao fellow to be a member of the Wusheng Demonic Sect. No wonder almost none of our brothers who fell into his hands had a good ending..."

Beside him, a Kong family guard with a severed left arm struggled forward and then solemnly addressed Kong Yi.

When the Kong family was wiped out, Zhao Yihu and his group of bodyguards also participated in the siege. However, these people were slightly different from bandits like Qingtianzhai. They did not kill indiscriminately, but intentionally left some survivors as hostages.

As for the fate of these hostages, it was also tragic. They were all forcibly fed the Wusheng Sect's unique "Life-Defying Elixir" by Zhao Yihu. In the end, without exception, they all died on the spot due to the effects of the drug!

"Nephew Kong, don't say that Uncle Zhao is heartless. If you lay down your weapons and obediently accept the baptism of the Holy Church, you will still have a chance to live."

Seemingly unconcerned about his identity as a member of the Demonic Sect being exposed, Zhao Yihu glanced at the terrified Kong Yi across from him again and said in a calm tone.

After all, with his Yuan Power cultivation at the fourth level of the Spirit Soul Realm, even if the opponents, including Tong Yi and the others, joined forces, they would not be a match for him, let alone escape his grasp.

If it weren't for testing the effects of the "Life-Defying Elixir" and selecting a group of suitable drug slaves as the Holy Cult's fighting force, he wouldn't have wasted any time talking to Kong Yi and the others.

To put it simply, the reason Kong Yi and the others were able to escape with their lives was not because Zhao Yihu was showing any old affection, but simply because the former still had some last bit of value to be used!

"Zhao Yihu, do you think I'd believe your nonsense...!"

Faced with Zhao Yihu's attempt to persuade him to surrender, Kong Yi gritted his teeth and angrily retorted, "What kind of bullshit Holy Church baptism is this? Back then, our Kong family members were forcibly fed that bizarre poison by you, which is why they all died suddenly!"

Not to mention that the other party was his father's killer, he also vividly remembered what happened to the captured Kong family guards after they took Zhao Yihu's "anti-fate elixir," and could not forget it.

"Brother, don't waste your breath on this beast! Don't forget how Father died a horrible death at his hands. Even if we die now, we'll take that beast surnamed Zhao down with us...!"

Beside her, Kong Yan, disregarding her own injuries, slowly leaned against Kong Yi's side, her whole being burning with rage, her beautiful eyes filled with hatred.

"Swallow, you...!"

Seeing this, Kong Yi was also somewhat taken aback.

Because it was the first time he had ever seen his own sister show such a strong and fearless demeanor, a stark contrast to the delicate and willful Kong Yan of the past!

"Young Master! The young lady is right. Rather than living a life of ignominy, we should fight these remnants of the Demonic Cult head-on. If we can kill a few more of them, it will have been worthwhile!"

"That's right! Young Master, please give the order!"

At this moment, several surviving guards of the Kong family also surrounded them. They were all filled with righteous indignation and were clearly prepared to fight to the death, without the slightest fear.

"Alright, even if we can't escape death today, if we can take a few remnants of the Demonic Sect down with us, it won't be a disgrace to the Kong family name!"

Seeing Kong Yan and the last few guards around her step forward to volunteer for battle, Kong Yi felt a pang of sorrow and gritted his teeth.

"Hmph! If you two nephews remain so stubborn, then I have no choice but to send you both on your way...!"

Seeing that Kong Yi and the others would rather die than surrender and insisted on opposing him, Zhao Yihu's face also showed a cold and fierce expression. The next moment, he suddenly released an extremely terrifying aura of Yuan power, clearly intending to kill.

"Report...!"

Just as Zhao Yihu was about to unleash a massacre, a hurried male voice suddenly came from afar.

The next moment, a young bodyguard with a red turban tied around his head and a wooden plaque at his waist darted out from the side. He then leaped down in front of Zhao Yihu and knelt on one knee. He was also a member of the Wusheng Sect.

"Chief Zhao! Our informant from Qingtian Village reports that Jiang Qingtian is leading his remaining men towards Burial Valley. Now that the Kong family is wiped out, do you think we should take advantage of this opportunity to..."

At this point, the young bodyguard raised his hand and made a throat-slitting gesture, his face revealing murderous intent. He clearly intended to double-cross the enemy and did not consider the Qingtian Village group, who had participated in the siege of the Kong family, as his accomplices.

"So, the one surnamed Jiang has finally arrived..."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yihu merely narrowed his eyes slightly, then a cold smile slowly appeared on his lips. "No rush. Anyway, Protector Liao left me quite a few heaven-defying spiritual herbs. For now, I'll use these Kong family trash as practice. If I really can't refine suitable medicine slaves, then it won't be too late to deal with those bandits from Qingtian Village..."

"Yes, Master!"

Upon hearing the order, the young bodyguard bowed and retreated, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.

As for the remaining group of镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) from the Jiangnan镖局 (escort agency), they no longer concealed their identities as members of the Demonic Sect. They immediately took off their clothes, revealing the red headscarves on their heads and the tokens at their waists. At the same time, they surrounded Kong Yi and the others on the other side of the cliff, and for a moment, the killing intent was like clouds, enveloping the surroundings.

"Swallow, watch out...!"

Seeing that Zhao Yihu and the others had completely broken off relations, Kong Yi's heart sank, and he subconsciously turned to look at Kong Yan beside him.

At first, Zhao Yihu did not take their lives, but only intended to use them as drug slaves for testing drugs. Now that the two sides have completely broken off relations, the former will naturally not hold back at all!

...

Meanwhile, deep within the Valley of Corpses, at a certain pass...

"Damn it! Where did these guys go? We haven't seen a trace of them...!"

"Could it be that the Blood Soul Tracking Technique really led us astray...?"

Lu Feng sat on a huge rock, each hand holding a large skewer of sizzling, oily monster meat. He was stuffing it into his mouth while smacking his lips and complaining, seemingly bored out of his mind.