129: 129.
Add fuel to the fire 129: 129.
Add fuel to the fire “Ye Zhichao!
No matter how you want to play today, Buddha here will accompany you!”
The abbot of Xuanzang Temple roared and, at the same time, raised his hand.
Behind him, the monks immediately revealed their weapons.
You could see a group of bald heads reaching into their robes and pulling out Kar98 rifles, Thompson submachine guns, and other assorted firearms.
There was even a monk cradling a 37mm Trench Gun, a ferocious look on his face!
This sight was full of incongruity, and Lu Li was utterly speechless.
Being pointed at by so many guns and a cannon, Ye Zhichao remained unfazed and instead looked towards another direction, shouting,
“Zhang Dong, what do you think?”
Lu Li also looked over to see this man named Zhang Dong, a young man in his twenties but seated in a wheelchair.
Zhang Dong spoke indifferently, “Today, of course, I stand or fall with Master Kong Jian.”
After speaking, he patted his wheelchair.
Accompanied by the clicking sounds of bolting rifles, those behind him also presented an array of long guns and short cannons.
One word sparked a thousand waves, and in the next second, everyone on Baiyang Beach had drawn their weapons, pointing them at each other.
The scene looked explosive, but none of the parties actually intended to start fighting.
Jianghu was not about merely fighting and killing; Jianghu was about human relationships and worldly wisdom.
According to the rules, it was time to “negotiate” first.
Ye Zhichao made a fist salute and exclaimed,
“Since everyone here is giving face to me, Ye Zhichao, then I will offer courtesy before force.
Everyone knows about Ice Soul Powder, its effectiveness far surpasses opium, and not even Martial Artists at the Marrow Cleansing Realm can resist it.
Opium is bound to be phased out sooner or later; there is no use in us spilling blood into rivers here.”
Zhang Dong slowly stated, “So, Ye Huisou, are you suggesting we simply hand everything over?”
Ye Zhichao laughed loudly,
“Ha!
I am advising everyone to be wise and recognize the current situation!
The factories in the lease produce a thousand tons of Ice Soul Powder every month!
This is a staggering amount of wealth!
Instead of fighting to the death over a bit of opium, why not turn from darkness to light early on?
Moreover, if you oppose Chuyun, have you not considered the future consequences?
If there comes a day when the heavens change, there will be a reckoning!”
At these words, some were tempted, some were wary, and the crowd became restless.
Ye Zhichao squinted his eyes, glancing over the crowd, and thought to himself:
[The vast majority of forces are thinking of bargaining and have not sent their best fighters.
Only Xuanzang Temple and the Zhang Family are troublesome, but they are manageable.
It’s the perfect opportunity to kill one to warn the others.]
Thinking this, Ye Zhichao looked towards a certain spot on the river beach, his face showing confidence in victory.
What he didn’t know was that two people were already growing impatient.
~~~~~~~~~~~
At this moment, Xiao Cha bit Lu Li’s ear and said,
“Given how things look, they won’t be fighting anytime soon.
These people will haggle for a long time.”
Lu Li replied in annoyance, “What a drag, I’ll give them a hand.”
In his mind, he connected with two Puppets and issued the command: [Fire the rockets.]
At this moment, 1 kilometer to the east, there was a patch of withered grass.
Puppet Zero and Ah Da, carrying their weapons, were motionless in it.
Then, abruptly, they both raised their heads and, in synchrony, removed their rocket launchers from their backs, aiming at the spot their master wanted to strike and pressing the triggers.
Two rockets whooshed out, each hitting the crowd of Xuanzang Temple and the Zhang Family.
Almost simultaneously, two thunderous blasts erupted, and the people closest to the explosions were torn to shreds on the spot, a countless mix of dirt, rocks, and body parts taking to the sky.
Screams and cries of horror rose up, causing immediate chaos:
“What the hell is that!”
“It’s a bomb!
I saw it, a big one, definitely a bomb!”
“Ye Zhichao, that bastard, is launching a surprise attack with bombs!
Stop dilly-dallying, take out Yahang’s men first!”
No one knew who fired the first shot or if it was an accidental discharge, but it didn’t matter anymore as both sides had already started shooting at each other.
“Cease fire!”
“Stop!”
Ye Zhichao and a few of the smarter leaders hastily tried to stop the commotion, which initially worked, and everyone ceased firing.
But just seconds later, two rocket bombs were fired, sending people flying and filling the sky with sand and dust.
Chaos once again became inevitable in the arena…
And just then, a massive steel arm suddenly extended on the riverbank, and a mecha burst forth from the ground!
This was the military support provided to Ye Zhichao by the Chuyun faction.
He had dug a pit in advance for it to lie in ambush, intending to use it at a critical moment.
However, the mecha pilot, hearing the commotion outside, took the initiative to emerge from the ground.
At this point, things had become utterly incomprehensible.
Especially since the “MG34 machine guns” slung under the arms of the mecha had already spewed flames, shredding the opium farmers to pieces.
“Ye Zhichao, today the Buddha is going to devour you alive!”
Kongjian steadily walked toward Ye Zhichao.
Several stray bullets hit his forehead, sparking off and being deflected, leaving only quickly fading white marks on his skin.
Ye Zhichao also knew that anything he said now would be futile, so he clenched his fists tightly.
The next second, both men simultaneously stomped on the ground to propel themselves forward and crashed into each other with a fierce collision.
Upon impact, a dull, thunderous noise resounded as their fists met, setting off a visible shockwave that knocked nearby people off their feet.
Lu Li, witnessing this scene, clicked his tongue and said, “Immune to small-caliber bullets, a movement speed of 50 meters per second, he really is formidable!”
He and Xiao Cha used the chaos created by the explosion to leave the riverbank and headed toward the Puppet.
Lu Li’s gaze sharpened, and battle armor components levitated and fitted onto Xiao Cha within seconds.
Xiao Cha launched a drone, then gripping a heavy machine gun, muttered, “Let’s start.”
Lu Li nodded and commanded the Puppet: [Use the heavy machine gun.]
Two Puppets immediately stowed their rocket launchers and took up the heavy machine guns.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, Ye Zhichao and Kongjian exchanged blows, their movements tearing through the crowd like a whirlwind.
Anyone merely grazed by their attacks would instantly burst open.
It should be noted that there wasn’t a single ordinary person present—the least skilled among them was at the Refining Internal Organs level, yet they couldn’t withstand even the residual effects of the combat.
Both men also took numerous bullets, yet only rifle rounds could penetrate their flesh, leaving small, superficial holes easily expelled by the muscles.
Ten seconds into the fight, Kongjian braced for a punch and suddenly embraced Ye Zhichao.
Ye Zhichao inwardly sensed danger, noticing an ominous-looking monk behind him aiming a Trench Gun squarely at him.
This close-support cannon fired a one-pound shell with a loud boom.
Ye Zhichao concentrated all his inner breath in his arm, which blurred the air around it, its hardness now comparable to fine steel.
He used this arm to precisely block the bomb, only to be engulfed in the explosion.
When the fire and smoke cleared, Ye Zhichao’s left arm was slightly deformed, evidently suffering a minor fracture.
Kongjian was about to rejoice when he saw Ye Zhichao also seized hold of him.
The next second, the heavy machine guns slung beneath the mecha opened fire.
“Ah~~”
Amidst agonized screams, Kongjian’s back was torn apart like a honeycomb, with heavy machine gun bullets burying deep into his flesh and lodging in his bones.
After exchanging a round of blows, the two simultaneously kicked each other and separated.
One squeezed out a deformed bullet, while the other readjusted a broken limb and flexed it, still bursting with vigor.
The vitality of a Martial Artist at the Blood Exchange Realm couldn’t be assessed through conventional means.
But the very next second, their expressions drastically changed!
Terrifying whistles filled their ears, and their Martial Arts intuition desperately warned: Dodge quickly!