Chapter 130: Chaos in Ning City

Desai walked over with his hands clasped behind his back and said, "First, you shall address me as Lord Desai. Second, the staged death was naturally to deceive Wujue and his companions, while simultaneously blinding the wretched Tianzhu Clan. Do you not wish to carve out a world of your own in this apocalyptic era? The opportunity has finally arrived!"

"What kind of opportunity?" the ghost floating in mid-air asked silently.

Desai gazed in the direction where Wujue and the others had departed and said eerily, "Do you know their destination? They are heading to the First Emperor’s Mausoleum to unearth the greatest treasure of the Huaxia nation—a treasure the Tianzhu Clan has long coveted. We only need to follow them in secret, and once Wujue and his group succeed, we can seize it for ourselves and enjoy the fruits of their labor."

After hearing Desai’s proposal, Luo Si took the lead in questioning him: "Why should we listen to you? And how did you manage to save us?"

"By his hand, of course!" Desai snapped his fingers. A lifeless shadow drifted out from the darkness and introduced itself: "I am the Reaper."

***

Wujue and his party continued their journey, heading toward their next destination. According to the map, a bit further ahead lay the border between Jiangzhe Province and Anwan Province, where a major city named Ning City was located. However, with the arrival of the Tianzhu Clan, it was likely already in ruins; there was no telling what the situation was like there.

Wujue and his group had been driving the vehicle brought by Princess Anyi and Xiao Han for dozens of miles. Just as they caught sight of the outskirts of Ning City, the car suddenly broke down.

Xiao Han stepped out to inspect it and complained angrily, "Damn car! The engine has failed. I wonder how the previous owner maintained it?"

"Forget about that; let's not waste any more time. We’ll split up," Wujue decided immediately. He instructed Xiao Han and Xun'er to stay behind and check the vehicle, while he and Huron would head ahead to scout the situation. Princess Anyi wanted to follow, but seeing Wujue shake his head to signal that she should stay and look after things, she did not insist.

Wujue and Huron walked side by side, chatting as they went. During the earlier part of the trip, others had been present, making it inconvenient for Wujue to ask, but now he finally asked Huron what had become of the cinema after they left.

Huron shook his head and said, "It is still there. I think if I can return one day, I will settle down in that place."

Wujue had not expected Huron to have such a deep attachment to the cinema—perhaps he was simply weary of this life of slaughter. He nodded and said, "If all of this truly comes to an end, I would also like to rebuild the Dalin Temple, take on a few young disciples, and live a peaceful life."

As they were talking, they suddenly heard an argument ahead. They stopped speaking and hurried toward the sound, only to find two men locked in a dispute. One of them held a pistol, pointing it viciously at the other, and snarled, "That's enough! If you want to fight me for the woman, then go to hell! Let me tell you, whoever I set my eyes on, I don't care who she is—she's going to lie down and let me ride her!"

He then pulled the safety and pressed the muzzle against the forehead of the man sitting on the ground, preparing to execute him. Wujue noticed the other man was gaunt and tattered, his eyes filled with rage and a look of unyielding defiance; it seemed he had been suppressed and threatened by the other for a long time.

Without a second thought, Wujue flicked a pebble with his foot. It struck the gunman's wrist, knocking the pistol out of his hand. A shot rang out, grazing the scalp of the man on the ground as the bullet went astray. The man on the ground immediately began writhing in agony.

The gunman turned to glare at Wujue and Huron, snarling, "Who the hell are you to meddle in my business? Do you have a death wish?" He turned to retrieve his fallen pistol, but Huron floated over in an instant and hoisted the man into the air with one hand. "Don't be so arrogant. Have you ever considered that we might find it as easy to crush you as one would an ant?"

This was Huron’s customary method; back when he was the Martial Saint of the Shenwu Clan, he had dominated the universe using such tactics. Wujue, having grown accustomed to these methods of fighting fire with fire over the past few days, did not take it to heart. Instead, he helped the man on the ground up and checked his wound, finding it to be nothing more than a graze. He patted the man and said, "Get up. Tell me, what is going on here?"

The rescued man was stunned, but quickly gathered his wits. "Thank you both for saving my life. You arrived just in time. This man, he’s called Brother Leopard, he is the..."

"Shut your mouth! Are you even a man, you Xue fellow? As soon as you see outsiders, you want to crawl to them like a coward!" Brother Leopard shouted, interrupting the man named Xue, showing no sign of backing down despite being held in Huron’s grip.

Huron couldn't help but laugh. "You really are vicious. What, still trying to intimidate him? We heard everything you said. You intended to force yourself on his sister and then silence them both?"

"So what if I did? Don't you know that in this world, the weak are the prey of the strong?" Brother Leopard suddenly lashed out, grabbing Huron’s arm and attempting to lock his body with his legs. Unfortunately, Huron threw him aside without mercy, sending him crashing into a nearby tree.

"This man is utterly wicked and full of evil. Don't show him any mercy! If he stays alive, he will only harm more people!" The man named Xue, seeing Brother Leopard break free, grabbed the pistol from the ground, intending to shoot him.

Wujue did not want people killing others in his presence. He stepped forward, grabbed Xue, took the gun, and pushed him aside.

Meanwhile, Brother Leopard charged again, pulling a small knife from his pant leg and throwing it at Wujue. Wujue sensed the blade's trajectory, caught it in mid-air, and, disgusted by his cruelty, hurled it back. With a soft thud, the blade pierced Brother Leopard’s throat. Blood gushed out, and he collapsed to the ground, whimpering as he died.

"Sigh! He brought this upon himself," Huron said after checking the man's breath and confirming he was dead. He turned to Wujue and asked, "He's dead. What now?"

Wujue put the gun away and asked the man named Xue, "Tell me, what exactly is going on with Brother Leopard? And what is the situation like around here?"

Seeing that Brother Leopard was dead, the man named Xue caught his breath and said, "Brother Leopard was the boss of this area; he seized control here after the crisis broke out. Since you are outsiders, I’ll tell you: a month ago, the crisis suddenly erupted. There were zombies everywhere, and all of Ning City fell into chaos. There are very few survivors left."

As the man continued to speak, Wujue and Huron gained a better understanding of the situation in Ning City. Much like everywhere else, after the crisis, everyone looked out for themselves. With resources scarce, people banded together for survival, and those who were fierce, ruthless, or had some martial arts background gradually became the leaders among the survivors.