Read I Transmigrated As A Prison Guard And Suppressed The Princess Chapter 61 - Digging Up Silver online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 61: Digging Up Silver

"Aren't you fleeing anymore?" Xiao Ran taunted him.

A gush of Immense Righteous Energy soared into the sky. The powerful golden light was like a bridge that pierced through air to connect heaven and earth, illuminating the entire night sky.

As the infinite righteous force pressed downwards with the expanding golden light, its overpowering might crushed down mercilessly.

"Break!" Xiao Ran commanded.

The beam shot down from the sky, clearing everything in its path.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

The power and ruthlessness of the other party's fist was unparalleled, and even space itself could not withstand it and emitted a low wail.

However, in the face of this overwhelming Immense Righteous Energy, they were like fireflies and sparks of stars, which crumbled on contact.

Bang!

The Deputy Hall Master from Yama suffered serious injuries in the aftermath. He spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backwards hundreds of feet, leaving a terrifying drag mark on the ground before coming to a stop.

"You… you're also an old monster from the Four Great Institutes!" The Deputy Hall Master pointed at Xiao Ran with a trembling finger, terror spreading through his heart.

Xiao Ran took a step and re-appeared in front of him.

The Immense Righteous Energy that filled the sky returned to Xiao Ran's body.

"Why are you talking so much nonsense?" Xiao Ran gave him a kick.

"Speak! Where is the tax money?"

"I… "

Knowing that the character of this group of people were as stubborn as donkeys, he anticipated that they would not tell the truth if they were not taught a lesson.

With a wave of his hand, Xiao Ran cut him off. "I know you're stubborn."

Activating the Heavenly Slave Divine Finger, he fired fifteen shots of finger forces into his body all at once.

Right now,

his Heavenly Slave Divine Finger had already reached the level of Dominating Refinement.

The effect of torture had increased another two-fold over and on top of its original power.

Even someone as strong as the Deputy Hall Master of Yama, could not withstand it.

He clawed at his flesh, wishing he could dig out his bone. The pain penetrated deep into his soul. As he clawed at his flesh, he rolled and writhed on the ground.

Fortunately, he could not read Xiao Ran's mind. Otherwise, he would have felt he died a wrongful death!

A few minutes later,

Xiao Ran temporarily relieved his pain and asked again, "Where's the tax money?"

The Deputy Hall Master breathed in the fresh air. The feeling of surviving a calamity was really wonderful. "With Daoist Priest Xuan Yang."

"Where is he?"

The Deputy Hall Master recounted what happened earlier.

"You guys are really very unlucky," Xiao Ran commented.

"Where is the training manual of the 'Celestial Varg Guards'?"

The Deputy Hall Master shook his head. "I don't know!"

"Didn't you guys do it?"

"Malevolent Earth previously accepted a mission from an employer. His target was the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual. Then, his secret stronghold in the capital was wiped out in one go. It even turned into a lake. According to our investigation, all the clues pointed towards the Divine Sword Guards and the Sacred Martial Bureau." The Deputy Hall Master elaborated with a strong feeling of resentment.

"If they hadn't been destroyed, we wouldn't have entered the capital city. I wouldn't have ended up in such a miserable state."

"Did you send someone to kill me two nights ago?" Xiao Ran asked.

The Deputy Hall Master's pupils constricted as he looked at him in disbelief. "You, you're Xiao Ran?"

"Yeah."

Whump!

Everything that the Deputy Hall Master could not understand before, he understood now in this instant.

It was no wonder that Malevolent Earth and the others had been wiped out in one go. It was no wonder that the subordinates he had sent had never returned. He had messed with the wrong guy.

At this moment,

he felt very aggrieved and thought that his luck was simply too unbelievably bad.

"Who hired you to steal the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual?" Xiao Ran asked again.

"Hellfire Granny!"

"Where is she?"

"I think you killed her."

It was only then that Xiao Ran recalled that there was indeed an ugly old woman with Malevolent Earth that night.

"Any other clues?"

"No more." The Deputy Hall Master shook his head weakly.

With a clap of his right hand, the Empyrean Conflagration Holy Fire burst out from Xiao Ran's hand and burned the Yama guy to ashes.

The Golden Tome of Creation flipped open to a random page and displayed four items. 850,000 Mastery points, 80 years worth of Martial Arts Evolution, 80 years of soul cultivation, Thunderfire Golden Essence Pill.

As expected from a martial arts warrior who was about to break through to Level 2 of the Profound Realm, the rewards reaped from his demise were generous.

He added the 850,000 Mastery points to the Apotropaic Divine Lightning.

After the attributes were refreshed,

Apotropaic Divine Lightning: Genesis

He was now 350 years away from advancing to the next step in the Martial Arts Evolution.

In terms of Spiritual Master Evolution, he was 140 years away from breaking through to Level 4 of the Earth Realm.

After consuming the Thunderfire Golden Essence Pill, he strengthened his physical body. Once he had fully digested its medicinal power, his physique alone was comparable to Level 6 of the Grand Master Realm. He could feel his body imbued with explosive power.

He cast his eyes around.

Several powerful auras could be detected heading his way, including a familiar aura. It was from Qin Fangzhen.

"Better leave this place first," Xiao Ran muttered to himself.

The moment he vanished, Qin Fangzhen and some other men appeared on the scene.

He looked at the debris-strewn ground around him and the remnant Immense Righteous Energy and evil aura lingering there.

With a deep frown, Qin Fangzhen said, "Judging from this Immense Righteous Energy, it looks like a Great Scholar took action and dealt with the people from Yama."

"Other than Old Gu, there are other Great Scholars who showed up?"

Qin Fangzhen shook his head. "We'll discuss this again tomorrow. The most important thing now is to go after that wolf demon and kill it."

The other men nodded and left quickly.

On the way,

Xiao Ran bumped into Little Zhou. Tailing him discreetly were two people from the Sacred Martial Bureau.

Seeing Xiao Ran, Little Zhou ran over. "Brother Xiao, it's really not easy to locate you."

"What happened?"

Little Zhou said excitedly, "There's a clue! Just now, our Lord sent a message saying that he found an important trail. A Great Scholar from the Dragon Lake Institute is pursuing the wolf demon. Deputy Sword Master Qin and a few others are tracking the Deputy Hall Master of Yama. They suspect that he has something to do with the missing 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual and asked us to rush over immediately."

"…" Xiao Ran was at a loss for words.

"Let's go over quickly. We won't be able to get a crumb of credit if we're late," Little Zhou said anxiously.

"There are two flies following us. Let's get rid of them first," Xiao Ran said.

Under Little Zhou's puzzled gaze, Xiao Ran disappeared and reappeared in a flash in front of the two guys from the Sacred Martial Bureau. Under their stunned gazes, he knocked them out with a palm strike.

Little Zhou rushed over and was shocked and furious. "They've been following me?"

"Have more confidence in yourself, they thought you are worth it."

In a rage, Little Zhou kicked them hard. After kicking, he still felt unappeased. "No! We have to teach them a lesson."

He then ripped off their clothes and tied them together with their belts.

Clapping his hands, he finally felt satisfied. "Let's see if they still dare to do this in future."

Both men then left.

They rushed quickly to the courtyard of Yama's hideout.

Apart from them, Li Heng and his men were there too.

"What took you so long?" Shen Yiming asked with a frown.

"My Lord, they've sent men to follow us," Little Zhou complained unabashedly.

"Let's note down this debt first. We'll deal with them when we have the chance," Shen Yiming said.

He pointed to the surrounding ruins.

'Dig 3 feet down and see if you can find anything useful.'

The two of them separated and teamed up with the people from the Spiritual Divinity Bureau.

Li Heng also wanted a share. He waved his right hand and ordered, "You guys go too!"

Shen Yiming and Ling Qing'er had a tacit understanding and immediately stood in front of him.

"My dear Ling, if someone wants to steal the credit for our effort, what do we do?"

Ling Qing'er's smile was radiant. "Beat him up!"

Without warning, they dashed towards Li Heng, flanking him on both sides.

"You guys are too much!" Li Heng was furious.

Not surprisingly, he was badly beaten up again. In the end, his subordinates had to carry him away from the scene.

As he was being carried off, he stared balefully at the ruined yard. "I'll be back. The credit is mine. No one can take it from me!"

Right at this moment,

Little Zhou's excited voice could be heard coming from the courtyard. "My lord, come over quickly. Brother Xiao and I have dug up some silver."

Pooh!

"No…!" Li Heng was so incensed that he spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted.

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Chapter 62: Complaints

On the ground,

a 30-foot-deep pit had been dug. The people from the Spiritual Divinity Bureau were in charge of guarding it. Four women surrounded the ruins and monitored the surroundings with their spiritual soul energy.

Xiao Ran and the rest were huddled together in this area.

A dozen or so large boxes were stacked together underground.

It looked like this was originally a secret room, but Little Zhou's luck was extremely good. With Xiao Ran by his side, he kept digging and digging until he unearthed everything.

"Well done," Shen Yiming smiled approvingly.

After hauling up all the boxes, they opened them.

As the sparse stars cast their light down on the silver ingots, they shimmered and glittered.

Gasp!

Although they had earned a large sum of money in the competition at the Dragon Lake Institute some time ago and were rich, they still became very excited by the sight of so much money in front of them.

Little Zhou was even more straightforward. He rushed over and grabbed a bunch of silver with each hand, shouting excitedly, "My Lord, we have hit the jackpot!"

Shen Yiming gave him a kick in anger and rolled his eyes. "Hit your f*cking ass."

"This money is all stolen property. It has to be handed over to the higher-ups."

Ling Qing'er also walked over. She was also very rich.

In terms of ability in earning money, spiritual masters far surpassed the martial arts warriors.

Making talismans, concocting pills, refining weapons, and so on were all extremely profitable.

But a woman's nature couldn't be changed. Whenever they saw shiny things, especially if they were in big piles, their resistance was very weak.

"That's probably five or six hundred thousand taels!"

There were a total of fifteen big boxes, super big boxes. Each box contained forty thousand taels of silver, so there were exactly six hundred thousand taels in all.

"Isn't tax money worth hundreds of millions of taels? Why is it only this little?" Little Zhou was puzzled.

Shen Yiming held up one of the silver ingots and flipped it over. There was no writing on the bottom. This wasn't the missing tax money.

The tax money from Chuyun Province this year had a special insignia imprinted at the bottom.

The batch in front of him clearly did not have this insignia.

"What should we do now?" Shen Yiming looked at Ling Qing'er.

"Half each. Bring them back and hand them over to the higher-ups," Ling Qing'er suggested.

Shen Yiming understood what she meant.

Since this was not tax money, they could bring the loot they found back to their respective offices. Although it would be confiscated, they would still get a share of the reward for their work.

"All right." Shen Yiming nodded in agreement.

They split the loot in half for each department.

Xiao Ran and the others rushed towards the Divine Sword Guards headquarters with their half of the silver.

When they arrived there,

Shen Yiming finally felt relieved. "It's completely settled now."

He ordered the silver to be brought down while he went inside to report to his superiors.

When Xiao Ran and partner returned to the small courtyard, Little Zhou rubbed his hands in glee. "Brother Xiao, we're going to be rich again."

"That's all you can think of." Xiao Ran gave his head a knock in irritation.

By now, it was already very late. The two of them retired to their respective rooms.

The next day,

after breakfast, Shen Yiming came in with some men carrying a big box. After they left, he flipped the box open and revealed the silver inside.

Gulp.

Little Zhou swallowed loudly. "My Lord, are these all for us?"

"You wish!" Shen Yiming scolded him.

"We'll split it between the three of us."

"Over 13,000 taels per person? Why didn't they give us in bank notes?" Little Zhou asked.

"How can banknotes be as exciting as this? Look at this, it's so mesmerizing."

"That's true." Little Zhou nodded in satisfaction.

The three of them split up the silver and each received more than thirteen thousand taels.

Shen Yiming did not take more simply because he was of higher rank than the other two. He was quite honorable in this aspect.

"You have half a day to go put the money away. We will continue with the investigations for the missing 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual at noon. We must solve the case within the deadline."

"All right."

After he left, the two of them went off to settle the silver and exchange it for banknotes. Just as they came out of the bank, they bumped into Old Zheng, who was limping.

Little Zhou scrutinized him from head to toe. "Did you get caught while having a fling and get beaten up?"

"Bullshit! I'm not that kind of person," Old Zheng argued back, but his face had turned red.

His face was swollen like a pig's head and it was stinging with pain.

"This isn't the place to talk. Let's go somewhere where we can talk."

"Sure."

They went into a restaurant and asked for a private room on the second floor.

Soon, the table was full of wine and dishes.

Old Zheng grabbed the wine pot and took big gulps from it. He drank so quickly that some of the wine spilled out.

"What's wrong with you?" Little Zhou grabbed the wine pot away from him.

"I'm so aggrieved!" Old Zheng cried.

He recounted what had happened.

After Xiao Ran left last night, the people from the Sacred Martial Bureau were the first to arrive and they brought Old Zheng and the woman back for interrogation. A beating was unavoidable. Fortunately, he was working in the Ministry of Justice and was considered a government employee like them.

Seeing that he really wasn't a suspect, they locked him up all night and didn't let him go until dawn.

"Don't you think I have been wronged!"

"Serves you right!" Xiao Ran glared at him sternly.

Little Zhou nodded in agreement. "Brother Xiao is right. You're courting death! The Drunken Immortals Court is so big. You mean all their living rooms, bay windows, and floors can't accommodate you? It's so chaotic outside, yet you want to go out there to seek thrills. You should be grateful that you're not dead!"

"Are you guys still my brothers?" Old Zheng challenged them with a bitter expression.

"The Sacred Martial Bureau indeed deserves to be beaten up! Even if you're in the wrong, it's not for them to beat you up. We will take note of this debt first. We'll avenge you when we have the chance," Little Zhou said.

"Good brothers!" Old Zheng said gratefully.

After finishing the wine,

they went their separate ways.

Xiao Ran and Little Zhou continued to investigate the case of the missing 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual.

At the Peaceful Incense Temple,

an elderly Daoist priest sat gloomily on a bed in one of the rooms.

He was Daoist Priest Xuan Yang. Last night, he had parted ways with the Deputy Hall Master of Yama and came here to hide.

For the whole day,

he had been casting spells to expel the elemental demonic energy that Yin Jijie injected into his body, but to no avail.

Every technique that he knew had been used. Like maggots feeding on a corpse, they stubbornly stayed in his body.

"Damn it! Why did the Lunar Howling Varg Tribe of the Great Viridian Mountain come to the capital city?"

Suddenly,

the elemental demonic energy that had been staying still all this while suddenly moved. Yin Jijie had invoked a spell to track him down.

"Oh no!" Daoist Priest Xuan Yang's expression turned pale.

He grabbed his whisk, jumped off the bed, opened the door, and left quickly.

Not long after he left, Yin Jijie tracked him to the temple. He looked in the direction the priest had fled and licked his lips greedily. With a sinister look, he muttered, "You can't escape."

For the rest of the day,

Daoist Priest Xuan Yang was running for his life in the capital city like being chased by a pack of hounds.

In the process,

Yin Jijie caught up with him once. After a short exchange, the priest was severely injured and tried desperately to leave the capital city.

However, with the capital city under lockdown and the barricade erected by the array formation in force, if he had tried to force his way out, he would probably fall into the hands of the Imperial Court.

After repeatedly barely escaping the relentless high-intensity attacks and exhausting all the secret techniques he knew, his injuries became worse and worse, as he had no time to heal and recuperate. Relying on the use of medicinal pills to sustain his body, he was almost at his limit and could collapse at any time.

Out on the streets,

Daoist Priest Xuan Yang leaned against the wall and felt a sickening sweet taste in his mouth. He spat out a mouthful of blood with a loud exclamation.

He stared behind himself in horror. "No! I can't go on like this or I'll die."

His thoughts spun as he quickly thought of a plan.

There was only one way to survive. With the help of the Imperial Court.

But then he would lose his freedom forever.

Living was preferable to death.

"Lunar Howling Varg Tribe! F*ck you!" Daoist Priest Xuan Yang cursed angrily.

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Chapter 63: Surrender

It was broad daylight, but the surrounding temperature had dropped to freezing levels. The cold atmosphere spread and a terrible chill swept over the area.

A figure appeared in the street like a ghost.

Every step that landed on the ground brought the figure hundreds of feet closer.

The figure weaved through the crowd, but the pedestrians on the street ignored him as if they didn't see him.

Daoist Priest Xuan Yang seemed to sense something and hurriedly looked back.

When he saw Yin Jijie closing in on him again, he turned ashen-faced. A ray of green light converged on his finger and he quickly tapped his chest.

He suppressed his injuries again and began to flee frantically.

"I want to live!"

He rushed toward the nearest government office.

Li Heng and the others had just finished eating and came out of the restaurant.

"My Lord, the Divine Sword Guards and the Spiritual Divinity Bureau have gone too far. Are we just going to let this go?" A subordinate said indignantly.

Li Heng held back his anger. "Bullsh*t! When have I ever suffered such a huge loss? I was beaten up by them twice, and I didn't even get to earn a single crumb of reward from the stolen silver last night. How can I let it go?"

"What do you have in mind, my Lord?"

"I've already asked the higher-ups for help. We'll settle the score with them when they arrive."

Daoist Priest Xuan Yang happened to rush over. When he saw Li Heng and the others wearing the official uniform of the Sacred Martial Bureau, his aged eyes lit up and his face was filled with relief. He quickly rushed over.

Grabbing Li Heng's hand, he gushed, "I want to turn myself in!"

"Surrender?" Li Heng was dumbfounded.

"I have the tax money. Hurry up and arrest me," Daoist Priest Xuan Yang said anxiously.

"Really?" Li Heng's eyes lit up with anticipation.

It was a gift from heaven indeed. He hurriedly arrested Daoist Priest Xuan Yang and tied him up with chains.

"Congratulations, my Lord! Congratulations! This is such good luck. You can't avoid it even if you want to!"

"My lord is blessed indeed. It won't be surprising if you get promoted and become rich."

His group of subordinates all began groveling at his feet.

Li Heng was very happy and said in a pleased manner, "Don't worry! As long as I have my reward, you guys will have a share too!"

Just as he was about to lead the priest away,

Yin Jijie appeared before them, standing barely ten paces away. "Aren't you going to run?"

"Who are you?" Li Heng's expression turned icy cold.

Daoist Priest Xuan Yang pointed at him and shouted, "He's a demon!"

"Double happiness?" Li Heng was excited at the prospect of arresting a demon.

He swiftly gave an order,

"Take him down!"

His group of his subordinates rushed forward, swords drawn in hand.

"With these useless creatures?" Yin Jijie asked scornfully.

With a casual wave of his right hand, a beam of green light shot out and sent all the men from the Sacred Martial Bureau flying.

One by one, they dropped down nearby, smashing through the ground. It was unknown whether they survived.

When the onlookers around them saw this, they turned tail and ran for their lives.

In an instant,

the busy street became deserted.

"Looks like I'll have to do it myself," Li Heng said in a menacing voice.

The aura of a Level 3 Grand Master erupted like a majestic arc, sweeping towards the demon.

"Run!" Daoist Priest Xuan Yang apparently did not think highly of Li Heng.

The priest activated his spirit energy and a burst of green light shot out. The huge force shattered the chains and he sped away from the scene.

"Don't run!" Li Heng was furious at losing his prize.

He wanted to go after him, but there was Yin Jijie standing in front of him.

"I'll take you down first before I go after this old priest."

"Netherworld Divine Claws!"

A claw-shaped shadow emerged, whistling and tearing through the air. As he rushed forward, his claws made a violent grab at Yin Jijie's vital points.

"Scram!" Yin Jijie said with a dismissive snort.

Without even looking at his attacker, he casually struck out with his palm, shattering his claw technique and slamming it into his chest. The violent force, along with the evil demonic aura, penetrated Li Heng's body.

"Ah!" With a blood-curdling scream, Li Heng was thrown backwards and crashed into a house. As he landed, the falling debris buried him.

"You can't escape from me once I've earmarked you as my prey." Yin Jijie licked his lips in a sinister grin.

He went in hot pursuit of the demon again.

At the entrance of the Divine Sword Guards headquarters,

Little Zhou sat on the doorstep with his chin in his palm and a troubled expression. "Brother Xiao, it's been three days. Why is there still no news?"

Xiao Ran shrugged. "They're not stupid. After such a big commotion, they won't appear for the time being, no matter what happens."

"Wouldn't it be nice if we simply sat at home and the credit fell from the sky?"

"Looks like you may be right this time." Xiao Ran said as he looked to the left.

An old Daoist Priest was running frantically in their direction.

As he ran, he looked back from time to time, as if a great terrifying presence was chasing him.

Looking at the gate of the Divine Sword Guards headquarters, Daoist Priest Xuan Yang shouted agitatedly, "The tax money is with me. I want to turn myself in!"

Little Zhou came to life instantly and jumped up. "Brother Xiao, we really picked up a great credit."

"Yes." Xiao Ran nodded in agreement.

They rushed over and arrested Daoist Priest Xuan Yang.

At this moment, Yin Jijie had also caught up. As he looked at the gates of the Divine Sword Guards headquarters, his expression became uncertain. He hesitated, not knowing if he should attack this place.

"Demon! I've been looking for you for three days. I didn't expect to find you here. Let's see where you can escape to today." Old Gu's roar came out from nowhere.

"Stubborn old fart!" Yin Jijie grumbled gloomily.

Three days ago, he had used a secret technique to shake this old fellow off his tail. He did not expect to bump into him again.

He clenched his fists in humiliation. If not for his fear of the opponent's Immense Righteous Energy, he would have deep-fried him and enjoyed him slowly.

"Wolf demon, don't you want to eat me? I'm right in front of you. Come and eat!" Daoist Priest Xuan Yang laughed at him in provocation.

"You have no right to speak here." Little Zhou punched him and knocked him to the ground.

"You must be tired of living!" Yin Jijie roared back, incensed by the taunting.

Just as he was about to step forward, Old Gu attacked him out of nowhere. The Immense Righteous Energy gushed forward and transformed into a huge sword that locked onto him. In the next instant, it slashed towards him in an overpowering fashion.

"Ah…" Yin Jijie howled indignantly.

He gave up the 'feast' that was so close at hand and fled in a whirl of demonic wind.

"A wolf demon at Level 2 of the Profound Realm?" Xiao Ran thought to himself.

A stream of purifying spiritual force shot out from Old Gu's fingertips and caught up to Yin Jijie at lightning speed, penetrating into his body.

Pow!

In the next instant, the sword-shaped Immense Righteous Energy landed, leaving a terrifying sword gash on the ground.

"Where are you going!" Old Gu bellowed out.

He went in hot pursuit of the demon again.

After so much commotion at the entrance, Shen Yiming and the others came rushing out of the building.

"What happened?" Qin Fangzhen asked.

"Old Gu went chasing after the wolf demon," Xiao Ran reported.

Qin Fangzhen became very excited. He instructed, "Shen Yiming, you and the other two, take the old Daoist priest to the Celestial Dungeon. The rest of you, follow me to go after the wolf demon."

"Seal his shoulder bones!" Shen Yiming quickly recovered himself and issued an order.

"Yes," Xiao Ran replied.

With a lightning-like tap on Daoist Priest Xuan Yang's chest, twelve consecutive shots of Heavenly Slave Finger were injected into his body and sealed his shoulder bones.

During the whole process,

Daoist Priest Xuan Yang did not resist, and appeared very docile.

At this point,

Shen Yiming could finally relax and let his guard down. He looked at Xiao Ran and Little Zhou. "What happened?"

"I was sitting at the door, lamenting how wonderful it would be if I could only sit at home and pick up credit without any effort. Then, Brother Xiao said the credit had arrived. And then, we saw that priest presenting himself to us on a silver platter." Little Zhou gave a simple introduction.

"You guys have made a great contribution again. I can get a small share of credit as well." Shen Yiming was elated.

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Chapter 64: Universal Phenomenon

At the Celestial Dungeon,

as Xiao Ran and the other two escorted Daoist Priest Xuan Yang inside, the lieutenant came up to them anxiously. "My Lord, what brings you here?"

Shen Yiming said, "I have something important to do."

They tied him to the metal frame in one of the cells.

"Where's the tax money?" Shen Yiming shouted.

"At the Predestiny Bridge," Daoist Priest Xuan Yang answered honestly.

"Nonsense! There's a lot of traffic on Predestiny Bridge, and it's a downtown area. How could a hundred million taels of tax money be hidden there without anyone knowing?"

"I'm not lying, honest!"

"Hmph! You're still refusing to account for this even when you are in this situation now. Looks like you won't tell the truth unless I skin you alive!" Shen Yiming's face turned ominous.

Little Zhou was very observant. He brought the entire set of torture devices and threw it on the ground.

There was a set of thirty-six steel needles, each the size of a chopstick.

He gestured at the acupoints all over the priest's body and looked at him with a sinister smile.

"Don't do it! I swear I am telling the truth." Daoist Priest Xuan Yang was scared out of his wits.

Shen Yiming grabbed his chin and lifted his head. "Don't try anything funny. Otherwise, I'll make your life a living hell!"

"I wouldn't dare!" Daoist Priest Xuan Yang shook his head desperately.

"My Lord, have you heard of the Daoist divine ability, the Universal Phenomenon?"

"The secret technique of the Supreme Pure Temple that was never taught to outsiders? The one that only successive generations of Temple Masters can practice?" Shen Yiming asked with a frown.

"Yes." Priest Priest Xuan Yang nodded his head vigorously.

"To be honest, I'm an abandoned disciple of the Supreme Pure Temple! I secretly learned the Universal Phenomenon technique. After the matter was exposed, I fled the Supreme Pure Temple."

At which point,

Daoist Priest Xuan Yang hung his head down with a regretful expression, as if blaming himself for the misdeeds he had committed in the past.

Pow!

Little Zhou punched him in the chest and scolded, "We don't have time to listen to your nonsense!"

"It doesn't matter. Let him talk," Shen Yiming said.

He looked at Daoist Priest Xuan Yang and gestured for him to continue.

Daoist Priest Xuan Yang continued with his tale.

"All these years, the Supreme Pure Temple has been pursuing me. Under the protection of the Yama group, I was able to survive. After five years, I was lucky enough to master this divine ability."

"No wonder." Realization dawned on Shen Yiming.

Everything he couldn't figure out before now made sense.

"My Lord, do you understand?" Little Zhou scratched the back of his head.

"Yes." Shen Yiming nodded.

A simple explanation.

The Daoist divine ability, the Universal Phenomenon, was extremely powerful. Once it was mastered, it would have the ability to transcend all obstacles in heaven and earth.

As long as one's skills evolution was high enough, he could store a billion taels of tax silver, let alone hundreds of millions of taels of tax silver.

"If he's so powerful and has even mastered the Universal Phenomenon technique, why is he still being chased by the wolf demon like a pathetic stray dog?" Little Zhou asked with a puzzled frown.

Daoist Priest Xuan Yang became embarrassed at this question and his face turned red.

Facing the scrutinizing gazes of Xiao Ran and the other two, he explained weakly, "I… used a trick that allowed me to master the skill by luck. I have not legitimately mastered the skill with full enlightenment. Otherwise, with just superficial understanding, I could still outsmart him and not be pursued by the wolf demon."

"If you can't do it, then don't. You still want to act smart!" Little Zhou looked at him with despise.

"So where is the tax money?"

Daoist Priest Xuan Yang looked at the horsetail whisk in Xiao Ran's hand. "This is the Yin Yang Whisk. One is Yin and the other is Yang. What this lord is holding now is the Yin Whisk. The Yang Whisk is in the river below the Predestiny Bridge. When you put these two together and inject enough spirit energy into them, the Universal Gate will open and you can take out the tax money."

"You'd better be telling the truth, or I won't let you off!" Shen Yiming warned.

He looked at Xiao Ran.

"Lock him in the Purgatory first. Let him have a taste of the Purgatory Netherflames and foul Yin atmosphere to repent for his sins."

"All right," Xiao Ran agreed.

He brought Daoist Priest Xuan Yang into the Purgatory and locked him in a cell.

The Golden Tome of Creation flipped to a random page and displayed two items. One million Mastery points, the Universal Phenomenon (Transcending Heaven Technique).

The Transcending Heaven Technique was ranked above the Heaven-rank techniques.

In other words, a Transcending Heaven Technique could be called a divine power.

"What a big bonus!"

He added the million Mastery points to the Universal Phenomenon.

After the attributes were refreshed,

Universal Phenomenon: Beginner's Level.

He then locked the cell door and left.

When he passed by the Eldest Princess, she looked up at him, her delicate beautiful face aglow. "Has the case been solved?"

"You're really well-informed. Here you are, sitting in jail, yet you know everything that is happening in the outside world," Xiao Ran said in a teasing manner.

"That priest must be from the Supreme Pure Temple?"

"That's right."

"I heard that the Supreme Pure Temple has a Divine Ability called the Universal Phenomenon that is passed on to successive leaders. It can accommodate all things. I think the tax money is hidden inside!"

