Chapter 99: Chapter 99: The Attack of Bai Zhuo

A large residence, East District No. 12 Courtyard.

A young boy sweeping the small courtyard cleverly checked all the rooms, then quickly walked out of the courtyard and ran all the way to the end of the alley on the left.

"Well?" Ah Jiu asked, grabbing the boy’s sleeve.

"No one’s there!" The boy shook his head decisively.

Ah Jiu wasn’t too surprised, just a little disappointed that his sliver of hope had been dashed. After letting go of the boy, he leaped onto the roof of a nearby residence and sped off toward the Qingjiang Tea House.

Inside a private room on the second floor of the Qingjiang Tea House.

Leng Qianhu sat by the window, watching the woman singing on the stage on the first floor, while Wang Ping stood in the center of the room, concentrating his divine soul to investigate his surroundings.

A moment later, a junior officer quickly walked in through the open door.

"Sir, Zhang Jinglong didn’t show up at the lamb soup shop this morning!"

"Did he really get away?"

Leng Qianhu shot a look at Wang Ping, as if blaming him for not sharing the intel sooner. But on second thought, considering there was a problem with one of his own men, it was only natural to be guarded against.

"I can’t say my tracking is flawless, but there’s a high probability that nothing went wrong." Wang Ping gently raised a hand and pointed at the two potted plants in the room. A stream of greenish-blue light instantly flowed out from the plants and slowly slid into his palm. Yu Lian curiously opened her mouth to bite it.

"He was still here yesterday!"

Wang Ping withdrew his divine soul and looked at Leng Qianhu, hoping he would think of something.

Leng Feng, who had been gazing at the stage below, said, "Last night, Ah Jiu brought back those two small fry. For a Cultivator of Zhang Jinglong’s level, detecting that would have been simple."

He was blaming Wang Ping for not sharing the intelligence in a timely manner.

"That subordinate of yours..."

"Don’t worry, he’s already been captured. But he’s not someone the Daoist Scripture Hall can interrogate."

"That’s not very sincere of you."

"Trust me, you don’t want to know the secrets in his head... not if you want to continue your Pure Cultivation."

This statement hit Wang Ping right where it counted. He willingly acquiesced to Leng Qianhu’s decision.

Just then, Ah Jiu entered the tea house’s main door. Led by a junior officer, he walked into the private room on the second floor. The news he brought did not overly surprise Wang Ping or Leng Feng. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Then, after a moment of thought, Leng Feng was the first to speak. "I’ll go back first and sort through the detailed memories of the four guards, especially Cai Xin’s. I’ll compile a list of all the people and places he has specific memories of. And... I’ll interrogate my subordinate."

"For my part, I’ll investigate a more detailed record of Zhang Jinglong’s movements after he arrived in the Prefecture City, especially any records of him leaving the city," Wang Ping also responded. ’Even with a special storage pouch, you can’t keep that many Corpse Soldiers for long. They have to be moved out of the city as soon as possible.’

"There’s also that other Artifact Cultivator. You’d best have a talk with him, too!" Leng Qianhu reminded him.

"Daoist Wenhai... what about his case?" Ah Jiu suddenly asked.

Wang Ping thought for a moment and said, "The investigation has been going on for so long, it’s about time for a report. I’ll go speak with him. It’ll be a good chance to see Daoist Xuanhe’s reaction."

’There’s too much fog surrounding this. Since we’re already at the point of showing our hands, we might as well lay all the cards on the table.’ This was Wang Ping’s thought.

"Good!" Leng Qianhu said appreciatively, clearly agreeing with Wang Ping’s idea.

...

As soon as Wang Ping, Ah Jiu, and Leng Feng walked out of the tea house, the three of them went their separate ways. Wang Ping had instructed Ah Jiu to continue interrogating the two people in charge of ’day one’.

On the way back to the Daoist Scripture Hall, Wang Ping suddenly felt uneasy. Just as he was about to take out his Copper Coins to perform a divination, a middle-aged Daoist in a deep blue robe walked up from the side of the road. He looked at Wang Ping and cupped his hands. "You must be Daoist Changqing of Qianmu Temple, correct?"

Yu Lian warned him from inside his Spirit Sea, "He’s radiating malice. Be careful!"

