Chapter 1036: The Early Arrival of the Evil Emperor

In just half a month, the situation of Xifeng Tower deteriorated to an unbearable extent. From initially controlling nearly 400 branches across the Central Plains, it now had less than 300 left. Not only had it lost a quarter of its territory, but many of its members also left—disheartened by the lack of any sign of counterattack or hope for improvement from the leadership, they eventually led to a tragic outcome.

On the other hand, Yipin Hall, which had been on the verge of collapse at first, was now thriving—despite having at least ten of its branches destroyed by the Emperor, it suffered little damage. Those branches were quickly rebuilt, and Yipin Hall’s dominance over the Central Plains remained unshaken!

What puzzled everyone, however, was that since a week ago, battles had erupted in the northern regions of the Central Plains, with targeted attacks occurring everywhere. Many believed Xifeng Tower would eventually have to bow to Yipin Hall and make concessions. Yet, Meiying and many of the high-ranking members remained silent.

For half a month, all members of Xifeng Tower practiced within the city and strengthened defenses at their branches. Even though many branches in the north had been destroyed, those in other areas refused to relax. They were willing to sacrifice time for training rather than admit defeat, firmly believing that Yipin Hall’s collusion with the Evil Emperor would eventually be exposed.

And so…
Amidst the concerns and attention of many, the battle between Xifeng Tower and Yipin Hall continued without pause for half a month, with signs of intensification.

“That woman, Meiying, is really resilient.”
“Lost a quarter of its territory and nearly a quarter of its members in half a month, yet it still refuses to yield…”
“What outsiders say is their business. Xueyi, do you really think Meiying would bow? Neither Bai Xiaosheng, who stands above the martial world, nor Gu Ao, the greatest master of the Central Plains, would tolerate an ally who bends under pressure.”
“I just think that if you were in her position as the head of the hall, you wouldn’t care about what others think… You’d sacrifice temporarily for the greater good.”

Xueyi smiled calmly at Mengyun.

The latter showed no sign of displeasure at all. He merely raised his chin slightly and said with a hint of pride, “In my eyes, the interests and achievements of Yipin Tang outweigh everything. As long as it can make Yipin Tang stronger, temporary compromises are not a problem. You’re right—this is the biggest difference between me and Shadow. So, it’s she who’s now in a hopeless situation, not me!” At this point, Meng Yun suddenly paused and said, “The situation at Xifeng Tower has become rather strange lately. You need to send people to keep a close eye on it.”

“All the people from Xifeng Tower are now holed up inside the city, relying on those gangs with good relationships to maintain control through their gang prisons. Without your orders, they’re all under surveillance.”

Xue Yi tapped the coffee table lightly, speaking casually, “All we need now is for the Evil Emperor to arrive. Most of the branches in the north have already been destroyed by us. As for those in the south, we can’t reach them for now… But if you give me enough troops, it’s not impossible to take down another batch of Xifeng Tower’s branches and completely destroy them.”

“There’s no need to worry about the branches in the south,” Meng Yun interrupted quickly. “Shadow is clearly trying to rely on its strong foundation to hold out and wear down our strength… After all, there are too many branches scattered in the south. Destroying them one by one would take too much time. Without a sufficient advantage in manpower, it might even weaken us ourselves…”

“Right now, all our top fighters are stationed in the north. If there’s a large-scale movement of troops, Shadow will definitely notice. If the situation in the north becomes unstable, it might give those from Xifeng Tower hope again, which wouldn’t be good!”

“…”

Xue Yi nodded slowly, agreeing that Meng Yun was right.

These days, he had been eager to destroy Xifeng Tower as quickly as possible, but he hadn’t realized that subtle changes might give Xifeng Tower an opportunity. When it came to strategic thinking, he admitted he was inferior.

“In that case, it will take some time to destroy Xifeng Tower.”

“Yet we don’t have much time left. The Evil Emperor has already entered the Yellow River region from the East Sea and will soon arrive in the capital.”

“Actually, the Evil Emperor’s presence in the Central Plains is both advantageous and disadvantageous for us. Even without him, we could still gradually destroy Xifeng Tower completely.”

Xue Yi’s expression tightened.

The arrival of the Evil Emperor was a nightmare for the Central Plains, and it wasn’t good news for them, who currently held an absolute advantage.

“I’m aware of that.”

Meng Yun rubbed his forehead. “But the Evil Emperor’s arrival in the Central Plains is inevitable. He can’t turn back halfway. Moreover, he said that his purpose this time is, first, to help us completely destroy Xifeng Tower, and second, to seize the throne.”

