Chapter 136: Chapter 25: Quick Case Closure

Wang Ping wasn’t too affected by the sight of the Blood Pool; he had already steeled himself for it. Zuo Xuan was much the same. She was already gathering evidence, crouched over a depression in the center of the pool.

"There should have been a workbench for forging Magical Artifacts here," Zuo Xuan said, looking at Wang Ping.

"I’ll look for it!"

Wang Ping was more interested in the Array Map carved into the Blood Pool. He focused his spiritual sense, meticulously recording the Array while simultaneously commanding vines to search for the workbench among the stones that had just been cleared away.

A quarter of an hour later, Wang Ping had completely recorded the Blood Pool’s Array with his spiritual sense. However, the interface panel didn’t appear, likely because the central part was missing. With his current knowledge of Arrays, Wang Ping could tell that this particular Array used the spiritual nature of the Blood Pool to communicate with an Earth Spirit, fulfilling some requirement for forging a Magical Artifact.

But as a Mystic Sect Orthodox Technique, there should have been other ways to power this Array. Wenhai, however, had not used the Righteous Dao.

All that was left was to search patiently...

Wang Ping increased the number of his grass-and-wood soldiers to twenty, imbuing them with the most basic of memories and ordering them to meticulously search the ruins for any possible clues.

Before they knew it, the sky had grown dark. Wang Ping found a clean spot to sit cross-legged, took out the blank case file the Daoist Scripture Hall had given him, and began recording his findings in detail. Zuo Xuan, meanwhile, recorded her own notes on the bamboo slips she carried with her.

The night passed quickly.

The grass-and-wood soldiers’ work bore fruit. The workbench was found, but it had been shattered into many pieces. Judging by the extent of the damage, it had been violently smashed by someone, not destroyed in the collapse.

Zuo Xuan took on the task of reassembling the workbench, finishing in less than Half an Hour.

It was still incomplete, with a significant part of its core section missing. It was likely lost for good, as an octagonal indentation had been smashed deep into the ground where it should have been. The first thing that came to Wang Ping’s mind was Wenhai using his Magical Artifact—the two-zhang-tall Mountain-Suppressing Tower. It was the standard-issue Magical Artifact for Earth Cave Sect Cultivators.

"This contradicts my theory. Daoist Wenhai must have destroyed the workbench himself." Zuo Xuan circled the reassembled workbench twice, then scanned the rest of the area, trying to find evidence to support her claim.

"A Blood Pool this large, used for several years straight... it would have required tens of thousands of demons, at least. Where did he find so many?" Zuo Xuan was deeply puzzled.

"Let’s keep looking first..."

Since he couldn’t fully analyze the Blood Pool’s Array, Wang Ping walked over to the spot in front of the workbench. He knocked on a stone slab on the floor, which had been stained black by the blood. Then, he wedged his fingers into a crack and, with a slight effort, pried the slab open.

A horrendous stench immediately assaulted him, followed by a cloud of black, poisonous dust. Fortunately, Wang Ping was prepared. The Wood Spirit Qi around his body formed a barrier of light, dispersing all of the toxic dust.

A few minutes later, once the black dust had completely dissipated, Zuo Xuan’s Spirit Cat was the first to cautiously approach and investigate. Zuo Xuan herself followed, then Wang Ping and Yu Lian.

It was pitch-black; they couldn’t see a thing. After illuminating the space with Spiritual Qi, the first things they saw were countless white bones and tattered clothes, as well as rows upon rows of torture racks. Half of the racks still held bound corpses. Most were from the Demon Race, but some were, shockingly, human.

Furthermore, the torture racks, floor, ceiling, and walls were all carved with the same rune array as the Blood Pool above. Crucially, the entire hidden chamber was constructed from Earth Vein Essence Iron.

Seeing the Earth Vein Essence Iron, Zuo Xuan said with a wry smile, "It looks like they were planning to stay here for the long haul. A shame their plans were disrupted by a great demon who doesn’t play by the rules."

Wang Ping, however, turned to Zuo Xuan and asked, "Should I write my report truthfully?"

Zuo Xuan looked slightly surprised, but then she understood why he was asking. She explained simply, "I have no authority over your report."

