The ten-zhang tall figure shattered into four parts. Its head transformed into King of the Northern Frontier, its torso into Zhu Jiu, its hands into a high-rank Shaman, and its feet into Ji Li Zhigu.
None of the four high-rank powerhouses emerged unscathed. The giant python Zhu Jiu lost a hundred-zhang section of its tail. Half of Ji Li Zhigu’s left body was torn to shreds, with intestines and organs hanging out.
The battle soul apparition above the high-rank Shaman’s head dissipated. His lower body had vanished, and the ghastly wound’s flesh writhed, pulsing with blood as if breathing, attempting to heal.
King of the Northern Frontier’s body remained intact, but his surface was covered in porcelain-like cracks, bleeding profusely. His aura had weakened to the extreme.
“Run, run…” Zhu Jiu was terrified. This person wasn’t merely Third Rank, but an incomplete Second Rank cultivator.
The four of them, Third Rank powerhouses from different systems, had combined their strength to touch the threshold of Second Rank, yet still couldn’t defeat him. What did this mean?
At full strength, the opponent was genuinely Second Rank. After consuming the Blood Pill, he had partially healed his injuries, making up for his deficiencies, thus unleashing such terrifying power.
This was fundamentally different from them. The four compensated for quality with quantity, but the opponent was truly Second Rank, a formidable cultivator in this realm.
The giant python frantically twisted its mutilated body, slithering at peak speed towards the damaged city wall.
Ji Li Zhigu fled even earlier. Too frightening, this mysterious powerhouse was too terrifying. For a moment, Ji Li Zhigu had sensed the same pressure from him as from his deceased father – the pressure of a Second Rank cultivator.
The crimson giant python writhed, creating thunderous sounds like a savage beast passing through. However, this fearsome creature’s vertical eye was filled with terror, focused solely on escape.
The green giant ignored his falling entrails as he fled in another direction.
On the city walls, the barbarians of the Qingyan tribe and the demon army troops were scared witless. They leaped from the walls, fleeing in panic. With their leaders defeated, staying meant certain death.
The high-rank Shaman made hand seals and let out a piercing cry. A hazy black shadow descended from the void – a giant bird with a wingspan of several dozen meters.
A bird battle soul.
It swept up the high-rank Shaman and soared upwards, flying northeast.
As a Spiritual Wisdom realm Shaman, his mind raced through a series of countermeasures: if the opponent prioritized intercepting him, from which angle would he strike? Where would the blow land if he punched?
He maintained many self-preservation tactics, determined not to be killed on the spot.
Of course, with his Spiritual Wisdom realm abilities, the Shaman knew the mysterious expert was unlikely to pursue him. The target was King of the Northern Frontier.
He would prioritize dealing with the King, then Ji Li Zhigu, and lastly choose between himself and Zhu Jiu.
His chances of escape were extremely high.
The pitch-black divine form shrank inch by inch, returning to human height, but the twelve pairs of arms and the halo of flames behind his head remained.
“King of the Northern Frontier, blood debts must be paid in blood,” Xu Qi An said, taking a step forward. He clenched his fist, drew back his arm, and punched, shattering the air.
King of the Northern Frontier’s body exploded into pieces, scattering blood everywhere.
The flesh chunks then transformed into a mass of writhing worms, emitting a foul stench.
Meanwhile, his figure appeared a hundred zhang away, fleeing through the air.
Substitute Worm!
A life-saving technique of the Heavenly Worm Tribe. The worm is nurtured inside the host’s body, absorbing its vitality and blood essence daily, assimilating with the host. In life-threatening moments, it can take a hit for the host.
This worm only requires obtaining the larva and implanting it in the body. Anyone can use it.
As a prince of Great Shang, the King of the Northern Frontier did have some self-preservation methods.
“You can’t escape,” Xu Qi An roared in anger.
Monk Shenshu cooperated in the pursuit, briefly regaining control of speech: “The sea of suffering is boundless; turn back to the shore.”
The airborne King of the Northern Frontier’s body stiffened. His neck twitched as if wanting to turn back. A moment later, he shook off the influence of the Buddhist precept and continued fleeing.
Taking advantage of that instant of hesitation, Xu Qi An caught up behind him. All twelve pairs of hands struck simultaneously, creating explosive effects in the air.
At the critical moment, King of the Northern Frontier’s body burst into a cloud of blood mist. Unleashing his potential, he forcibly shifted sideways, avoiding the lethal fists.
“Come back!”
All twelve pairs of hands opened at once, locking onto his aura, and violently yanked King of the Northern Frontier back. The twelve pairs of hands grasped his head, arms, and legs.
At this moment, countless eyes on the city walls gazed at this scene, watching King of the Northern Frontier’s life hanging by a thread.
No one spoke.
