Caught

Wang Kongyun's aura erupted with sudden, terrifying force. His Soul Banner manifested, wreathed in countless weeping specters that filled the air with ear-piercing shrieks. He stood there, a vision of sinister, demonic dread.

Zhou Ping and the others braced themselves against the onslaught, swiftly manifesting defensive arts while shielding Zhou Chang'an and the rest of their party behind them.

Cao Qianyuan stepped forward, his own formidable presence clashing with Wang Kongyun's. The intensity of their spiritual pressure was like a crashing tide, buffeting the onlookers and weighing heavily upon their spirits.

"Wang Kongyun!" Cao Qianyuan barked. "Do not forget the instructions of Lord Yang!"

Those words struck at a forbidden nerve. Wang Kongyun's already deeply furrowed face twisted into a mask of pure savagery, his aura roiling with renewed, dark intensity.

"Courting death!"

Just as he moved to drive the Soul Banner forward to crush Cao Qianyuan, the sword scar on his back suddenly flared with blinding light. Wang Kongyun's body convulsed, his cultivation base plummeting as if he had suffered a grievous wound.

He struggled for breath, clawing at his own back in a fit of impotent, burning resentment.

"Hateful! The day I surpass you, I will flay you alive, tear your tendons, and refine your soul for a hundred lifetimes, ensuring you never find peace!"

A voice suddenly drifted through the air-the calm, carefree tone of a middle-aged man. "Little ghost, I shall wait for that day."

The voice vanished, leaving only Wang Kongyun crouched on the ground, gasping in the dirt.

Wang Kongyun had not joined the Immortals' Directorate willingly; he was little more than a slave.

One hundred and sixty years ago, the Celestial Fox Demon Clan had been driven back by the Zhao Kingdom, forced to retreat deep into the recesses of Darong Mountain.

At that time, Zhaoping Commandery and half of Nanyang Prefecture had been left in ruins, their spiritual veins shattered and the local heaven-and-earth energy withered.

Yet, the border required a powerful guardian. Yang Tiancheng had been appointed Hall Master of the Immortals' Directorate branch, charged with overseeing the entirety of Zhaoping Commandery.

In those early days, the branch was destitute. Aside from Yang Tiancheng, there was not a single cultivator above the sixth level of Qi Condensation, and local talents were few and far between.

Though powerful, Yang Tiancheng could not be everywhere at once. Thus, he had employed men like Zhang Ting and Li Qing as itinerant enforcers, while also enslaving powerful demonic cultivators to serve as his mid-level strength.

Wang Kongyun was not the first. Marked by the sword-scar seal, these demonic cultivators were forbidden from slaughtering mortals and were instead forced to serve the common interest.

Only in the last few decades, as the spiritual veins of Zhaoping Commandery slowly recovered and more cultivators emerged with higher cultivation bases, had men like Cao Qianyuan-righteous cultivators with genuine concern for the populace-been able to take their place.

Hearing Yang Tiancheng's voice, Cao Qianyuan finally released his tension, his back damp with cold sweat.

Though both were at the eighth level of Qi Condensation, his own path was gentle. He was no match for Wang Kongyun's ruthless, cunning, and blood-soaked methods; if they were to fight in earnest, he would likely fall within a few hundred exchanges.

Wang Kongyun, his ferocity suppressed by the scar, swallowed his hatred. "Cao Qianyuan, what do you suggest?"

Cao Qianyuan frowned. He had no immediate solution, and they could not waste days lingering here.

Huang Zhengqing caught the gaze of Huang Yuancheng and understood his intent. "Immortal," he spoke up, "since the culprit is among us, why not select the suspicious individuals and perform a Soul Searching? It would reveal the truth to everyone."

"Fine. I shall search the souls of those two," Wang Kongyun laughed sharply, pointing his finger at Huang Yuancheng and Zhou Chang'an.

The two men turned deathly pale, instinctively stepping back.

