Chapter 331: Sweeping! The Silver Fox Reappears!

As the battles between the Jade Fox Palace and the Blood River Sect came to an end, Happy quickly received news that the Righteous Path Gang had ended the fight the fastest. When attacked, their leader, “Wu Qing,” happened to return to the headquarters after completing a mission. The Lingxiao Palace, responsible for this area, had combat strength slightly inferior to that of the First Rank Hall. With their leader in charge, they decisively withdrew their troops.

Thus, the intense battles among the three local gangs concluded in a way no one expected—the First Rank Hall was turned around at the last moment; the ruler of the Cold Moon Palace, Lu Mingyue, was forced to retreat with a single move; and Wu Qing’s unexpected appearance allowed all three local gangs to survive and avoid destruction.

However…
All three gangs suffered heavy losses.
Needless to say, the Jade Fox Palace was crushed under the overwhelming force of the First Rank Hall and reduced to the status of a mere foundation for the gang’s headquarters, nearly wiped out—over 800 of its members died! In other words, one-tenth of the Jade Fox Palace’s disciples would be in a “sub-healthy state” for the next month. Fortunately, the number of elite members was small, so they could recover quickly over time.

But the Blood River Sect’s situation was even worse…
After suffering two deaths in a short period, their strength dropped to that of an ordinary second-rate expert. Many of their elite members also perished at the hands of the Cold Moon Palace, with over 700 gang members killed. Lacking the large base of members like the Jade Fox Palace, their strength plummeted, causing them to lose their status as the third-largest gang in Baokang. The Blood River Sect was in danger. If they didn’t act carefully, the resources they had might be seized by other gangs!

The Righteous Path Gang was the only one that suffered relatively minor losses…
Still, this invasion by the three gangs served as a wake-up call for the local gangs in Baokang, deeply hurting their pride.

Though the painful lessons didn’t make them dwell in sorrow, they instead triggered an unprecedented outburst of furious anger.

That day…
The online rate of the three gangs soared! Over 20,000 members of these gangs controlled the four gates of Baokang County, closely monitoring every disciple from the First Rank Hall, Lingxiao Palace, and Cold Moon Palace who entered or left the city. Anyone who acted recklessly by leaving the city was immediately surrounded and attacked!

Deep in the Shenlongjia region, patrol teams of the three gangs also appeared at various resource sites, in large numbers…

Although the members of Yipin Hall, Lingxiao Palace, and Lengyue Palace were individually strong, they couldn’t withstand the overwhelming numbers. The three factions sent nearly ten thousand troops to launch a fierce assault. The soldiers of these three forces had no choice but to flee! In less than two hours, the losses of Yipin Hall, Lingxiao Palace, and Lengyue Palace soared dramatically! Almost every player who left the city was robbed and killed, returning to the Wu Temple in Baokang County. Though the three factions were seething with rage, they couldn’t take any direct action in retaliation. After all, even if their plan had succeeded, they had prepared for the furious revenge of the local gangs, but they never expected such unexpected turns of events that led to their complete defeat. After meeting, the leaders of the three factions also didn’t expect the revenge from Yuhu Palace, Zhengdao Gang, and Xuehe Gate to come so quickly and violently, leaving them no time to prepare for withdrawal. … An hour later, the troops of the three factions quietly appeared at the northern city gate. Under the cover of top experts like Lu Mingyue, Xie Lang, and the Monk with Thick Eyebrows, over two thousand soldiers broke through the blockade set by the other factions, mounted their horses, and rode away at full speed. Upon hearing this news, the members of the three gangs did not send troops in pursuit; instead, they watched them go until they were a hundred miles away before returning. People like Hu Yanluan knew that the three factions had no choice but to break through this time—if they didn’t want to be trapped and die in Baokang, escaping was their only option! Although their departure meant they could no longer collect their debts or continue their revenge, it still signified the complete defeat of the three factions, who now withdrew entirely from the competition for the resources of Baokang and Shenlongjia. … In a small town a hundred miles away from Baokang, the members of Yipin Hall, Lingxiao Palace, and Lengyue Palace finally slowed down to rest. “Lord Lu, you’re the only one among us who’s fought against Kai Xin head-on. What do you think his strength is now?” The speaker was the leader of Lingxiao Palace, the only one who hadn’t faced Kai Xin directly. At this moment, he wasn’t joking like before; his expression was serious and grave—this failed mission forced him to reevaluate his own strength and the gap in power between Lingxiao Palace and the other factions. Lu Mingyue sat alone at a table. Hearing this, she snorted lightly: “If I hadn’t spent so much internal energy earlier, how would I have been caught off guard by Kai Xin? But it’s undeniable that he also possesses unparalleled martial skills. Defeating him will be very difficult!”

“A peerless martial art?!” Everyone present was shocked, thinking, “Whose legacy has he inherited?” The Monk with Thick brows and Evil Wolf were momentarily stunned, showing signs of interest.
“That’s unclear.”
Lu Mingyue closed her eyes with an arrogant expression, seemingly unwilling to delve deeper into the matter.
“My palace’s protector, Shangguan Lian, once mentioned something that might be related to this extraordinary martial art…”
The young man from Lingxiao Palace seemed to remember something.
As soon as he spoke, everyone around turned to listen, including Lu Mingyue, who also showed an attentive expression.
“Oh?”
“It’s just a speculation, but the possibility is high.”
The young man said, “Do you remember the battle at Shaolin on Songshan? At that time, Kai Xin was also on Songshan…”
“We certainly remember that,” said Evil Wolf and the Monk with Thick brows, their faces showing anger.
Back then, Yipin Tang suffered its first defeat on Songshan, humiliated by Kai Xin, and never found a chance to avenge themselves.
The man shook his head. “I’m not talking about the incident at Punishment Peak. Before climbing there, Kai Xin stayed in a ruined temple for a long time. Do you still remember that the temple had a master, and a very powerful Buddhist monk resided there…”
Everyone’s eyes lit up as they understood. “You mean!”
“That’s right. The cultivation level of that Buddhist monk was definitely above Jie Tuo. With just one roar from him, hundreds of people died. Such strength was probably beyond even the Nine-Tailed Fox. Our protector, Shangguan Lian, thought it was very strange that the monk disappeared. After some thought, he realized that with such a powerful expert around, it must have been some extremely secret mission…”
“You’re saying Kai Xin obtained the legacy of some monk in that ruined temple?”
“That’s right!”
The young man nodded seriously. “Shangguan Lian said that during their fight, Kai Xin forced him to retreat without even using that move. In other words, even without a peerless martial art, Kai Xin’s own strength was terrifying.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
At that moment…
From among the townspeople watching from afar, a tall and robust man with a broken silver mask covering half of his face stepped forward steadily and said something that surprised everyone.
“Fight me… Lu Mingyue!”