Chapter 1200: Corruption Between Officials and Demons

Everything went as the Wild Wolf Organization had predicted. Tens of thousands of players, lured by the Tiger Soul and arriving from the Dragon Gate Inn, became victims of Dong Fang Bu Bai’s blade in less than half an hour. Wails of despair filled the desert, with corpses and limbs scattered everywhere for miles. The scorching sand was stained with bright red blood, and the intense heat evaporated it, leaving a suffocating stench of blood in the air. The few who survived fled without a trace…
Having witnessed firsthand Dong Fang Bu Bai’s ruthless slaughter and felt the power of the Tiger Soul, these people dared not stay. They rushed deep into the desert, fearing he would pursue them to claim their lives.
…
Tens of thousands of players perished in the desert…
News of this spread quickly throughout the martial world! Even in the desert, people trembled at the mention of the Tiger Soul.
…
The people from the Xifeng Tower remained hidden behind the sand dunes, not daring to show themselves. Without Mirage’s orders, no one dared to venture outside. Mirage narrowed her eyes, carefully observing the red figure in the distance…
Dong Fang Bu Bai!
At this moment, he wore a robe the color of fiery red flames. Stained with blood, it added to his cold and eerie appearance, resembling a legendary demon god. Though he lacked the fierce dominance of the Heaven and Earth Alliance’s leader, he possessed a more sinister cruelty.
The Tiger Soul in his hand exuded an imposing aura. Initially glowing with dazzling golden light, its blade had turned completely blood red. Even the white tiger bones inside seemed saturated with blood, taking on a grotesque, lifelike red hue that was utterly terrifying.
“Why isn’t he moving?”
“The Heaven and Earth Alliance’s leader isn’t moving either.”
“Is something wrong? Look at Cao Shaoqin—he’s even retreating now…” Behind Mirage, a few people whispered cautiously.
Mirage saw clearly. After staring for a while, she noticed something strange and said firmly, “Something’s off… There seems to be movement in Dong Fang Bu Bai’s Tiger Soul.”
“Hm?”
Many became alert at her words.
…
“Elder Dong Fang, so many martial arts masters from both the legitimate and underground worlds, along with officials from the Imperial Guards, have died at your hands. Once word gets out, no one can protect you.”
Across from Dong Fang Bu Bai, the Heaven and Earth Alliance’s leader still wore a mask. Through its holes, his eyes were like two pieces of frozen ice, devoid of any emotion.

The leader of the Heaven and Earth Alliance stood calmly just a hundred meters away from Dong Fang Bu Bai, his hands tucked behind his cloak, staring steadily at Dong Fang Bu Bai, who was gradually descending into a demonic state and losing control of his mind.
“…”
Dong Fang Bu Bai said nothing.
Ever since the tiger essence in his hand turned blood red and began to move as if alive within the blade, Dong Fang Bu Bai’s behavior had become extremely strange. With each strike, the tiger-shaped blade light turned deep red, like a plague of blood, filling the air with an intensely pungent scent that made one feel nauseous. Those who got too close were also intimidated by the sound of the tiger’s roar. His increasingly powerful and bizarre attack methods made even the leader of the Heaven and Earth Alliance hesitant to approach, forcing him to stay at a distance and probe with words.
“Has this man’s mind already been completely consumed by the tiger essence?”
The leader of the Heaven and Earth Alliance frowned deeply. He could still recall the feeling when he was controlled by the tiger essence—a sense of being influenced invisibly, driven by a killing instinct without conscious control. It was terrifying to think about now…
A heavy atmosphere hung between the two of them.
At this moment, Cao Shaoqin was standing slightly further back. Although he didn’t have the same experience as the leader of the Heaven and Earth Alliance, he could clearly sense from Dong Fang Bu Bai that he was like a python suddenly coiled up—quiet for now, but with his head raised, keeping watch over an area of hundreds of meters. Even the slightest movement or stimulus from plants or animals could trigger his violent killing instinct and fully ignite the killing desire of the tiger essence.
When the leader of the Heaven and Earth Alliance held the tiger essence, Cao Shaoqin still had the will to resist…
But Dong Fang Bu Bai’s gentle yet sinister nature complemented the tiger essence perfectly, bringing him an even stronger sense of unease and threat.
The leader of the Heaven and Earth Alliance shared this feeling. From the changes in the tiger essence and Dong Fang Bu Bai himself, he could tell that the latter was becoming increasingly dangerous, which was why he hadn’t taken immediate action. Glancing at Cao Shaoqin, who stood far to the side, he frowned slightly and said sarcastically in a drawn-out voice, “Lord Commander, standing all by yourself at the back—do you plan to wait until we two fight to the death before stepping in to clean up the mess?”
“What wise advice do you have?” Cao Shaoqin replied coldly.
The leader of the Heaven and Earth Alliance remained expressionless and said slowly, word by word, “Unite our forces to take down Dong Fang Bu Bai.”
“I’m an official; you’re a thief. We’re not on the same side,” Cao Shaoqin replied succinctly and plainly.
The leader of the Heaven and Earth Alliance burst into laughter.