Xiao Ran stared at her for a while.

The Eldest Princess smiled and stroked her hair. "So I guessed correctly."

"It's better for women to be stupid," Xiao Ran muttered.

He left the Purgatory and returned to the antechamber on the first floor.

Shen Yiming had been waiting for a long time. When Xiao Ran returned, the trio left the Celestial Dungeon and rushed towards the Predestiny Bridge.

When they arrived there,

Shen Yiming asked Little Zhou to seal the surroundings. He took out the Yin Whisk and injected his spirit energy into it.

Buzz!

The Yin Whisk shook, and black light swept out, sending out a powerful suction force. Within a few breaths, an identical horsetail whisk in all white, flew out from the bottom of the river and into his hand.

"Let's go!" Shen Yiming said excitedly.

He rushed back to the Divine Sword Guards headquarters and said, "You guys wait here. I'll be back soon."

"Brother Xiao, what do you think the higher-ups will reward us for our contributions this time?" Little Zhou asked eagerly, his eyes burning brightly as he fantasized about the reward.

"Promotion? Monetary rewards? Or resources for upgrading our skills?"

"Why don't you go and ask?" Xiao Ran teased him.

"Forget it." Little Zhou got a shock and shrank back.

Looking in a certain direction across the capital city, Xiao Ran's heart was burning with anticipation.

A Profound Realm demon was still lurking around out there, waiting for him to subdue it.

A while later,

a Divine Sword Guard summoned the two of them inside.

When they entered the hall, Shen Yiming was also there. Qin Fangzhen was sitting high on the pedestal chair. It seemed like they had failed to apprehend the wolf demon.

"You guys have done well. You have cracked the stolen tax money case while investigating the theft of the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual." Qin Fangzhen praised them with a look of satisfaction.

He clapped his hands and two Divine Sword Guards came in from outside. They each held a tray in their hands and stopped in front of the two of them.

"A Heaven-rank Low-grade skills manual, an Earth-rank Superior-grade Healing Pill, and 100,000 taels of silver."

"Thank you, my lord!"

"All right, you guys can leave first!" Qin Fangzhen dismissed them with a wave of his hand.

After they left the room,

Little Zhou's excitement was written all over his face. He couldn't stop grinning. "Brother Xiao, I was right, wasn't I! Besides being promoted, we got rich too. And we also received a generous amount of resources to upgrade our skills."

"Are you so short of money?"

"Yes!" Little Zhou nodded solemnly.

"Didn't you just earn 300,000 taels the other day? Coupled with the reward last night, your net worth is nearly 400,000, right?" Xiao Ran said.

"My father has more money than I do. When I have more money than him, he won't dare arrange blind dates for me flippantly."

Xiao Ran could not be bothered with him and strode away.

"Brother Xiao, wait for me!" Xiao Zhou hurriedly ran after him.

Xiao Ran stopped in his tracks. "I'm going out for a walk. You digest this reward first."

After leaving the Divine Sword Guards compound, he relied on the sensory functions of his purifying spiritual force to give chase in a particular direction.

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Chapter 65: The Destructive Power of the Sh*t-Stirrer

Splendor Plaza was

one of the prosperous areas in the capital city. It was just one street away from Jingwen Square. The residents here were either rich or from noble families.

Under the night sky,

the cold, biting wind was blowing, and its chill was bone-penetrating.

One could be so close and still not be able to see the person who was practically standing opposite him.

A figure appeared in the corner in a sorry state. He leaned against the wall and panted heavily. His eyes were glazed over as a violent murderous intent surged in his body. He clenched his fists tightly. "F*ck you, Dragon Lake Institute!"

He rested for a while.

Yin Jijie adjusted his aura and glared in a certain direction. "Old fart, no matter how powerful your Immense Righteous Energy is, you still can't catch up with me. Serve you right!"

Looking at the luxurious courtyard at the side, there was a palace inside.

Yin Jijie licked his lips ravenously and said with narrowed eyes, "I am just a step away from breaking through to Level 3 of the Profound Realm. I 'll have to make do with you guys."

With a gust of night wind, he vanished and reappeared in the courtyard.

At this moment, a middle-aged man with a resolute expression walked out in this direction. As he walked, his powerful aura raged and thundered around him.

"I'm pretty lucky." Yin Jijie smiled sinisterly.

He melted into the darkness, totally undetectable even if the person was just standing opposite him.

When the middle-aged man reached him, he instinctively sensed danger and stopped.

A pair of tiger-like eyes scanned the area.

Moments later,

he withdrew his gaze. He frowned and thought inwardly, "Could it be my imagination?"

Suddenly,

a palm reached out from the bushes beside him, grabbed his neck, and lifted him off the ground.

The middle-aged man was shocked and furious. He activated his Level 10 Grand Master skills and circulated them with all his might, trying to break free.

Boundless demonic energy rushed into his body from Yin Jijie's palm.

He dispersed all the spirit energy he had just raised and sealed his shoulder bones.

"A Profound Realm expert!" The middle-aged man realized with terror.

He wanted to warn the people in the residence, but he realized that no matter how hard he called out, he could not utter a single sound.

He broke out in cold sweat. Within seconds, he was drenched from head to toe.

"I really enjoy seeing worthless creatures like you struggle in despair and panic," Yin Jijie said with a smirk.

He opened his mouth wide and swallowed him in one gulp before his victim's wide terrified eyes.

He smacked his lips and licked them longingly. "Not bad."

His demonic aura surged outwards and transformed into the middle-aged man. Even his clothes were identical.

He emerged from the darkness.

A guard hurried over. "Supervisor Ling, the prince is asking for you."

"The prince?" Yin Jijie frowned.

"That's right."

"Take me there," Yin Jijie instructed.

"Strange! Why does Supervisor Ling's voice sound odd? Could it be that he has a sore throat?" Though the guard was suspicious, he did not think much of it.

They stopped in front of the palace.

"The prince is inside," the guard said.

Yin Jijie's eyes were filled with evil as a crazy thought appeared in his mind. Although the dragon aura on the prince's body was very faint, it was nonetheless dragon aura.

If he ate him, he would definitely be able to break through to Level 3 of the Profound Realm.

At that point,

even if that old fart from Dragon Lake Institute still came after him, there was no need for him to flee anymore. With his innate divine ability, he could even kill him.

Yin Jijie pushed open the door and walked in.

A young man was sitting at the head of the table drinking tea.

Beside him sat an old man with white hair. There was no fluctuation of any spirit energy, but he gave people the sensation that he was very dangerous.

After closing the door,

Yin Jijie walked over calmly. Seeing that he was getting closer, he didn't stop but continued walking towards him.

The young man was called Xia Ming, son of Viceroy Ming.

"Stop right there!" Xia Ming's face clouded over.

At this moment,

only three steps separated them.

However, Yin Jijie did not stand still. Instead, he dashed towards him like a flying arrow.

"How dare you!" The old man became enraged.

He lashed out like lightning, and rays of supreme red light swept out. An overpowering aura erupted, and his palm clapped out in a devastating fashion, whipping up a huge palm wind to blast towards Yin Jijie's head.

Xia Ming also sensed that something was wrong. This 'Supervisor Ling' in front of him was different from the previous one. He was giving off evil vibes.

There was no respect in his eyes. Instead, there was murderous intent, that viewed Xia Ming himself as prey.

At the critical moment,

he leaped nimbly, and rolled to the back.

"Where do you think you're going!" Yin Jijie sneered mercilessly.

As his right hand shot out in an overpowering grab, he came so close to catching him. However, he only ended up with a large chunk of his shirt.

The old man's huge palm also blasted over.

"Get lost!" Yin Jijie shouted.

Billowing demonic aura erupted, and the wolf claws morphed into fists which punched out with a destructive force.

After the punch, the two of them took three steps back.

The surrounding tables and chairs had been destroyed, but the hall remained intact. This was deliberate on both sides, as both sides were afraid that a big commotion would bring unnecessary trouble.

"Who are you?" Xia Ming hid behind the old man and stared at him in a steely gaze.

"I'm Supervisor Ling! My good prince, have you forgotten me so quickly?" Yin Jijie broke into an evil smile.

"What trickery!" The old man gave a dismissive snort.

"You're the wolf demon that Old Gu was chasing!"

Xia Ming's face turned pale, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Wow, you guessed my identity so quickly?" Yin Jijie asked in mock surprise.

He looked at the torn clothes in his hand. There was a book as thin as cicada wings in the midst. He threw the clothes away, revealing the contents. On the cover were the words 'Celestial Varg Guards'.

"How dare you? Even our Lunar Howling Varg Tribe doesn't dare to name ourselves Celestial Varg. How dare you name a small book like this using these hallowed words?"

He flipped open the book and it revealed the general outline of the 'Celestial Varg Guards' training manual.

After he finished reading the introduction,

Yin Jijie put the items away and looked at the two of them mockingly. "So you guys are the ones responsible for all the commotion swirling around the 'Celestial Varg Guards' case in the capital city recently."

Xia Ming started to panic. "Give me back my stuff!"

"Are you all right, Your Highness?" The guard's voice could be heard from outside the door.

"No one comes in here without my orders!" Xia Ming barked out.

Yin Jijie nodded. "Sure! I'm not interested in this thing. As long as you let me eat you, I'll return it to you."

Xia Ming was speechless.

"Are you really not going to hand it over?" The old man's face turned ominous.

Yin Jijie shrugged and turned the tables on them. "If this gets out, I'm afraid your entire family will be executed and all possessions confiscated, right?"

"You!" Xia Ming shouted angrily.

Suppressing his anger, he changed tack and asked, "What would it take to make you give it to me?"

"Smart! I like dealing with smart people," Yin Jijie smiled menacingly.

"Hand over everyone in your residence to me and I'll return it to you."

Xia Ming gritted his teeth, his thoughts spinning furiously in his mind as he considered the gains and losses.

Before long, he made a decision. He couldn't afford to lose the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual!

"I promise!"

"As expected from a prince, you're indeed ruthless. I like that," Yin Jijie said sarcastically.

Xia Ming was about to give the order to summon everyone outside into the room one by one for Yin Jijie to eat, when

an unexpected visitor arrived once again.

"Bastard! If you hadn't used your elemental demonic energy, I would have been fooled by you. Let's see how you escape this time!" A furious roar could be heard from outside.

All three of them turned pale in an instant.

Xia Ming was exasperated, his eyes blazing with rage. He wanted to swallow Yin Jijie whole. "You… you led him here!"

Report chapter

Chapter 66: They're All Here

"Hmph!" Yin Jijie cursed resentfully.

"We're all in the same boat now. If anything happens to me, I'll definitely expose the fact that you stole the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual."

"How dare you!" The old man blurted out angrily.

"Want to try your luck?" Yin Jijie refused to budge an inch.

Xia Ming didn't dare take the gamble. If he failed, as the demon had just said, the entire Viceroy Ming's family relations would be executed and their possessions confiscated. Their Ming legacy would be wiped out.

"Hurry! The old fart is getting closer," Yin Jijie urged them.

"I know a secret passage. It's at the Jade Manor. We can use it to get out of the capital city," Xia Ming gave in to his demand in humiliation.

"The capital city has been sealed off by an array formation. Does your secret passage work?"

Xia Ming's expression was icy cold. "The secret passage was built with Celestial Great Divine Stones!"

"That's a lot of money," Yin Jijie gasped.

The Celestial Great Divine Stones could break through any array formations and restrictions.

However, these stones were extremely precious. Each piece was priceless and there were very few of them.

"He's coming. Take me there quickly," Yin Jijie said.

Suddenly,

the old man's expression changed drastically as he stared out in horror, his eyes filled with disbelief. "How dare he attack here?"

He quickly grabbed Xia Ming and rushed outside.

Yin Jijie ran after them. He couldn't be bothered to conceal his presence anymore. His surging demonic aura erupted as he invoked his evasion technique at its maximum power. He followed closely behind them in a whirl of demonic wind.

Bang!

As soon as they fled, a terrifying beam of sword light slashed down devastatingly on the palace building.

Almost everything within a thousand feet was decimated.

Looking at Yin Jijie, who had escaped, and Xia Ming with the old man, Old Gu sneered. "Xia Ming, you have some nerve! How dare you collude with the wolf demon to commit crimes!"

Xia Ming hurriedly explained, "Old Gu, this isn't what you think…"

However, Yin Jijie interrupted him at this moment and exposed his misdeeds. "Old fart, you're right! Not only is he in cahoots with me, but he also secretly stole the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual."

He whipped out the 'Celestial Varg Guards' training manual and raised it high.

"See? I got this 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual from him."

"You're slandering me!" Xia Ming almost died of an apoplectic fit.

"I swear to the Lunar Howling Varg Tribe's Wolf God that everything I said is true. If I'm lying, I'll die a horrible death!" Yin Jijie added with a jeer.

"You! Shut up!" Xia Ming yelled, his face savage and his eyes burning with rage.

"That's the truth. There's no point in quibbling."

Old Gu was absolutely incensed. He glared at Xia Ming, eyes ablaze with rage. "Beast! How dare you betray us and steal the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual? Are you trying to stage a coup?"

With that, he reached out in the air with a vicious grab.

Infinite Immense Righteous Energy spun wildly and converged into a thousand-foot-long gigantic sword that appeared in the air. As he attacked in fury, the sword slashed fiercely at Xia Ming.

"Gu, how dare you attack the prince without any evidence!" The old man spat out in disdain.

Following that, he drew out the Blood Light Saber. The blade was red like blood, and a powerful aura of a numinous treasure emanated from it.

"Terrifying Dragon Mortal Slashing Saber Technique!"

He slashed out hundreds of sharp blade lights in a row, each one more than a hundred feet long. Instantly, the blades came plummeting down in an overpowering force.

The saber beams that filled the sky slashed down collectively at the Immense Righteous Energy sword.

"A good opportunity!" Yin Jijie's eyes flashed momentarily.

Taking advantage of the two old experts' furious exchange, Yin Jijie fled towards the Jade Manor.

He was confident that once he got there, he would be able to find the entrance to the secret passage.

"Gu! The wolf demon is gone," Xia Ming shouted in a panic.

Old Gu was stunned and prepared to attack again to take them down.

Looking at the fleeing Yin Jijie, with the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual still on him, he shouted angrily, "Hand over the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual!"

"Here, take it!" Yin Jijie retorted in fury.

Seeing that Old Gu was about to catch him again, he frantically retrieved the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual and flung it at Xia Ming.

Under everyone's gaze, the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual landed just ten steps away from him.

"Your Highness, please leave quickly! It will be too late if you don't leave now!" The old man shouted urgently to him.

"Let's go!" Xia Ming was a decisive man.

Although he could not reach the manual now, he had memorized the contents.

The old man led the way towards the Jade Manor.

Old Gu was stunned at this sudden turn of events. Just as he was about to reach for the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual, he watched the trio fleeing in the same direction. It aroused deep suspicion in his mind.

Before he could think further,

the men from the God Enforcement Division and the Forbidden Martial Guards arrived.

The Deputy Chief Divine Constable said, "Old Gu, go after them first. Leave this to us!"

"All right!" Old Gu agreed.

With a light tap of his foot, he sped after them.

There were the only two groups of people left in the palace compound.

The Deputy Chief Divine Constable said, "The 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual is very important. I'll take care of it! When I meet His Majesty later, you'll get your share of the credit."

The Forbidden Martial Guards naturally did not agree. They were not fools.

"It belongs to whoever has it."

Initially they wanted the whole manual for themselves. Why would they give half to others?

"Bullsh*t! You guys from the God Enforcement Division are unreliable. It is better for us, the Forbidden Martial Guards, to hold on to such an important thing."

A stalemate ensued.

Neither side was willing to back down. In the end, they started fighting each other.

At this moment, Xiao Ran who had followed his purifying spiritual force injected into the wolf demon earlier, arrived at this place.

Standing in the dark, he watched the two sides fighting. They were not holding back and going all out for blood.

"They're so ruthless towards their own people?" Xiao Ran wondered with pursed lips.

He looked at the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual lying on the ground and discreetly reached out in the air to retrieve it without being noticed. He flipped through the pages and ascertained that it was authentic.

After reciting softly for a while,

he reproduced a book with a similar appearance and placed it back where he took the original.

He looked at his masterpiece and nodded in satisfaction. "After all the hard work, I have to give you guys something to look forward to!"

He then turned and left.

With his Traversing the Heavens in Twelve Steps activated to the maximum, he took the twelve steps. His traveling speed increased twelve-fold as he hunted them down until he reached the Jade Manor.

In the location where a massive pavilion used to stand,

there was only ruins. Many bodies were lying on the ground. It was unknown whether they were dead or alive.

A secret passage was revealed at the man-made rockery in the backyard.

"These people sure know how to have fun."

Upon entering the secret passage, he looked at the Celestial Great Divine Stones lining the surrounding walls and sighed. "And they are very rich too."

He scooped some of the stones down and shoved them into his Seven Treasures Rainbow Jade Belt.

After leaving the capital city,

he pursued for about 50 miles before he chanced upon Old Gu and a white-haired old man exchanging blows in the sky. The majestic Immense Righteous Energy and the dazzling saber energy were being launched in an intense flurry of actions.

Throughout the entire battle, Old Gu had the absolute upper hand. He exerted his power to suppress the other party while concurrently raining blows on him. However, there was no sign of Yin Jijie or Xia Ming.

"Where are the two of them?" Xiao Ran wondered with a puzzled frown.

He scanned and detected the location of his purifying spiritual force. Yin Jijie was very close to him, less than thirty miles to the southeast.

"Let me go and deal with this wolf demon first."

He then went in pursuit of the wolf demon.

In a dense forest,

Xia Ming kept running for his life, not daring to look back. Even though his spirit energy was practically depleted, he continued running at high speed.

He knew that once he stopped, and the people from the Imperial Court caught up with him, it would be the end of the road for him.

He had to return to Moon Gazing Prefecture before that happened.

Only when he reached there would he be safe.

"You're pretty fast with your short legs!" A sinister laugh rang out as Yin Jijie walked out from the bushes in front of him.

Gasp!

Xia Ming came to a screeching halt. He forced himself to remain calm, and backed away. "You… I thought you escaped? Why are you here?"

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Chapter 67: Dragon Aura

"Freeze!" Yin Jijie shouted.

The demonic aura rushed out and forcefully froze Xia Ming from more than 200 feet away.

Xia Ming was frightened out of his wits. He desperately invoked his spirit energy to counter the demonic power suppressing his body.

However, with his Level 10 Grand Master Realm skills evolution, it was not enough.

No matter how hard he tried, the demonic energy did not move at all, firmly locking him in place.

Yin Jijie walked up to him with a sinister smile. He grabbed his chin and said passionately, "To think you're a prince, yet you can't even figure this out."

"You… you deliberately pretended to leave, then hid in the dark. Thereafter you followed me all the way after I left?" Xia Ming was not that stupid.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to steal the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual through the inescapable web put up by the Ministry of Defense without alerting anyone.

"Yes!" Yin Jijie admitted proudly.

"Wouldn't the heavens punish me if I were to let go of such a good opportunity?"

Xia Ming's eyes darted around, thinking furiously on how to get out of this quagmire.

Yin Jijie shook his head sarcastically. "Don't waste your time!"

"Let me go! I'll agree to anything you want." Xia Ming made a last-ditch effort.

"If I want to eat Emperor Sheng Wen, can you bring him to me?"

Xia Ming was speechless with shock.

"Howwwwl…" Yin Jijie emitted a long howl.

Rays of green light shot into the sky. A huge aura enveloped an area within a thousand feet. A silver wolf manifested above his head.

He looked at Xia Ming with a wicked leer and opened his mouth to swallow him whole.

"No…"

The wolf's jaws descended and devoured him in one gulp.

The rest of his words were cut short.

Golden light radiated out suddenly and the dragon aura converged into an azure dragon. It was very faint! It attacked Yin Jijie's body from inside, trying to escape.

"Hmph! I took such a huge risk. How can I let you escape?" Yin Jijie snorted in disdain.

He exerted his demonic energy to suppress it, then forcefully absorbed the dragon aura into his body.

A terrifying aura radiated from his body.

Infinite demonic aura rushed skywards, decimating the surrounding flowers and trees, turning all to ashes.

When his aura reached its peak, a crisp shattering sound could be heard from his body.

The bottleneck obstructing him from breaking through was finally broken, and he reached Level 3 of the Profound Realm.

"I've finally crossed this step!" Yin Jijie became very excited.

He leaped into the clouds.

In the vast expanse between heaven and earth, the illusion of a huge silver wolf appeared behind him, looking on with a sinister smile at the looming battle coming his way.

"Old fart, you've been hounding me for so long. It's time to settle the score."

As he stepped forward, he gave a low howl that reverberated throughout the world.

Surging heavenly might gushed out in all directions.

"I'm coming!"

As soon as he finished speaking and was about to move, Xiao Ran caught up with him.

"You! Come down!"

Yin Jijie was stunned. He looked down at Xiao Ran heading in his way, then licked his lips hungrily. "Are you calling me?"

With a backhanded wave,

a palm imprint hundreds of feet wide, brimming with demonic energy and violent power, bashed into Xiao Ran.

"Looks like I have to drag you down myself," Xiao Ran said wearily.

Immense Righteous Energy shot up into the sky, and a righteous and saintly aura manifested. It formed a beam of light that sliced through the sky and viciously shattered this oncoming palm force.

With a quiver of his body, he vanished and reappeared opposite Yin Jijie.

"Didn't you hear me?" Xiao Ran said.

Before the demon could react, he had reached him and pressed down on his head. A massive concentration of Immense Righteous Energy burst out and focused on him, subduing him with an overwhelming force.

WHOOSH!

Xiao Ran dropped down from the sky in a blinding flash.

"Get in!" Xiao Ran commanded.

His strength doubled again, and he slammed the demon's whole body into the ground.

The ground broke apart, and the cracks spread out for thousands of feet. Then it all collapsed into ruins. Yin Jijie was buried alive under hundreds of feet of debris.

"Ah!" Deep underground, Yin Jijie roared out in fury.

He had just broken through to Level 3 of the Profound Realm. Yet, he was still smashed into the ground, in such a humiliating fashion.

He roared furiously, and activated his innate divine ability.

"Celestial Varg Manifestation!"

The silver wolf instantly fused with him and transformed into a thousand feet tall manifestation. A supreme force erupted as it dragged a huge rock that was thousands of feet in size in its palm. It looked at Xiao Ran with infinite murderous intent.

"Go to hell!"

The boulder smashed outwards, sweeping everything in its path away.

The space was about to explode from this immense power.

Immediately after that,

his entire body shot out like a meteor. As his wolf claws slashed and sliced thousands of times, countless beams of green light burst out from the center of his claws, all heading with blinding speed towards Xiao Ran.

"Your innate divine ability is not good enough." Xiao Ran shook his head in disgust.

With a wave of his right hand,

he chanted, "Universal Phenomenon!"

Enhanced with his purifying spiritual force, his sleeve transformed and with a sweep in the wind, turned into a huge sleeve thousands of feet in size, covering the whole sky. Golden light flowed and circulated all around, devouring all forms of energy.

The whole world turned dark for a brief instant.

Both the huge boulder and Yin Jijie vanished.

Then the world turned bright and clear again.

"This divine power of the Supreme Pure Temple is quite useful, but it consumes a lot of energy." Xiao Ran was stunned by its effect.

As he manipulated the Universal Phenomenon, an incomparably massive force surged out and pressed down on Yin Jijie, who was trapped inside. No matter how he tried to counter it, he ended up with serious injuries.

Seeing that he was about to collapse, Xiao Ran tossed him out.

"You… aren't you an old monster from the Four Great Institutes? How did you acquire the divine ability of the Supreme Pure Temple that was never taught to outsiders?" Yin Jijie was full of shock and anger.

"Why are you asking so many questions?" Xiao Ran stomped on his right leg.

As he exerted his explosive force on it, Yin Jijie's whole leg became crippled.

"Where did Xia Ming go?" Xiao Ran asked.

"Hmph!" Yin Jijie kept his mouth firmly closed.

"You guys from the Lunar Howling Varg Tribe are all despicable. You won't learn unless I teach you a lesson."

Yin Jijie seemed to recall something and hurriedly asked, "Did you kill Snow Consort?"

"Who's Snow Consort?" Xiao Ran asked in return.

Yin Jijie described her characteristics.

"She's the second one. I have killed one in the Celestial Dungeon previously." Xiao Ran nodded in acknowledgment.

"I've been looking for you for so long!" Yin Jijie growled through gritted teeth.

"Looking for me?"

"If you hadn't killed Snow Consort, the Varg King would not have sent me out here! And I would not have ended up like this!"

"Shut up!" Xiao Ran lashed out at the demon,

and sent him sprawling across the ground.

Stepping on his chest, he asked again, "Did you eat Xia Ming?"

"You think I'm going to tell you?" Yin Jijie sneered in a gloating manner.

"Looks like you've already eaten him," Xiao Ran concluded.

With a clap of his palm, he struck and killed him. However, the corpse remained.

Didn't he like to eat people? Then I might as well let the Deluge Dragon eat him. It might even help to release a wave of dragon blood.

This was called demon grinding!

The Golden Tome of Creation flipped open to a page, but now was not the time to check it.

He put the corpse away and looked at the night sky. Thunderous roars could be heard reverberating from the edge of the sky as unknown presences came slicing through the air in his direction.

It was Old Gu, holding someone in his hand.

It seemed that the white-haired old man had been taken down.

"Since the matter has been resolved, it's time to go back," Xiao Ran said to himself.

When Old Gu arrived, all that was left was a ruined mess.

Everything within sight had all been destroyed.

However, there was still a strong demonic aura lingering around him, as well as Immense Righteous Energy.

"Other than me, there are other Great Scholars who joined in?" Old Gu wondered with a puzzled look.

Several more rays of light shot towards him and stopped beside him.

Qin Fangzhen hurriedly asked, "Old Gu, where are the wolf demons?"

"Don't ask me! I don't know either. By the time I rushed over, the place was already like this." Old Gu shook his head in disbelief.

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Chapter 68: Interrogation

Back in the capital city,

Xiao Ran opened the Golden Tome of Creation and saw four items. 1.2 million Mastery points, 100 years of Martial Arts Evolution, 120 years of soul cultivation, Stars Sand (10 grains).

Looking at his gains, he thought it was definitely worth his effort to turn the capital city upside down during this period of time.

He added the1.2 million Mastery points to the Universal Phenomenon.

After the attributes were refreshed,

Universal Phenomenon: Dominating Refinement

It had skipped the Minor Achievement level and advanced two realms.

He was still 250 years away from breaking through to Level 5 of the Profound Realm.

"Two hundred and fifty. That's a very infuriating number!"

In terms of Spiritual Master Evolution, he was still twenty years away from breaking through to Level 4 of the Earth Realm.

Ultimately, the most valuable thing was the Stars Sand.

Star Sand: Each grain weighs ten thousand pounds and has various wonderful uses.

He played with a grain of Stars Sand. It was gold-colored and was about the size of a rice grain, but it weighed ten thousand pounds.

"This is good stuff! It will pair well with the Spawning Soldiers from Beans skill."

He put away the Stars Sand.

A group of people dashed across the street. Judging from the direction, they seemed to be heading for Xia Ming's residence.

They were all acquaintances.

The people from the Spiritual Divinity Bureau were also present, along with Shen Yiming and Little Zhou.

After reciting softly for a while,

Xiao Ran walked out of the darkness and chased after the group from behind. He caught up and patted Little Zhou on the shoulder.

The sudden unexpected action frightened him out of his wits. He turned around and saw Xiao Ran. He heaved a sigh of relief and called out excitedly, "Brother Xiao!"

Shen Yiming and the others stopped as well when they heard Little Zhou's shout.

"Why are you here?" Little Zhou asked.

Xiao Ran said, "After leaving the Divine Sword Guards, I continued to investigate the 'Celestial Varg Guards' case. There was no news at all, so I found a place and ate the Earth-rank Healing Pill that was rewarded."

At this moment, the level of skills evolution he exhibited was that of Level 10 of the Connate Realm.

"I see." Little Zhou was enlightened.

Then he couldn't contain himself and began to brag.

"I've broken through to Level 8 of the Connate Realm myself."

Shen Yiming kicked him in annoyance. "Is this the time to show off?"

His gaze landed on Xiao Ran.

"We've received news that Xia Ming has stolen the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual! It's already in the hands of the God Enforcement Division and the Forbidden Martial Guards. We won't be able to claim a big credit this time. If we rush over now, we might still get some crumbs of credit."

They continued on their way.

When they arrived at Xia Ming's residence…

Good Lord.

Previously, when Old Gu launched his attack, there were at least some parts of the palace left. In just a short while, the remaining areas had been completely demolished by the two groups of government forces.

"Dig 3 feet into the ground," Shen Yiming ordered.

Everyone separated and began to dig.

There were already quite a few people digging, most of them people from the God Enforcement Division and the Forbidden Martial Guards.

Rapid footsteps could be heard coming from outside again.

