The dead cold of the night had settled heavily over the grounds, and a relentless, icy wind knifed through the darkness. Three disciples, their senses dulled by a few too many cups of wine, stood near the top of a long, stone staircase.
Suddenly, their gaze snagged on a movement—a deep, indistinct shadow beginning to resolve itself at the base of the steps. They exchanged nervous glances, instinctively dismissing the sighting as a trick of the darkness and their own impaired judgment. A mirage, one of them likely thought, unwilling to believe their eyes.
But the shadow didn't dissipate; it resolved itself into a man dressed entirely in black. He began his ascent, moving up the stairs with a quiet, unnerving deliberation. Just as the initial figure was halfway up, his form growing clearer with every step, their eyes registered a far greater horror: a large, menacing group of people, all cloaked in identical black garments, silently poured onto the lower steps behind him, transforming the lone threat into an overwhelming, unstoppable tide. The easy laughter of a few minutes' prior was instantly swallowed by dread as they watched the black wave relentlessly climbing toward them.
Ma Jingguo sent three golden needles straight through the heads of the three remaining disciples. As the bodies fell to the ground, Ma Jingguo ordered, "Surround Mangsha. No one escapes from Mangsha!"
The members responded in unison, "Yes, Chief!"
Tong Keung gave his command, his voice sounding into the night. "Shoot anyone who tries to flee!"
The two hundred sect members quickly spread out and surrounded Mangsha Sect.
Ma Jingguo bent down and picked up the drumsticks lying on the ground. He turned and looked at his subordinates. "Do any of you know how to play the drum?"
A middle-aged man stepped forward. "Chief, I can play the drum."
Ma Jingguo handed him the drumsticks, a grim smile touching his lips. "Play something that tells our enemies we are here for them."
The middle-aged man nodded. He stood in front of the drum and began to beat it. The sound echoed throughout the night. Ma Jingguo kicked the door to Mangsha Sect open. As soon as the door was breached, the people of Sunset Sect swarmed into Mangsha's inner circle, attacking and killing the unprepared disciples.
Inside the lavish banquet hall, Yong Taihua asked nervously, "Chief Wu, why is the drum so loud?"
Wu Jianping, slightly drunk, slurred, "Maybe it's just a drill. We normally conduct drills."
The martial artists inside the hall stopped talking and listened intently to the drumbeats. Every beat made their hearts tremble, as if the rhythm was announcing that death was entering their chamber door.
While they stared at the door, a severely injured disciple rushed into the hall and collapsed on the front steps. The martial artists quickly put down their wine cups. Before they could react, another disciple stumbled in.
The second disciple cried out, "Chief, it's not good! The Sunset Sect are coming…" A sword pierced his chest, and he vomited a mouthful of blood.
The deceased disciple was pushed forward, rolling down the small steps into the banquet hall. Yao Huo and Yao Hu stood framed in the doorway.
"The Yao brothers!" someone muttered.
Yao Huo and Yao Hu stepped aside, and Ma Jingguo slowly approached the terrified martial artists.
"Ma Jingguo!"
Everyone in the banquet hall muttered his name. They knew he had just defeated Kuo Jinsong, and the martial artists inside began shivering in cold sweats.
Ma Jingguo surveyed the martial artists shivering in the banquet hall. He asked, his voice deceptively calm, "What's the occasion?" He looked around. "I hope this isn't some kind of celebration because everyone successfully destroyed one of our divisions?" He smiled bitterly. "Or do you all know that I will come for you, so you decided to eat your last supper before you travel down to meet Wang Yanlou?"
One martial artist, fueled by bravado, pointed at him. "Ma Jingguo, don't think that if you defeat Kuo Shifu, you will be invincible!"
Ma Jingguo's smiles vanished. "Since everyone has given me a good title in the martial arts world, then I will give you three choices." His tone dropped to a chilling whisper. "First, those who do not surrender to Sunset Sect will die tonight. Second, if you run out of here and escape death, then you are a free man. Third, you can end your life."
Ten younger martial artists immediately bolted from the banquet hall but were shot down instantly at the door by the surrounding Sunset Sect members.
Ma Jingguo's eyes, cold with rage, swept the room. "Who killed Wen Qianbei?" he demanded. He was truly furious. "Answer now, otherwise everyone will die where they are standing!"