“…The First Emperor is merely one of his defeated foes.”
“It seems the Prophet said the First Emperor has mastered an even more powerful sword technique, which is why he wants to meet him. After all, the First Emperor is the only person in the entire martial world he can consider a rival.”
Hearing this, Bloodcloth frowned slightly.
Mengyun saw this but said nothing.
As a veteran professional player, not even qualifying as a rival for top experts was indeed a significant blow.
Changing his tone, Mengyun ordered, “Within 24 hours, Bai Xiaosheng will surely go to great lengths to find the Evil Emperor and spread news. By then, the situation in the Central Plains could experience significant upheaval. Bloodcloth, I need your Blood Alliance to create chaos these next two days.”
“How do we create chaos?”
Bloodcloth’s expression returned to normal.
“The Evil Emperor’s first stop will be the headquarters of Xifeng Tower!”
“With the Evil Emperor in charge, we don’t need to worry about the First Emperor or Xifeng Tower’s top experts. We can easily storm their headquarters. But I don’t want anyone to support Xifeng Tower during this time!”
“Your task is to disrupt the north as much as possible—the more chaotic, the better. Ideally, all northern factions should be too preoccupied to interfere.” Mengyun’s eyes flashed with sharp cold light. “In just half a day, at most a day, I want to capture everyone from Xifeng Tower in the capital!”
Bloodcloth took a slight breath.
“With the help of the twelve major gangs in the capital, disrupting the north isn’t a problem. But only within a 200-mile radius around the capital; beyond that, it’s not guaranteed.”
“No problem,” Mengyun said confidently. “By then, I’ll personally inform the leaders of the hitman organizations, ensuring they can’t quickly deliver messages to the leaders of the various gangs. Without his contact, those ordinary gangs will take at least half a day to gather enough men and enter the capital… By then, all of Xifeng Tower’s forces in the north will be gone, and its allies will be destroyed.”
A faint smile appeared on Bloodcloth’s face. “I know what to do.”
“Wait.”
As Bloodcloth turned to leave, Mengyun suddenly remembered something. “We’ve been busy dealing with Xifeng Tower and the First Emperor these past half months. It seems we’ve overlooked someone.”
“You mean Happy?”
“That’s right.” Mengyun’s eyes flashed coldly again. “Ever since the battle in Longmen Town, that kid has disappeared. I asked the Prophet to investigate his whereabouts once, but even through surveillance, his location couldn’t be detected. He must be hiding in some unknown place using a human mask…”
“I think he’s scared after realizing the strength we’ve revealed.”

Although Happy had indeed caused endless troubles to Blood Cloak, he paled in comparison to Emperor One and Shadow. He hadn’t even thought of this man lately, and now, upon hearing Meng Yun bring him up again, contempt and disdain naturally showed in his eyes.
“Do you also think, like those outside, that Happy was scared by our First-Class Hall?” Meng Yun asked calmly.
Blood Cloak remained unperturbed: “Without a doubt.”
“A mere ordinary expert at the life-and-death realm can still dare to attack my First-Class Hall and your Blood Alliance without hesitation, even daring to provoke the Wild Wolves. Even if we reveal the secrets of the capital this time, I don’t think any of this will make him fearful… You must know that compared to a few months ago, he’s become much stronger now and has no need to fear us at all.”
“Before, it was because Xifeng Tower was backing him up.”
“You’re wrong,” Meng Yun interrupted Blood Cloak. “We do have spies in Xifeng Tower. They made it clear that Happy rejected Shadow’s offer. Moreover, it seems Happy intends to reestablish the Colorful Robes Sect, indicating that his ambitions aren’t those of the Happy you knew before… It also shows that the current Happy is not only an expert on par with Emperor One but also not the kind of person who disdains fame and wealth like Emperor One.”
“What are you trying to tell me?”
“Don’t underestimate him. I always feel that his sudden disappearance this time, refusing to show up despite the mockery and pressure from countless martial artists, likely means he’s doing something we don’t know about.” After a pause, Meng Yun added uncertainly, “I can get information about Emperor One, Shadow, and Bai Xiaosheng, and I’ve taken preventive measures. But I can’t find the slightest clue about Happy…”
“You mean…”
“With the Evil Emperor arriving in the Central Plains, Xifeng Tower and Emperor One are like fish in a jar, unable to cause much of a stir. If there’s any possibility of an accident, the only breakthrough point is Happy.”
“…”
Blood Cloak’s expression immediately grew grave.
Meng Yun’s words spoke highly of Happy.
With the Evil Emperor approaching, the two had many things to discuss!
In addition to Xifeng Tower, Emperor One, and the many allied gangs, they also had to prepare for the fierce reactions of countless martial artists in the Central Plains once the Evil Emperor appeared!
This battle was not only crucial for the survival of Xifeng Tower but also for that of the First-Class Hall!
To control the martial world of the Central Plains and completely subdue its heroes, many details needed careful consideration.
During their discussions, the two sent messenger pigeons from time to time.

I don’t know how much time passed…
Mengyun suddenly gave Xueyi a strange look, said a few words, and then left the game.
A few minutes later, Mengyun returned to the main hall, her expression extremely serious:
“The Evil Emperor arrived in the capital a day early! The entire plan must be accelerated!”
“…” Xueyi was shocked.
“Assemble all our forces and surround the main hall of Xifeng Tower!”