The Sacred Martial Bureau finally arrived, but their leader had changed.

Li Heng was seriously injured by the wolf demon and was still lying in bed recuperating.

When the men from the Sacred Martial Bureau arrived, they were more straightforward. They immediately joined in the 'digging' operation without a word.

This time, Little Zhou's good luck did not materialize.

Even if there was something good, it would have been dug up by the God Enforcement Division and the Forbidden Martial Guards by now.

The Divine Sword Guards and Spiritual Divinity Bureau regrouped, empty-handed.

Shen Yiming shook his head in disappointment. "I was careless this time."

Ling Qing'er smiled and said, "Don't worry too much. We solved the stolen tax money case, so even if we didn't gain anything this time, the reward from the tax money case was still worth the effort."

"Yes." Shen Yiming nodded.

They left the premises and the two sides separated.

With uncanny coincidence, they bumped into Qin Fangzhen and the others on their way back, escorting the apprehended white-haired old man.

Shen Yiming hurried forward. "My Lord, why are all of you here?"

Qin Fangzhen briefly explained the situation.

"That guy deserved to die!" Shen Yiming cursed.

"Xia Ming stole the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual. He was plotting something big. I must go to the palace immediately and report this matter to His Majesty so that he can make a decision," Qin Fangzhen said sternly.

He handed the white-haired old man to Shen Yiming and asked them to haul him to the Celestial Dungeon.

"Let's go!" Shen Yiming said.

The group hurried to the Celestial Dungeon.

At the moment, the Celestial Dungeon was very busy. There was a secret passage hidden in the Jade Manor that led to the outside of the capital city. If someone used it at a critical moment, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Qin Fangzhen was furious and immediately ordered everyone in the Jade Manor to be arrested and locked up in the Celestial Dungeon for interrogation.

However,

in the end, the Jade Manor Bookmaker managed to escape, but his two Deputy Bookmakers were captured.

The lieutenant directed the dungeon guards to lock these people in the cells.

Seeing that more would-be prisoners had arrived, he stopped what he was doing and quickly came up to the group. "Greetings, my Lord!"

"Go about your business." Shen Yiming waved him away.

They brought the prisoner to the ninth floor and tied him to a metal rack in the big hall.

"Run through all the different kinds of punishment on him."

"What if we end up killing him?" Little Zhou asked nervously.

"He's at Level 2 of the Profound Realm. His vitality is very strong, so he won't die! If he dies, so be it."

Little Zhou understood. He brought all the torture devices and threw them on the ground.

He then rolled up his sleeves and smiled wickedly.

He tore a piece of cloth from the prisoner's body and stuffed it into his mouth.

He was holding the set of steel needles that he had used to scare Daoist Priest Xuan Yang previously, and a hammer.

Using the steel needle to trace an acupoint on his chest. Little Zhou grinned maniacally. "I'm good at this. I can hit the point in one stroke."

Gasp!

He smashed the steel needle in like lightning.

The old man's eyes bulged in pain, and veins popped out on his forehead.

If it weren't for the cloth in his mouth, his cry would have reached the first floor.

"Such a big reaction? This is just the beginning," Little Zhou said in mock surprise.

He then rapidly hammered the complete set of steel needles into his body.

Meanwhile, Xiao Ran and Shen Yiming finished their cups of tea.

The two of them walked over.

Shen Yiming removed the cloth from his mouth. "Tell me in detail how you stole the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual."

Little Zhou took out some writing materials and prepared to record down everything.

"Kill me if you have the guts!" The old man blurted out defiantly.

Shen Yiming stuffed the thick cloth back into his mouth.

Little Zhou took up the remaining torture equipment and implemented torture again.

By the time he had gone through the complete set of punishments, the old man was unrecognizable. He was covered in blood, but he wasn't dead, yet.

Shen Yiming removed the cloth from his mouth again. "You can persist until the end. But I promise you! As long as you refuse to tell me everything, I'll let you taste all the punishments every four hours."

"My Lord, what if he commits suicide?" Little Zhou scratched the back of his head.

"If he had wanted to die, he would have killed himself when Old Gu caught him," Shen Yiming said.

The old man was silent. Seeing Shen Yiming raise his palm to give the order to start the torture again, he became scared!

"I'll talk!"

"You bitch!" Shen Yiming cursed at him.

From the old man's mouth, they learned that Xia Ming had received news that the Celestial Varg Guards were about to appear in the world. From there they begin their set up, including the Yama group… and then, how they managed to steal it from the Ministry of Defense.

In this operation, there was a key person, the First Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Defense. He was bribed by Xia Ming to work with them from the inside. Thereafter, the old man himself took action. This was how this matter was done without alerting anyone.

Shen Yiming immediately summoned his men and sent them to the residence of the First Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Defense.

"And what about the secret passage in the Jade Manor?"

"I don't know!" The old man shook his head vigorously.

"If the wolf demon hadn't interfered tonight and things hadn't happened so suddenly, I wouldn't have known about the secret passage."

"Do it." Shen Yiming didn't believe him.

Little Zhou gagged him and tortured him again.

When the second round ended,

Shen Yiming asked again, but the answer was still the same.

"He really did not know?"

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Chapter 69: Gift

"What do we do now?" Little Zhou asked.

Shen Yiming pondered for a moment before his gaze landed on Xiao Ran. "Lock him in the Purgatory and let him have a taste of the power of the Purgatory Netherflames and the foul Yin atmosphere."

"All right," Xiao Ran agreed.

He turned to look at Little Zhou again.

"Bring the two Deputy Bookmakers of the Jade Manor over for interrogation. We must investigate the secret passage," Shen Yiming instructed.

Xiao Ran escorted the old man into the Purgatory.

He locked him in one of the cells, and bound his hands and feet with the chains made of 10,000-year-old Mystic Iron.

"Ah…" He wasn't a demon and didn't have a powerful physical body. With his shoulder bones sealed, faced with the Purgatory Netherflames and foul Yin atmosphere that swept over him, the old man screamed miserably.

The chains rattled as he rolled in anguish across the floor.

The Golden Tome of Creation flipped open to a page and displayed three items. One million Mastery points, a hundred years of soul cultivation, and the Preeminent Great Fire-starting Divine Stone.

He added the million Mastery points to the Universal Phenomenon.

After the attributes were refreshed,

Universal Phenomenon: Perfection

In terms of Spiritual Master Evolution, he had broken through to Level 4 and was 420 years away from breaking through to Level 5 of the Earth Realm.

Preeminent Great Fire-starting Divine Stone: Contains pure fiery flame power and increases the grade of fiery flames.

He left the cell and locked the door.

After finding a place with no one around, he activated the Empyrean Conflagration Holy Fire and let it swallow the Preeminent Great Fire-starting Divine Stone. Compared to its original strength, its power doubled.

The fiery flames rolled and burned with golden light, emitting a terrifying power.

He left the Purgatory and returned to the hall on the ninth floor.

Little Zhou's interrogation had ended. The two Deputy Bookmakers had already been taken away.

"No clues?" Xiao Ran asked.

"Sigh!" Shen Yiming gave a big sigh.

"They don't know either."

"Xia Ming has already been eaten by the wolf demon. The only person left who knows about this is the Bookmaker of the Jade Manor. His whereabouts are unknown now. I'm afraid the trail will turn cold from here onwards," Xiao Ran said.

Shen Yiming shook his head. "There's nothing we can do about that. Back then, when Deputy Sword Master Qin ordered the arrest of the people from the Jade Manor, the Bookmaker was no longer around. These two deputies were about to escape when they bumped into our guys. We captured everyone in one fell swoop."

At this point, Little Zhou returned.

He was very unhappy. After a busy night, he had not even gotten a crumb of credit.

He stared at Shen Yiming.

Shen Yiming became so incensed that he gave him a knock on his head. "What are you looking at!"

Little Zhou held the back of his head with an aggrieved look.

"Actually, it's not like we didn't gain anything." Xiao Ran smiled mysteriously.

They both turned in unison to look at him.

In this hall, there were only the three of them left.

Xiao Ran took out the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual. "I found this at Xia Ming's residence just now."

Shen Yiming grabbed it at once. He was clearly agitated, his face filled with excitement and joy.

He flipped it open and read it. It was the real McCoy.

"We've hit the jackpot this time!"

"Brother Xiao, didn't you say you found nothing?" Little Zhou asked curiously.

"Are you stupid!" Shen Yiming kicked him angrily.

He took the initiative to explain for Xiao Ran.

"There were so many people there just now. If Xiao Ran had taken it out, the Sacred Martial Bureau, the God Enforcement Division, and the Forbidden Martial Guards would probably join forces to attack us. With our strength, we won't be able to protect it."

Little Zhou asked again, "Then why didn't you take it out after coming out of there?"

"The cake is only so big. Xiao Ran is the main contributor. Isn't it fine if we simply tag along for a few crumbs of credit?" Shen Yiming rolled his eyes at Little Zhou.

"What if Lady Ling asks?"

Shen Yiming didn't even want to bother with him anymore. "The item is in our hands. It is up to us to cook up a reason, right? As long as we didn't get it there and we keep our mouths shut, what can Ling and the others do even if they find out?"

Gulp!

Little Zhou swallowed hard and began flattering his superior. "My Lord, you are brilliant. Brother Xiao's luck is unparalleled. We can have some crumbs of credit again this time."

"Of course," Shen Yiming said.

He put the item away.

Little Zhou asked again, "Didn't the God Enforcement Division and the Forbidden Martial Guards obtain this thing?"

Seeing that Shen Yiming was about to blow up, he quickly took a step back and knocked his own head in advance.

"I see! We have the real 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual. What they've got is fake."

Shen Yiming explained solemnly, "Let's all agree on this. If anyone asks how I got the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual, just say that I picked it up from the Jade Manor."

Xiao Ran naturally had no objections.

After all, Shen Yiming had even found a reason for him. Little Zhou nodded in agreement non-stop.

"Come! Let's go back."

Xiao Ran stood rooted to the ground and met their puzzled gazes. "Too many things have happened recently. This place is overwhelmed with work. I'll stay here and take care of some things."

"All right! Remember to come back tomorrow." Shen Yiming suddenly recalled Xiao Ran's part-time job.

He then left with Little Zhou.

Xiao Ran entered the Purgatory again.

The Eldest Princess was sitting on a chair, eating white lotus cake. She raised a piece and asked, "Want some?"

"Yes." Xiao Ran opened the cell door and entered.

He sat opposite her and started eating the white lotus cake.

"You're not serving a prison sentence at all. You're enjoying yourself."

The Eldest Princess stroked her hair and smiled sweetly. "I'm Sheng Wen's sister. As long as he doesn't convict me, I will always be the Eldest Princess of Great Xia."

"Are you very proud of yourself?" Xiao Ran asked.

The Eldest Princess was at a loss for words. She took up the kettle and poured him a cup of tea.

After they finished their cakes and tea,

the Eldest Princess handed the calligraphy she had recently practiced to Xiao Ran.

"What's this for?" Xiao Ran asked.

"It's for you."

"Just this?"

"It's not much, there are only about twenty of them. It shouldn't be a problem to sell them for twenty to thirty thousand," the Eldest Princess said.

Xiao Ran did not stand on ceremony and put away the calligraphy works.

"Is everything settled?" the Eldest Princess asked.

"What's the point of asking when you have already guessed correctly?" Xiao Ran glared at her sternly.

He then left her cell and stopped at the Deluge Dragon's cell.

The Deluge Dragon was humming a little tune and shaking his head along to it. His life had been very comfortable recently. When he sensed footsteps, he looked up and his happy mood instantly disappeared. With a terrified look, he stuttered, "W-Why are you here again?"

"You don't welcome me?" Xiao Ran opened the cell door and walked in.

Naturally, the Deluge Dragon dared not say he was not welcome. In fact, he dared not even utter a single sarcastic word. It put on a warm smile and said, "Of course not! I've been dreaming of you coming over."

Inwardly, he was cursing, thinking that he was about to lose a lot of blood again.

He took the initiative and stuck out his right limb hand of his own accord and looked away, unable to look on.

After waiting for a long time, he did not feel Xiao Ran make any move.

Turning his head around suspiciously, he asked tentatively, "Aren't you going to take my dragon blood today?"

"What do you think?" Xiao Ran toyed with him.

"Why don't you give me another two days?"

Slapping his hand on the Seven Treasures Rainbow Jade Belt, he retrieved the wolf demon's corpse and threw it in front of him.

Gasp!

The Deluge Dragon gasped and his eyes widened in shock. This was a demon at Level 3 of the Profound Realm. He looked at Xiao Ran with his heart thumping wildly. How… how strong was he?

"To tell you the truth, even if you hadn't come to me today, I would have sent word for you to come and collect my dragon blood."

Seeing the smile on Xiao Ran's face widen, he asked again, "Can I eat now?"

It opened its mouth and swallowed very quickly, wolfing down Yin Jijie's corpse in one bite.

This time, his strength did not increase again. Although he was still at Level 2 of the Profound Realm, his skills evolution had advanced a lot more.

"Come on! Don't stand on ceremony. Just leave me with one breath." The Deluge Dragon was very generous.

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Chapter 70: Real versus Fake 'Celestial Varg Guards' Manual

Xiao Ran really did not stand on ceremony with him. This time, he extracted eight bottles of dragon blood before he became weak and laid almost paralyzed on the ground.

There was still a goofy grin on his face. When Xiao Ran's eyes met his, the grin widened.

"How's the recovery of the dragon tendon?" Xiao Ran asked.

"Using elemental demonic energy to nurture is very slow. If I have the help of the Dragon Pearl of the Celestial Demon from the North Sea Dragon Tribe, then the dragon tendon can be reinstated within three days."

Pow!

Xiao Ran kicked him. "You want me to go to the North Sea to get the Celestial Demon's Dragon Pearl for you? Dream on."

He then left the cell,

locked the door and went off.

The Deluge Dragon rolled its eyes and hung its head down in resignation. "You're so strong, yet so smart. It's so difficult to trick you!"

In the Hall of Annunciation,

at the Council Chamber,

so many things had happened tonight that Emperor Sheng Wen was woken up from his sleep three times. As the news kept coming, he was becoming more and more furious.

He sat on the Imperial Dragon throne with two old eunuchs standing by his side, who never once left their stations.

His body was squeezed inside the wide dragon robe until it appeared a little bloated on the outside.

Some white hair had grown out at his temples.

Judging by his appearance alone, he had the body of a well-fed person, just like any member from a rich family.

However, now,

his expression was icy cold, and a great pressure emanated from his body. Even the heads of the Imperial Court, whether they were the dukes or the ministers, were present, including the principals of the Four Great Institutes, and the heads of the five powerful law-enforcement departments.

None of them could stand the pressure.

The oppressive gloomy atmosphere spread throughout the hall.

Cold sweat had dampened their official robes. Some of the officials' legs were even trembling violently.

The Deputy Divine Constable of the God Enforcement Division and the Deputy Superintendent of the Forbidden Martial Guards bowed down with their heads lowered. They each held out half of the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual and handed them over.

The 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual in their hands was the book that Xiao Ran had replaced.

It looked the same on the outside, but there was not a single word inside.

The two sides fought for a long time over this. Even if they continued, the outcome would be the same. Neither of them would get anything.

If the other departments rushed over and took over the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual, then their losses would have been greater.

After some negotiations,

they decided to split the book in half for each department.

The God Enforcement Division held the upper half, while the Forbidden Martial Guards held the lower half.

The old eunuch standing to Emperor Sheng Wen's left was called Eunuch Zhu.

He walked down from the pedestal and took the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual from the two of them before returning to Emperor Sheng Wen's side.

He extended his index finger and made a cut with his fingernail. Droplets of blood flowed out and he began to smear them on the pages.

Moments later,

the blood had dried. Not a single word appeared.

Eunuch Zhu respectfully placed the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual in front of Emperor Sheng Wen and whispered in his ear.

Emperor Sheng Wen's expression did not change at all. His tone was cold and impassive. "Good! Very good! Look at what you've done."

The two of them mistakenly thought that His Majesty was praising them and looked happy.

The Deputy Divine Constable beat the other guy to it and proclaimed, "Your humble servant here is just doing my job!"

The Deputy Superintendent was not to be outdone and added with a strong dose of sarcasm, "As long as His Majesty orders it, even if it's as difficult as ascending to the heavens, as your loyal subject, I will naturally complete it without question. Unlike some people who think that just because they have cracked a case, they can sit back and relax without any worries."

"Is that so?" Emperor Sheng Wen narrowed his eyes.

He then threw the two halves of the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual in front of them violently.

"See for yourself!"

The two of them were stunned. They could sense that the atmosphere was not right. When they saw the menacing look in Emperor Sheng Wen's eyes intensify, they panicked, confused and puzzled at the same time.

They both picked up the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual and took a peek.

Roar!

The thunderous roar from the sudden lightning in the sky scared them out of their souls. They hurriedly knelt on the ground and kowtowed. "I know my mistake! Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"

"Trash! After fighting for so long, you were still completely unaware that you had been fooled." Emperor Sheng Wen berated.

At this moment, another eunuch walked in from the side door and mumbled something in the ear of the Divine Sword Guard's Sword Master, Lei Yuantai.

Emperor Sheng Wen gave a stern glance in his direction.

Lei Yuantai quickly stepped forward and with a fist in hand salute, he bowed and reported, "Your Majesty, just now the Young Eunuch brought a message from one of my subordinates, Shen Yiming, saying that the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual has been retrieved."

"Do you know the consequences of this matter?" Emperor Sheng Wen asked.

"I know! Don't worry, Your Majesty. I'm not careless like some people, who are still fighting to the death even though they have been fooled." Lei Yuantai reciprocated the earlier snub with a vengeful riposte.

"Send him in," Emperor Sheng Wen ordered.

Soon,

Shen Yiming entered the hall briskly. After bowing, he took out the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual and held it out in his hand.

Eunuch Zhu took the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual away and flipped open the pages, revealing its contents.

His eyes lit up. He glanced at Shen Yiming and Lei Yuantai before placing the item in front of Emperor Sheng Wen.

The general outline was identical, and so was the content inside.

The truth was obvious at one glance.

After a casual glance, Emperor Sheng Wen closed it.

"Your Divine Sword Guards did well this time," Emperor Sheng Wen praised.

Shen Yiming thanked him excitedly on hearing the praise.

The Deputy Divine Constable and Deputy Superintendent were severely punished. They looked at Lei Yuantai and the others with unconcealed animosity. Lei Yuantai was not afraid at all and glared straight back at them.

After Shen Yiming left, the court consultation continued.

This time the process was fast, and almost all the officials seconded the proposal.

General Li Chengfeng would lead his troops to Moon Gazing Prefecture accompanied by the Forbidden Martial Guards and capture Viceroy Ming back.

If he dared to resist, they would directly suppress him, execute his entire family and all relatives, and confiscate all their possessions.

The court consultation ended.

All the ministers left the great hall, yawning away. They fought a wave of drowsiness as they headed outside.

However, Lei Yuantai had been asked to stay behind.

"How is she now?" Emperor Sheng Wen asked.

The "she" he was referring to was the Eldest Princess, Xia Jing.

In the entire Great Xia, only she had the honor of this title.

Lei Yuantai reported the Eldest Princess's situation in detail. Emperor Sheng Wen already knew all these things and only wanted to get other information from him. In the end, he was disappointed.

"Did the aftereffects of the forbidden technique erupt?" Emperor Sheng Wen asked again.

"For the time being not yet," said Lei Yuantai.

There were special records detailing the Eldest Princess' situation in the Celestial Dungeon.

However, the records omitted the details about Xiao Ran. The incidences of the sequelae erupting in the Eldest Princess and how she almost lost her rationality were never put on record by Xiao Ran.

"You may go." Emperor Sheng Wen dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

After he left, Eunuch Zhu hesitated for a moment before saying, "It's been more than half a year. Logically speaking, it's impossible that nothing has happened."

Seeing Emperor Sheng Wen frown, he added, "Could it be that Her Highness's physique is special and can suppress the aftereffects of the forbidden technique?"

Emperor Sheng Wen walked to the entrance of the hall and looked at the dark night sky with his hands behind his back. "It's good that she's fine!"

In the rest chamber,

Xiao Ran took out the eight bottles of dragon blood and consumed them one by one. The dragon blood strengthened his body. With the increase in the Deluge Dragon's skills evolution, the power of its blood also became stronger, allowing his physical body to advance another step. It was now comparable to Level 7 of the Grand Master Realm.

"His regeneration ability is still a little slow. If he was a little faster, his body would have quickly broken through to the Profound Realm," Xiao Ran said.

He thought of the Deluge Dragon's last words.

"Was he born of the North Sea Dragon Tribe?"

"I must find out more about them when I get a chance."

Somewhere in a luxurious palace in the capital city,

in the darkness of the hall, there was no light source. The Bookmaker, who had escaped from the Jade Manor, knelt on the ground, trembling. His forehead was pressed against the ground, and he did not even dare to breathe.

He truthfully reported everything that had happened in the past few days.

At the seat on the pedestal was a young man dressed in a luxurious brocade robe. His face could not be seen clearly. He held a fox in his arms. It had six tails and he was casually stroking it.

"I will give him to you as a reward."

The fox raised its eyes, and a terrifying demonic aura surged, as if an ancient beast from the primordial era had awakened.

"No…"

The Bookmaker didn't even have a chance to react before he was swallowed in one gulp.

"You can't even handle such a small matter, and you still have the cheek to come back?" The young man said scornfully.

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Read I Transmigrated As A Prison Guard And Suppressed The Princess Chapter 71 - Promotion online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 71: Promotion

The next day,

after Xiao Ran had taken breakfast in the Celestial Dungeon, he helped a dungeon guard send a demon on its way and received ten taels of silver in return.

After settling the matters here, he returned to the Divine Sword Guards headquarters.

Just as he entered the courtyard,

he saw Little Zhou practicing his Fleeing Cataglyphis Technique. He flew to Xiao Ran's side, leaving a few afterimages on the ground and stopped beside him.

"Brother Xiao, is my current speed all right?"

"Not bad! To be able to master this movement technique to the level of Dominating Refinement in such a short period of time, you've been training hard," Xiao Ran said.

Little Zhou rubbed the back of his head proudly. "As long as I'm fast enough, no one can catch me."

Xiao Ran kicked him in irritation.

Little Zhou said, "After we came back last night and our lord had gone to the palace, the people sent to arrest the First Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Defense returned. They reported that all 102 family members were decimated."

He trailed off, his face a look of pity.

"He died a horrible death. His blood was sucked dry and he became a mummified corpse."

Xiao Ran quietly waited for him to continue.

Little Zhou continued, "After the investigation, they concluded it's not an act by external agents. It's something called the Phantom Blood Venomous Worm. It's hidden in the human body. When the Venomous Worm breaks out of its cocoon, it will bite back at the person who's been poisoned with this."

"Since he chose this path, he has to be responsible for his mistakes," Xiao Ran said.

"Brother Xiao, have you heard?"

"What is it?"

"It's all because of the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual," Little Zhou said.

"The God Enforcement Division and the Forbidden Martial Guards used the fake 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual to fool His Majesty in the main hall. His Majesty was furious and severely punished them! The two departments were thoroughly humiliated along with this incident. But our Divine Sword Guards were in the limelight this time. Not only did we solve the tax money case, we also recovered the stolen 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual in perfect condition."

"You're quite well-informed." Xiao Ran smiled.

Little Zhou raised his head and said, "Of course! People call me Au Courant. There's nothing in the capital city that I don't know."

"If you're so capable, go and capture the Bookmaker of the Jade Manor who had escaped." Shen Yiming said as he walked in.

When he heard his words,

Little Zhou's expression instantly turned bitter.

"My Lord, no way!"

"Such attitude!" Shen Yiming glared at him.

He took out two sets of Divine Sword robes, but they were blue. He also handed over two swords radiating sapphire light.

"This is?" Little Zhou asked excitedly.

"Congratulations on your promotion," Shen Yiming said with a smile.

"Just this?"

"Can't you learn from Xiao Ran and be more patient until I finish talking?" Shen Yiming asked.

"In addition to the promotion, there are also rewards. Since Xiao Ran has contributed the most this time, he will be rewarded with 300,000 taels of silver and a Heaven-rank Low-grade Healing Pill."

Seeing that there was nothing for him, Little Zhou couldn't help blurting out.

"What about me?"

"You and I get a hundred thousand taels of silver and a Heaven-rank Low-grade Healing Pill each," Shen Yiming said.

He handed over the rewards.

Xiao Ran took it and changed into the blue sword robe. He looked even more impressive than before.

"The Heaven-rank Healing Pills are rare. Every one of them is a supreme-grade item and very effective. After you refine them, your skills evolution will definitely increase by a level. You might even break through to the Master Realm," Shen Yiming said.

"My Lord, now that the case is over, can we rest for a while?" Little Zhou asked eagerly.

"It's more or less over. The rest of the matters, such as tracking down the Phantom Blood Venomous Worm and capturing the Jade Manor Bookmaker who escaped, will be taken care of by others. As for Viceroy Ming, His Majesty has already ordered General Li Chengfeng and the guys from the Forbidden Martial Guards to head out to the Moon Gazing Prefecture," Shen Yiming said.

He looked at Little Zhou.

"You have something planned?"

Little Zhou blushed. "I-I'm going on a blind date."

Shen Yiming was stunned and walked around him in close scrutiny. Little Zhou panicked. "What?"

"From what I've heard, the last time you were matched with a malicious spirit, what is it this time? Is it trustworthy?"

"Who's so gossipy! Spreading rumors behind my back." Little Zhou was furious.

Shen Yiming patted his shoulder and said, with a well-meaning look, "I wish you good luck this time."

After he left,

Little Zhou pouted. "Brother Xiao, you think so too?"

"Be more confident. You have to believe in your father." Xiao Ran smiled and left.

"Brother Xiao, where are you going?"

"Don't ask." Xiao Ran didn't even turn around.

"I have a blind date tomorrow. Why don't you accompany me again?"

Xiao Ran could not be bothered with him.

After leaving the Divine Sword Guards compound,

he took out the Heaven-rank Low-grade Healing Pill and swallowed it. There was a gush of warm current as the medicinal power was absorbed. It increased his Martial Arts Evolution by 20 years.

After reciting softly for a while,

he presented a Level 1 Master Realm demeanor and headed for the marketplace.

In the Hall of Annunciation,

all the court officials had arrived, as well as the various princes.

Apart from them, there were also people from the Yin Incubation Institute.

During this period of time, Yama's plan to devour the Immense Righteous Energy of the Four Great Institutes was foiled due to their own incompetence.

Coupled with the loss of several Great Scholars, there were also several numinous treasures that were damaged.

The Imperial Court had been delaying granting them an audience because of the case of the missing 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual.

After learning that the 'Celestial Varg Guards' case had been solved last night, they could no longer sit still.

At dawn, Zhao Jishan found the missive bearer and asked him to submit his request.

Thus, it led to this scene.

"I heard that you've lost a few people recently?" Emperor Sheng Wen said with a meaningful look.

Zhao Jishan already had a countermeasure. "I've made His Majesty worry. They were unlucky and encountered a wolf demon who killed them when they went out."

"Oh…" Emperor Sheng Wen looked intrigued by this revelation.

"Apart from exchanging knowledge with the Four Great Institutes of your esteemed country, I also came here on the orders of our Emperor Hui Wen to offer a marriage alliance to His Majesty and establish a bond between the two countries linked by marriage. If the marriage is successful, we will establish a hundred years of goodwill and there will be no more war." Zhao Jishan explained his intentions.

Emperor Sheng Wen tapped his index finger on the Imperial Dragon throne, his expression appearing more and more amused.

Zhao Jishan took out three Numinous Treasures that contained Immense Righteous Energy. He had won them from Scholastic Incubation Institute. Then, he solemnly took out two scrolls and got someone to spread them out.

Using a secret technique, he slapped Immense Righteous Energy onto the scrolls.

Golden light flickered, revealing the contents: 'Iron Blood Dragon Horse', 'Heavenly Secrets Interlinked Crossbow'.

Gasp!

The officials gasped at the sight and stared at him in disbelief.

These two items were the national lethal weapons of the Great Zhou Kingdom.

The Great Xia army had suffered huge losses due to them and tried all means to obtain them.

With their help, the strength of the army would triple.

Zhao Jishan continued, "I heard that the Elder Princess is as beautiful as a fairy, blessed with both talent and looks. If she marries our crown prince, it will definitely be the stuff of fairy tales."

At Fragrant Books Store,

"This is it," Xiao Ran said.

When he entered the lobby, it was quite deserted. The shopkeeper was sitting at the counter, dozing with his chin in one hand.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up. "Feel free to look around. Call me when you're done."

"Do you take calligraphy scrolls?" Xiao Ran asked.

"We sure do! But you have to have good calligraphy."

Xiao Ran took out the scrolls written by the Eldest Princess and placed all 23 pieces on the counter.

The shopkeeper's eyes lit up. The paper was an expensive "fragrant peace paper" and it came with a pleasant aroma. No one could buy it unless they were from noble class.