Wang Ping nodded. He had no intention of going down to investigate further. As far as he was concerned, his investigation was more or less complete. The next steps were to write the case report and then issue a warrant for their arrest.

...

「Jinhuai Prefecture, Daoist Field Hall.」

Wang Ping met with Zi Luan once again. At that moment, Zi Luan was carefully reading the case file Wang Ping had submitted, which also contained images of the scene that Wang Ping had replicated using Spiritual Qi rubbings.

"The Blood Pool you documented is actually the Spirit Communication Array most commonly used by the Earth Cave Sect. Under normal circumstances, they use an Earth Spirit Spiritual Object to form the Array. This time, to help Sect Leader Leng forge a Magical Artifact for his advancement, they used the flesh and blood of the Demon Race as a substitute... Perhaps because this was Wenhai’s first attempt, he couldn’t fully control the spiritual nature of the Demon Race’s flesh and blood. And who knows whose advice he took, but he actually went and added some more spiritually potent humans... as a medium."

Zi Luan’s tone was that of a senior guiding a junior. Using the rubbings of the scene Wang Ping provided, he explained the parts Wang Ping hadn’t understood. When he finished, he chuckled softly. "Those three are certainly decisive. Knowing they couldn’t hide it, they fled without even cleaning up the scene."

Wang Ping also found the situation rather dramatic, but upon further reflection, something felt off. He chose his words carefully and said, "Logically, they shouldn’t have needed to run. Both Xuanhe Daoist and Sect Leader Leng should have some connections within the Daoist Scripture Hall..."

"At the beginning of the year, the Lord gave a specific order to prioritize investigating all cases related to human sacrifice. After an investigation... all participants are to be severely punished. The minimum sentence is imprisonment for one hundred and twenty years. Although this order might seem ordinary, and there may be room to maneuver, we must always remember one thing when carrying out our duties... the Lord’s authority is not to be questioned!"

Zi Luan cut off Wang Ping’s question. "The investigation into human sacrifice cases will continue for a long time. During this period, we must also strike at the Taiyin Evil Cultivators and the followers of the First Day."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ping almost gave a look that said, ’Am I hearing this right?’ After all, every previous case he’d been involved with concerning the Daoist Scripture Hall had indicated that the Lord had cooperated with the Taiyin Evil Cultivators and the First Day.

’Is he planning to get rid of his pawns now that they’re no longer useful?’

"I’ve been in seclusion for the past year," Wang Ping explained simply.

"You do indeed need to enter secluded, ascetic cultivation. For you, breaking through to the Second Realm is only a matter of time. However, before that, there is something I need you to do."

"What is it?"

"With this incident involving the Single Saber Sect, we need a resolution. There is still one Entering Cultivator left in their sect. Capture him and bring him in for questioning. If you encounter any resistance... then the Single Saber Sect has no reason to exist any longer."

"Yes!"

Wang Ping accepted the task.

Zi Luan smiled again and said, "For the next hundred years, the Lord desires a golden age of peace and prosperity. In the future... the entire Wudao Prefecture will be your Dao Field."

"Yes, sir!" This time, Wang Ping rose to his feet as he responded.

"One more thing. As the Patrol Envoy of Nanlin Road, you cannot remain ignorant of the Lord’s basic directives. From now on, Zuo Xuan will accompany you. She will relay the latest news from the Daoist Scripture Hall. If you don’t have time for certain cases, you can delegate them to her."

"Yes, sir!"

"Alright, you may go attend to your duties..."

Wang Ping rose and bowed. Just as he was about to leave, he heard Zi Luan add, "The great demon who caused trouble at Wufeng Temple this time... the timing was a bit too coincidental. Don’t you think it’s as if he came specifically to catch them red-handed?"

"I... I hadn’t considered that." Wang Ping left the small courtyard, his mind filled with questions.

’Zi Luan’s final point was interesting. Everyone in Nanlin Road knew that Qianmu Temple and Wufeng Temple were at odds. That made Qianmu Temple the most likely suspect for orchestrating the whole "caught red-handed" scenario.’

As he walked out of the small administrative courtyard, the image of Hu Qianqian flashed through his mind for some reason.