The silence was terrifying.
From within King of the Northern Frontier’s body, streams of pure blood essence flowed out. The twelve pairs of arms were like twenty-four black holes, frantically extracting his life essence.
“Though I don’t know how you can use the Country-Stabilizing Sword, you’re not of Great Shang’s royal family. What do the 380,000 citizens of Chu Prefecture have to do with you?” Feeling his life essence drain away, Great Shang’s number one martial artist finally showed despair.
If it were the Imperial Mentor trying to kill him, he could understand. If court officials impeached him, he could also understand.
But this person was neither from Great Shang nor a good person himself. With raging demonic flames, he was about to end him for the sake of all of Chu Prefecture’s citizens.
“Then what does killing you have to do with you?” Xu Qi An sneered. “You have no sense of justice. You worship the law of the jungle. Today, on behalf of 380,000 lives, I’ll tell you something.”
He paused, then said contemptuously: “In fact, you’re nothing but an insect yourself.”
“No!” King of the Northern Frontier let out a despairing roar, like the dying wail of a fierce beast.
Massacring the city was one of his proudest schemes. He would increase his cultivation by refining Blood Pills while also luring the enemy in, using the Country-Stabilizing Sword to kill Ji Li Zhigu and Zhu Jiu.
If successful, the world would only remember his great achievements, singing praises. Who would remember those 380,000 unjust deaths?
Trading one city for two foreign Third Rank experts and producing a Second Rank cultivator for Great Shang – their deaths would be worth it.
But it was this very scheme he was most proud of that ultimately ruined him.
King of the Northern Frontier’s roar abruptly ceased. His flesh shriveled and withered, turning into a desiccated corpse.
Xu Qi An tore forcefully, ripping off his head and limbs, then casually discarded them.
This tearing apart shattered half a century of glory for a prince and a peak martial artist.
The north wind blew against his body, clearing the gloom in his heart. He felt his thoughts unobstructed, his conscience clear.
When Li Miaozhen discovered the case of the Blood Massacre of Three Thousand Li, Xu Qi An initially only felt a heaviness in his heart, without too deep a feeling. After all, it was a distant matter.
Later, when he was ordered to go to Chu Prefecture to investigate the case, he decided to take charge.
As he gradually uncovered the truth and realized the King of the Northern Frontier’s atrocities, that night, seeing Provincial Administration Commissioner Zheng Xinghuai’s memories, he had already made up his mind.
He must thwart King of the Northern Frontier’s plot, stop him, and punish him.
This was both for those 380,000 innocent lives and for his own beliefs. If he had swallowed his anger and shrunk back, this matter would have become a lifelong knot in his heart.
I can’t manage all the world’s affairs, but I can manage what’s before me.
On the city walls, over 20,000 northern border soldiers and several hundred jianghu martial artists saw that figure with twenty-four arms on its back. As he retracted his fierce aura, they watched him bow deeply toward Chu Prefecture below.
Seeing this scene, Imperial Censor Liu suddenly burst into tears, collapsing to the ground, and wailing loudly.
The Deputy Chief of the Court of Judicature and Revision, red-eyed, carefully tidied his clothes and bowed with the most sincere scholar’s gesture towards the figure in the air.
Yang Yan gazed deeply into the distance and cupped his fists.
Constable Chen cupped his fists.
Centurion Chen Xiao cupped his fists.
Over 20,000 soldiers all cupped their fists in unison.
He bowed to the citizens who had died in the city; on the city walls, over 20,000 people bowed to him.
…
“With King of the Northern Frontier dead, the power balance in the northern border is disrupted. I need to kill another Third Rank cultivator…” Xu Qi An communicated inwardly with Master Shenshu.
“Two incense sticks’ worth of time… I’m about to enter dormancy… Have you decided who to kill?” Monk Shenshu’s voice conveyed unparalleled exhaustion.
If not for absorbing King of the Northern Frontier’s life essence earlier, Shenshu would have already fallen into dormancy.
The twenty-four-armed divine form’s combat power reached Second Rank, but Shenshu was just a single arm. The potential drain was enormous; this divine form secret technique wasn’t something his severed arm could sustain.
“Ji Li Zhigu,” Xu Qi An chose without hesitation.
Most of the northern demon territory bordered the Shaman God Church, and their conflicts were intense. Zhu Jiu could be left to entangle with the Shaman God Church, keeping each other in check.
Ji Li Zhigu had to die.
The barbarians had inflicted the deepest harm on Great Shang’s northern borders.
Having made his decision, Monk Shenshu flew off, tracking Ji Li Zhigu’s aura.
…
Above the clouds, laughter rang out. The white-robed Daoist laughed uproariously, laughing with unbridled joy.
