Chapter 14: Murderous Intent Arises, Gu Fan’s Plan

At the same time—

In the backyard of the City Lord’s Residence.

Shi Xuan stood alone by the edge of a pond.

Before him, the purple lotus swayed gently.

After a brief moment, Shi Xuan nodded and spoke in a low voice.

“I understand. I’ll take care of it immediately.”

He bowed respectfully to the purple lotus, then turned expressionlessly and entered the main hall of the residence.

“Someone come! Notify all the heads of the city’s families to gather here at once!”

“Yes, City Lord!”

After the servant left, Shi Xuan let out a long sigh.

Then he muttered to himself in a low voice:

“Why meddle in unnecessary affairs? Clearly, it’d be fine to turn a blind eye… but fine, might as well clean up thoroughly.”

Not long after, all the family heads gathered at the City Lord’s Residence.

“City Lord, has something happened?”

Shi Xuan didn’t explain right away. Instead, he turned his gaze to Han Qian.

“Family Head Han, I express my deepest condolences for the accident that befell your wife.”

Han Qian trembled all over.

He no longer restrained himself and glared at Shi Xuan with eyes full of hatred.

“But you shouldn’t have tried to sabotage our plans. What can a disciple of the Heavenly Evil Sect like Gu Fan possibly do? Even if he killed Ye Yuan in one move yesterday, so what? Do you really think he alone can overturn Luoyang City?”

The moment those words were spoken, everyone turned to look at Han Qian, their eyes filled with hostility.

Shi Xuan’s plan concerned the cultivation path of everyone present!

They could not allow anyone to shatter their dreams of immortality!

“Hahaha, Shi Xuan! Cut the act! If you’ve got the guts, kill me now. Ever since you used schemes that caused my wife’s death, I no longer intend to be part of your so-called immortality plan!”

“Han Qian, you’re too foolish. Just a woman—could she be more important than eternal life?”

Han Qian roared, veins bulging on his forehead, his face twisted in rage.

“What do you know?! Why should my wife be the one to sacrifice?! While you all enjoy the benefits—why?!”

Shi Xuan clearly no longer wished to waste words. He struck out directly to suppress Han Qian.

“Let me tell you why. Because your wife had a Water Yin Constitution! She was naturally suited for the Evil Lotus to take root in—that is fate!”

Han Qian was only at the fourth layer of Qi Gathering Realm.

How could he possibly be a match for Shi Xuan? In an instant, he was suppressed and forced to his knees, completely immobilized!

Then Shi Xuan waved his hand.

A massive purple rhizome extended from the backyard and pierced viciously toward Han Qian.

“Ahhh!”

Screams rang out incessantly.

“Shi Xuan! You’ll fail for sure! You’ll die a miserable death!”

Shi Xuan sneered coldly. What was there to fear from a dying man?

Before long, Han Qian’s voice grew increasingly weak.

Soon, all his spiritual energy was drained away. His body withered rapidly until he turned into a shriveled corpse!

The purple rhizome pulled back reluctantly and slowly withdrew into the backyard.

No one at the scene showed the slightest reaction.

After Han Qian’s death, the Head of the Lin Family urgently asked:

“City Lord, what is the situation now?”

Shi Xuan glanced at everyone and conveyed the Evil Lotus’s thoughts in a solemn voice.

“The Evil Lotus has told me—Gu Fan has already started investigating this matter within the city. The drastic decline in Luoyang City’s population can no longer be hidden.”

“Unfortunately, Gu Fan doesn’t know that all the commoners in the city are already under the Evil Lotus’s control. The moment he made a move, the Evil Lotus became aware.”

At that moment, the Head of the Xiao Family voiced some concern:

“Will he contact the Heavenly Evil Sect? The Evil Lotus still needs half a year to mature…”

Shi Xuan chuckled.

“Devouring mortals naturally takes time, but Gu Fan is no weakling. His flesh and blood are especially vigorous. As long as the Evil Lotus devours him, it can mature in just a few days!”

The moment Shi Xuan said this, everyone rejoiced.

In that case, even if Gu Fan contacted the Heavenly Evil Sect, it would be too late to stop them!

The dream of immortality was within reach!

“However, we must lure Gu Fan into the backyard. If he’s too far away and tries to flee, we may not be able to keep him. A disciple of a major sect might have some hidden trump card for desperate situations.”

