Chapter 224: Chapter 222: Ruthless Maniac (Part 1) City Lord’s Mansion. At this moment, it was desolate, with only a few scattered birds walking and stopping in the courtyard. "Damn it, a bunch of arrogant bastards who look down on others!" Resentful and jealous voices echoed from the City Lord’s study. A man in his forties, with a rugged face, dressed in a red robe, was filled with anger and jealousy. "The City Lord has just fallen, and they didn’t even come to see, instead, they went to flatter that bumbling youth!" "The Extreme Fist Sect may seem glorious now, but it’s like cooking oil with a blazing fire, their end is near!" The red-robed middle-aged man was none other than General Gao. He had previously been at odds with the Extreme Fist Sect, confronting them more than once. His current outburst partly sought justice for the City Lord, and partly stemmed from his own fear for the future, a feeling he alone understood. "Sir, why bother with the Extreme Fist Sect, soon they will rely on you!" said a green-robed official beside General Gao, softly. "Oh?" General Gao was taken aback upon hearing this. "Think about it, the City Lord and Marshal Yue are dead, Instructor Han has retreated heavily injured, and Captain Wang’s rank is insufficient. Based on past practices, the next City Lord of Tai City would naturally be you," the green-robed official smiled, "As for officials sent from the Central Plains, you need not worry. They always consider us here in Wangjiang as a remote place beyond civilization, not to mention the unprecedented scale of this beast tide, and so many people died, no one would want to come." After the green-robed man finished speaking, General Gao’s anger turned to joy. "Good, good, you have insight, Ah Peng. If I truly become the City Lord, you’ll be my leading general!" "In advance, I thank High City Lord for your promotion." "Hahaha!" General Gao laughed heartily, then his expression turned grim, "Once I become City Lord, I’ll make those fair-weather flatterers who don’t respect the courtships pay!" He also added in his mind: "And let those from the Extreme Fist Sect know the meaning of rules!" As for how to deal with the Extreme Fist Sect and whether there was a way to handle Lou Yi, the reigning top master in Wangjiang, he didn’t want to think about it further. As General Gao indulged in his ambitions. Outside Tai City gates, a young woman on a fiery red horse galloped towards at high speed. She wore a fire-red Taoist robe, a black round crown atop her head, with only a tuft of hair visible through the crown’s top opening. Her skin was snow-white, facial features delicate, but her face cold as ice and her eyes filled with indifference, overshadowing her beauty. The woman Daoist rode to the city gates without any intention of dismounting, maintaining her speed as if to charge right into the city. The unfortunate pedestrians in her path were mercilessly knocked aside, their fates unknown. "Who goes there?" "Presumptuous!" "How dare you, get down!" The bowmen guarding the city were furious, some wielding knives charged forward while others drew their bows, aiming at the woman Daoist. "Hm?" A glint of murderous intent flashed in the woman Daoist’s gaze. Suddenly, a red talisman paper appeared between her jade-like fingers, which she tossed into the sky. The talisman ignited without wind. Then transformed into twenty to thirty visible red and yellow fire sparks, raining down upon the bowmen preparing to attack her. "Ah!!" "Help!" "It’s burning, I’m burning alive!" The air filled with screams of agony. The bowmen struck by the fire sparks, regardless of whether they wore iron armor, were swiftly consumed by flames and turned into hard char within a dozen breaths. Besides the bowmen, many pedestrians hit by the fire sparks also met the same tragic fate. In an instant, the city gate became a scene of death, with dozens dead amidst cries of anguish, resembling a hell on earth. "She is an Immortal Master, an Immortal Master!" a bowman, lucky to survive, shouted in terror. "A bunch of insects." The red-robed woman Daoist’s eyes were full of disdain, not sparing a glance at the carnage as she continued riding into the city. ’Da da da!’ With reckless abandon, she rode forth, knocking over however many unwitting individuals like toys swept aside. Her target, though, was clear, aiming directly for the City Lord’s Mansion in the heart of Tai City. At the gates of the City Lord’s Mansion, two guarding soldiers, both at the Three Blood Minor Circulation cultivation level. Upon seeing a woman charging on horseback at an unyielding speed, they sternly bellowed: "Halt!" ’Puff!’ "Ah!!" ’Da da da!’ With the fall of two corpses, the horse smoothly charged into the City Lord’s Mansion. "Who goes there?" "An enemy is upon us!!" "Ah!!!" The loud cries of anguish startled General Gao, who was in the City Lord’s study, reviewing documents. "Could it be that Lou Yi has come to kill?" He had previously schemed against Lou Yi several times, feeling guilty. When the incident arose, his thoughts naturally turned to Lou Yi. "No, he wouldn’t come so openly." General Gao quickly dismissed this notion, believing Lou Yi would not be so foolish. He wanted to escape quietly. But the City Lord’s study contained no secret passageways to the outside. "When I become City Lord, I must establish a secret passage." General Gao thought angrily. Listening to the sound of hoofbeats approaching the courtyard, knowing escape was beyond hope, he unwillingly stepped outside. Before him was a horseback woman, clad in a fire-red Taoist robe, adorned with a black round crown, her face cold like ice that’s impossible to melt through the ages. Noting her attire like that of the recently deceased Immortal Master, General Gao suddenly realized, instantly understanding the sequence of events. He hastily bowed low, his head almost touching the ground, reverently saying: "General of Tai City, Gao Bobi, pays respects to Immortal Master!" "Where is the City Lord?" the woman Daoist coldly asked. "The City Lord has passed away." "How did he die?" a trace of surprise flashed in the woman Daoist’s eyes. "In saving the Immortal Master, he was harmed by another member of the Demon Path," General Gao lamented, "and Commander Yue also perished. On that day, people of the City Lord’s Mansion fought desperately to protect the Immortal Master, suffering great losses!" "Oh, why are you not dead?" Upon hearing this, General Gao involuntarily felt his scalp go numb, kneeling on the ground, tremblingly explaining: "I intended to fight the Demon Path as well, but he came fast and left quickly, there was simply no time." "Tell me what happened," the woman Daoist commanded coldly, without even dismounting, giving orders loftily. Still kneeling, General Gao’s knees hurt, feeling oppressed. Yet, this female Immortal Master was too ruthless, making his heart tremble. For the sake of his life, General Gao had no choice but to narrate the entire event from the day the Immortal Master attended the banquet to the moment they were harmed. He dared not fabricate facts out of thin air, but embellishments and redirecting hatred were unavoidable. For instance, he exaggerated the matter of the Su Family and the Huang Family’s discipleship under Demon Path. Furthermore, he occasionally emphasized that the Extreme Fist Sect, as the largest faction in the city, neglected their duty to protect the City Lord. ...