He unfurled the script. It was one of a kind, ingenious, and had the style of a master. The more he looked at it, the more satisfied he became.

When he finished going through all of them,

the shopkeeper said, "One thousand taels each. That's twenty-three thousand."

Report chapter

Chapter 72: I Don't Regret It!

"Final price 30 thousand taels," Xiao Ran said.

The shopkeeper hesitated. He wouldn't make much money at this price.

Xiao Ran put away the painting and prepared to go to another store.

"Wait!" The shopkeeper called out hurriedly.

"Will 28 thousand do?"

Xiao Ran turned around and left. The shopkeeper ran after him and stood in front of him. He gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind. "Fine, as you requested, 30 thousand taels."

After he took the money,

he left the Fragrant Books Store.

Xiao Ran was in a good mood. Although the money was little, it was earned without any effort at all.

His current net worth was almost 10 million taels.

With money in his pocket, he wanted to buy a house again.

He found a brokerage. In half a day, he spent a high price of 2 million taels to buy over the two large courtyard dwellings adjacent his unit near where he lived.

After coming out of the county office, the house deed barely had time to get warm in Xiao Ran's hands before Little Zhou rushed to him, panting heavily.

"Brother Xiao, I've been looking all over the place for you."

"Why are you looking for me?" Xiao Ran asked.

Little Zhou shook his head. "I'm not the one looking for you. It's the Eldest Princess."

He explained as Xiao Ran's puzzled gaze fixed on him.

"Just now, the Eldest Princess asked someone to look for you in the Divine Sword Guards compound. When you weren't around, she asked me to look for you. It's urgent. You are to go over at once."

"How did you find me?" Xiao Ran was full of curiosity.

"Hehe!" Little Zhou couldn't help gloating a little.

"Have you forgotten? I'm the local tyrant. I may not know the big shots, but surely I would know a few despicable scoundrels?"

"All right! I'll go over and take a look." Xiao Ran nodded to him.

The two then went their separate ways.

Xiao Ran went to the Celestial Dungeon, wondering in his heart whether it could be that her sequelae had erupted again?

"That's not right! Didn't it just erupted a few days ago? It's only been a while."

At the Celestial Dungeon,

the lieutenant saw that Xiao Ran had been promoted. He was wearing a blue sword robe and had a higher official position than him. He bowed warmly and addressed him as "Lord Xiao" affectionately.

After exchanging greetings,

Xiao Ran entered the Purgatory and stopped at the Eldest Princess's cell.

He opened the door and stepped inside. "What urgent matter have you summoned me for in such a hurry?"

The Eldest Princess stood up from the soft bed and bowed solemnly to him.

"Don't be like this! I don't deserve it." Xiao Ran waved his hand hurriedly.

"Let me finish, okay?" The Eldest Princess begged.

She poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of Xiao Ran. After stroking her fringe for a while, she then opened her mouth again.

"Do you know the purpose of the Yin Incubation Institute's visit to the capital city this time?"

Xiao Ran took a sip of tea and did not reply.

The Eldest Princess continued, "Just now, I received news that they used two precious treasures, the 'Iron Blood Dragon Horse' and the 'Heavenly Secrets Interlinked Crossbow', as well as the numinous treasures they won from the 3 Great Institutes and other valuables as betrothal gifts to initiate a marriage proposal for Luoran. Their claim that they want to exchange knowledge with the Four Great Institutes was just a false pretext. This is their true goal."

"You have eyes and ears planted everywhere," Xiao Ran commented.

The Eldest Princess laughed self-deprecatingly. "Do you think I want to do this? If I didn't, would I have survived until now?"

She saw Xiao Ran was as silent as a grave again, sitting there drinking tea without answering. If not for the fact that she could not defeat him, she really wanted to climb onto him and beat him up brutally to let him have a taste of her strength.

"I watched Luoran grow up. After she found out about this, she locked herself in her room and refused to see anyone. Based on my understanding of her, she must be utterly heart-broken by this news."

"They offered too much and the Imperial Court could not refuse?" Xiao Ran asked.

"Yes." The Eldest Princess nodded.

"This girl is very stubborn. Once she has made up her mind on something, no amount of persuasion could change her mind. She would rather suffer alone than implicate her family. She didn't come to me, but as her aunt, I can't leave her to handle this on her own."

"I've finished my tea. I should go now." Xiao Ran stood up.

The Eldest Princess sprang up from her seat and blocked the cell door to prevent him from leaving.

Xiao Ran crossed his arms and said with an amused look, "Is your skin itchy again?"

"Help me this once!" The Eldest Princess begged.

"I don't want to get involved in your Imperial Family's business."

"Just this once!"

Xiao Ran remained silent.

"Anything you want, just ask. Whatever it is, I'll find a way to get it to you."

"If you can get it, can't I get it myself?" Xiao Ran asked.

The Eldest Princess was speechless.

"Don't waste your time on me. If you have so much time, you might as well think of something else."

"I can think of no one else to help in this matter but you."

"You're a smart person. You should know that I won't get involved," Xiao Ran said.

The Eldest Princess took a step forward. Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were sincere as she pressed on. "Just this once!"

"Move!"

"Not even once?"

"Do I have to do it myself?" Xiao Ran's attitude was firm.

"I can't stand by without doing anything, or else Luoran will be ruined!"

Xiao Ran pulled her aside and walked out.

Suddenly,

the Eldest Princess rushed forward and hugged him from behind. Like an octopus, she clung to him, refusing to let him go.

"I'm begging you!"

"If that's how you want to do this, I'll oblige to the end." Xiao Ran simply stopped in his tracks, still resolutely unmoved.

"What will it take for you to help me?"

Xiao Ran was getting impatient. Golden light rushed out and repelled her off his body. Just as she fell to the ground, she quickly rushed over and blocked the door again.

Gritting her teeth, she made a decision.

"I'll give you a drop of elemental lifeblood!"

"Huh?" Xiao Ran frowned in response.

The elemental lifeblood condensed the essence of a person, and each person only had three drops.

Every drop lost would greatly damage the person's vitality. He could only rely on time to make up for it and only with the use of supplementary valuable exotic natural treasures could he recover his vitality.

However,

the elemental lifeblood could never be recovered unless with the help of very rare and near-extinct mythical treasures.

Such heaven-defying things were extremely rare. It was hard to encounter such things even once in a thousand years.

"Is it worth paying such a huge price for her?" Xiao Ran asked seriously.

"She could even venture into the Mount Flaming Inferno to obtain the Nirvana First Revolution Sacred Fruit for me. For her sake, what's a drop of my elemental lifeblood?" The Eldest Princess said.

"What would you do if I don't agree?"

"I will do whatever it takes, use whatever methods available to me, to stop this matter," the Eldest Princess said.

"Let me ask you again. Do you really want me to take action?" Xiao Ran asked again.

The Eldest Princess answered him with action.

The golden phoenix rushed out from above her head. Golden light appeared and illuminated her entire body. The holy fire of the phoenix circulated and burned on the surface of her body. Even though her shoulder bones were sealed, her physique was special and was very powerful.

In addition, the Sacred Manifestation of the Phoenix had awakened once and it could activate some special methods.

Golden light converged in her hand as she slapped forcefully onto her chest.

Pow!

She fell against the wall, her face pale and drained of blood. Her vitality was sapped by a lot. With a great deal of effort, she managed to stand up. In her palm, however, floated a drop of golden blood the size of an egg.

Immense power flowed and ebbed, pulsing as if alive.

"I don't regret it!" The Eldest Princess's gaze was firm.

She handed over the drop of her elemental lifeblood.

The golden blood floated in the air and spun slowly before stopping in front of Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran was silent.

As his eyes peered at her with penetrating intensity, he stood staring at her for a long time. Just when she was about to fall into despair, he finally said, "I will help!"

"Thank you!" With those words, the Eldest Princess closed her eyes and fainted to the ground.

Report chapter

Chapter 73: Demon God Dark Runes

"A small house, a few acres of fertile land, and a family of six. Although it's a little tiring to work in the fields all day, as long as one can be happy it is better than all the wealth in the world," Xiao Ran sighed.

He walked over.

He lifted her from the ground. She was soft to his touch, and there was a hot sensation. Her tender skin was separated by the thin gauze fabric but it couldn't block out the subtle sensation.

He walked over to the soft couch and placed her on it.

He placed his palm above her chest. The purifying spiritual force surged out of his palm and rushed into her body to stabilize her vitality.

A few moments later,

Xiao Ran retracted his palm and looked at the Eldest Princess.

Her pale face had regained some color. Her breathing was normal. She would wake up in a while.

He looked at the drop of elemental lifeblood suspended in the air.

With a grab in the air, he retrieved it from afar and placed it in the Seven Treasures Rainbow Jade Belt.

He then left the cell, locked the door,

and headed outside.

When he arrived at the antechamber on the first floor, the lieutenant had been waiting for a long time.

"Lord Xiao, are you free tomorrow?" the lieutenant asked enthusiastically.

"What's the matter?" Xiao Ran asked.

"If you're free, it happens to be the Lantern Festival tomorrow. My treat! How about we invite Little Zhou and the other two to the Drunken Immortals Court?"

Xiao Ran shook his head. "I'm busy recently. Let's see tomorrow! If I'm free, I'll get someone to inform you."

"Sure." The lieutenant had no objections.

Leaving the Celestial Dungeon,

he looked at the rays of moonlight scattering downwards. Tomorrow was the Lantern Festival.

According to the usual customs, the curfew in the capital city would be lifted on this day. From morning until the next day, the streets would be filled with people. It would be very lively.

The moon was bright tonight. A dense sea of stars twinkled in the night sky.

He changed direction and headed for the courier station.

When he promised her just now, he had already thought of a strategy. If he wanted to break the impasse, he could only start from Yin Incubation Institute.

Just as the Eldest Princess had said, the real reason Yin Incubation Institute came to the capital city this time,

was not to exchange knowledge with the Four Great Institutes but to embarrass them, and to ask for the Elder Princess Xia Luoran's hand in marriage.

This included the Daoist priest from the Supreme Pure Temple who used the Source Consuming Pearl to devour the Immense Righteous Energy of the Four Great Institutes.

This was also an opportunistic strike, an extra bonus so to speak.

Together with Yama and the others, after putting these together and combining them with the current news,

that was their real goal.

The only thing that remained unclear was why they were prepared to pay such a heavy price.

Once he arrived,

Xiao Ran used his Transformation Technique to change his appearance and even changed his clothes.

He climbed over the wall and entered the premises.

The whole place felt so familiar. He made his way towards Zhao Jishan and the others with ease.

When he reached the room they were in, light footsteps could be heard coming from outside. One of the Great Scholars had returned.

His name was Qian Zichen, Zhao Jishan's trusted aide.

From the looks of it, he was going to look for Zhao Jishan.

After he had gone in, Xiao Ran followed him.

They reached the room.

Hidden in the bushes, his tremendous spiritual soul energy swept out toward the room. The guards outside did not detect it.

After infiltrating the room, a layer of restrictions blocked out his spiritual soul energy.

With regard to this,

Xiao Ran was not surprised. It would be strange if there were no restrictions.

With his skills evolution at Level 4 Earth Realm, he easily simulated the source of the restrictions and fused with them, thereby gaining access to the interior.

The whole process did not alert anyone.

In the room,

there was only Zhao Jishan and two other guys.

"Have you sent them all out?" Zhao Jishan asked.

"Yes." Qian Zichen nodded solemnly.

"All the generous gifts have already been sent to them. They have also promised to put in a good word for us in front of Emperor Sheng Wen and facilitate this matter."

Zhao Jishan tapped his index finger on the table, his eyes flickering.

"The chances of winning have increased by another half. This time, it will definitely be the final straw that will break through the objections and make Emperor Sheng Wen make up his mind."

Qian Zichen continued, "What if Emperor Sheng Wen still doesn't agree?"

Zhao Jishan shook his head. "Based on the information we've gathered and what we know about him, only he has deep feelings for the Elder Princess. As for the rest, in the eyes of this lord, it is just a question of whether they have been given enough."

They chatted some more.

Qian Zichen then bade farewell and left.

Xiao Ran withdrew his spiritual soul energy and watched him leave. After thinking for a moment, he decided to start with him.

When Qian Zichen returned to his room,

he had just opened the door and had yet to step in.

Xiao Ran appeared behind him like a ghost and gave a hand chop to the back of his head, knocking him unconscious.

He carried him into the room and locked the door.

His spiritual soul energy swept out and set up a barrier in the room.

Even if he turned the whole room upside down, as long as he didn't destroy the room, the patrolling guards outside would never find out his presence.

With a tap of his finger, he sealed his shoulder bones.

His right foot came down roughly on his palm.

"Ah…"

His palm became deformed, and the intense pain woke him up. Looking at the stranger in front of him, Qian Zichen was shocked and furious. He instinctively wanted to mobilize his Immense Righteous Energy to resist, but he realized that his shoulder bones were sealed.

His Immense Righteous Energy didn't show any reaction at all.

He was drenched in cold sweat, and his heart sank.

He had subdued him silently without alerting anyone. He must be at least at the Profound Realm level!

"W-what are you doing?" Qian Zichen forced himself to calm down.

"Why did you guys want a marriage alliance with Xia Luoran?" Xiao Ran interrogated him.

"It is to forge a hundred years of friendship between the two countries. From then on, there will be no more wars and the people at the border will lead peaceful lives."

"You're still being stubborn at a time like this?" Xiao Ran mocked.

Ten consecutive shots of Heavenly Slave Divine Finger pierced his body.

With the current mastery level of the Heavenly Slave Divine Finger, its way of torturing people was even more terrifying than entering reincarnation.

The finger strength kicked in, and he screamed in pain.

In an instant, his clothes were torn to shreds. His flesh became mangled and bloody as he scratched violently into his bones.

Xiao Ran watched coldly. The only way to deal with these people with ulterior motives was to be more ruthless than them.

A few minutes later,

temporarily relieving his pain, Xiao Ran said, "Colluding with Yama and Supreme Pure Temple to wreak havoc in the capital city. Do you really think you can go undetected, that no one knows about it?"

Qian Zichen was shocked. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

He then resorted to threats.

"We are official envoys. If anything happens to us at the courier station and the news gets back to the country, His Majesty will be furious! He will definitely send an army to attack you. At that time, Great Xia will be plunged into misery and suffering, and the people will be displaced. You will become a sinner for generations."

"Is that so?" Xiao Ran replied mockingly.

He stomped his foot.

Pow!

The tremendous force of the stomp landed on his remaining good palm, leaving a huge footprint depression in the ground.

And half of his palm was instantly crushed and turned into a puddle of blood.

Overwhelmed by the pain transmitted from all ten fingers straight to his heart, he fainted straightaway.

"Hmph!" Xiao Ran gave a scornful snort.

He kicked him in the chest and violently woke him up.

He used the Heavenly Slave Divine Finger to torture him again.

Qian Zichen's willpower was much weaker than he had imagined. He was not like the Great Scholar from last time who would rather die than submit. He persisted for a while before taking the initiative to beg for mercy. He told Xiao Ran everything he knew and even gave out an explosive piece of news.

"This time, in accordance with Emperor Hui Wen's secret decree, under the guise of exchanging knowledge with the Four Great Institutes, Zhao Jishan was to trample on all of them and humiliate the Great Xia kingdom. Following on the momentum of a great victory, with the addition of the fake 'Iron-Blooded Dragon Horse' and 'Heavenly Secrets Interlinked Crossbow', he will then force a marriage alliance using Xia Luoran!"

"Once she entered the Great Zhou Empire, she would be secretly controlled. Then using a secret technique to accelerate her growth, they will continuously extract the bloodline in her body to fuse with the bloodline of the demon, 'Desolate', to mass-produce the "Demon God Dark Runes".'

Report chapter

Chapter 74: Netherworld Dungeon

"Tell me in detail." Xiao Ran asked, his face expressionless.

Qian Zichen did not dare to hide anything. "The Demon God Dark Runes is very tyrannical. He was obtained from an ancient ruin. Once he is successfully refined, he is invincible and can restrain spiritual masters. Each of them has the strength equivalent to Master Realm Level 1. Moreover, they are extremely powerful and very fast. They have no weaknesses."

"In that case, stronger than the Celestial Varg Guards?"

"The Celestial Varg Guards are nothing! They're just a written masterpiece of a martial arts proponent. In front of such an ancient technique, they're not even qualified to carry their shoes." Qian Zichen retorted with disdain.

"In that case, why do you guys still want Yama's people to get hold of the 'Celestial Varg Guards' manual in the end?" Xiao Ran asked.

"The Demon God Dark Runes may be strong, but the price is too high! But the Celestial Varg Guards are different. Compared to it, refining them is much easier."

"Among so many princesses, why did you specifically name Xia Luoran?"

Qian Zichen paused for a moment to catch his breath before continuing, "Daoist Priest Chen deployed massive resources in conjunction with the Starry Sky Compass to personally deduce this. From the oracle that emerged, the person who matches best with the Demon God Dark Runes is living within Great Xia."

"Six months ago, we sent someone to secretly infiltrate Great Xia. After some investigation, all the clues pointed to her."

"Anymore?" Xiao Ran asked with a chilly look.

Qian Zichen avoided his gaze and said, "That's all."

"I guess the lesson wasn't enough."

Seeing that Xiao Ran was about to attack again, Qian Zichen jumped out of his skin. "Wait!"

Xiao Ran looked at him mercilessly.

"I—I remembered something else."

"Speak!" Xiao Ran waved his hand and a palm imprint clapped down on his right leg.

The violent palm strike broke his right leg. His eyes rolled back in pain, and his whole body broke out in cold sweat.

"I—I'm from the Netherworld Dungeon."

"Be more specific."

Qian Zichen said, "I'm a spy planted by the Netherworld Dungeon in the Yin Incubation Institute. I'm in charge of collecting information about them. Before I came back just now, I had already sent out the news. The higher-ups have already issued a response. Before the marriage alliance, they intend to kidnap Xia Luoran to ruin their plan."

"With your abilities, you guys think you can simply barge into the palace?" Xiao Ran asked in a mocking tone.

"Even if all of them came, they would still die if they tried forcing their way into the palace, much less just the few of us." Qian Zichen said.

"How exactly, I'm not sure! But since the top brass said so, something's bound to happen."

"Where are they?"

"I don't know! It's always a one-way communication. They also contact me in a different way." Qian Zichen shook his head.

Xiao Ran frowned and thought about the truth of his words.

He had already been tortured to beg for mercy. Under such circumstances, he would not dare to lie no matter what.

He stared at him.

"Isn't the Netherworld Dungeon afraid of incurring Emperor Hui Wen's anger by going up against the Great Zhou Imperial Court ?"

"The Imperial Court and us are mortal enemies to begin with! The purpose of our existence is to take revenge on the Great Zhou Imperial Court regardless of the costs."

Qian Zichen then probed carefully, asking,

"I've told you everything I know. Will you let me live?"

"No!" Xiao Ran said.

He took out the Source Consuming Pearl.

Qian Zichen's eyes widened as a bold guess popped into his mind.

'Did you do all this?'

"You're not too stupid after all!" Xiao Ran said.

He manipulated the Source Consuming Pearl to devour the Immense Righteous Energy in his body.

"No…" Qian Zichen cried loudly in despair.

After totally devouring all the Immense Righteous Energy in his body, Xiao Ran pointed his finger and the Empyrean Conflagration Holy Fire engulfed him, burning him to ashes.

He then put away the Source Consuming Pearl.

With a cold, merciless glare as he looked outside, Xiao Ran muttered, "It's your turn."

He left the room and sprang into action.

He would not let anyone from the Yin Incubation Institute off. He executed his moves to devour all their Immense Righteous Energy and then destroy their corpses without leaving any trace.

He didn't even have time to check the rewards in the Golden Tome of Creation.

Finally, he appeared outside Zhao Jishan's room.

Of the whole entourage that came to Great Xia, he was the only one left.

The patrolling guards in the courier station had all been knocked unconscious by him and would not wake up for the time being.

Naturally, no one would know what had happened here.

The room was lit. He was still awake.

He pushed open the door and stepped inside.

"Who is it?" Zhao Jishan looked up with a book in his hand.

When he saw a stranger barge into the room in such a brazen fashion yet there was no warning from the patrolling guards outside, his heart skipped a beat. He had already guessed what had happened.

He put down his book and rose from his chair.

He walked menacingly towards Xiao Ran. The force of a Level 2 Profound Realm expert erupted from his body like a massive tsunami.

As soon as it appeared, it covered the sky blocking out all light, gushing onwards in an overpowering pressure.

"Kneel down before the Vice Principal!" Zhao Jishan bellowed.

His aura condensed and morphed into a mountain that descended from the sky and smashed towards Xiao Ran.

"Hmph!" Xiao Ran gave a scornful snort.

His index finger flickered with golden light. With a tap of his finger, golden light rushed out and transformed into a huge lightning net, breaking the oncoming attack violently.

"Your turn."

As his voice trailed off,

taking one step forward, with the Traversing the Heavens in Twelve Steps, he arrived in front of him when the first step landed.

"So arrogant?" Xiao Ran asked.

He grabbed his head and smashed it against the ground.

Pow!

The ground shattered, revealing a huge crater that buried him. But he wasn't dead.

A Level 2 Profound Realm warrior's life force was very tenacious.

However, this was only the beginning. Xiao Ran was very angry and his strikes were extremely brutal.

The purifying spiritual force transformed into a huge golden hand that grabbed one of his legs and smashed him to the ground again and again.

Loud crashing sounds kept blaring out in a steady stream.

At the end, with a final palm punch, he sent him flying.

Zhao Jishan landed on the ground. The sudden attacks severely injured him and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

His scholar robes were torn and his hair disheveled. He looked like a madman, and there was blood everywhere.

He looked at Xiao Ran malevolently, enraged beyond words. "You killed them, didn't you?"

"You want revenge?" Xiao Ran walked towards him.

"You've ruined the plan that we took so long to prepare. I want you dead!" Zhao Jishan's expression was murderous.

He took out a scarlet healing pill and swallowed it.

This was the Berserk Dragon Blood Pill. It was refined with the blood of a hundred primordial Yin girls and many expensive spiritual herbs.

Once consumed, he would definitely die, but in the fifteen minutes before that, his abilities would increase by a small realm.

An even stronger aura bloomed inside his body. Under the enhancement of the Berserk Dragon Blood Pill, he temporarily advanced to Level 3 of the Profound Realm.

"Heavenly Song Terzetto!"

The Immense Righteous Energy evolved and condensed into three big words, "Righteous", "Loyal", and "Justice". Each big word was imbued with an extremely thick, dense Immense Righteous Energy, and they erupted with supreme power.

"Go to hell!"

The three large words, re-arranged themselves into a triangular formation, rushed in from three different directions.

In a flash, they each grew to a thousand feet in size. A destructive force spread out and smashed towards Xiao Ran.

"Universal Phenomenon!" Xiao Ran counter-attacked.

With a wave of his sleeve, he invoked his purifying spiritual force. The world instantly turned dark. A gigantic sleeve containing thousands of golden light rays flashed out like lightning. In an instant, everything vanished, including Zhao Jishan.

In the next second,

Xiao Ran let him out with only one breath left.

He used the Source Consuming Pearl to absorb all of his Immense Righteous Energy, then finished him off with a crushing palm strike.

Xiao Ran removed the green jade pendant on his waist. It contained a space of 50 cubic meters. Inside, he found two scrolls. They were the 'Iron Blood Dragon Horse' and the "Heavenly Secrets Interlinked Crossbow" that he had taken out from the Hall of Annunciation during the day.

The Golden Tome of Creation flipped open to a random page. The rewards of the Yin Incubation Institute and the others were all stacked together.

Report chapter

Chapter 75: Someone from the Imperial Palace

This time, a total of five items were displayed. 4,200,000 Mastery points, 300 years of Martial Arts Evolution, 300 years of soul cultivation, Earth-rank Martial Skill Perfection Card, Chess skills (Perfection).

"Not bad at all." Xiao Ran smiled.

After pausing for a while,

he added 1.2 million Mastery points to the Spiritual Clarity Eye.

The remaining 3 million Mastery points were added to the Nine Heavens Evil Spirit Purification Skill.

After the attributes were refreshed,

Spiritual Clarity Eye: Perfection

Nine Heavens Evil Spirit Purification Skill: Dominating Refinement

The first skill had skipped "Dominating Refinement" and advanced by two small realms.

For the second skill,

with more than 3 million Mastery points added, there was not even a ripple of improvement this time. However, when the skills technique was circulated, its power doubled, and the purifying spiritual force also doubled.

He was still 570 years away from breaking through to Level 5 of the Profound Realm.

In terms of Spiritual Master Evolution, he was still 120 years away from breaking through to Level 5 of the Earth Realm.

Although he had not broken through, his spiritual soul energy had increased greatly and was stronger than before.

He took out the Earth-rank Martial Skill Perfection Card and used it on the Transformation Technique.

After the attributes were refreshed,

Transformation Technique: Genesis.

He was only one step away from mastering another life skill.

Besides these,

there was also the Source Consuming Pearl. It had devoured energy from more than twenty Great Scholars from the Yin Incubation Institute. In addition to Zhao Jishan, a group of students, and a few Numinous Treasures, the Immense Righteous Energy in it had reached its peak.

The exterior of the bead was covered in cracks, densely packed like a spiderweb.

It had reached its upper limit and could no longer absorb.

After he crushed it,

Buzz!

Infinite golden light, accompanied by thousands of Immense Righteous Energy beams, rushed into Xiao Ran's body and enveloped him.

Rays of golden light shot out, and the righteous and saintly power rushed into the clouds. A powerful aura enveloped a radius of thousands of feet.

No matter how far away one was, he could see the massive phenomenon happening here.

The Sanctifying Righteous Treasure Tome circulated like crazy, absorbing this extremely thick and dense Immense Righteous Energy with reckless abandon.

Over and over again.

After dozens of breaths, all the Immense Righteous Energy was refined by Xiao Ran.

Under the enhancement of this bountiful Immense Righteous Energy, the Sanctifying Righteous Treasure Tome broke through to the Genesis level in one go.

It had bypassed Perfection and straightaway reached Genesis.

The amount of Immense Righteous Energy contained in his body was equivalent to the energy possessed by a quarter of the scholars in an institute.

He withdrew all the visual information.

Xiao Ran looked at the 'Iron Blood Dragon Horse' and 'Heavenly Secrets Interlinked Crossbow' in his hand.

The items were initially blank canvases and required a secret technique to reveal the words on them.

However, now, with his Spiritual Clarity Eye at the Perfection level, all the contents could not be hidden and appeared in front of him.

He read it through.

Xiao Ran said, "So what he said is true. They're fake. If we follow the instructions on it, we can only unleash a third of the power. It's not proportional to the effort expended."

He put them away.

He then took stock of everything in the jade pendant.

"So all the truly good things are contained here." Xiao Ran smiled in satisfaction.

He gazed at a spot in front of him.

"Are you coming out on your own? Or do you want me to invite you out?"

It was very quiet in the night. One could hear a pin drop.

It was as if he were talking to himself. No one appeared.

"You don't know how to appreciate favors." Xiao Ran gave a disdainful snort.

With a clap in the air,

a golden palm print appeared and smashed viciously into an artificial mountain hundreds of feet away.

A huge pressure enveloped the surrounding space.

Even if the person hiding behind it wanted to dodge, he would have realized that he couldn't. He could only fight head-on.

"Falling Wind God Slaying Sword Technique!"

A scornful snort could be heard as a resplendent beam of sword light shot into the sky. It was like a huge tornado that contained countless rays of sword light as it slashed at the golden palm print.

Gasp!

After exchanging one blow, the masked man retreated a dozen feet before stopping.

Looking at Xiao Ran fearfully, his right hand that was holding the sword trembled violently. It took him a while to recover. "Who are you?"

"And who are you?" Xiao Ran asked in return.

Earlier on, just after he had dealt with Zhao Jishan, he sensed this person's presence.

"You don't need to know who I am! Just answer my questions." The masked man was very adamant.

"With your abilities?" Xiao Ran replied in mockery.

He took a step and vanished from the spot.

The masked man's hair stood on end. He was on full alert, as if preparing to face a powerful adversary.

A powerful shot of blue light enveloped everything within a thousand feet. His merciless eyes searched for Xiao Ran in the darkness.

Suddenly,

he had a bad feeling in his gut. A great sense of danger welled up in his heart.

He hurriedly looked up and saw Xiao Ran hovering above him. He instantly swung his sword and was about to slash out with a destructive ray of sword light.

Before he could raise his sword however, Xiao Ran's right foot stomped down with an overpowering might.

The ground exploded. The masked man was trampled hundreds of feet into the ground before coming to a stop.

With this strike, he was seriously injured and even his spirit energy that he tried to invoke was forcefully dispersed.

Grabbing him by his neck, Xiao Ran pulled him out of the ground.

With an icy cold stare, he asked, "Are you from the Netherworld Dungeon?"

As if sensing Xiao Ran's killing intent, the masked man became fearful. With his skills evolution at Level 3 of the Profound Realm, he did not even have the strength to counter-attack this person.

