Chapter 479 - 409: Slaughter

Chapter 479: Chapter 409: Slaughter

「Five days later, in the dead of night.」

Deep within Thunder Shock Marsh, all was deathly silent.

In the center of the marshlands, shrouded in thick fog and mist, the colossal Netherworld Ship had become a living hell.

The trading hall and cabins on every deck, once brightly lit and bustling with voices, were now filled with the deafening roar of battle.

The clang of steel, enraged roars, bloodcurdling screams, and the splintering of wooden planks mingled together, tearing the night’s tranquility to shreds.

The Celestial Sword Sect disciples advanced and retreated in an orderly fashion, forming Sword Arrays that pushed through the cabins and across the deck like a meat grinder.

With every flash of sword light, blossoms of blood bloomed.

In contrast, the Netherworld Ship’s side, though numerous, was composed entirely of Black Market merchants, desperadoes, and gold-diggers from all corners of the land, all there only for profit.

While some among them might have been skilled fighters individually, they were plunged into chaos the moment this sudden, large-scale assault began, as each fought for themselves.

Some, their eyes red with fury, grabbed their weapons and counterattacked with their lives on the line, only to be easily cut down by the practiced coordination of the Celestial Sword Sect disciples.

Others, seeing the situation was dire, grabbed their goods and rushed for the ship’s railings, attempting to jump into the great marsh and escape.

’Trying to run?’

Seeing people jump, several figures immediately leaped into the water. Sword light cut bloody trails beneath the surface, which churned with crimson and the occasional floating corpse.

On the fifth floor of the Netherworld Ship.

A figure wielding a Copper Hammer was tightly entangled by two fierce sword glints, hard-pressed and in constant peril.

This man was the Grandmaster stationed on the Netherworld Ship, a Divine Hall Grandmaster.

The ones besieging him were none other than the Celestial Sword Sect Elders, Jian You and Sword Fool.

"I have no past grievances or recent enmity with the Celestial Sword Sect. I was merely entrusted by another to stand guard here and make a living. Let me go, and we can mind our own business. Why must you press me so hard and hunt me to extinction?!"

The Divine Hall Grandmaster roared furiously, his every move a desperate, life-or-death tactic aimed at mutually assured destruction, trying to force the two back and find an opening to escape.

But Jian You and Sword Fool—one attacking, one defending; one swift, one steady—had sealed off every one of the Divine Hall Grandmaster’s escape routes.

If not for their intention to capture him alive for interrogation, they would not have held back the killing blow, and the Divine Hall Grandmaster would already be dead.

Several hundred feet from the Netherworld Ship, two inconspicuous small boats were moored quietly on the water, one to the left and one to the right.

There were no lights on the boats, only the faint silhouettes of two figures standing with their hands behind their backs. They were the Supreme Elders of the Celestial Sword Sect, Sword Five Jiang Buyu and Sword Seven Ye Guhong.

Four days ago, Jiang Buyu and Ye Guhong had arrived in Xin’an County to find the Netherworld Ship’s rendezvous point as planned.

However, the news their informant brought back made their hearts sink.

The Netherworld Ship’s Black Market was "Closed for the day. Please come back another time."

’Has the plan been leaked?’

’Or did the other party catch wind of something and decide to hide away?’

Uncertain and alarmed, the two had no better option than to suppress their impatience and wait.

They waited another day, but it was the same.

They could only send a message to Jian You and the others, who were conducting a high-profile search in Thunder Shock County, ordering them to feign giving up, lead their team back to Jiangkou County, and create the illusion of a withdrawal.

Unexpectedly, not long after the Celestial Sword Sect disciples withdrew, the informant sent word.

The Netherworld Ship Black Market had reopened!

The two were speechless for a moment.

’Did alerting the enemy actually have the opposite effect?’

Of course, they didn’t know that this was the result of a gamble between Li Sanli and the Black Market merchants.

Following Chen Li’s instructions, Li Sanli had demanded the Netherworld Ship suspend all trade, which drew strong dissatisfaction from the majority of the profit-driven merchants.

The Celestial Sword Sect’s activities in Thunder Shock County had filled them with fear, so they had initially agreed to the suspension.

But seeing the Celestial Sword Sect leave, they felt the crisis was over and immediately clamored to reopen the Black Market.

