Blood Hand appeared, flicking his silver bangs. His slender eyes held a hint of killing intent and mockery. "Elder Ma sent you?"
The man's face was ashen. Knowing he was doomed, he said fiercely, "Blood Hand, you're an enemy of our Supreme Alliance. Do you know the consequences?"
Upon hearing this, Blood Hand chuckled. He pointed to the four fallen figures around them and sneered, "Don't you see the consequences?"
"If you oppose our Supreme Alliance, the Boundless Prison will be razed to the ground sooner or later."
Blood Hand acted as if he'd heard the greatest joke.
Ye Kunlun was the Supreme Master of the Supreme Alliance, holding absolute power. Yet, this middle-aged man before him dared to threaten him with the razing of the Boundless Prison.
If he hadn't already known Ye Kunlun's true identity, he might have given the Supreme Alliance some consideration.
But now, a mere Elder Ma from a branch alliance was nothing in his eyes.
*Slap, slap—*
Blood Hand raised his hand and patted the man's face twice. "Pity. You won't live to see the day Elder Ma kneels and begs for mercy."
"Elder Ma will avenge me…"
*Pfft.*
Blood Hand extended a finger, piercing directly into the middle-aged man's heart.
The man's voice abruptly cut off. His eyes widened, staring fixedly at Blood Hand.
"You're dying, and you still spout so much nonsense!"
Blood Hand withdrew his finger, glanced at the blood on his fingertip, and pursed his lips. The man then crashed to the ground.
Seeing that the middle-aged man was dead, Lei Ju said to Blood Hand, "Blood Hand, the first wave has been dealt with. Will there be a second wave?"
Blood Hand replied, "Not necessarily. You should return to the Thunderclap Sect, or the Tang family. I will assist you from the shadows."
Lei Ju nodded. After disposing of the bodies of the middle-aged man and the other four, he quickly departed.
Soon, the news reached Ma Guotao.
"How is that possible?!"
Ma Guotao was about to drink his tea when he heard the report from his subordinate. Enraged, he smashed the teacup in his hand to pieces.
"What exactly happened? How did Lei Ju's strength suddenly become so formidable? Zhao Cheng was only half a step away from the Spirit Opening realm!"
"Elder, when we arrived, Brother Zhao was already dead. His heart meridian was severed by a single finger!"
Following this, the corpse of the middle-aged man, Zhao Cheng, was carried in.
Ma Guotao stepped forward to examine it. Upon seeing the wound on his chest, he roared in anger, "Well done, Blood Hand Wuchang! You killed my Zhao Cheng, showing utter contempt for our Supreme Alliance!!"
"Elder, what do we do now? Should we still pursue Lei Ju?"
Ma Guotao paced back and forth. His capable subordinates were already limited, and Zhao Cheng had been helping him handle affairs for years.
With Zhao Cheng's death, an essential arm of his had been severed, making certain matters more troublesome.
"Wang Sheng." Ma Guotao looked at his subordinate who was waiting for his command.
"Your subordinate is here." Wang Sheng shuddered.
"You and Zhao Cheng were my right and left hands. Now that Zhao Cheng has fallen to Blood Hand, you are the only one left to handle things."
Ma Guotao stepped forward and patted his shoulder.
Wang Sheng was somewhat flattered. He lowered his head slightly and respectfully said, "It is my honor to serve Elder Ma. Please command me with anything. Although my strength is somewhat inferior to Brother Zhao, I am meticulous in my work."
"Mm."
Ma Guotao nodded, a look of satisfaction on his face.
After some thought, he replied, "This matter will be put aside for now. Prepare for the events two days from now. After two days, when I replace Nan Yutie and become the Branch Alliance Deacon, I will settle accounts with Blood Hand properly."
"You may leave and prepare."
Ma Guotao forced himself to calm down.
If Lei Ju could have been killed, it would have been ideal.
No one had expected Lei Ju and Blood Hand to join forces and kill Zhao Cheng. At this critical juncture, Ma Guotao did not want to stir up more trouble and could only suppress his anger for the time being.
—
On this day.
The seven great families of the capital, the sects surrounding the capital, and the experts residing in the capital all received invitation letters from Ma Guotao and Sun Xuan.
Many people in the capital knew that the two were determined to become the Branch Alliance Deacons, and most adopted a wait-and-see attitude.
The capital, Qiao family.
Two days had passed since Qiao Song was disciplined by Ye Kunlun on the antique street.
For these two days, Qiao Song had been recuperating at home, and more importantly, gathering information about Ye Kunlun.
He swore to avenge the humiliation Ye Kunlun had inflicted upon him.
Qiao Wangnian looked at the invitation letter in his hand. A 'Ma' seal was imprinted on the bottom right corner, indicating it was sent by Ma Guotao.
Although the Qiao family's status was not as noble as the seven great families of the capital, Qiao Wangnian was a leading tycoon in China, second only to the wealthiest man, Qian Dongchao.
As such, he was naturally a target for Ma Guotao's alliance, and the two had private dealings.
"Tell Elder Ma that I, Wangnian, will attend the banquet in two days."
Qiao Wangnian smiled at the messenger, "And please ask if Ye Kunlun of the Boundless Prison has also received an invitation."
The messenger nodded.
Qiao Wangnian smiled, "Thank you."
After the messenger left, Qiao Song walked in, "Father, I want Ye Kunlun to pay the price."
Qiao Song said through gritted teeth.
Qiao Wangnian put away the invitation letter, his expression darkening, "To eliminate Ye Kunlun, we must rely on people from the Supreme Alliance."
"Father, I believe Ye Kunlun is only at the level of a Innate Grandmaster. Our Qiao family has no shortage of Grandmasters; can't we deal with him?"
Qiao Song was somewhat displeased. As long as Ye Kunlun was not eliminated, he would feel unsettled.
"If he were just an Innate Grandmaster, that would be fine." Qiao Wangnian shook his head. "It is rumored that he is a cultivator of the Spirit Opening realm..."
"Cultivator?" Qiao Song frowned. "Father, aren't cultivators extremely rare? Even our Qiao family can only afford to hire Grandmasters. How can he be a cultivator at such a young age?"
Qiao Song clearly did not believe that Ye Kunlun, who was around his age, could be such a formidable figure.
"Whether he is a cultivator or not, we will find out when the time comes."
"Besides, who told you our Qiao family only has Grandmasters?"
Qiao Wangnian said indifferently, a more ferocious glint in his eyes. "Qian Dongchao also told me not to bother with Ye Kunlun. Heh... If Elder Ma is elected as the Branch Alliance Deacon, I will drive the Qian family out of the capital."
"Father."
Qiao Song cautiously said, "My engagement with Rourou..."
Qiao Wangnian looked at his beloved son and replied, "Don't worry. Your marriage will be arranged by someone. Even if Qian Dongchao wants to refuse, he won't be able to."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Song's eyes lit up. "Father, is that true?"
"Mm." Qiao Song replied, recalling Gu Changsheng whom he had met yesterday. "Don't worry, it will be soon."
If Gu Changsheng personally acted as a matchmaker for his son, and Qian Dongchao refused to give face, it would mean offending the Qin Tian Lou.
He surmised that Qian Dongchao would not do such a foolish thing.
By then, his plan to annex the Qian family would be one step closer.