Chapter 365: An Unexpected Ambush

"Splash!"

Zhou You broke through the water's surface and slid to the bank. Looking back at the lake, the surface was covered in dead fish, river clams, shrimp, and crabs of all sizes.

For the next ten years, the water in this land would be undrinkable and the grass unable to grow; it was a dead zone.

Looking at the map on his interface again, the remaining three targets were all gathered at Yingchao.

Next would be a head-on clash; there was no opportunity to pick them off one by one, so he had to face the combined strength of the Three Birds.

This point was fine, however.

Zhou You looked at the other large red dots on the map, distributed in inconspicuous corners throughout the city.

These red dots were larger and brighter than the Five Birds, at least at the level of an Intermediate Martial Master, and there was even one suspected to be a Senior Martial Master.

In other words, the true strength of the rebel army was by no means as simple as it appeared on the surface.

Those stirring up trouble on the surface were all Primary Martial Masters, such as the Five Birds and Pei Li, but more powerful characters were hidden in corners unseen by outsiders.

Without a doubt, these people were clearly divided and belonged to different factions, but they all shared one master... Kunpengzi.

These powerful characters were holding their positions, most likely because Zhou You was using the Tripod Text as bait.

The opportunity was rare. Zhou You took a deep breath, cast his gaze toward Yingchao, and thought, "Three Birds, prepare to die!"...

"Wugu is dead. Judging by the filth collected at the scene, the one who did it uses Poison Martial Arts."

"Hmm, the only well-known Poison Martial Artist near Gongliang City is Du Yan Lu Zhigang. It was him."

Bailao Laos toyed with a blackened bone—the remains of Xiao Gu—when suddenly, with a flick of his fingernail, he pierced straight through the bone.

Looking through the hole in the bone, even the marrow had dried up, which showed how violent the poison was.

"Xiao Gu's personal belongings were swept clean, including our sworn-brother iron plaque. By my count, he already has two in his hands."

Ying Laoda sneered incessantly, "This little Poison Snake has ambition. First he killed Jin Heshan, then Wugu. He's treating us brothers like beans to be eaten."

A dwarf to the side shrieked, "His goal is to collect all the iron plaques and steal the secret to breaking through to the Strong Martial Realm."

The Three Birds nodded thoughtfully; this was the most likely possibility. No amount of hatred or wealth was as tempting as the hope of breaking through to the Strong Martial Realm! "Since he rushed here to die, let's not be polite. The hawks, falcons, and shrikes are all birds of prey that feed on poisonous snakes."

"Lu Zhigang is just a tiny poisonous snake, naturally countered by your and my fist techniques. If he dares to come, he is throwing himself into the net."

Suddenly, on the stone steps below Yingchao, a lackey rushed up to report.

"Eldest Master, Second Master, Fourth Master, it's bad! Third Master has been killed."

Ying Laoda's thick eyebrows twitched twice, and he beckoned downward, "Come up and explain in detail."

The lackey was overjoyed, lifted his hem, and climbed the steps. Although he was cautious, his speed was quite fast.

Halfway up, he heard Ying Laoda speak, "I never believe in coincidences. Wugu was just killed. I sent someone to invite Third Brother, and immediately after, someone comes to report it. It's too fast, and too coincidental."

"There is only one possibility: Lu Zhigang intercepted the messenger, disguised himself, and returned to seize the chance to assassinate us."

He nodded meaningfully at his two sworn brothers and suddenly reached out. From his arms to his elbows and wrists, his bones collided like iron, his muscles knotted like an old tree, and terrifying patterns bulged out.

Unparalleled force gathered in his hands, making a crisp, popping sound like frying beans, and instantly formed a condescending claw shape.

Jiupanyingwangzhua! Across dozens of steps and nearly a hundred meters, he struck through the air. His iron finger guards emitted a faint fluorescence and released a suction force that grew from weak to strong.

The reporting lackey desperately explained, "Eldest Master, I am innocent!"

The next moment, like a magnet, he was pulled off the ground, crossed the long distance, and slammed into Ying Laoda's claw.

Five bloody iron finger guards pierced through the flesh and blood, standing like five pillars in mid-air, dripping blood incessantly.

Killing with such ease, it took only one round! "Let me see what is hidden under the human-skin mask!"

Bailao Laos lifted the mangled head, pinched the skin and flesh, and pulled upward. With too much force, he tore the face off, revealing a pitch-black skeletal eye socket that looked at him with a helpless expression. There was no human-skin mask; the dead do not lie. He really was innocent.

They had killed the wrong person! Sun Laoer and Bailao Laos looked at Ying Laoda!

The estimate was wrong. The lackey was a real lackey, not Lu Zhigang in disguise. Could it be that Third Brother really was dead?

Bailao Laos turned to go check, but was shouted down by Ying Laoda, "Stand still! Do you want to go die?"

"Wugu was only killed because she wasn't with us and was left alone. I fear Third Brother is in grave danger now, too. We brothers cannot scatter again."

Ying Laoda threw the corpse aside and looked at the suspicious and uncertain expressions on his two sworn brothers' faces, feeling it was a thorny situation.

Du Yan Lu Zhigang was far more terrifying than imagined. He had actually used psychological warfare, striking first to disrupt their rhythm.

"Listen well: Third Brother is skilled in Stealth, and Wugu is skilled in hiding, yet both were ambushed by Lu Zhigang. This person must be proficient in concealment and Stealth movement techniques."

"He is especially famous for his Poison Palm, so we must be on guard."

Ying Laoda felt a pang of heartache as he took several pearl-like pills from his bosom and distributed one to each person.

"Hundred-Clearance Pills. Each one is worth two hundred thousand taels of silver. Holding one under the tongue can grant immunity to Martial Master-level Palm Poison for one hour."

After one hour, the Hundred-Clearance Pill would melt and disappear, and the medicinal power would no longer work.

The price of two hundred thousand taels of silver was too expensive; no wonder Ying Laoda felt heartache!

Ying Laoda grumbled to himself that those people from the Medicine King Sect killed without drawing blood, and their pill business made money faster than robbery.

Suddenly, a cry came from below the steps again, "Eldest Master, it's bad! Third Master has been killed."

Again?

Ying Laoda and the other Three Birds looked at each other. Was this one real or fake? The reporting lackey climbed the steps quickly, appearing somewhat out of breath, and waved his arms from afar to signal that the situation was urgent.

For a moment, the Three Birds' gazes all converged on him, trying to discern if there was anything unusual. They failed to notice that the shadow the lackey dragged behind him was a bit darker than usual.

"Ah, this?"

Just as the lackey reached the halfway point, he discovered half a mangled corpse hanging on the rock beside him—it was the one who had come to report just before him.

Fear rose in his heart, and he stopped. Ying Laoda and his group were not kind people; killing for fun was a daily routine. He must not run into their blades.

"Come up and speak!"

The lackey bit the bullet and climbed onto Yingchao, his limbs stiff. Why was everyone staring at him? It made his hair stand on end.

Ying Laoda secretly guarded himself and asked, "Did you see Third Brother's corpse with your own eyes?"

"No, we all just heard it from others."

"Who did you hear that from?"

The lackey opened his mouth, seemingly trying to recall the person's appearance, when a cold glint suddenly emerged from his pitch-black oral cavity.

His head instantly exploded like a ripe watermelon.

Bone fragments, brain matter, and blood clots were sprayed everywhere, splashing indiscriminately onto the three avian-kin present.

Ying Laoda's hair stood on end; after the cold glint blew apart the lackey's head, it shot straight toward the space between his eyebrows.

He broke into a cold sweat and shouted, "Lu Zhigang, it really is you."

Hidden in the lackey's shadow, taking advantage of his lack of preparation, a sword was thrust in from the back of the head, pierced out through the mouth, and aimed straight for Ying Laoda's vitals.

Who was the person who made the move?

Zhou You, who had taken the form of "Lu Zhigang."

(End of chapter)