Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Blood, flowing down Hui Yaoâs lowered arm, traced across his blackened withered fingers, slowly dripping onto the ground.
Hui Yao calmly glanced at the few people beside him.
"How careless, letting two rats sneak in."
The An Family Head shook his slightly damaged arm, speaking indifferently.
"Those are no mere rats. The one who escaped is called Xu Tianyin, the President of the Rebel Army. As for the one on the ground, he is the fattest dog raised by our Ten Major Families, called Nan Ruweng, and... the Master of Foolish Earth Mansion of the Underworld!"
The Ru Family Master, hands clasped together like a Buddhist monk, showed a hint of compassion, yet his words were icy.
"A house dog is still a dog. A wild dog is also a dog. Two dogs together, birds of a feather."
The Song Family Master, hearing this, shattered the damaged sword in his hand with laughter.
"Hahaha! Unexpectedly, on the day of the mystical pillarâs repair, aside from us old folks, there are others eyeing this development."
His sleeve torn, revealing robust black muscle filled with texture like Black Shiny Stone.
At this moment, the taut black muscle like black obsidian began to relax, the dark hue in the skin receding like a tide.
"Curious indeed, the world holds so many unsolved mysteries, how could Nan Ruweng not resist his inner urge for exploration?"
Weighing the [original evil stone] in his hand, the Patriarch of Bo Family smiled and spoke.
A few glanced toward the Patriarch of Bo Family, their eyes falling on the [original evil stone], saying nothing more.
"The mystical pillar affair is of such secrecy, how could the Master of Foolish Earth Mansion know?" Song Family Master posed the question.
"The Foolish Underworld certainly canât know, but the Rebel Army is another story, theyâre like rats in a sewer, nowhere they canât penetrate. Perhaps there are Rebel Army members within the An Family, or maybe an insider among the drugged people living in An Mansion!" Ru Family Master said coldly.
Everyoneâs gaze focused on the An Family Head, making his face appear somewhat unsightly.
"Impossible! Iâve sealed those drugged people within the An Mansion entirely, even the monks from Buddhist temples canât step out, let alone send any messages out!"
Song Family Master spread his hands: "Then I donât know, anyway, itâs likely this matter leaked from your An Family."
With that, he walked over, carrying the corpse of the Foolish Earth Mansion Master.
This action instantly provoked reactions from everyone.
"What are you doing?"
"Stop! Weâll split the corpse equally!"
"Donât think of hogging it, my familyâs demons are all crying out to feed!"
"Shameful! Listen to yourselves, talking such nonsense! Just a mere corpse, and you show such a disgraceful manner! If you ask me, since itâs Lord Duan who ultimately killed him, shouldnât he divide it? Lord Duan, Iâd like two arms from the corpse, what do you think?" A member of the Wu Family, who hadnât spoken, now spoke.
The Ten Major Families werenât all present this time.
Because repairing the mystical pillar isnât an overnight affair; it requires each drugged personâs abilities to be exerted to the limit, allowing the Ten Pillars to fully absorb, to truly be effective.
Thus, the last day is the most critical day, yet itâs of less importance.
Even so, a few old folks from the Ten Major Families couldnât resist coming to check out the situation.
After all, An Family is the first to repair, and the success or failure of repairing the mystical pillar will determine the outcome of their own familiesâ Sky-reaching Pillar.
Not to mention, closely observing the actual repair process may reveal clues and prevent being deceived.
"My An Family doesnât need it."
Among the disputes, the An Family Head was calm.
If the Soothing Spirit Pillar could be successfully repaired, the mere corpse of the Foolish Earth Mansion Master wouldnât matter at all!
Lord Duan looked at the group calmly.
To outsiders, these old folks are seen as the pillars of Thunder City, esteemed ancestors of the Ten Major Families.
Yet in his eyes, these people are merely beasts in human disguise, committing acts as vile or worse than demons.
But then, is he any better?
Rotten mud and rotten mud, why compare whose stench is worse?
"You divide it among yourselves, Iâm not participating."
Lord Duan turned and walked away.
Hidden beneath the pitch-black robe, not even these Family Masters could see Lord Duanâs current expression.
Though these old things bickered, the mess was still swiftly cleaned up.
"A pity the Rebel Army Commander escaped, or else we couldâve conveniently ended that long-time nuisance with a smack."
"Donât blame the Rebel Army, a mighty force borders us, what do the troops from the Capital heading south want? Could they have detected our intentions toward the Sky-reaching Pillar, and thus arrived for inspection?"
"The Emperor far above, the high-ranking officials from the Capital know nothing. Unless theyâre prepared to forcefully invade Thunder City, otherwise just brush them off."
Pausing, the person continued: "Send someone to the Underworld, find someone there to temporarily replace the Master position... Yes, perhaps that Hall Master Jinfang Zai, he seems quite active lately, likely ambitious."
"With Jinfang Zaiâs abilities... he might not be fit for the position of Master, the Foolish Underworld in Guanghan City wouldnât recognize it. Once they learn, theyâll certainly send someone else here to assume the Master position."
"Thatâs a matter for the future, once the major event succeeds, we wonât care about Guanghan City, will we?"