The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, becoming a disciple of Yue Buqun.

The monks all planted their demon-subduing staffs on the ground, clasped their hands together, and chanted in unison.

"Amitabha."

Fang Zheng looked at the many corpses on the ground, couldn't bear it, closed his eyes, and said, "Amitabha."

Fang Zheng opened his eyes and looked at Jiang Ning and Linghu Chong, asking with concern, "Young Master Jiang, Young Master Linghu, we from Shaolin are late. Are you two injured?"

Jiang Ning and Linghu Chong had stopped fighting after the demonic sect experts had run far away. Upon hearing Fang Zheng's words, they nodded and said, "Thank you for your concern, Abbot. My senior brother and I are fine."

Fang Zheng seemed relieved and said, "That's good, that's good."

Jiang Ning looked at him and smiled, "Thank you for coming to help, Abbot. My senior brother and I are very grateful."

"Amitabha."

Fang Zheng said, "Young Master Jiang, the Demonic Sect intended to harm the righteous forces in Luoyang, but Shaolin was completely unaware of it. If it weren't for Young Master Linghu rushing to Shaolin overnight, the Wang family of the Golden Saber Sect would probably have been brutally murdered. Fortunately, both of you young heroes were also in Luoyang, which prevented the Wang family from being killed by the Demonic Sect."

Jiang Ning looked at the martial monks present and asked, "I wonder what the casualties are like at the Golden Saber Sect?"

Fang Zheng shook his head and said, "We don't know yet, but I have already sent Fang Sheng and hundreds of Shaolin disciples to investigate. They have also contacted the lay disciples in Luoyang. I believe the Demonic Sect will not succeed."

Jiang Ning remained silent upon hearing this, but Linghu Chong spoke up at that moment.

"Now that things are over here, Abbot, let's hurry over and take a look. If the Golden Saber Sect is fighting fiercely, we can provide support."

Fang Zheng nodded.

"That's what I think too."

Without lingering there, Jiang Ning and the Shaolin monks headed towards the Golden Saber Sect.

As for what to do with the corpses scattered all over the place...

Before leaving, Fang Zheng sent a Shaolin disciple to the government office to have the officials come out and clean up the mess.

Such a big thing happened in Luoyang, yet the government didn't dare to show up. Even the soldiers at Dingding Gate were nowhere to be seen. Although Fang Zheng knew that the current imperial court had very weak control over the local areas, he was still somewhat helpless that the local officials were so afraid of the Jianghu people.

Is this dynasty nearing its end?

Fang Zheng walked along, lost in thought.

Although martial arts practitioners dislike dealing with the imperial court, how can they completely sever ties with it? Whether passively or actively, they will inevitably have some connection with the court. As the abbot of Shaolin Temple, Fang Zheng holds an extremely high position, and the temple has received many high-ranking officials and dignitaries. He is well aware of the situation regarding the imperial court.

The imperial court now seems to be showing signs of the end of its dynasty.

For thousands of years, dynasties have come and gone, one old dynasty falling and another new one being established. This has been the case for thousands of years, and Fang Zheng was not surprised. However, what surprised him was that the Ming Dynasty had already shown signs of extinction after only a little over a hundred years of existence. Such a short lifespan surprised him.

However, Fang Zheng only thought about it casually and then stopped thinking about it.

Whether the Ming Dynasty fell or not was none of his business.

The Ming Dynasty has forgotten about it; it's just another new dynasty being established. It won't have much impact on Shaolin. Even if a new dynasty is established, it won't do anything to Shaolin.

However, the world will certainly not be peaceful during the period between the fall of the old dynasty and the establishment of the new dynasty.

If the Ming Dynasty is truly on the verge of collapse and about to perish, then let's close the mountains.

Fang Zheng thought to himself.

Chapter 574: Liu Zhengfeng is suspected

"Master, that King Ning is so arrogant! He dares to provoke our sect all by himself. He will surely die in Luoyang today!"

Green Bamboo Lane.

A high-ranking member of the demonic sect flattered.

Ren Woxing sat at the head of the table without saying a word.

Below stood Liu Zhengfeng, Qu Yang, and other masters such as Green Bamboo Elder.

Ren Woxing did not send anyone to hunt down Jiang Ning; they waited here for news.

Ren Woxing listened to his subordinate's words without expression or speaking.

The scene fell silent for a moment.

Liu Zhengfeng below didn't show much expression on his face, but his hands unconsciously clenched under his wide sleeves.

He was somewhat worried about Jiang Ning's safety.

Qu Yang, who was not far away, kept glancing in his direction, his eyes filled with inscrutable emotions.

I don't know how much time passed.

There was some noise outside.

"Master, Master."

Some of the demonic sect experts who were besieging Jiangning have already escaped back.

Looking at the returning followers, Ren Woxing wanted to ask about the results, but seeing the panic on their faces, his expression darkened slightly, and he had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, before Ren Woxing and the others in the room could ask any questions, the returning demonic sect expert spoke first.

"Master, something terrible has happened! The Shaolin people have arrived."

"what?"

Everyone present was taken aback upon hearing this.

"We've arrived at Shaolin? How is that possible?"

They had already sealed off Luoyang City beforehand, forbidding anyone from tipping off Shaolin, but how could Shaolin have arrived so quickly?

Ren Woxing's face darkened, and he asked, "What happened? Explain in detail?"