What kind of old monster was the opponent?

This time, he did not dare to be stubborn and was very forthright. "I'm from the palace. I'm here on His Majesty's orders to steal the 'Iron Blood Dragon Horse' and the 'Heavenly Secrets Interlinked Crossbow'."

"You have anything to prove it?"

"I have a waist plaque."

Xiao Ran took down the waist plaque on his waist. It was a black tablet the size of a baby's palm. The character "Shadow" was engraved on the front and on the back, the character "Xia".

"Shadow?" Xiao Ran frowned.

Apart from the Four Great Institutes and the Five Powerful Government Departments, there were other departments in the Great Xia kingdom? And they were easily all at the level of Profound Realm?

The masked man hesitated, unsure whether to say anything.

"If you don't explain yourself, do you think you can leave this place alive?" Xiao Ran said.

"The 'Shadow' is a department that operates in the dark. We are the shadow of His Majesty! Since the founding of the Great Xia Dynasty, we have been in existence until now and we are loyal only to His Majesty," the masked man explained.

Pow!

A hand chop to the head knocked him out and Xiao Ran threw him to the ground.

He looked at the several streaks of light rushing over from the horizon and quickly left the place.

After a dozen breaths,

several figures descended from the sky.

Looking at the masked man who was unconscious on the ground, Qin Fangzhen hurriedly went forward to subdue him and sealed his shoulder bones. "Everyone in the Yin Incubation Institute, including Zhao Jishan, was killed! He was the only one at the scene. It's most likely that he was involved somehow."

Old Gu nodded. "That makes sense."

"I'll personally escort him to the Celestial Dungeon later. I'll definitely interrogate him strictly and pry his mouth open."

Looking around, Qin Fangzhen had a bitter expression.

"Old Gu, such a major incident has occurred. It won't be easy for us to report to His Majesty!"

Old Gu shook his head. "There's nothing we can do about it."

"Why don't you accompany me to the palace this once?"

"I still have to go back and copy the scriptures. I'll take my leave first." With that, Old Gu hurriedly left.

This was a hot potato that he didn't want to get involved with.

Report chapter

Chapter 76: Night Reconnaissance

When the remaining four saw Qin Fangzhen looking over to them, they tried to slip away without looking at him.

Qin Fangzhen was already prepared. He rushed forward and grabbed them, two in each hand, effectively stopping their escape. "Are you guys going back to copy the scriptures too?"

These four people were from the other four powerful government departments.

The Deputy Martial Master of the Sacred Martial Bureau shouted with a menacing stare, "Let me go!"

"Don't think about shirking responsibility. You have to take part of the blame, whether you like it or not." Qin Fangzhen retorted.

The four of them saw that he was trying to bend the rules, and the people from the courier station had already arrived.

If they were to leave now, it would be even more troublesome if he complained to Emperor Sheng Wen.

They glared at him with hatred and reluctantly stayed back.

After leaving the courier station,

Xiao Ran looked in the direction of the palace and thought of the masked man. The still waters in the capital city ran very deep!

Instead of going back, he hurried toward the palace.

The matter was already half-completed. As long as he handed the 'Iron Blood Dragon Horse' and 'Heavenly Secrets Interlinked Crossbow' to Xia Luoran, the matter he had promised the Eldest Princess would be completed.

In this way,

the Yin Incubation Institute's plan would also be exposed.

The rest was up to the Imperial Court.

As for these two items, even if they were complete, they were still trash in Xiao Ran's eyes, much less having only a third of their power in their current form.

He arrived outside the palace.

Xiao Ran invoked and circulated the Death Feigning Mystical Technique and restrained his aura totally. He entered the palace without alerting the patrolling Imperial Guards.

Before his arrival,

he had found out how to get to Xia Luoran's residence.

Without alerting anyone, he arrived outside her palace.

It was deserted. Apart from the Imperial Guards outside, there was no one else in the huge palace.

Spiritual soul energy surged out, searching for traces of Xia Luoran.

A few moments later,

Xiao Ran frowned. "Strange! Why isn't she here?"

When he arrived at her bedchamber, the two palace maids paced back and forth anxiously.

The two of them were Xia Luoran's personal palace maids. They had met before in the Celestial Dungeon.

"It's all my fault! Even if Her Highness punished me just now, I should have followed her."

Another palace maid said, "This is not the time to talk about this. I hope Her Highness comes back soon. Otherwise, if His Majesty blames us, we won't be able to bear the responsibility!"

"Only them here?" Xiao Ran was puzzled.

He then entered the palace.

He stepped forward and appeared in front of them. Before they could speak, he subdued them.

"Spirit Shifting Soul Control!" Xiao Ran activated his spiritual skill.

Two beams of golden light shot out from his eyes and entered their eyes.

Neither of them had a Forbidden Spirit Technique in their minds. They were only at Level 2 of the Grandmaster Realm, so were easily taken down without any chance of them resisting.

"Where did Xia Luoran go?" Xiao Ran asked.

The palace maid with the light airy fringe on her forehead said, "Her Highness went to the Tranquility Lake."

"Where's Tranquility Lake?"

"South of the city, near the moat."

After obtaining the answer he wanted, Xiao Ran retracted the Spirit Shifting Soul Control and knocked them unconscious.

He then left the palace and went out of the Imperial Palace.

The Death Feigning Mystical Technique was really powerful. Coupled with his level of evolution, he did not cause much of a commotion. The old monsters in the palace were all blind to his intrusion despite their wide open eyes, let alone discover that he had been here.

Nevertheless,

Xiao Ran could still vaguely sense several terrifying auras from the depths of the Imperial Palace.

At Tranquility Lake.

Xia Luoran sat in the pavilion and looked at the rippling water, sparkling under the moonlight.

Like a log, she sat there staring into space, without any sign of life.

The sky suddenly went black. A huge dark cloud floated over, blocking out the moonlight.

A hurricane erupted out of nowhere.

The surrounding temperature dropped to freezing level in an instant. As the chill descended, a shadowy figure, face fully masked except for two eyes and wearing a night suit, walked across the water surface.

In a few flashes, he was behind her.

Looking at the stunned Xia Luoran, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. He leaned forward and rushed over like a ghost.

His palm turned into a claw, and rays of blood red light flashed in his palm. With a sharp aura coupled with great force, he grabbed the back of her head viciously.

"Fiery Dance Ethereal Immolation Technique!" Xia Luoran shouted menacingly.

Although she was in a daze, her talent in combat skills was strong.

The moment she sensed danger, she instinctively attacked.

The red light spun and attacked the surroundings, forming surges of terrifying flames. As it churned, it shot out to cover hundreds of feet. The accompanying temperature burned the sky and boiled the sea.

It blasted into the onrushing clawed hand.

The pavilion was instantly destroyed. Violent air waves exploded and caused big arcs of waves on the water surface, as massive columns of water spray soared into the sky.

With this attack, Xia Luoran was sent flying by the impact and she fell into the lake.

The masked man tapped his foot and hovered above the water surface.

His icy cold eyes searched for traces of her body underwater.

At the bottom of the lake,

Xia Luoran clutched at her chest and hid in place, not daring to make a sound.

However she had been seriously injured by that earlier blow.

Despite her best efforts to hold it in, blood rushed uncontrollably from her mouth.

In addition, it was even more difficult to withstand the huge water pressure underwater and circulate spirit energy to conceal her injuries.

Gradually,

a pool of red appeared on the surface of the water. The masked man's lips curled in a merciless smile.

"Are you going to come out on your own, or do I have to drag you out?"

After a dozen breaths,

there was still no movement around him.

"You don't know what's good for you," said the masked man, his patience exhausted.

A supreme aura erupted as he extended his palm. Blood red light condensed and transformed into a thousand-foot-long palm print that clapped onto the water surface.

Whoosh…

Under the attack of the palm print, the lake water evaporated, and the surrounding water was squeezed to the side under the pressure of the palm of blood.

As the palm continued to press down, it became a vacuum.

Underwater,

Xia Luoran's expression was decidedly very awful. Looking at the immense pressure coming from above, she found it difficult to breathe.

With a hint of ruthlessness of her gaze, she made a decision with fierce determination.

"Even in death, I must not fall into his hands."

She drew out the Fiery Dance Sword.

Risking everything and mobilizing all the spirit energy in her body, she infused it into the sword.

Buzz!

The Fiery Dance Sword shook violently, and its entire blade was like fire.

"Fiery Dance Whirlwind Sword Technique!"

Her whole body transformed into a fierce hurricane. Using the power of the Numinous Treasure, she whipped up flames that filled the sky. She became one with the sword and stabbed at the incoming palm of blood.

Even at her peak, she was not his match, let alone now in her injured state.

She was slapped to the ground straightaway and rendered immobile.

As she stared up at the night sky, images flashed by, and she felt surprisingly calm. "Maybe this is a form of liberation for me."

"Come here!" the masked man barked.

A terrifying suction force emanated from his palm and grabbed at Xia Luoran.

She was already prepared to immolate herself. The Fiery Dance Ethereal Immolation Technique had a secret technique that allowed her to burn herself.

At this moment, the dark heavy clouds in the night sky were abruptly dispersed by a powerful aura.

The dazzling sword intent was like an ancient river illuminating the night sky.

It left a sword scar in the vastness between heaven and earth and slashed down mightily.

Its speed tore through the air, not visible to the naked eye.

It reached the masked man one step ahead and slashed down on his body just before he could grab Xia Luoran.

"No…" The masked man screamed in horror.

He was shocked out of his wits by this sudden turn of events.

He activated and circulated his skills with all his might, creating a barrier around his body to protect himself securely.

However it was useless.

As the sword light fell, his body exploded in a shower of blood under the destructive force.

Then, as the sword light continued to slash down, it landed on the water surface.

The lake water rolled back, and the bottom was visible for thousands of feet. The terrifying sword energy churned and roiled, keeping the walls of water separated infinitely.

Xiao Ran appeared in front of her in a flash and picked her up from the ground. "Are you all right?"

Report chapter

Chapter 77: Lantern Festival

"You are?" Xia Luoran asked with a frown.

The injuries in her body acted up again. The pain was so great that she groaned.

"Don't speak first. Let me treat your injuries," Xiao Ran said.

He carried her to the shore and placed her on the ground. He reached out with his right hand and placed it above her chest. The purifying spiritual force surged out of his palm and entered her body.

Although her injuries were very serious, she quickly recovered with the help of the purifying spiritual force.

A few minutes later,

Xiao Ran retracted his hand and asked, "How are you feeling now?"

"Much better." Xia Luoran replied gratefully.

She stood up from the ground and looked at Xiao Ran in confusion.

"I was entrusted by someone to help you resolve your current predicament," Xiao Ran said.

"And who might that be?"

"I promised that person to keep it a secret." Xiao Ran shook his head.

He took out the 'Iron Blood Dragon Horse' and the 'Heavenly Secrets Interlinked Crossbow' and handed them to her.

"This is?" Xia Luoran viewed them doubtfully.

"Before coming here, I went to the courier station and happened to bump into those people with their plan. I wiped them out on my way out," Xiao Ran said.

He briefly explained the plot of the Yin Incubation Institute.

After listening to him,

Xia Luoran's expression turned icy cold, and she was furious beyond words. She clenched her fists tightly. "These bastards! To think that they're educated people too."

She gave a fist and palm salute solemnly and bowed to Xiao Ran.

"No matter what, I will remember your great act of kindness, Sir."

She hesitated, as if she wanted to say something else but didn't know how to broach the subject.

All these did not escape Xiao Ran's eyes. "What do you want to say?"

"Sir, if it's convenient, can you tell me your name?"

"It's not convenient," Xiao Ran replied in a straightforward manner.

Pointing to the two scrolls,

"I've already destroyed the little trick that the Yin Incubation Institute used on them."

Xia Luoran opened the scroll and looked at what was revealed. Her big eyes widened.

She had heard some things about the two scrolls before.

It must be activated in conjunction with the Yin Incubation Institute's special secret technique in order to reveal the contents on the canvas.

She looked at Xiao Ran frantically.

"I've checked the items. Only a third of the contents are real. If we nurture it according to the method written on it, the gains won't be worth the effort required to achieve them," Xiao Ran said.

"S-Sir, you're not keeping it for yourself?"

"These things are useless to me."

After a pause, Xiao Ran said something else unwisely.

"I met the man your Emperor father sent at the courier station."

"Really?" Xia Luoran's beautiful eyes lit up.

"Yes." Xiao Ran nodded his head.

"What was promised to that person is now completed. It is up to you what you wish to do next."

He took one step forward and vanished from the spot, leaving an afterimage.

"Sir…" Xia Luoran hurriedly called out.

The surrounding area was empty and there was no trace of Xiao Ran.

A gust of night air calmed her down.

She frowned and pondered. "This Senior helped treat my injuries just now. His spirit energy is so familiar, in fact it resembled that of the senior I met at the Mount Flaming Inferno."

Suddenly,

her attractive eyes twinkled.

"When that senior fought with the Patriarch at the Mount Flaming Inferno, he used the Phoenix Essence Sword Technique and a terrifying sword intent. Could they be the same person?"

When she thought about that,

the answer was obvious.

"No! I'll go to the Celestial Dungeon now and ask my aunt about it."

Back home,

Xiao Ran checked the rewards of the Golden Tome of Creation. The other party was at Level 1 of the Profound Realm. There were two items displayed: 800,000 Mastery points and 80 years of Martial Arts Evolution.

This time, he was unlucky and only got this little reward.

He added all 800,000 Mastery points to the Spiritual Clarity Eye.

After the attributes were refreshed,

Spiritual Clarity Eye: Genesis.

He was only 490 years away from breaking through to Level 6 of the Profound Realm.

He took out the Green Essence Jade Pendant and took stock of his gains.

Not surprisingly, the Vice Principal of the Yin Incubation Institute, the envoy of the Great Zhou kingdom, was very rich.

Just banknotes alone, there were 5 million taels of silver in total. There were some other miscellaneous items, and five numinous treasures. Three of the numinous treasures were won from Scholastic Incubation Institute.

In terms of value,

not counting the Numinous Treasures, he had obtained close to ten million taels this time.

He took out the five numinous treasures and absorbed the Immense Righteous Energy contained in them.

After absorbing all the Immense Righteous Energy inside, the Immense Righteous Energy accumulated in his dantian rose to another level. However, these five numinous treasures had fallen in value, turning into ordinary items and were no longer numinous treasures.

He took down the portrait of the Eldest Princess that hung on the wall and placed it on the desk.

He took out the Eldest Princess's elemental lifeblood and drew this drop of elemental lifeblood with the Finishing Touch Sacred Brush into the painting.

Buzz!

The golden light whirled out and enveloped the entire painting. The Eldest Princess in the painting danced nimbly.

When it absorbed the elemental lifeblood, it became even more agile and contained an air of vitality. Its strength also broke through to Level 1 of the Grand Master Realm.

"Not bad." Xiao Ran replied with a smile.

With a wave of his right hand,

he hung the painting back on the wall again and turned off the lights to rest.

At the Drunken Immortals Court,

in a luxurious room on the third floor, two young men sat face to face with a table full of food and wine.

Apart from them, there was no one else.

"We just got word that Number Seven is dead," said the young man in red.

The other one calmly poured a cup of wine. He swirled it around in his hand, and took his time draining it. "Is that so?"

"You're not angry?"

"Why should I be angry?"

The young man in red thought for a moment and understood. "It doesn't matter whether he's dead or alive. The point is that all the people sent by the Yin Incubation Institute have been wiped out. Even if we fail to kidnap the Elder Princess, we have nothing to lose."

"Our goal is the Great Zhou, not the Great Xia! Unless it's absolutely necessary, don't provoke any more powerful enemies. Moreover, Emperor Sheng Wen's 'Shadow' is not just for show."

The young man in red nodded.

"Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival. Let our people have a good time here and relax for a while. Don't cause any trouble. After the festival, we will leave the capital city and return to Great Zhou."

"That doesn't sound like you." The young man in red wondered if he had heard him correctly.

"Everyone has a spot of purity in their hearts. I'm no exception."

"I understand," the young man in red acknowledged.

In the Purgatory,

after Xia Luoran left Tranquility Lake, she made her way here in a hurry.

Stopping outside the cell number 1, the lieutenant opened the cell door and tactfully withdrew.

Once she entered the cell,

Xia Luoran took out the two scrolls and placed them in front of her.

Her expression was full of conflicting emotions. "Did you do this?"

The Eldest Princess did not even look up. She was still practicing her calligraphy as if she did not hear her.

Xia Luoran rushed over and snatched the brush from her hand. Only then did the Eldest Princess raise her head to look at her. "Give it back."

"Did you do it?"

The Eldest Princess glanced at her and walked to the soft couch. She sat on it and closed her eyes to rest. She did not say a single word from beginning to end.

"You did it. Why are you afraid to admit it?" Xia Luoran pressed on.

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Didn't you ask someone else to deal with the Yin Incubation Institute and the others?"

"You're thinking too much! I don't have such a great ability." With that, the Eldest Princess closed her eyes again.

"You…" Xia Luoran was furious.

Her chest thumped furiously with anger. She stared at her for a long time before putting the scrolls away. She poured a cup of tea, took out a slice of white lotus cake and placed it in front of her.

"Whether it's you or not, I forbid you to get involved again."

Two streams of tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes. She then turned and ran out.

No one was a fool. The price of hiring a senior expert was way too high.

"She's not too stupid, but just too inflexible." The Eldest Princess shook her head.

Looking at the white lotus cake and tea, she smiled warmly.

The lieutenant walked up silently and locked the cell door. He was simply a tool from beginning to end.

Report chapter

Chapter 78: Benefits

The next day,

before the crack of dawn, the sound of firecrackers filled the air.

In the past, there would have been impatient people who would have jumped out to scold them for being a nuisance and making so much noise.

However, today,

there was a joyous, happy atmosphere everywhere.

Even bad-tempered people had a bit more patience.

Xiao Ran opened the door and walked out.

Standing in the courtyard, he listened to the firecrackers around him and looked at the thick smoke rising up in spirals.

One corner of his mouth turned up in a smile.

"Is it starting already?"

He left the courtyard.

After having breakfast at the marketplace, he walked towards the Divine Sword Guards headquarters.

Once he arrived,

the Divine Sword Guards compound was similarly more light-hearted. Compared to the usual murderous and indifferent atmosphere, they were more lively.

Two red lanterns hung by the door.

The men guarding the door smiled a little more.

He stepped inside.

The people who came and went smiled and greeted him. Xiao Ran nodded in response.

In the courtyard,

"Brother Xiao, you're here," Little Zhou called out.

He took out a red packet and showed it off proudly.

"It was just distributed this morning. Guess how much?"

"A hundred taels." Xiao Ran smiled and played along.

Little Zhou shook his head and gestured for him to try again.

"Two hundred taels."

Little Zhou's expression turned bitter. "Brother Xiao, you're looking down on the Divine Sword Guards! Do you think they lack money in such a big government department?"

"Five hundred taels." Xiao Ran guessed again.

"No! A thousand taels," Little Zhou said.

He took out a silver banknote from inside.

"Not bad! I have the money to drink at Drunken Immortals Court now," Xiao Ran said in a joking manner.

"What I've got isn't much. It's considered below-average. Some people have received five thousand taels."

He looked at Xiao Ran.

"How much did you get?"

"I just got here. No one has issued me a red packet yet."

"No way? Has our lord forgotten about you?" Little Zhou was stumped.

"You! Come here." Shen Yiming walked in from outside with a clouded expression.

Little Zhou shrank his neck back.

"Have you been hiding outside and eavesdropping, my lord?"

Shen Yiming kicked him irritably. "I just got here."

His gaze landed on Xiao Ran.

"Eh! Are you a Level 1 Grand Master now?"

"I was lucky." Xiao Ran was very humble. He only displayed the aura of a Level 1 Grand Master Realm right now.

"Not bad." Shen Yiming nodded.

He took out a red packet and handed it over, gesturing to Xiao Ran to open it.

Little Zhou was very curious and urged, "Brother Xiao, hurry up and open it."

Xiao Ran opened the red packet and took out the banknotes inside. There were a total of three notes. Each was worth a thousand taels, making a total of exactly three thousand taels.

"My Brother Xiao is amazing. Even his red packet is comparable to those for the Lords Golden Sword." Little Zhou was happy for him.

He then looked at Shen Yiming.

"How much did you get, my Lord?"

"Not much! Just five thousand taels." Shen Yiming pretended to look humble.

"After all this, I received the least?"

Shen Yiming knocked him on the head.

"Don't be greedy. Your red packet is comparable to some Lords Silver Sword."

"Hehe!" Little Zhou rubbed the back of his head.

"Today is a holiday, so we don't need to be on duty here. Let's go and have lots of fun in Drunken Immortals Court," Shen Yiming called out to all of them.

"We agreed last time that it's my treat. I'll pay for all the expenses this time," Xiao Ran said.

Shen Yiming had already treated them after winning a large sum of money from the Jade Manor. This time, it was his turn. Next time, it would be Little Zhou's turn.

They had just reached the door,

when they bumped into Old Zheng and Old Bai. They were both former colleagues at the Celestial Dungeon and got along very well.

"Why are you guys here?" Xiao Ran asked.

"Today is the Lantern Festival. The government office is on holiday and even gave out benefits. I thought that it had been a long time since everyone gathered together, so I called Old Bai over to come and look for you guys," Old Zheng explained.

"Good chap!" Xiao Ran gave him a playful punch on the chest.

Everyone knew each other. There was no need for further introductions.

The group marched merrily towards the Drunken Immortals Court.

When they arrived at Drunken Immortals Court,

Xiao Ran met another familiar person, Chen Wenheng.

"Brother Xiao, why are you here?" Chen Wenheng was surprised.

"Why are you here too?"

Chen Wenheng was not embarrassed. "The academy is on holiday, so I have nothing to do. I wandered around the streets and came here. I happened to be thirsty and came to ask for a drink."

"I understand," Xiao Ran said.

After introducing both parties and exchanging pleasantries,

they entered the Drunken Immortals Court together.

Those who could become Xiao Ran's friends all had fairly good personalities. They could chat together and quickly became familiar with each other.

They put their arms around each other's shoulders and talked big, trying to outdo each other in boasts.

Xiao Ran asked for an extra large luxury room.

He summoned a group of young and beautiful girls, four for each of them. He was not short of money.

After more than 5 dishes of food and 3 rounds of wine,

they took their respective girls into the next room. Moments later, the melodious music could be heard.

The remaining four girls wanted to snuggle up to Xiao Ran but he waved them away.

After they left,

he drank a cup of tea, then rose from his chair. He summoned the brothel keeper and settled the bill for the day.

It was already noon time when he left Drunken Immortals Court.

He bought a pot of wine and a plate of peanuts and walked towards the Celestial Dungeon.

When he reached the Celestial Dungeon,

the lieutenant greeted him warmly. "Greetings, Lord Xiao."

"Hmm," Xiao Ran acknowledged with a mumble.

The lieutenant handed over a red packet and said with a smile, "It's a holiday, right? The other departments are giving out benefits, so we can't be stingy. The money isn't much, but it's still a token of appreciation. At least it can warm everyone's hearts."

"Thank you," Xiao Ran said.

They chatted for a while.

When he entered the Purgatory, the Eldest Princess looked up when she noticed his arrival. She was not surprised at all, as if she had been waiting for him for a long time.

He opened the cell door and stepped inside.

He placed the wine and peanuts on the table.

Apart from the white lotus cake, there was also a table full of sumptuous delicacies.

Others were celebrating the holidays, so was she.

It was just that her place was relatively deserted.

"You specially prepared food and drinks for me?" Xiao Ran asked.

"Yes," said the Eldest Princess.

Just as she was about to get the wine she had prepared, Xiao Ran stopped her with a smile and poured two cups of the wine he had brought.

"This wine is cheap. One catty is only two taels of silver. It can't compare to your Imperial Palace wine, but it's more trustworthy." Xiao Ran raised his wine cup.

They clinked their cups and drained them in one gulp.

"Thank you!" The Eldest Princess said gratefully.

"You know anything about the Netherworld Dungeon and the North Sea Dragon Tribe?" Xiao Ran asked.

"Are they involved in this matter?"

"When Xia Luoran was at the Tranquility Lake, the people from the Netherworld Dungeon wanted to kidnap her. From the information I obtained, the Netherworld Dungeon seems to be sabotaging the Great Zhou's plan by doing this."

"Luoran has already told Sheng Wen. Sheng Wen summoned all the officials and flew into a rage. He reprimanded them ruthlessly."

"And then?" Xiao Ran asked with curiosity.

"It's not time to start a war yet. Even if Sheng Wen is furious, he has to endure it for the time being. However, I received news from other channels that he has secretly sent a team to the Great Zhou," the Eldest Princess said.

"Coward," Xiao Ran said.

The Eldest Princess did not comment.

"Where did you hear about the North Sea Dragon Tribe?"

"Don't ask. Just tell me what you know," Xiao Ran said.

"I don't know much about them," the Eldest Princess said.

"The North Sea Dragon Tribe is not an ordinary faction. No one even knows where they are, except their own people. Under normal circumstances, they are rarely born. However, once they are born, they will definitely stir up a storm of blood and terror, causing misery for people. Those who are born will have skills evolution."

"A solemn reminder though".

"If you meet any of their people, do not make an enemy of them. Run as far as you can. They are more terrifying than you can imagine."

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Chapter 79: Secret of the North Sea

"Is the North Sea very big?" Xiao Ran asked.

"It's even larger than you think. It's even larger than our Great Xia. After all, no one has been to the depths of the North Sea. Exactly how big is it, till this day no one knows," the Eldest Princess said.

"The ancestors of your Imperial Family have never been there either?"

"I think they have, but such information is top secret. Previously, I was always engrossed in practicing and honing my skills. Other than some necessary information, I do not get involved in the rest of the matters."

She looked at Xiao Ran.

"What will happen to me if you go to the North Sea?"

"You can cripple your skills," Xiao Ran suggested.

The Eldest Princess rolled her eyes and laughed at herself deprecatingly. She stroked her hair, making herself look more beautiful.

The ripe, seductive scent was ever-so-charming.

"I've thought about that issue too, but now is not the time."

She seemed to be afraid that Xiao Ran would not believe her and explained patiently.

"If I didn't have this level of skills evolution, believe it or not, I wouldn't even see the sun the next day."

"Can you still see the sun outside from inside here?" Xiao Ran retorted.

The Eldest Princess was at a loss for words.

"The Imperial Family's situation is complicated. No one is as simple as he appears. If there's even the slightest possibility, I'd rather be born into an ordinary family, be an ordinary woman, do embroidery, and spend my life reading books in my spare time."

Xiao Ran clinked his cup with hers.

He then drained his cup in one gulp.

The Eldest Princess continued, "I've seen too much of the dark side. One thing I do understand is, if you want to live and protect the people around you, you have to be strong enough to make others fear you and not dare to provoke you."

"What does this have to do with me?" Xiao Ran asked.

The Eldest Princess paused.

Her beautiful eyes studied him as if in disbelief.

The two of them had known each other for so long, and she had even told him so much.

So all this talk was for nothing?

"I want you to help me!"

"I won't get involved in your matters." Xiao Ran refused outright.

He rose from his chair.

The Eldest Princess panicked and hurriedly followed.

"When are you going out?"

Looking at her, Xiao Ran pondered for a moment. Just as she had said, the two of them had known each other for so long. If he went out, the aftereffects of the forbidden technique would erupt and she would be in danger.

"I guarantee that the demonic aura won't act up for seven days," Xiao Ran said.

He took a step toward her.

He pressed his palm on the top of her head and injected a stream of purifying spiritual force into her body.

With this purifying spiritual force, she would be safe and sound for seven days.

He withdrew his palm.

He then locked the cell door and left.

When he left, he also took the wine and peanuts he had bought.

"I just knew you wouldn't leave me to die." The Eldest Princess smiled sweetly.

When he arrived at the Deluge Dragon's cell,

the fellow was whining and grumbling. "Criminals have human rights too, right? Shouldn't we be given some gifts to celebrate a big holiday?"

When he saw Xiao Ran walking over, his eyes widened in fear, his eyeballs almost popping out.

He regretted his words inwardly and cursed his own mouth. He wanted to give himself two big slaps.

"Don't take it seriously. I was just joking."

Xiao Ran opened the cell door and walked in.

"I took it seriously."

He placed the wine and peanuts in front of him.

"That's it?" The Deluge Dragon was dumbfounded.

Pow!

Xiao Ran hit him on the head and knocked him flat onto the ground.

"Not satisfied?"

The Deluge Dragon was very pragmatic. If he couldn't win, he would just accept his fate obediently.

"As long as you bought it for me, I'm satisfied regardless of what it is."

Facing Xiao Ran's teasing playful gaze, he grabbed the wine pot and took a sip. It had been a long time since he had drunk wine and he had almost forgotten what wine tasted like. When he drank it, it felt like a knife was scraping against his heart. It was extremely satisfying.

He took another sip, grabbed three to five peanuts, and tossed them into his mouth.