“Since that’s the case, I can also make way for you to watch Commander Cao avenge his subordinates and capture the heroic Dongfang Bu Bai.”
These words struck at Cao Shaoqin’s sore spot.
Thousands of elite Jinyiwei warriors had perished at Dongfang Bu Bai’s sword, their bodies left in the desert. Even as the commander of the Jinyiwei, he had to give an account to the imperial court for such massive casualties.
“…”
“You people of the demonic path always resort to any means necessary, with countless examples of betrayal. How can I be sure you won’t stab me in the back?”
“This cooperation is based on mutual consent. Whether to proceed is up to you. But let me make it clear—I want the Tiger Soul. As for Dongfang Bu Bai’s body and other items, I won’t take any of them.” At this point, the leader of the Heaven and Earth Alliance paused briefly before adding, “Dongfang Bu Bai was able to slaughter tens of thousands of people despite being surrounded by martial artists without suffering any harm—not entirely thanks to the Tiger Soul. I’m sure Commander Cao will be very interested in the Sunflower Secret Manual.”
The last sentence made Cao Shaoqin’s eyes light up, his enthusiasm surging.
The Sunflower Secret Manual was an unparalleled masterpiece. Though slightly inferior to the Tiger Soul, it was something he could only dream of possessing.
Although he was reluctant to give up the Tiger Soul, upon further reflection, even a peerless warrior like Dongfang Bu Bai had had his will influenced by it, turning him into a soulless killing machine. Giving it up might not be such a bad thing after all.
With this thought, Cao Shaoqin’s resolve hardened!
“Agreed!”
“I’ll capture Dongfang Bu Bai and get the Sunflower Secret Manual! You get the Tiger Soul!”
“It’s a deal!”
A glimmer of joy flashed in the leader of the Heaven and Earth Alliance’s eyes.
Two supreme masters of the Heavenly Way reached an agreement in the desert.
The next moment, four icy, sharp gazes converged on Dongfang Bu Bai, who was under the influence of dark magic.
The moment those gazes touched him, Dongfang Bu Bai, standing with his sword in hand, instinctively reacted! His face, once twisted in struggle and pain, instantly became as cold and rigid as marble, while his narrow, sultry eyes flashed with a blood-red killing light.
Whoosh!
Without any visible movement, a sound of cutting through air filled the air!
Rip!!
A blood-red blade flashed, tearing through space and carving a terrifying gash across the desert, reaching the leader of the Heaven and Earth Alliance in an instant.
The two of them had always been within Dongfang Bu Bai’s attack range, but since they had activated their Heavenly Way powers to merge with the universe, they had effectively disappeared from Dongfang Bu Bai’s “world” and thus were immune to his attacks.

But the moment the two made their decision, they no longer hid their presence. The immense aura of the Unity of Heaven and Man was released without restraint, with a tangible killing intent directed at the latter, naturally triggering a strong reaction in Dong Fang Bu Bai.
“Perfect timing.”
Facing the blood-red tiger-shaped blade light, the leader of the Heaven and Earth Alliance moved calmly to the side, effortlessly dodging the attack. His hands, hidden behind his cloak, suddenly surged forward.
The space in front of Dong Fang Bu Bai seemed to collapse under an invisible force as a violent power struck him with devastating force!
Truly worthy of being the strongest among those at the Unity of Heaven and Man realm, wielding the Tiger Soul to defeat six top experts of the Heavenly Dao, he immediately posed a serious threat to Dong Fang Bu Bai with his precise move.
Although Dong Fang Bu Bai’s mind was deeply confused, his combat abilities remained intact…
Roar!!!
A flash of blood light appeared around him, and the leader of the Heaven and Earth Alliance’s tricky palm strike was blocked by the blood light. Dong Fang Bu Bai’s body didn’t even waver, as two blood-red blade lights, carrying tangible mental pressure, rushed toward him.
The leader’s pupils contracted.
“Is this the new ability granted to you by the Tiger Soul?”
“As expected of the most fearsome weapon from ancient times—it truly lives up to its reputation!”
Despite the suddenness of the situation, the leader of the Heaven and Earth Alliance seemed unfazed, boldly facing the two sharp blade lights.
Before the blades reached him, a fierce wind blew across his face!
His cloak billowed high into the air behind him, rustling loudly!!
In mid-air, the leader’s gaze grew even colder.
Until the very moment his body was about to be struck by the two blade lights, the entire world seemed to lose all trace of him.
The blade lights passed through him unimpeded…
The leader remained unharmed.
With a flash of the blade lights, he was completely unscathed; Cao Shaoqin watched closely, but this was clearly not the time to be distracted. Though doubts arose in his mind, the leader of the Heaven and Earth Alliance had personally drawn the enemy’s attention to hold off Dong Fang Bu Bai, giving him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—one he certainly wouldn’t miss.
Merging body and sword, a magnificent sword energy, like a divine light flowing through heaven and earth, suddenly struck Dong Fang Bu Bai’s body…
Boom!!!
“He’s hit!!”
The sword, imbued with the power to break through barriers, indeed struck Dong Fang Bu Bai without any hindrance, filling Cao Shaoqin with great joy.
Yet…
Just as this thought arose in his mind, a violently fierce tiger roar suddenly rang in his ears:
Roar!!!!
Up close, the sound waves were deafening!

Cao Shaoqin’s expression changed drastically; caught off guard, his eardrums seemed to be struck hard by something! His body trembled violently! Blood gushed out of his mouth as he fell from great height. In mid-air, a blood-red blade streaked down after him, slicing through his body amidst his terrified screams!