“King of the Northern Frontier is dead, finally dead! Good riddance!” The white-robed Daoist clapped his hands in delight.
At this moment, silvery laughter drifted over. A woman in a white dress stepped on the clouds, swaying her hips as she approached, her gaze smoky and alluring.
She was exceptionally beautiful, with a diamond-shaped small mouth, red and tempting, gleaming with moisture; a pair of bewitching fox-like eyes, glancing about charmingly; a straight, delicate nose; and long, straight eyebrows.
The exquisite features were delicately arranged on an oval face, involuntarily bringing to mind the phrase “beauty that topples kingdoms.”
Her wasp-like waist was accentuated by a sash, while her chest strained against her garments. Her body proportions were excellent.
Even the most discerning man would struggle to find a flaw in her appearance.
“Was killing King of the Northern Frontier part of your plan?” the white-dressed woman asked with a smile.
“You want to know?” The white-robed Daoist’s laughter ceased as he looked at her coolly. “How about we exchange information… Do you know that person?”
The white-dressed woman nodded, “I do.”
The white-robed Daoist pondered, “He’s the demonic monk the Buddhist delegation is looking for.”
“He’s an admirable person.”
“What’s your relationship with him?”
The white-dressed woman smiled mischievously, “Guess.”
The white-robed Daoist didn’t answer, remaining calm and composed.
She sighed and said softly, “I respect him greatly.”
Then, looking at the Daoist, she said in a gentle voice, “Your turn now.”
The white-robed Daoist stood with his hands behind his back, gazing down at the vast landscape. His tone exuded confidence that everything was under control as he slowly said:
“I’ll only tell you two things: First, I bewitched Emperor Yuanjing to pursue immortality cultivation. Second, with King of the Northern Frontier dead, the Imperial Mentor will struggle to hold back the overwhelming tide. As for the reasons and details, I won’t say more.”
At this moment, they both turned their gaze to the distance, where a figure approached with a flying sword, ignoring them both.
“This generation’s Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect has good aptitude. She has the potential to reach Third Rank, maybe even challenge Second Rank,” the white-dressed woman commented, not bothering to lower her voice.
The white-robed Daoist chuckled, “For us, the most anticipated event in the next two years will be the battle between mortals and immortals.”
…
As Xu Qi An’s figure disappeared from view, voices gradually arose on the city walls, eventually merging into a river of chaotic noise.
King of the Northern Frontier was dead, Chu Prefecture had been reduced to ruins, and the northern border was leaderless. The surviving 20,000 soldiers found themselves in great confusion.
Yang Yan noticed the soldiers’ unease. He took a deep breath and shouted, “All soldiers, listen up! I am Golden Gong Yang Yan, the main official of this delegation.
“Now that King of the Northern Frontier is dead, I will take charge of all military and political affairs in Chu Prefecture. Quickly descend from the walls and gather outside the city.”
The soldiers immediately found direction, orderly leaving the broken walls to gather in the open space outside the city.
In his youth, Yang Yan had followed Wei Yuan, participating in the Shanhai Pass campaign. His experience in leading troops soon allowed him to calm the soldiers and maintain order.
Just then, Li Miaozhen arrived on her flying sword, stopping in the air of Chu Prefecture.
By now, the sky was darkening, with complete nightfall just moments away.
She looked down at the ruined, devastated Chu Prefecture, thinking to herself that she had arrived too late. The city had fallen, and judging by the scene, a battle between high-rank martial artists had just taken place.
Li Miaozhen briefly scanned the ruins before turning to look at the gathered army outside the city.
This doesn’t make sense… The White Horse Silver Spear Young Female General, with her rich military experience, immediately judged that something was amiss. Such an intense battle should have resulted in heavy casualties. So many soldiers couldn’t have survived.
“Golden Gong Yang, what happened in Chu Prefecture? Where is… King of the Northern Frontier?”
Li Miaozhen maneuvered her flying sword, hovering in the air not far from Yang Yan and the others.
Yang Yan had noticed her earlier. The two had crossed paths during the bandit suppression in Yun Prefecture and were somewhat acquainted. However, due to his stoic, martial arts-obsessed personality, even when seeing a familiar face, he would at most give a slight nod when their eyes met, without going out of his way to greet them.
Hearing her words, the Deputy Chief of the Court of Judicature and Revision and others wore strange expressions.
Yang Yan explained, “King of the Northern Frontier massacred the city. He was killed.”
… Li Miaozhen’s face stiffened as she stared at him blankly.
Yang Yan nodded, indicating that was indeed what happened.
What kind of explanation is that? You’re just leaving people in suspense. If I didn’t know your personality was like this, I’d roll up my sleeves and punch you right now. Oh, I can’t beat a peak, fourth-rank martial artist. Never mind then… Li Miaozhen grumbled inwardly.