"Who would have thought? That I would spend this Lantern Festival in such an environment."

Xiao Ran asked, "You were born of the North Sea Dragon Tribe?"

The Deluge Dragon stopped in his tracks. His expression changed, but he quickly regained his composure. He wanted to deny it, but he saw Xiao Ran raise his fist. Golden light filled the air, and a massive power surged out. It could hit him in the next second. He decided to be very obedient and answered, "Yes!"

"Tell me everything you know about the North Sea Dragon Tribe."

"You want to help me get the Celestial Demon's Dragon Pearl?"

"I'm afraid you're thinking too much." Xiao Ran said and gave him a kick.

The Deluge Dragon told him everything he knew, including his birth.

According to his explanation,

the North Sea Dragon Tribe was huge. They were one of the overlords of the North Sea.

He was the illegitimate son of the previous patriarch of the North Sea Dragon Tribe and a white serpent. His status was improper and his identity was awkward.

Life had been a little easier when the old guy was alive.

With his mysterious death and the new patriarch taking over, he was in a precarious position.

Someone had his eye on the dragon tendon in his body and used a secret technique to forcefully extract it away. Just as they were about to take his life, his mother, before her death, transformed all the skills evolution of her entire life into a protective shield to embed in his body.

At the critical moment, she saved his life and took him away from the North Sea.

"In that case, you don't know the location of the North Sea Dragon Tribe either?" Xiao Ran asked with a frown.

"Yes." The Deluge Dragon nodded.

"I've been in the Dragon Palace since I was born. I've never so much as taken half a step away from there."

"Hurry up and eat," Xiao Ran said.

"W-what are you doing?" The Deluge Dragon panicked.

He quickly finished the wine and peanuts.

With his eyes closed, he stretched out his right limb and asked opportunistically, "Can we postpone it for a day on account of the festival? Can we take it tomorrow?"

"What do you think?"

"Whatever you say."

After waiting for a long time, Xiao Ran did not make a move. He opened his eyes and looked over, only to see Xiao Ran locking the cell door. He asked tentatively.

"Aren't you going to take it?"

"It's not appropriate to see blood today. Delay for a day," Xiao Ran said.

"Thank you!" The Deluge Dragon gushed gratefully.

After Xiao Ran left, he finally recovered himself and shook his head.

"Why should I thank him?"

After dealing with the matters here,

Xiao Ran was about to leave when the people from the palace arrived.

He was accompanied by a big group of people. They caused quite a big commotion. The lieutenant and the others were all present.

Xiao Ran had just arrived when the lieutenant signaled with his eye to him to stand at the side.

The Imperial Palace representative read out the imperial edict. It was nothing more than today being the Lantern Festival, on account of old sentiments, His Majesty rewarded a bunch of festive gifts.

When he was done announcing,

the Imperial Palace representative gave a few more instructions and quickly left with his men.

Only Xiao Ran was left.

"He treats you quite well," Xiao Ran teased.

"If you like these things, you can take them all," the Eldest Princess said.

"The white lotus cake is quite good. I'll take a few portions." Xiao Ran did not stand on ceremony.

He put away the ten boxes of white lotus cakes before leaving.

He had not gone far after leaving the Celestial Dungeon,

when a Divine Sword Guard ran over and stopped in front of him.

"Brother Xiao, my Lord is looking for you."

"Now?" Xiao Ran asked.

"Yes."

"All right, I'll go over now," Xiao Ran agreed.

Once at the headquarters of the Divine Sword Guards, Shen Yiming had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing that Xiao Ran had arrived, Shen Yiming complained, "F*ck! They're all so restless during this festival. We're having fun in the Drunken Immortals Court, but now our mood has been ruined."

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Chapter 80: Ice Giant

"Where are Little Zhou and the others?" Xiao Ran asked.

"When Lord Qin sent someone to call us over, we happened to bump into his father. You didn't see it, but it was tragic." Shen Yiming sighed.

And so that was the situation.

It was already time for Little Zhou's blind date today, but he had yet to go over.

His father asked around and found out that he was dead drunk in the Drunken Immortals Court. He was absolutely furious and rushed to Drunken Immortals Court with fire torches.

He chased him from upstairs to downstairs and back up again.

This skirmish only ended when Little Zhou leaped over the wall and escaped.

"He didn't get hit at all?" Xiao Ran asked with curiosity.

"His father couldn't outrun him. He had practiced the Fleeing Cataglyphis Technique that I taught him to a high level. In the end, even when all the guards attacked together, they couldn't even touch the corner of his clothes."

"…" Xiao Ran was at a loss for words.

"This time, I summoned you here in a hurry because I have a task for you."

Xiao Ran waited quietly for him to continue.

Shen Yiming said solemnly, "Just now, there is urgent news from the people in Qing Province, Horizon Prefecture. There's a plague in Chen County and it has spread to several county cities. The people sent to investigate have all disappeared. They suspect that there's a demon behind this. They can't handle it, so they're asking for reinforcements."

"Why don't you send people over from the base in Qing Province?"

Shen Yiming shook his head. "The person in charge over there died at the hands of the demons not long ago. They also suffered heavy losses. Although the demons have been arrested, they won't recover anytime soon."

There was a pause.

"We'll split up this time. I'll go to Qing Province to deal with the mess there. You go to Chen County to deal with the plague and also assess the Divine Sword Guards in Horizon Prefecture."

"Are we leaving now?" Xiao Ran asked.

"It's very urgent. You and I will get started now. If you need assistants, I'll arrange for it."

Xiao Ran thought about it. It would be troublesome if there were too many people.

He could resolve this matter by himself. There was no need to mobilize so many people.

"I think it's better that I go alone!"

"All right! If you really encounter something that you can't resolve, don't push yourself to settle it alone. Let me know immediately. I'll rush over from Qing Province," Shen Yiming reminded.

"Okay," Xiao Ran agreed.

They left the Divine Sword Guards and Xiao Ran returned home.

There was someone standing at the door. Who else could it be but Little Zhou?

"Why are you here?" Xiao Ran asked.

Little Zhou touched the back of his head awkwardly and stammered. Seeing that Xiao Ran was getting impatient, he said, "I forgot about the blind date today. My father looked for me everywhere and threatened to break my damn legs."

"And then you have nowhere to go and plan to hide from him at my place for a few days?"

"Brother Xiao, do you think it's convenient?"

"I'm going to Chen County. I have something urgent to deal with," Xiao Ran said.

"You have a new assignment?"

"I just received news that a plague is spreading in Chen County. It has to be resolved as soon as possible."

"I'm coming too."

Xiao Ran remained silent and stared at him icily.

"Brother Xiao, think about it. It's so inconvenient for you to be alone outside. I'll go with you. With more people, you will have more helpers. I can even serve tea and ask for information."

Xiao Ran couldn't be bothered with him as he entered the courtyard.

Little Zhou followed him in like a puppy.

Xiao Ran put away the Eldest Princess's painting. He then rode the mystical Night Illumination Dragon Horse towards Chen County.

Little Zhou followed shamelessly, and Xiao Ran had no choice but to let him.

Fortunately, Chen County was not far from the capital city. With the Night Illumination Dragon Horse's speed, it only took a day.

At nightfall,

the two of them entered a dilapidated temple, secured their horses, and sat in the temple hall.

Little Zhou lit the bonfire to keep the cold at bay.

Xiao Ran took out two portions of white lotus cake and handed one to him. "Eat."

He then took one piece of white lotus cake and started eating.

"It smells so good! Brother Xiao, where did you buy it from? I'll buy some when we get back." Little Zhou asked.

"Why do you have so many questions?" Xiao Ran glared at him.

Little Zhou stopped talking and wolfed down the food.

Pitter-patter…

It began drizzling outside. It started as a light drizzle but as time passed, it grew heavier.

The hall, too, had begun to leak in places, and big puddles formed in some parts.

"This damn weather. It was fine just now, but it started raining just like that without warning." Little Zhou cursed.

Rapid footsteps could be heard outside.

Two young men entered the temple. One wore a red elaborate suit, the other in a white version.

There were no tools in their hands to shield them from the rain, but their clothes were clean and tidy. There was no sign of them getting drenched at all.

Looking at Xiao Ran and Little Zhou, the two of them were caught off guard.

The young man in red was about to do something when the young man in white stopped him.

He took a step forward and cupped his fists in greeting at the two of them. "The rain is very heavy. We would like to use this place to wait out the rain for a while. We'll leave when the rain stops. Please bear with us for the inconvenience."

"You are welcome to come in!" Xiao Ran said.

The two of them walked to one corner and sat down. The young man in red got some firewood and lit a fire.

He took out some food and ate it.

Little Zhou lowered his voice and said, "Brother Xiao, be careful. They're not ordinary people."

"Really?"

"It's raining so heavily out there, but their clothes are so clean. Even their shoes aren't dirty. I wouldn't be able to do that."

"Ignore them," Xiao Ran said.

After eating the white lotus cake, he closed his eyes to rest.

Little Zhou held the sapphire light sword tightly in his hand. If anything happened, he would take them down immediately.

All these moves did not escape the eyes of the young man in red. "From their weapons, they're from the Divine Sword Guards. Do you want me to deal with them?"

The young man in white shook his head. "We don't kill indiscriminately. Our swords only kill those who deserve it."

"Yes." The young man in red nodded.

It was raining very hard and showed no signs of stopping.

Late at night,

the temperature in the temple dropped without warning.

In a few short breaths, it dropped to freezing point.

Wisps of cold air seeped in from the outside, forming a layer of frost wherever they passed.

The power of ice chill it contained was very strong.

Just as the freezing air was about to touch Xiao Ran and partner, a flash of golden light bloomed from Xiao Ran's body and expelled all the freezing air.

"Someone's here." Xiao Ran woke Little Zhou up.

Little Zhou held the sapphire light sword tightly and happened to see the two people opposite him standing up as well.

The surrounding freezing air was easily dispelled by them.

The foursome looked at each other warily, then turned their gaze away to the outside.

"Brother Xiao…" Little Zhou said.

"Don't speak. Let's take a look first," Xiao Ran said.

An even more terrifying chilly air swept in from all directions, inundating the whole area.

With the temple as the center, they surged towards it.

The freezing air spread for thousands of feet, turning everything in its path to ice-covered sculptures.

Their target was the white-robed youth and the other guy. Xiao Ran and Little Zhou were just extras.

"Hmph! It's these detestable fellows again," the young man in red gave a scornful snort.

With one step, a towering red light burst skywards. With the expansion of his aura, he charged towards his surroundings.

Pow!

The temple shattered instantly, unable to withstand this huge force.

Even the freezing air that was sweeping towards here was destroyed.

Without the cover of the temple, the other party's presence was revealed.

Dozens of demons, nearly 10 feet tall with their whole body in sky blue color, stood surrounded by a thick layer of freezing air. Under the leadership of a tall demon, they surrounded the two young men in a menacing manner.

"Ice Giants." Xiao Ran's eyes narrowed warily.

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Read I Transmigrated As A Prison Guard And Suppressed The Princess Chapter 81 - Summon the Rain online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 81: Summon the Rain

"Brother Xiao, you know them?" Little Zhou looked nervous.

"I have read about them in the Divine Sword Guards' archives," Xiao Ran said.

"The Ice Giants are from the Great Zhou Dynasty and their territory is at the Ice Peak Mountain. They have very high requirements for the environment that border on harsh standards. They can only survive on snow mountains that are more than a hundred years old. The stronger the force of the freezing ice, the better. It's beneficial for them to reproduce and develop their skills."

Little Zhou was speechless. "Why did the demons of the Great Zhou cross the border and come to our side?"

Xiao Ran shrugged his shoulders.

His gaze fell on the two people opposite him. It was obvious.

"Because of them? So we're the unfortunate collateral damage in this situation?"

"Hmm," Xiao Ran acknowledged with a mumble.

"From the aura they emit, they're all very strong! Especially the leading Ice Giant. When they start fighting later, I'll take you with me and flee, Brother Xiao."

"They're about to start attacking," Xiao Ran reminded him.

The Ice Giant in the lead stepped forward and looked at them in a menacing manner.

"Qu Bo'an, Luo Qiping, are you guys going to surrender, or do you want me to make you do it myself?"

The young man in white was called Qu Bo'an, and the young man in red was called Luo Qiping.

"Even if Ice Stalwart came in person, he would not dare say that in front of us, let alone you," Luo Qiping gave a scornful sneer.

"How dare you call the Tribal Chief by his name?" The Ice Giant was furious.

He gave a violent wave with his hand.

"Kill!"

The surrounding demons quickly rushed up. Every demon was of the Master Realm, and there were more than 10 Grand Masters in their midst as well.

Blue light swirled as the demons merged into one.

A terrifying power of freezing chill blasted out in all directions as the blue light erupted.

When the blue light faded, a demon dozens of feet tall appeared on the same spot.

The freezing air it emitted spread out rapidly over a thousand feet radius, and its aura had reached Level 2 of the Profound Realm.

It took one step forward.

Its seemingly clumsy body reappeared in front of them with alarming speed.

The huge palm slapped down, and freezing air gushed out, condensing into solid. As it turned into a frozen mass of space, it went smashing towards their heads.

"Leave him to me," Luo Qiping said.

A long sword had somehow appeared in his hand at some point. The blade was blood-red, and it was imbued with demonic evil, emitting the aura of a Numinous Treasure.

"Break!"

The sword energy shot into the sky and transformed into a ferocious dragon. It dispersed all the freezing air and landed back on his palm.

Clang!

Fiery rays leaped out as both sides retreated backwards at the same time.

The leading Ice Giant walked towards Qu Bo'an. With every step he took, his aura became stronger.

The freezing air that issued forth from his body was even more terrifying than that released by its fused subordinates.

"I heard that your Great Guardian Indestructible Divine Skill is immortal and inexterminable. I don't believe it!"

He grabbed with both hands, and immense demonic energy shot into the air.

His powerful aura turned the storm that fell from the night sky into steam. He growled, "Summon the rain!"

In an instant the world went black.

The evil aura churned and rolled. The black rain drops poured down, corroding all life and destroying living creatures as it rushed towards Qu Bo'an.

"As you wish." Qu Bo'an smiled calmly.

He inserted the folding fan in his hand into his waist belt. As countless rays of golden light rushed out, his entire body appeared to be gold-gilded, illuminating the night sky.

Faced with the evil rain that was charging at him, he tapped one foot and shot into the sky. He then slapped out with his palm.

Supreme power issued forth from his palm, and its absolute power crushed everything.

Even if the rain was terrifying and could easily exterminate a Level 10 Grand Master,

in front of this palm, it was instantly wiped out.

Staring at him,

Qu Bo'an said, "Come and accept one blow from me too."

A deep dragon roar came from his palm. The golden dragon rushed out and enveloped him as he descended from the sky. A huge explosion rang out as it ruthlessly attacked the icy adversary.

The Ice Giant's expression changed. "When did you break through to Level 4 of the Profound Realm?"

His expression was grim as he watched the golden dragon approach.

He then mobilized all his demonic power and invoked his innate divine power again. "Summon the rain!"

This time, it used itself as a medium to transform into a drop of sky-blue rain that was thousands of feet in size.

The freezing air and the evil corrosive power circulated at the same time, reaching their maximum limits before slamming into the golden dragon.

The whole world fell apart.

Everything within a 10,000 foot radius shattered and the ground turned into a gigantic sinkhole. Gravel buried the Ice Giant as he laid deep in the ground, barely alive.

Qu Bo'an attacked him again with another palm strike and finished him off.

The battle here was over, and so was the battle at Luo Qiping's side.

Holding his sword, he walked towards Xiao Ran and Little Zhou without any expression.

"Stop right there!" Qu Bo'an said.

Turning around, Luo Qiping stared at him in confusion.

"Don't hurt the innocent."

"But we've already…"

Qu Bo'an cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Will you listen to me?"

"Times have changed."

"Let's go!" said Qu Bo'an.

Without giving him a chance to speak, he grabbed his shoulder and shot into the night sky. In a few breaths, they were gone.

In the horizon,

Luo Qiping was furious and confused, waiting for him to give him an explanation.

"The man with the sword is not terrifying, but the man beside him, from beginning to end, I have been observing him. Even when we fought, he never once changed his expression," Qu Bo'an said gravely.

"You mean?"

Qu Bo'an nodded. "I can't see through him. From his body, I sensed something very dangerous about him."

"Not even with your Inscrutable Divine Eye?" Luo Qiping was stunned.

"As much as I hate to admit it, it's the truth."

Back at the temple,

Little Zhou was still in a daze. He stared at the ruins with his mouth opened wide enough to fit two eggs.

"Stop daydreaming. They are already gone." Xiao Ran gave a pat on his shoulder.

"Are… are they all at the Profound Realm?"

"Yes," Xiao Ran replied.

"And there I was, thinking about fighting a Profound Realm expert? Or two?"

"Yes."

Little Zhou slapped his forehead and collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. "My father did the right thing. He should have broken my damn legs. That way, I'll be obedient and settle down in the capital city."

"Look at you. Can't you have some backbone?" Xiao Ran kicked him in irritation.

"Brother Xiao, you're right. I can't focus on such trivial things and lose sight of the bigger picture! I have to train hard. As long as I run fast enough, so what if the adversary is of the Profound Realm? They still won't be able to catch up to me."

Xiao Ran turned around and walked off. This fellow was simply too cowardly.

"Wait for me!" Little Zhou shouted and quickly caught up.

Half a day later,

they reached Chen County.

At the Anfeng Inn,

the two of them arrived and stood outside the inn.

"Brother Xiao, this is the place?" Little Zhou asked.

"Yes." Xiao Ran nodded his head.

Before coming, Shen Yiming had given him information about the plague.

He had noted down the contents.

According to the information on it, the origin of the plague was at this inn. Anyone who had dined and stayed at the Anfeng Inn would experience an outbreak of the plague within three days and then spread it to others.

By the time the county office reacted, it was too late.

The plague spread quickly. In just a week, it had spread throughout the whole county.

Until now,

almost 80 percent of Chen County's population had been infected by the plague, turning their skin green.

They first turned weak then became sick. The sickness became more serious until the victims were reduced to a puddle of blood.

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Chapter 82: The Mastermind

"Brother Xiao, isn't this place too deserted?" Little Zhou asked.

"Let's go in and take a look," Xiao Ran said.

They entered the Anfeng Inn.

It was deathly quiet. The table was covered in dust and there were cobwebs hanging across the rafters.

It looked like no one had been here for a long time.

Little Zhou reached for the ledger on the counter, but Xiao Ran stopped him. "It's poisonous."

Under his confused gaze, Xiao Ran struck out with his palm.

Rays of golden light rushed out and rippled through the surrounding area.

The whole hall was filled with dark green poisonous gas. The poison was even more potent on tables, chairs, counter tops, and other items.

"F*ck! Isn't this too ruthless?" Little Zhou cursed out loud in fright.

He hurriedly circulated his skills to use his spirit energy to protect himself.

"Brother Xiao, aren't you afraid?"

Xiao Ran ignored him and walked to the counter. With a tap of his finger, a stream of purifying spiritual force hit the ledger and it automatically opened.

He read it through.

It was just ordinary book keeping. Nothing special.

He turned and walked towards the backyard.

Using the Spiritual Clarity Eye, he observed that the dark green poisonous gas in the air was converging in one direction.

The gas was very thick there, 10 times thicker than here.

They entered the backyard and stopped at a small tree.

All the poisonous gas spread out from here. The source of the gas was down here.

"What's so special about this place?" Little Zhou asked.

"Move aside," Xiao Ran said.

After he backed off, Xiao Ran activated his power and stomped on the ground with his right foot.

Bang!

The ground exploded, revealing a thirty-foot crater, but the sapling remained intact.

Without the cover of the soil, the scene below appeared in front of them.

There was a white skeleton with a small tree stuck in its chest. The thick poisonous gas was churning and rolling, thick enough to become solid. The terrifying spread of the poison plague was something that even a Grand Master could not withstand.

Faced with such a lethal poison, one would instantly get poisoned and turn into a green person like the people outside.

Little Zhou eyes became blurry, and he was about to get poisoned.

Xiao Ran patted his shoulder and injected a stream of purifying spiritual force into his body to expel all the poisonous gas that had invaded his body.

After he withdrew his palm,

Little Zhou shivered and looked scared. "It's too dangerous here. Let's get out quickly!"

"Wait for me outside," Xiao Ran instructed.

"Brother Xiao, be careful. If you really can't, don't push yourself."

After he left,

Xiao Ran walked to the pit and looked at the white skeleton and the small tree.

"What a vicious method. Using a whole county's living beings to refine an evil corpse."

Bolts of lightning surged out from his palm, and the Apotropaic Divine Lightning transformed into a huge lightning net that fanned out and landed on the skeleton.

Whoosh…

Black poisonous smoke rose, and an obnoxious stench spread out. The skeleton quickly fled at a visible speed.

Even the small tree began to wither in the face of the lightning imbued with strong Yang energy.

"Stop!" a voice hissed.

Liu Yang dashed in from outside and with a few flashes of movement, stopped in front of Xiao Ran.

He waved his hand and struck out a palm. The black palm landed on the Apotropaic Divine Lightning netting, but he was disappointed with the result, or rather the lack thereof.

As the Apotropaic Divine Lightning churned and rolled, it broke the force of his black palm.

He looked at Xiao Ran with an icy cold stare. "Stop at once!"

"Is this all your doing? Is your goal to nurture evil corpses?" Xiao Ran asked.

"You actually saw through it. I can't let you live today no matter what," Liu Yang said mercilessly.

He took out a flare and released it.

Before it could lift off, a shot of finger force destroyed it with lightning speed.

"Did I allow you to move?" Xiao Ran asked in a mocking tone.

"I'll deal with you first before dealing with that person outside," Liu Yang said.

His body transformed and split into five, charging towards Xiao Ran from five different directions.

Demonic energy surged outwards, covering the entire backyard.

For a moment,

under the veil of this demonic aura, it was impossible to see anything.

The terrifying freezing demonic might was bone-chilling. Under his control, five manifestations of Heaven Shrouding Palm prints appeared and clapped down on Xiao Ran's head viciously.

"Heavenly Yin Sect?" Xiao Ran sensed a familiar aura from him that was very similar to the Massacre Matchmaker.

As bolts of lightning appeared, the Apotropaic Divine Lightning rushed out of his body, sweeping out a huge area around him.

Flooded over by a sea of lightning, the demonic aura dissipated, and the huge palm prints were destroyed.

Four of the five figures dissipated, and the remaining one was his main body. He was severely injured and collapsed to the ground.

Xiao Ran took a step towards him.

"Spirit Shifting Soul Control!"

Two beams of golden light shot out from Xiao Ran's eyes and entered his eyes, instantly controlling his mind.

A spell had been cast on his mind using the Forbidden Spirit Technique.

Xiao Ran withdrew the Spirit Shifting Soul Control technique and instead, deployed the Heavenly Slave Divine Finger. Ten shots of finger forces pierced his body in a row.

It hurt so much that he rolled around on the ground, grabbing at his flesh with his palm and screaming miserably.

A few moments later,

Xiao Ran temporarily relieved his pain and interrogated him. "Tell me everything you know."

"This will not end well for you guys." Liu Yang smiled sinisterly.

He raised his palm and slapped the top of his head, preparing to commit suicide.

"Death is also too extravagant for you," Xiao Ran responded scornfully.

With a chop of his palm, he crippled his palm and deployed the Heavenly Slave Divine Finger to torture him again.

In the face of this inhumane torture, he could still hold on at the beginning. Towards the end, he was completely desperate.

He opened his mouth to beg, "Give me a quick death!"

"Tell me everything you know." Xiao Ran was unmoved.

Liu Yang hesitated. What awaited him was another five shots of Heavenly Slave Divine Fingers.

The pain doubled. It wasn't just his physical body. Now even his soul was being put through inhumane torture.

This time he didn't even last ten breaths. "I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"

"Speak!" Xiao Ran berated.

A stream of purifying spiritual force entered his body and temporarily stabilized his injuries. Xiao Ran did not want him to die halfway while talking because he ran out of breath.

"I'm an Elder of the Heavenly Yin Sect, in charge of caring for the Demon Lord Mystic Wither of Chen County."

"Give me more details," Xiao Ran said.

"There are a total of 4 skeletons underground. The Sect Master obtained them from an ancient altar. The small tree is called the Multitudinous Poison Tree. It is the supreme secret treasure of our Heavenly Yin Sect. It contains lethal poison that is capable of spreading plagues. The Sect Master paid a huge price to nurture 4 Demon Lords Mystic Wither of the Profound Realm level." Liu Yang told him everything he knew.

Then he pleaded with Xiao Ran.

"Give me a quick death!"

As the Apotropaic Divine Lightning struck down, he was completely devoured.

The Golden Tome of Creation flipped open to a random page and displayed three items: 700,000 Mastery points, 70 years of Martial Arts Evolution, and a special antidote pill.

He added the 700,000 Mastery points to the Spirit Shifting Soul Control Technique.

After the attributes were refreshed,

Spirit Shifting Soul Control Technique: Beginner's Level.

He was still 420 years away from advancing another step in the Martial Arts Evolution.

The special antidote pill could cure all poisons.

When he came to the small tree, more than half of the bones and the tree had been destroyed by the Apotropaic Divine Lightning.

He struck another bolt of lightning. It flashed out and destroyed all the remaining objects.

He then left the backyard.

When he found Little Zhou outside, he was surrounded by a black mass of people. These people were all the commoners who had been infected by the plague. They lost their rationality as a result and behaved like zombies, reaching out and grabbing at him lifelessly.

As nimble as a loach, he activated and circulated his Fleeing Cataglyphis Technique to the limit and dodged here and there rapidly.

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Chapter 83: Meeting Ling Qing'er Again

"This fellow…" Xiao Ran did not know whether to laugh or cry.

It had only been a short while, but he had already mastered the Fleeing Cataglyphis Technique to the Perfection level.

He was as slippery as an eel.

Xiao Ran's spiritual soul energy gushed out and swept outwards in an overpowering flood, suppressing these infected commoners and freezing them all on the spot.

"Are you all right?" Xiao Ran asked with concern.

Little Zhou shrugged proudly. "Tsk! Even if there were twice as many people, they wouldn't be able to catch me."

Xiao Ran kicked him in irritation.

"Go and check on them."

"Okay." Little Zhou walked over quickly.

He checked them one by one.

Soon, he returned, with a grave expression.

"Brother Xiao, they're deeply poisoned. Some of them are already so fatally poisoned that they can turn into a pool of blood any moment."

Then he seemed to recall something.

"What happened in the backyard just now?"

Xiao Ran briefly explained the situation.

"These b*stards from the Heavenly Yin Sect are crazy. For their own selfish desires, they used the civilians of four counties to refine their Demon Lords Mystic Wither. They better not let me meet them, or else I'll definitely cut them into pieces." Little Zhou swore furiously.

"Now is not the time to talk about this. Go bring a big bucket of water over," Xiao Ran instructed.

Little Zhou hurriedly ran off.

He found a tub somewhere, enough for three people to bathe together.

It was filled with clear water and he placed it in front of Xiao Ran.

"What do we do now?" Little Zhou asked curiously.

Xiao Ran took out the antidote pill and soaked it in water for three minutes before putting it away.

The clear water in the bucket had turned milky white.

Waves of fragrant aroma wafted into his nose.

Gulp!

Little Zhou couldn't help swallowing heavily. "Isn't this too aromatic?"

He looked at Xiao Ran, then asked,

"Can I have a sip?"

"This is a special antidote pill that can cure all poisons. Since you'll have to stay here for some time, a sip can help you keep the poisonous gas at bay. It will ensure that you'll be fine for a short period of time," Xiao Ran said.

Little Zhou took the water ladle and quickly took a sip. "It's so sweet."

The two of them then began taking action.

After feeding the water to the commoners for an hour, there was still a third of it left.

"I'll stay here. Where are you going?" Little Zhou asked.

"I'm going to the other three county cities to destroy the Demon Lords Mystic Wither there and wreck the Heavenly Yin Sect's plan," Xiao Ran said.

"Stay safe! If all else fails, we can ask our Lord for help."

"Okay." Xiao Ran nodded his head.

After giving him a few instructions, he left Chen County and rushed to the other three county cities.

Now that Little Zhou was not around,

Xiao Ran activated with full might the Traversing the Heavens in Twelve Steps technique. When the twelve steps landed, his speed increased by twelve times.

The four county cities were not far apart. With his evasion technique, it only took him a few minutes.

He then spent another four hours,

to destroy the Demon Lords Mystic Wither in the other two county cities. Using the same recipe, he utilized the special antidote pill to help the poisoned citizens dispel the poison inside their bodies. He only left when they woke up.

Now,

there was only one county left, Ning County.

By destroying the Demon Lord Mystic Wither in Ning County and saving the civilians from the poisoned zombie states, this mission would be half completed.

All that was left was to go to the Heavenly Yin Sect and capture all the members.