"That must not happen!" Zhou Ping and Huang Zhengqing cried out in alarm.

"Hm?" Wang Kongyun glared at them. "Are you obstructing me because your two families are the ones behind this?"

Zhou Ping felt a chill race down his spine. "No, no."

"Lord Zhu's death was certainly not our doing. Furthermore, my nephew and I share a deep bond; as his uncle, I cannot watch him suffer such a disaster."

Wang Kongyun sneered. "A touching display of kinship."

Zhou Chang'an, however, steeled his nerves and stepped forward. "Sir, as Deputy Magistrate of Qingshui County, I was on good terms with Lord Zhu. My household has always aligned with the county's decrees. If I were the culprit, I would have no motive, and my actions would only bring immense suspicion upon myself. I implore you to investigate thoroughly."

Cao Qianyuan nodded, though he remained wary. It was true, but the Zhou family still stood to gain the most if the Huang family were framed.

To the side, Lin Ruohe and his son grew increasingly anxious. If the investigation continued to peel back the layers of the county office, suspicion would inevitably fall upon Zhou Changhe.

They had never anticipated that Wang Kongyun would slaughter hundreds only to focus his sights on the officials themselves. If this continued, their exposure was inevitable. They could only pray that the demonic cultivator would not perform a full sweep of everyone's souls.

Just then, Huang Yuancheng stepped forward.

"Sir, though my Huang family had many grievances with Lord Zhu, we lack the courage to murder him. In my view, this was not the Deputy Magistrate's doing either; a petty schemer must be at work."

"I report one man. If he is not the culprit, you may search our souls later."

Zhou Chang'an also spoke, "I, too, wish to report someone."

Wang Kongyun, eager for more souls to feast upon, gestured impatiently. "Who are you reporting?"

Huang Yuancheng pointed at the instructor, Lu Ling. "I report him. He was cast aside by the Deputy Magistrate years ago and likely colluded with others to frame us."

Lu Ling, old and frail, trembled uncontrollably, his words becoming panicked and incoherent.

"Huang Yuancheng, do not spout nonsense and slander my name!"

"Sir, I would never harm the County Magistrate! Sir, you must believe me!"

Zhou Chang'an took a steadying breath and raised a trembling hand. "I report him."

Every official present went silent. The man he pointed at was his own brother-in-law, Lin Ruohe-a man who had been a loyal cog in the Zhou family's machinery for years.

"Chang'an... how could it be me?" Lin Ruohe stared in disbelief before shouting in terror, "You must be mistaken! We are in-laws! I have been a friend to your brother for years!"

Zhou Chang'an ignored him, turning his gaze toward Wang Kongyun.

He had chosen to report Lin Ruohe because the Lin family, though pretending to be close to the Zhou family, were self-serving parasites who had used the Zhou name for their own illicit gains for years. If not for his wife, Zhou Chang'an would have cut them off long ago.

Their actions this morning had finally pushed him to act. He would excise this cancer before it could harm his family further.

Wang Kongyun grinned hideously and appeared before Lu Ling in a blur of shadow, his hand outstretched.

A single, agonizing scream echoed, and then only a pile of skin and bones remained on the ground. The Soul Banner in Wang Kongyun's hand flared with a more vibrant, sickening light.

Wang Kongyun looked dissatisfied; the old man's soul had been weak and bitter. He turned toward Lin Ruohe, who stood frozen. Before the man could react, his soul was ripped from his body, and his frame collapsed like a discarded rag.

Wang Kongyun refined the soul with ease, finding little at first, but then his eyes narrowed with greedy realization.

"A clever trick!"

Deep within the remnants of Lin Ruohe's soul, he discovered a subtle seal. Had the caster been more potent, he might have missed it.

He poured his focus into it, slamming into the seal like a siege of a thousand ghosts. It shattered instantly.

He snatched a lingering thread of soul aura and laughed in triumph. "Caught you!"

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