Chapter 307: Chapter 307. A Contingency

Yan Fan might have successfully destroyed the barrier, but it was not without a price. Amon’s rings of water were still heading at him when he redirected the Flame Lance at the barrier. He did his best to avoid getting hit when the rings came, but the hand holding his sword was less flexible. This was because it was the arm that was redirecting the flame lance.

A ring of water sliced through that arm and cut it clean off. Yan Fan gritted his teeth and endured the pain. He had no time to deal with it right now. He turned and bolted toward the stairs once the barrier was gone.

“Don’t think you can flee…!” Amon exclaimed. He lunged forward as his two hands turned black. Amon aimed his poison claws at Yan Fan’s back.

Yan Fan sensed the incoming attack but didn’t stop climbing the stairs. Instead, he kicked using one leg without looking. His kicks accurately struck Amon’s two hands. Amon could feel from the impact that Yan Fan was weaker than their earlier clashes, but the kicks were still enough to stop Amon’s advance.

Yan Fan used the counterforce of the impact to further his climb.

Amon had exhausted almost all his flying knives when he performed the never-ending throws earlier, but he still had other long-range weapons. He threw the swan dagger using his right hand and the needles using his left. He grabbed his Xian Cloth, ready to change his swan dagger trajectory once Yan Fan tried kicking the dagger.

However, Yan Fan did something unexpected. He stomped the stairs, causing them to explode. His body shot up to the ceiling, and he slammed his palm up there. The entire ceiling collapsed. It was like a cave-in. The debris knocked Amon’s swan dagger and needles. Yan Fan not only neutralized the attack coming at him but also created a roadblock to prevent his enemy from chasing him.

Yan Fan jumped to the upper floor. He was panting heavily. Forcing himself to exert that much energy, while his body was assailed by two poisons, was an extreme chore. He could feel his strength diminished quickly. The stump in his arm was spurting blood. He couldn’t stop the bleeding using the meridian points technique, as it would undo the one halting the Cold Stiff Poison.

He ran toward the door. If he could get out in the open where there were witnesses, Amon wouldn’t dare to kill him. Plus, he could expose Amon’s demonic lineage once he met another person. He regretted having already used the message talisman. It was a one-time-use item. He wished he had another one to send the message about Amon being a demon.

“Ahack…!” He spit blood.

His body started to feel numb and cold. He was losing a lot of blood. The Fragile Bone Muscle Poison weakened his body a lot. He estimated he only had probably two to three more minutes before his body refused to move, but that should be enough time to reach a populated area. Once he arrived there, he could lay down and focus on halting the poison. The authorities would soon come and help him once someone reported his situation.

This thought kept him going. He extended his still-intact hand at the door. Beyond this door was his salvation.

Under the weakened condition and clouded by the turmoil in his mind, his Mystic Stage’s sense failed to register a presence. This presence dropped from the ceiling far above and dove right at him.

When he finally registered the presence, it was too late. Something long and sharp shot out from this presence when it was still halfway. This something pierced his back and impaled him into the ground.

Yan Fan looked at the thing protruding from his chest. It was a wooden lance. He turned his head, attempting to learn who the perpetrator was. Before he could have a look, he felt something cold stabbed into the side of his neck.

“Hack…,” he spat another mouthful of blood. He could feel warm blood leaking through the wound in his neck.

He didn’t have the strength to move his head further. He breathed his last before learning the identity of his killer.

Amon finally cleared the rubble and exited the basement. He approached Gao Lan. She was standing next to Yan Fan, who was lying still on the floor in a pool of blood.

“Luckily, I have you as a contingency,” Amon uttered.

“We are square now. You helped me kill Gao Pan. I helped you kill this constable,” Gao Lan said.

“Yes. We are square now,” Amon agreed. He bent down and picked up Yan Fan’s corpse. “We need to move fast. He sent a message before he died. His colleagues might be here soon. Clean the blood as best as you can before the whole place burns.”

Gao Lan looked back and saw flames were already burning some parts of the warehouse. Amon caused the ignition after he escaped the basement. He had prepared accelerants in several spots in the warehouse. He planned for the fire to burn all the evidence. He was originally going to leave Yan Fan’s body inside this burning building, but his plan changed because of the message talisman.