"And who are you?" Wang Ping retorted, secretly raising his guard.

"Changqing!"

A booming voice suddenly exploded from the sky. The Daoist in front of him dissolved into cyan water droplets and lunged at Wang Ping, only to be completely dispersed by a sweep of Yu Lian’s tail.

With that booming voice, the clear sky abruptly darkened. Above the clouds was a massive figure, fifty or sixty feet tall, wreathed in Water Spirit Qi so dense it was visible to the naked eye. He was flanked by countless Energy Water Balls shimmering with a cyan halo, which, to the people in the city below, looked like a cluster of eerie blue suns.

"You must die..."

The man’s voice was filled with endless hatred.

Wang Ping’s heart skipped a beat. He knew instantly who this was. ’He’s, without a doubt, that reclusive old ancestor from the White Water Sect, Bai Zhuo!’

’This guy wants to fight right here in the city?’

’This is insane!’

His thoughts flashed like lightning. Just as Bai Zhuo was about to make his move, a pillar of flame shot up from within the Daoist Scripture Hall. Wenyang Taoist’s figure appeared in the flames. He cupped his hands toward Bai Zhuo and said, "Fellow Daoist, this is not the place for you to be fighting."

"I only want Changqing’s life. Either he comes out and kills himself, or he gets the hell out of the city. Otherwise... I’ll make this entire city die with him!"

Bai Zhuo’s voice was even louder this time, likely audible to everyone in the city. It was highly probable he was saying it on purpose, to break Wang Ping’s spirit.

Wang Ping frowned slightly. ’A good reputation versus my own life. How do I choose?’

He looked at the panicking commoners around him and chose to remain silent.

"Fellow Daoist..."

Wenyang’s voice had turned cold. "Are you aware of the Daoist Scripture Hall’s rules?"

Bai Zhuo snorted. "Look at the state I’m in, and you’re still talking to me about rules? In that case... you can die too!"

It seemed Wenyang’s words had provoked him. The last shred of his humanity was devoured by the water spirits, and the water balls around his colossal body glowed with an even more dazzling blue light. They then solidified into a sky full of ice spikes, about to rain down on Wang Ping’s position.

"Incinerate!"

Wenyang Taoist issued an Imperial Decree. In an instant, the other half of the sky was shrouded by a blazing sun, and the Spiritual Qi in a vast expanse of space was ignited. Just then, the ice spikes fell, colliding with the rising flames in a flash.

Some ice spikes were consumed by the flames, while some flames were doused by the ice spikes, creating a HISSING sound.

The sky then presented the ’beautiful sight’ of a world of ice and fire. The next moment, some ice spikes pierced through the flames and shot toward Wang Ping’s location. There were also out-of-control flames, ignited from Spiritual Qi and eroded by the ice, that fell toward the city below. The fire ignited anything it touched, scorching even the air itself!

Wang Ping had no time to think. He immediately formed hand seals for a Magic Formula to activate his Armor Talisman, then used the Demon Soldier ’Kong Dun’ to rapidly shift his position. But the falling ice spikes were meant for him. After teleporting several times, he saw an ice spike precisely lock onto the spot where he reappeared...

The ice spike, which had seemed feeble and slow a moment before, suddenly shot forward at a speed Wang Ping couldn’t track after locking onto him. Its immense power pierced through the Protective Shield created by the Armor Talisman in an instant.

"I’ll handle it!"

As Yu Lian spoke, countless water droplets formed around the two of them. They tried to corrode the ice spike as it pierced the Protective Shield, but the spike’s connection to the water spirits was far more intricate, and the corrosion had no effect. Fortunately, it bought them a split second, allowing Wang Ping to use ’Kong Dun’ to escape again.

BOOM!

Just then, a muffled bang echoed from the sky. The collision of ice and fire energies intensified, and the ice spike that had been targeting Wang Ping instantly lost its target and exploded on the spot.

This was followed by the miserable shrieks and cries of countless people!

When Wang Ping stabilized himself, he saw the city split in two by fire and frost.

SHIING!

Just then, a sound like scraping metal rang out. The hair on Wang Ping’s entire body stood on end as he saw a golden Longsword shooting toward his chest...