One of them hurriedly said, "Master, we were ordered to surround and kill King Ning. We chased him all the way to Luoyang Tianjie and engaged in a fierce battle. Just when we were about to capture King Ning, we did not expect that reinforcements from Shaolin Temple had arrived. The leader was none other than Fang Zheng from Shaolin Temple. We had no choice but to retreat."

Upon hearing the words of this expert from the Demonic Sect, one of them immediately asked, "What about King Ning? Is he dead?"

The person being asked shook his head: "No, the Shaolin people have arrived. We can no longer kill Ning Yanwang, so we can only retreat in defeat, and all our efforts have been in vain."

Ren Woxing frowned, and everyone's reactions were different, but Liu Zhengfeng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

At that moment, Qu Yang, who was not far away, glanced at him again.

"It's weird."

Someone asked in confusion, "We had already surrounded Luoyang City, so how come Shaolin's reinforcements arrived so quickly?"

"It must have been Ning Yanwang who tipped them off!"

Someone asked, "But how did King Yama Ning end up in Luoyang?"

Everyone was puzzled by this.

"Liu Zhengfeng!"

At this moment, someone looked at Liu Zhengfeng and said sternly, "Did you secretly collude with the Huashan Sect to bring Ning Yanwang to Luoyang, and then secretly report to the Shaolin Temple to make the righteous path detrimental to our Divine Sect?!"

Liu Zhengfeng's face was cold at this moment, and he asked in return, "What do you mean by that?"

"what for?"

The man sneered and said, "Don't you understand what I mean? We're going to take action against the Golden Saber Sect in Luoyang, so how did Ning Yanwang, who's hundreds of miles away on Mount Hua, end up here? Is it just a coincidence?"

"I think it was you who secretly tipped off Ning Yanwang and lured him here! So that the righteous path could be at a disadvantage against our divine sect?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone looked at Liu Zhengfeng.

"That's right! He used to be a member of the Five Mountains Sword Sect and had a close relationship with the Huashan Sect. He must be the one who secretly colluded with Ning Yanwang!"

Listening to these people's words of condemnation, and even some of them looking at him with increasingly dangerous eyes.

"ridiculous!"

Faced with this situation, Liu Zhengfeng was not afraid at all. He sneered and said, "If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext."

Liu Zhengfeng showed no fear on his face and remained completely calm inside.

"It is true that I was once a member of the Five Mountains Sword Sect, but that is in the past. The Songshan Sect killed my wife and children and is my sworn enemy. I have long since broken with the righteous path and have no further connection with the Huashan and Hengshan sects. If you want to use my identity to make a big fuss, frame me, and try to kill me, why bother? You can just take action directly."

At this moment, Liu Zhengfeng stopped looking at these people and turned to Ren Woxing, saying, "Master, since I surrendered to the Divine Sect in Pingding Prefecture, I have been determined to serve you. During this time, I have worked diligently and never slacked off. I never expected that I would still be ostracized and framed because of my previous identity. If you cannot tolerate me, I will submit to your judgment. As long as you give the order, I will immediately commit suicide."

Before Ren Woxing could speak, Qu Yang stepped forward.

“Master, I have known Liu Zhengfeng for many years. He has truly submitted to our cult and has no ulterior motives. This is definitely not something Liu Zhengfeng did in collusion with the righteous path. Besides, Liu Zhengfeng doesn’t have the time for this. I am willing to guarantee it with my life.”

Upon hearing Qu Yang speak up for Liu Zhengfeng, Ren Woxing finally spoke and looked at the crowd.

"Alright! Let's leave it at that!"

Ren Woxing gave a cold rebuke, and only then did everyone stop.

Ren Woxing continued, "Now is not the time to argue about these things. Now that Shaolin's reinforcements have arrived, the Golden Saber Sect should also have Shaolin's support. How is the Golden Saber Sect doing?"

At this moment, someone stepped forward and said, "Reporting to the leader, there has been no reply yet."

Ren Woxing said, "Notify them to come back."

"Yes."

Before the man could leave after receiving his orders, there was another commotion outside. It was the men who had been besieging the Golden Saber Sect who had returned.

Similar to the siege of Jiangning, the Demonic Sect besieged the Golden Saber Sect, but the Golden Saber Sect had already invited many people to help them beforehand, so they couldn't take down the Golden Saber Sect in a short time. Later, Fang Sheng arrived with his men, and they retreated.

"Master, the Shaolin people are heading towards Green Bamboo Lane. What should we do? Please advise us!"

Upon hearing his subordinate's report, Ren Woxing remained silent, his brows furrowing involuntarily.

I never expected that destroying a small sect like the Golden Saber Sect would be so troublesome, with so many unexpected events.

"Master."

At this moment, someone spoke up: "Now that the righteous people have arrived, why don't we have a bloody battle with Shaolin!"

No one spoke, and neither did Ren Woxing.

He has no intention of starting a war with Shaolin for the time being. His main goal right now is to expand his own power, gradually devour the righteous sects, and then launch a counterattack against Blackwood Cliff. It is not the time to start a war with Shaolin yet, so he can only be patient for now.

Then another person stepped forward and made a suggestion.

"Master, in my opinion, since the righteous forces have already arrived, I'm afraid a large number of troops will follow. The situation is unfavorable to us. From a strategic perspective, I suggest we avoid their sharp edge first, and then organize our forces to launch a counterattack."