Yong Taihua stepped forward, yelling defiantly. "I kill her!"
Ma Jingguo scoffed. "Yong Taihua, don't try to challenge my anger. With your low, pathetic skills, even if you practiced for a hundred years, you won't reach the same level as Wen Qianbei."
Yan Zhanjin stepped up next. "Said who?"
"Yan Zhanjin…" Ma Jingguo growled, recognizing his old friend.
Yan Zhanjin spat out the truth. "I poisoned her, and then Taihua stabbed her to death."
Ma Jingguo seemed bewildered by their willingness to die. "You two really want to kill yourselves. What are you hoping to gain from volunteering to die?"
Yan Zhanjin's answer was strategic. "If you kill Taihua and me, guess who will be coming after you? The entire martial arts world. It doesn't matter how good your skill is; when you face many masters at the same time, you will never win."
Ma Jingguo smirked. "Thank you for your reminder. I think I will just ask my Xiao Shushu to stand beside me and destroy each sect one by one." He pointed at Wu Jianping. "The first sect that will perish into ash is your sector." He smiled, utterly menacing. "Kill whoever refuses to surrender."
Yong Taihua shouted, grief and fury overwhelming him. "Ma Jingguo, return my Dandan's life back to me!" He drew his sword and rushed toward Ma Jingguo.
"Leader Si, capture Yan Zhanjin," Ma Jingguo commanded. He grabbed Yong Taihua's sword, delivered two quick strikes to his chest, and knocked the fiancé onto a table full of food. "Capture him."
Lee Ye flew over and quickly patted Yong Taihua on the chest to suppress his internal injury.
Meanwhile, Elder Tong looked at Fu Yuanjun. "Leave now."
"Tong Qianbei..."
Elder Tong blocked the Yao brothers. "You are our chief, and a sect needs its chief." Fu Yuanjun, seeing the chaos, slowly disappeared through the back door.
The struggle, fierce but brief, was over. Before long, the sheer, ruthless efficiency of Ma Jingguo's forces overwhelmed the defenders. The once-grand banquet hall now lay in ruins, its polished marble floor smeared with blood, overturned tables, and shattered crockery. The remaining martial artists, battered, wounded, and utterly defeated, were quickly rounded up.
Those still capable of movement but who defiantly refused to pledge allegiance to the Sunset Sect were violently forced to their knees. Their body thumping loudly against the stone as they were shoved into rows, heads bowed in a posture of utter humiliation. The air, heavy with the stench of sweat, iron, and failure, hung over the silent, kneeling assembly.
Ma Jingguo then made his entrance. He walked with slow, deliberate steps through the defeated ranks, his presence silencing the last few gasps of pain. He proceeded directly to the raised platform where Wu Jianping's magnificent, dragon-carved throne once stood as the symbol of authority. With a casual indifference that magnified his victory, Ma Jingguo sat down. He settled into the seat of power, the room's new master, and calmly faced the mass of broken, kneeling captives, his eyes sweeping over the hall to confirm his absolute dominance.
Tong Keung stepped forward and he reported, "Chief, we searched everywhere, but we didn't find Fu Yuanjun."
Elder Tong breathed a silent sigh of relief.
"Let him go, I want to know how far he can run," Ma Jingguo said, standing up. "When I walked through Mangsha, I noticed that Mangsha has a beautiful open space. Since you destroyed our division, we will take yours. An eye for an eye." He smiled bitterly. "Make cages and throw these dogs in."
Yong Taihua roared. "Demon Ma, kill if you want, don't treat us as animals!"
Ma Jingguo approached him. "To me, you are a group of dogs." He walked back and sat on the throne. "Leader Tong, bring your men and attack Sword Village. If the old man Yong refuses to surrender, then break one of his legs!"
Yong Taihua screamed, his voice strained and desperate as two Sunset Sect disciples dragged him away. "Demon Ma! If you touch my father, I will kill you!"
Ma Jingguo looked at Tong Keung. "Give him a good beating but make sure he doesn't die." He let out a weary sigh. "I made a promise to Dandan that I will not kill him."
Tong Keung nodded. "I understand, Chief."
Ma Jingguo leaned back on the captured throne, staring up at the ceiling. He sneered and spoke with a chilling smile, addressing his remaining subordinates. "Prepare yourselves. The next enemy on my list is Gu Household."