Li Sanli tried to delay for a few more days, citing that "the crisis is not yet over," but no one listened to him anymore.

Except for a few cautious individuals who chose to wait and see, about seventy percent of the Black Market merchants eagerly returned to the Netherworld Ship.

Of course, many of them were shrewd and didn’t bring their entire fortunes back onto the ship.

Li Sanli no longer tried to stop them. He simply followed Chen Li’s orders, secretly withdrawing the core members of the Tuo Long Bang and deliberately relaxing the inspection and control over the various rendezvous points.

As a result, Jiang Buyu and Ye Guhong easily blended into the crowd heading for the Netherworld Ship.

Meanwhile, the main force of the Celestial Sword Sect had long since gathered in the outer waters of Thunder Shock Marsh, awaiting orders.

Guided by the Primordial Spirits of the two Supreme Elders, a dozen or so fast boats locked onto the Netherworld Ship’s position.

There was no warning, no negotiation.

The all-out assault began right on schedule.

The Celestial Sword Sect had long harbored a deep resentment toward the Netherworld Ship’s Black Market for snatching business that originally belonged to Hidden Emperor Castle, causing a sharp decline in the Sect’s monthly income.

Stealing a person’s livelihood is like killing their parents.

Now, seeing the trade on the ship still booming, the killing intent of these Celestial Sword Disciples boiled over.

Barely more than a hundred disciples boarded the ship, while the Black Market merchants, clerks, and customers on the Netherworld Ship numbered a full eight hundred.

In terms of numbers and individual strength alone, the Black Market’s side was not weak.

However, how could a disorganized mob of eight hundred, each with their own agenda, only seeking to save their own skin or escape, possibly stand against the well-trained, perfectly coordinated elites of the Celestial Sword Sect who fought in formation?

With the three Elders—Jian You, Sword Fool, and Sword Fear—holding the line, the battle was a one-sided slaughter from the very beginning.

The slaughter lasted for nearly an hour.

The earth-shaking shouts of battle, the clash of weapons, and the wails for mercy only gradually began to fade.

Unlike past conflicts, this operation was personally overseen by two Supreme Elders, led by three Elders, and carried out by over a hundred elite disciples.

The Netherworld Ship was almost completely annihilated.

Aside from those killed on the spot, the remaining four hundred or so survivors were herded together into the large hall on the first floor that was originally used for trading.

With a flicker, Jiang Buyu and Ye Guhong appeared silently on the Netherworld Ship’s main deck.

Elder Jian You brought the Divine Hall Grandmaster and three Black Market merchants before the two Supreme Elders.

Ye Guhong’s icy gaze swept over the four of them. "Do you want to die, or do you want to live?"

Seeing the Netherworld Ship—their painstaking creation and foundation—destroyed, their men dead or wounded, and themselves reduced to prisoners, the three Black Market merchants were filled not only with regret for not listening to Li Sanli, but with a monstrous, towering hatred.

One of them spat a mouthful of bloody saliva and hissed, "Kill me or cut me up, do as you please! If I so much as flinch, I’m no man!"

"It’s not up to you."

Ye Guhong let out a cold laugh, the chilling light in his eyes intensifying.

His Power of Divine Sense instantly enveloped the three men.

He activated Sword Heart Clarity, probing their Heart Spirits.

Soon, Ye Guhong had the information he wanted.

There was another mastermind behind the Netherworld Ship’s Black Market: the Tuo Long Bang’s Gang Leader, Li Sanli.

The news about the Kao Mountain Cliff Little World had been deliberately spread by Li Sanli’s men to create a diversion.

Where was Li Sanli now? They didn’t know.

After their falling out a few days ago over the suspension of the Black Market, Li Sanli had left.

When this information was interrogated out of them, all the members of the Celestial Sword Sect looked surprised.

Jiang Buyu looked at Jian You, his eyes filled with a question.

Jian You quickly bowed and reported, "The Tuo Long Bang was a gang that once controlled several waterways in Lishui and Nanjiang. Their Gang Leader, Jiang Hengzhou, Vice Gang Leader, Shi Zhenshan, and Li Sanli were all Divine Hall Grandmasters."