The Deputy Chief of the Court of Judicature and Revision coughed and added, “At dusk, the northern barbarian and demon armies joined forces to attack the city. The Qingyan tribe leader Ji Li Zhigu and demon leader Zhu Jiu came to fight over the Blood Pill.
“The Blood Pill was refined by King of the Northern Frontier from the massacre of 380,000 people in Chu Prefecture. For his selfish desires, he slaughtered the entire city.”
As he said this, the Deputy Chief wore a pained expression. Then he saw Li Miaozhen’s calm face, showing not the slightest shock.
“You… don’t seem surprised?” The Deputy Chief felt somewhat angry.
“I already knew about that, but I don’t know what happened after. Please continue,” Li Miaozhen said.
“… Alright.” The Deputy Chief cleared his throat and detailed the battle that took place in the city, including the number of high-level experts involved, to Li Miaozhen.
The valiant Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect, dressed as a female soldier, stood there stunned.
She knew about King of the Northern Frontier massacring the city, and the involvement of the high-rank Shaman from the Shaman God Church didn’t surprise her either. After all, Xu Qi An had already analyzed that the King of the Northern Frontier had assistance from other high-rank experts of different systems, so this just confirmed it.
But Li Miaozhen never imagined that this battle would involve the demonic Earthly Sect Leader, the Country-Stabilizing Sword, a mysterious woman, and that overwhelmingly powerful expert who swept the battlefield.
Wasn’t it just the King of the Northern Frontier massacring the city for his desires, which then attracted retaliation from the demon and barbarian tribes?
Why were all these experts involved? The relationships seem far too complex. I need to calm down and analyze this… No, I need Xu Qi An… Li Miaozhen thought with some embarrassment.
“How did Daoist Li come to know about the King of the Northern Frontier’s massacre?” Imperial Censor Liu, with his keen scholarly mind, asked with cupped hands.
Reminded by his question, Li Miaozhen’s eyebrows shot up. She rose on her flying sword, circling among the 20,000 soldiers, and shouted:
“Golden Gong Yang, immediately arrest Commander-in-Chief and Duke Que Yongxiu! King of the Northern Frontier was the mastermind behind the massacre, but Que Yongxiu was his executioner. It was he who led the troops to slaughter the city that day.”
“What?!”
Not just Yang Yan, but also the Deputy Chief and others changed their expression.
There was no time to ask for details. They immediately cooperated with Li Miaozhen to search for Que Yongxiu, but after searching the army and the city ruins, they couldn’t find him.
He had already escaped.
Perhaps he slipped away during the barbarian army’s dispersal or quietly fled after witnessing the King of the Northern Frontier’s death.
At that time, everyone’s attention was on the battlefield. Without knowing Que Yongxiu had committed an unforgivable crime, who would have paid him much attention?
Not just him, King of the Northern Frontier’s spies had also secretly fled.
Everyone was angry, yet helpless.
The Deputy Chief said solemnly, “Thank you for the reminder, Daoist Li. If not for you, we might have overlooked this villain, letting him escape justice. When the delegation returns to the capital, I will submit a memorial to impeach him and issue an arrest warrant to capture this scoundrel.”
Imperial Censor Liu was extremely excited: “That’s right, Que Yongxiu is a die-hard supporter of Prince Huai. For Prince Huai to carry out his scheme in Chu Prefecture undetected, he must have had this villain’s help. Thank you for the reminder, Daoist Li. Please accept my bow.”
Li Miaozhen truly lives up to her reputation as the Flying Swallow Heroine, with outstanding abilities. She must have heard about the Blood Massacre of Three Thousand Li case or the barbarian harassment at the border, which is why she traveled thousands of li to Chu Prefecture… Compared to her, we only uncovered everything today and learned the truth. It’s truly shameful… While grateful, the delegation members couldn’t help but feel ashamed.
The delegation was large, including Fourth Rank Golden Gong Yang Yan, the experienced Chief Constable of the Ministry of Justice, and even the legendary figure Xu Qi An investigating in secret. Yet after being in Chu Prefecture for so long, they had achieved nothing.
Constable Chen cupped his fists: “Daoist Li, Que Yongxiu is a descendant of a founding meritorious official, a first-rank duke, and the Commander-in-Chief of Chu Prefecture. His position and authority are high. Even in the capital, those with higher positions and status than him can be counted on one hand.
“King of the Northern Frontier’s massacre of the city was witnessed by tens of thousands of soldiers, who can testify. But for Que Yongxiu… Please enlighten us, Daoist Li, how did you investigate this case?”
The Deputy Chief and the two Imperial Censors all looked at Li Miaozhen.
Even Yang Yan, typically indifferent and lacking enthusiasm for other matters, showed a rare spark of curiosity.