Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 1011

Chapter 1011: 1011

There’s an old saying that with enough money, even ghosts will grind your grain. With the financial backing of the World’s Number One Gambling House and the muscle of the Xuanjian Sect, they managed to recruit many martial artists who were being hunted by enemies, as well as some schools of Martial Arts driven to desperation.

These schools were already dissatisfied with the world of Martial Arts. Like the Xuanjian Sect, they were relentlessly pressured by the martial community, always on the verge of destruction. Since the Xuanjian Sect was proposing an alliance, they had no reason to refuse. Coupled with the money from the World’s Number One Gambling House, cooperation met with no objections.

Now there were five schools gathered under the Xuanjian Sect with more than three hundred members, and their strength continued to grow. For the time being, they were called the Xuanwu Alliance.

"Many hands make light work," suggested a member of the Xue Clan. Since they had gathered so many people, why not let them directly seek out the five custodians of the Eternal Life Clan? Or simply have the World’s Number One Gambling House offer a substantial reward for any information provided.

In response, Gu Fan questioned where the money would come from and why the World’s Number One Gambling House should spend money if there was no profit to be made?

According to Gu Fan’s plan, they would use the Xuanjian Sect and the World’s Number One Gambling House to bring down the schools of Martial Arts, absorb their members and wealth, and then with that wealth, command these individuals to find the five custodians of the Eternal Life Clan.

Making money from money was in keeping with the World’s Number One Gambling House’s merchant nature. Therefore, the first step was to take down their common enemy and swallow up their wealth.

Under Gu Fan’s proposal, the leader of the Xuanjian Sect led the Xuanwu Alliance to directly attack another school, on the pretext that the school was unrighteous, bullying the weak, and exhibiting a strong Devil Cult-like trend.

By defeating this school and consuming its wealth, they intimidated the Martial Arts world and attracted more like-minded individuals to join them.

The martial artists who had originally wanted to pressure the Xuanjian Sect were immediately petrified upon learning of this; no one had expected the Xuanjian Sect to act so swiftly and assemble so many followers.

After one school fell to the Xuanwu Alliance, a second and then a third quickly followed. The Xuanwu Alliance’s expansion was shockingly swift.

Gu Fan’s strategy was like an arrow already released from the bow; once the Xuanwu Alliance was on the move, it would inevitably become a threat to the various schools of the Martial Arts world. These schools were bound to unite against the Alliance, but such alliances would take time, so the Xuanwu Alliance had to grow strong enough before they could unite, to the point where they wouldn’t dare to declare war on the Xuanwu Alliance.

Naturally, with the rapid elimination of three schools, Xue Wang and others played a pivotal role. With their strength, handling a school was more than manageable.

In just one short month, the Xuanwu Alliance had already eradicated eight schools, devouring an innumerable amount of wealth. Besides contributing a large sum to the World’s Number One Gambling House, they also generously distributed the spoils among the members of the Xuanwu Alliance.

The schools of the Martial Arts world were now faced with three choices: join the Xuanwu Alliance and partake in the spoils, be consumed by the Xuanwu Alliance, or band together and rise in rebellion.

Under the influence of fear, greed, and indignation, some schools banded together, gradually forming a new martial alliance, while some, taking a risk, joined the Xuanwu Alliance. Thus, the entire Martial Arts world was split into two factions.

On the surface, the Xuanwu Alliance seemed formidable, but most of the forces that had joined were inconsequential schools and experts—essentially a rabble. In contrast, the martial alliance was comprised of prominent, well-established schools, and there was still a significant gap between the two sides.

But the leader of Xuanjian Sect, Gu Fan, Xue Wang, and Lord Xiong did not agree. In their eyes, it would be best if those major schools of Martial Arts stayed away because once they joined, there would be no reason to defeat them and devour their wealth.

With people like Xue Wang and Lord Xiong holding the fort, there was no worry of not winning; the key was how much wealth they could swallow after the victory. The more money they had, the more people they could command, and the easier it would be to find the five guardians of the Eternal Life Clan.

So far, everything had been proceeding according to Gu Fan’s plan; all that was missing was a decisive battle. In this battle, the Martial Arts Alliance would inevitably find themselves at a disadvantage, so someone would certainly be needed to turn the tide, and Jian Shen was the perfect candidate.

To find Lin Xi, they had to find Jian Shen. To find Jian Shen, they had to push the entire Martial Arts world to the brink of life and death. But Gu Fan was not such a person; he had his own plans.

That night, because of a series of complete victories, the Xuanwu Alliance sat down to drink and feast, celebrating extravagantly.

Gu Fan stood outside, gazing at the starry sky, his eyes filled with a sense of melancholy. He did not know if what he was doing was right or wrong, but a bloody storm was inevitable. He could only hope that after weathering this storm, the Central Plains Martial Arts could have a chance to recuperate and revitalize.

It was at this moment that Lord Xiong approached him and said, "What’s wrong, you look worried. Are you thinking about a difficult problem?"

To this, Gu Fan shook his head: "Most of the Martial Arts masters died in the decisive battle with the Devil Cult. The survivors either went into hiding, joined us, or are in our opposing camps. According to my calculations, with the abilities of Lord Xiong and Xue Wang, we are certain to win."

Lord Xiong nodded, "Last time, we chose the wrong allies. The Devil Cult, acting alone, incurred the wrath of both the righteous and evil factions, leading to their defeat. This time it’s different. We have already garnered the support of many sects; we are not fighting a solitary battle like the Devil Cult, we are in control."

"The odds are good, but I always have an uneasy feeling," Gu Fan said, appearing deeply troubled, when suddenly he heard the voice of Mo Yun, "My good disciple, why are you here instead of enjoying drinks with everyone else?"

Hearing this, Gu Fan turned around and smiled brightly, "I knew my master cared about me the most. Look at you, coming all this way and bringing such good wine for me."

"You’ve done well this time; this is your reward," Mo Yun said while handing a jug of wine to Gu Fan.

Gu Fan took a sip, smiling, and then his eyes showed traces of worry, "Lord Xiong, Master Mo Yun, we are all people from the Central Plains. Now, by helping the western Xue Clan disrupt the Martial Arts of the Central Plains, won’t we be reviled for all eternity?"

In response, Lord Xiong shook his head, "Gu Fan, don’t burden your heart. This is actually an internal struggle within our Central Plains Martial Arts. The Xue Clan is merely supporting one side. In return, we help the Xue Clan find the person they are looking for. The Central Plains Martial Arts is still ours."

"Yes, that’s right," Gu Fan said, appearing to have an epiphany and suddenly enlightened, but inside he secretly despised them; he didn’t believe Lord Xiong was unaware of the severity of their actions.

Once the Xue Clan obtained true immortality, they would become stronger. If they came back to the Central Plains with a large force, the consequences would be unimaginable.

This internal struggle within the Central Plains Martial Arts was not only an opportunity for Gu Fan to find Lin Xi but also a chance to seize the moment and eliminate Xue Wang and his allies. This was Gu Fan’s true purpose.