Wielding the Thunders Across Two Worlds

Gu Zhao took Zhang Hang and Song Qiuqiu back to the hotel to grab their luggage and IDs, then flew back to Cliff City.

Cliff City. The hotel lobby.

Xiao Ya and Jiang Shishi were already waiting for them.

When they saw Zhang Hang and Song Qiuqiu dragging their suitcases, stumbling in with Gu Zhao, their steps heavy one moment and light the next as if they were walking on clouds, the two women couldn’t help but snicker.

There was a simple reason: they had reacted the exact same way after Gu Zhao took them flying for the first time.

"You’re back. Was it a smooth trip?" Xiao Ya asked, stepping forward.

Jiang Shishi, on the other hand, grabbed Gu Zhao’s arm and asked, both nervous and excited, "How did you teach them a lesson?"

"The ringleaders have been dealt with," Gu Zhao said with a faint smile. "Someone else will take care of the rest."

With that, Gu Zhao told Zhang Hang and Song Qiuqiu to go check into a room and continue their vacation in Cliff City with them. He then asked Xiao Ya and Jiang Shishi to book a late-night meal on the beach.

"I’m going to make a call to a few friends from the Taoist Sect." Gu Zhao waved his hand and left the hotel.

...

In the small courtyard of the Taoist Research Institute, Taoist Ming Chong had already called the Taoist Office, telling them to clear out an area in Dian Province to receive criminals from both home and abroad.

Meanwhile, as Gu Zhao returned to the hotel to have dinner with the exhausted and still-shaken Zhang Hang and Song Qiuqiu, several more streaks of light took off from Cliff City, heading toward various countries in Southeast Asia.

...

Taoist Office. Emergency meeting.

"Why have the old Taoist Masters suddenly decided to crack down on online scams?"

"Isn’t that a good thing?"

"I know it’s a good thing, but these scam syndicates have been around for a long time. The old Taoist Masters never got involved before, did they?"

"They probably thought that after we took care of those major families in northern Shan Country, we would follow up and sweep away the rest of the problem. But then they waited and waited, and nothing happened."

Everyone was speechless.

"It’s not that complicated," Zheng Hongsheng said from the head of the table. "Online scams are an international crime. Before, they mostly recruited uneducated criminals from our own country. And while they caused significant financial losses, they didn’t lead to many deaths.

As everyone knows, the old Taoist Masters only concern themselves with saving lives. They don’t save those who willingly sink into depravity.

However, those insatiably greedy domestic criminals had limited abilities and couldn’t generate more profit. So, the four major families of northern Shan Country got greedy and started luring people from our country, setting a precedent for harming innocent civilians.

That was something we couldn’t tolerate. But cross-border law enforcement requires us to consider international perception, so we only acted to uproot them after they caused a major incident.

We also knew that stamping out online scams would be difficult. We thought that after taking them down, even if other scammers continued their operations, they wouldn’t dare to abduct innocent people from our country anymore.

Unexpectedly, while they did become a bit more low-key, they didn’t stop. Their methods just became more covert, and they became more careful when selecting their targets."

Chen Yao interjected, "Because the ordinary people they trick into going generate more profit than the ones who go willingly."

Another middle-aged man sneered and added, "It’s also because the scam syndicates have a habit of disposing of people once they’ve served their purpose. The number of idiots wanting to join them to make a quick buck has been dwindling."

The moderator, holding the latest report he had received, said, "If they hadn’t caused such a big stir, the Taoist Masters might not have even noticed them, and we wouldn’t have taken the initiative to ask the Taoist Masters for help."

Zheng Hongsheng said coldly, "This was our problem to solve in the first place. Failing to do so only proves our incompetence."

The others all nodded. "That’s true."

"But it was their bad luck to provoke the Taoist Research Institute. No, to be precise, they provoked Mr. Gu." The moderator couldn’t help but shake his head and let out a soft sigh.

"Huh?" The group was confused.

"We just received word that Mr. Gu’s friend, Zhang Hang, previously traveled abroad to Siam," the moderator explained. "They suddenly checked into a hotel in Cliff City, despite us having no record of him or his girlfriend entering the country.

A few days prior, Mr. Gu and his two girlfriends went on a trip to Cliff City and stayed at that very same hotel. According to the latest update, Mr. Gu is now preparing to have dinner with Zhang Hang and the others."

"Ah! That explains it!"

Everyone understood. Zhang Hang must have been targeted by a scam syndicate while vacationing in Siam.

The syndicate just never expected that Zhang Hang was backed by a living Immortal. Not only did they fail to capture him, but they also brought a great disaster upon themselves.

Just from hearing that Taoist Ming Chong had requested a site capable of holding hundreds of thousands of people, they knew this wasn’t going to be a small operation. The Taoists were planning to wipe out the entire industry.

"Hundreds of thousands of people... we’re going to be busy..."

"What are the requirements for the camps?"

"Running water, electricity, internet access, and hot meals?"

"Just enough for basic survival. As long as we don’t cause a humanitarian crisis, it’s fine," Chen Yao snorted. "You think they’re disaster victims? Aside from a few who were tricked, the rest are all criminals!"

Zheng Hongsheng nodded and looked at the moderator. "Report this recommendation to the higher-ups, then hurry and notify Dian Province to clear the space."

...

Not many people had come this time. After all, there were still Demons to hunt in the Otherworld.

So, besides Yunyang, only Jing Chun Taoist and Taoist Yuan He were present. The three of them headed separately to Shan Country, Cambodia, and Lü Zon.

Shan Country used to have the largest operations. Although Celestial Xia had taken down the major families in the northern region, there were still some compounds scattered in the south.

Cambodia’s conditions weren’t ideal before, but after the crackdown in Shan Country, many compounds relocated there, though they operated more discreetly.

Lü Zon was also a long-established base for the online scam industry. It was once rampant, and although some operations were dismantled, remnants still existed.

Yunyang, Jing Chun Taoist, and Taoist Yuan He—a perfect three-man, three-country assignment.

Let’s start with Yunyang. He chose Lü Zon, the southernmost target. After all, that country was the least friendly toward Celestial Xia, constantly stirring up trouble in the South Sea. The flamboyant Yunyang decisively chose them.

He made no attempt to hide his presence. In fact, he deliberately condensed the clouds, leaving a trail of white clouds stretching for dozens of miles behind him, visible to all ships sailing the South Sea.

"What is that?"

"Is radar getting a return?"

"It’s too fast! Is that one of Celestial Xia’s most advanced fighter jets?"

"It’s heading for Lü Zon!"

Yunyang shot across the South Sea, reaching the skies above Lü Zon’s capital in just over ten minutes. He took out his phone, glanced at it, and confirmed the general locations of several scam compounds.

The scam compounds covered large areas and consumed a lot of electricity, making them an open secret locally. It was impossible to hide them from the Celestial Xia System. The government back home had long ago cataloged every compound; it was just that the system was powerless to act since they were in a foreign country.

Now that the Daoists were willing to take action, the authorities naturally provided them with all the data.

Yunyang cross-referenced the data to pinpoint the general locations, then swept the area with his Divine Sense, and every detail became clear in his mind.