Chapter 283 111: Brilliant Movement
Even Golden Seal Renowned Hunters and Jade Seal Divine Hunters treated Fang Rui with courtesy. He had become a special existence among the Divine Capture Bureau's Silver Seal Chief Constables—though he didn't hold the rank of a Gold or Jade Seal, he was even more imposing than most!
...
'I had already tried to overestimate him as much as possible, yet I never thought I would still underestimate his importance in the Master's eyes.'
Sun Shouchai was utterly terrified and completely abandoned the tentative little schemes he had planned.
'Forget it. Ge Changgeng's body is gone without a trace, so he couldn't have left any clues. As for something as crucial as the Yang Attribute Dragon Pearl Origin, it's highly unlikely he would have told his eight or nine-year-old disciple.'
'If I make too many moves, it might backfire and attract unwanted attention. For now, I'll just leave this matter as is!'
...
"Silver Seal Fang, that night Sun Shouchai approached me to team up... This man is definitely not as simple as he appears. He must be harboring some ulterior motive."
After learning that Fang Rui had practically cleaned out the Zhen Mansion, Zhang Henshui swallowed his pride and paid him a direct visit. He informed Fang Rui of Sun Shouchai's impure motives, all for the sake of currying favor and putting Fang Rui in his debt.
As for the possibility that Fang Rui was friends with Ge Changgeng and might hold a grudge against him?
He judged others by his own standards, assuming Fang Rui had taken in the Qing Yan Little Child merely because he coveted Ge Changgeng's legacy and treasures.
"Oh, is that so?"
Fang Rui played along, feigning interest before sending Zhang Henshui on his way.
...
「That night.」
'My Tribulation Points have skyrocketed again! And compared to the last few times, this increase is much larger!'
Fang Rui looked at his panel and murmured, "Does this mean the struggle between the Zheng Family and the Divine Capture Bureau—between Zheng Jinghan and Zhen Daoji—is finally about to be settled?"
...
「Three days later.」
「Zheng Family Estate.」
"Report! The Divine Capture Bureau has teamed up with the Prefectural Magistrate's Office in a sudden strike against our family's businesses! It was a top-down operation, so our spies had no time to send word!"
"Report! All the major families in the city are moving against us..."
"Report! Men from the Divine Capture Bureau and the Government Soldiers have joined forces to surround the estate! They're reading a list of our family's crimes, and the morale of our household guards is wavering..."
"Report! The Third and Fifth Branches have surrendered! They're acting as guides and have opened the outer Array! The men from the Divine Capture Bureau and the Government Soldiers are inside!"
...
"Excellent. Just excellent. What a move, Zhen Daoji. He either lies in wait, or he strikes with the force of a thunderbolt!"
Zheng Jinghan's hands trembled. He staggered back a few steps and looked to Zheng Shaoguang. "Father, what do we do now?"
"My son, do not panic!"
A muscle twitched at the corner of Zheng Shaoguang's eye, but he forced composure onto his aged face. "Now that it has come to this, there is only one last step. We must recall the Yin Corpse ahead of schedule..."
"Father, didn't you say we can't initiate contact with the Yin Corpse?"
"We can't initiate contact, but there is a method to forcefully recall the Yin Corpse ahead of schedule. It's tied to the later step of infusing it with our ancestor's memories, and it can only be done once... In short, after taking this step, it will cost us several times as much to make up for it. It's a huge hassle!"
"However, since we've been pushed this far, we have no choice. Han'er, come with me!"
...
「A moment later.」
In the secret underground base, an array disc flickered. A diamond-shaped crystal suspended within it began to vibrate violently, and then, with a sharp CRACK, it shattered.
"Father, what happened?"
Even though Zheng Jinghan didn't understand the details, he knew this meant their attempt to forcefully recall the Yin Corpse had failed.
"This... I... PFFT!"
Zheng Shaoguang spat out a large mouthful of blood, murmuring like a madman, "It's gone... Our family's Yin Corpse... it's gone!"
Hearing this, Zheng Jinghan felt the world spin. He clutched his chest, feeling an urge to vomit blood himself. "How can this be?! The heavens want to destroy my Zheng Family!"
"Kill!"
At this moment, Zheng Shaoguang's spirit was utterly crushed, his eyes bloodshot. "Han'er, take some men and go up there! Slaughter those traitors from the Third and Fifth Branches!"
"'Rather give it to outsiders than to the traitors in our own family?' Fine!"
Zheng Jinghan turned and strode away.
As Patriarch Zheng, such a core figure, surrender was impossible—nor would the other side accept it. He was now resolved to fight to the death.
Once Zheng Jinghan was gone, Zheng Shaoguang went to a certain spot, pressed a switch, and opened another secret passage. "'Rather give it to outsiders than to the traitors in our own family?' No... it's because the final resort, the one for mutual destruction, must be activated with the blood of our own kin!"
"Han'er, you go on ahead. Father will be down there to join you soon!"
...
"Kill them! Kill all these traitors!"
"You're from the Third and Fifth Branches of the Zheng Family, aren't you? Since you've surrendered, perhaps you should show some sincerity?"
...
On this day, the blood of the Zheng Family members stained the Zheng Mansion red. The blood soaked the ground, then began to seep bizarrely downward, deeper and deeper.
Underground, nourished by the blood of the Zheng Family, the seal placed on the Yin Attribute Dragon Pearl by a Zheng ancestor slowly broke, and the pearl became the core of an Ancient Corpse Refining Array.
Deeper still, within a blood pool, blood filled with the ultimate resentment mixed with the Yin Attribute Dragon Pearl Origin, turned a deathly gray, and began to gurgle and flow.
Zheng Shaoguang stood in the blood pool. In excruciating agony, he was refined to death, his life force extinguished. His corpse began to spin slowly as a deathly gray color rapidly spread across it.
Above, a massive, blood-red character for the word 'Corpse' slowly took shape.
...