"But several years ago, Jiang Hengzhou and Shi Zhenshan died under mysterious circumstances, and the Tuo Long Bang vanished along with them. This disciple never imagined that Li Sanli was the one backing this Netherworld Ship Black Market."

’Divine Hall?’

Ye Guhong’s brow furrowed.

’A mere Divine Hall Grandmaster could never have killed the Seven Kills Ancestor, nor would he have the guts to repeatedly provoke the Celestial Sword Sect.’

He immediately pressed them, "Is there someone else behind this, pulling the strings? How do we find Li Sanli?"

However, no matter how Ye Guhong questioned them, the three Black Market merchants now pleaded ignorance.

They only knew that Li Sanli might have gone to the Southwest of Thunder Shock Marsh, but they truly didn’t know the specific location.

Seeing that no more valuable information could be extracted, the coldness and killing intent in Ye Guhong’s eyes overflowed.

His gaze shifted to Hua Wuxin, his voice icy. "If you have nothing more to add, you will be buried with them in this marsh."

Hua Wuxin felt his scalp tingle as cold sweat soaked his back. He said hurriedly, "This junior... I remember now. I once overheard them mention a stronghold in Jiangkou County, a silk shop that used to be a teahouse. You just need to check in Jiangkou which silk shop was formerly a teahouse. If you follow that trail, you’ll surely find a clue."

"Jiangkou?"

Ye Guhong’s gaze grew even sharper. "Why didn’t you say so earlier?"

Hua Wuxin forced himself to say, "It was only when Senior questioned me just now that this junior suddenly recalled this detail... I was in such a panic before that I couldn’t remember."

Ye Guhong snorted coldly, no longer looking at him, and turned to Jiang Buyu.

Jiang Buyu’s brow furrowed slightly. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Sword Fool hurrying over from the cabins, his expression grave, looking as if he wanted to say something but was hesitating.

Jiang Buyu waved his hand, signaling for Jian You to take the Divine Hall Grandmaster and the three merchants away to be guarded. Only then did he turn to Sword Fool. "What is it?"

Sword Fool took a few steps closer and lowered his voice. "Supreme Elders, while leading the disciples to clear out the lower cargo hold just now, we discovered a massive amount of Opium. A preliminary estimate puts it at eighty thousand boxes, at least."

Eighty thousand boxes?!

At these words, even with Jiang Buyu and Ye Guhong’s composure, their expressions changed drastically.

Eighty thousand boxes of Opium, at the Black Market price of one hundred taels per box, amounted to a colossal sum of nearly eight million taels of silver.

Even for a first-rate Sect like the Celestial Sword Sect, this was a staggering fortune, a sum that would make one’s eyes burn with envy and was nearly impossible to resist.

Jiang Buyu and Ye Guhong’s eyes met.

After a few breaths of silence, they both gave an almost imperceptible nod.

The killing intent in Ye Guhong’s eyes flared. He sent a voice transmission, "This matter must not be spread. Seal the cargo hold immediately. Forbid anyone from approaching, and do not let anyone touch a single thing."

"This disciple understands!"

Sword Fool turned and left.

Just as he had descended the stairs and stepped into the passage leading to the cargo hold...

BOOM!

A vast, ferocious, and terrifying Sword Intent suddenly surged skyward.

The Sword Intent was so powerful it seemed capable of slashing through the night sky.

Sword Fool felt his Divine Soul tremble violently and his blood roil. He nearly lost his footing.

’It’s Ye Taishang!’

’He’s acting personally?! What’s happening?’

Greatly alarmed, Sword Fool spun around and rushed back to the deck.

As he burst through the cabin door, the sickeningly thick stench of blood assaulted him.

In the spacious trading hall on the first floor, the four hundred-plus people who had surrendered and been gathered there were now caught in an even more brutal massacre.

"Celestial Sword Sect, may you die a horrible death!"

"You promised you wouldn’t kill us if we surrendered! You’ve gone back on your word!"

"I’ll fight you to the death!"

The furious curses, roars, and condemnations had just begun when they were immediately drowned out by piercing screams.

Blood flowed freely across the floor, dripping through the cracks in the ship’s railings.

The great hall had already turned into a sea of blood.

The heavy stench of blood spread on the wind, lingering long in the air.