Gao Lan did as Amon instructed. Amon himself left with Yan Fan’s body stored inside his black space ring. He went to nearby woods, dug a hole, placed Yan Fan’s body inside, and used the Flesh Melting Poison to destroy the body. After Yan Fan’s body was nothing but bones, he covered the hole back with dirt. Yan Fan had now vanished from this world.

Finishing his task, he rendezvoused with Gao Lan, who was watching the burning warehouse from afar. The authorities arrived, either because of Yan Fan’s message or simply because they spotted the fire. These authorities tried to douse the fire without much success.

“What are you going to do now?” Amon asked Gao Lan.

“… I don’t know,” Gao Lan answered.

“You know, I can use an experienced person to run the underworld,” Amon told her. “My identity as the Demon Gang leader has already been made public thanks to your ex-boss. I can no longer interfere directly with the underworld business unless I’m willing to let go of my status as a Royal Academy student. I’m not, but I am also not willing to throw away the Demon Gang. If you are willing to run the demon gang for me, it will help me greatly.”

“Do you trust me?” Gao Lan asked.

“I think that ship has sailed, considering what we have done these last two nights,” Amon answered.

“Don’t you have two Mystic Stage followers? Wouldn’t they have a problem getting commands from someone with lower cultivation?”

“I have lower cultivation than them, yet they abide by my commands. Their leadership skills are lacking. I prefer you if you are willing to work for me. I will talk to them about this, but yes, you will need to put in the effort if you want their respect. This is true no matter where you choose to work. Do me a favor and think about this offer.”

“… The Yan Clan knows I killed their lapdog, Gao Pan. I will make the Demon Gang their target if I lead that organization.”

Amon chuckled. “The Yan Clan has already considered the Demon Gang their enemy long ago. It was even more so after they found out I was the leader of that organization. The message Yan Fan sent was probably to them, so I am basically in their major crosshairs even without you entering the picture.”

Gao Lan was quiet afterward. Amon didn’t say anything further. They just stood there, watching the fire burning the warehouse in the distance. Half the warehouse collapsed. The authorities were trying their best to save the other half. Some were using water element arts to conjure water to extinguish the flames. It was not easy, though. The accelerants Amon used were high-quality ones. The flames wouldn’t die out from weak water arts.

“I accept your offer,” Gao Lan finally spoke.

“Excellent. Follow me to our hideout. I will introduce you to the others, and you can start right away,” Amon said.

*

In front of the burning warehouse, Wei Linkun stood and waited. The fire was finally put out, but everything was already in ruin. He saw some soldiers bring out two human-sized bags. His heart sank. He went over and asked, “Is Yan Fan in one of those bags?”

“No, these two are his subordinates. We only found two corpses. Sir Yan Fan is not inside.”

Hope reignited in Wei Linkun’s heart. Perhaps his friend managed to flee.

“His body is probably moved,” a man in imposing clothes spoke. He appeared old, yet he had no wrinkles. His skin was very smooth. He was tall and had long, straight hair. He was Yan Wang, the clan head of the Yan Clan.

“He might still be alive,” Wei Linkun insisted.

“It is good to have hope, but you also need to look at the reality,” Yan Wang said. “If he is alive, we would have found him. We sent people to search the vicinity but found no trace of him.”

“Ugh! That Lin Mo. It must be him!” Wei Linkun was holding a piece of talisman. It was the one Yan Fan gave him. On it was written, “Lin Mo is the serial killer using the black blood poison.”

Wei Linkun knew Yan Fan had come to this warehouse. He was with Yan Wang when he received the message. They immediately rushed here, but it was too late.

“We will get him,” Yan Wang assured.

“If you want to get him, I suggest you wait a few more days,” said a person next to them.

“What is your suggestion, brother Gao Zhong?” Yan Wang asked. Gao Zhong was the Gao Clan’s intermediary. He was the one Yan Wang negotiated with to have the Highwaymen come and work for them in this city.

“You said before that Lin Mo is protected by the Royal Academy, did you not?” Gao Zhong asked. “One important person will visit this city in a few more days. With his presence, I believe the Royal Academy won’t be able to protect Lin Mo even if they want to.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep