Read I Transmigrated As A Prison Guard And Suppressed The Princess Chapter 31 - Waiting for the Wrong Person online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 31: Waiting for the Wrong Person

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Wen Fuxian was also beginning to feel uncertain too. "This painting is very important to us. We can't lose our quarry no matter what happens."

The Lord Amethyst Sword understood the reason behind his concern.

A painting that could allow one to attain enlightenment of the Immense Righteous Energy was simply too valuable.

At home in Jingwen Square,

Xiao Ran took out the Sky Demon Skeleton.

Whoosh!

The moment the Sky Demon Skeleton appeared, it released a terrifying demonic aura that converged into a beam of green light that shot out.

"Come back." Xiao Ran made a grab in the air.

A powerful suction force erupted from his palm and pulled it back.

Thousands of beams of golden light shot out and sealed the demonic energy that it emitted.

"Why is it flying towards the northwest? Could it be that something is attracting it there?" Xiao Ran was puzzled.

When he was in the Celestial Dungeon, he didn't get this sensation.

However, now the message he was getting from the Skeleton was that it simply couldn't wait to rush to that destination.

It was still struggling vehemently against the golden light confining it.

"It's not a convenient time to go there now. Let me settle the Sky Devil Sect Master first before going there to check what's going on."

He sealed it again and put it back into the Seven Treasures Rainbow Jade Belt.

The next day,

Xiao Ran left the house at noon and arrived at the Petite Six Inn.

It was an ordinary inn with only two staff, an innkeeper and a waiter.

When he scanned them using the Spiritual Clarity Eye, they were revealed to be ordinary people without any spiritual energy fluctuations inside their bodies.

He asked for a private room on the second floor.

He used the Spirit Shifting Soul Control technique to gain control of the waiter. After some questioning, he verified that he was just an ordinary worker. He retracted his spiritual skill and asked him to call the shopkeeper over.

"Sir, are you looking for me?" The shopkeeper smiled and pushed the door open.

Just like before, he used the Spirit Shifting Soul Control technique again to overcome him.

The Sky Devil Sect was very scheming. They put someone without evolution skills in charge of this secret lookout.

He learned from him that the sect master would arrive at the capital city around daybreak.

After getting the answers he wanted, Xiao Ran withdrew his spiritual skill and gestured for him to leave with a wave of his hand.

After finishing the meal,

he happened to run into two constables patrolling the streets. He activated his spiritual soul energy to transmit to them the information that the Petite Six Inn was a secret lookout of the Sky Devil Sect.

When the two constables turned around to check for the source of information, they only saw people bustling back and forth on the streets. They looked like ordinary folks.

Constable A: "Did you hear that?"

Constable B: "You heard it too?"

They looked at each other.

Constable A: "Do you believe it?"

"I'd rather believe it than not. You stay here and keep watch on that place while I go back and call for backup."

Constable A agreed with his proposal.

After exiting the city, Xiao Ran stopped by the river.

He looked up at the sky. There was still some time before dawn. He made a fishing rod and flicked the fishing line into the river without a fish hook.

At the crack of dawn,

in the valley,

the Lord Amethyst Sword couldn't take it anymore and complained, "It's been two whole days and that Wu guy still hasn't returned. He must have taken the treasure and fled."

Wen Fuxian stroked his beard thoughtfully. It did not feel good to be bitten by mosquitoes either, but he didn't want to give up. "Let's bear with it for one more night. If he still does not return by daybreak, then we'll call it off."

"All right," the Lord Amethyst Sword nodded.

The night sky trembled as demonic energy rolled in from afar.

A demonic figure arrived at the hut in a flash.

"They're here." The Lord Amethyst Sword's eyes lit up.

"No! Isn't the one surnamed Wu a Daoist priest? When did he become a member of the demonic sects?"

"I don't care if he is or not. Let's take him down first."

"Sure! After making us wait for so long, we can take it out on him." Wen Fuxian nodded in agreement.

The Lord Amethyst Sword immediately gave the order to attack.

The twenty Divine Sword Guards that were lying in ambush in the surroundings dashed out from the shadows and attacked the demonic shadow.

The Sky Devil Sect Master was stunned. This was already the third time.

When he thought of this, his face became as dark as black ink. A giant wave of murderous intent surged into the sky.

"There must be a traitor in the sect who leaked my whereabouts."

His anger erupted as he vented all his anger on the Divine Sword Guards that were charging at him.

"Die!"

The demonic palm punched out, sweeping out several hundred feet, wiping out all the charging guards in one stroke.

He turned his icy cold eyes at Wen Fuxian and the Lord Amethyst Sword. "It's you bunch of despicable rats again!"

"Sky Devil Sect Master?" The Lord Amethyst Sword's pupils constricted in astonishment.

He pulled Wen Fuxian back and retreated.

"Don't get me wrong. We're not after you."

Wen Fuxian could sense the severity of the situation. The two of them combined were no match for the other party.

"It's a pleasure to have a friend from afar. Fighting and killing is not civilized at all. Why don't we sit down and have a cup of tea to discuss some poetry?"

"Go f*ck yourself!" The Sky Devil Sect Master cursed out loud.

He turned into a demonic shadow and charged towards the two of them.

"Sky Devil Soul Devouring Palm!"

A palm print more than a thousand feet wide echoed the motion of his arm and ruthlessly smashed towards them.

Wen Fuxian's expression changed drastically as he hurriedly shouted, "Hurry up and inject your spirit energy into my body."

The Lord Amethyst Sword did not dare to delay. Without holding back any power, he injected all his spirit energy into his body.

"Immense Righteous Energy!" Wen Fuxian executed his move first.

A shower of golden light scattered all around. The power of righteousness and saintliness formed a barrier that protected them.

Swish!

The protective shield was instantly broken. The impact from the violent force sent the two of them flying thousands of feet before they crashed onto the ground and fainted.

"Go to hell!" The Sky Devil Sect Master shouted.

He struck his palm out in empty space and unleashed a lethal force towards them.

"You are the Sky Devil Sect Master?" Xiao Ran's voice suddenly came from behind.

As soon as the voice finished speaking,

a figure zipped across thousands of feet and appeared before the two fallen men.

With a flick of his finger, he released a blast of Immense Righteous Energy like a river of sunlight that drowned out and neutralized the oncoming palm print.

"You're also from the Dragon Lake Institute?" The Sky Devil Sect Master suddenly felt fearful.

"No! I was fishing at the bank. You guys created too big a commotion here and it annoyed me. So, I decided to come here," Xiao Ran said.

"On your account, I'll let them off this time. Take them away!"

"You haven't answered my question."

The Sky Devil Sect Master held back his displeasure and answered, "That's right! I am the Sky Devil Sect Master."

"I was waiting for you." Xiao Ran's eyes lit up.

Using his purifying spiritual force to propel the Immense Righteous Energy, a beam of golden light shot into the sky. Everything within a thousand feet radius was bathed in a golden sea.

Under the demon's terrified gaze, he drew out the Beryl Lotus Brilliance Sword.

With the augmentation of the Sword Intent, the soaring sword energy churned and transformed into a Sword Domain. A huge swath of destructive force followed the Sword Energy in its wake, annihilating everything in its path.

"Wait!" The Sky Devil Sect Master frantically stopped him.

"Anything else?"

"I hate fighting and killing. Why don't we sit down and have a cup of tea to exchange our knowledge?"

"You are an intellectual?" Xiao Ran asked.

"Age is no barrier to learning. As long as one is determined and diligent, problems can be overcome."

"Allow my sword to greet you first," Xiao Ran said.

The Beryl Lotus Brilliance Sword slashed down, augmented by the Immense Righteous Energy.

The terrifying sword energy plunged down from the heavens, destroying everything it touched as it slashed towards him.

Even though he was also at Level 1 of the Profound Realm, before the might of this sword energy, the Sky Devil Sect Master couldn't activate the spirit energy within his own body. In fact he couldn't even move a finger.

Watching in despair as the wave of sword light got closer and closer, he roared in bitter resentment, "No…"

Report chapter

Chapter 32: The Crimson Cetan's Soul Remnant

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

After the sword energy swept past, it left behind a sword scar that was tens of thousands of feet long. The lingering sword energy devoured all the life force nearby, and the Sky Devil Sect Master was deader than dead.

The Golden Tome of Creation flipped open to a random page and revealed his crimes.

In order to break through to the Profound Realm, he had used five hundred pairs of virgin boys and girls as ingredients to refine the Breakthrough Pill. He only achieved breakthrough after consuming this Pill.

"Scum!" Xiao Ran cursed with indignation.

Golden light swirled out, displaying four items: One million Mastery Points, one hundred years of Martial Arts evolution, Dragon Bone Pill, Sacred Heart Essence Nourishing Jade Pendant (Numinous Treasure).

Sacred Heart Essence Nourishing Jade Pendant: nourish the body and soul, recovery 3.

He took out the jade pendant and attached it to his waist.

A spectacular force was emitted from the jade pendant. It seeped into Xiao Ran's body, nourishing his body and soul.

Exhaustion was dispelled, and his recovery was tripled.

He divided the one million Mastery Points into two parts. He apportioned one part to the Sanctifying Righteous Treasure Tome, and the remaining points were added to the Heavenly Slave Divine Finger.

After the Attributes were refreshed,

Heavenly Slave Divine Finger: Beginner's Level

Sanctifying Righteous Treasure Tome: Beginner's Level

Even the strength of the Immense Righteous Energy had multiplied by three times.

He took out the Dragon Bone Pill and consumed it to strengthen his physical body. After digesting the invigorating energy within, his physical body evolved further until it was equivalent to the level of Master Realm Level 10.

After absorbing the hundred years worth of Martial Arts evolution, he was only 35 years away from breaking through.

He put away the Beryl Lotus Brilliance Sword.

Looking at the unconscious Wen Fuxian and Lord Amethyst Sword, he flicked his finger and injected two streams of spirit energy into their bodies.

He then turned his gaze towards the northwest direction.

"I still have two more days of break. I can go over and take a look," Xiao Ran said.

He took out the Sky Demon Skeleton and removed its seal.

Whoosh!

Once free of the purifying spiritual force confining it, it took flight like a wild horse that broke free from captivity, shooting off into the horizon in a flash.

Xiao Ran gave a slight smile and followed it using his Traversing the Heavens in Twelve Steps skill.

From the capital city to the Mount Flaming Inferno, the journey involved passing through two provinces and one county.

After just half a day, Xiao Ran arrived at a certain place in the Mount Flaming Inferno.

He released the Sky Demon Skeleton from his hand and it transformed into a beam of green light that burrowed rapidly into the ground.

"…" Xiao Ran was dumbfounded.

He drew out the Beryl Lotus Brilliance Sword, sliced open a path in the ground and went after it.

Gradually, as he dug deeper and deeper, he found a hard diamond gemstone. This stone was extremely tough, and ordinary Master Realm warriors would not be able to destroy it.

However in this location, they were strewn everywhere.

He kept digging.

Fifteen minutes later,

he had dug through to a passageway. He retrieved the Sky Demon Skeleton and put it away, all the while surveying the massive burial chamber that loomed up before his eyes.

Demonic energy permeated the air so thickly that it felt like a physical mass.

If demons were to practice their skills here, their speed would increase by at least five times.

"Is this the tomb of the Sky Demon Skeleton? I wonder what had summoned it?" Xiao Ran thought to himself.

He mobilized his spiritual soul energy for a clearer look. The residual energy in the tomb labyrinth was unable to stop him.

He soon found the main chamber.

A Grand Master Realm Level 9 Cardinal Vulpes fox demon was attacking the remnant soul. The remnant soul had a protective barrier left behind by the Sky Demon. However, under the fox demon's unyielding attacks, its demonic force was getting weaker and weaker. From the look of its current condition, it could at most last for a few more minutes.

"I see." Xiao Ran understood at last.

For some unknown reason, the remnant soul had summoned the Sky Demon Skeleton from afar, leading to this scenario.

He strode towards the main chamber.

In the main chamber,

Fox Demon Chi Huayuan looked excitedly at the remnant soul of the Crimson Cetan shielded by the demonic protective barrier. Demonic power was concentrated on his sharp claws, and every strike he unleashed on the shield was powerful and relentless.

"I advise you to stop resisting and just submit to me meekly. Otherwise, when I break this barrier of yours, I will erase your intelligence and make you disappear from this world."

The remnant soul of the Crimson Cetan was filled with hateful resentment. It desperately tried to muster all its demonic energy to protect itself. At the same time it was puzzled. It had clearly felt the aura of the Skeleton earlier. Why had it suddenly disappeared?

"Stubborn fool!" Chi Huayuan chastised with a cold snort.

After dozens of strikes,

the demonic energy protective barrier had already become translucent. The demonic energy circulating around it was nearly non-existent.

"Now." Chi Huayuan's eyes lit up.

He opened his mouth and spat out the Crimson Devil Sky Fire. The blaze quivered in the wind briefly before transforming into a seven to eight hundred feet towering inferno. Terrifying flames burned fiercely, decimating all the demonic energy in the hall.

"Break now!"

The Crimson Devil Sky Fire spiraled upwards and plunged down onto the demonic energy protective barrier forcefully.

Crack!

A crisp shattering sound was heard. The demonic energy protective barrier could no longer withstand the force and finally shattered.

Just as the blaze was about to land on the Crimson Cetan's remnant soul, a beam of golden flames shot out from behind it, landed right in its path and intercepted the entire Crimson Devil Sky Fire's attack.

"Who is behind me? Show your face!" Chi Huayuan roared.

Xiao Ran walked up from behind and stopped in front of him. He drew out the Empyrean Conflagration Holy Fire and injected a beam of golden light into it.

Buzz!

The Empyrean Conflagration Holy Fire absorbed the golden light and then devoured the Crimson Devil Sky Fire in one gulp.

It then transformed into a large web of fiery flames that enveloped the Crimson Cetan's remnant soul and brought him to Xiao Ran's feet.

Holding the Crimson Cetan's remnant soul, Xiao Yan sized it up. "You're the one who summoned the Sky Demon Skeleton?"

The Crimson Cetan's remnant soul was terrified. He was caught between a rock and a hard place. At first glance, this character seemed more terrifying than Chi Huayuan. "The ske… skeleton is in your hands?"

"Yes," Xiao Ran nodded.

"Release the Crimson Cetan's remnant soul!" Chi Huayuan berated.

An infinite vicious force pushed forward. Eyes as big as bronze bells glared at him without mercy.

"No." Xiao Ran sealed the Crimson Cetan's remnant soul and slipped it into the folds of his clothes.

When he saw this,

Chi Huayuan became infuriated. With both his eyes spitting out fiery flames, he roared, "Then you shall die!"

He reverted to his true form. A Cardinal Vulpes fox demon over 200 feet in size appeared on the spot.

He charged forward so fast that afterimages were left behind in his wake. His razor-sharp claws extended outwards and slashed through the air. The sonic boom that resulted from the air being torn apart blasted out in tandem with the terrifying force heading straight for Xiao Ran's head.

"Good, I can settle the earlier score with you now," Xiao Ran said.

He raised his palm and the Immense Righteous Energy rushed out. As he swung his arm out, the force landed on the onrushing claws.

Upon impact, the demon's entire arm was crippled.

A righteous and saintly force pounded into the demon's body and sent him flying. He smashed violently into the wall before stopping.

He walked up to the fallen creature and asked, "Is that all you've got?"

Chi Huayuan was horrified. "Which academy are you from? Why did you barge into my territory in Mount Flaming Inferno? Aren't you afraid the Patriarchs will take revenge?"

"Everything under the heavens belongs to the Imperial family. The Mount Flaming Inferno is within the borders of the Great Xia Kingdom, in other words it is the territory of Great Xia. Why can't I come?" Xiao Ran asked.

"You… You…"

With a wave of his hand, Xiao Ran finished him off with a palm strike. His remaining unspoken words would never be known.

Demonic energy churned and swirled, then a remnant soul shot out from his pulverized corpse. It looked at Xiao Ran in terror before shooting outwards.

"Did I say you can leave?" Xiao Ran snorted in an icy tone.

He took a step forward and re-appeared in front of the fleeing remnant soul.

Under its horrified gaze, Xiao Ran pressed his palm down. "No…"

The palm fell and the remnant soul was utterly destroyed.

The Golden Tome of Creation appeared and displayed an item, 300,000 Mastery Points.

Xiao Ran pursed his lips. That's it?

He added the 300,000 Mastery Points to the Nine Heavens Evil Spirit Purification Skill. This being a Godfiend technique, he could only slowly refine it with Mastery Points.

He took out the remnant soul of the Crimson Cetan and removed its seal. "What is going on?"

"You… what are you doing?" The remnant soul of the Crimson Cetan stammered in terror.

"I ask the questions around here, not you." As he spoke, a dazzling sword intent rose from Xiao Ran's body and locked onto the remnant soul.

"Don't do it, I'll tell you everything!" The Crimson Cetan's remnant soul instantly capitulated.

Report chapter

Chapter 33: Xia Luoran

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

"Back then, the Sky Demon Crimson Cetan failed its third attempt to attain nirvana. Just as it was about to pass away, it left behind a backup plan. It used a secret technique to separate a wisp of remnant soul and used its demonic powers to nurture it. After many years, it evolved to develop intelligence not long ago, which is the form you see now."

He secretly observed Xiao Ran and saw that his immense sword intent was still locked onto him.

The Crimson Cetan's remnant soul said timidly, "Can… can this thing be put away?"

"What do you think?" Xiao Ran asked.

"I guess not!" The Crimson Cetan's remnant soul answered honestly.

He continued with his narration.

"After that, I used a secret technique to summon my true body's Skeleton, but it was restrained by some mysterious power. My demonic power leaked out, drawing the nearby Chi Huayuan's attention. I then redirected the demonic power to form a protective barrier to block his attack. I used the secret technique to summon the Skeleton again. You know what happened afterwards."

"Now I understand." Xiao Ran nodded.

The Sky Demon Skeleton was previously stored in the horse demon's innate divine powers. It was that force blocking out the Crimson Cetan's summoning demonic energy.

As soon as he took it out and it sensed the demon's summon, it could not wait to rush here.

"Does that mean you have recently gained sentience?"

"Yeah." The Crimson Cetan's remnant soul nodded, with an aggrieved expression.

Xiao Ran then took out the Sky Demon Skeleton, removed the seal, and threw it in front of him. The Crimson Cetan's remnant soul excitedly asked, "Are you returning it to me?"

Step by steady step… He slowly approached it.

He was still staring at Xiao Ran all the while. Seeing that he did not stop him, the Crimson Cetan's remnant soul became emboldened.

When he reached the Sky Demon Skeleton, he spiraled into a beam of crimson light and dived into the bone.

Boom!

Demonic power exploded in billowing plumes. A crimson glow soared into the sky, rapidly enveloping the entire chamber.

A tremendous pressure swept across the surroundings. The demonic aura was about to spread outwards.

Xiao Ran swung into action. The sword intent discharged from his body instantly and with his body as the focal point, he laid down a barrier field, trapping the demonic energy inside.

Faced with the swift ferocious sword energy, the demonic energy could offer no resistance and was destroyed in a blink of an eye.

Screech!

Several minutes later, the Crimson Cetan's remnant soul let out a low cry. The crimson radiance surrounding his body began to spin faster and faster until it was completely absorbed into his body.

A Crimson Cetan materialized in the air, about a foot in size.

Its entire body was crimson red, and it was ablaze with the Crimson Cetan Holy Fire.

His small eyes turned to look at the terrifying sword energy in the chamber. The small ray of hope that had just risen was immediately extinguished like a small spark of fire by a basin of cold water.

He flew over obediently and stopped in front of Xiao Ran.

"Why didn't you escape?" Xiao Ran asked curiously.

"I can't defeat you."

"You're quite pragmatic."

"In the depths of the Mount Flaming Inferno, there is a tree bearing the Nirvana Third Revolution Sacred Fruit that I left behind. If I can obtain it, my strength will rise from the Connate Realm to the Grand Master Realm," the Crimson Cetan said.

"All right," Xiao Ran nodded.

The Crimson Cetan morphed into a beam of crimson red light and shot into his right arm, leaving a 'Crimson Cetan' motif on his wrist.

He left the burial chamber.

Under the Crimson Cetan's lead, they rushed towards the depths of Mount Flaming Inferno.

The Mount Flaming Inferno range was the lair of the Cardinal Vulpes Tribe. The mountain range stretched endlessly as far as the eye could see. Demonic energy soared into the sky and blanketed heaven and earth.

Two hours later,

Xiao Ran plucked off the Nirvana Third Revolution Sacred Fruit and was about to leave when he saw a familiar woman.

"Why is she here?"

The person in front of him was the Elder Princess Xia Luoran, whom he had met once in the Celestial Dungeon. However, she was in a very sorry state now. Red blood stained her thin veil. She was being pursued by a Level 8 Grand Master Realm Cardinal Vulpes fox demon. They were running towards him.

He pondered for a moment.

Xiao Ran decided to lend her a hand. He activated the Transformation Technique to change his appearance and strode towards her. With every step, he progressed by hundreds of feet.

"You won't be able to escape, little girl. I advise you to stop resisting. Surrender to me and be my concubine." The Cardinal Vulpes fox demon said with a gleeful look.

"Dream on!" Xia Luoran retorted.

Clutching at her chest, she endured heavy injuries and invoked a secret technique to escape.

Pooh!

She had been struggling to keep her injuries at bay the whole time, and had even utilized her secret technique twice. This was the third time she invoked it, and her body could no longer endure the backlash of the secret technique. She spewed out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.

At this moment,

she didn't even have the strength to move a finger. She laid on the ground in abject despair and helplessness. Her beautiful eyes were wide open with fury and resentment. Am I going to die here today?

"Aren't you good at escaping? Why aren't you running anymore?" The Cardinal Vulpes fox demon stopped in front of her in a whirlwind of demonic energy.

"Even if I die, I won't let you succeed!" Xia Luoran retorted with venom.

Just as she was about to invoke the secret technique of bloodline ignition to kill herself, the Cardinal Vulpes fox demon laughed scornfully. "It's all right! It's the same even if you die. I can still preserve your corpse and enjoy it slowly."

"You… you're shameless!" Xia Luoran exploded.

"Yes, I'm shameless!" The Cardinal Vulpes fox demon couldn't contain himself any longer. It rubbed its paws together greedily and approached her with a lewd smile.

Xia Luoran's pupils constricted as she pressed her fair hands on the ground.

She wanted to crawl backward, but the moment she exerted any effort, her injuries erupted in unbearable pain and she fell back to the ground.

"Stop struggling. It's useless," the Cardinal Vulpes fox demon said.

He reached out to unbuckle her belt.

"No!" Xia Luoran screamed in horror.

"Can I hear the opposite response?" The Cardinal Vulpes fox demon smiled lasciviously.

Whoosh!

A beam of brilliant sword intent zipped across more than a thousand feet and cleanly sliced off the arm that he had extended.

Xiao Ran appeared and in a flash re-appeared in front of him. "Are you deaf? Didn't you hear her say 'No'?"

"Who are you?" The Cardinal Vulpes fox demon endured the pain of his broken arm and stared at him murderously.

"Do I have to tell you if you ask?"

Rays of green light issued from his head. In a moment, two more heads grew out.

Demonic energy surged, churning ferociously. The heads bared sharp menacing fangs.

"I don't care who you are. Since you dared to chop off one of my arms, I shall skin you alive and eat you alive." All three heads of the Cardinal Vulpes fox demon spoke at the same time.

The huge body moved instantly.

"Heaven Splitting Divine Howl!"

All three jaws opened widely, producing a terrifying demonic howl, which transformed into numerous sharp blades that went slashing toward Xiao Ran.

"Royal bloodline?" Xiao Ran mused.

Thousands of rays of golden light echoed his hand gestures to transform into claws. They lashed outwards in a vicious grasp, screeching madly in their charge forward.

In an instant,

all the onrushing blades were demolished. Under their shocked gaze, the force grabbed the middle head and slammed the huge demon's body down on the ground forcefully and brutally.

He extended his right foot and stomped on it. It morphed into a footprint of golden light several dozen feet in size, crushing him to death instantly.

He retracted his foot and dusted off his hands. Xiao Ran pursed his lips and said, "Your abilities do not match your status at all!"

The Golden Tome of Creation appeared and revealed his individual information as well as his crimes.

In a nutshell, he deserved to die.

Relying on the protection of the Patriarchs of the Mount Flaming Inferno, he bullied and oppressed the surrounding commoners.

Golden light radiated out, showing two items, 300,000 Mastery Points, 35 years of Martial Arts evolution.

After adding the 300,000 Mastery Points to the Sword Intent, he was not far from attaining the Genesis Level.

His Martial Arts evolution had broken through to Level 2 of the Profound Realm, and his purifying spiritual force had doubled in prowess. He had toughened his physical body, and the strength of his physical body also advanced to the level equivalent to a Grand Master Level 1 Warrior.

He turned around and walked to Xia Luoran. "Why are you here?"

"Sir, you know me?" Xia Luoran was stunned.

Report chapter

Chapter 34: The Patriarch Strikes

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

"We've met once," Xiao Ran said.

"It is my honor to be able to meet you, Sir." Xia Luoran said humbly.

Blood flowed out from her torso, her face was pale. In just a few breaths, her injuries showed visible signs of worsening.

"Let me heal you first."

"Thank you, Sir." Xia Luoran whispered and closed her eyes.

He raised his palm and let it hover three inches above her chest.

Purifying spiritual force cascaded from his palm and seeped into her body, rapidly healing her injuries.

The formidable power of the Godfiend evolution technique was displayed in all its full glory at this moment.

Under the healing power of the purifying spiritual force, her dreadful injuries were practically healed in a matter of minutes.

Withdrawing his hand, Xiao Ran asked, "How do you feel now?"

Xia Luoran was shocked. She checked her body closely and realized that her serious injuries had almost all healed.

Standing up from the ground, her attitude became even more respectful as she clasped her hands together and bowed humbly in reply, "Thank you for your help, Sir!"

"Hmm," Xiao Ran nodded.

Xia Luoran hesitated, looking troubled.

Xiao Ran could tell from her expression too. "Forget it."

Xia Luoran felt ashamed. With this gentleman's ability, even if he was willing to help, he still would not be a match for the Patriarch of the Mount Flaming Inferno.

However, If it was disadvantageous to him, he would not have helped.

He patted the pouch on his waist with one hand and took out a stalk with crimson fruit on it. The Crimson Cetan Holy Fire blazed brightly on its stem, and a terrifying power emanated from it.

"That is a Nirvana First Revolution Sacred Fruit. I came here precisely for it."

Xiao Ran was surprised. Didn't the Crimson Cetan say that the Nirvana Third Revolution Sacred Fruit was very rare?

It was the only one of its kind in this world, so why did another stalk appear out of nowhere?

Looking at the 'Crimson Cetan' motif on his right wrist, he thought, Was this guy lying to me?

The Crimson Cetan was startled. The motif rotated once and sent out a sublime message. This was a wisp of the origin energy emitted by the Nirvana Third Revolution Sacred Fruit. After absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for a long time, it had borne another fruit by chance.

Xia Luoran continued. "To be honest, an elder in my family has run into problems while practicing her skills. She needs this fruit to save herself."

"With your status, there's no need for you to put yourself in danger."

Xia Luoran shook her head and smiled bitterly. "The members of the Imperial family may look bright on the outside, but when they are placed under the spotlight, any mistake they made would be magnified many times."

There was a pause, as if she were venting his frustration.

She decided to pour out all the grievances in her heart that she had been holding back for the past few days.

"Not everyone wants my elder to be safe. As long as she remains alive, she will be considered a big threat in some quarters."

Xiao Ran interrupted her with a wave of his hand. "I'm not interested in your family matters."

"Forgive my impudence." Xia Luoran smiled bitterly.

"Leave this place first. Don't delay for a moment after you leave the Mount Flaming Inferno." Xiao Ran reminded her as he looked into the far distance of the Mount Flaming Inferno.

He could sense it.

A huge aura had risen up and locked onto him from many miles away.

There was no need to guess.

The other party must be a Patriarch of the Mount Flaming Inferno.

"Sir, what about you?"

"I still have something to do." Xiao Ran replied with a smile.

With one stride, he traversed the sky. Within three steps, he stood above the nine heavens. A supreme sword intent erupted from his body, stirring up a huge storm. It covered a radius of several thousand feet as it went slashing towards the aura coming from the depths of the Mount Flaming Inferno.

Boom…

Violent airwaves stirred up thick foreboding clouds in the mad chorus of explosive shockwaves.

Xia Luoran looked up and saw Xiao Ran initiating his attack from afar. Her heart sank. Could it be that the person from the Mount Flaming Inferno had attacked?

Whoosh!

Tempestuous demonic energy formed a sky canopy that descended from the heavens and blanketed the entire terrestrial plain.

Under this demonic energy, all living creatures were like lowly ants, their life or death wholly under the control of others.

Xia Luoran's knees buckled under her. Even with her Level 6 Grand Master evolution, she could not withstand the downward force and she sank down to the ground.

"Break!" Xiao Ran spat out one word.

The sword energy slashed again, forming an immense arc that decimated the demonic energy canopy between heaven and earth.

A figure materialized out of nowhere.

He had a head full of white hair and was dressed in a full length green robe. He stood there with his hands behind his back, as though he ruled over heaven and earth.

"The Patriarch of Mount Flaming Inferno!" Xia Luoran's eyes widened in fear.

"Are you here for revenge?" Xiao Ran asked.

"May I ask who you are? Why haven't I seen you before?" The Patriarch asked in response.

"There are plenty of people you haven't met."

The Patriarch's expression darkened, his furrowed brows displaying clear and evident displeasure. However, he controlled his anger and continued to ask, "Don't you know that this is my territory?"

"I know," Xiao Ran replied.

"In that case, why did you still kill someone from my Royal Bloodline?"

"Anyone who commits crimes and breaks the law will be punished accordingly."

The Patriarch was so infuriated that he burst out laughing instead. An even more imperious aura burst forth, and like rolling thunder, it pushed towards Xiao Ran rapidly.

It was as if a giant invisible mountain, over hundreds of thousands feet high, went smashing towards his head.

"Such things have no effect on me." Xiao Ran shook his head.

The Sword Intent converged into a gigantic sword thousands of feet long. That sword composed of pure unadulterated Sword Intent energy plunged downwards.

Swish!

The demonic energy that was as dense as a mountain instantly shattered. The sword intent didn't lose its momentum and continued to rush towards the Patriarch.

"Hmph!" The Patriarch's face turned dark.

"Crimson Devil Sky Fire!"

Under his control, the flames morphed into a sword and clashed into the manifestation of the Sword Intent.

Heaven and earth shook, and a roar of destruction force swept out in all directions. For a moment, all corners of heaven and earth became bright and clear.

"Roar!" The Patriarch bellowed.

He immediately revealed his true form. He was a Cardinal Vulpes fox demon that was over a thousand feet in size. It had four heads and its whole body was ablaze with the Crimson Devil Sky Fire. It looked at Xiao Ran with cold merciless eyes.

Four jaws jerked wide open at the same time. "Heaven Splitting Divine Howl!"

The sound waves transformed into tens of thousands of giant swords, each of them several tens of feet in length. Sword energy tore through the air as they all slashed down at the same time.

Xiao Ran drew out the Beryl Lotus Brilliance Sword and infused it with his Sword Intent. He then slashed out using this technique. "Phoenix Essence Sword Technique!"

A sword shook the heavens as it pierced through the void. At the same time as it was charging, one could vaguely see a phoenix swirling in the air, destroying all techniques and enveloping the thousands of mighty swords.

When both came into contact, everything dissipated.

With the two experts in the center, a massive vacuum was formed around them.

Looking at the Patriarch of the Mount Flaming Inferno, Xiao Ran said, "No wonder the Imperial Court can't do anything to you."

The Patriarch was also shocked. He looked at the Beryl Lotus Brilliance Sword with a worried expression. "That is a Consummate Numinous Treasure?"

"Yes," Xiao Ran admitted with pride.

"Where did you come from?"

"I can't tell you."

The Patriarch was at a loss for words. After a moment of silence, he said with a sour expression, "With the help of this Consummate Numinous Treasure, it's no wonder you're able to attain enlightenment of the sword intent."

"You still want to fight?" Xiao Ran asked.

"You killed someone from our Royal Tribe, aren't you going to give us an explanation?"

"This is the explanation I will give you." Xiao Ran raised his sword and charged forward again.

The Patriarch's face turned dark. Do you have to be so reckless? I'm just saying it as a formality.

Fifteen minutes later,

the two of them stopped again and Xiao Ran asked, "Do you still want an explanation?"

The Patriarch's palm was numb and the purlicue area on his hands was aching. When he saw that Xiao Ran was about to raise his sword again, he waved his hand. "You guys can leave!"

Report chapter

Chapter 35: Mobilization

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

"No need to force yourself," Xiao Ran said.

The corner of the Patriarch's mouth twitched as he glared at the Beryl Lotus Brilliance Sword indignantly. You're not leaving, is it? Then I'll leave, all right?!

He vanished in a whirlwind of demonic wind.

Xiao Ran put away the Beryl Lotus Brilliance Sword and descended to the ground.

"Why are you still here?"

Xia Luoran opened and closed her mouth, not sure whether to ask him.

"What are you trying to say?" Xiao Ran asked.

"S-Sir, how did you know the Phoenix Essence Sword Technique?"

Xiao Ran ignored her and turned around to leave.

Xia Luoran gritted her teeth and followed him. "This sword technique is my elder's exclusive secret technique that is not passed to anyone. No one else in the whole capital city knows it."

Seeing that he was unmoved and continued to walk away, she voiced out the speculation in her heart. "Sir, you are not the master of that elder of mine, are you?"

Xiao Ran stopped in his tracks and gave her a knock on the head. "How dare you!"

He grabbed her and shot up to the ninth heaven. He injected a stream of spirit energy into her body to shut her up.

After traveling about 100 miles out of the Mount Flaming Inferno territory,

he found a suitable place to throw her down and disappeared in a flash.

"Sir, please save my elder from her suffering…"

A crow flew across the empty sky and cawed a few times.

Xia Luoran clasped her fair hands tightly and said with determination in her eyes, "I must locate him somehow. Only he can save my aunt from the Purgatory."

In the Nine Heavens above,

Xiao Ran shrugged his shoulders. "Only a fool would interfere in the matters of the Imperial Family."

After deactivating the Transformation Technique, he reverted to his usual appearance.

Invoking the Traversing the Heavens in Twelve Steps skill at its maximum strength, he strode out in twelve steps. There was no longer any trace of him in the world as he rushed towards the capital city.

In the capital city,

it was already the next morning.

He hurried back to the Celestial Dungeon, where the lieutenant was conducting the attendance roll call.

"Xiao Ran!"

No one answered for a long time. The lieutenant looked at Little Zhou. "He didn't come?"

Just as Little Zhou was about to speak up and find an excuse for him, Xiao Ran showed up. "I'm here."

"Why are you late this time?" asked the lieutenant.

"I've been too busy recently and accidentally overslept," Xiao Ran said.

The lieutenant waved his hand and dismissed the matter.

"The rewards from the higher-ups have arrived. This time, you and Little Zhou have made a big contribution and solved this case. Even though the Dragon Lake Institute didn't reclaim the lost precious treasure, the credit that is due to you both can't be erased."

Little Zhou asked excitedly, "My Lord, what did the higher-ups reward us with?"

The lieutenant did not answer directly. "You both have been working in the Celestial Dungeon for three years now. Today your three-year terms are up. Together with the contribution this time, the higher-ups have made an exception to transfer the two of you into the Divine Sword Guards."

Gulp!

Little Zhou swallowed hard, stunned by this unexpected stroke of good luck. "My Lord, is this true?"

"Of course! This is your appointment document." The lieutenant rolled his eyes at him.

He took out two documents and handed them over.

After accepting the document,

Xiao Ran took one look at the seal of the Ministry of Justice and the Divine Sword Guards. From now on, he was a part of the Divine Sword Guards as an ordinary member.

"Xiao Ran, your situation is rather special. After some consideration, the higher-ups have decided to let you work as a dungeon guard concurrently but taking charge of the Purgatory only. You don't have to care about anything else and you'll receive two salaries. What do you think?"

"I have no objection," Xiao Ran said.

This saved him a lot of trouble.

His status had risen, he could still manage the Purgatory and continue to farm rewards.

"Good." The lieutenant nodded in satisfaction.

Following that was the transfer of Elder Zheng and his partner. Elder Zheng was transferred to the Ministry of Justice and the other guy was transferred to the county office to serve as deputy constable.

After enduring for three years, he had finally achieved something.

"This is White Lotus Cake. Pass it to the Eldest Princess and then report to the Divine Sword Guards with Little Zhou later." The lieutenant handed over a food container.

Xiao Ran took the food container and entered the Purgatory.

He opened the cell, placed the food container on the table and laid out the two white lotus cakes inside.

"Have you been promoted?" The Eldest Princess asked, revealing mixed emotions in her eyes.

Looking at the black robe of the Divine Sword Guard he was wearing, as well as the Black Light Sword and the Divine Sword Guard crest, she did not move for a long time.

"The three-year term is up. By coincidence, we also solved a major case," Xiao Ran said.

He took a piece of white lotus cake and started eating.

The Eldest Princess stood up from the soft ground and stopped in front of him.

Her beautiful eyes were fixed on him.

"What?" Xiao Ran asked.

"What will happen to me if you leave?"

"Don't talk nonsense. I didn't do anything to you."

"When the demonic aura erupts, without your help to suppress it, I will go crazy," the Eldest Princess said.

Xiao Ran glared at her angrily and said, "Next time when you speak, give the whole picture, otherwise other people will misunderstand me."

"Although I've been transferred to the Divine Sword Guards, I'm still in charge of the Purgatory."

"Part-time?" The Eldest Princess' eyes lit up.

"Yes," Xiao Ran answered.

When she heard that,

the Eldest Princess finally relaxed. She smiled slightly, revealing her infinite charm as she sat opposite him. "Congratulations!"

She took a piece of white lotus cake and started nibbling elegantly.

After finishing the meal,

Xiao Ran locked the cell door and walked to the Deluge Dragon's cell.

"Why are you here again?" The Deluge Dragon asked with trepidation.

During this period of time when Xiao Ran wasn't around, he was quite at ease, using the spirit energy of the heaven and earth to nurture the missing dragon tendon. His progress was slow, but he saw hope.

Now his good mood was shattered.

The Deluge Dragon's body trembled nervously.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up. He noticed the robe of the Divine Sword Guards that Xiao Ran was wearing and asked excitedly, "You have been transferred to the Divine Sword Guards?"

"Are you very happy?"

"I'm not happy at all. You have to believe me. With your contributions, you should have been transferred to a better department long ago."

"Is that so?" Xiao Ran smiled playfully.

"I swear in the name of the Dragon God that everything I say is from the bottom of my heart."

"You are going to be disappointed. I may have been transferred to the Divine Sword Guards, but I'm still working part-time as a dungeon guard. I have been put in charge of the Purgatory only."

Pooh!

The Deluge Dragon couldn't catch his breath and spat out a mouthful of blood. He swore angrily, "Are those people from the Imperial Court blind?"

"Are you very unhappy?" Xiao Ran asked.

The Deluge Dragon smiled obsequiously, like a sniveling groveling dog. "You're absolutely mistaken. I'm very happy."

"Since you're so happy, it is not asking too much to let you bleed a little, right?"

"Not at all!" The Deluge Dragon said in humiliation.

He took the initiative to stretch out his right limb and closed his eyes with resentment. He roared furiously in his heart. Could it be that I would never be able to escape from his demonic clutches for the rest of my life?

Xiao Ran cut the dragon's limb with his finger.

He took out three jade bottles and collected three full bottles of dragon blood.

Only when the dragon became weak did he stop.

A beam of golden light was directed on the wound, healing it.

"Rest well. I'll visit you again after some time," Xiao Ran instructed.

"Thank you so much!" The Deluge Dragon forced himself to smile.

After Xiao Ran left, he could no longer suppress his anger. "We're mortal enemies for eternity!"

Just as he was about to leave the Purgatory with the food container in hand, a woman dressed in palace attire walked over with two palace maids.

"She returned so fast?" Xiao Ran was surprised.

On second thought, he understood. As the Elder Princess, it was not strange for her to have the means to rush back early.

Report chapter

Chapter 36: Phoenix Sacred Manifestation Awakened

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

"Has she eaten the white lotus cake?" Xia Luoran stopped in her tracks.

"Yes," Xiao Ran nodded.

"Take me there."

Xiao Ran returned to the dungeon cell and opened the door. He then waited in a corner with the food container in his hand.

The two palace maids stood guard outside, and Xia Luoran entered the cell.

"Aunt, haven't you thought it through?"

"You shouldn't be coming to this place. The Purgatory Netherflames and the foul Yin atmosphere will corrode your vitality and affect your skills evolution." The Eldest Princess said with a stony countenance.

"You're my aunt. You brought me up since I was young. I cannot leave you all alone here." Xia Luoran's eyes were firm.

The Eldest Princess sighed. "Why bother?"

"I chose this path myself. I don't blame anyone."

The Eldest Princess turned away, her back facing her.

She was evidently hinting to her niece that she could leave now.

Xia Luoran took out the Nirvana First Revolution Sacred Fruit. Immense fiery flames leaped from the fruit, forming a ray of multi-colored light that dispersed the surrounding Purgatory Netherflames and foul Yin atmosphere.

Sensing the power of fire behind her, the Eldest Princess turned around.

Looking at the red fruit in her hand, her eyes were filled with shock. She suddenly sprang to her feet and rushed up to her. Grabbing her wrist, she asked anxiously, "Who told you to go to Mount Flaming Inferno?"

Xia Luoran averted her eyes and wanted to lie, but the Eldest Princess saw through her. "Don't forget that I brought you up! Tell me the truth."

"I did go to Mount Flaming Inferno and was lucky enough to bring this Nirvana First Revolution Sacred Fruit back."

"Nonsense!" The Eldest Princess berated.

"The Nirvana First Revolution Sacred Fruit is a Heaven and Earth Sacred Fruit. It's so rare that one can only see it bear fruit once in a thousand years. It must have been guarded by a powerful demon."

The more she spoke, the angrier she got.

"That is the territory of the Cardinal Vulpes Tribe. Since the Mount Flaming Inferno Patriarch is still alive, how is it possible that he would let you take away this sacred relic?"

Xia Luoran yanked her wrist away and shoved the Nirvana First Revolution Sacred Fruit into her hand.

"It's all in the past. It's up to you whether you want to eat or not!"

She turned around and left.

"Listen up. If you dare to take another risk, I won't acknowledge you as my niece!" The Eldest Princess shouted angrily at her departing silhouette.

The Elder Princess paused in front of Xiao Ran.

"Watch her. If the Eldest Princess suffers any effect after consuming the Nirvana First Revolution Sacred Fruit, come to the antechamber on the first floor and inform me immediately."

"All right," Xiao Ran replied.

After she left,

Xiao Ran entered the cell, poured himself a cup of tea and took a sip.

"Don't be unreasonable. You should be happy that an Imperial Family member remembers your kindness."

"Sigh! Even without her saying it, I can guess how difficult it is to obtain this Nirvana First Revolution Sacred Fruit. She must have barely escaped with her life." The Eldest Princess said dejectedly.

She sat down opposite Xiao Ran.

"Am I really wrong?"

"Don't look at me. This isn't part of my duties."

The Eldest Princess held Nirvana First Revolution Sacred Fruit in her hand, her face full of ambivalence and hesitation, not knowing if she should consume it.

However, when she thought about the girl's painstaking efforts, she felt that she would be letting her down if she did not consume it.

However, if she ate it and the girl continued risking her life in the future… At this point, she dared not think further.

After a long pause,

she finally made up her mind and her eyes were filled with an unprecedented determination. She stood up from her chair and swallowed the Nirvana First Revolution Sacred Fruit.

Screech!

A low cry was emitted by the Golden Phoenix within her body as numerous rays of golden light shot out from her body. The overpowering force dispersed the surrounding Purgatory Netherflames and foul Yin atmosphere.

The dungeon cell became a vacuum and the golden light converged rapidly into the form of a golden phoenix.

A terrifying power emanated from the golden phoenix before returning to her body.

After a few breaths,

it formed a huge egg that was surrounded by golden light.

"Spiritual Clarity Eye." Xiao Ran invoked his special skill.

Under his inspection, the golden light was unable to block his line of sight and he was able to view the Eldest Princess directly.

The blood, bones, and meridians in her body began to awaken. Her aura became stronger, and even her sealed martial arts evolution advanced further with the first awakening of the Sacred Manifestation of the Golden Phoenix .

After watching for a while,

when he was sure that she was not in danger, he retracted his gaze and waited quietly.

After about an hour,

"Ah…" The Eldest Princess let out a terrifying scream.

Black demonic flames erupted and enveloped her, burning towards her body.

Xiao Ran was troubled. Even the power contained within the Nirvana First Revolution Sacred Fruit wasn't enough to support the full awakening of her Phoenix Sacred Manifestation.

At this moment, the backlash had reversed direction and was burning towards her from outside.

"One dares to give and the other dares to eat. How bold."

His gaze fell on the Crimson Cetan motif.

The Crimson Cetan trembled as an ominous feeling crept over him. "You… what are you doing?"

"How much strength have you recovered after eating the Nirvana Third Revolution Sacred Fruit?" Xiao Ran asked.

"Master Realm Level 4."

"It's sufficient! It should be fine if I let you bleed a little, right?"

"Can I refuse?"

"You can refuse," Xiao Ran said.

The sword intent rose up and locked onto him. The moment he dared to say no, it would slash over in the next second.

"Don't misunderstand me! I'm just asking. Others may not be allowed to, but you're different. You can take whatever you want!" The Crimson Cetan backpaddled in resignation.

It flew out from his wrist and released some blood essence into the egg without being asked.

Although his evolution was still low, it was nonetheless a Crimson Cetan.

The pureblood Crimson Cetan was an ancient Divine Beast. A small amount of its blood essence could beat any Nirvana First Revolution Sacred Fruit hands down.

After completing the bloodletting, he weakly returned to Xiao Ran's wrist.

With the help of the Crimson Cetan's blood essence, the Eldest Princess' Sacred Manifestation of the Phoenix was completely awakened. The demonic flames on her body were extinguished and a terrifying aura spread out.

Along with that, her martial arts evolution advanced further and she broke through to the Grand Master Realm Level 1 in one shot.

Unfortunately, her shoulder bones were sealed and she could not mobilize any spirit energy.

The golden phoenix also became more solid, and its aura more powerful. It turned its head and entered her mind.

Just when Xiao Ran thought it was going to end, as her Phoenix Sacred Manifestation awakened and her evolution achieved a breakthrough, the Nine Heavens Evil Spirit Purification Skill also underwent a change.

Under the stimulation of this tremendous power, the skill advanced to another level.

More ferocious demonic energy erupted, it was so dense that it felt almost solid. It instantly transformed the entire dungeon cell into a demonic domain.

The Phoenix Sacred Manifestation had awakened once, but it was still not enough to suppress it. After persevering for a while, the Eldest Princess reached her limit and asked for help, "Hurry up and beat me!"

"Didn't your Phoenix Sacred Manifestation awaken?" Xiao Ran was puzzled.

"I didn't expect the Forbidden Technique to be raised by a realm in tandem with the Phoenix Sacred Manifestation's awakening…"

As she spoke, the Eldest Princess was already rushing towards Xiao Ran.

Her face was contorted into a ferocious ancient beast as she bared her teeth to bite Xiao Ran.

"Stop this." Xiao Ran gave her a punch on the face and knocked her to the ground.

He straddled her body with practiced ease and started pummeling left and right.

As the golden light scattered down, the demonic energy vanished rapidly as if it had seen the most terrifying thing.

This time, he had to punch nearly 150 times before the demonic energy dispersed.

"It's better for you to debilitate your skills!" Xiao Ran said.

The Eldest Princess' face was bruised and swollen. She shot him an angry glare at him and retorted, "No!"

"Suit yourself."

"It's already over. Aren't you getting off?"

"Okay." Xiao Ran promptly stood up.

The Eldest Princess thrust her swollen face towards him. With a flick of his finger, he injected a stream of purifying spiritual force onto her face. Golden light circulated and restored her appearance.

"Your niece is still waiting for me. I'll make a move first." Xiao Ran locked the door and left.

"Thank you!" The Eldest Princess said with heart-felt gratitude.

Report chapter

Chapter 37: Troops Training Method

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Xiao Ran entered the rest chamber.

He took out the three bottles of dragon blood and consumed them. His physical body became stronger again. With his physique's current evolution, he could easily defeat a warrior of Grand Master Realm Level 1.

Back at the antechamber on the first floor,

Xia Luoran had been waiting for him for a long time. Her attractive eyes lit up when she saw him. "Did she eat it?"

"Yes," Xiao Ran replied.

"How was it?"

"It had some effect. You have to ask the Eldest Princess for the details."

"I understand." Xia Luoran nodded.

After getting the answer she wanted, she left with the two palace maids.

The lieutenant and Little Zhou walked over from the side.

"Lord Shen has been waiting outside for a long time, you guys better hurry over!"

Both men left the Celestial Dungeon and met Shen Yiming at the entrance.

Along with Ling Qing'er, their three-year terms were completed too.

Both had been transferred back and there would be new personnel to replace them and continue guarding the Celestial Dungeon.

"From now on, I am your immediate superior," Shen Yiming said with a stony countenance.

When he recalled the news that the Divine Sword Guards had just announced, he was filled with anger that he could barely contain.

The Divine Sword Guards were short of manpower, especially after the recent spate of events. Although the Blood Blade Sect, the Rakshasa Sect, and Sky Devil Sect had been destroyed, they had also suffered heavy losses.

After transferring Xiao Ran and the rest to him, he would have to recruit the remaining men himself.

"Follow me."

Shen Yiming turned around and left.

Xiao Ran and Little Zhou looked at each other and followed him.

On the way, Shen Yiming gave them a briefing. The Great General's residence had been destroyed with no survivors. The moment the news broke, His Majesty flew into a rage and issued an inviolable order that the Divine Sword Guards and the Sacred Martial Bureau were to crack the case within three days and apprehend the perpetrators.

"My Lord, the Great General is a Grand Master Realm warrior, yet he was still exterminated with all his family members in the capital city. Why was there no news before the incident?" Little Zhou was puzzled.

Shen Yiming shook his head. "I don't know either."

Sensing the heavy atmosphere, he continued, "Although this matter is bizarre, we only have three days. We have to crack the case within three days. Otherwise, all of us will get the blame."

When they reached the Great General's residence,

it was swarming with Imperial Guards who surrounded the place securely.

Seeing their approach, the lieutenant who was leading the team saluted and opened up a path for them to enter.

They entered the residence.

The pungent smell of blood assaulted their senses. The ground was strewn with blood and corpses.

The further in they went, the more corpses they saw.

In the back courtyard, other than Yang Baoyu who had been killed by the Courtesan in revenge earlier, the rest of the people, including their families, all had their heads crushed by monstrous claws and died gruesome deaths.

"Is that all the manpower in the Divine Sword Guards? Just the three of you?" The guys from the Sacred Martial Bureau had already arrived. The one who spoke was Li Heng.

According to the official rank designation,

the Sacred Martial Bureau was divided into Martial Masters, Martial Emissaries, Martial Marshals, Martial Sheriffs, and ordinary members.

The speaker was a Martial Emissary, and his status was equivalent to a Lord Amethyst Sword.

Apart from him, there were also twenty people from the Sacred Martial Bureau.

"You don't have to worry about whether we have manpower. If this case isn't solved by the deadline, both our departments will suffer," Shen Yiming replied.

"Hmph!" Li Heng responded with a scornful snort and led his men away to continue the investigation.

"Let's go," Shen Yiming said.

They entered the study.

The Great General's corpse was lying on the ground. His limbs were chopped off, his eyes gouged out, and all the meridians in his body had been severed. Every drop of blood in his body had been drawn out, and his face was all contorted in agony. Before he died, he had clearly suffered horrendous torture.

Gasp!

Shen Yiming drew in a sharp breath of cold air. The perpetrator had been too ruthless.

Unless there was a deep hatred between them, they wouldn't be so cold-blooded.

Little Zhou stomach turned. He was so horrified by this grisly sight that he leaned against the wall and puked.

"Are you all right?" Xiao Ran patted his back.

"I'm fine." Little Zhou said shakily.

"You have been working in the Celestial Dungeon for three years. Aren't you used to this kind of situation?" Shen Yiming was displeased.

Little Zhou apologized, "It won't happen again."

"Check the whole room and see if there are any other clues."

Shen Yiming then squatted down beside the general's corpse and examined it carefully.

They broke up and proceeded separately.

After making a quick survey, Xiao Ran walked towards the study desk and stared at the wet brush tip. The ink was still fresh and there was a stack of papers on the desk.

"Why aren't there any words?" Xiao Ran frowned.

He flipped through the stack of papers, but there were no words.

He felt that something was amiss. The ink in the inkstone was almost depleted. How could there be no words?

Unless what was written had been taken.

However, it still didn't make sense. The stack of papers was still there.

He took a brush and tried to draw on the paper.

The tip of the brush slid across the surface of the white paper. No brush strokes appeared at all.

"Spiritual Clarity Eye." Xiao Ran invoked his special skill.

Words emerged on the originally blank piece of paper, line by line.

He picked up the stack of papers and scanned them from beginning to end. Every piece of paper was filled with words.

On the last page, there was a title 'Celestial Varg Guards'. This was a troops training method.

According to what was written, once a practitioner mastered the Celestial Varg Guards technique, he would be able to fend off hundreds of opponents and wipe out thousands of enemies. He would take no prisoners, had no weaknesses and would not be afraid of pain.

"Did he write this?" Xiao Ran was shocked.

He withdrew his Spiritual Clarity Eye and quickly walked across the room.

Shen Yiming stood up and glanced at the stack of papers in his hands. "Have you found any clues?"

"Yes," Xiao Ran nodded.

He handed the stack of papers over.

Shen Yiming flipped through the blank pages, and waited in bewilderment for him to explain.

"Little Zhou, come here." Xiao Ran waved to him.

"Yes, Brother Xiao?" Little Zhou hurried over.

Taking his hand, Xiao Ran cut his fingers, squeezed out fresh blood, and dripped it onto the paper, smearing the blood evenly.

The blank paper revealed some handwriting.

The opening page was the general outline of the 'Celestial Varg Guards'.

Shen Yiming took one glance. His expression turned serious and he hastily tucked it away.

"Keep this matter to yourselves and don't say a word about it."

"We don't know anything," Xiao Ran said.

Shen Yiming was pleased with his attitude and reassured them. "With this, we won't have to take the blame even if we can't solve the case within three days."

Hurried footsteps could be heard as Li Heng walked in from outside. "What's in your arms? Show it to me."

Twenty men from the Sacred Martial Bureau spread out behind him, surrounding Xiao Ran and the other two.

Swords were drawn and the atmosphere was tense.

"You want to start a fight between the Divine Sword Guards and the Sacred Martial Bureau?" Shen Yiming refused to budge.

"Since I'm in charge of this case, I have the right to ask about anything. You'd better be sensible and don't make things difficult for me." Li Heng heaped on the pressure.

The aura of a Level 3 Grand Master pressed down on Shen Yiming.

"I intend to do exactly that today!" Shen Yiming sneered.

He released his aura, revealing his Level 2 Grand Master Realm power. Although it was one level below Li Heng, it still blocked his aura from pushing over.

"Are you giving it to me or not?" Li Heng issued his ultimatum.

"No!" Shen Yiming was adamant.

"I heard that you guys from the Divine Sword Guards have extraordinary abilities. I just happened to be itching for a fight, so I'll give it a try today," Li Heng said.

An afterimage lingered on the spot as he flew towards Shen Yiming.

He extended his claw-like hand and hundreds of claw shadows materialized instantly, tearing through the air and grabbing at his chest from all directions.

"You guys have to take responsibility for what happened today!" Shen Yiming said in an icy cold tone.

The Amethyst Light Sword was unsheathed. A beam of sword light soared into the sky and slashed down in one mighty stroke.

Report chapter

Chapter 38: Even After You're Dead, You Still Want To Screw Me

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Pow!

As the two of them exchanged blows, a huge aftershock destroyed the entire study.

Then, they dashed outside and continued their fierce battle in the backyard.

The Sacred Martial Bureau's men quickly followed, watching the battle on the side.

"Brother Xiao, what should we do?" Little Zhou asked.

"Can you defeat them?" Xiao Ran pointed at the remaining people.

Little Zhou took a glance. There were a total of twenty people, and there was no lack of Master Realm warriors among them. He was only at the Connate Realm, so he was no match for them.

"Let's watch then," Xiao Ran said.

They stood at the side, watching the battle.

After dozens of rounds,

the two of them continued to battle more and more ferociously. Shen Yiming unleashed his Grand Master Realm Level 2 abilities and relied on his powerful sword techniques to fight Li Heng head-on. They were equally matched.

While defending himself flawlessly, he also stabbed at his opponent from time to time.

"I have underestimated you. I won't show any mercy from here on." Li Heng growled mercilessly.

He took a step forward and an expanse of red light flared out from his back into the sky. He growled, "Netherworld Divine Claw!"

As he swung both claw-like hands, hundreds of claw shadows shot straight for Shen Yiming's chest with a thunderous roar.

"Did I ask you to show mercy?" Shen Yiming rebutted scornfully.

The power of the sword energy increased once again, and a beam of sword light over thousands of feet in size slashed out in counter-attack.

After exchanging blows for a while, at the final collision of the two tremendous forces, the resulting impact sent them both flying outwards.

Both of them spat out a mouthful of blood before crashing heavily onto the ground.

Both men suffered heavy injuries.

Xiao Ran and Little Zhou rushed over and helped Shen Yiming up. "Are you all right?"

"Stop them!" Li Heng stood up with the help of his subordinates and issued an order.

A dozen or so people from the Sacred Martial Bureau rushed towards the trio with their swords drawn, surrounding them once more.

Li Heng walked up from behind with a smug smile. "Are you going to hand it over or not?"

"No!" Shen Yiming uttered weakly.

Both he and Li Heng had sustained heavy injuries from that attack, and their battle prowess had been greatly reduced.

His heart sank when he saw Xiao Ran and Little Zhou. Their side had no chance of winning.

Little Zhou was very nervous. The hand holding the Black Light Sword was trembling.

This time , even if he had no chance of winning, he still had to engage them!

"Take them down!" Li Heng ordered.

The guys from the Sacred Martial Bureau immediately rushed up. Before they could come near Xiao Ran and the other two, something occurred unexpectedly.

Buzz!

An array formation soared into the sky and enveloped the entire Great General's residence.

The place turned pitch black, like it had sunk into a sea of darkness.

Billowing malevolent aura churned and surged. The atmosphere turned cold and sinister. It severely curtailed the ability to mobilize spirit energy.

A seductive woman shot out from the ground. She was wearing a short white dress and was barefooted. Demonic energy swirled around her as she cackled smugly. "My, my, a dogfight. What an exciting performance."

Under the dark veil of the evil malevolent aura, visibility was zero. An icy cold voice could be heard coming from all directions, but the source of the voice could not be seen.

This sudden turn of events caused the expressions of both sides to change drastically.

"Who are you?" Li Heng was on full alert.

"Aren't you guys looking for me? Why are you still asking who I am?" The seductive woman countered in a mocking tone.

Shen Yiming frowned. This aura was too familiar. He had come into contact with it before. "You are from the Heavenly Yin Sect!"

"Oh my! You discovered my identity so quickly?" The seductive woman feigned surprise.

She then admitted generously, "That's right! I am the elder of the Heavenly Yin Sect, the Massacre Matchmaker."

Shen Yiming and Li Heng took one step back in shock.

"The evil venomous woman who slaughters men for pleasure, the Massacre Matchmaker?" Shen Yiming asked.

"My, my, I can't believe you've heard of me. Hand it over and I will leave your corpse intact."

Shen Yiming asked again, "Why did you attack the Great General?"

The Massacre Matchmaker's expression turned ominous. "It's not enough that he died. He raised a useless scum of a son and killed my most valued disciple. If he doesn't pay with his life, who will?"

"The case of Yang Baoyu that caused such a huge commotion a while ago! You mean that courtesan of the Drunken Immortals Court was your disciple?"

"That's right!" The Massacre Matchmaker nodded.

"Given your evolution level, there is no way for you to exterminate the entire Great General's family. On top of that, it was all done without alerting any quarters." Shen Yiming said.

The Massacre Matchmaker gave a scornful look. "In order to exterminate his entire family, I've been preparing for a month. A month ago, I used some tricks and became his concubine. I should have destroyed them half a month ago, but I happened to hear that he was working on the 'Celestial Varg Guards', so I waited until now."

She stared at Shen Yiming's chest.

"I never expected this guy to be so sneaky, fancy using special ink to document his military training technique."

Bang!

A signal flare exploded in the sky without any warning. Brilliant fireworks burst out beautifully.

However, the array responded and blocked the signal flare.

Li Heng gasped with astonishment. "What's going on?!"

"Don't waste your efforts. This is the Heavenly Yin Malevolent Array. It blocks the aura and disrupts the Yin and Yang energy. Within the array, no skills can be mobilized. The outside world doesn't know either. What they see is still the same scene as before." The Massacre Matchmaker laughed cold heartedly.

She attacked without warning.

With a wave of her right hand, dozens of poisonous needles shot out from her fingertips, all aiming for the foreheads of Xiao Ran and the others.

"Get behind me!" Shen Yiming shouted to his subordinates urgently.

He shielded Xiao Ran and Little Zhou by activating a protective barrier to block the poisonous needles.

Li Heng could only protect himself. Of the men he had brought with him, only two or three were standing close to him and managed to survive. The rest were all killed.

"Go to Hell!" The Massacre Matchmaker's murderous intent soared.

With a tap of her pale foot, afterimages suddenly appeared everywhere on the ground as she charged towards Li Heng.

"When the nest is overturned, no eggs will remain intact. If we join hands, we can still muster enough strength in combination to fight her!" Li Heng shouted in desperation.

Shen Yiming didn't want to be bothered with him at all. However, in his current condition, he had no chance of defeating a Level 3 Grand Master Realm demon.

"You take care of your side."

With that, he dragged his heavily injured body and charged forward.

"Brother Xiao, we're doomed this time." Little Zhou wailed with a crumpled face.

"Can't you say something positive?" Xiao Ran kicked him in a fit of irritation.

"I want to, but it's the truth. The truth won't allow it!"

As he said this, Little Zhou became overwhelmed with abject regret. "If I had known this would happen, I would have stayed in the Celestial Dungeon. At least I wouldn't have to face death directly!"

The situation changed drastically, interrupting their conversation.

With a powerful kick from the Massacre Matchmaker, the two leaders were sent flying hundreds of feet, their fates unknown. Their battle came to an abrupt end.

"It's your turn now." The Massacre Matchmaker strolled up with a malicious smile.

"I-I…"

Before he could catch his breath, Little Zhou closed his eyes and fainted.

"Good fellow, he dropped the ball at the critical moment!" Xiao Ran was incredulous.

"You're the only one left. From the looks of it, you don't seem to be afraid?" The Massacre Matchmaker toyed with her remaining prey.

"Is it useful to be afraid?"

"Hehe! You're quite interesting, but you still have to die."

With a quiver of her body, she re-appeared in front of Xiao Ran. Her sharp claws swiped out, creating a huge air explosion as she ruthlessly grabbed towards Xiao Ran's head.

Whoosh!

Golden light burst froth from Xiao Ran's body and imperiously deflected the oncoming claws. The impact was so great it even sent her entire body airborne.

"You are going to be disappointed," Xiao Ran said.

Before she could land on the ground, he was above her.

The Massacre Matchmaker was so shocked that her beautiful eyes almost popped out. "You.. you're a Profound Realm expert!"

Report chapter

Chapter 39: Yama

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

"You didn't expect this, did you?" Xiao Ran stomped on her brutally.

The beams of golden light converged and transformed to form a giant footprint hundreds of feet wide. It stomped down viciously.

The Massacre Matchmaker was in complete panic. "Sir, on account of our Heavenly Yin Sect Master, please don't kill me!"

"Even if he came in person to beg me, it wouldn't work."

When the huge footprint landed, not even her bones were left.

The ground where she was crushed was a mess though. Cracks zipped crazily all across the surface, and in its midst was a bottomless abyss.

The Golden Tome of Creation opened to reveal the crimes she had committed.

Just as Shen Yiming had said, she would toy with a man, steal his soul, and then mercilessly torture him to death.

The golden light swirled around, showing the three items. 300,000 Mastery Points, 30 years of Martial Arts evolution, 30 years of soul cultivation.

He added the 300,000 Proficiency Points to the Spiritual Clarity Eye.

After the Attributes were refreshed,

Spiritual Clarity Eye: Minor Achievement

There were still two hundred and seventy years to go before he could break through to Level 3 of the Profound Realm.

For the Spiritual Master Evolution, he was only 170 years away from breaking through to Level 2.

He went to look for Shen Yiming.

After checking his condition, Xiao Ran confirmed that his life was not in danger. Although he was heavily injured, he would recover after a period of convalescence.

He injected a stream of purifying spiritual force into his body to stabilize his injuries.

After absorbing this purifying spiritual force, Shen Yiming's injuries were healed by half.

Looking at the Heavenly Yin Malevolent Array overhead, Xiao Ran struck out with his palm. Golden light formed a circle and rapidly spread out in all directions.

Bang!

The Heavenly Yin Malevolent Array was instantly shattered and turned into a blast of explosive air that decimated the surrounding courtyard.

Little Zhou was woken up by the loud blast and scrambled to his feet.

Looking at the utterly ruined residence of the Great General, he was dumbfounded. "Brother Xiao, what's going on?"

Xiao Ran shrugged. "Don't ask me. I'm feeling just as confused as you."

Embarrassed, Little Zhou scratched the back of his head. "Is Lord Shen all right?"

"We'll know once we take a look."

Little Zhou helped the unconscious Shen Yiming up and checked his breathing. He was still alive, thank goodness!

"He's still breathing!" Little Zhou reported excitedly.

"If you aren't dead, why should I be?" Shen Yiming muttered as he came to his senses groggily.

"My Lord, you heard everything!"

"Of course!" Shen Yiming glared at him sternly.

He touched his chest. The manual for training troops 'Celestial Varg Guards' was still there. He felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his heart.

He looked around his surroundings.

"What's going on? Where's the Massacre Matchmaker?"

Little Zhou and Xiao Ran looked at each other, and then Little Zhou said, "The force that resulted when you two exchanged blows just now was too great. Brother Xiao and I were standing about a thousand feet away, but we were still knocked unconscious by the aftershock. When we regained consciousness, we were already in this state."

Shen Yiming was at a complete loss. He stared into the distance for a long time but still couldn't figure out what was going on.

Turning to look at Li Heng and the others, he asked, "Are they all dead?"

"We haven't checked."

"Go check on them."

Little Zhou rushed forward to check. Other than Li Heng, everyone else was dead.

"He's still breathing, but his injuries are very serious," reported Little Zhou.

"He was always going against us. Let's go and give him a few kicks." Shen Yiming was feeling particularly vindictive right now.

He was true to his word, giving the fallen Martial Emissary a few hard kicks to the face.

"Is this all right?" Little Zhou asked hesitantly.

Shen Yiming waved his hand dismissively. "There are only the three of us left. It would be a wasted chance not to kick him now. If anyone asks, I will take responsibility! I will push all the blame onto the Massacre Matchmaker."

"Brother Xiao, do we kick?"

"Yes," Xiao Ran answered with an affirmative kick too.

He followed up with another seven to eight more kicks, while Little Zhou kicked more than twenty times before stopping.

At this moment,

the Imperial Guards outside finally arrived.

The lieutenant looked concerned. "Are you all right, my Lords?"

"Look at me! Do I look all right?" Shen Yiming's face clouded over.

"I'll leave this place to you guys. As for him, have someone send him back to the Sacred Martial Bureau."

"Yes, my Lord," replied the lieutenant respectfully.

The trio then left the Great General's residence and rushed back to the Divine Sword Guards headquarters.

When they got there,

Shen Yiming left them in the outer courtyard and entered the inner courtyard alone.

Little Zhou blinked a few times. "Brother Xiao, where are we going?"

"Do you have a place to stay here?"

Little Zhou didn't know what to say. Soon, someone summoned the two of them inside.

Besides Shen Yiming, Qin Fangzhen was also present.

"You guys did well this time. Not only did you bring the murderer to justice, you even protected the training manual." Qin Fang Zhen said.

Shen Yiming shot them a look, signaling them to keep quiet.

"After we report this matter to His Majesty, your rewards will be disbursed in due course."

With that,

Qin Fangzhen dismissed them.

Once out of the room,

Little Zhou asked eagerly, "My Lord, what's going on?"

"Are you stupid?" Shen Yiming kicked him.

He lowered his voice and said in a hushed voice that only the three of them could hear, "The dead can't testify. Won't it be nice if the three of us share the credit?"

"Thank you for looking out for me, my Lord!" Little Zhou was overjoyed.

He showed them around the Divine Sword Guards compound and elucidated the rules and regulations.

Shen Yiming then arranged a separate courtyard dwelling for them. Although it was small, it was a standalone house.

"The implications of this matter are too great. I advise you all to stay here and not go out. You can return after the storm has passed."

After briefing them, he returned to his quarters to recuperate.

"Brother Xiao, are you going home?" Little Zhou asked.

"What about you?" Xiao Ran asked.

Little Zhou had been scared out of his wits. "Anyway, I'm not going back. As long as I stay here, even if someone tries to take revenge, they won't be able to barge in here."

"Look at how worthless you are." Xiao Ran rolled his eyes at him.

He left the Divine Sword Guards headquarters and headed back home in Jingwen Square.

Along the Northern Boulevard, at the Scholar Provisions Shop.

In the underground chamber,

a group of people wearing devil masks and clad in black robes sat at a long table.

Their name was 'Yama', and they were a notorious assassins organization that had once assassinated three Profound Realm experts.

As long as the price was right, they would eliminate the Emperor too.

The person sitting at the head of the table was called Malevolent Earth. He was in charge of Yama's capital city division.

"I just received news that the Massacre Matchmaker, that useless piece of trash, failed in her mission. The 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual fell into the hands of the Divine Sword Guards."

Bang!

The subordinate sitting on his left slammed his fist on the table and said angrily, "Is this b*tch a pig?"

"Even a pig isn't as stupid as she is. She spent over a month planning this and yet, she could still fail."

"If she's dead, what about the money we gave her previously?"

Malevolent Earth's expression darkened ominously. "Shut up!"

Everybody held their breath.

"Whoever wants the money, I'll send him down there to look for her."

His cold steely glare swept over everyone. Seeing that they had all lowered their heads, he continued, "At first, it was thought we had lost it for good. But there is still a way. Our informant has sent news that there were a total of four people present. The Sacred Martial Bureau's Li Heng, the Divine Sword Guards' Shen Yiming, Xiao Ran, and Little Zhou. One of them must have seen the 'Celestial Varg Guards'. What you need to do is reclaim it from their hands."

"Rest assured, my lord. We are not as useless as the Massacre Matchmaker. We will definitely bring back the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual in person."

Malevolent Earth nodded in satisfaction. "Go now!"

Back home,

Xiao Ran laid out the take-away food on the table. The Crimson Cetan emerged from his wrist and stood on the table. "I… can I eat together with you?"

Staring at it, Xiao Ran suddenly thought of something.

If the Empyrean Conflagration Holy Fire were to be fused with the Crimson Cetan Holy Fire, would its power increase?

"Sure," Xiao Ran said with a warm friendly smile.

Report chapter

Chapter 40: Why Are You Guys Here?

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

After finishing the meal,

the Crimson Cetan wanted to return to Xiao Ran's arm but was stopped.

"There's no hurry," Xiao Ran said.

"Is there anything else?"

With a flip of his hand, the Empyrean Conflagration Holy Fire appeared in his palm. He looked at the Crimson Cetan with a wide grin. "Spit out some of your Crimson Cetan Holy Fire."

The Crimson Cetan's expression froze. He was so shocked that he almost toppled over. "No! This is my elemental life flame. Once it's lost, my vital energy will also suffer."

"Well thought out." Xiao Ran nodded.

The destructive sword intent burst forth. As the formless sword energy converged, it took the form of a gigantic sword and hung menacingly behind the terrified demon.

A keen and sharp sword aura locked onto the hapless demon.

The Crimson Cetan walked up with a forced smile. "I haven't finished speaking! As long as you give me some time, the depleted vital energy can be restored."

There was no free lunch in this world.

He spewed out the Crimson Cetan Holy Fire and it fused it with the Empyrean Conflagration Holy Fire.

Previously, after the Empyrean Conflagration Holy Fire devoured the power of the Crimson Devil Sky Fire, its power doubled. Now that it had absorbed the Crimson Cetan Holy Fire, it had become even more powerful.

When the Crimson Cetan finally became weak and debilitated, Xiao Ran put away the Empyrean Conflagration Holy Fire.

"You're very sensible."

"As long as you are satisfied." Turning into a streak of red light, the Crimson Cetan hurriedly shot back into his wrist.

Xiao Ran then turned off the lights and went to sleep.

Late at night,

a group of uninvited guests appeared outside his courtyard.

The leader was called Green Dragnet, Malevolent Earth's right-hand woman.

"This is the place?" Green Dragnet asked incredulously.

"98 Jingwen Square. Yes, this is the right place," the subordinate replied.

"A mere dungeon guard, newly transferred into the Divine Sword Guards for less than three days, yet he could afford a house in the capital city's flourishing area. This guy has been quite greedy!" Green Dragnet's eyes burned with envy.

"After we take him down, you guys can search the place and take all the money."

She raised her right hand and was about to give the order to attack.

Light footsteps could be heard distinctly in the darkness.

When she saw who it was, Green Dragnet furrowed her brows in displeasure. "Why are you here?"

The newly arrived guy was of the same rank as her. "I went to investigate that guy, Little Zhou. He actually hid his ass in the Divine Sword Guards headquarters and didn't come out."

Two more groups of people emerged from the darkness as if they had discussed this beforehand.

Good Lord.

The Four Guardian Deities under Malevolent Earth's command had all arrived.

"Why are all of you here?" Green Dragnet glared at all of them with a cold steely gaze.

"You think I want to? Li Heng is half-dead and still lying deep inside the Sacred Martial Bureau."

"Shen Yiming is in the same condition as him. Although he is still alive, he is seriously injured this time. He is hiding in the Divine Sword Guards headquarters to recuperate."

Green Dragnet felt as if she had been screwed over.

After some discussion, they reached an agreement.

The four of them would share the reward for retrieving the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual equally.

They would also split all the money found inside the house equally.

They then entered the courtyard and rounded to the backyard.

Inside the room,

sensing the movement in the yard, Xiao Ran woke up from his deep sleep.

While he slept, his spiritual soul energy covered the entire dwelling compound. Not even the slightest movement could escape his auditory sense.

"So many people? Are they all here for me?"

He got off the bed and walked outside.

Outside the room,

Green Dragnet and the other three looked at each other and nodded. They gave the order for their men to take action.

Squeak!

Before their subordinates could rush in, the door opened and Xiao Ran walked out.

"Wow, it's quite lively! There are so many people here!"

"Eh! How did you notice?" Green Dragnet asked in shock.

"This is my home. If I don't even know when guests have arrived in my own home, I would have died many times by now," Xiao Ran said.

One Guardian Deity came forward and said impatiently, "Why are you talking so much nonsense with him? Take him down and make him spill the whereabouts of the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual."

Green Dragnet took a step forward, confident that they had the advantage here. "Are you going to hand over the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual voluntarily, or do you want us to help you recall?"

Xiao Ran expressed surprise. "The 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual is in Qin Fangzhen's hands. It should have been handed over to Emperor Sheng Wen by now. If you want it, you can go to the palace to get it."

The Four Guardian Deities' eyes blazed with anticipation.

Previously, they suspected that Xiao Ran wouldn't know anything about the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual.

Now there was no doubt that he definitely knew of its existence.

"Have you looked through the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual?" Green Dragnet asked again.

"It's quite interesting, but it's not worth mentioning. The Celestial Varg Guards that are nurtured using secret techniques can only wreak havoc at the Connate Realm level. They are not even advanced enough to deal with those at the Master Realm," Xiao Ran said.

"You've really read it?" Green Dragnet asked excitedly.

She had searched far and wide for it, now it was within her reach without the need to expend any effort.

"What do you know? Before the Celestial Varg Guards have established their organizational structure, they are indeed not scary. Once their numbers reach a certain level, they will have the ability to even take on a Grand Master," Green Dragnet explained imperiously.

"The price is too high." Xiao Ran shook his head.

"Are you going to hand it over or not?"

"What's your relationship with the Massacre Matchmaker?"

When she heard that,

Green Dragnet's face clouded over as she retorted scornfully, "She's just a piece of trash! She took our money but can't even do anything properly."

"Now I understand." Xiao Ran nodded.

"I'll ask you one last time. Are you going to hand it over or not?"

"I've already told you. The thing is with Emperor Sheng Wen. If you want it, you have to go to the palace."

Green Dragnet laughed out malevolently, "I'm giving you a chance, yet you refuse to take it!"

A group of subordinates rushed forward.

"I don't want to dirty my house," Xiao Ran said.

Green Dragnet and the other three were stunned. Without waiting for them to open their mouths, immense spiritual soul energy gushed out. In tandem with this Xiao Ran mobilized the Inescapable Heaven and Earth Web which covered the sky, trapping all of them in fell swoop.

He brought them out of the courtyard and dropped them down at an abandoned dilapidated courtyard.

His spiritual soul energy transformed into sharp blades that slashed them to death. Other than Green Dragnet, everyone else was killed, including the other three Guardian Deities.

Thump!

Green Dragnet knelt on the ground with prescient speed, "My Lord, I was wrong, please don't kill me!"

The Four Guardian Deities were all Level 1 Grand Masters. In front of this character, they could offer up no resistance at all. They were killed with simply a wave of his hands. He could even fly through the air with them in tow. This was something that only an ancient monster at the Earth Realm level could do.

"Who are you guys? Do you still have any accomplices in the capital city?" Xiao Ran asked.

"My name is Green Dragnet, and I am an assassin of the Yama group. I have come here on the orders of Lord Malevolent Earth to retrieve the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual." Green Dragnet spilled everything like pouring beans. She did not even need torture to reveal everything she knew.

Even the location of their rendezvous at the Northern Boulevard, the Scholar Provisions Shop, was mentioned.

"This middleman takes money but doesn't do her job. She even betrayed the privacy of her customers." Xiao Ran made a mental note of the address.

"My Lord, I've already told you everything I know. Can I leave now?"

"Let me send you on your way!"

"There's no need to trouble you, my Lord. I can do it myself." Green Dragnet jumped in fright.

"It's no trouble," Xiao Ran replied.

With a flick of his finger, the surrounding blades composed of spiritual soul energy instantly killed her.

The Golden Tome of Creation flipped open to a page and revealed the crimes of these people. It then displayed three items: one million Mastery Points, fifty years of Martial Arts evolution, and Basilisk's Touch (Heaven-rank Low-grade Spiritual Skill).

There were so many of them, and even the weakest among them was at the Connate Realm level. It was perfect when they were added together.

On the other hand, the 'Basilisk's Touch' was a very special skill.

Effect: Petrify the target and forcefully seal it.

It was very powerful indeed.

Report chapter


Read I Transmigrated As A Prison Guard And Suppressed The Princess Chapter 41 - Sword Intent Perfection online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 41: Sword Intent Perfection

He divided the one million Mastery points into two portions and added 900,000 to the Sword Intent. The remaining 100,000 went to the Basilisk's Touch.

After the attributes were refreshed,

Sword Intent: Genesis

Basilisk's Touch: Beginner's Level

His purifying spiritual force increased again, and his Martial Arts Evolution was 220 years away from breaking through.

"Yama Group on the Northern Boulevard?" Xiao Ran mused with narrowed eyes.

A gust of night wind blew and in a blink of an eye, there was no more sign of him.

At the Scholar Provisions Shop,

Malevolent Earth aroused himself from his meditation. Earlier on, his eyelid was twitching violently, as if something ominous was about to happen.

At his level of evolution, just as wind would naturally blow through an empty cave, everything happened for a reason.

"What's going on? Is someone planning to attack this place?" Malevolent Earth hazarded a guess.

Dismissing the unease with a shake of his head,

he rejected this idea. This stronghold was very well-hidden. Other than the higher-ups in the organization, no one else knew about it. Until now, he had been the one managing this place.

However his eyelid was still twitching, and it was getting worse.

After muttering to himself for a while,

Malevolent Earth made up his mind. "Just in case, it's better to get out of here first."

He had just emerged from the chamber and stepped out of the room,

when he spied an ugly woman standing outside the door. She was Hellfire Granny. She was also the employer who paid a big sum of money for this operation for them to take action and obtain the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual.

Now, she had found her way here.

Malevolent Earth's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "How did you manage to find this place?"

"I'd said this before. There's nothing I can't do if I want to," said Hellfire Granny in a hoarse voice.

"It's not a good idea to talk out here. Come inside and talk!" Malevolent Earth said.

Stepping aside, he waited for her to enter the room before closing the door.

In the living room,

Malevolent Earth poured a cup of tea and offered it to Hellfire Granny. She didn't accept it. "Don't worry. We may be assassins, but we have principles. We won't attack our employers, much less put poison in our tea."

Hellfire Granny replied in a scornful manner, "Do you think I'll believe you?"

He decided to change the subject.

Malevolent Earth said, "The 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual is already a done deal. Go back and wait for our news. I'll bring that thing to you tomorrow."

"A while back, you were not planning to make your escape, were you?"

Malevolent Earth was speechless. He had not even succeeded in leaving before he was stopped by his employer. He felt terribly embarrassed.

"Nonsense! I was just about to personally take action to retrieve the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual."

"I'll go with you."

"You don't trust me?"

Hellfire Granny looked at him with derision. "Are you Yama people trustworthy?"

"All right! I agree to your request." Malevolent Earth conceded.

After they left the room,

the two of them were about to leave and rush towards Xiao Ran's courtyard dwelling when a shadowy figure emerged from the darkness.

It was Xiao Ran.

"Where are the two of you going?"

"Is he with you?" Malevolent Earth regarded her with a look of displeasure.

Hellfire Granny was dumbfounded. "I didn't even know such a person existed."

Both their expressions changed at the same time. They took a step forward and in a whirlwind of raucous turbulence, re-appeared beside Xiao Ran, sealing off his escape route.

Malevolent Earth asked in an icy tone, "Who are you?"

"Aren't you looking for me?" Xiao Ran asked.

"Make yourself clear."

"Let me jog your memory then. Earlier on, a woman named Green Dragnet and three Grand Masters barged into my house with a group of people."

Malevolent Earth's face froze. "You're still alive and well, and you even found your way here. Are they all dead?"

"Yes." Xiao Ran nodded affirmatively.

"You're Xiao Ran! The information I have stated that you're only a Connate Realm Martial Arts Warrior! Could it be that they lied to me?"

"Who are they?"

"You don't need to know," Malevolent Earth retorted in an icy tone.

The eyes of Hellfire Granny lit up. "The 'Celestial Varg Guards' training manual is with him?"

"Previously, I was skeptical, but now I'm ninety percent sure he knows about this manual," Malevolent Earth said in a serious voice.

"Your people are all trash! You can't even handle such a small matter. And now I still have to take matters into my own hands. After this matter is over and done with, you have to refund me half of the payment." The enraged Hellfire Granny launched into a tirade.

She looked at Xiao Ran.

"Hand over the 'Celestial Varg Guards' training manual now!"

The overwhelming power of a Profound Realm Level 1 aura erupted without any warning.

Boom…

Violent tremors rippled through heaven and earth. Starting from the location of the Hellfire Granny, the night sky changed color. A huge aura emanated from her and enveloped the entire courtyard, blanketing the whole area and bearing down on all things in a cataclysmic heavenly power.

"Who would have thought that an insignificant 'Celestial Varg Guards' training manual could attract two Profound Realm experts. Looks like this matter has very big implications," Xiao Ran mused out loud.

He unleashed his Immense Righteous Energy in a sudden gush.

The righteous and saintly power blazed like a mid-day afternoon sun. It transformed into a huge beam of golden light, soaring into the clouds in a flash.

The chilling Yin aura that Hellfire Granny had directed towards him was instantly destroyed by the Immense Righteous Energy.

"W-Which academy are you from, you monster?" The facial expression of Hellfire Granny changed drastically.

Malevolent Earth appeared very ill at ease too. He retreated backwards furtively without alerting anyone.

Xiao Ran peered at him and said, "I did not say you can leave. You'd better stay where you are."

Malevolent Earth stopped in his tracks. Hellfire Granny became incensed and shouted angrily, "Don't you Yama guys have any shame?"

"Don't talk nonsense!" Malevolent Earth strenuously denied their accusation.

"Since we, the Yama Group, have accepted this commission, even if it is as difficult as ascending to heaven, we will complete it even at a huge cost to us."

"Stop talking such useless garbage and attack together! Take him down. We can't let him go back for reinforcements," said Hellfire Granny.

"All right!" The Malevolent Earth concurred with her suggestion.

Both Profound Realm Level 1 experts launched their attacks at the same time.

They all practiced demonic martial arts. Thick, dense demonic energy surged and billowed outwards, covering the sky and blocking out the sun. A terrifying force rose up.

As it stirred up the surrounding spiritual energy, heaven and earth underwent ominous changes.

"Netherworld Sword Technique!" Malevolent Earth roared out.

Utilizing 100% of his powers, a sword materialized in his hand. The sword energy condensed and solidified, turning the sword blade into a manifestation of the Netherworld. It was as if he was not holding a sword but a churning, roiling embodiment of the Netherworld. As the Netherworld manifestation seethed and swirled, it emanated a terrifying aura of death, and ruthlessly slashed towards Xiao Ran's neck.

Hellfire Granny was not far behind. If she held back under such circumstances, she would only end up dying faster.

"Heavenly Yin Netherflames!"

Endless Netherflames ignited from her body and shot skywards for hundreds of feet in a towering inferno. It converged into a set of huge flaming claws that charged at Xiao Ran in a wild grab for his head.

As the two of them launched their attacks, the surrounding buildings became collateral damage and were instantly destroyed by the force.

In the midst of the chaotic storm, Xiao Ran remained as calm as a millpond.

"Perfect! I can use you guys to test the power of the Sword Intent's Genesis level."

Swish!

Sword energy burst forth, far surpassing the earlier Immense Righteous Energy. As soon as it appeared, a sword domain formed within a thousand feet, imbued with dense sharp sword energy.

There were thousands of them, resembling a thick, dense horizontal forest comprising shafts of sword energy.

Every shaft of sword energy could easily annihilate a Grand Master.

Thousands of sword energy then fused into one, becoming an incredible force that eclipsed ancient times. It plunged down from the heavens and split into two, before slicing wildly through the atmosphere towards the two of them.

The Netherflames Giant Claw didn't even last a breath before it was completely destroyed by this supreme sword energy.

Hellfire Granny's face turned ashen-white instantly. "F*ck you, Malevolent Earth!"

Malevolent Earth fared even worse.

The Netherworld Sword Technique could not even unleash half of its power in front of the Sword Intent that had reached Genesis level. Its sword energy was destroyed as soon as the Sword Intent slashed over. When he heard her words, he became very indignant and rebutted her. "It's all because of you, you stupid pig! If not for you, I wouldn't have gotten into trouble with this old freak from some academy!"

The Sword Intent's energy plummeted down.

"No…"

As they stared in hopeless despair, the sword energy sliced them cleanly in half.

A terrifying abyss was left on the ground. The residual sword energy lingered for a long time.

Report chapter

Chapter 42: Heaven Devouring Rat

Ka-boom!

An earth-shattering explosion roared out. A thick and dense demonic aura gushed out from the thousand feet abyss on the ground and completely destroyed everything within a thousand feet radius.

A thousand-foot-long rat appeared on the ground. Its whole body was a greenish hue, and its head was especially big. There was a "Devour" character inscribed between its eyebrows.

As soon as it appeared,

the surging demonic aura billowed skywards and blanketed the atmosphere, corroding the vitality of all living beings.

Just as the lethal cloud was about to reach Xiao Ran, his Immense Righteous Energy rallied around and surrounded him in a protective shield, blocking all the demonic aura outside.

"Eh! How long have you been hiding down there?" Xiao Ran's eyes lit up with delight.

The Heaven Devouring Rat responded with a stony countenance. It had been evolving its skills and had reached a critical threshold. It was just one step away from breaking through to Level 3 of the Profound Realm, but all the hard work had been ruined by Xiao Ran and the others.

"I've been staying down there for nearly a hundred years."

"Why are you willing to come out now?" Xiao Ran's curiosity was piqued.

When he heard this question, the Heaven Devouring Rat became even more infuriated. It practically roared back, "I've already devoured all the underground Netherworld Aura. I was just one step away from advancing to the next level, but you guys ruined it all!"

"I can only say that you have really bad luck. You chose the wrong place."

"Hmph! I originally planned to swallow Malevolent Earth and the rest after achieving my breakthrough, but you had to kill them. Fortunately, your flesh contains boundless power. Eating you is an acceptable alternative. It will definitely make up for my losses." The Heaven Devouring Rat licked its lips in greedy anticipation.

Xiao Ran scratched his nose and asked, "Aren't you afraid of breaking your teeth?"

The Heaven Devouring Rat sneered. "I'm a Heaven Devouring Rat. I've even swallowed a part of the dragon energy of the previous emperor."

The rat's mouth suddenly stretched wide open. It continued stretching skywards until the mammoth mouth was nearly three thousand feet in size.

The devouring power erupted and a terrifying suction force was directed at Xiao Ran.

It was as if the ground was shaved off by an invisible blade. Everything within a few hundred feet radius was sucked into his stomach.

In the face of such a terrifying suction force, in a rare moment of urgency, Xiao Ran had to take his opponent seriously for once.

"Force of the Malevolent Dragon!"

He had already attained the level of Genesis for this skill. Invoking his Godfiend power, a massive evil dragon circulated in his body, and reinforced his body with the strength powerful enough to tear heaven and earth apart.

Rip-rip!

His clothes were torn to shreds, unable to withstand this immense force.

Tens of thousands of golden beams emanated from his body and pierced through the night sky, illuminating the area and dispelling all the demonic aura.

Pow!

With a stomp of his right foot, the ground crumbled away, turning into a gigantic sinkhole. In the next second, Xiao Ran dashed across.

As he completed the first step of his Traversing the Heavens in Twelve Steps skill, he arrived above the head of the Heaven Devouring Rat.

The overpowering suction force it released was rapidly neutralized by his evil dragon's might.

"How come you escaped unscathed?" The Heaven Devouring Rat became terrified.

"You rats are short-sighted," Xiao Ran replied scornfully.

His right fist smashed out, transforming into a Holy Dungeon that incarcerated him.

If it could tear heaven and earth apart, a mere demon was nothing by comparison.

The Holy Dungeon crushed down and took away every ounce of his life.

On the other hand, his corpse was left intact. The body of a Level 2 Profound Realm demon was still worth something.

It was Xiao Ran's intention all along to retain the body.

He put the corpse into his Seven Treasures Rainbow Jade Belt.

The ground suddenly exploded and cracked open for thousands of feet, forming a huge lake thousands of feet deep. Within moments, the lake was filled with water.

In the newly formed lake, residual Immense Righteous Energy, sword energy, and other forms of pure energy remained in the lake.

"Isn't this reaction a little over the top?" Xiao Ran stood there stupefied.

He withdrew the Force of the Malevolent Dragon. He could not stay here any longer and left quickly.

Not long after he left, two shadowy figures appeared, in a visible state of excitement.

They were Wen Fuxian and that Lord Amethyst Sword.

They had initially intended to ambush Priest Wu to recover the lost treasure, the Sun Painting. However, they bumped into the Sky Devil Sect Master and were severely injured by him.

Fortunately, Xiao Ran intervened and saved them.

When they came to their senses, they remained on the spot to recover and heal their bodies.

Much to their surprise, surrounded by the martial arts aura left behind by Xiao Ran, they advanced another step and individually achieved a breakthrough to another small realm.

They had barely stepped into the capital city when they detected the commotion here and had rushed over immediately.

Wen Fuxian sniffed hard and his aged eyes lit up. "This is the aura left behind by that senior."

The Lord Amethyst Sword nodded in agreement. "Other than this senior, who else can turn an area with a radius of 10,000 feet into such a deep lake that the bottom is not visible?"

They looked at each other for a moment.

In the next moment, they swiftly dashed across and leaped into the lake. They remained at the bottom of the lake to develop and evolve their skills .

The commotion here was so great that it even alarmed Emperor Sheng Wen.

He got up from his imperial bed in the middle of the night. After hearing the report, he immediately sent someone to investigate .

In addition to the personnel from the Imperial Palace, there were also representatives from the five major law-enforcement departments.

It was bad enough that such a big incident had happened right in the capital city. If it had been more violent, the impact could very well bring the imperial palace down. If they still didn't find out the details, once His Majesty blew his top, they would lose their jobs and be sent packing.

The respective heads of department sent personnel to check immediately.

Xia Luoran also received the news, since she too had returned to the capital city.

She secretly deployed her own power to get people to search for the whereabouts of that senior in the kingdom of Great Xia.

At the same time, she asked her subordinates to take note of all the Profound Realm experts and to report back to her immediately if they discovered any new faces among the Profound Realm experts.

She left the palace with two palace maids and rushed towards the incident site.

When everyone had arrived, Wen Fuxian and partner were yanked out from the depths of the lake.

"What are you doing? Can't you see that we're developing our skills?" Wen Fuxian flew into a rage on the spot.

Someone from the Imperial Palace asked, "What's going on here?"

He could blatantly ignore this request if it came from other people, but not if it came from someone from the Imperial Palace.

He recounted all that he had witnessed honestly.

After hearing about their fortuitous encounter, the representative from the Imperial Palace was stunned. "You were able to achieve breakthrough as well?"

Wen Fuxian did not want to talk anymore. He pulled Lord Amethyst Sword back to the bottom of the lake to continue developing their skills.

When the rest of the coterie saw them diving down, a group of big shots also decided to try it out for themselves and jumped into the lake to develop their skills.

In the end, even Xia Luoran and the two palace maids dived to the bottom of the lake as well.

The palace representative wanted to stay too, but he still had to go back and report to Emperor Sheng Wen. Reluctantly, he turned to leave with much regret.

Back home,

Xiao Ran sat on the bed with a puzzled look on his face. "How did Wen Fuxian and the others get here so quickly?"

Dismissing the incident with a shake of his head,

he focused his attention on the Golden Tome of Creation.

Three Profound Realm experts, two at Level 1 and one at Level 2. This was a bountiful harvest.

The book flipped open to three pages and all the rewards were added together. There were five items displayed: 3,000,000 Mastery points, 240 years of Martial Arts Evolution, 300 years of soul evolution, the Cosmic Precious Dragon Stone and the Vitality Restoring Fruit.

What an unexpected bonus!

He added all the 3 million Mastery points to the Nine Heavens Evil Spirit Purification Skill.

After the attributes were refreshed,

Nine Heavens Evil Spirit Purification Skill: Dominating Refinement

Purifying spiritual force increased by five times.

Even his physique had advanced another step, and it was now comparable to Level 2 of the Grand Master Realm.

In terms of Martial Arts Evolution, he was only 380 years away from breaking through to Level 3 of the Profound Realm.

His Spiritual Master Evolution achieved a breakthrough to Level 3 of the Earth Realm in one shot and was now on par with his Martial Arts Evolution.

He took out the Cosmic Precious Dragon Stone and removed the Seven Treasures Rainbow Jade Belt from his waist.

He then put the two items together.

A resplendent seven-colored light flared out. After it had completed fusing with the Cosmic Precious Dragon Stone, the belt had expanded its capacity to 500 cubic meters.

Then, he took out the Vitality Restoring Fruit, brimming with rich life force.

One Vitality Restoring Fruit could increase one's lifespan by 300 years.

He ate it, savoring the good texture and sweet flavor. When he was done, his lifespan had also increased by three hundred years.

"It's so much faster to reap rewards at the level of Profound Realm." Xiao Ran mused out loud.

Elsewhere,

somewhere in the luxurious Imperial Palace,

a young man sat at the head of the table. After hearing his subordinate's report, he was so incensed that he smashed a vase worth 200,000 taels of silver into smithereens. "After planning for so long, even the old general was killed in the process! But in the end, she ruined it all!"

An old man stroked his beard and ruminated, "There's more than one way to get the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual."

Report chapter

Chapter 43: Yin Incubation Institute

It was now dawn.

When Xiao Ran arrived at the Divine Sword Guards headquarters, the rewards from the higher-ups had already arrived. Everyone received 10,000 taels of silver and a Earth-rank Low-grade Healing Pill.

At Little Zhou's beseeching, Shen Yiming taught him an Earth-rank Middle-grade skill technique.

He'd been scared out of his wits during this period of time. What if one day his "Playing Dead Great Technique" didn't work?

If he was casually killed by a powerful enemy, he wouldn't even know what hit him.

In order to boost the means of preserving his own life, he quickly shoved the 10,000 taels of silver that he had just obtained into his robe.

"Brother Xiao, are you still going to the Celestial Dungeon?" While they were still in the courtyard, Little Zhou asked.

"I have some private matters to settle. I'll go to the Celestial Dungeon after I'm done," Xiao Ran said.

"I won't accompany you then. I'll try to master this Fleeing Cataglyphis Technique in the shortest time possible."

"All the best!" Xiao Ran gave him some words of encouragement.

He left the Divine Sword Guards headquarters and walked towards the Mendacious Brokerage.

This brokerage had no professional ethics. They had sold his private information and almost caused a disaster.

When he arrived there,

he bumped into an acquaintance, Old Bai, the dungeon guard colleague who had been transferred to the county office.

"Brother Xiao, why are you here?" Old Bai was surprised to see him.

As he stood looking at Mendacious Brokerage, a dozen or so constables had sealed the place off and martial law had been imposed. A strong smell of blood wafted outwards from inside. The coroners were seen carrying corpses out.

"What's going on?" Xiao Ran asked.

"This morning, someone reported that a total of 32 people from the Mendacious Brokerage were killed. The county magistrate was furious and issued an inviolable order to hunt down the murderer."

"Did they offend anyone?"

Old Bai lowered his voice. "He died a terrible death! His throat was slit with a sword. From the coroner's assessment, he died around midnight last night."

"Oh." Xiao Ran was able to piece together the whole picture.

Yama's men found the Mendacious Brokerage and extracted information about himself from them.

Thereafter they silenced them.

"By the way, Brother Xiao, why are you here?"

"I happened to pass by," Xiao Ran said.

"Have you had breakfast?" Old Bai asked.

Xiao Ran shook his head in reply.

"I've already settled everything here. Come! Let's go have breakfast," Old Bai invited him.

A short while later,

the two of them sat in a breakfast shop, ordered some items and began eating.

"Brother Xiao, have you heard? The people from the Yin Incubation Institute have already arrived in the capital. They're going to the palace to meet His Majesty later," Old Bai said.

"I wasn't paying attention to this news."

"The county office is better informed, so it's not surprising that you haven't heard," Old Bai said.

"They're from the kingdom of Great Zhou and are one of the Four Great Institutes of Great Zhou. They are reputedly very powerful. On the surface, they're here to exchange knowledge, but in reality, they're probably showing off their strength. I wonder if the Dragon Lake Institute can stand up to them?"

"It has nothing to do with us. Don't go digging around things that we have no right to know," Xiao Ran reminded.

"I understand!" Old Bai nodded in acknowledgment.

"Brother Xiao, the four of us are free this weekend. Why don't we get together? I heard that the Drunken Immortals Court has been rebuilt and is even more luxurious than before. They have recently brought in a batch of 'new goods'."

"We'll see!" Xiao Ran said.

After their meal, Old Bai insisted on footing the bill.

The two then went their separate ways.

When Xiao Ran reached the Celestial Dungeon, the whole place was a busy hive of activities.

Upon seeing him, the lieutenant's eyes lit up and he quickly walked over. "Are you settling in well at the Divine Sword Guards?"

"Not bad." Xiao Ran replied with a smile.

"I've already heard about you guys' work there. Well done! You didn't bring disgrace to our Celestial Dungeon."

He pointed to a demon beside him. His shoulder bones were sealed, and his body was bound with chains forged from 10,000-year-old Mystic Iron. However, it still could not stop the innate fiery flames burning on his body.

The lieutenant was caught in a predicament. "Fortunately, you came. Otherwise, I really wouldn't know what to do with this demon."

"This is?" Xiao Ran looked at the demon with a puzzled expression.

"A half-step Profound Realm demon. He's too unlucky. He had just finished eating a whole village and bumped into Deputy Sword Master Qin."

"…" Xiao Ran didn't know what to say.

"Lock him in the Purgatory, remove his demon core, and leave him to fend for himself," the lieutenant instructed.

"All right." Xiao Ran walked over and stopped in front of the demon.

It was a Blazing Sun Fire Crow, and its wings were already severed.

When Xiao Ran approached it, it spat out a jet of flames without warning.

"How stubborn!" Xiao Ran responded with a snort.

He made a grab for the flames and slammed them into its chest with enough force to send it flying.

He stopped beside its fallen body with the torture device and took out its demon core .

"No…" The Blazing Sun Fire Crow screamed desperately.

Without its demon core, the innate flames on its body vanished.

"Catch." Xiao Ran tossed the demon core to the lieutenant.

"Just… just like that?" The lieutenant was dumbfounded.

"I had plenty of practice."

He grabbed the 10,000-year-old Mystic Iron chains and dragged the demon's body towards the Purgatory.

"No wonder the higher-ups transferred him out but still retained him to take charge of the Purgatory. With good reasons too." The lieutenant mused to himself.

When Xiao Ran reached the Purgatory,

he locked it up in cell number 108. Here the Purgatory Netherflames and foul Yin atmosphere here were especially heavy. Without its demon core, the torment he suffered would double.

In less than a month, he would die, as repentance for all his sins.

The Golden Tome of Creation flipped to a random page and displayed two items: 800,000 Mastery points, Finishing Touch Sacred Brush (Numinous Treasure).

"That's odd! All these rewards are comparable to a Profound Realm demon." Xiao Ran noted with suspicion.

He stood looking at the demon. The surrounding Purgatory Netherflames and foul Yin atmosphere engulfed him, but it never once screamed.

In fact, its expression didn't even change.

His doubts grew stronger!

Something was definitely fishy about it. This demon was probably not as simple as it seemed outwardly.

"Spiritual Clarity Eye." Xiao Ran invoked his special eyesight ability.

His eyes flickered with golden light. Hidden in the demon's heart was a fiery red bead that emitted the aura of a Numinous Treasure.

He sensed a powerful spiritual energy fluctuating in there. It had already reached Level 1 of the Earth Realm.

"So that's what was going on. Looks like it has already been possessed by a great demon." Realization dawned on Xiao Ran.

He then retracted his Spiritual Clarity Eye.

With a sudden violent grab, a burst of golden light appeared in his palm, and a huge suction force enveloped the fiery red bead in the demon's body.

Bang!

The demon's chest exploded and the bead flew out towards Xiao Ran's hand.

At this moment,

an overpowering spiritual soul energy rushed out of the bead in a valiant attempt to resist this suction force.

"Come here, you!" Xiao Ran barked out loud.

The suction force doubled as he grabbed the bead firmly. He invoked his Immense Righteous Energy and directed it into the bead through his palm and forcefully suppressed the spiritual soul energy inside.

The serpent demon was paralyzed with shock as he stared at the overwhelming Immense Righteous Energy blanketing the whole area.

With the entire space locked down, he didn't even have a place to hide.

Besides,

Immense Righteous Energy was the nemesis of all demons. On top of that, this wave was so dense and powerful.

"Who the hell are you?" The serpent demon hissed out angrily.

He frantically circulated his spiritual soul energy to resist this overpowering Immense Righteous Energy.

His efforts were akin to a mantis trying to stop a chariot. In other words, totally futile.

In less than three seconds, he was captured by the Immense Righteous Energy and forcefully pulled out of the bead.

The serpent demon struggled madly, trying to escape.

All his efforts were in vain.

"Behave yourself," Xiao Ran cautioned him.

He channeled massive force into his arm and then violently smashed the demon onto the floor. The cell shook with a thunderous boom.

"Heavenly Slave Divine Finger."

He shot out ten fingers in rapid succession, all of which landed on the serpent demon.

The serpent demon stopped trying to escape. Instead, it now writhed and rolled on the ground in excruciating pain.

Xiao Ran watched calmly. He would let him enjoy the pain for a while before continuing with the interrogation.

Report chapter

Chapter 44: Challenging the Institutes

The serpent demon's willpower was very strong. As expected from a Spiritual Master which had reached Level 1 Earth Realm, it was still refusing to budge after enduring almost 15 minutes of torment despite being hit by ten shots of Heavenly Slave Divine Finger.

"Once more," Xiao Ran prepared to strike again.

Another ten shots of Heavenly Slave Divine Finger hit the serpent demon.

"You've gone too far!" The serpent demon roared in rage.

Enduring the gut-wrenching searing pain from his soul getting torn to shreds, the serpent demon dashed towards Xiao Ran in ruthless desperation.

The moment he moved, Xiao Ran immediately punched him back.

It sent him flying and he crashed violently into the Celestial Dungeon enclosure.

The ensuing thunderous commotion made the nearby demons so terrified that they trembled in fear.

All of them looked towards the source of the noise in trepidation. At the same time, they wondered silently what on earth was happening over there.

"Looks like it's still not enough."

He added 300,000 Mastery points to the Heavenly Slave Divine Finger and the remaining 500,000 to the Sanctifying Righteous Treasure Tome.

After the attributes were refreshed,

Heavenly Slave Divine Finger: Minor Achievement

Sanctifying Righteous Treasure Tome: Minor Achievement

The former had become twice as powerful, while the Immense Righteous Energy had, likewise, doubled in its power.

In terms of Immense Righteous Energy, Xiao Ran had already advanced to a terrifying level.

With a tap of his finger, he sent another ten shots of finger force over.

There were a total of thirty shots. No matter how strong the serpent demon was, it could no longer withstand such an onslaught. It crawled to a spot in front of Xiao Ran and begged, "Sir, please spare me…"

Xiao Ran was unmoved. He stepped on him and pressed him to the ground.

Seven or eight minutes later,

Xiao Ran gestured with his hands and sent a beam of golden light into the serpent demon's body, temporarily relieving his pain. He asked in an icy tone, "Why did you sneak into the Celestial Dungeon?"

'Sir, this is a misunderstanding!' The serpent demon protested.

"I had just possessed this Blazing Sun Fire Crow when he bumped into your people. Thereafter, he was arrested and imprisoned in the Celestial Dungeon."

"You really don't know what's good for you." Xiao Ran gave him a vicious kick that sent him flying.

The walls shook again and the serpent demon slid down the wall and collapsed onto the floor.

"Spirit Shifting Soul Control!"

Just as the spiritual soul energy entered the demon's mind, it was blocked by a layer of restrictions.

Xiao Ran gave a scornful snort and manipulated his spiritual soul energy to break the layer of restriction.

Bang!

The serpent demon's head burst open in an explosion. It was as dead as a dodo.

"So you have activated a Forbidden Spirit Technique to protect your soul," Xiao Ran said thoughtfully.

It was a very special spiritual skill that specifically protected the core secrets. Once an external force tried to infiltrate the soul, it would be destroyed, as was amply demonstrated earlier.

He looked at the fiery red bead in his hand. It nourished the soul and was a pretty good treasure.

He put it into the Seven Treasures Rainbow Jade Belt and then he took out the Finishing Touch Sacred Brush.

As emerald light swirled and danced around the brush, it exuded a rich and dense wave of spiritual energy.

When it was used for drawing or creating inscriptions on talismans and other usages, the created object's effect was doubled.

He put it away and left the cell.

When the demons nearby saw him come out, they quickly lowered their heads and averted their gazes, afraid that they would become his next target.

When he came to the Deluge Dragon's cell,

sensing the all-too-familiar aura, the Deluge Dragon pretended to be asleep. "I did not see anything. I don't know anything."

There was a clinking metallic sound.

Xiao Ran opened the cell door and walked in. Seeing that his eyes were tightly closed but his body was trembling badly and seemed especially nervous, he kicked him in irritation. "Don't pretend to be sleeping."

The Deluge Dragon did not move and continued to play dead.

He took out the corpse of the Heaven Devouring Rat and tossed it in front of him.

The huge corpse landed on the ground with a big crash, causing the ground to shake violently. The thick demonic aura surged outwards. In the eyes of the Deluge Dragon, it was something of great nutritional value.

He couldn't help taking a sniff with the tip of his nose. He furtively opened his eyes and looked at the Heaven Devouring Rat on the ground. His heart burned with fervor as he swallowed hard to contain his hunger.

"It's not that I'm spineless. He is giving me too much." The Deluge Dragon thought silently.

The Deluge Dragon asked, "Is it for me?"

"You are not pretending to sleep anymore?" Xiao Ran asked in a mocking tone.

"I was really sound asleep earlier."

Nonetheless, it opened its mouth wide and swallowed the huge rat corpse in one gulp.

If a demon at Level 2 of the Profound Realm died, its remaining demonic power was still very strong. After digesting it, the Deluge Dragon's evolution level increased by one step and reached Level 2 of the Profound Realm.

Licking his lips, he still wasn't satisfied and asked, "Anymore?"

"What do you think?" Xiao Ran asked in reply.

The Deluge Dragon then obediently extended his right limb and closed his eyes. "Can you be more gentle?"

With a swipe of his finger, Xiao Ran cut the extended wrist and held up the jade bottle to collect the dragon blood. This time he was able to fill five bottles before he weakened.

He put away the jade bottles and left.

The Deluge Dragon's eyes rolled in resignation. "This seems to be quite a good arrangement. There's no need to fight and kill, and my evolution level has advanced very quickly."

Shocked by his own thoughts, he shook his head violently to banish them.

"I must break out of this dungeon!"

At the Eldest Princess's cell,

Xiao Ran stopped and found that she was in the midst of eating white lotus cake. He opened the cell door and walked in.

He sat opposite her, picked up a piece of the white lotus cake and started eating.

"Aren't the Divine Sword Guards busy?" The Eldest Princess asked.

"We're busy!"

"Then why did you still come here?"

"I have been entrusted with two jobs. I can't leave the Purgatory unattended." Xiao Ran said.

He took a sip of tea before continuing.

"The Celestial Dungeon hasn't been peaceful recently. Something big may happen soon. Be careful."

"What do you know?" The Eldest Princess asked.

Xiao Ran recounted the incident of the serpent demon.

"The people from the Yin Incubation Institute are here. The higher-ups are all focused on them and won't pay attention to this place." The Eldest Princess shook her head in resignation.

"You're rather well informed."

After they had finished the white lotus cake,

Xiao Ran locked the door and left.

Back at the antechamber on the first floor,

he briefly told the lieutenant about the serpent demon's attempted break-in to alert him, as a precautionary measure. The lieutenant did not seem to put much attention to his warning.

Since Xiao Ran had already done his duty by alerting him, if he chose not to believe it, there was nothing else he could do.

He left the Celestial Dungeon and walked towards the Divine Sword Guards headquarters.

Elsewhere,

in a remote courtyard dwelling somewhere in the north of the city, the Three-Headed Wyrm sat on the bed and meditated. The door opened and a bear demon rushed in.

"Something terrible has happened. The Serpent King is dead!" The bear demon reported anxiously.

"He's a Level 1 Earth Realm demon. How could those two pieces of trash guarding the Celestial Dungeon have discovered him?" The Three-Headed Wyrm asked in utter disbelief.

The bear demon shook his head as well. "I don't believe it either. But just now, the Elemental Jade Tablet that the Serpent King left with me shattered."

The Three-Headed Wyrm grew alarmed. "Could it be that there are still Profound Realm experts hidden in the Celestial Dungeon without our knowledge?"

"Have you asked anyone to investigate this matter?"

"We have completed our investigation. Everything looks normal. The uncovered information matches what we have received previously." The bear demon reported.

The Three-Headed Wyrm's gaze turned sinister and malevolent. Its malicious aura leaked out, making the bear demon tremble in fear. It quickly circulated its own demonic energy to disperse this malicious aura and asked tentatively, "Are we still going to continue with our plan?"

"Hmph!" the Three-Headed Wyrm snorted disdainfully.

"After paying such a huge price, how can I give up halfway? As long as I obtain the dragon aura in her body, I can advance another step forward and finally become a True Dragon. At that time, I'll wait for an opportunity to devour the Great Xia's dragon aura. Once I succeed, what can a mere Great Viridian Mountain do to me? The entire world will have to bow down at my feet."

He looked at the bear demon.

"Has the Yin Incubation Institute commenced their challenge?"

The bear demon nodded affirmatively. "They've already challenged the institutes. As of this morning, the Scholastic Incubation Institute had lost all three matches. There are still three matches in the afternoon. They won't be able to stop the Yin Incubation Institute."

"That's good! When they wipe out the Four Great Institutes of Great Xia, all the attention in the capital city will be focused on them. At that point, it will be time for us to make our move." The Three-Headed Wyrm said in an icy tone.

"How about your promise to me?"

"As long as I succeed, I will definitely help you regain control of the Great Viridian Mountain Bear Tribe." The Three-Headed Wyrm told him reassuringly.

Report chapter

Chapter 45: Absorbing Immense Righteous Energy

In the small courtyard of the Divine Sword Guards headquarters,

Little Zhou stopped and wiped the sweat off his forehead before complaining, "Brother Xiao, you came at the right time. This Fleeing Cataglyphis Technique is simply too difficult to master!"

"No pain, no gain." Xiao Ran said with a smile.

"Is there a shortcut, the kind that allows one to quickly master a skill?"

Xiao Ran shook his head in reply.

Little Zhou became dejected, and his expression instantly clouded over.

Patting his shoulder encouragingly, Xiao Ran comforted him, "Your talent is not bad at all. You have been practicing for such a short time, but you've already made it to Minor Achievement level in your Fleeing Cataglyphis Technique. Continue to train hard. When you have evolved your skill to the Genesis level, even a Grand Master Realm Warrior won't be able to catch you."

Little Zhou's eyes lit up and he said excitedly, "Brother Xiao, you're right. As long as I run fast enough, they can't do anything to me."

"…" Xiao Ran did not know what to say.

As he stood there in stupefied silence, Little Zhou continued.

"Have you dealt with the matter at the Celestial Dungeon?"

"It's nothing serious. AIl I did was clock in, send some food to the Eldest Princess and at the same time, dealt with some demon." Xiao Ran said.

Little Zhou stood up from the ground. "Do you have anything else this afternoon?"

"You have plans?"

"Let's go to the Scholastic Incubation Institute to watch the show! The Yin Incubation Institute challenged the institutes and won three matches in the morning. If they win in the afternoon, our Great Xia kingdom will be completely humiliated."

"All right," Xiao Ran decided to tag along.

Little Zhou quickly entered the staff quarters and changed his clothes before returning.

Both of them left the Divine Sword Guards headquarters and quickly made their way down to the Scholastic Incubation Institute.

There were a total of Four Great Institutes in the Great Xia kingdom. They were namely the Dragon Lake Institute, Scholastic Incubation Institute, Dark Helianthus Institute, and Lunar Reflection Institute.

Their strengths were more or less on par with one another, with nothing much to set them apart.

In the early afternoon,

after the Yin Incubation Institute had presented themselves before Emperor Sheng Wen, they started their challenge to the Scholastic Incubation Institute.

Their immense clout and might was proudly put on public display without any attempt to conceal.

It attracted almost everyone's attention in the capital city.

When Xiao Ran and Little Zhou arrived, the square was filled with people from all walks of life.

"We can't squeeze in anymore. Brother Xiao, let's go up!" Little Zhou pointed at the roof.

There were quite a few people standing there.

"Let's go," Xiao Ran said.

The two of them chose a spot nearer to the challenge arena and stood on the roof, watching the competition below.

The first match had just begun.

Two young men walked out from the back of the arena. They launched their attacks as soon as they saw each other. They deployed their Immense Righteous Energy in tandem with their martial arts techniques, and fought very fiercely.

Xiao Ran frowned a little. Just as the two of them commenced fighting, wisps of Immense Righteous Energy entered his body and were absorbed by the Sanctifying Righteous Treasure Tome that was circulating in the background.

"What's going on?"

Confused, he immediately activated his Spiritual Clarity Eye to check.

The people from Yin Incubation Institute were unaffected. The student from the Scholastic Incubation Institute, however, would lose a bit of Immense Righteous Energy every time he deployed it. The amount lost could be seen wafting towards a certain direction in the crowd.

With the interruption by Xiao Ran's Sanctifying Righteous Treasure Tome, the Immense Righteous Energy split into two streams, with one flowing towards him.

Not only that,

even the powerful Immense Righteous Energy that the scholars of the Scholastic Incubation Institute had accumulated over the years inexplicably surged into the crowd.

He cast his eyes over the crowd.

In the midst of the crowd,

a middle-aged man with an ordinary face stood as still as a stake.

The Immense Righteous Energy surrounding him surged into his arms and was absorbed by a bead.

Xiao Ran could detect a Daoist aura emanating from him.

"Is this an accident or premeditated?" Xiao Ran wondered in silence.

"Is anything wrong, Brother Xiao?" Little Zhou turned to ask him.

"Nothing's wrong." Xiao Ran replied with a shake of his head.

He withdrew the Spiritual Clarity Eye and then activated the full strength of the Sanctifying Righteous Treasure Tome to snatch the Immense Righteous Energy from the perpetrator.

The Immense Righteous Energy that was originally surging towards the other party was promptly intercepted by Xiao Ran and absorbed by the Sanctifying Righteous Treasure Tome.

The sudden turn in events gave the middle-aged man a shock.

"What's going on? Where's the Immense Righteous Energy?"

He looked around, searching for the cause of the change, but could not detect anything.

"Dual-pupils!" The middle-aged man activated his skill.

His eyes turned very bright and he could see the Immense Righteous Energy clearly in front of him. Following the direction the stream was wafting to, he soon found Xiao Ran, who was watching the competition from the roof.

Xiao Ran had been watching him closely and was not surprised to see him using a eyesight-type of Dao technique to locate him.

He gave him a glance before turning his attention back to the competition.

The middle-aged man was confused and puzzled. "That's strange! This person clearly doesn't display any signs of fluctuations of numinous treasures in use. How can he still absorb Immense Righteous Energy? He can even snatch it away from my Source Consuming Pearl?"

As he thought long and hard,

he finally thought of one possibility.

"Could it be that he has some special physique, or the skills that he possessed have evolved to very powerful levels?"

At the thought of this,

the middle-aged man sneered and made a mental note of Xiao Ran. "So you want to devour the Immense Righteous Energy? I'll let you absorb all you want first. After that, I'll dig out all your secrets when we leave this place.'

The three matches ended quickly.

Scholastic Incubation Institute lost all six matches in one day. Not a single victory.

With a stony countenance, the principal handed a treasure to the representatives from the Yin Incubation Institute and left in huff.

"Are the people from the Scholastic Incubation Institute all trash? In six battles, they did not win a single one. If they had sent a dog into the arena, it would have been more powerful than them." Little Zhou lashed out at the losers in anger.

"Why don't you give it a go then?" Xiao Ran prodded him in a teasing fashion.

"Brother Xiao, are you indirectly calling me a dog?"

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are!"

After leaving the Scholastic Incubation Institute, Xiao Ran stopped in his tracks. He detected that an aura had locked onto him and that someone was following him.

It seemed to be coming from that middle-aged Daoist priest.

"You go back first. Don't step outside for the time being," Xiao Ran gave a solemn reminder.

"What about you?" Little Zhou asked.

"Why are you asking so many questions?" Xiao Ran gave him a kick in annoyance.

"Do be careful, Brother Xiao." Little Zhou obediently went back.

Xiao Ran walked briskly in the direction of the Divine Sword Guards headquarters.

He then abruptly changed direction and headed into a deserted back alley.

Around the corner,

the middle-aged Daoist priest emerged from the shadows and looked at Xiao Ran's back in a sinister fashion. "Let me see what secrets you're hiding on your body!"

A quarter of an hour later,

at the end of the alley, the middle-aged Daoist priest emerged out of nowhere and stood in front of Xiao Ran.

A wicked smile spread across his face as he threatened. "Hand over that item you are holding."

"What item?" Xiao Ran asked.

"Hmph!" The middle-aged Daoist priest gave a scornful snort.

"Do you really think you can hide it from me? Previously, at the Scholastic Incubation Institute, you stole the Immense Righteous Energy from me."

"What's your relationship with them?"

"Do you think I'll tell you?" The middle-aged Daoist priest replied disdainfully.

Xiao Ran shook his head. "I believe you will."

"Who gave you that confidence?" The middle-aged Daoist priest shouted out and came charging straight at him.

With a single step that reduced a large expanse of the ground to inches, he re-appeared in front of Xiao Ran. A supreme green light swirled around and as he stretched out his claw-like hands, a powerful force swept out and clamped onto Xiao Ran's neck.

"I gave myself," Xiao Ran said.

He met his grasping palm with a lightning kick from his leg.

It was too fast, several times faster than he was. The explosive force of that kick sent him flying backwards.

It left a thousand-foot drag mark on the ground before the Daoist priest came to a stop.

Before he could get up, Xiao Ran attacked again and stomped on his dantian.

"Ah…" The middle-aged Daoist priest screamed in anguish and fainted from the unbearable pain.

With a wave of his right hand, he retrieved the Source Consuming Pearl from his chest.

The green light swirled around it, seeming to imply that it contained a special power. The pearl stored a tremendous amount of Immense Righteous Energy.

Putting away the Source Consuming Pearl, Xiao Ran unleashed three consecutive shots of Heavenly Slave Divine Finger on the fallen figure.

Report chapter

Chapter 46: Creature Creation

It was as if there were countless sharp blades cutting the flesh off his body and roasting it on a raging fire. The pain seeped into his soul and he was forced wide awake from his unconscious state by sheer pain.

"Stop now…" The middle-aged Daoist priest begged.

He rolled around on the ground desperately and grabbed at his body wildly.

His robe became torn, and his flesh became mutilated and bloody.

Within moments, he was completely covered in blood.

Xiao Ran relented and looked at him with an icy cold expression. "So you are willing to talk now?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"What's with this bead?"

The middle-aged Daoist priest hesitated for a moment before saying, "It's called the Source Consuming Pearl. If chance permits, it can devour ten thousand wisps of energy with just one swallow of a wisp of Divine Origin Propagating Energy."

"You're not being honest." Xiao Ran gave a condescending snort.

The Heavenly Slave Divine Finger was activated again, and three more shots hit him.

He was in so much pain that he begged and begged for mercy.

After several minutes,

Xiao Ran relented and temporarily relieved the pain. "Are you still going to be stubborn?"

The middle-aged Daoist priest was scared sh*tless by now. He did not want to experience that torment again, and so he was much more honest than before.

"I'm not lying to you. It can indeed devour ten thousand wisps of energy, but it can only be used once. There's also a fatal flaw. It can't absorb a second type of energy. When it reaches the upper limit of what it can withstand, it will destroy itself."

"What's your relationship with the Yin Incubation Institute?" Xiao Ran continued to ask.

"I'm from the Supreme Pure Temple and I don't know them. This attack was purely an accident."

"At this point you're still being dishonest." Xiao Ran lost his patience completely.

"Wait! I'm really not lying to you."

Xiao Ran rebutted scornfully, "You used the Source Consuming Pearl to absorb the Immense Righteous Energy of the Scholastic Incubation Institute, but the Yin Incubation Institute remained unscathed."

The middle-aged Daoist priest's pupils constricted in terror for the first time.

"Y-you know special eye techniques?"

With a wave of his right hand, Xiao Ran sent four more shots of Heavenly Slave Divine Finger on his body.

This time, he simply watched indifferently on one side for a full quarter of an hour before he relieved the torture.

At this point, the middle-aged Daoist priest was practically on his last breath. He wanted to die but wasn't able to.

"Don't continue to test my patience," Xiao Ran warned him ominously.

"Yama's men found me and made me a firm promise that I can absorb the Immense Righteous Energy of the Four Great Institutes with the Source Consuming Pearl. I don't know anything else."

"Yama?"

"Yes." The middle-aged Daoist priest nodded.

"Wasn't their branch in the capital city destroyed?"

"I'm not sure about the details. The person who came to me is a Profound Realm expert."

Seeing Xiao Ran deep in thought, the middle-aged Daoist priest begged him one last time, "Give me a quick death."

With the clap of a single palm, he finished off the priest.

The Golden Tome of Creation flipped open to a random page and displayed two items: 500,000 Mastery points and 50 years of Martial Arts Evolution.

"Only this much for a Level 10 Grand Master Realm?" Xiao Ran was surprised at the meager offerings.

He added the 500,000 Mastery points to the Phoenix Essence Sword Technique.

After the attributes were refreshed,

Phoenix Essence Sword Technique: Genesis

With the increase in purifying spiritual force, he was only 330 years away from advancing his martial arts by another step.

"So the Yin Incubation Institute is colluding with the Yama group. Why did they come to Great Xia this time?" Xiao Ran puzzled over this information.

On the way back,

Xiao Ran brushed past a woman and his gaze was attracted by the rabbit in her arms.

"Wait a minute! Why is this rabbit exuding Immense Righteous Energy?"

As he focused on her back profile, he activated his Spiritual Clarity Eye.

Billowing demonic aura surged and condensed into an illusion of a huge silver wolf.

The Immense Righteous Energy manifested itself, and there was a figure inside. However, it was suppressed by the demonic aura.

Sensing Xiao Ran's probing gaze, the silver wolf illusion emitted a loud roar that charged towards him.

Before the sound wave could reach Xiao Ran, it was destroyed by the protective shield of golden light surrounding his body.

Sensing something amiss, the woman turned around and sized up Xiao Ran with her beautiful eyes. "Oh my, you're so fierce!"

With a laughter that resembled tinkling bells, she sped away.

"Illusion Technique?" Xiao Ran ruminated silently.

He swiftly went in hot pursuit in a certain direction.

After leaving the capital city, she came to a stop more than 30 miles to the east.

The demonic aura manifested and condensed into a figure, gradually showing the form of that woman again.

"May I ask who you are? Why are you following me?" The woman asked with a stony countenance.

"Give me the rabbit," Xiao Ran said.

"You can tell?" The woman asked with a frown.

"What do you think?"

The woman lifted the rabbit up by holding it by the neck, but in reality her hand was clamped tightly around it. She licked her lips seductively. "If you want it, come get it yourself."

As she finished speaking,

she threw the rabbit into the air and reverted to her true form. It was a silver wolf demon that was hundreds of feet tall. Its demonic aura condensed and enveloped an area within the radius of a thousand feet. Within this zone, the terrifying demonic aura corroded everything.

As the evil aura swirled around it, it charged forward ferociously.

"Celestial Varg Manifestation!"

The silver wolf roared in rage and its demonic power doubled. Its huge wolf claws shot out and clawed towards Xiao Ran's head in a flash, causing the space to explode from its might and speed.

"Lunar Howling Varg Tribe?" Xiao Ran thought to himself.

Using his finger as a sword, sword energy erupted and rushed into the clouds.

The wild violent sword energy transformed into a huge phoenix. As the Phoenix Essence Sword Technique unleashed its power, it slashed down mercilessly.

The impact sent the wolf demon flying backwards at twice the speed of its first charge forward. Its main body was instantly destroyed.

When the rabbit fell from the air, Xiao Ran raised his right hand and caught it neatly.

He then walked up to the fallen demon. "Are you from the Great Viridian Mountain?"

"I'm the consort of the Lunar Howling Varg King from the Great Viridian Mountain." The wolf demon introduced herself arrogantly with a threatening tone.

"Are you threatening me?"

"The Lunar Howling Varg King is very spiteful. If you kill me, he won't let you off even if you escape to the ends of the earth."

"I don't believe it!" Xiao Ran said and stomped down.

Bang!

The ground surface caved in, and the wolf demon was trampled hundreds of feet into the ground. Not surprisingly, its injuries worsened by a lot.

"Do you still think I don't dare to kill you?" Xiao Ran asked again.

"You… aren't you afraid of the Lunar Howling Varg King's revenge?" The wolf demon screamed back in terror.

Xiao Ran laughed and attacked without warning. He grabbed at the air and yanked her out of the abyss. He smashed her violently onto the ground for more than a hundred times before stopping.

"What do you think?"

"Have mercy on me, sir!" The wolf demon cried out in terror as the cruel reality unfolded before her eyes.

"You're quite bold. You have the guts to attack someone from the Dragon Lake Institute and even dared to use a creature creation technique to turn him into livestock. Aren't you afraid that their old monsters will personally make a trip to the Great Viridian Mountain?"

"It was an accident, honest!" The wolf demon explained hurriedly.

"I came to the capital city this time under instructions from the Bear Tribe to capture their traitor, Xiong Kuotian. I never thought of doing anything bad."

"What about him?" Xiao Ran asked.

"I-I…" The wolf demon was at a loss for words.

A flash of sword energy slashed down and finished her off.

He put the rabbit down. With a flip of his palm, Immense Righteous Energy enveloped it and dispelled the spell cast by the creature creation technique. A young man appeared on the same spot.

"Wake up," Xiao Ran commanded.

Chen Wenheng had a strange dream. In the dream, he turned into a rabbit and was grabbed by a woman.

Just as his consciousness was about to dissipate, the dream shattered and he slowly woke up.

"You are?"

"Xiao Ran."

Swish!

Chen Wenheng sprang up from the ground and grabbed Xiao Ran's arm. He cried out in fear, "Run!"

After pulling his arm for a long time, he found that he still couldn't make Xiao Ran budge an inch. He was so anxious that he began sweating profusely.

"If we don't leave now, it'll be too late when that woman comes!"

Report chapter

Chapter 47: Counterattack

Xiao Ran pointed at the sinkhole at the side and said, "She's already dead."

Chen Wenheng was stunned and tentatively looked into the sinkhole. There was some remnant demonic aura lingering around him, and the size of the huge sinkhole meant that it could not possibly go unnoticed.

However, he had been too busy running for his life to notice.

Walking to the edge of the sinkhole, he glanced down and gulped nervously. "Did—did you kill her?"

"What do you think?" Xiao Ran asked in reply.

Chen Wenheng shook his head. "No! The aura you emit is only at the level of Connate Realm. You cannot possibly be her match."

Fearful that Xiao Ran would misunderstand him, he quickly explained.

"I'm not looking down on you. I'm also at the level of Connate Realm and have the protection of the Immense Righteous Energy. Nonetheless I was still subdued by her in one move and turned into a rabbit."

"And then?" Xiao Ran's interest was getting piqued.

After muttering to himself for a while,

Chen Wenheng continued, "A senior must have passed by and handily subdued her."

He bowed solemnly to Xiao Ran.

"No matter what, I want to thank you!"

"Uh-huh." Xiao Ran acknowledged it calmly.

"My name is Chen Wenheng, a student of the Dragon Lake Institute."

"Xiao Ran, Divine Sword Guard."

The sky was about to turn dark. The two of them traveled back together.

On the way,

Xiao Ran also learned why Chen Wenheng had been captured by the wolf demon. It seemed that he had been standing guard at the Qingyuan Bookstore these past few days because he wanted to procure the painting of a Sacred Hand, regardless of the cost.

"This matter is way too shameful. The Scholastic Incubation Institute is one of the Four Great Institutes of Great Xia. They fought six battles in a day and lost six times in a row. They even lost a precious treasure that can nurture Immense Righteous Energy." Chen Wenheng said angrily.

"You can't blame others for your own weak abilities." Xiao Ran reasoned.

Chen Wenheng was still disgruntled.

"You're guarding the Qingyuan Bookstore. Don't tell me you're also participating in the Dragon Lake Institute's challenge?"

"Yes, I'm in." Chen Wenheng's expression turned bitter.

"The participants have been confirmed. I'm one of the six. This concerns the reputation of the Institute and the Imperial Court. I can't afford to lose."

Xiao Ran patted his shoulder but did not say anything.

"Brother Xiao, when this matter is over, I'll buy you a drink."

"All right." Xiao Ran did not refuse his offer.

The two then went their separate ways.

Back at his home in the Jingwen Square,

Xiao Ran checked what he had gained this time.

The wolf demon was at Level 1 of the Profound Realm. When the Golden Tome of Creation flipped open, three things were displayed: 800,000 Mastery points, 60 years worth of Martial Arts Evolution, and 80 years worth of soul cultivation.

He divided the Mastery points into two portions. 500,000 points were added to the Traversing the Heavens in Twelve Steps, and 300,000 points were added to the Basilisk's Touch.

After the attributes were refreshed,

Traversing the Heavens in Twelve Steps: Genesis

Basilisk's Touch: Minor Achievement

He was still 270 years away from breaking through to Level 4 of the Profound Realm.

His evolution as a Spiritual Master had also improved another step, and his spiritual soul energy became stronger. Nonetheless, he was still 320 years away from the next upgrade.

He took down the painting of the Eldest Princess from the wall and laid it on the table.

He took out the Finishing Touch Sacred Brush, condensed his purifying spiritual force on the tip of the brush, and drew a sword in her hand.

With a flash of inspiration, he injected a bit of Immense Righteous Energy into it.

He then put away his brush and stood back.

"Come out," Xiao Ran commanded.

The Eldest Princess walked out of the painting with a sword in her hand. Immense Righteous Energy swirled out and proactively began to consume the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

"Huh? She's now at Level 3 of the Grand Master Realm?"

How long had it been? She'd achieved yet another breakthrough.

Even if it was drawn in dragon blood and using the Eldest Princess as the model, logically speaking, such a thing should not have happened.

'I don't get it.' Xiao Ran muttered to himself.

With a wave of his right hand,

the Eldest Princess re-entered the painting, and he hung the painting back.

Elsewhere,

the Great Green Mountain stretched for more than 30,000 miles, perhaps even more.

There were many demons here, and the various tribes with their different allegiances were complicated.

In the forbidden area of the Lunar Howling Varg Tribe, the Lunar Howling Varg King's heart skipped a beat and was woken up from his self-imposed meditative seclusion.

He sensed that his beloved consort had died and even her soul had been destroyed with no chance of escape. His killing intent surged and billowed out, enveloping the entire palace. The terrifying aura shook the space with a series of deafening thunderclaps.

"Summon Yin Jijie!"

A short while later,

Yin Jijie knelt before him with lowered head. "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

"My Snow Consort has been destroyed in the capital city. Go to the capital city and bring me this person's head." The Lunar Howling Varg King ordered.

"As you command!"

After Yin Jijie left, the Lunar Howling Varg King's gaze turned ferocious. "When I attain enlightenment of the last level of the Lunar Howling Heavenly Technique, I'll personally make a trip to the capital city!"

A lot had happened that night.

With the coming of dawn,

Xiao Ran first went to the Celestial Dungeon to clock in and send the two demons on their way. After swiping the rewards, he returned to the Divine Sword Guards headquarters.

Shen Yiming happened to be there. His injuries had recovered.

"You're here."

"Yes," Xiao Ran replied.

"Have you heard about the Yin Incubation Institute?" Shen Yiming asked.

"They're up to no good. I'm afraid their objectives are not so simple."

Shen Yiming nodded his head in agreement.

"The higher-ups also have this suspicion. They've secretly investigated but everything seems normal. If something abnormal happens, there must be a reason. Of all the days they could have chosen to come, the Yin Incubation Institute decided to show up when the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual appeared. The coincidence is hard to dismiss."

Little Zhou interrupted, "My Lord, I went to watch the challenge with Brother Xiao yesterday. The Scholastic Incubation Institute was thrashed really badly."

Shen Yiming was more well-informed.

"Don't remind me! The principal of the Scholastic Incubation Institute received such a vicious scolding from His Majesty that his pathetic head almost shrank down into his pants."

"And then?" Little Zhou continued to probe.

"Today, it is Lunar Reflection Institute's turn to compete with them. His Majesty has issued an inviolable order: only victory is allowed!"

The three of them looked at one another and felt that the outcome of this matter was not assured.

"It's about to start. Let's go over first," Shen Yiming said.

At the Lunar Reflection Institute,

there were a lot more spectators this time. With three rings of people inside and three outside, the entire drill ground was filled with people.

Even the roof was not spared. Many people were standing on it.

The three of them chose a spot with a wide view and joined the roof crowd.

"My Lord, do you think the Lunar Reflection Institute will win?" Little Zhou asked.

"We have to win!" Shen Yiming shot back without reservation.

"When the black market opened yesterday, I bet 100,000 taels on them winning. If I lose, I won't be able to afford even the smallest drink possible in future."

At this moment,

the men from both institutes took to the arena.

All three Divine Sword Guards' attention was transfixed on the battle ground.

Xiao Ran narrowed his eyes. The middle-aged Daoist priest had previously used the Source Consuming Pearl to devour the Immense Righteous Energy of the Scholastic Incubation Institute. Now, he thought, he might as well return the favor.

He took out the Source Consuming Pearl and injected it with purifying spiritual force.

With the Sanctifying Righteous Treasure Tome guiding it, the pearl began to proactively devour the Immense Righteous Energy of the Yin Incubation Institute representatives.

"It really works."

After obtaining the result he wanted, Xiao Ran no longer held back and released its full power.

Before the Yin Incubation Institute student could attack, the Immense Righteous Energy on his body had already been absorbed by the Source Consuming Pearl.

In fact, practically everyone from the Yin Incubation Institute had their Immense Righteous Energy absorbed.

The battle began.

In the end, Xiao Ran didn't feel like talking anymore. What a painful sight it was that greeted his eyes!

He had helped them secretly, but the Lunar Reflection Institute still lost. Three straight defeats, and this was after a large portion of the Immense Righteous Energy of the Yin Incubation Institute had been devoured.

The difference in abilities was too stark. Even a student without any training would fare better than them.

"Complete trash!" Shen Yiming cursed out loud.

"My Lord, don't be discouraged. There are still three more matches in the afternoon. They will definitely win then." Little Zhou offered words of comfort.

During the intermission,

in a residence arranged by the Lunar Reflection Institute for the Yin Incubation Institute,

the higher-ups of the Yin Incubation Institute sat together with gloomy expressions.

The Immense Righteous Energy in the three students who participated in the morning competition had been completely sucked dry. Even their foundation skills had been destroyed. Xiao Ran had been too ruthless when he returned the favor.

"What on earth is going on?" Zhao Jishan asked with an icy expression. He was the vice principal of the Yin Incubation Institute and the leader of the competition team this time.

Report chapter

Chapter 48: Suicide

A student who was participating in the competition, looking very pale with blood all drained from his face, said, "Someone is devouring our Immense Righteous Energy. If we didn't attack, the speed of loss slowed down. The moment we utilized our Immense Righteous Energy, we lost it a lot faster. It was totally out of our control."

Inwardly, Zhao Jishan had his own speculation as well. Earlier on, the Immense Righteous Energy in his body had decreased a lot too.

The higher-ups exchanged glances.

One of them said, "Has that Daoist priest from the Supreme Pure Temple turned against us?"

Zhao Jishan shook his head. "He wouldn't dare! The Deputy Hall Master of Yama had personally gotten involved. If he changes his mind at the last minute, even with the protection of the Supreme Pure Temple, he will probably die a horrible death."

The high-level member seemed to recall something belatedly and said again, "I'd almost forgotten about this if we hadn't brought it up. I didn't see this guy earlier."

"Could it be that the matter has been exposed? Has he been silenced?" Zhao Jishan asked.

For a moment they all looked grim.

After a long pause,

Zhao Jishan looked at one of the scholars and said, "Old Gu, the skills you practiced are rather unique. Take note of the situation in the afternoon's challenge. Locate the source and think of a way to resolve it."

"All right," Old Gu agreed.

"Send word to Yama and ask them to give us a satisfactory explanation."

In the afternoon,

the drill ground bustled with activity again.

Only Xiao Ran and Little Zhou were left on the roof.

Little Zhou pursed his lips. "Our Lord is too impatient, isn't he? In order to get a good seat, he has been standing guard up front since the start of the noon time intermission."

Xiao Ran shook his head. "A hundred thousand taels is not a small sum."

Little Zhou lowered his voice. "I think it's a lost cause! I'm afraid there's no chance of him getting back the 100,000 taels of silver."

Xiao Ran laughed on hearing his words.

The battle began.

As the people from both sides went onto the arena, the surrounding spectators cheered for the Lunar Reflection Institute.

The scene was very lively.

Xiao Ran took out the Source Consuming Pearl and began the process of sucking in the Immense Righteous Energy of the Yin Incubation Institute again.

In the midst of the crowd,

Old Gu had changed his attire and stood on the periphery. He found a good location so that he could search for the perpetrator responsible for this stealthy covert attack.

"Now is the time."

Sensing that the Immense Righteous Energy had already begun to leak away, Old Gu activated the Deep Void Energy Attraction Technique. In tandem with his Immense Righteous Energy, he sensed and assessed the surrounding Immense Righteous Energy leaking away.

Very soon,

his gaze was locked onto Xiao Ran.

Following his gaze locking onto himself, Xiao Ran seemed to have sensed his presence as well. "You discovered it so quickly?"

He continued to watch the competition.

"Connate Realm? Could the Source Consuming Pearl be on him?" Old Gu thought with a frown.

The Deep Void Energy Attraction Technique had many uses. Other than sensing auras, it could also check one's skill evolution level.

Xiao Ran had suppressed his skill evolution level at the Connate Realm. Anyone using special techniques or Spiritual Eyesight type of secret techniques, could see this evolution level he deliberately displayed.

Old Gu checked and confirmed again that he was indeed a Connate Realm practitioner, and wasn't hiding his evolution level.

Old Gu sneered silently and issued Xiao Ran a death sentence. It didn't matter how he obtained the Source Consuming Pearl. He would pay with his life if he dared to use it to absorb their Immense Righteous Energy.

As the three matches ended,

not surprisingly, Lunar Reflection Institute lost again. Three defeats in a row. They suffered a painful drubbing, following the Scholastic Incubation Institute's footsteps.

Scowling with a clouded expression, the principal threw down a treasure and left in a huff.

On the other hand, the three students from the Yin Incubation Institute who participated in the competition were in a wretched state. Xiao Ran had sucked away too much this time and crippled their skills.

After they had gone back, even with the help of treasures, they would no longer be able to practice and evolve their Immense Righteous Energy again.

Shen Yiming returned with a stony countenance. "I must be really blind to bet my money on them."

Little Zhou took out a stack of banknotes worth about a thousand taels. "My Lord, do you want me to lend you some money?"

"You think I need this from you?" Shen Yiming glared at him fiercely and left in a huff.

"Brother Xiao, what's gotten into our Lord?"

"Would you be happy if you lost a large sum of money?" Leaving Little Zhou to digest his words, Xiao Ran left the Lunar Reflection Institute.

On the way back,

he deliberately activated his spiritual soul energy to scout around.

The scholar from the Yin Incubation Institute followed him sneakily. The corners of Xiao Ran's mouth curled up and he said with a wicked expression, "So you have decided to proactively deliver yourself to me? Then I can dig out the secret from you this time."

He did not return to his home in Jingwen Square.

He made his way to the moat. It was quiet and quite suitable for burying bodies.

When he reached his destination, Xiao Ran stopped.

There wasn't much in the way of human traffic so Old Gu stopped hiding and emerged from somewhere in the back.

"How did the Source Consuming Pearl end up in your hands?"

"I thought you would stay in the back and keep following me," Xiao Ran said.

Old Gu felt that something was wrong, but the other guy was clearly only at the Connate Realm. He thought he might perhaps be thinking too much.

"You discovered my presence a long time ago?"

"What do you think?"

"You must have some special numinous treasure on you. That's why you realized that I was following you," Old Gu said.

"Speak! Who is behind all this?"

Xiao Ran shrugged. "Your luck is really too terrible. Of all people, you had to bump into me the first time you launched your dastardly scheme."

"You think I'll believe that?"

"It doesn't matter. What's important is that you're here now," Xiao Ran said.

Old Gu sneered. "You think you can turn the tables around?"

Swish!

With his Traversing the Heavens in Twelve Steps, which had reached Genesis level, Xiao Ran re-appeared in front of him in a single step. He was so fast that Old Gu didn't even have time to react. He grabbed his neck and lifted him off the ground.

Wild violent spirit energy rushed into his body and ruptured all the meridians in his body.

"Ah…" Old Gu's body was racked with excruciating pain.

Xiao Ran casually threw him to the ground and asked, "Why did you guys collude with the Yama group and get the Daoist priest from the Supreme Pure Temple to attack?"

"W-who exactly are you?"

"I'm the one asking the questions, not you." Xiao Ran stomped on him.

The sheer force of the stomp was more than what he could stomach, and he almost fainted.

"Just you wait! We won't let you off." Old Gu was also a ruthless person. With that threat, he bit his tongue and committed suicide.

"I thought the older they are, the more fearful of death they are?" Xiao Ran was stunned by this turn of events.

He was already gone before he could start torturing him.

With a flick of his fingers,

the Empyrean Conflagration Holy Fire landed on Old Gu's body and turned his corpse to ashes.

The Golden Tome of Creation flipped open to a random page and displayed two items: 500,000 Mastery points, Thunderfire Golden Essence Pill.

He added the 500,000 Mastery points to the Sanctifying Righteous Treasure Tome.

After the attributes were refreshed,

Sanctifying Righteous Treasure Tome: Dominating Refinement

He took out the Thunderfire Golden Essence Pill and used it to strengthen his physical body. When the pill entered his stomach, his physical body advanced another step and it was now comparable to a Level 4 Grand Master.

At a courier station,

inside a room,

it was already dark and Old Gu hadn't returned. It was feared that he must have met with some accident.

Zhao Jishan and the other higher-ups sat in the room with grim stony expressions.

"I'm afraid Old Gu won't be able to come back!"

As he spoke, the others nodded solemnly in agreement.

"We can't hide this matter anymore. If Old Gu doesn't return by tomorrow morning, we'll make our move first to gain the upper hand. We'll pretend to retreat and demand that the Imperial Court give us an explanation. Otherwise, when they come to their senses and realize that we're missing a person, we will be put on the back foot," Zhao Jishan said.

None of them had any objections.

"What did the guys at Yama say?"

"They're also investigating, but they don't have any leads either. However, after this incident, I'm afraid that the hidden perpetrators will continue to devour our Immense Righteous Energy tomorrow. If this continues, even if this mission is completed, we will suffer heavy losses," one of the higher-ups said.

Report chapter

Chapter 49: Accepting Fate

Zhao Jishan and the others were absolutely furious, but there was nothing they could do.

What goes around comes around. Retribution came too soon.

"The amount of Immense Righteous Energy that the Source Consuming Pearl can contain is limited. Since we can't hide, why don't we let it devour as much as possible? After it exploded from absorbing too much, we will be safe," Zhao Jishan said.

It was the only way.

After discussing their countermeasures, at the start of the challenge tomorrow, they would all release their Immense Righteous Energy and destroy the Source Consuming Pearl .

The atmosphere today was especially oppressive.

Of the Four Great Institutes, two had already lost all their battles. If the Dark Helianthus Institute lost again today, it would be a big humiliation for the Imperial Court.

When Xiao Ran and the other two arrived at the Dark Helianthus Institute, they proceeded to their perch on the roof.

Shen Yiming said in a gloating tone, "A scholar from the Yin Incubation Institute has gone missing. They reported it to the Imperial Court and asked us to give them an explanation. His Majesty shot back at them, saying, "His own legs can take him anywhere he wants. How can we control him?"

"And then?" Little Zhou asked curiously.

"There's no 'and then'. They are on their own," Shen Yiming replied gleefully.

Rubbing his fingers together, looking visibly restless,

he said, "Yesterday, I placed another bet of 100,000 taels in the black market on Dark Helianthus Institute. Do you think they can win?"

"My Lord, aren't you out of money?" Little Zhou was puzzled.

"My secret stash!"

Both Xiao Ran and Little Zhou were speechless.

The battle had already begun. Xiao Ran took out the Source Consuming Pearl and began sucking up the Immense Righteous Energy of the Yin Incubation Institute again.

A tremendous wave of Immense Righteous Energy came rushing from several scholars and was absorbed by the Source Consuming Pearl.

"What's happening?" Xiao Ran wondered.

He activated his Spiritual Clarity Eye to scan over the crowd. A few scholars used their Immense Righteous Energy to block the suction power of the Source Consuming Pearl from their students, thereby protecting them.

Moreover,

they even proactively release their own Immense Righteous Energy for the Source Consuming Pearl to devour.

"So they are trying to make my Source Consuming Pearl explode?" Xiao Ran smiled as the realization dawned on him.

It was rare for others to be so kind. How could he let them down?

He activated the Sanctifying Righteous Treasure Tome at full strength to absorb all their Immense Righteous Energy.

He did not turn away anyone, but absorbed as much as he could.

Zhao Jishan and the others observed this scene with an icy expression. When they saw that a few scholars were drenched in cold sweat and were about to collapse, their hearts froze with fear and their eyeballs almost popped out.

All of them had developed such a dense concentration of Immense Righteous Energy. How could it be that they were struggling to remain standing in such a short time?

Besides,

the Source Consuming Pearl had previously devoured so much Immense Righteous Energy. By their estimate, even if it could still absorb Immense Righteous Energy, the amount was very limited. That was how confident they were.

"What are we going to do? Their skills will become crippled if this goes on," one of them couldn't remain silent anymore.

Zhao Jishan's face clouded over. "The only way out for us now is to use the Great Dao Scripture."

The expressions on a few scholars turned pale. The Great Dao Scripture was the supreme numinous treasure of the Yin Incubation Institute. It had been passed down for hundreds of years, and the Immense Righteous Energy it had accumulated was very terrifying. It was the very foundation of their existence.

If anything went wrong, they were finished.

As if reading their minds, Zhao Jishan said with a stony expression, "Besides this, do you have any other ideas?"

He retrieved the Great Dao Scripture. It was a book with a golden exterior.

Without any outward signs, he rapidly propagated the Immense Righteous Energy and saved the few struggling scholars.

Immediately after that, he regretted his decision. He lost control of the Great Dao Scripture.

The Immense Righteous Energy inside was quickly extracted out and devoured .

"W-What's going on?" Zhao Jishan watched his plan fall apart in terror.

"Why don't we just admit defeat?"

"Shut up!" Zhao Jishan glared at him ferociously.

"This mission can only succeed. Failure is not permitted! No matter what price we have to pay, we must take down the Four Great Institutes."

The rest remained silent, fists clenched in humiliation.

He watched this scene unfold before his eyes, but he was powerless to stop it.

"How interesting! You are prepared to risk so much," Xiao Ran mused out loud.

The Sanctifying Righteous Treasure Tome unleashed its full power and devoured the Immense Righteous Energy with reckless abandon.

After the battle ended,

the last wisp of the Great Dao Scripture's Immense Righteous Energy was also devoured and it shattered into fragments.

"Damn it!" Zhao Jishan roared in his heart, enraged beyond words.

The principal of the Dark Helianthus Institute threw a treasure down angrily and left in a foul mood.

Shen Yiming was furious and cursed aloud, "F*ck! We goddamn lost again. What the hell have these people been learning?"

"My Lord, you still have money?" Little Zhou asked timidly.

"Shut up!" Shen Yiming stalked off fuming madly.

Little Zhou shrugged. "Our Lord's temper is too fiery. It's so easy for him to get carried away. He's also very fond of gambling. I'm afraid he won't even be able to afford plain water with what he has left this time."

Xiao Ran patted his shoulder twice and reminded him, "The wealth of a Grand Master far exceeds your imagination."

Once they were out of the Dark Helianthus Institute,

Little Zhou quickly caught up with him. "Brother Xiao, do you gamble?"

"Why, you can't resist the temptation anymore, is it?" Xiao Ran asked.

Little Zhou was also a passionate guy. "I don't believe that the Four Great Institutes are all so useless that they can't even win once."

"How much are you betting?"

Little Zhou counted with his fingers. "The reward I received these days, plus the money I saved, is about 30,000 taels."

Xiao Ran took out a stack of banknotes and handed them to Little Zhou. "Help me bet on the Dragon Lake Institute winning."

"Brother Xiao, where did you get so much money?" Little Zhou was awestruck by the thick wad of banknotes.

It was a total of 300,000 taels.

"I picked it up somewhere." Xiao Ran replied without turning around.

When he passed by the Qingyuan Bookstore, he saw Chen Wenheng still standing guard at the door.

Tomorrow was the competition between the Dragon Lake Institute and the Yin Incubation Institute. At this moment, he was as anxious as a cat on hot bricks.

After muttering to himself for a while,

he also placed his bet with a big amount of 300,000 taels. Xiao Ran thought since he got along well with Chen Wenheng, he might as well lend him a hand.

Back home,

he took out the Finishing Touch Sacred Brush and drew a long sword on the special art paper. Golden light flowed outwards, imbued with thick, dense Immense Righteous Energy.

"With this painting, the Dragon Lake Institute will definitely win this time," Xiao Ran remarked with confidence.

As Chen Wenheng exited through the door,

it was already dark. He glanced at the Qingyuan Bookstore as if he couldn't bear to leave. The bookstore had also closed for the day and he went home with a strong sense of disappointment.

"Even without the Sacred Hand's painting, I still have to win tomorrow's competition."

A dark shadow appeared out of nowhere behind him.

With a hand chop to the back of his head, the shadowy figure knocked him out.

"You're not too late," Xiao Ran said to the unconscious figure.

Dragging him into the alley, he tossed the newly completed painting in front of him and was about to leave when he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Xiao Ran remembered that he had a large sum of money on him because he wanted to buy his paintings.

Now that Chen Wenheng got the painting he wanted, shouldn't he pay for it?

Although the transaction method was a little crude, it was still a valid transaction.

He retrieved the banknotes from the unconscious man's pocket.

Good lord, 500,000 taels!

"Where did he get so much money?" Xiao Ran was dumbstruck by his discovery.

The amount seemed a little excessive. He felt as if he had taken advantage of him.

After unfurling the painting, Xiao Ran transferred some more Immense Righteous Energy into it before stopping.

"Fair trade, to young and old alike."

He woke him up and swiftly slipped off into the darkness, watching him intently from the shadows.

Chen Wenheng groaned and woke up from his unconscious state. He absent-mindedly felt around his chest and discovered that the banknotes were gone.

His groggy expression changed instantly to that of shock. He sprang up and yelled to no one in particular. "Give me back my money!"

The painting that had been placed on him rolled to the floor as he jumped to his feet. It spread open as it rolled across the ground.

A burst of golden light shot out, and a dense powerful gush of Immense Righteous Energy rushed into the clouds, dispelling the darkness.

Chen Wenheng was stunned by what he saw. Tongue-tied, he could only stutter incoherently, "The… the painting of the Sacred Hand!"

He pounced on the painting and carefully picked it up. He cradled the roll in his arms, protecting it with his clothes, and ran with all his might towards the Dragon Lake Institute.

Report chapter

Chapter 50: Traitor from Bear Tribe

Xiao Ran walked out of the darkness. "It's a sure bet this time."

Looking at the 500,000 taels of silver in his hand, he thought since he had already placed 300,000 taels, the dealer probably wouldn't mind care if he added another 500,000 taels.

After asking around,

he chose the largest casino—the Jade Manor.

As the Four Great Institutes had lost three competitions in a row, the odds were now as high as 10 to 1.

If the Dragon Lake Institute won, one tael of silver could yield a return of ten taels of silver.

On the contrary,

if he bet on the Yin Incubation Institute to win, for every tael placed he would only get one tael of silver plus one.

This one was a hundred wen.

He pocketed the receipt and left the Jade Manor.

When he arrived at the Predestiny Bridge, Xiao Ran paused for a while.

Three months ago,

Little Zhou was here on a blind date with a female ghost and the incident had become a joke in the Celestial Dungeon.

He recalled his complaint in the morning about his restless father wanting to arrange for another blind date for him again. It was said that this time, the other party came from a prestigious family with a long history of government service spanning several decades.

His grandfather had once been a third-grade official. Even though he had passed away, his disciples still held him in high regard.

His father was the county magistrate, stationed in a county near the capital.

This blind date was only possible due to Little Zhou's recent promotion, which led him to be transferred from the Celestial Dungeon to the Divine Sword Guards division, in addition to his own father pulling strings everywhere.

"This guy has really good fortune." Xiao Ran smiled at the recollection.

As he was just about to leave,

there was a big splash in the river as a figure fell into it.

A gush of chilly air swirled around, freezing the river surface solid. Blood could be seen spreading out underneath, staining the river red.

"Huh?" Xiao Ran turned towards the river with a frown.

Before he could go over to check, a terrifying demonic aura gushed over. The overpowering pressure from the aura blanketed the surroundings, wreaking havoc with wild abandon within its realm of influence.

An arrogant voice rang out. "Little girl, let's see how you can escape this time!"

As his voice trailed off,

a bear demon dropped to the ground from the sky. Its demonic aura surged and churned, condensing into a huge hand that made a vicious grab at the river.

"A Profound Realm demon?" Xiao Ran's eyes lit up with anticipation.

His body quivered momentarily,

and he re-appeared above the river. Immense Righteous Energy shot out, and the righteous and saintly power manifested as a shield that violently smashed into the other party's incoming giant hand.

With a grab at the air,

Xiao Ran sent half the river flowing backwards, revealing the river bed. He reached out and plucked out the woman who had fallen into the water.

"Why is it her?" Xiao Ran looked down, puzzled.

The woman before him was Xia Luoran.

However, she was seriously injured this time and was unconscious. Her whole body was covered in blood.

He injected a little purifying spiritual force into her body to stabilize her injuries.

Holding her with one arm, he stood looking at the bear demon.

The bear demon was also sizing him up. Seeing that he could not see through him, he began to feel afraid. "Hand her over to me!"

"Do you know who she is?" Xiao Ran asked.

"A Princess!"

"Since you knew, why did you still lay your hands on her?"

The bear demon gave a sinister smile. "Her body contains dragon aura which is useful to us."

"Aren't you afraid of the Imperial Court's revenge?" Xiao Ran asked.

"Hmph! How can you accomplish anything if you are afraid of so many things?"

Seeing that Xiao Ran was still holding onto her with no intention of handing her over, the bear demon became enraged. "Are you handing her over or not?"

"Not handing her over!"

"Then you shall die!" The bear demon's murderous intent soared menacingly.

He then revealed his true form. A gigantic bear hundreds of feet tall stepped across the sky. The billowing demonic aura converged and as his palm landed, the powerful aura slammed down in a violent swipe that tore apart everything in its path.

"Get lost!" Xiao Ran said with a scornful snort.

He manipulated the Immense Righteous Energy to transform into the Six Domains of Holy Dungeon's Fist.

As shots of golden light burst forth, a thousand-foot-tall Holy Dungeon smashed through his giant palm and struck his chest.

Bang!

The impact sent him flying into the river and pushing back the river waves, with the resulting collision forming a wall of water thousands of feet high before crashing violently back into the riverbed.

Struck by the colossal river wave, the bear demon fell into the water, half dead.

With one step, golden light shot outwards from around Xiao Ran's body. The surrounding river water had split apart, revealing the wet muddy bottom of the river. He stopped in front of the fallen demon.

"S-Senior, this is a misunderstanding!" The bear demon blurted out in terror.

"Spirit Shifting Soul Control." Xiao Ran activated his spiritual skill.

When his spiritual soul energy entered the demon's mind, it did not encounter any restrictions enforced by Forbidden Spirit Techniques and was able to control his mind easily.

After a round of interrogations,

he learned everything from the demon's lips.

The bear demon was a traitor of the Great Viridian Mountain Bear Tribe. His name was Xiong Kuotain, and he was the same character that the wolf demon had been pursuing.

Other than that,

the reason he appeared in the capital city this time was because he was invited by the Three-Headed Dragon to carry out a task. The reward was the position of the Bear Tribe leader.

In their plans,

tomorrow afternoon, when the battle between Yin Incubation Institute and Dragon Lake Institute was at its peak, he would break into the Celestial Dungeon and kidnap the Eldest Princess. He would then extract the dragon aura in her body and use it to complete his bloodline's rapid refinement.

On this night, when he was out walking around, he bumped into Xia Luoran, who had just left the Scholar Provisions Shop after she finished practicing her skills.

The secret technique he possessed sensed the dragon aura on her body, allowing him to guess her identity. He thought he might as well use her to replace the Eldest Princess and complete the Three-Headed Dragon's task.

After Xiao Ran understood everything from his mouth, his sword energy slashed down and sent the bear demon on his way to the underworld.

The Golden Tome of Creation flipped open to a random page and displayed three items: 800,000 Mastery points, 80 years of Martial Arts Evolution, Apotropaic Divine Lightning (Heaven-rank Superior-Grade).

He added all 800,000 Mastery points to the Apotropaic Divine Lightning.

After the attributes were refreshed,

Apotropaic Divine Lightning: Beginner's Level

His purifying spiritual force increased again. He was only 190 years away from attaining the next realm.

With a tap of his foot, he flew up from the river bottom, and landed on the shore.

He placed the Elder Princess on the ground and examined her closely. She looked very much like her aunt, the Eldest Princess. In fact they looked almost identical.

Both of them had one thing in common: long legs, hot bodies, small waists, big hips.

"You're really very unlucky. Fancy bumping into a bear demon on your way back to the palace," Xiao Ran remarked with a wry smile.

He placed his palm above her chest and released a cloud of purifying spiritual force, covering her in a large pool of golden light.

With the help of the purifying spiritual force, her injuries healed quickly.

After a few minutes,

Xiao Ran retracted his hand. Her injuries were mostly healed.

"Your Highness…" Urgent shouts could be heard coming from somewhere nearby.

"The people looking for you are here," Xiao Ran said.

Two palace maids leading a team of Divine Sword Guards approached their location quickly.

Xiao Ran could not delay anymore.

He swiftly melted into the darkness and left.

As soon as he left, Xia Luoran let out a soft cry and slowly came to her senses. She hurriedly stood up from the ground and looked around. The bear demon was not around, but there was a strong demonic aura surrounding her. There was also remnant Immense Righteous Energy.

Even her injuries were almost healed.

As her exquisite eyebrows knitted into a frown, she wondered out loud, "What happened? Did a Great Scholar pass by and eliminate the bear demon?"

Then she thought something felt wrong.

How did her injuries heal so quickly then?

"Your Highness, are you alright?" The eyes of the two palace maids lit up as they rushed towards her with the Divine Sword Guards.

Xia Luoran shook her head and replied, "I'm fine!"

Qin Fangzhen looked at the chaotic mess around him and asked, "Which Great Scholar was responsible for this?"

"I don't know! When I woke up, you guys had just arrived."

"Many things have happened in the capital city recently. If Your Highness has nothing important to attend to, it's best if you don't leave the palace. I'll escort you back first," Qin Fangzhen reminded her solemnly.

"All right." Xia Luoran took another look around before leaving under the escort of Qin Fangzhen's men.

In a remote courtyard somewhere north of the city,

the moment Xiong Kuotian died, the Elemental Jade Tablet he left with the Three-Headed Dragon shattered. He woke up from his meditative session with a shock. "How did he die?"

Report chapter


Read I Transmigrated As A Prison Guard And Suppressed The Princess Chapter 51 - Dragon Lake Institute's Pro Gamer Move online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 51: Dragon Lake Institute's Pro Gamer Move

With his plans disrupted, the Three-Headed Dragon paced back and forth on the spot with a grim expression.

As various ideas spun around in his head, they were rejected one by one.

"They're all useless!" After a while, the Three-Headed Dragon could not contain his anger anymore and cursed out loud.

Following the deaths of the Serpent King and Xiong Kuotian, his previously perfect plan was thrown into disarray and he was now put on the back foot.

He looked in the direction of the Celestial Dungeon.

His eyes flickered brightly and his expression was ruthless. "Looks like I have to make some risky maneuvers."

It was no longer safe here. He would have to find another place to stay.

Meanwhile, at the Dragon Lake Institute,

Chen Wenheng did not dare to stop along the way. It was not until he stepped into the entrance of the institute that he finally relaxed.

"Teacher, I got the painting of the Sacred Hand…"

With his shout, the principal and the other higher-ups, including Wen Fuxian, dashed out like lightning and surrounded him.

They looked at him with such much fervor that Chen Wenheng felt he was in danger of getting swallowed by their glare.

His heart skipped a beat and he subconsciously straightened his back. "W-What are you doing?"

"Where's the painting?" Wen Fuxian spoke first.

"Here!" Chen Wenheng lifted his clothes, took out the painting, and handed it over.

Wen Fuxian unfurled the painting excitedly. The golden light radiated outwards, and the boundless Immense Righteous Energy scattered out, illuminating the entire backyard.

A righteous and saintly force fell upon them, driving out the darkness. It felt so warm.

"What a dense powerful concentration of Immense Righteous Energy! It certainly lived up to the expectations of a Sacred Hand's masterpiece." Wen Fuxian nodded in satisfaction.

He handed the painting to the principal.

He looked at Chen Wenheng again. "Where's the money?"

"It's all gone." Chen Wenheng spread his hands out in a shrug.

He then recounted his whole encounter.

Wen Fuxian stroked his beard thoughtfully. "How can a mere 500,000 taels of silver move the Sacred Hand to part with this? The value of this painting, with this rich dense Immense Righteous Energy, is not something that can be measured in monetary terms. It must be your perseverance that touched him."

The principal and the others nodded in agreement.

"Teacher, since the Sacred Hand handed the painting to me, why didn't he meet up with me?" Chen Wenheng asked.

"You're still young. There are some things you don't understand. At the Sacred Hand's level, fame and fortune are no longer enough to move him," Wen Fuxian expounded wisely.

As if he knew what Chen Wenheng was going to ask, he continued.

"The reason the Sacred Hand accepted the 500,000 taels in this way is to let you understand that nothing can be gained without effort."

"I understand now." Chen Wenheng's face lit up with enlightenment.

The principal then said, "There's too much Immense Righteous Energy in this painting, enough for Wenheng and the others to win tomorrow. Those three old guys have all been thoroughly humiliated. Till now, they are still kneeling in the palace."

The three old men he was referring to were the principals of the other three Great Institutes.

"What do you think, Principal?" Wen Fuxian asked first.

"Take out a huge sum of money, choose the biggest casino, and bet on us winning," said the Principal.

Everyone's eyes lit up as they digested his words.

They too felt that this method was feasible. After all, they were definitely going to win, so why not take this opportunity to make a killing?

"I'll leave this matter to you. Make sure nobody finds out about this," the Principal instructed.

"All right!" Wen Fuxian acknowledged his request.

As a precautionary measure, Chen Wenheng and the other five members participating in the competition tomorrow were sequestered in the safe confines of the Imperial Palace, to absorb the Immense Righteous Energy contained in the painting.

At the Celestial Dungeon,

after finding out the Three-Headed Dragon's plan from Xiong Kuotian, Xiao Ran did not return to his home in Jingwen Square. Instead he located the Three-Headed Dragon's residence according to the address he had obtained.

The scent of demonic aura lingered in the room. However, the Three-Headed Dragon was gone. It looked like he managed to give him the slip.

After waiting for a while, he decided to return to the Celestial Dungeon to wait for him.

"What brings you here so late?" The lieutenant greeted him in surprise.

"I received news that a demon wants to attack the Celestial Dungeon," Xiao Ran informed him.

The lieutenant looked on scornfully. He poured a cup of tea and handed it to Xiao Ran. "Don't think too much! This place is impregnable. There are also the high-level officers from the Divine Sword Guards and the Spiritual Divinity Bureau guarding outside. They should be grateful to us for not going after them. Even if they have the guts, they won't dare to come here and cause trouble."

Xiao Ran simply smiled and finished the tea.

"It's getting late. Have an early night." The lieutenant turned and entered his rest chamber.

Xiao Ran did not try to persuade him. He had already warned him in advance. There was nothing he could do if the lieutenant did not believe him.

He went down to the Purgatory.

On seeing him, the Eldest Princess raised her eyebrows curiously and asked, "What's the matter?"

Xiao Ran opened the door and walked in.

After taking a seat,

he said, "Someone wants to take your dragon aura."

When she heard his words,

the Eldest Princess fiddled with her hair fringe with a smile and then poured him a cup of tea.

"You're not afraid?"

"You're here. Why should I be afraid?"

"Do you still remember the Blazing Sun Fire Crow I imprisoned the last time?" Xiao Ran asked.

"Yes." The Eldest Princess nodded.

"He was possessed by the Serpent King. His soul was hidden in the Soul Nurturing Bead. On the way back tonight, I ran into that niece of yours. She was being hunted by Xiong Kuotian, a bear demon, and I saved her. He's in cahoots with the Serpent King and the Three-Headed Dragon."

"Thank you!" The Eldest Princess said with heart-felt gratitude.

"Aren't you going to ask her how she is now?"

"She must be fine if you are sitting here with me."

"Women are too smart for their own good. There's a saying that goes, act dumb, play smart."

"How many people in the world can achieve that?" The Eldest Princess asked, shaking her head wearily.

"How are you feeling now?" Xiao Ran asked.

"The Phoenix Sacred Manifestation has awakened once again. It was much better than before. There shouldn't be any issues during this period of time…"

ROAR!

Before she could finish speaking, the Eldest Princess suddenly emitted a menacing roar with a ferocious expression.

Violent demonic energy erupted, and her hair fluttered wildly. Her eyes were cold and filled with infinite murderous intent. That terrifying aura was like a demon god that had returned from hell.

In less than a breath's time, the whole cell was filled with demonic energy.

The golden phoenix rushed out from above her head. A shower of golden light scattered down, protecting her last bit of clarity.

"You jinx!" The Eldest Princess chided Xiao Ran while struggling to contain herself.

Flipping the table over, she rushed over and begged him. "Hit me!"

"Bear with it a little longer. Maybe you can survive this," Xiao Ran said indifferently.

"You…" The Eldest Princess gritted her teeth with all her might.

She couldn't wait anymore. She grabbed Xiao Ran's hand and slapped it on her head.

At the touch of his hand, the demonic aura dissipated a little, and the pain from her soul lessened a little.

"Hurry!" The Eldest Princess urged again.

Seeing that her rationality was about to crumble and she was losing control of her mad violent actions, Xiao Ran attacked decisively. With one punch to her face, he sent her sprawling to the ground.

"This is really making things difficult for me."

He straddled her with practiced ease. As beams of golden light shot into the sky and enveloped him, he rained blows on her.

A hundred and fifty punches later,

Xiao Ran stopped and the demonic aura had dissipated. The Eldest Princess had regained her rationality. Her beautiful face once again turned into a bloated pig's head and it was burning with pain.

"Can't you be more gentle?" The Eldest Princess rolled her eyes at him.

"You told me to use force."

He injected a stream of purifying spiritual force into her face. The swelling on her face subsided and she regained her original appearance.

"Aren't you getting off?"

"Okay." Xiao Ran promptly stood up.

After tidying up her appearance, the Eldest Princess asked curiously, "What on earth is happening to me?"

"Don't ask. I don't know even if you ask me." Xiao Ran shrugged and turned away.

He locked the cell door without hesitation and left.

The Eldest Princess's beautiful eyes darted around as she considered all the possible reasons, but all were eventually shot down by her. She sighed wearily, "This forbidden technique is really giving me hell!"

At dawn, there was a knock on the door.

"Brother Xiao, it's time to eat."

Xiao Ran opened the door and walked out of the rest chamber. There was a dungeon guard standing at the door. It was a new face and he had just been transferred here.

"Brother Xiao, are you happy with this spread? If not, I'll prepare something else for you." The dungeon guard pointed to the breakfast spread out on the table.

In life, there is no love without cause.

Xiao Ran asked, "What's the matter?"

Report chapter

Chapter 52: I'm Finally Free

The dungeon guard furtively looked around to ensure that there was no one around. He then took out a stack of ten taels of silver and handed it over. "My Lord asked me to send a demon to the ninth floor. I need Brother Xiao's help."

"There's no need for money, right?" Xiao Ran said with a smile.

Nonetheless, he quickly put the money away.

The dungeon guard's mouth twitched and he smiled apologetically. "It's the right thing to do."

He handed over the document and the Ethereal Pouch. After uttering more words of gratitude, he left hurriedly.

After finishing his breakfast,

Xiao Ran took the document and proceeded to cell number 102. The document requested that the Bottomless Blood Burial Blossom, which was a Level 5 Grand Master, be destroyed to prevent its poison from spreading.

Before he entered the cell,

he saw the forest green lethal poison that had enveloped the entire cell. It was so dense that it almost felt solid. The terrifying poisonous gas mixed with the foul Yin atmosphere and formed an even more terrifying cancerous fog.

"No wonder he doesn't dare to touch it," Xiao Ran said with a wry smile.

He opened the door and walked in.

The poisonous vapors churned and gushed towards him under the manipulation of the Bottomless Blood Burial Blossom. It engulfed him in seconds.

The Nine Heavens Evil Spirit Purification Skill seemed to have detected a great source of nourishment and burst forth to devour all the poisonous vapors.

After three breaths had lapsed,

the cell had turned clear and was restored to its original state.

The Bottomless Blood Burial Blossom was shocked. "What… what's going on?"

"You ask too many questions." Xiao Ran took a step forward.

A terrifying suction force erupted from his body, converging into a vortex dozens of feet wide. It lunged forward and sucked the demon dry as he watched in horror.

With a strike of his palm,

the Apotropaic Divine Lightning rushed out of Xiao Ran's palm and turned into a sea of lightning that destroyed him.

The Golden Tome of Creation flipped open to a random page and displayed two items: 400,000 Mastery points and 30 years of Martial Arts Evolution.

After adding 400,000 Mastery points to the Apotropaic Divine Lightning, its attributes did not change but its power increased.

He was still 160 years away from breaking through to the next level in his Martial Arts Evolution.

He then left the cell.

As soon as he reached the first floor, the dungeon guard hurried up to him and asked, "Is it done?"

"Yes." Xiao Ran handed over the document and the Ethereal Pouch.

"I knew that once Brother Xiao took charge, nothing is too difficult for him to settle."

Xiao Ran gave him a smile and walked towards the Purgatory.

Outside the Celestial Dungeon,

in a courtyard near the dungeon,

the Three-Headed Dragon was waiting solemnly. He had been planning for this day for a long time. Although there were some mishaps along the way and the two helpers he enlisted had died accidentally, there was no stopping his plan.

"It has to work!"

He spat out the Ice Blue Sacred Flames, a cosmic spiritual item. This was a sacred relic of the Ice Blue Esoteric Bird tribe. He had paid a huge price to borrow it for use in emergencies. He did not expect it to really come in handy this time.

He manipulated the Ice Blue Sacred Flames to envelope his whole body.

In his true form, a three-headed dragon with a blood-red body appeared on the spot.

As the red radiance on his body glowed and shimmered, his body shrank rapidly until it was only nine inches big.

Whoosh!

With a flash of blood-red light, he burrowed underground.

According to the information he had obtained, the Celestial Dungeon was built around the Earth Fire. If he went down through the Earth Fire, he could reach the Purgatory.

However, the Earth Fire was very treacherous and its flames were terrifying. Even a Profound Realm demon would die if he ended up in these flames.

With the help of a secret technique,

the Three-Headed Dragon wormed his way into the Earth Fire. The sea of raging flames swept over him.

Fortunately, he was prepared for this. The Ice Blue Sacred Flames he had borrowed protected his body. Thus in this indomitable Earth Fire that burned everything, he was able to stay alive.

However he dared not delay.

He invoked his evasion technique at the maximum strength and dashed downwards.

In just a few breaths' time, he arrived at the entrance of the Purgatory, despite losing a whole layer of skin in the process.

He looked at the array formation circulating the Earth Fire that segregated it from the mortal world.

The Three-Headed Dragon was very excited. It extracted a drop of elemental lifeblood and slapped it on the array formation. "Break now!"

A gap opened up, and his elemental lifeblood was consumed.

Taking advantage of this precious opportunity, the Three-Headed Dragon instantly rushed in through the gap.

Outside,

the two high-level wardens from the Divine Sword Guards and the Spiritual Divinity Bureau in charge of guarding the Celestial Dungeon sensed the disruption when a gap was created in the array formation.

Lord Purple Sword said, "Did you feel that?"

The priest nodded. "I sensed it. Most likely it came from the array formation. Something must have happened to it."

Lord Purple Sword thought for a moment and felt that it was very likely.

If someone wanted to sneak into the Celestial Dungeon, there were only two ways.

The first would be for the aggressors to fight their way in from the outside, and the second would be to burrow their way through the Earth Fire.

The first way was easier, but the second was extremely dangerous. Until now, no one had been able to sneak in through the Earth Fire.

In the Purgatory,

the Three-Headed Dragon transformed into a human and looked excitedly at the surrounding roaring and raging Purgatory Netherflames and foul Yin atmosphere. "I'm finally in!"

As he was just about to leave,

he paused and looked toward one of the cells.

A fish demon was chained to the wall, and its entire body was bound with chains forged from 10,000-year-old Mystic Iron. From its body, he could sense the aura of his own kind. This was a Deluge Dragon, and a Profound Realm demon at that.

The Deluge Dragon also noticed the Three-Headed Dragon. Seeing that it was staring at him, its temper flared. "What the hell are you looking at?"

"Your illusion technique is interesting, but it can't deceive me." The Three-Headed Dragon walked to the cell door.

As blood-red light circulated in his right hand, it turned into the sharp claws of a Deluge Dragon. He smashed through the cell door and walked in arrogantly.

"What do you want?" The Deluge Dragon asked nervously.

"Eh! Why is the bloodline in your body so pure? Are you just one step away from turning into a Dragon Vein? Could it be that you are from the North Sea?"

"No!" The Deluge Dragon denied strenuously.

"Do you think you can hide it from me?" The Three-Headed Dragon responded to him scornfully.

With a slash through the air, more than a dozen beams of blood-red light fell and sliced off the 10,000-year-old Mystic Iron chains binding him, restoring his freedom.

He then pressed his right hand on the prisoner's chest and poured his demonic energy into him. "Break!" He shouted.

The Three-Headed Dragon used his demonic power to forcefully break the seal on the prisoner's shoulder bones.

Without any more restrictions, the Deluge Dragon instantly recovered his skills and power, and an overpowering aura emanated from his body.

Roar!

In his excitement, the Deluge Dragon could not help roaring out loud.

"I'm finally free!"

The Three-Headed Dragon retracted his palm and stood with his hands behind his back. "Seeing that you are of the same species as I am, you will be my follower in the future!"

He turned and walked outside.

He had more important things to do. After leaving the cell, he saw that the Deluge Dragon was still standing on the same spot. He frowned and asked, "What are you waiting for?"

"What are you going to do?" The Deluge Dragon asked in return.

"I have something important to do," the Three-Headed Dragon said.

The Deluge Dragon rolled its eyes and seemed to have something else on his mind. He said, "I haven't recovered yet. I need to meditate for a while."

"Really?" The Three-Headed Dragon looked amused.

He decided to ignore him and walked towards the Eldest Princess.

Even without the Ice Blue Sacred Flames in use, she could not escape from his clutches.

After he left, the Deluge Dragon completely let himself go wild and jumped up and down on the spot excitedly. "I won't have to suffer that monster's torture anymore."

He rushed out of his cell, and then stopped in his tracks.

He looked in the direction of the exit. It was too dangerous to leave through that exit. He would probably be captured and brought back before he could even step outside the Celestial Dungeon.

He then dashed in the opposite direction and arrived at the Earth Fire pit.

Despite the Earth Fire being shielded by the array formation, the terrifying flames could still be felt in the Purgatory.

Gulp!

"I will probably be roasted as soon as I enter it, right?" The Deluge Dragon stared at the flames in wide-eyed trepidation.

Report chapter

Chapter 53: Dragon Liver

In the cell,

the Eldest Princess was practicing her calligraphy. Bold forceful brush strokes flew across the paper surface, and text characters imbued with Martial Arts True Intent appeared one after another.

She then frowned.

Looking at the words she had just written, dissatisfaction was written all over her face.

She casually threw the papers away. The Purgatory Netherflames engulfed them and burned these papers into ashes.

She was about to continue when she suddenly felt very uneasy. Her heart was thumping very loudly. This was an early warning sign to her. She put down her brush and looked outside.

A black-clad man with three heads and a cold menacing demeanor stood outside. A terrifying demonic aura emanated from his body as he stared icily at her.

"What a devastatingly beautiful face," the Three-Headed Dragon complimented her.

"You are here to take my dragon aura?" the Eldest Princess asked.

"Huh! So you know all about it?"

He asked tentatively, "Did you guys kill Xiong Kuotian?"

"I wasn't very sure just now, but now I'm sure that you came specially for me," the Eldest Princess said with contempt.

The Three-Headed Dragon gave a snort. "I don't care if this piece of trash dies, but to think that he actually leaked my plan to outsiders."

He became very vigilant suddenly and scanned his surroundings, checking to see if there was an ambush around.

"You don't have to check. They did not believe that you would come here." The Eldest Princess said in a disdainful fashion.

The Three-Headed Dragon did not believe her. He double-checked the surroundings again to make sure there was really no ambush before he relaxed.

He raised his sharp claws and blood-red light radiated from the four dragon claws. He then said proudly, "This operation is going more smoothly than I expected."

The Eldest Princess smiled mysteriously. "I wasn't the one who discovered your plan."

"Who was it then?" The Three-Headed Dragon sensed something was wrong.

"It was I." Xiao Ran's voice rang out clearly at this time.

He strolled in through the entrance and stood staring at him from the hall.

Seeing the Ice Blue Sacred Flames burning on the surface of his body, he thought for a while, and understood immediately that he must have sneaked in through the Earth Fire.

Lowering his sharp claws, the Three-Headed Dragon turned and stared at him in a threatening manner.

"Connate Realm?"

"Does it concern you?"

The Three-Headed Dragon walked up with a sinister smile. "Why didn't you stay away and continue with your good life? Why did you have to come here to die!"

Whoosh!

Flashes of blood-red light erupted as the immense demonic aura burst out and charged forward.

"Die!"

His claw-like hand swiped outwards and invoked a terrifying hurricane vortex that came slamming towards Xiao Ran's head.

"That's right! Why didn't you stay away and continue with your good life? Why did you have to sneak into the Purgatory?" Xiao Ran nodded in agreement with his statement.

As rays of golden light erupted from his body, he took one step forward and re-appeared in front of him in a flash.

As the palm print pressed down with great force, the Apotropaic Divine Lightning shot out. It swiftly covered the area within a radius of a thousand feet, and the bolts bombarded his body violently.

Bang!

The Three-Headed Dragon was thrown backwards at twice the speed of its initial speed and his body slammed into the Celestial Dungeon violently.

A familiar sensation filled his heart. He spat out a mouthful of blood and struggled to his feet.

"Y-you lied to me!"

"What did I lie to you about?" Xiao Ran asked innocently.

"You're not at the level of the Connate Realm! You are the one who killed the Serpent King and Xiong Kuotian as well."

"That's right!"

ROAR!

The Three-Headed Dragon was furious and reverted to its true form. It was nearly 1,000 feet tall. Its three heads hovered menacingly as a towering demonic aura erupted skywards. As the massive aura came crashing over, overflowing with murderous intent. "I want you to die!"

Before he could move, Xiao Ran had re-appeared in front of him.

"You won't have a chance anymore."

Activating the Apotropaic Divine Lightning, the shower of golden lightning destroyed everything. By itself, it was known as the nemesis of demons. Now, with the enhancement of purifying spiritual force, its power increased exponentially. All that could be seen with the naked eye was a wild abandon of violent lightning.

More than ten thousand bolts blasted his body.

Even though he was at Level 2 of the Profound Realm, it was still not enough in the face of this powerful lightning technique.

After a dozen breaths,

Xiao Ran withdrew his palm and looked at the Three-Headed Dragon. It was on the verge of death and could no longer maintain its true form. It changed back into its human form and lay weakly on the ground, half-dead.

"How dare you? To think that you actually have the balls to barge into the Purgatory?"

"Who… who exactly are you?" The Three-Headed Dragon held his breath. He wanted to curse and swear at this guy!

To think that he was so close to succeeding.

However, according to the information he had, there was no such character in the Celestial Dungeon. The information was gravely wrong and he was screwed big time as a result.

"This fire is not bad." Xiao Ran remarked with a sly smile.

With a grab through the air, he retrieved the Ice Blue Sacred Flames from the fallen demon's body. A horrifyingly intense temperature emanated from it, but it did not hurt him at all.

"This is a sacred relic of the Ice Blue Esoteric Bird tribe. You can't touch it!"

"It has nothing to do with them anymore," Xiao Ran proclaimed with a pleased look.

He unleashed the Empyrean Conflagration Holy Fire and allowed it to devour the Ice Blue Sacred Flames.

Before it could be consumed, a powerful intangible presence emerged from the Sacred Flames, shocked and furious. "How dare you!"

"Why wouldn't I dare?" Xiao Ran replied with a shrug.

He manipulated the Empyrean Conflagration Holy Fire to devour it in one gulp. The intangible presence was also demolished in the process.

After digesting it, the power of the Empyrean Conflagration Holy Fire doubled.

"Not bad at all." Xiao Ran smiled with satisfaction.

The Three-Headed Dragon was stunned by this sight. The owner of that voice was the Holy Maiden of the Ice Blue Esoteric Bird tribe. Her skills evolution was extraordinary, and even the fallen demon was very much afraid of her.

In spite of her power, her intangible presence was destroyed in one simple stroke.

"The two of them have been waiting down there for a long time. You should be on your way too," Xiao Ran said.

With that, the Empyrean Conflagration Holy Fire crashed down into his forehead and burned his existence away.

His physical body was left intact though.

With a wave of his right hand, a ray of golden light shot out. The surroundings returned to normal, and the remaining demonic aura dissipated.

Xiao Ran put his corpse into the Seven Treasures Rainbow Jade Belt.

The Golden Tome of Creation flipped open to a random page and displayed four items: One million Mastery points, a hundred years of Martial Arts Evolution, a hundred years of soul evolution, and a portion of dragon liver.

He added the million Mastery points to the Apotropaic Divine Lightning.

After the attributes were refreshed,

Apotropaic Divine Lightning: Dominating Refinement

It had skipped the Minor Achievement level and advanced two levels up.

He was now sixty years away from breaking through to Level 4 of the Profound Realm in his Martial Arts Evolution.

In terms of Spiritual Master Evolution, he was 220 years away from breaking through to the next level.

Dragon liver: 13 pounds

Effect: A peerless delicacy that replenished whatever was lacking. It had very strong vitality. Whoever consumed it, even if his heart was crippled, he could still hang on for three days.

Gasp!

This was some seriously good stuff.

Walking over to the Eldest Princess, Xiao Ran remarked with a mischievous look, "You're quite relaxed."

"It had ended so quickly?" The Eldest Princess was stunned.

She had guessed that Xiao Ran was very strong, but she did not expect him to be so ridiculously strong.

A demon at Level 2 of the Profound realm did not seem to pose much of a challenge to him.

"It's indeed quite fast." Xiao Ran said with a smile.

He started patrolling the Purgatory.

Now that the Three-Headed Dragon had been caught sneaking in, he felt very uneasy. If that demon had released a few demons, it would be troublesome if they escaped outside after he had left.

At the Earth Fire pit,

the Deluge Dragon was frightened out of his wits. Hearing the intense fighting in the hall, he became even more terrified. "He… he must be on his way back."

Looking at the Earth Fire with the breached array formation, he cursed anxiously.

"I'll risk it! Even if I get roasted in the process, I won't go back to jail anymore."

He made up his mind to risk everything he had and was about to break through the array formation to leap into the Earth Fire.

Then he noticed that the fight over there had ended.

"F*ck! Is he trash? He wasn't even able to last for fifteen seconds before getting destroyed. With such a pathetic level of skill evolution, he still had the courage to come to the Purgatory and wreak havoc?"

He glanced reluctantly at Earth Fire. For the first time, he was so close to freedom.

He missed the fresh air outside so badly.

He looked longingly for one last time and engraved this scene indelibly into his mind. With much regret and reluctance, he executed his evasion technique at its maximum power and scooted back to his cell.

He had to get back before that guy noticed.

Report chapter

Chapter 54: Staging A Comeback Against All Odds

When Xiao Ran arrived at the cell where the Deluge Dragon was imprisoned, he stopped in his tracks.

The cell door was destroyed, and the 10,000-year-old Mystic Iron chains binding his body were smashed, scattering debris all over the ground.

The prisoner, however, was still inside the cell.

The Deluge Dragon had curled up into a ball and was hiding in the corner. His head was buried in his chest, and he was trembling violently.

He furtively raised his eyes to look at the approaching boots on the ground. His heart was almost in his throat as he cursed vehemently in his heart, "F*ck you, Three-Headed Dragon! You've really screwed me over big time."

"Raise your head," Xiao Ran ordered.

The Deluge Dragon raised its head meekly. It looked terribly pitiful and aggrieved, his eyes filled with resentment.

"Would you believe me if I said it had nothing to do with me?"

"I believe you."

"Thank you! I knew you would believe me." The Deluge Dragon was visibly relieved.

"Add another five bottles of dragon blood," Xiao Ran said.

"I… "

As he observed Xiao Ran's expression turn icy cold, he swallowed the rest of his words and hurriedly changed tack. "I think it's too little. You can add another bottle."

"What's going on here?"

"It has nothing to do with me. It was all the Three-Headed Dragon's doing! He wanted to take me in as his follower and bring me away with him, but I sternly reprimanded him and refused." As if afraid that Xiao Ran would not believe him, he added in the last few details.

"Since I've committed a crime, I must take responsibility for what I've done. I won't leave my cell until I've washed away my sins, not even if someone puts a knife to my throat." He proclaimed self-righteously.

"You are not escaping anymore?" Xiao Ran asked.

The Deluge Dragon shook his head vigorously. "I like the environment and everything here. I swear I will never escape!"

Xiao Ran retrieved the Three-Headed Dragon's body from his belt and tossed it in front of him.

Looking at the corpse, the Deluge Dragon was still shocked, even though it had known how terrifying Xiao Ran was.

However, when he saw the Three-Headed Dragon's corpse with his own eyes, he involuntarily jumped with fright.

He looked on nervously. "What … what are you doing?"

"Eat it," Xiao Ran ordered.

"Is it for me?"

Happiness arrived too suddenly. Afraid that he would go back on his word, the Deluge Dragon nonetheless swallowed the Three-Headed Dragon's corpse quickly.

Taking the initiative, he then stretched out his right limb and closed his eyes in humiliation. "No need to stand on ceremony. Feel free to take my blood."

Xiao Ran cut his wrist and began to bleed him.

After consuming the Three-Headed Dragon, the Deluge Dragon's evolution level had broken through to Level 2 of the Profound Realm. In addition to the six bottles that the Deluge Dragon had promised earlier, Xiao Ran drew another six bottles for a grand total of twelve bottles.

He put away the full jade bottles.

The Deluge Dragon was practically paralyzed. He lay weakly on the ground and smiled apologetically. "I have been very good, haven't I?"

Xiao Ran glared at him sternly, scaring him into shutting up immediately.

He re-sealed his shoulder bones again, repaired the 10,000-year-old Mystic Iron chains scattered all over the ground, and then bound the chains to his body again.

"Don't even think about escaping. The outside world is very dangerous," Xiao Ran said.

"I finally got away with it. I was almost scared to death." The Deluge Dragon thought inwardly and began to relax.

After checking the whole place over,

everything else in the Purgatory was intact. Other than the Deluge Dragon, the other demons were all securely imprisoned in cells.

He left the Celestial Dungeon and rushed towards the Dragon Lake Institute.

When he arrived there,

he found Little Zhou on the roof. Little Zhou was surprised by his late appearance. "Brother Xiao, I thought you weren't coming."

"I got held up."

"Has something happened at the Celestial Dungeon?"

"It's a small matter. It's already settled." Xiao Ran did not want to say too much.

Little Zhou took out a receipt and handed it to him.

"It's a receipt from the Jade Manor. Odds of ten to one."

At this point, Little Zhou became very excited and gushed, "The Dragon Lake Institute is too powerful. They won both rounds in a row. The Yin Incubation Institute has finally met their match. If nothing goes wrong, we will make a killing."

"Just you alone?" Xiao Ran asked.

"Our Lord is over there. He came way earlier than me and rushed over to occupy a seat before dawn. Apparently, he has even taken out all his retirement money. He bet a total of 200,000 taels on the Dragon Lake Institute to win."

Little Zhou looked somewhat envious.

"Brother Xiao, I believe you now. A Grand Master is really too rich."

"Work hard at developing your skills. You can do it too." Xiao Ran patted his shoulder encouragingly.

Little Zhou's face then clouded over as he said, "There's another blind date in a few days' time. When will it end?"

The third match began.

Xiao Ran took out the Source Consuming Pearl and used it as a medium to channel the Sanctifying Righteous Treasure Tome's power to the maximum. It went wild, devouring the Immense Righteous Energy of the Yin Incubation Institute like crazy.

At the start of the battle, Zhao Jishan and the other higher-ups were prepared to make big sacrifices.

Contrary to their expectations, the mystery perpetrator did not appear. They ended their preparations, but the outcome of the battles gave them a rude awakening.

All of them had such icy expressions that water could almost drip off their faces.

At this moment, they could feel their Immense Righteous Energy leaking away from their bodies again.

It made their already foul mood worse. They were so furious that their nails dug into their flesh.

"Vice Principal, that guy has reappeared," one of the higher-ups informed him urgently.

"I know." Zhao Ji Shan was expressionless.

He took out another Numinous Treasure and activated the Immense Righteous Energy in it for Xiao Ran to devour.

"I want to see how many Numinous Treasures you guys have," Xiao Ran commented scornfully.

All six matches had ended now.

The Dragon Lake Institute had won six consecutive matches. They had fought valiantly and saved the Imperial Court's last bit of face.

Jubilant triumphant cheers erupted from the ground.

Zhao Jishan threw down a treasure with an icy expression and quickly left with his men.

He had no choice but to leave. In just half a day, he had already lost three numinous treasures. Even if the Yin Incubation Institute had a rich heritage, it could not afford to squander like this.

"I haven't reached my limit yet," Xiao Ran remarked.

The Source Consuming Pearl was still a little short before it reached its upper limit.

The battle had already ended. As he looked in the direction they had left, he murmured with narrowed eyes, "I might pop over when I am free."

Little Zhou was jumping around on the roof excitedly. He was so overwhelmed with happiness. "Brother Xiao, we're rich!"

Crash!

The weight was too much for the roof to bear. A big hole emerged beneath where Little Zhou was jumping and he fell down.

"F*ck!" Little Zhou cursed as he plummeted down.

"Hurry up and run! Are you waiting for them to make you pay?" Xiao Ran urged him.

Little Zhou sprang up in shock. He leaped up from below and fled outside without looking back.

The two of them ran out of the Dragon Lake Institute and bumped into Shen Yiming along the way.

"Why are you two running?" Shen Yiming asked curiously.

He was in a very good mood now. The Dragon Lake Institute did not disappoint him. They had preserved the honor of the Imperial Court and had helped him earn back all the money he had lost previously.

It was a grand total of two million taels!

"I broke a hole through their roof," Little Zhou admitted honestly.

"That's just a small matter. Look at how scared you are." Shen Yiming rolled his eyes at him.

With a wave of his right hand,

"Let's go! We'll go to the Jade Manor to get our money. Tonight I'll treat you guys to drinks at the Drunken Immortals Court. You can have as much fun as you want. I'll pay for all the expenses."

Little Zhou asked the question that had been bugging him, "My Lord, you've lost three rounds in a row previously, yet you still continue to bet on the Dragon Lake Institute. Aren't you afraid of losing again?"

"Of course I am! I even took out my retirement money. How can I not be afraid?" Shen Yiming said.

"We're on different sides. I still have to bet on our side even if I'm scared. It's a matter of principle."

"Hehe! I bet 30,000. Brother Xiao bet 300,000."

Shen Yiming stopped in his tracks and sized up the two of them suspiciously. His gaze then fixed on Xiao Ran. "Really?"

He wanted to ask, "Where did you get so much money?" but he changed his mind at the last minute.

Everyone had their secrets, as long as they kept their principles.

"Why don't I treat everyone instead!" Xiao Ran offered, admitting in a roundabout way that his winnings were the highest among the three.

Report chapter

Chapter 55: Old Gu

At a courier station,

inside a room,

Zhao Jishan and the other higher-ups sat together with a stony countenance. The atmosphere was oppressive.

It was humiliating to think about what had happened today.

One of the high-level members couldn't contain himself any longer and slammed his palm forcefully on the table, destroying it in the process. "Yama must give us an explanation!" he said angrily.

"Go tell them that if they can't resolve this matter to our satisfaction, there's no need for their existence anymore," Zhao Jishan said menacingly with murderous intent.

"Although the Dragon Lake Institute won and upset our plan, that was not a big deal. With three consecutive victories against the three Great Institutes and the numinous treasures we obtained, we still have a 50% chance of succeeding in our plan."

The high-level member tried to sound optimistic as he said these words.

"Including the Great Dao Scripture, four of our Numinous Treasures have been destroyed. Even the budding talents we brought this time have had their foundations crippled. Can we really succeed?"

The others appeared to share his concern.

Zhao Jishan shook his head. "We did suffer heavy losses, but nominally, we still have the upper hand. Coupled with the 'gifts' we have carefully prepared, there is no worry that Emperor Sheng Wen won't agree."

They perfected the plan until everyone was sure there were no loopholes before dispersing.

At the Jade Manor,

Xiao Ran and the other two had just arrived when they saw three people walking towards them.

Two were familiar faces, Wen Fuxian and Chen Wenheng.

There was another Great Scholar, who exuded a thick strong Immense Righteous Energy that spread out like mist. It influenced the surrounding aura to give off a refreshing feeling, like being bathed in a wave of spring breeze.

"Profound Realm?" Xiao Ran thought to himself.

Shen Yiming hurried forward and immediately greeted, "Old Gu, why are you here?"

"This bunch of good-for-nothings. They did not study conscientiously to nurture their Immense Righteous Energy. Instead they actually bet most of their assets on this sort of unorthodox activity." Old Gu stroked his beard and displayed the demeanor of a wise learned sage.

The corners of Shen Yiming's mouth twitched violently as he cursed silently in his heart, "You guys were probably worried that the Jade Manor would not be willing to pay up. You were just flexing your muscles as a show of threat?"

Curious, he then asked, "How much did you bet?"

"Not much! Just five million taels."

Gulp!

Shen Yiming and Little Zhou both swallowed in a loud gulp as they heard the shocking figure.

"Have you guys placed your bets too?" Old Gu asked.

"The Dragon Lake Institute is the only one among the Four Great Institutes which did well. The Scholastic Incubation Institute almost made me lose everything. I even took out my retirement funds for this final round. Fortunately, the students you nurtured didn't disappoint."

Old Gu looked very pleased with himself.

Together with Wen Fuxian, they entered the Jade Manor.

Xiao Ran and Chen Wenheng waved and nodded to each other in greeting.

In a secret room,

the Bookmaker of the Jade Manor and his two deputies sat together with gloomy expressions.

He had thought that he could rake in a huge profit this time, but he did not expect the Dragon Lake Institute to counterattack and turn the tables around to save what had remained of the Imperial Court's honor.

It was a completely lethal blow for them.

"Are you all mute? Aren't you guys usually quite eloquent?" said the Bookmaker angrily.

One of them said, "Why don't we run?"

"I think you must be tired of living, is that right?" the Bookmaker sneered at him with condescension.

The other deputy said, "Try to delay! Extend the time as long as possible. When the storm dies down, we can send someone to eliminate the bettors. In this way, we can make up for our losses."

"Since this is your idea, why don't you go and destroy the Dragon Lake Institute now? When you come back alive, I'll ask the higher-ups to reward you."

The deputy was at a loss for words.

A trusted aide hurried over to give a report.

"Bookmaker, the people from the Dragon Lake Institute and the Divine Sword Guards are here."

"Who's leading the team?" The Bookmaker asked.

"Old Gu!"

Gasp!

The three of them looked at each other, scared out of their wits.

In particular, the deputy who had suggested silencing the Dragon Lake Institute, began wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

The Bookmaker glared at him fiercely, then with a sweep of his sleeve, he headed outside.

Inside a room,

Xiao Ran and the others sat on chairs with a cup of tea in front of them. No one touched the tea.

No one came for quite a long while.

Little Zhou couldn't resist asking, "Did they run away?"

Chen Wenheng also felt that this was a strong possibility. After all, they had placed so much money. The Jade Manor would not be able to earn a single cent this time. In fact, they might even have lost money. "That's possible."

Old Gu stroked his beard with a smile and said calmly and confidently, "Not unless they run away forever."

Hurried footsteps were heard coming from inside. The three Bookmakers then appeared before them with apologetic smiles.

"Old Gu, you are so humorous. Business with Honor and Integrity is our motto. Our Jade Manor has been operating for a hundred years. We value our reputation very much."

He scolded one of his subordinates.

"Are you blind or what? Can't you see that Old Gu is here? How can you serve such a plain beverage to our valued guests? Hurry up and bring out my supreme-grade Sea Spring Black Tea!"

"There's no need." Old Gu waved his hand and interrupted them.

He took out the receipt and placed it on the table. He stopped short of saying, "Pay up."

Shen Yiming and Little Zhou also took out their respective receipts.

Xiao Ran only took out the receipt for the 300,000 taels. It wasn't convenient to take out the receipt for the other 500,000 taels.

Inwardly, the Bookmaker wanted to curse and swear. He wanted to renege on paying out the winnings.

However, under Old Gu's gaze, he did not even dare to say the word "No".

"Bring the money!"

He turned away as he couldn't bear to watch the proceedings. His heart was practically bleeding.

After receiving the money, Xiao Ran and the others stood up and prepared to leave.

At this moment, Old Gu suddenly issued a warning. "This matter ends here. Don't cause any trouble."

The Bookmaker smiled apologetically and repeatedly said that he wouldn't dare.

When they had left, he slumped weakly into the chair.

This time, they did not even dare to take revenge. Even Old Gu had shown up as a warning to them.

Outside,

"Thank you for taking care of us. We are much obliged." Shen Yiming gave a fist and palm salute in gratitude.

"You guys are quite honorable. You made your allegiance clear. You stood by us while we were temporarily at a disadvantage and did not go against your conscience to grab some gains for yourself." Old Gu said.

He then left with Wen Fuxian and Chen Wenheng.

"My Lord, are we out of the woods now?" Little Zhou stuck his head out tentatively.

Shen Yiming kicked him in irritation. "Nonsense! With Old Gu around, they wouldn't dare to try anything even if other people lent them extra balls."

"Then who's treating tonight, you or Brother Xiao?"

"It's on me tonight. Xiao Ran will treat us tomorrow night."

"I have no objections." Xiao Ran shrugged his shoulders agreeably.

"I can't be stingy either. It'll be my treat the night after!" Little Zhou knew how to conduct himself.

"Let's go! Let's drink to our hearts' content at the Drunken Immortals Court." Shen Yiming laughed loudly and swaggered bombastically down the street.

Four hours later,

Xiao Ran left the Drunken Immortals Court, leaving the two of them behind, very drunk and in high spirits.

He used his Transformation Technique to change his appearance, changed his clothes, and returned to the Jade Manor again.

"You want to collect money?" The manager asked.

"Yes." Xiao Ran nodded affirmatively.

"How much?"

"Five hundred thousand taels."

Crash!

Startled by what he heard, the manager fell to the floor. After he scrambled to his feet, he stared at Xiao Ran in disbelief. In order to double-check, he asked, "Where's the receipt?"

Xiao Ran took out the receipt for his verification.

After confirming that it was authentic, the manager did not dare to delay any further. He invited Xiao Ran to an inner room and went to report to his superiors.

In the secret room,

the three bookmakers looked so crestfallen that it appeared as if their parents had died. With such a huge loss, they had no way of reporting to their superiors.

At this moment, his aide reported again, "Bookmaker, someone is here to collect money again!"

"Trash! You want to disturb me over such a trivial matter?" The Bookmaker roared out at his staff.

Report chapter

Chapter 56: Arrival

Seeing that the aide was still standing rooted to the ground, the Bookmaker kicked him and shouted, "Get lost!"

His aide turned and fled the place.

When he reached the door and was about to disappear, the Bookmaker suddenly said, "Stop right there."

"How much is he collecting?"

"Five million taels," the aide said.

Ka-Crash!

The teacup that the Bookmaker had just picked up dropped on the floor and shattered.

"What did you say? I didn't catch that. Say again."

"He bet 500,000 taels on the Dragon Lake Institute winning."

"How many of them? And who's leading them?" The Bookmaker pressed him for details.

"It's just him alone. The manager has confirmed that his martial arts evolution is at the Connate Realm."

The three Bookmakers looked at each other and sneered. Their eyes were filled with murderous intent. Did he think that the Jade Manor was a cash-withdrawal machine?

Any Tom, Dick, or Harry was simply going to come here and have a go?

A deputy Bookmaker said, "It's not appropriate to take action here. Give him the money first, then get someone to keep an eye on him. Thereafter find a deserted place to finish him off."

The other deputy nodded in agreement. "That's what I thought too."

The Bookmaker narrowed his eyes and drummed his fingers on the table. After going over it in his mind, he thought this idea might work.

He immediately instructed, "Get someone to give him the money and then tell Blood Tiger to do a clean job."

His aide turned and left.

Inside a room,

the manager returned and placed 5,500,000 taels of silver banknotes in front of Xiao Ran. "The capital plus the winnings are all here."

Holding the banknotes in his hand, Xiao Ran counted them.

The largest value banknote was a hundred thousand taels each. There were a total of 55 pieces.

"Perfect."

"Yes," the manager replied impassively.

He watched him leave and then sneered. "It's not so easy to take money from our Jade Manor."

After leaving the Jade Manor,

Xiao Ran needed to pee urgently. He had drunk too much alcohol in the Drunken Immortals Court just now.

He popped into a side alley and pulled up his pants…

At this moment,

a tall stocky figure dashed out of the Jade Manor. He was the Blood Tiger. He looked at the empty street and used his senses to search, but did not sense Xiao Ran's remaining aura.

His brows knitted together. "Where is he?"

After a moment's hesitation, he wondered whether he should go left or right?

"I'll check the left side first. If that doesn't work, I can come back."

He activated his technique at its maximum strength and rushed into the night.

After the Blood Tiger left, Xiao Ran walked out of the alley feeling carefree and relaxed. He then headed home.

He was still puzzled. Knowing what kind of character these people were, after losing so much money, why didn't they take any action when he was all alone? Had they turned over a new leaf?

He walked all the way home safe and sound.

"Looks like I'm thinking too much," Xiao Ran remarked to himself.

At the Predestiny Bridge,

the Blood Tiger came to a stop. After running around for so long, he still hadn't found his quarry. Thinking that this did not bode well, he thought he might be going in the wrong direction.

He was just about to turn around,

when a figure came around the corner.

A terrifying evil aura emanated from this character. It was wrapped around him thickly without dispersing. Wherever he went, the surrounding temperature dropped drastically.

The mystery guy came to a stop when he saw Blood Tiger blocking his way.

"Were you expecting me?" Yin Jijie asked.

"You're quite fast! You got here so quickly," Blood Tiger gave a sinister sneer.

Yin Jijie felt that something was wrong. He had barely stepped into the capital city, yet his presence had already been discovered by others so fast?

This force was indeed terrifying. No wonder the Snow Consort had died at their hands.

His eyes turned icy cold, and a terrifying murderous intent erupted. "Besides you, who else is there?"

"The dead don't need to know so much." Blood Tiger instantly charged at him.

The martial arts evolution of a Level 1 Grand Master erupted explosively, whipping up a huge whirlwind of force. Blood-red light flashed around his body as he roared, "Blood Demon Heaven Shattering Punch!"

As his bloodthirsty aura condensed, it transformed into a hundred-foot-long fist imprint that blasted over with overpowering might.

"That's it?" Yin Jijie asked disdainfully.

He waved his right hand and a beam of green light shot down.

The ferocious fist imprint was shattered straightaway. Then pointing into the air with one finger, Yin Jijie broke through his defense and attacked him until he was severely injured. He then slammed him to the ground.

He walked up to the fallen demon.

"Are you going to tell me now?"

"You… you're not at the level of the Connate Realm?" Blood Tiger realized belatedly with a shock.

"I'm the one asking the questions, not you," Yin Jijie gave a scornful snort.

He stomped down and crushed the injured demon's left leg. The excruciating pain nearly made him faint.

"It won't end well for you to make us your enemy."

"I'm going to ask you one last time. Are you going to tell me or not?"

"Not on your life!" Blood Tiger was still stubborn.

"I'm giving you a chance but you don't want it." Yin Jijie smiled malevolently.

A huge silver wolf illusion shot out from above his head and transformed into hundreds of feet tall. In one bite, it swallowed him whole.

After digesting his prey,

Yin Jijie licked his lips ominously. "It doesn't taste that good."

With a gust of the night wind, he vanished without a trace.

In the bedroom,

Xiao Ran took down the painting of the Eldest Princess. He retrieved a bottle of dragon blood, and poured it over the painting.

Boundless spiritual power circulated, and a huge aura enveloped the entire room. A powerful suction force came from the painting and absorbed all the dragon blood.

Golden light appeared, and the Eldest Princess's strength improved again, reaching Level 5 of the Master Realm.

Even the image was more vivid and lifelike.

"How incredible." Xiao Ran was awestruck.

He'd only wanted to test it out, but it had worked beyond his expectations.

He hung the painting back on the wall, to ward off evil in the house.

After consuming the remaining eleven bottles of dragon blood, the dragon blood entered his stomach and toughened his body. After strengthening, his current physical body was comparable to a Level 5 Grand Master.

He looked at the dragon liver in his palm. It was a rich golden color and emitted such a rich aroma before it was even roasted.

"Crimson Cetan," Xiao Ran summoned out loud.

The Crimson Cetan had been playing dead these days.

If he could not defeat him, he could not escape. The moment he appeared, he would be squeezed dry. He might as well minimize his presence as much as possible.

Resentfully, it flew from his wrist and stared at the dragon liver. His hawkish eyes lit up and he flapped his wings excitedly. "Is that for me?"

"What do you think?" Xiao Ran asked in reply.

"I have a weak stomach. I'm afraid of indigestion if I eat something so good."

He manipulated his Crimson Cetan Holy Fire and obediently worked hard to roast the dragon liver.

Inwardly, he was drooling uncontrollably. It smelled so good. He wanted so badly to have a bite.

A few minutes later,

the dragon liver was roasted, emitting a mouth-watering aroma that spread everywhere. The Crimson Cetan's eyes were fixed on the dragon liver, unable to look away.

"Shall we eat together?" Xiao Ran asked invitingly.

"No! I'm afraid of indigestion." Crimson Cetan shrank back.

Recalling the last time he had a meal, he had suffered a huge loss of his vital energy which had only recovered recently.

He nimbly went back into hiding on Xiao Ran's wrist. Out of sight, out of mind.

"It's quite delicious," Xiao Ran taunted him.

Thirteen pounds of dragon liver was really not sufficient.

He felt even better after drinking the spirit water that he had accumulated over the past few days.

In the part of his body where his liver was located, the vital energy felt very strong and it was filled with a rich dense energetic vigor. The dragon liver was starting to have an effect on his body.

He was just about to turn off the lights and rest when

an uninvited guest appeared in the courtyard.

He wore a devil's mask and a blood-red robe. Only his eyes were visible.

"Yama's men?" Xiao Ran thought with a puzzled frown.

The door opened silently and a shadowy figure flew in. Seeing Xiao Ran standing in the hall, the face hidden under the mask frowned slightly. "Are you waiting for me?"

"Yes." Xiao Ran nodded affirmatively.

"You knew I was coming over?"

"I didn't! I sensed your aura just now," Xiao Ran said casually.

"No!" The guy from Yama had a bad feeling about this.

Report chapter

Chapter 57: Major Case

He carefully sized up Xiao Ran, trying to see through him.

There was no discrepancy. He was indeed at the level of Connate Realm.

In that case how did he discover me? Could he have in his possession a special numinous treasure?

At the thought of this,

this intruder became very excited. "Hand over your numinous treasure and I'll give you a quick death!"

"How did you guys find me?" Xiao Ran asked with a puzzled look.

"There were only the three of you from the Divine Sword Guards investigating the death of the Great General. The Sacred Martial Bureau only had Li Heng left. The three of them are holed up in their respective headquarters. You, on the other hand, are still staying outside."

"Have Little Zhou and the others gone back?" Xiao Ran became even more puzzled.

When he left Drunken Immortals Court, the two of them were still having fun.

Then again it made sense after he thought about it. It was already way past midnight.

"Hand over the Numinous Treasure." The intruder moved forward in a threatening fashion.

A huge aura burst out and enveloped the living room, firmly locking onto Xiao Ran. A pair of cold merciless looking eyes glared at him, devoid of emotion.

"Besides you, how many other Yama guys are coming to the capital city this time?" Xiao Ran again inquired casually.

"You talk too much!" The intruder lost his patience totally.

With one step forward, an overpowering earth-blanketing pressure, churning and roiling like thunderous lightning, rolled forward like a tsunami, rushing towards Xiao Ran.

He had just arrived in front of Xiao Ran and had yet to launch his attack.

In that split second, a palm flashed with golden light, and an even stronger aura completely eliminated the intruder's aura. It grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground.

No matter how he struggled, it was futile against this immovable palm.

His face was filled with shock and his eyeballs were almost popping out. He looked at Xiao Ran in horror. "You… you're at the Profound Realm!"

"What were you expecting?" Xiao Ran asked.

"Aren't you just an ordinary member of the Divine Sword Guards?"

"Who said that a Profound Realm guy can't be an ordinary person?"

With a sudden fling of his palm, Xiao Ran smashed the intruder to the ground. Before he could get up from the ground, Xiao Ran re-appeared in front of him. Stepping hard on his chest, he questioned him again, "Where are the rest of you?"

"Sir, if I tell you, will you let me go?"

"What do you think?"

"Since I'm going to die anyway, do you think I'll talk?"

"You will." Xiao Ran assured him confidently.

Ten consecutive shots of Heavenly Slave Divine Finger were fired into his body.

The pain from his soul was so excruciating that he wanted to die at once. He writhed and rolled on the ground, grabbing at his flesh. Within a dozen breaths, he was covered in blood.

A blood-curdling scream reverberated through the night sky.

"Tell me everything you know and I'll give you a quick death," Xiao Ran said.

"Forget… it!" The intruder grunted through clenched teeth.

Xiao Ran watched calmly. After hanging on for seven to eight minutes, the intruder couldn't take it anymore.

It hurt so much. The torment was driving him crazy.

"I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything!"

Xiao Ran gestured with his hand and temporarily relieved his pain. "You only have one chance."

This intruder told him everything he knew, including details of the Yama people who came to the capital city this time.

A deputy hall master leading the team? And a Profound Realm expert no less?

Apart from investigating how and why Malevolent Earth and the others were destroyed, they were also secretly in cahoots with the Yin Incubation Institute. They were the ones who invited the middle-aged Daoist priest to absorb the Immense Righteous Energy of the Dragon Lake Institute.

The mastermind behind all these was the Yin Incubation Institute.

Just three days ago,

the deputy hall master accidentally discovered that the full year tax collection from Chuyun Province was hundreds of millions of taels of silver. They had their eyes on it.

After taking three days to check,

they hatched a complete plan. Tonight, they would split into two parties.

One party would be led by the deputy hall master in person to go to the Ministry of Revenue. Before the tax money was locked into the treasury, they would grab it.

The other party,

comprised just him alone. His job was to capture Xiao Ran and make him spill the beans. He was to interrogate him on the cause of death of Malevolent Earth and the others.

Unfortunately, their accommodations were not fixed. Otherwise, it would have saved a lot of trouble as they could then be wiped out in one shot.

The Empyrean Conflagration Holy Fire burst down upon him and instantly turned him to ashes.

The Golden Tome of Creation flipped to a random page and displayed three items. The rewards for a Level 10 Grand Master Realm was more generous comparatively speaking. 500,000 Mastery points, 50 years of Martial Arts Evolution, and the Seven Star Detoxification Pill.

He added the 500,000 Mastery points to the Apotropaic Divine Lightning.

After the attributes were refreshed,

Apotropaic Divine Lightning: Perfection

He was ten years away from advancing his martial arts evolution another step.

Seven Star Detoxification Pill: Can neutralize hundreds of poisons.

He opened his mouth and swallowed it. It turned into a warm current that was absorbed by his body.

"These people are really bold. To think that they dared to have designs on the tax money," Xiao Ran said thoughtfully.

Invoking his Traversing the Heavens in Twelve Steps, with one step he vanished.

By the time he arrived at the Ministry of Revenue, the place was already under heavy security.

The whole place was illuminated brightly. There were people everywhere. Inside, the building was packed with so many people that they spilled outside.

"Have they succeeded?" Xiao Ran thought to himself, watching this scene from the shadows.

He stayed for a while before leaving.

The next day,

when he stepped into the Divine Sword Guards headquarters, he immediately felt the difference in atmosphere. His colleagues all walked by with stony expressions and hurried footsteps.

When he arrived at the small courtyard,

Little Zhou immediately rushed up to him. "Brother Xiao, something big has happened."

"Was the tax money stolen?" Xiao Ran asked.

"Eh! You know all about it?"

"I heard on the way here."

Little Zhou pulled him inside the building and said in a low voice, "That's not all."

"Stop wasting time." Xiao Ran kicked him irritably.

"Two major incidents happened last night. The first was the robbing of the tax money that was placed in the Ministry of Revenue. The second was the theft of the 'Celestial Varg Guards' training manual, which was secretly kept by the Ministry of Defense."

"Are these men all pigs?"

Little Zhou nodded in agreement. "More useless than a pig! Even a dog is better than them."

"Our Lord was summoned by Vice Sword Master Qin early in the morning. Looks like this matter will end up on our laps."

"Let's wait and see," Xiao Ran said.

They did not have to wait long. Soon, Shen Yiming returned, walking briskly towards them with an icy cold expression.

"How is it, my Lord?" Little Zhou asked.

"The people from the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Revenue are useless! The items were heavily guarded, but they were still stolen from under their noses," Shen Yiming berated them mercilessly.

"And then?"

"The relevant people have been arrested and locked up. The person who led this attack has been imprisoned and is being interrogated severely right now."

His gaze landed on Xiao Ran.

"Have you gone to the Celestial Dungeon yet?"

Xiao Ran shook his head. "Not yet! On the way here this morning, I heard that the tax money was stolen so I rushed over quickly."

"Good." Shen Yiming was pleased with his attitude.

"His Majesty was really furious this time. A full year's worth of tax money that was collected from Chuyun Province was gone just like that. Then there was that matter of the 'Celestial Varg Guards' training manual. The original intention was to have the Ministry of Defense secretly choose suitable people to be trained as Celestial Varg Guards. Before the plan could be implemented, the manual was already lost."

"No backup copies?" Xiao Ran asked.

"No!" Shen Yiming bellowed.

"According to the schedule, His Majesty should be meeting with the people from the Yin Incubation Institute today. Now that such a major incident has happened, the meeting has been postponed indefinitely. Moreover, if the training manual were to fall into the wrong hands, once a large number of Celestial Varg Guards are nurtured, it will be a huge disaster!"

Little Zhou cursed out loud, "Did all our previous efforts go to waste?"

Shen Yiming was also very pissed off. He had just earned a large sum of money, but before he could squander it away, he became embroiled in this mess.

"Stop whining. Deputy Sword Master Qin just summoned me and gave me an inviolable order. He said that we are to hunt down the 'Celestial Varg Guards' training manual at all costs and wipe out the thieves responsible."

"Just the three of us?" Little Zhou asked incredulously.

"We're not gods. We can't perform miracles! The thieves managed to get away with it without alerting anyone, even though the Ministry of Defense is heavily guarded. If it is just the three of us, how long is it going to take before we crack the case?" Shen Yiming rolled his eyes in disbelief.

"Besides us, there are also people from the Spiritual Divinity Bureau and the Sacred Martial Bureau. The three departments will work together to solve the case."

Report chapter

Chapter 58: Can't Stand Him So Screw Him

"Who's in charge of the tax money case?" Little Zhou asked curiously.

"The Forbidden Martial Guards and the God Enforcement Division are jointly responsible." Shen Yiming replied after a pause. He didn't seem to think highly of them.

"The Forbidden Martial Guards are a little better. The God Enforcement Division has just recovered a little from the last incident. It's going to be difficult to find out the truth."

Xiao Ran asked the question that had been troubling him.

"There was no lockdown in the capital city after such a major incident?"

"It is locked down. People can come in but no one can go out. The time limit is one week. We don't have much time. We have to solve the case within seven days."

He then turned around.

Shen Yiming's gaze was stern. "Let's go! We'll go to the Celestial Dungeon first. We'll meet up with the people from the Ministry of Defense and the Spiritual Divinity Bureau later."

They left the Divine Sword Guards headquarters and rushed to the Celestial Dungeon.

The lieutenant quickly greeted them. "Greetings, my lords!"

"Where are the people from the Ministry of Defense being held?" Shen Yiming asked.

"They're being held on the third floor."

"Take us there."

When they reached the third floor,

the Assistant Minister of Defense and a group of officials who were on duty last night were all imprisoned here.

Shen Yiming said, "Let's split up. Report any clues immediately."

The three went their separate ways.

Xiao Ran entered a cell and looked at the suspect who was imprisoned. His skin was torn and bloody, his hair disheveled. It seemed that he had suffered a lot of torture before his visit. The dungeon guard had already interrogated him once.

He invoked the Spirit Shifting Soul Control technique to control his mind and begin the interrogation.

After one round of interrogation, not a single clue was unearthed.

He withdrew the Spirit Shifting Soul Control technique and left the cell. He then entered the next one.

An hour later,

the three of them met up again.

"Any results?" Shen Yiming asked.

Xiao Ran shook his head. The people he interrogated were all normal. No one could hide from his Spirit Shifting Soul Control technique.

Little Zhou also shook his head.

"I knew this would happen. If the case was so easy to crack, this task wouldn't have landed on our laps," Shen Yiming said.

"What do we do now?" Little Zhou asked.

"Go to the Ministry of Defense and meet with the Spiritual Divinity Bureau. Let's see if they have uncovered any clues."

When they arrived at the Ministry of Defense,

they happened to bump into the people from the Spiritual Divinity Bureau confronting the people from the Sacred Martial Bureau.

Both sides were purportedly "old friends."

The person in charge of the case from the Spiritual Divinity Bureau was Ling Qing'er. She had once guarded the Celestial Dungeon with Shen Yiming. Since they were old partners, the case could be solved with half the effort.

The leader heading the investigation from the Sacred Martial Bureau was Li Heng.

Previously, he was almost killed by the Massacre Matchmaker. After he recovered from his injuries, he happened to encounter this matter when he reported back for duty and was duly dispatched here.

The reason for the standoff was very simple. Li Heng had a foul mouth and brought a huge team here. He wanted to take the lead in the investigation due to their advantage in numbers. Naturally, Ling Qing'er did not agree and they started arguing.

Swords were drawn and the atmosphere was tense.

"You've just recovered from your injuries and you're already here flexing your muscles. You must be tired of living, eh?" Shen Yiming mocked him without mercy.

Nodding to Ling Qing'er, he stood side by side with her.

The Sacred Martial Bureau with their big team, originally held a big advantage. However with the arrival of Shen Yiming and his gang, they lost the advantage in numbers.

Li Heng's face clouded over. "Is your mouth asking for a beating? You didn't learn your lesson last time and still want to have another taste, is it?"

"I don't like his face. Shall we attack together?" Shen Yiming asked.

Ling Qing'er smiled and stroked her hair. "Screw him!"

She was the first to charge forward. Her spiritual soul energy rushed out and transformed into a terrifying ax hundreds of feet in size. It went slashing down in an overpowering sweep.

Shen Yiming wasn't far behind. He drew out his sword and slashed out hundreds of times in an instant. The sharp sword energy containing immense power, was cunning and vicious as it stabbed at his lower body.

"You guys are shameless!" Li Heng shouted in exasperation.

Li Heng dared not delay. He immediately executed his claw technique and spun an impenetrable wall of defense to protect himself securely.

With the two of them working together, Li Heng was at an absolute disadvantage and was forced to keep defending himself.

The subordinates brought by both sides stared at one another, not knowing what to do.

Little Zhou asked, "Brother Xiao, shall we join in?"

"They're already fighting. Do you think we can simply stand by and watch?" Xiao Ran asked.

This guy was quite street-smart. He looked at the four girls from the Spiritual Divinity Bureau. All of them were spiritual masters and were bright and beautiful. They were young and had good figures.

"Ladies, don't be afraid. We will never let the Sacred Martial Bureau bully you! Everyone, let's attack together and give these bastards a severe thrashing," Little Zhou called out.

He then lowered his voice making sure that only the two of them could hear, "Brother Xiao, take care of me later."

Activating his Fleeing Cataglyphis Technique, he vanished, leaving behind an afterimage. He re-appeared in front of someone from the Sacred Martial Bureau and punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground.

Seeing him attack,

the four ladies of the Spiritual Divinity Bureau realized that they shared a common enemy. Even the Divine Sword Guards were standing up for their lady so how could they watch helplessly?

With a gush of immense spiritual soul energy, they activated their spiritual skills and pummeled the guys from Sacred Martial Bureau.

Xiao Ran was dumbstruck. Wasn't this a little too enthusiastic?

He didn't stand by idly. He sprang into action, beating up a few guys first.

There were nearly twenty people from the Sacred Martial Bureau. Their quantity was formidable.

However, their quality was poor. They were quickly beaten to the ground by the combined forces of the Divine Sword Guards and the Spiritual Divinity Bureau.

The winner was swiftly decided.

The battle on Shen Yiming's side was also over. Li Heng was being pressed down and roughly pounded against the ground.

After a while, the two of them stopped.

"Remember this lesson I taught you today. Don't bully others just because you have more people," Shen Yiming reprimanded him.

Li Heng was full of resentment and wanted to say something harsh.

However, reality was very cruel. He met their predatory gazes but didn't dare utter a sound.

Rising from the ground, his face as black as ink, he issued an order. "Let's go!"

He then left with the men from the Sacred Martial Bureau. After leaving the Ministry of Defense, he didn't go far but hid on the side.

One of his subordinates asked in confusion, "My lord, aren't we going to investigate the clues?"

"Investigate my ass!" Li Heng cursed at him angrily.

"If I depend on you bunch of good-for-nothings, I will end up having my whole family executed and all our possessions confiscated. You guys are good for feasting, drinking, and having fun, but if I ask you to comb through a huge pile of information for leads and do some meticulous work, can you guys do it?"

"Then what are we doing?"

"Just because we can't do it doesn't mean they can't. In particular, those women from the Spiritual Divinity Bureau. They're all spiritual masters, so the possibility of finding clues is very high. When they come out later, we'll secretly follow them. When they have located the mastermind, we'll overtake them and snatch the credit before they do," Li Heng said.

"My lord is wise indeed."

"Of course." Li Heng smiled proudly.

However, the movement of the facial muscles caused more pain to the injuries on his face and made him groan in pain.

In the big compound of the Ministry of Defense,

Xiao Ran and the others had already checked the premises inside and out. The two departments met up and found that neither side had obtained any useful clues.

"This matter is very troublesome. The place where the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual was stored is intact, but the item was stolen and the people in charge of guarding it did not notice its disappearance. The person who pulled this off is not someone to mess with." Shen Yiming said solemnly.

Ling Qing'er concurred with his assessment and shook her head again.

"As long as it was an act by man, it is not possible to leave no clues behind. It's just that we have not found it."

"Do you have any good ideas?"

"Since the other party has obtained the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual, they will definitely think of a way to send it out and then start nurturing the troops secretly. It is unlikely that they will keep it hidden forever. From the start of the case, the capital city has been sealed off. The 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual must be still within the capital city." Ling Qing'er's eyes flickered fervently.

"Let's focus on investigating the people who entered the capital city recently and sift out those suspicious people. I don't believe they can disappear into thin air!"

Shen Yiming's eyes lit up. "There's no time to lose. We must act now."

Report chapter

Chapter 59: Someone on the Tree

The Divine Sword Guards went their separate ways.

Everyone acted alone upon leaving the Ministry of Defense, to investigate suspicious people who had recently entered the capital city.

Li Heng's eyes lit up. "Pair up in one team, and one team each to follow them. Don't alert them. Report immediately if there's any news."

Along the way,

Xiao Ran frowned. He sensed two people from the Sacred Martial Bureau following him.

After thinking for a while, he understood Li Heng's plan.

"Following me? Such wishful thinking."

He entered a small alley.

The guys from the Sacred Martial Bureau hurriedly followed. They had just entered the alley when they felt a pain in the back of their heads and dropped to the ground, unconscious.

After getting rid of them, Xiao Ran then left the alley.

He did not investigate blindly like a headless fly. The capital city was so big after all. Anyone who wanted to hide could easily squirm into some obscure corner. Even if he were to dig up the whole ground up to a depth of 3 feet, he still might not be able to find the suspect.

So, the task was as monumental as searching for a needle in a haystack.

At nightfall,

Xiao Ran arrived at the courier station. He had previously learned from that guy from Yama that their deputy hall master had stolen the tax money with his men. Malevolent Earth had even had designs on the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual previously. For all he knew, they might be the ones responsible for the theft of the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual.

Even if they were not responsible, he had nothing to lose.

Besides,

their relationship with the Yin Incubation Institute was very complicated. Even that Grand Master could not figure it out.

If he followed this lead in his investigation, it was bound to lead to something.

He climbed over the wall and entered the premises.

As he sneaked up towards Zhao Jishan and the others, just when he was about to get closer, the door swung open. A Great Scholar sneaked out of the room suspiciously and closed the door. He checked left and right to make sure there was no one. His body then quivered and melted into the darkness, dashing in one particular direction.

Xiao Ran pondered for a while. He glanced at the room and then at his departing shadow before deciding. "I'll follow him to see what's going on."

A quarter of an hour later,

the Great Scholar came to a stop near the moat. He stood under a large eye-catching tree, seemingly waiting for someone.

Xiao Ran, concealed in the darkness, was blended into the night sky and he watched quietly.

After another short while,

a shadow, wearing a devil's mask, raced toward him and stopped in front of him.

"What took you so long?" The Great Scholar chided with a stony countenance.

Displeased with his attitude, the masked man gave a snort. "I'm not one of your men. What right do you have to dictate when I should come?"

"Say that again!" The Great Scholar's face froze in a threatening look.

A thick powerful cloud of Immense Righteous Energy locked onto him.

However, the masked man did not seem to be afraid. "We're all in the same boat now. If you attack, you'll definitely attract the Imperial Court's attention. When that happens, and sh*t follows, don't say that I didn't warn you."

"Hmph!" The Great Scholar's nostrils flared, and he shook his sleeve aside in annoyance.

The masked man didn't want to let their relationship deteriorate any further, so he explained, "It would be a waste not to take the tax money that comes knocking on our door. Since we have the guts to pull off this heist, it means we have full confidence that we can send this sum of money out."

"What f*cking bullshit!" The Great Scholar yelled back. He looked like a bad-tempered person.

Saliva splattered all over as he pointed at his face and threatened,

"If you hadn't done something stupid, would Emperor Sheng Wen have flown into a rage? Would he have canceled our audience with him today? Would he have postponed it indefinitely?"

The more he spoke, the angrier he became. The angrier he was, the more vicious his scolding.

"I am warning you. If this plan fails because of you guys, there's no need for your Yama group to exist anymore!"

The guy from Yama became incensed as well.

In their plan, once the heist was completed. they would transfer the money out. They had already gotten everything ready. However, at this moment, someone reported to them that the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual had been stolen.

Something that they had failed at, another unknown mastermind had succeeded.

The value of the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual far exceeded that of tax money.

As soon as the manual was stolen, the Imperial Court sprang into action instantly. They sealed off the capital city overnight, effectively trapping them.

"We're really not to blame this time. Even if we didn't do anything, the Imperial Court would still be furious at the theft of the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual. They would do anything to get it back. And you and us are simply unfortunate collateral damage," the masked man defended himself.

The Great Scholar became even angrier when he heard that. "So you are counting on our Yin Incubation Institute attracting everyone's attention in public in order to help you guys?"

There was silence for a moment.

The masked man then spoke. "Why have you called me here at this hour?"

"Vice Principal Zhao asked me to ask you guys, if there's a way to get the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual?"

"You guys want it too?"

"Yes." The Great Scholar nodded his head.

"That would be tough!" The masked man shook his head.

"Let's give it a try! There's nothing to lose even if we fail. However, if we were to succeed…"

"All right!" The masked man agreed to the new proposal.

Right at this moment,

two figures approached furtively in their direction.

The Great Scholar and the masked man looked at each other, then with a light tap of their feet, they leaped up into the thick foliage of the tree.

When they were well hidden, they paused.

Under the scattered moonlight, Xiao Ran saw a familiar face—Old Zheng.

"What's he doing here at this hour?"

The two figures could not wait to take off their clothes. The young woman held onto the tree and bent over. She turned around and asked, "Brother Zheng, you are really not lying to me?"

Old Zheng was anxious and quickly lifted his clothes. "Don't worry! I will give you the money when we're done. 100 taels, not a cent less."

"All right." The young woman felt more reassured.

The woman inadvertently looked up and saw the two people on the tree. She took a step back in fear and pointed upwards. "There's… someone!"

Just as Old Zheng was about to look up, with a thunderous roar, two strong forces hit him and the young woman.

They promptly collapsed to the ground. It was not known whether they were dead or not.

The two men then jumped down from the tree.

"I was almost frightened sh*tless by this adulterous couple," the masked man cursed out loud.

Just as the conspirators were about to send those two fallen figures on their way to the underworld, Xiao Ran had to avert his eyes out of sheer exasperation. He wished he could give Old Zheng a severe thrashing.

Well made plans could not keep up with unexpected changes. That adulterer had ruined everything.

When Xiao Ran emerged from the darkness, his sudden appearance alarmed the two conspirators. They immediately looked up.

'Who are you?' The masked man snapped at him.

They immediately flanked Xiao Ran on the left and right, effectively blocking his escape route.

"Where's your deputy hall master?" Xiao Ran asked in reply.

Scowling, the Great Scholar turned to the masked man anxiously and asked. "Did you bring him here?"

"Impossible! If he was with me why would he be asking where the deputy hall master was?"

The Great Scholar stared at Xiao Ran. "Did you follow me?"

"Yes," Xiao Ran replied.

Now it was the masked man's turn to be annoyed. "Are you a pig? You didn't even notice his presence."

The Great Scholar knew he was at the losing end this time and did not argue with him. With a murderous mood, he bellowed. "Cut the crap! Send him on his way down there first."

He immediately charged forward, thinking that he could end the battle quickly. Launching attacks required profound learning.

"Righteous Multi-Transformations Palm!"

Tremendous Immense Righteous Energy erupted, transforming into a golden palm print that was more than 200 feet in size which slapped towards Xiao Ran in a violent rush.

The masked man also launched his attack at the same time. Like a ghost, he suddenly re-appeared behind Xiao Ran.

A beam of saber light flashed. Hundreds of sharp saber beams shot towards Xiao Ran's head like countless arcs, all imbued with dense bloodthirsty voracity.

"You're quite ruthless," Xiao Ran mused out loud.

He unleashed his dazzling sword intent in an unstoppable explosion. As soon as it appeared, it covered the world and transformed each and every thing within a thousand feet into a sword domain. Countless slits of swords twisted and twirled converging into a terrifying power that spread out and slashed at the two of them.

One died. One was wounded.

The Great Scholar from the Yin Incubation Institute was killed outright. The masked man was severely injured and was sent crashing to the ground. Xiao Ran had deliberately held back against this fellow. Otherwise, he would have died and followed in the footsteps of this Great Scholar.

He stopped in front of him. "Now can you tell me where your deputy hall master is?"

Report chapter

Chapter 60: Sh*t Stirrer

"You're from the Imperial Court!" The masked man pressed against the ground, blood flowing uncontrollably from his palms. He crawled backward, leaving a bloody trail on the ground.

"Yes," Xiao Ran admitted with pride.

"Just kill me!" The masked man closed his eyes.

"I knew it. You won't talk if I don't torture you," Xiao Ran said knowingly.

Ten consecutive shots of Heavenly Slave Divine Finger hit his body at once.

The masked man was very tenacious. This was the first time Xiao Ran had seen someone persist to the end under the torture of the Heavenly Slave Divine Finger.

He shook his head at his corpse.

The Golden Tome of Creation flipped open to a random page and displayed a total of three items. The rewards were stacked together. 800,000 Mastery points, 90 years worth of Martial Arts Evolution, and 10 years worth of Immense Righteous Energy.

Two Level 10 Grand Masters only yielded so little?

He added 800,000 Mastery points to the Heavenly Slave Divine Finger.

After the attributes were refreshed,

Heavenly Slave Divine Finger: Dominating Refinement

His purifying spiritual force had increased by three times. He was 430 years away from breaking through to the Level 4 of the Profound Realm.

The Immense Righteous Energy increased again and accumulated to a very thick dense level.

He walked over to where Old Zheng was lying. After not seeing him for so many days, it seemed that his life had become more and more fulfilling.

"The capital city is so big. You could have chosen anywhere to be your battlefield. Why did you have to come here to find novelty?" Xiao Ran grumbled at the unconscious figure.

He kicked him a few times to vent his anger.

He then turned around and left.

They would wake up in a short while. With such a big commotion happening here, it wouldn't be long before someone came to check.

Yin Jijie had been leading a happy life in the capital city recently.

He was able to hunt for prey as he searched for the killer of the Snow Consort.

Compared to the days when he practiced his skills on the Great Viridian Mountain, his skills evolution progress was slow and there was no joy in the process at all.

However, it was different here.

In the three days he was in the capital city, three Grand Masters and a Profound Realm demon had died at his hands. His skills evolution levels increased very rapidly.

He particularly relished the sense of accomplishment of killing the opponents, and torturing them to death little by little.

It gave him tremendous pleasure to watch their desperate, futile struggles.

At nightfall,

he emerged from his hiding place and walked the streets in the dark of the night, continuing his hunt for prey.

He had been very lucky. Not long after he came out, he sniffed at the fluctuations of lingering aura in the air. There were many people and they were quite strong.

He followed the scent until he arrived at an ordinary courtyard.

His face was burning with hungry fervor as he licked his lips malevolently. "More delicious food."

He then entered the courtyard.

Yama's premises were heavily guarded here, and Yin Jijie did not conceal his presence. He simply strolled in brazenly. As soon as he appeared, the people in the courtyard were put on the alert.

"Take him down!" The leader of the group of people in the courtyard ordered.

A dozen or so Grand Masters rushed forward in a concerted attack on him.

Although very few people entered the capital city during this lockdown period, their caliber was of very high quality. Every one of them was an elite.

Then again, it depended on who they were being compared to.

"I have indeed come to the right place." Yin Jijie broke into an evil smile.

He opened his mouth wide. Rays of green light shot out and transformed into a massive mouth that was hundreds of feet wide above his head. A terrifying suction force issued forth. The dozen or so Grand Masters who rushed up did not have any ability to resist and were effortlessly swallowed by him in one gulp.

He smacked his lips in dissatisfaction. "It tastes terrible."

His gaze then fell on the leader and he grinned. In the eyes of the injured guy, that grin was more horrifying than the devil himself. He backed away in fear.

Then he turned and ran towards the room, yelling, "Enemy attack…"

He'd barely uttered two words. Before he could complete his sentence, he felt his body being yanked back uncontrollably and his neck being grabbed by a palm.

The room door opened.

Two shadows flashed out from inside the room.

One was dressed in a red robe wearing a devil's mask.

The other person was dressed like a Daoist priest and held a horsetail whisk. Both of them were at the level of the Profound Realm. As soon as they appeared, they locked onto Yin Jijie.

"Let him go!" The Deputy Hall Master hissed menacingly.

"If you want him, come and get him yourself," goaded Yin Jijie.

The Deputy Hall Master looked at Daoist Priest. "Get out of here now. I'll have to count on you for the rest of the matters."

"Be careful. There's more to this demon than meets the eye." The Daoist Priest warned.

"I am mentally prepared."

With a tap of his foot, the Daoist Priest transformed into a quivering shadow and shot away in a blur.

"Don't even think about leaving." Yin Jijie gave a sinister laugh.

He tapped his finger in the air, and a shot of elemental demonic energy tore through the air and instantly caught up to him, entering his body.

The Daoist Priest gave him an icy glare but did not stop. He had to get out of here first, then he could activate a technique to dispel this demonic energy.

Now that he had nothing to worry about, the Deputy Hall Master strode towards the intruder in a ferocious rage.

A violent murderous intent swirled out of his body. His aura was massive. With every step, his aura increased exponentially and swept towards his opponent in a crushing pressure. "I'm coming!"

In a sudden flash, he attacked.

A shot of black light in the shape of a fist tore through the air. The overpowering fist force destroyed the surrounding courtyard in its path as it launched itself towards the enemy.

"You should taste pretty good," Yin Jijie mused out loud.

He grabbed and tore the hapless leader in his hand apart and swallowed him alive. Dark red blood oozed out at the corners of his mouth, making him look more barbaric.

Rays of green light soared into the sky spreading out like a galaxy of light. As he moved, the thick demonic aura swirled out and condensed into a mountain. His two arms turned into wolverine claws and slammed out violently.

When it made contact with the oncoming fist, everything around them was pulverized.

With the two combatants in the center, everything within a radius of thousands of feet turned into ruins.

Just as the two sides were about to attack again, a loud voice bellowed out. "Brazen demon! How dare you come to the capital city to wreak havoc? You won't leave this place alive!"

Infinite Immense Righteous Energy swept out in a whirlwind, and a figure strode across the sky.

In the vast expanse between heaven and earth, the Immense Righteous Energy condensed into a terrifying gigantic sword that was seven to eight hundred feet in size.

The righteous and saintly aura flowed and swirled, slashing towards Yin Jijie.

"Damn it! Of all the available time in the world, why did you have to choose now to make your appearance when I am on the verge of succeeding?" Yin Jijie's face clouded over with irritation.

However, he dared not let his guard down against this huge sword heading his way.

He reverted to his true form and a giant silver wolf appeared on the spot. With its wolf-like claws he slashed out a flash of green light. It then vanished in a whirl of demonic wind without once looking back.

While they were in combat, the Yama's Deputy Hall Master had taken the opportunity to make his escape.

A Profound Realm Great Scholar who had attained enlightenment of the Immense Righteous Energy was not someone he wanted to mess with.

The air-borne character descended from the sky and revealed his true appearance. It was Old Gu.

Looking in the direction they had fled, he decided that his target would be Yin Jijie. "Let me get rid of you first, demon, before I deal with Yama's rascals."

He invoked his movement technique and swiftly went in pursuit of his quarry.

On the streets,

Xiao Ran was about to reach Jingwen Square. In a short while, he would reach home.

Right at this moment,

Yin Jijie and the Deputy Hall Master from Yama launched their attacks, emitting a shocking aura that could be felt from afar.

"Eh? A Profound Realm demon?" Xiao Ran's eyes lit up with delight.

With the Traversing the Heavens in Twelve Steps, he strode out with twelve steps. His speed increased twelve-fold as he rushed towards the location of their battle.

Halfway down the street,

he happened to bump into the fleeing Deputy Hall Master from Yama. The guy was wearing a devil's mask and blood-red robes. He was of the Profound Realm level, and he was trying to make a frantic escape.

Joy and delight was written all over Xiao Ran's face.

This was a gift from heaven. This sudden feeling of happiness was simply too unexpected!

He went in hot pursuit of the Yama guy.

Moments later,

the Deputy Hall Master stopped and stood still on the rooftop. He turned to look at Xiao Ran menacingly, who was heading straight for him. His eyes glimmered with ruthlessness. "Purgatory Void Fist!"

He launched his attack with all his might.

An infinitely terrifying beam of light in the shape of a giant fist went smashing towards Xiao Ran, tearing everything else in its path to pieces.

Report chapter