In Ning County,

at the Petite Six Inn,

in the backyard,

a group of people dressed in the uniform of the Heavenly Yin Sect looked at the Multitudinous Poison Tree in front of them. The dense poisonous gas around it condensed into an almost solid substance and converged here from all directions, before merging into the Multitudinous Poison Tree.

Under the nourishment of the poisonous gas, the Multitudinous Poison Tree radiated countless rays of rainbow light.

The poisonous light churned and flowed into the skeleton underground, repeating in an endless cycle.

The aura of ancient evil emanated from the skeleton. It was very powerful, as if some great horror had awakened.

The leader in this group of people was called Xuan Guang, the absolute confidante of the Sect Master of the Heavenly Yin Sect.

His status was very high, even higher than the deputy sect master.

His authority was one step below the supreme one, but above everyone else.

"Very good! In another half a day, the Demon Lord Mystic Wither will be successfully refined. At that time, our Heavenly Yin Sect will dominate Horizon Prefecture," Xuan Guang said excitedly.

A subordinate rushed in from outside.

He knelt on one knee and reported, "My lord, we just received news that the Demon Lords Mystic Wither of three county cities including Chen County have been destroyed. All the people we stationed there have also been killed."

"They came so quickly?" Xuan Guang narrowed his eyes.

"Don't worry about them. The Divine Sword Guards of the Horizon Prefecture must have asked the capital city for reinforcement. The people sent by the capital city must have arrived. Once the Demon Lord Mystic Wither is completely refined here, it will be time for us to settle the score with them."

"Yes, my Lord!" The subordinate then retreated.

A figure appeared nimbly outside the courtyard wall and overheard everything being said.

"Who's outside? Show yourself!" Xuan Guang shouted.

He slapped out with his palm, and a palm print hundreds of feet wide ruthlessly smashed into the courtyard wall.

A figure rushed out in a sorry state, but she did not manage to completely evade it and was slightly injured by the powerful palm force.

Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, revealing her true appearance.

Wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, Ling Qing'er looked at them menacingly.

"How dare you? For your own selfish reasons, you used the commoners of the four counties as nourishment to refine evil corpses. Aren't you afraid that the Imperial Court will take action and capture all of you?" Ling Qing'er berated.

The crowd gathered around them.

Xuan Guang took a step forward and said disdainfully, "Since we dare to do this, we're not afraid of the Imperial Court's revenge! As long as we succeed, so what if the Imperial Court sends experts over? The world is so big. At most, we can change locations."

"You're courting death!" Ling Qing'er yelled in fury.

She formed a seal with both her hands and her spiritual soul energy manifested, condensing into a 200-foot-wide hurricane vortex.

"Go to hell, all of you!"

With a clap of her fair hands, the spiritual energy hurricane swept out. It contained countless sharp blades that landed on the surrounding Heavenly Yin Sect disciples and wiped them out.

"You overestimate yourself," Xuan Guang shouted.

Like a phantom, he appeared in front of her. As she watched in horror, he slammed his palm into her chest. Unable to withstand the massive force of his strike, she flew back, blood spraying from her mouth like a shot of arrow. She fell to the ground, in a lifeless heap.

"Take her down," Xuan Guang ordered.

Two Heavenly Yin Sect disciples were about to rush over and tie Ling Qing'er up,

when a terrifying pressure descended from the heavens and forcefully pressed down them.

They didn't even last a breath before exploding in a shower of blood.

With a flash of golden light, Xiao Ran appeared in front of Ling Qing'er. He looked at the unconscious body and thought, "That's odd. Why is she here?"

Apart from them, the Spiritual Divinity Bureau had also taken on this mission?

He picked her up off the ground and held her in one arm.

It had to be said that Ling Qing'er had a pretty good figure. As expected from a spiritual master, the areas that should be ample were really very ample.

Looking at Xuan Guang and the others, his gaze fell on the Multitudinous Poison Tree.

He instantly understood that Demon Lord Mystic Wither here was on the verge of being successfully refined.

"Go!" Xiao Ran launched his attack.

Multiple shots of Apotropaic Divine Lightning rushed out of his palm and transformed into a huge lightning net that blasted towards the Multitudinous Poison Tree.

"Did you ask for my permission?" Xuan Guang's face hardened.

With one step, he reappeared in front of the Multitudinous Poison Tree. Demonic might surged and rolled, and a huge aura erupted. His 5 fingers transformed into fists and they punched out violently.

As fast as they came, they were repelled backward.

His body slammed into the wall like a bolt of lightning. The demonic aura on his body was completely decimated.

The lightning net dropped on the Multitudinous Poison Tree and blasted the ground wide open. Including the skeleton underneath, everything was utterly demolished.

"Run!" Xuan Guang's expression changed drastically.

He got to his feet and fled in one direction without once looking back.

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Chapter 84: Spawning Soldiers from Beans

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

Under his control, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth condensed into a huge golden hand that grabbed at him in a tyrannical fashion.

It spanned across hundreds of feet and locked him in its grasp.

"Break!" The veins on Xuan Guang's forehead bulged as he struggled hard to circulate his skills.

Demonic energy surged and rolled, trying to break away from the golden hand.

However, he had overestimated his abilities. He was merely at Level 1 of the Profound Realm. By Xiao Ran's standard he was nothing.

Pow!

Xiao Ran smashed him violently onto the ground.

The huge force and the impact sent rocks and debris flying everywhere. The avalanche of debris also took away the remaining disciples of the Heavenly Yin Sect in one wave.

While Xuan Guang was also smashed hundreds of feet into the ground, he was still not dead, left with barely one breath.

It could only be said that the will to live in Profound Realm warriors was very tenacious.

As Xuan Guang was dragged up and flung onto the ground above, he begged fearfully, "Don't kill me!"

"Letting a person like you live in this world will only be a waste of food," Xiao Ran said.

"No! I'm willing to tell you everything about the Heavenly Yin Sect."

"There's no need. I'll make a trip to the Heavenly Yin Sect personally."

With a bolt of lightning, he struck and killed him.

The Golden Tome of Creation flipped open to a page and displayed three items: 900,000 Mastery points, 90 years of Martial Arts Evolution, and 90 years of soul evolution.

He added the 900,000 Mastery points to the Spirit Shifting Soul Control Technique.

After the attributes were refreshed,

Spirit Shifting Soul Control Technique: Minor Achievement.

He was 330 years away from breaking through to Level 6 of the Profound Realm in his Martial Arts Evolution.

In terms of Spiritual Master Evolution, he was still 140 years away from breaking through to Level 4 of the Earth Realm.

He walked to the Multitudinous Poison Tree.

Under the destructive force of the Apotropaic Divine Lightning, the Multitudinous Poison Tree and the skeleton below were turned to ashes.

He took one look at it and then turned away.

He looked at the atmosphere of Ning County that was saturated with the poisonous gas. Even with the destruction of the Multitudinous Poison Tree, the poisonous gas would not dissipate in a short period of time.

"Break!" Xiao Ran shouted.

Immense Righteous Energy surged into the sky, radiating outwards from his body and charging in all directions.

Wherever it passed, golden light rippled outwards.

Confronted by the righteous and saintly Immense Righteous Energy, the poisonous gas that remained in the sky above Ning County turned into dark green smoke and dissipated.

A few minutes later,

Xiao Ran withdrew his Immense Righteous Energy. The poisonous gas in Ning County had been dispelled.

He carried Ling Qing'er out and found a clean room. He placed her on the bed.

Placing his right hand on her chest, the purifying spiritual force surged out of his palm and entered her body, healing her.

A while later,

by the time Xiao Ran retracted his palm, her face had already regained some color.

Her breathing was even, and her injuries had healed by more than half.

He took out a grain of Stars Sand.

"Spawning Soldiers from Beans!"

As he activated his spiritual skill, the Star Sand in his hand swayed in the wind and turned into a golden-armored figure almost 7 feet tall on the spot, holding a spear.

"With it guarding this place, ordinary Profound Realm experts may not be its match," Xiao Ran mused.

After leaving the room,

he found some water and soaked the special antidote pill in it. He gathered all the commoners in Ning County and fed them the antidote forcefully.

Less than an hour later,

some of the civilians who had taken the antidote woke up.

After taking a final look, Xiao Ran left.

He turned into a beam of golden light and shot into the clouds towards the Heavenly Yin Sect.

The Heavenly Yin Sect's lair was at Heavenly Yin Mountain, which was just behind Chen County, less than a hundred miles away.

When Xiao Ran arrived there,

the Heavenly Yin Sect's Mountain Protection Formation had already been activated. Demonic energy soared into the sky and enveloped the entire Heavenly Yin Mountain.

It seemed that they already knew what happened in Ning County.

Standing high up in the heavens,

Xiao Ran looked at everything below with a stony countenance. His five fingers formed a fist that shone with golden light. An overpowering force converged on his fist. "Six Domains of Holy Dungeon's Fist!"

The fist light tore through the air and transformed into a holy dungeon.

It pressed down on everything and blasted through the Mountain Protection Formation of the Heavenly Yin Sect.

Unable to withstand the destructive power from above, the formation lasted only a few breaths before it was broken.

WHOOSH!

A massive shockwave swept out in all directions.

Everywhere it passed, every single building it touched was destroyed.

However, that was just the beginning.

Xiao Ran took out three grains of Stars Sand and deployed the Spawning Soldiers from Beans technique again.

The spiritual skill that had reached Genesis level was very powerful. As the golden light spun, 3 golden-armored figures appeared on the ground.

With the Stars Sand as the foundation, they had tremendous strength. Their supreme strength and their defensive ability were astonishing.

"Deal with all of them," Xiao Ran commanded.

The 3 golden-armored figures rushed out, brandishing their spears like a huge dragon, attacking the surrounding Heavenly Yin Sect disciples.

One by one, they cut off their escape routes.

Suddenly, a terrifying aura rose from the back mountain of the Heavenly Yin Sect, and a furious roar swept over in a terrifying air wave.

"How dare you come to my Heavenly Yin Sect and wreak havoc? You're courting death!"

The Sect Master of the Heavenly Yin Sect rushed out and strode across the sky. In a few flashes of movement, he arrived in front of Xiao Ran.

The group of senior members he brought with him worked together to kill the golden-armored figures.

Despite their numbers, they were nothing compared to the golden-armored figures.

As soon as they started battling them, they were overpowered and received non-stop beating.

"Are you from the Imperial Court?" the Heavenly Yin Sect Master asked with a frown.

Demonic energy swirled around his body, covering him completely. Within a hundred feet from where he stood, there was thick concentration of demonic energy.

As soon as he spoke, the surrounding temperature dropped dozens of degrees.

"What do you think?" Xiao Ran remained unmoved.

"Did you destroy the Demon Lords Mystic Wither?"

"Yes."

"Very well! Since you destroyed the Demon Lords Mystic Wither, you can use yourself to compensate us." The Heavenly Yin Sect Master replied.

A monstrous demonic might erupted skywards, followed by an even stronger demonic aura.

The area within a radius of a thousand feet was completely covered by demonic energy.

"Ten Thousand Demons Heaven Devouring Skill!"

Demonic light radiated, and a terrifying suction force issued from the ten thousand demonic auras, forcefully absorbing all the vitality of the surrounding living creatures.

Under his control, it rushed towards Xiao Ran in an overbearing manner to devour him.

"You're not worthy," Xiao Ran said.

With a wave of his right hand, he deployed the Universal Phenomenon.

Rays of golden light appeared, and a sleeve that covered the sky swept past in a flash. Wherever it passed, all the unearthly manifestations vanished.

One breath later,

the demonic aura had disappeared, and so did the Sect Master of the Heavenly Yin Sect.

It was as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.

Xiao Ran manipulated the Universal Phenomenon, utilizing the supreme crushing pressure to press down mercilessly on him.

Inside the space of the Universal Phenomenon, even if the Sect Master of the Heavenly Yin Sect was very strong and had developed his Ten Thousand Demons Heaven Devouring Skill to the Major Achievement stage, it was still not enough.

He was severely injured in an instant.

With a flick of his sleeve, Xiao Ran flung him to the ground.

"You… you're from the Supreme Pure Temple!" The Heavenly Yin Sect Master's expression changed drastically.

"You ask too many questions." With that, Xiao Ran attacked once more.

Apotropaic Divine Lightning converged in his palm. Just as he was about to strike down and finish him off, the Sect Master shouted, "My Lord, help me!"

Xiao Ran became suspicious. There was someone else?

"Trash! Useless scum. You can't even accomplish such a trivial thing." An icy voice could be heard coming from below.

In the next second,

the Heavenly Yin Mountain exploded, and rubble flew everywhere. Before they could reach Xiao Ran, they were completely destroyed by his protective golden light.

A young man wearing a green robe stood in the air with his hands behind his back.

He looked at Xiao Ran mercilessly. "Release him!"

"You think I will?" Xiao Ran asked scornfully.

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Chapter 85: Ao Yuanxiao

Th Apotropaic Divine Lightning went smashing down on the Heavenly Yin Sect Master's body.

"No…" The Sect Master of the Heavenly Yin Sect screamed in despair.

The power of the lightning obliterated him.

"Didn't you hear what I said?" The young man's face turned dark and became very ominous.

"So what if I did?" Xiao Ran replied in a goading manner.

"It seems that after a long time of no births, the world has already forgotten about our North Sea Dragon Tribe."

Xiao Ran raised his eyebrows and his eyes lit up. "You're from the North Sea Dragon Tribe?"

"North Sea Dragon Tribe's Ao Yuanxiao."

"Do you know Yang Anping?" Xiao Ran asked.

Yang Anping was the name of the Deluge Dragon, following his mother's surname.

"Are you that beast's friend?" Ao Yuanxiao's eyes were filled with murderous intent as he stared menacingly at Xiao Ran.

"Who extracted the dragon tendon from his body?"

"Tsk tsk…" Ao Yuanxiao licked his lips with a sinister smile.

With an evil look, he appeared to be insane.

"It was I who did it."

"You?" Xiao Ran asked in surprise.

"Yes." Ao Yuanxiao acknowledged boldly.

"When I was born, I was injured by the Lunar Vital Energy and my main dragon tendon was damaged. If I did not swap it out with a new one, I wouldn't be able to survive my adulthood peacefully, much less practice and develop my skills."

His demeanor became more deranged as if he suddenly recalled something delectable.

"And the main dragon tendon of that beast had a 90% compatibility level with mine. It was a heaven-sent opportunity. If I let such a golden opportunity slip through my fingers, wouldn't I receive divine punishment? Fortunately, that old fart died. Now that this final obstacle was cleared, my remaining reservation was removed. It was simply that scum's tough luck."

As he spoke,

Ao Yuanxiao's aura proliferated and his dragon might shot outwards. The massive aura inundated the whole area.

A low baleful wail exploded through the air, as if the space was unable to withstand this mighty pressure.

From all directions, that pressure went crushing towards Xiao Ran.

"Tell me where he is now?"

"Don't worry! I will take you there. As a corpse." Xiao Ran glared at him ruthlessly.

His Sword Intent erupted, and the dazzling sword energy transformed the surroundings into a sword domain.

Everything in the world became sword energy, breaking through the dragon might that came rushing at him.

"Phoenix Essence Sword Technique!"

With his finger as a sword and the support of his Sword Intent, a beam of invincible destructive sword light pierced through heaven and earth. It extended to more than 2,000 feet in size and went slashing down in an overpowering manner.

Everywhere the sword energy touched turned into a vacuum.

The destructive power it contained obliterated everything in its path.

"Your strength is not enough," Ao Yuanxiao responded disdainfully.

Roar!

With a loud roar, the beams of green light shot out and transformed into his true form. A thousand-foot-long azure dragon appeared in his place.

Unlike the Deluge Dragon, his bloodline was pure and his dragon tendons were complete.

As soon as he appeared, he could suppress all beasts with his dragon might and make them yield.

"Allow me to demonstrate to you the true ability of the North Sea Dragon Tribe," Ao Yuanxiao proclaimed.

Thousands of lightning bolts condensed into a lightning bead and converged on the dragon claw.

"Thunderburst!"

With a flick of his dragon tail, he tore through the air. The dragon claw clashed with the sword energy that was slashing towards him. The lightning bead exploded, and an earth-shattering power erupted from the collision between the two entities.

The world went dark in an instant.

Unable to withstand this extremely powerful force, the space began to collapse in wisps like a dense spider web coming apart.

With this blow,

the two of them fought to a draw.

"Eh! Did you block it?" Ao Yuanxiao exclaimed in surprise.

Then he became infuriated.

"How about a taste of this move?"

A vertical eye appeared between his brows. The eye contained an endless source of lightning energy.

He formed a seal with his dragon claws and deployed a secret technique.

"Lightning Sea World Destruction!"

The vertical eye rushed out from between his eyebrows. In the span of one wind breeze, it morphed into thousands of feet tall and appeared in the world.

More bolts of violent lightning burst out of it.

In an instant,

the world turned into a sea of lightning. Every bolt of lightning was as thick as an adult's thigh, and the power each contained was even more terrifying.

After locking onto Xiao Ran, countless lightning bolts shot towards him in an overpowering rush.

"Force of the Malevolent Dragon!" Xiao Ran's expression did not change as he counter-attacked.

Supreme power filled his body to the brim. That extreme power circulated madly like the roar of countless lightning bolts.

The slightest movement could easily tear space apart.

When the first step of the Traversing the Heavens in Twelve Steps landed, Xiao Ran reappeared before the sea of lightning.

Absolute power could break anything.

He threw a punch. Wherever the golden fist passed, everything turned to dust.

Even the vertical eye between heaven and earth was smashed to smithereens by this terrifying fist force.

When the second step landed,

Xiao Ran appeared beside Ao Yuanxiao and looked at him in disdain. "The North Sea Dragon Tribe is nothing much after all."

He grabbed his dragon head and squeezed with all his 5 mighty fingers.

"Stop it!" Ao Yuanxiao roared in a cracked voice.

Xiao Ran was unmoved. Regardless of how strong his physical body was or how strong his dragon scale armor was, he could not repel this power.

Pow!

The dragon's head was crushed straightaway, and a mini Deluge Dragon rushed out of his body. It hurriedly deployed an evasion technique to escape towards the horizon, without once looking back.

He was really fast!

However, Xiao Ran was faster. With his third step, he blocked his escape route.

"Where are you going?"

Apotropaic Divine Lightning surged from his palm and turned into a huge lightning net, securely trapping his dragon soul.

With a few contractions, he was completely subdued.

Ao Yuanxiao struggled. Without his physical body, all that was left was his soul. Under the strong Yang energy of the Apotropaic Divine Lightning, bolts of lightning struck his body relentlessly, causing him to scream in pain.

"I'm the Ninth Prince of the North Sea Dragon Tribe. You can't kill me! Otherwise, even if you escape to the corners of the world, the North Sea Dragon Tribe will never let you off." Ao Yuanxiao endured the burning pain in his soul and shouted his final threat.

"I'll wait for them," Xiao Ran replied.

He then maneuvered the Apotropaic Divine Lightning and destroyed his soul.

"No…"

There was absolutely nothing left after the lightning's massacre.

A dragon-shaped mark flew out and rushed towards Xiao Ran.

It was extremely fast. However, before it could rush into Xiao Ran's body, the Empyrean Conflagration Holy Fire rushed out from above his head. In a flash, it trapped the dragon-shaped mark and refined it before absorbing.

"As one would expect from someone from the North Sea Dragon Tribe, you have quite a lot of tricks up your sleeve," Xiao Ran said.

Walking to his physical body, he looked at the thousand-foot-long dragon body. The dragon tendon was intact. He smiled in satisfaction.

He put the corpse into his Seven Treasures Rainbow Jade Belt.

At this moment,

the 3 golden-armored figures also returned. All the disciples of the Heavenly Yin Sect had been eradicated.

Xiao Ran lifted the Spawning Soldiers from Beans spell, they turned into Stars Sand again and he put them away.

The Golden Tome of Creation opened to two pages. One page recorded all the disciples of the Heavenly Yin Sect, including the Heavenly Yin Sect Master.

The other page showed Ao Yuanxiao's record. He was accorded one page of his own.

However, when the rewards were stacked together, six items appeared. It was an unprecedented windfall.

5.2 million Mastery points, 300 years of Martial Arts Evolution, 300 years of soul evolution, Summon the Wind (Spiritual Skill, Heaven-rank Superior-Grade), one portion of dragon soul, and a Water Gauge Mystic Origin Fruit.

He added 2 million Mastery points to Summon the Wind skill.

Then 2 million Mastery points were added to the Nine Heavens Evil Spirit Purification Skill.

The remaining 1.2 million Mastery points were all added to the Spirit Shifting Soul Control Technique.

After the attributes were refreshed,

Summon the Wind: Minor Achievement. It had increased by three realms.

The realm of the Nine Heavens Evil Spirit Purification Skill did not change at all. The higher the level of the Godfiend technique, the higher the Mastery points needed. However, the purifying spiritual force increased in level again, and its power became stronger when it was in use.

Spirit Shifting Soul Control Technique: Perfection. It had risen by two realms.

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Chapter 86: Road Toll

He was now 60 years away from breaking through to Level 4 of the Profound Realm in his Martial Arts Evolution.

The Spiritual Master Evolution went another step further and broke through to Level 5 of the Earth Realm. He was still 330 years away from Level 6 of the Earth Realm.

Dragon Soul: Contains the essence of the Dragon Tribe and can strengthen the physical body.

He absorbed the dragon soul.

Countless beams of golden light radiated, and spread outwards rapidly from Xiao Ran's body to the surrounding area.

By the time the golden light dissipated, the dragon soul had already been absorbed.

Now his physical body alone was comparable to a Level 10 Grand Master.

Moreover, there was no weakness in his body. His entire body was impregnable, and his strength and defense had increased by several times.

"The dragon soul is indeed good. Unfortunately, there's only one portion." Xiao Ran thought a little greedily.

He took out the Water Gauge Mystic Origin Fruit, a sky-blue fruit the size of a baby's fist.

Blue light swirled around, soft and quiet. Rich water power emanated from it.

Introduction: A special fruit formed by a thousand years in the deep sea; Effect: Ignores water pressure.

"Good stuff." Xiao Ran smiled in satisfaction.

He consumed it.

The soft power flowed through his body, as his body absorbed this power.

There seemed to be something extra in his body, but there was no change when compared to his previous state. Xiao Ran could not tell exactly what had changed.

However, he could sense that even at the bottom of the sea, the huge water pressure could not do anything to him.

When fighting underwater, there was no need to deliberately divert some purifying spiritual force to resist the water pressure.

He cast his eyes around.

His gaze landed on the two figures in the background who were rushing over. They were familiar faces to him.

They had met before in the temple.

However, he did not understand why they were coming here.

Looking at them in a playful mood, Xiao Ran greeted them, "What a coincidence."

Qu Bo'an was stunned. He did not expect to see Xiao Ran here again.

However, he also reacted quickly with a hearty smile. "Yes! Quite a coincidence, indeed."

As his Sword Intent soared into the sky and pierced through the world, a supreme might appeared between heaven and earth. Dense webs of sword threads swam, giving out a terrifying pressure that enveloped everything within a thousand feet radius.

Locking onto them at the center, the Sword Intent surrounded them.

As long as Xiao Ran made any slight movement, this overpowering Sword Intent would slash down.

"How impudent!" Luo Qiping retorted with a snort.

Just as he was about to take a step forward, Qu Bo'an's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly reminded him, "Stop…"

Before he could say "right there," a thousand sword threads converged and slashed at Luo Qiping's chest.

Pow!

Under this blow, he was blasted into the back of the shattered mountain and buried by a heap of rubble.

Qu Bo'an rushed over and whacked away the rubble with one clap of his palm. He then dragged Luo Qiping out from underneath.

At this moment,

he was half-dead and severely injured. There was a terrifying sword scar on his chest. Sword energy circulated and devoured his spirit energy, preventing him from healing.

"Phew!" Seeing that he was still alive, the anxious Qu Bo'an finally relaxed.

He took out a healing pill and fed it to him. Then, he quickly tapped his chest a few times to help stabilize his injuries.

He turned around and cupped his fists solemnly to thank Xiao Ran.

"Thank you for showing mercy," Qu Bo'an said.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Xiao Ran asked imperiously.

Qu Bo'an looked around at the terrifying Sword Intent surrounding him. The destructive sword threads spread out endlessly.

Although he had already guessed that Xiao Ran was a terrifying character, he was still shocked when he finally saw with his own eyes his powers.

With this Sword Intent alone, even if he used all his trump cards, he might not be able to escape.

Furthermore, Luo Qiping was severely injured.

Qu Bo'an smiled bitterly. Xiao Ran reminded him, "You'd better tell the truth."

'My surname is Qu and my name is Bo'an. His name is Luo Qiping. He is my brother.'

Seeing that Xiao Ran was waiting for him to continue, he continued.

"I believe you've already guessed from the battle at the dilapidated temple. Ice Giants only exist in the Great Zhou. To be honest, we're not from the Great Xia. We are from the Great Zhou. These demons have come to kill us under the orders of others."

Buzz!

The Sword Intent moved slightly and circulated madly. Its ability to cut through eternity erupted, ever ready to slash over at any moment.

Qu Bo'an hastily called a halt. "I'm not finished."

"If there's anything that displeases me, this Sword Intent will slash over." Xiao Ran said without any expression.

"Have you ever heard of the Netherworld Dungeon?"

"Are you guys from Netherworld Dungeon?"

"Yes," Qu Bo'an admitted reluctantly.

"Whether you believe it or not, I still must emphasize that our appearance in your country at this point is not because we have targeted you guys. Some time ago, the Yin Incubation Institute entered the capital city and tried to deceive Emperor Sheng Wen. For some reason, their plan was disrupted by somebody."

He paused for a while before continuing.

"The reason for our arrival this time was to sabotage their plans in reality. But before we could do anything, they were eliminated."

"Are you guys still planning to kidnap Xia Luoran?" Xiao Ran asked.

"Yes! But we won't hurt her. We just want to stop Emperor Hui Wen's plan. Once Xia Luoran falls into his hands and he uses her to create the Demon God Dark Runes, it will be a disaster for us and you."

"How much do you know about the Demon God Dark Runes?"

"Not much, but refining it is very difficult. However, once it is successfully refined, no one can stop it," Qu Bo'an said solemnly.

"Why have you shown up in this place?" Xiao Ran asked again.

"After leaving the dilapidated temple, we wanted to go back, but we accidentally learned that a direct descendant of the North Sea Dragon Tribe had appeared here. Our target was him, and we planned to capture him."

He looked very bitter. There was no way to resolve this stalemate if he did not offer big sacrifices.

He took out a jade strip and tossed it over.

"This is the refinement method for the 'Demon God Dark Runes' that we obtained, but it's incomplete. We have tried to complete the missing parts. I don't know if it's correct, but we were planning to use him to test it out."

Xiao Ran caught it and examined it closely.

According to the notations on the jade strip, to refine the Demon God Dark Runes, one needed pure dragon blood, the bloodline of the demon 'Desolate', and some other precious treasures.

Each of the items was extremely heaven-defying, but they did not need Xia Luoran's bloodline.

The item was real. He put the jade strip away.

"Your Netherworld Dungeon is filled with talents. You can even piece together something like this to completion," Xiao Ran said with a meaningful look.

Qu Bo'an shook his head wearily. "Where there are people, there will be power struggles. The Netherworld Dungeon is not an impenetrable fortress. Otherwise, our whereabouts this time would not have been leaked."

"In the battle at the dilapidated temple, you destroyed two of our Night Illumination Dragon Horses. How do you plan to resolve this matter?"

Qu Bo'an was at a loss for words.

The surrounding Sword Intent spun again and locked onto the two of them.

When the odds were stacked against him, he had no choice but to eat humble pie.

He took out an egg. It was less than 2 feet tall and blue in color. Thick demonic power swirled around it as he reluctantly tossed the egg over.

"This is the egg of the demon Fiery Dance Divine Unicorn. If you nurture it well, there's a certain chance of it reverting to its original form, turning into the ancient Unicorn bloodline and mastering the Divine Fire of Creation. The demon aura inside has already been expelled, so you can carry it with you without worries," Qu Bo'an explained in detail.

Xiao Ran caught it and carefully sized it up. He nodded in satisfaction and put the egg into his Seven Treasures Rainbow Jade Belt.

"After all the days you spent in the Great Xia, aren't you going to pay for the road toll before you leave?"

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Chapter 87: Role Play

Qu Bo'an was stunned. Before he could react, Luo Qiping's eyes blazed with fury. "Don't you bully us!"

Pow!

Xiao Ran appeared in front of him and slapped his face, knocking him to the ground. He said disdainfully, "So what if I bully you?"

Qu Bo'an rushed over and helped him up from the ground. He scolded him sternly, "Hurry up and apologize to Senior!"

Luo Qiping was indignant, but he was scared of getting hit again, so he dared not challenge him anymore.

"I am sorry!"

"The toll will be doubled." Xiao Ran extended a finger.

Fearing that he would cause more trouble, Qu Bo'an spoke first. "We have no objections."

He took out a stack of banknotes.

"This is a million taels."

Xiao Ran looked at them scornfully. "Your lives are worth so little money?"

Qu Bo'an kept quiet. He then took out another stack of banknotes and handed them over.

Including the earlier one million taels, it was now a total of five million taels.

Seeing that Xiao Ran was unmoved, he took out all the money he had with him.

"Twelve million taels. There's really nothing else."

Xiao Ran looked at Luo Qiping.

The latter was smarter this time. He did not even dare to look at him. He silently took out all his money.

Including the money from Qu Bo'an, it was nearly twenty million taels in all.

"It's all we have. We really have no more," said Qu Bo'an.

"The weapons in your hands are not bad. The gems on your clothes are also quite nice," Xiao Ran said.

"You…"

Seeing that Xiao Ran was about to attack again, Luo Qiping hurriedly corrected himself. "You're right. I think so too."

His heart bled as he handed over his Numinous Treasure, the Evil Dragon Red Moon Sword.

Qu Bo'an was speechless. He thought he was going to have to fight head-on again.

He looked longingly at the fan in his hand. This was also a Numinous Treasure.

However, under the circumstances, no matter how reluctant he was, these were just worldly possessions compared to his life.

Thereafter, he pried the gems off his shirt.

Thus,

the two of them became paupers. Xiao Ran put away the banknotes and gems. He held the folding fan in his hand and opened it, revealing the scenery of mountains and rivers. The precious light swirled and he nodded in satisfaction.

"You guys should be glad you didn't do anything evil here this time. Otherwise, you'd already be on your way to report to Hades."

The two of them smiled apologetically.

"Don't come secretly next time. Be more courageous and go by the official paths," Xiao Ran advised.

"As you say so, Senior."

"Go! Bring more money with you when you come again. Don't be so stingy like this time." Xiao Ran waved his hand to let them go.

After receiving his permission,

the two of them did not dare to delay for a moment. Qu Bo'an grabbed Luo Qiping and shot into the heavens, quickly escaping from there.

"Please come again," Xiao Ran shouted at their fleeing figures.

When they heard that,

the two of them ran even faster.

Xiao Ran's eyes flickered. If not for the fact that they were still useful for plotting against the Great Zhou Imperial Court, he would have gotten rid of them just now.

He looked at the remaining demonic aura around him.

With a palm strike, Immense Righteous Energy gushed out and decimated the remaining demonic aura.

He then activated the Traversing the Heavens in Twelve Steps. As the twelve steps landed, his speed increased by twelve times and he swiftly left this place.

At the Ning County,

when Xiao Ran rushed back, Ling Qing'er had yet to wake up. She was severely injured by Xuan Guang's palm strike. Even with the purifying spiritual force helping her to recuperate, she would not be able to wake up in a short period of time.

He pushed open the door and went in.

With a tap of his finger, he withdrew the Spawning Soldiers from Beans skill, and the golden-armored man reverted into a Stars Sand again. He put it away.

He walked up to Ling Qing'er.

Placing his palm on her chest, the purifying spiritual force surged out again to treat her injuries.

A while later,

Xiao Ran retracted his palm. In her unconscious state, her long eyelashes fluttered slightly before she opened her large eyes.

She looked at Xiao Ran and frowned. "You saved me?"

"Yes," Xiao Ran replied.

"What about the Heavenly Yin Sect members?"

"When I arrived, they were already dead. I happened to see you being captured and killed some of their disciples to save you," Xiao Ran said.

Ling Qing'er thought about it for a while.

Could there be other experts secretly getting involved?

"Thank you!"

"Why are you here?" Xiao Ran asked curiously.

Ling Qing'er sat up from the bed and smiled bitterly. "It's a long story…"

"Go on."

Ling Qing'er explained the situation briefly.

Her mother pretended to be sick and tricked her into coming back. As soon as she got home, she arranged for her to go on blind dates. There were twenty-one of them a day. Young handsome men queued up one after another. If this one didn't make the cut, the next one would be summoned in.

In a nutshell, they would keep coming until she was satisfied.

After finding an opportunity, she sneaked out.

Coincidentally, she found out about what happened in Ning County. As for the rest, Xiao Ran was already aware.

"Your status is so prominent and your skills evolution level is so high. Yet your parents still forced you to go on blind dates?" Xiao Ran asked in surprise.

Thinking of Little Zhou, he thought that the two of them were quite similar.

"So what if it's high? When I meet my parents, I would still get scolded!" Ling Qing'er lamented bitterly.

"What about you? Why are you here then?"

"The Divine Sword Guards of Horizon Prefecture asked for help from the higher-ups. I was sent here to deal with this matter. Other than me, there's also Little Zhou," Xiao Ran said.

"Where is he?"

"Still in Chen County."

Ling Qing'er's beautiful eyes darted around. Her beautiful peach shaped eyes were glistening like dew, causing Xiao Ran's heart to flutter momentarily.

"What… what are you doing?" Xiao Ran subconsciously took a step back and clutched at his chest.

Pfft!

Ling Qing'er covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. She then rolled her eyes at him. "Look at you. Even if I really do something to you, you'll be the one getting all the advantage!"

"Do me a favor!"

Xiao Ran had already guessed what she was going to say. "Pretend to be your husband?"

Ling Qing'er's exquisite face blushed and she replied shyly, "Yes."

"Isn't this like role-playing?"

"Role-playing?"

Xiao Ran shrugged and mumbled, "Nothing."

"Is that a yes, then?"

"Can I refuse?"

"No!"

"Then I have no choice, right?" Xiao Ran said.

They both left the room.

The deserted streets had become more lively. The commoners of Ning County had recovered, but their faces were still very pale. After a short period of recuperation, they would be fine.

"Although the matter here has been resolved, there are still some loose ends to tidy up," Xiao Ran said.

"Get someone to inform Little Zhou and let him handle it. You come back with me now."

Xiao Ran was at a loss for words.

He sent someone to Chen County to inform Little Zhou that the plague had been resolved and also to ask him to go to Horizon Prefecture to assess the Divine Sword Guards there.

Then, he informed the county governor to let him take over to settle the people down.

As for the county magistrates of the four counties, and some of the lesser officials who had escaped, they were held accountable and punished or imprisoned accordingly.

After he finished giving out his instructions,

under Ling Qing'er's lead, they rode towards Anyang County.

Anyang County was not far from here, less than fifty miles away.

When the two of them arrived, they stopped outside a large courtyard dwelling. There was a plaque hanging at the door that said "Ling Residence".

When the guards at the door saw that Ling Qing'er had returned, one of them ran inside excitedly and shouted, "Master, Madam, the Eldest Miss has returned."

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Chapter 88: Help Me Once

Ling Qing'er's face darkened. "I've embarrassed myself."

"I'm not laughing." Xiao Ran was very serious.

They entered the residence.

Her parents hurried over with a group of people. Mother Ling took a step forward and grabbed her hand, afraid that she would run away again if she let go in the next moment. She instructed the caretaker, "Make arrangements quickly and let Qing'er continue."

"Mother!" Ling Qing'er cried out unhappily.

She pointed at Xiao Ran and introduced him.

"His name is Xiao Ran. Like me, he's working for the Imperial Court."

Flushing, looking like a little girl, she finally blurted out, "I… I have taken a fancy to him."

Only then did the two elders notice Xiao Ran.

The scrutiny was thorough, from head to toe.

He appeared talented and handsome. He was tall with a sunny disposition. Under the accentuation of a blue brocade robe, in addition to Xiao Ran's extraordinary characteristics, the more they looked at him, the more satisfied they were.

However, Mother Ling still did not believe her. She asked suspiciously, "Is he who you fancy?"

"Yes." Ling Qing'er nodded.

"If he wasn't, I wouldn't have run away from the blind dates."

Mother Ling asked again, "How long have you two been together?"

"We dated for almost a year!"

"How's the relationship?"

"Mother, why do you have so many questions?" Ling Qing'er started panicking.

"Answer me."

"We are dying to stick ourselves together every day. Satisfied?"

"No!" Mother Ling shook her head vigorously.

She waved the maid away, leaving them alone.

"You still have your Chastity Sand. Speak! Did you find someone to trick us?" Mother Ling's eyes were venomous.

Xiao Ran perspired profusely and felt a little uncomfortable.

If he'd known that things would turn out this way, he wouldn't have agreed to help her earlier.

Ling Qing'er was anxious. She stomped her feet and said, "Who do you think your daughter is? Do you think your daughter is so lacking in self-control?"

Mother Ling nodded, then shook her head. "Your father and I believe you, of course. But young people these days, after being together for so long, who wouldn't be curious about the affairs of men and women? Even if they're forbidden to do so, they'll secretly get a taste of the forbidden fruit."

She looked as if she had seen right through her.

"Ling Qing'er, don't you think so?"

Ling Qing'er was completely panic-stricken. Her mother was really too difficult to deal with!

Hugging Xiao Ran's arm, she leaned against his chest like a little bird. Her heart was beating very fast, like a little deer knocking against some obstacle endlessly.

She, who had never done this sort of thing before, no longer looked as aloof as she was before.

She was obedient like a girl next door, revealing a shy look when she met the person she liked.

"Do you believe me now?"

"That's it?" Mother Ling put her hands on her hips.

"You… you…" Ling Qing'er was extremely regretful.

If she'd known that things would end up this way, she would not have come back just now.

It was too late to say anything now. She had to get past her mother with this charade.

She reached out her fair hand and held Xiao Ran's cheek. She closed her eyes and went all out. She was forced into a corner by Mother Ling and had to do this as a last resort.

She kissed Xiao Ran forcefully.

Xiao Ran was totally bowled over. Didn't they agree to go only through the motions? Why did he have to sacrifice his innocence? What the heck was going on?

He was only selling his skills, not his body.

"See? Xiao Ran doesn't have any reaction at all. If he truly likes you, why would he be so indifferent?" Mother Ling proceeded to add the coup de grace.

Ling Qing'er was absolutely furious!

"So in your hearts, you are dying to marry me off so quickly?" She thought.

In a low voice that only the two of them could hear, she pleaded, "Be more proactive!."

"I don't know how!" Xiao Ran whispered back in embarrassment.

Ling Qing'er was furious and panicky. She hugged his head tightly, wishing she could become one with him.

After a long while,

she finally let go of Xiao Ran with a red face. Her blushing face was especially attractive. "Do you believe me now?"

"I don't believe it! It's clear that you found him from somewhere. If he was really here to visit us, how could he arrive here empty-handed when the Lantern Festival had just ended?" Mother Ling said.

Ling Qing'er was about to have a nervous breakdown.

Xiao Ran smiled faintly and wiped the lipstick mark off his lips.

He took out six gems that had been dug out of the clothes from Qu Bo'an and partner.

In reality, there were eighteen pieces in all, all of them priceless.

He handed over the six gems.

"Here's a little something. Uncle, Auntie, hope it is acceptable to you."

"Are you really the one she likes?" Mother Ling pressed on again.

"I would never lie to the young or old," Xiao Ran said with a smile.

"It doesn't matter whether you brought gifts or not. We simply want to see her settled down with a good man while we are still breathing," said Mother Ling.

Xiao Ran handed the gift over nonetheless.

With a helpless look,

Mother Ling had no choice but to accept it.

They then went to the hall.

Ling Qing'er sat at the side in a docile manner like an obedient child.

Xiao Ran was interrogated relentlessly. He was asked how old he was, where his hometown was, and who else was in his family.

With much difficulty, they managed to get past the parents, but at night, they caused trouble again.

After dinner,

Ling Qing'er was chased into her bedroom with two maidservants standing guard outside.

They were instructed to watch over them.

In the bedroom,

the two of them sat on the bed. The atmosphere was very awkward.

"What should we do now?" Xiao Ran finally broke the silence.

"I don't know either." Ling Qing'er replied with a look of exasperation.

The maidservant's voice could be heard from outside. "Miss, Madam has instructed you both to rest as soon as possible."

The word "Rest" was given very strong emphasis.

They both understood what that meant.

They looked at each other and became silent again.

"My mother just said that she wants to see my Chastity Sand disappear tomorrow morning," Ling Qing'er said.

Xiao Ran was at a complete loss for words.

"What good methods do you have there?"

What other method could there be besides putting it to test it in 'actual combat'?

"Why don't we escape?" Xiao Ran suggested.

Ling Qing'er shook her head. "No! If I escape again this time, they will hunt me down in the capital city and block the entrance of the Spiritual Divinity Bureau."

This was a completely hopeless situation.

Ling Qing'er looked at him with her beautiful eyes. No one knew what she was thinking.

Xiao Ran panicked and quickly stood up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "What are you doing?"

"We've known each other for over three years," Ling Qing'er said.

It had been almost four years since they entered the Celestial Dungeon in the same batch.

Xiao Ran did not respond.

"From our previous contact, you're quite interesting. Although your evolution level is a little low and your position is a little low, you're a good person. You're brave, resourceful, and responsible," Ling Qing'er said.

Xiao Ran took another step back again.

"They've been pressing me for a long time. My younger brother already has a family, and my nephew is old enough to do housework, but I'm still single."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Stop talking." Xiao Ran panicked.

"Am I beautiful?" Ling Qing'er asked.

"The lights are too dim. I can't see clearly," Xiao Ran blurted out against his conscience.

Ling Qing'er stood up from the bed and walked towards Xiao Ran.

With every step she took, Xiao Ran took a step back.

Seeing that Xiao Ran was about to walk out of the bedroom, Ling Qing'er pounced. Boundless spiritual soul energy swept out and set up a barrier in the room, blocking him.

Xiao Ran had no intention of counter-attacking and could only stop.

"Help me this once!"

"This matter is too serious. I think you should consider it carefully." Xiao Ran uttered nervously.

"I don't think you dislike it. You saved me again this time. We've known each other for so long. The main point is that we seem to hit it off better. I don't regret giving you my first time. They won't force me again in the future," Ling Qing'er said.

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Chapter 89: A Sense of Ritual

"We're not so familiar with each other yet." Xiao Ran kept moving to the side.

"We don't talk about feelings or the process. We only look at the results. It has nothing to do with familiarity," Ling Qing'er said.

Xiao Ran shook his head vigorously and retreated to the corner.

Ling Qing'er crossed her arms and looked at him teasingly.

Reaching out, she held his chin with two delicate smooth fingers as fair as white jade. "You're resisting so hard. Am I not pretty enough?"

"It really has nothing to do with being pretty or not."

"You already have someone that you liked?" Ling Qing'er asked again.

Xiao Ran shook his head.

"Isn't that settled? I don't even dislike you, so why are you still making excuses?" Ling Qing'er asked.

"When we got here, we had a deal. I was just here to play along with your charade."

"I want to make the charade real."

"That was too rash," Xiao Ran said.

"Is it because there is no proper ceremony?" Ling Qing'er asked.

With a wave of her right hand, she retracted her spiritual soul energy and issued instructions to the people outside.

"Bring me two red candles and prepare a table of food and drinks as quickly as possible."

"Yes, my lady," the maid replied.

"I need to pee." Xiao Ran suddenly wanted to pee in order to slip away.

Ling Qing'er pulled him back and looked at him playfully. "There's a chamber pot on the side."

Xiao Ran was dumbstruck once more.

There was no escape at all. This was a moment that he deeply regretted.

Why did he agree to her request when he knew it was a trap? Women were so fickle.

Ling Qing'er was also carefully observing him. Before making her decision, she only felt that Xiao Ran was very ordinary. After making up her mind, the more she looked at Xiao Ran, the more satisfied she was with him.

Although his status was much lower than hers in comparison, nothing was perfect.

Even with her beauty, this guy was still so resistant to her overtures. She was so angry that she wanted to bite him.

The maid returned shortly.

She placed the wine and dishes on the table, lit the red candles, and left.

Ling Qing'er activated her spiritual soul energy again, surrounding the room with a barricade.

"Sit."

She pressed Xiao Ran onto the chair and sat beside him.

She poured two cups of wine and placed one in front of Xiao Ran. "What are you waiting for?"

"What?" Xiao Ran asked.

"Didn't you want a sense of ritual? There you go."

She shoved the wine cup into his hand and held Xiao Ran's wrist with one hand. Then she crossed her arms with his and drank the wine with that crossed arm.

"Are you satisfied now?" Ling Qing'er rolled her eyes at him.

"I… I haven't decided yet." Xiao Ran became more nervous.

WHOOSH!

With a clap of her hands, the room went dark.

"No…" Xiao Ran yelled loudly in a final attempt to resist.

Life was like that. Since one could not fight against it, one should obediently yield to it!

The next day,

Xiao Ran put on his clothes expressionlessly. He looked as if someone owed him money.

"After we leave this place, we'll pretend that this never happened. None of us are allowed to mention it," Ling Qing'er said faintly.

Without looking back, Xiao Ran left the room.

After busying himself until noon, Xiao Ran excused himself from Mother Ling and the others with the excuse that there was something urgent waiting for him in Horizon Prefecture, and departed quickly.

As she stared at his rapidly disappearing profile,

Ling Qing'er had a trace of resentment in her heart initially, but it disappeared at this moment. She covered her mouth and giggled girlishly. "I'm not a tiger that eats people."

When he reached Horizon Prefecture,

he headed straight for the Divine Sword Guards' base station.

"Halt!" The guard at the door stopped him.

Xiao Ran took out his identity plaque with a stone cold expression.

"Greetings, my Lord!"

"Is Zhou Ming here?" Xiao Ran asked.

Zhou Ming was Little Zhou's full name.

"Lord Zhou is already here. Do you want me to bring you there?"

"Lead the way," Xiao Ran said.

They entered the courtyard and, following his lead, stopped outside a room.

"Lord Zhou is inside."

"You may go!" Xiao Ran said with a wave of his hand.

He pushed open the door and went in.

The heavy smell of alcohol hit him, along with a nauseating stench.

Trying hard to contain his discomfort, he entered the bedroom.

On the bed,

Little Zhou laid on the bed dead drunk, snoring loudly in a deep sleep. There was also a pile of vomit beside him.

"This fellow…" Xiao Ran was dumbfounded.

He walked over and sent a stream of purifying spiritual force into his body to dispel the alcohol in his body. He then patted his face. "Wake up."

"Who hit me?" Little Zhou sat up angrily with wide open eyes.

Seeing that it was Xiao Ran, he scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Brother Xiao, when did you arrive?"

"I just arrived. What happened to you?" Xiao Ran asked.

"Brother Xiao, you don't know, but Zhao Ning and the others were so welcoming and enthusiastic. When I received your message, I immediately rushed over. As soon as I arrived, they brought me to the Spring Manor, offering me good wine and good food. After all that, they even handled all the arrangements for me."

At this point, Little Zhou suddenly remembered.

"By the way, how did I get back?"

Xiao Ran's face darkened as he gave him a knock on his head.

"That task that I entrusted you. How is it?"

"What task?"

"Assessment."

"Ah! I forgot." Little Zhou recalled in shock.

"Why didn't your father break your damn legs?" Xiao Ran asked angrily. He really wanted to beat him up.

A flurry of footsteps could be heard outside.

"I'll settle the score with you after this." With that warning, Xiao Ran walked out.

A middle-aged man in a silver sword robe walked over quickly with four subordinates.

Looking at Xiao Ran who came out of the bedroom, he cupped his fists and bowed. "Battalion Commander Zhao Ning at your service, Lord Xiao!"

The highest-ranking person in charge of the prefecture was called the Battalion Commander.

The highest-ranking person in charge of the province level was referred to as the Chief Commander.

Although he was a rank higher than Xiao Ran, Xiao Ran was from the capital city on official business. It was not an exaggeration to address him as "Lord".

Xiao Ran looked at him. "How did you know my name?"

"Lord Zhou mentioned it previously," Zhao Ning said.

Little Zhou happened to come out at this moment. When he heard his words, he wished he could find a rat hole to escape into.

Xiao Ran glared at him sternly.

"How many people are left here now?"

"This, this…" Zhao Ning hesitated.

"Speak!" Xiao Ran berated.

Zhao Ning's expression changed, displaying a mix of emotions. After a while, he smiled in a sinister fashion.

"Xiao! You're just a miserable Sapphire Sword Guard, one rank lower than me. Just because I gave you some respect and addressed you as 'Lord', you really thought that you are a high-ranking official, getting all arrogant and putting on airs in front of me?"

He clapped his hands.

Twenty odd people appeared outside the room.

Xiao Ran looked at them with disdain. "Are you really that afraid of the assessment?"

In the Divine Sword Guard's assessment, there were three areas to be reviewed, namely, personnel, caseload, and the accounts ledgers.

Personnel referred to the troops stationed there, including the progress of their skills evolution.

Caseload referred to the cases that occurred in the area where the base station was located, including the rate of solving cases, and the crime rate.

Accounts ledgers were much simpler. It only involved income and expenditure.

"What a joke! What's there to be afraid of?" Zhao Ning sneered.

"Answer my question honestly," Xiao Ran said.

"And if I don't?"

The atmosphere was tense and oppressive.

Little Zhou stood beside Xiao Ran and placed his palm on the hilt of his sword. If the situation turned unfavorable, he could attack at once.

Zhao Ning curled his lips in disdain. "Try circulating your spirit energy and see for yourself."

Little Zhou was stunned and looked doubtful for a moment. He tried to activate his skills to mobilize the spirit energy in his body.

However, he realized that his spiritual power had disappeared. With a look of shock, he glared at him angrily. "It was you!"

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Chapter 90: Prefectural Governor

Zhao Ning's lips curled up as he said mockingly, "You only realized now?"

"You…" Little Zhou was about to explode and he drew his sapphire light sword to fight him.

Xiao Ran pressed his palm on his shoulder and met his puzzled gaze. "Let this be a lesson to you."

"Brother Xiao…"

"Stay here and be good." Xiao Ran interrupted him.

His face was expressionless.

"Drugging and injuring an envoy should be punished according to the law."

Zhao Ning said disdainfully, "He has already turned into a piece of trash. Do you think you can turn the tables around by yourself?"

The people outside rushed in and drew their swords. They pointed their swords at Xiao Ran and surrounded the two of them.

The die had been cast, and victory was within his grasp.

Zhao Ning gave an ultimatum. "There's only one way out before you. Listen to my arrangements obediently and give our assessment a good grade. If you put in a few good words for me when you return to the capital city, I'll spare your lives."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple, right?" Xiao Ran replied in a teasing fashion.

Zhao Ning took out two poisonous pills from his chest pocket. "This is the Centipede's Hundred Feet Pill. Its effect will erupt every month. When it flares up, your entire body will twitch and you will wish you were dead! As long as you cooperate obediently and don't spout nonsense when you reach the capital city, I will send the antidote over on time."

"You really have balls of steel. One trick after another. It seems that you've already planned this well in advance and you're just waiting for us to fall for it," Xiao Ran said.

Clap! Clap!

Zhao Ning slowly applauded him. "You came to your realization so quickly. No wonder the higher-ups sent you here. If there had been more people or a Gold Sword Guard was leading the team, I might not have the guts to do this."

His face was filled with malevolence.

"You have only yourselves to blame for being weak."

"Indeed." Xiao Ran nodded meaningfully.

In a sudden flash, he launched his attack.

The Painted Ancient Fan unfolded and faced them for a moment. Rays of golden light rushed out in a circle. Everyone, including Zhao Ning, was sent flying.

He was instantly seriously injured and fell to the ground.

He struggled for a long time but could not get to his feet.

Zhao Ning was shocked. He pressed his palm on the ground and retreated to the back. He said in disbelief, "You're clearly only at Level 1 of the Master Realm. How did you injure all of us with just one move?"

His gaze landed on the folding fan in Xiao Ran's hand.

"Could it be due to that?"

The Painted Ancient Fan was obtained from Qu Bo'an.

"You have some foresight." Xiao Ran walked over unhurriedly.

Seeing that Little Zhou was still in a daze and had yet to recover from what had just happened, he snapped at him, "Don't just stand there. See if he has the antidote on him."

"Okay." Little Zhou quickly ran over.

After locating the antidote on Zhao Ning and consuming it, he recovered the spirit energy that had vanished earlier.

"I treated you guys sincerely, but you! You secretly drugged me!" Little Zhou scolded him angrily.

He straddled across him and gave him a severe beating.

Xiao Ran watched calmly until he was done venting his anger. Then, he ordered, "Cripple his skills."

"How dare you!" Zhao Ning glared at him.

"My brother-in-law is the local prefectural governor. If you dare lay a finger on me, you won't be able to leave this city."

"Don't talk about your brother-in-law being the prefectural governor. Even if he was the duke, there is no room for negotiation about crippling your dantian!" Little Zhou said without mercy.

A ray of green light condensed on his fist and he smashed it into his dantian.

"Don't…"

Zhao Ning spat out a mouthful of blood. The force of the fist penetrated his body and violently destroyed his dantian, causing him to faint from the pain.

"Wake up." Little Zhou gave a scornful snort.

He stepped on his five fingers and crushed them.

Crack!

He then mashed the crushed fingers under his foot until it was a bloody, gory mess. The victim woke up to the pain.

"Ah…" He let out a wretched cry which spread to the outside.

Those who heard the commotion quickly rushed over.

Seeing Zhao Ning and the others lying on the ground in a miserable state and Xiao Ran and Little Zhou glaring at them menacingly, they did not know what to do.

"Kill them!" Zhao Ning yelled with bloodshot eyes, desperately clutching at any last chance to save himself.

The group of men hesitated, unsure whether to attack.

"Are you all deaf?" Zhao Ning roared at the top of his lungs.

Most of them did not move. They all knew Xiao Ran and Little Zhou's identities.

Once they attacked, they would die a horrible death if they were discovered by the higher-ups.

Only five people rushed up with ruthless expressions and charged towards Xiao Ran and his companion.

"Brother Xiao, you shall be my backup. It would only dirty your hands for you to deal with these ugly pieces of shit!" Little Zhou quickly rushed up to engage them.

He darted between them, leaving a few afterimages in his wake.

A chilly light tore through the air and dozens of beams of sword light landed. When he stopped, the five of them had turned into corpses and were lying on the ground.

Holding the sword dripping with blood, he stared mercilessly at the remaining men.

"Zhao Ning offended his superior and plotted to murder the envoy. Are you going to be an accomplice to the wicked?"

"I wouldn't dare!"

Little Zhou pointed at the fallen guard. "If you want me to believe that you're not accomplices, you have to show me your sincerity."

There was no shortage of smart people in the crowd.

They braced themselves and walked over to stab Zhao Ning.

Someone started and the rest of them knew what to do. They all left a sword gash on him.

The slashes didn't hurt his vitals. They only made him bleed. It wasn't enough to kill him.

"What do we do now?" Little Zhou walked over.

"Take all of them down and interrogate them severely," Xiao Ran ordered.

The men around them arrested the injured men and marched them off.

Zhao Ning was given special care. He was bound with chains as thick as a baby's arm and was secured with leg shackles.

A few moments later,

after completing the assessment of the base station, it was discovered that Zhao Ning pocketed two-thirds of the resources for training and developing skills that were regularly disbursed by the authorities.

There were hundreds of special cases in Horizon Prefecture. This was an alarming figure.

Anyone who needed Zhao Ning to take action had to cough up money.

On top of that he still had three principles. If the case was dangerous, he wouldn't take action. If the money given wasn't enough, he wouldn't take action. If there were disobedient people involved, he wouldn't take action.

The accounts ledgers were even more chaotic.

After taking a look, Xiao Ran could not stand it anymore. It was all fake accounts from beginning to end. From Zhao Ning's subordinates, he learned that more than 80% of the proceeds from the Divine Sword Guards' businesses here had been embezzled by him.

He often found all kinds of reasons and asked the higher-ups for money.

Even his subordinates' salary had been delayed for six months.

"This guy is worse than scum. They are all comrades working for the same organization. How can he have the cheek to cheat his own men?" Little Zhou scolded severely.

He looked at Xiao Ran, then asked,

"Brother Xiao, what do you plan to do with him?"

"Deliver him to the capital city and lock him in the Celestial Dungeon. Let him have a taste of the power of the foul Yin atmosphere," Xiao Ran said.

"Okay, I'll arrange it now." With that, Little Zhou left.

The Golden Tome of Creation flipped open to a random page and displayed two items. Even with all of them added together, the reward was pitifully little. It was only 200,000 Mastery points and 20 years of Martial Arts Evolution.

"This is really too miserable." Xiao Ran shook his head.

He added the 200,000 Mastery points to Summon the Wind skill.

Its attributes did not change, but its power increased by 30%.

He was ten years away from breaking through to Level 6 of the Profound Realm in the Martial Arts Evolution.

Not long after he left, Little Zhou quickly returned. "Brother Xiao, the prefectural governor is here."

As he spoke, the prefectural governor barged into the room with his men.

"You're Xiao Ran?"

Xiao Ran looked at the surrounding Divine Sword Guards sternly. "As members of the Divine Sword Guards, you actually let an outsider barge in. Are you all trash?"

One man felt aggrieved by his accusation and blurted out. "He's the Prefectural Governor!"

Pow!

Xiao Ran's palm landed and sent him flying. He then said, "From now on, you're fired."

He turned to look at the Prefectural Governor.

"Who gave you permission to come in?"

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