At that moment, the Head of the Fang Family offered a suggestion.

“That’s simple. Tomorrow night, we’ll host a grand banquet in the residence and invite him to the backyard to admire the flowers.”

“That’s a workable plan. For now, let’s not alert him. Send someone to the Han Residence with a message—say that Han Qian came to discuss something with us and is staying the night.”

“Understood!”

…

While everyone was busy scheming and strategizing how to deal with Gu Fan—

Gu Fan had already left the tavern and returned to the Han Residence.

He suspected that Han Qian had concealed something!

And that something must be related to the unknown threat in the City Lord’s Residence.

It might even explain the altered awareness of the citizens of Luoyang City!

Familiar with the layout, he waited a while in the study. When Han Qian didn’t appear, he began quietly searching the estate.

Suddenly, a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy emerged from an inconspicuous room.

Gu Fan moved instantly, locating the source of the fluctuation and reaching out—he found a peculiar stone in his hand.

“A Sound Recording Stone?! Han Qian actually had something this valuable?”

He infused it with spiritual energy, and its contents formed a divine thought that entered Gu Fan’s mind.

Moments later, Gu Fan’s eyes flickered.

He hadn’t expected such a world-shaking opportunity to be hidden in this small Luoyang City!

That’s right!

Within the Sound Recording Stone was Han Qian’s final backup—everything he knew had been inscribed into it.

Upon his death, it would emit a spiritual energy fluctuation.

“Well played, Han Qian. You actually left behind a trump card… Annihilation Evil Lotus—there truly exists such a rare treasure in this world!”

Gu Fan sneered.

Han Qian had anticipated that Gu Fan might return, so before heading to the City Lord’s Residence, he left this final measure.

Now, Gu Fan had learned Shi Xuan’s entire plan through the Sound Recording Stone.

No—

It was the entire conspiracy of all the family heads and the City Lord Shi Xuan in Luoyang City!

They were pursuing an alternative path to immortality—

At the cost of the lives of everyone in the city!

Gu Fan’s mind turned rapidly.

Within just a few minutes, he had already formulated a plan.

With his current strength, facing the terrifying Annihilation Evil Lotus and a group of cultivators at the fifth or sixth layer of Qi Gathering Realm would be unwise.

Even though the Evil Lotus was still in its immature form, it was still a monstrous thing tied to world-ending calamities!

So the most important thing now was to return to the Apocalypse World and increase his strength.

Once he advanced to the Sea Transformation Realm, he would have much more confidence!

With that thought, he quickly returned to his residence, preparing to enter the Zombie World.

But just then, someone called for him from outside the courtyard!

When he opened the door, standing there was the Head of the Xiao Family.

“Greetings, Honored Master! I came to invite you to a banquet at the City Lord’s Residence tomorrow night, held in your honor.”

“Oh? Didn’t we already have one before?”

The Xiao Family Head beamed with a smile.

“Last time, that fool from the Ye Family ruined your mood. This time, the City Lord has specially arranged a banquet to express his apology. He also wishes to show you a treasured item for appraisal.”

As he spoke, he winked at Gu Fan, clearly hinting there were benefits involved.

Gu Fan sneered inwardly.

Treasure appraisal?

More like they wanted his life!

But it didn’t matter—tomorrow night’s banquet would still be right on time.

By then, he would have reached the Sea Transformation Realm!

At that point, inviting the “god” in would be easy—but sending him off?

That would be a nightmare!

“Alright, tell City Lord Shi I’ll be there on time.”

“Great! Then I won’t disturb your cultivation. I’ll take my leave!”

As the Xiao Family Head turned to leave, he chuckled coldly to himself.

In his heart, he thought—

Gu Fan, oh Gu Fan!

They hadn’t planned on killing you!

But you just had to start poking around.

Now, don’t blame Luoyang City’s big shots!

What’s more, your death could accelerate the Evil Lotus’s growth—you’re practically a feast delivered to their doorstep!

Just thinking of it—

The Xiao Family Head trembled with uncontrollable excitement!

Immortality… the dream countless people yearned for!

…

At that moment, Gu Fan’s divine sense followed the departing Xiao Family Head, the corners of his lips curling slightly.

Annihilation Evil Lotus…

Indeed a world-defying fortune!

In that case, Gu Fan would truly have to thank all of them for their generosity!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep