Liu Zhe swiftly flew towards the slaughterhouse in the southwest with Ye Bufan. As they approached, Ye Bufan was hit by a strong, unpleasant smell of blood.
Though mixed with the scent of cattle blood, Ye Bufan had some familiarity with such odors due to his past encounters with the Blood Snake.
"Wait for me outside. I'll go take a look," Ye Bufan instructed. He then ventured into the slaughterhouse alone. His powerful spiritual sense instantly enveloped the outer perimeter. The hidden sentries were neutralized silently and effortlessly, leaving no trace of disturbance.
Inside the slaughterhouse, the workers had been confined to a room by the people from Sakura Island. Only the owner of the slaughterhouse was engaging with them.
"Mr. Tu, I believe we've made our intentions clear. Whether you wish to cooperate with us or not, you must. So, please go and have a good talk with your employees. Assure them to continue working at the slaughterhouse and not to reveal our affairs."
In one of the offices, a cultivator from Sakura Island sat in the boss's chair, facing a middle-aged man in a suit. The man's forehead was beaded with cold sweat, which he wiped away intermittently, swallowing nervously.
"What? Still not going?" the cultivator asked, looking displeased as the middle-aged man remained frozen in place.
"I am me, but my factory workers are the factory workers. They don't listen to me," the boss stammered.
"Really? If your workers don't listen to you, their boss, what use are they?" the cultivator scoffed. "Then let me help you establish your authority in front of them and see if they dare not obey you."
With that, the Sakura Island cultivator dragged the boss out. A group of slaughterhouse workers sat on the floor in a corner, while in a large open space nearby, the Blood Snake coiled, quietly observing them.
The slaughterhouse workers trembled, their hands and feet shaking, as they looked at the newcomer from afar.
"Your boss has something to say to you," the cultivator said in a low voice, amplified by his spiritual power to exert pressure on the workers.
"E... everyone, listen to their instructions. Resume production. No matter what happens, just pretend you know nothing," the boss stuttered after a long pause, finally managing to utter these words.
"Boss, they are from Sakura Island. You must have heard about recent events. They are here to cause harm. We cannot agree to this!" an elder, who looked to be in his sixties but was perhaps fifty, exclaimed.
The slaughterhouse owner glanced at the elder, frantically signaling him to stop speaking. However, the elder, oblivious to the boss's expression, glared at the Sakura Island individuals.
"You people from Sakura Island, our Nine Provinces have defeated you before, and we fear you even less now. We will not obey your orders. You dream if you think you can hide here! As long as I can get out alive, I will expose your whereabouts to everyone, so that all will strike against you." the elder declared indignantly.
The elder stood up, and those behind him overcame their fear and also rose.
"So many people have died in our Cloud City recently. I dare say it's related to these people," a young man behind the elder also stood up.
"Baka!" The Sakura Island cultivator was furious. With a dark gaze fixed on the elder, he instantly appeared amidst them and grabbed the elder.
"I'll ask you one more time: will you work or not?" the Sakura Island cultivator threatened.
"No!" the elder declared resolutely.
The Sakura Island cultivator was enraged. Following their usual pattern, the workers from previous factories would have complied. But unexpectedly, they had encountered someone so stubborn.
"Baka!"
With that, the Sakura Island cultivator's hand lunged towards the elder's neck, easily lifting him into the air.
"I'll ask again, will you work or not?" the cultivator demanded.
"I would rather die than help you. If you have the guts, kill us all. This factory will not open for you. Wanting us to cover for you? That's two words: dream on!" the elder gasped, speaking to the Sakura Island cultivator. At this moment, the elder was prepared to die.
However, the elder soon felt himself being lifted by something, and the pressure eased considerably.
Immediately, the Sakura Island cultivator's expression turned extremely ferocious. Not far away, the Blood Snake let out a roar and instantly became frenzied. The Sakura Island cultivator's hand slowly opened, and he suddenly floated into the air, crashing heavily against the wall behind him, instantly losing consciousness.
"Baka! Who is it?" another cultivator immediately appeared, a long saber in hand, warily scanning their surroundings.
"The one who's come to kill you!" Ye Bufan silently appeared behind him. As the cultivator turned, a flash of sword light swept through, and this Sakura Island cultivator also fell.
"Awooo—"
Seeing Ye Bufan, the Blood Snake roared angrily. However, sensing Ye Bufan's aura, it turned to flee.
"Trying to escape? Too late," Ye Bufan smiled slightly and blocked the Blood Snake's path.
"Die!" The Broken Sword was unsheathed and flew towards the Blood Snake. The Blood Snake's scales rapidly detached, forming a solid shield to block Ye Bufan's attack. The Broken Sword was no longer what it used to be; after fusing with the meteorite iron, it had become incredibly sharp.
"Ling Ji!" Ye Bufan called out the Broken Sword's name. The sword became immensely excited. With a slash on the Blood Snake's scale shield, a crack instantly appeared. The Ling Ji Sword flew back to Ye Bufan and then rapidly flew towards the shield, emitting an astonishing whistling sound before striking the shield. The Blood Snake was struck by the Ling Ji.
As the battle raged, a dark figure suddenly appeared and launched several flying daggers at Ye Bufan, followed by a cloud of black smoke. Ye Bufan expanded his spiritual sense and discovered that the black smoke had a certain ability to isolate spiritual energy, making it impossible to probe within it.
"Not good!" Ye Bufan pushed his palm outwards with a reverse suction force, blowing away the black smoke. In front of him, the Blood Snake had vanished.
"Ye Bufan, thank you for your Blood Snake."
The voice of the Living Yama echoed through the space. Ye Bufan probed again, but the Living Yama had long since disappeared.
"Hmph!" Ye Bufan snorted coldly, and a flash of sword light followed, sending the Sakura Island cultivators in the slaughterhouse to the ground.