Many people died in Jing City, especially high-ranking government officials.
As instructed by the mastermind Hu Jiu, the more upright, selfless, and honest a person is, the sooner they should be eliminated.
Those who are afraid of death, corrupt, or abuse their power for personal gain are more likely to survive by sheer luck.
This is what is meant by "discarding the essence and keeping the dross".
After all, Hu Jiu is a destroyer; his goal is to destroy the world. How could he possibly leave behind useful talents to cause him trouble?
At this moment, on a street in Jing City, a group of people were cautiously moving through the black fog. Judging from their clothes and appearance, they all had a certain status and position.
The leader at the head of the group was particularly eye-catching; his eyes gleamed with a faint golden light, the only glimmer of light in the thick, dark fog.
This person is Feng Qian, the only superhuman currently in the Supernatural Investigation Bureau.
Those following Feng Qian were all very nervous; it was obvious at a glance that they had been greatly frightened and agitated.
Feng Qian's expression was rather intriguing; he had a cold face and looked somewhat annoyed.
He was indeed angry; the people following behind him were all people he had rescued along the way.
They were all high-ranking officials.
Feng Qian was furious because the mystique surrounding the leadership had been dispelled.
He had assumed these people were morally upright and of far superior character to ordinary people, but they turned out to be a huge disappointment.
It's not that they're morally corrupt, but... they seem no different from ordinary people.
Stripped of power, wealth, status, and other external things, a person seems to be just a person in the truest sense.
Feng Qian had overly high expectations for certain professions and groups, but after getting to know them up close, those dreamy illusions shattered instantly.
Of course, it's also possible that he was just very lucky and only encountered oddballs.
"Comrade Xiao Feng, where are we going now? Wandering aimlessly like this doesn't seem like a good solution," someone behind us said.
"I'm looking for a relatively safe place, not surrounded by this damn black fog," Feng Qian replied calmly.
The man behind him wanted to ask something more, but just then, Feng Qian's eyes suddenly lit up, and he immediately stopped, raising his hand to signal. "Stop, everyone, there's something going on ahead."
Upon hearing this, those following him stopped in their tracks, not daring to make a move.
"Xiao Feng, what happened?" someone asked softly.
Feng Qian remained silent, but his expression gradually became serious, his eyes fixed on the thick fog ahead.
The others were confused but dared not speak out.
"Crack, crack..."
A faint sound, like bones grinding together, rang in my ears.
The sound grew louder and louder, and soon they saw many shadowy figures appearing within the black mist.
Only when those things got closer did they realize that they were skeletons!
"Ah!!"
"A ghost! A ghost is coming!"
"Xiao Feng, think of something quickly!"
Hearing the constant urging from behind, Feng Qian felt annoyed. Had he used up all his good luck? Or was he just being dragged down by these unlucky people behind him?
A golden light suddenly burst forth in his eyes, and the skeleton struck by the light froze in place, motionless. The crisis was thus temporarily resolved.
However, the immobilization time was limited, and within that limited time, Feng Qian was unable to eliminate these skeletons.
He possesses the ability to control ghosts and monsters, but not the ability to destroy them.
"Let's take a detour." Feng Qian led the group behind him around the frozen skeletons.
Before they could get very far, even more skeletons swarmed over.
Worst of all, standing among these skeletons was a young woman, with a mirror floating behind her.
Feng Qian was very familiar with the woman's face.
"Bai Jingjing!"
Given the current situation, no one would consider Bai Jingjing to be a good person.
The destruction of Shanque City was caused by this black fog and the Skeleton Ghost within it, as well as the eerie mirror that appeared in Yunsun City, which is now also by Bai Jingjing's side.
Everything seems to indicate that Bai Jingjing collected these supernatural ghosts and monsters and then released them all at once into Jing City.
Although the purpose of Bai Jingjing's actions is unclear, it is quite obvious that she is most likely the mastermind behind the chaos in Jing City!
Thinking of this, Feng Qian's gaze focused on Bai Jingjing, and the golden light in his eyes grew even stronger.
He had absolutely no intention of communicating with the other party. Bai Jingjing had already openly caused chaos in Jing City. Given her actions, there was no point in negotiating anymore.
The person standing behind Feng Qian, who was about to have a chat with Bai Jingjing, silently shut his mouth when he saw Feng Qian rushing forward so directly.
The golden light that could easily immobilize ordinary people and Skeleton Ghost only caused Bai Jingjing a slight feeling of stiffness when it shone on her, like the feeling of walking against the wind, and had no other effect.
Bai Jingjing looked at Feng Qian, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes, and slowly Feng Qian.
A sound of bones grinding came from the surrounding black mist, like a death knell. Feng Qian felt a stinging pain in his eyes and hated his own weakness. These eyes, apart from being able to immobilize people, lacked any real killing power.
As Bai Jingjing, his former savior, slowly walked towards him, a look of fear appeared on Feng Qian's face. His lucky constitution seemed to have stopped working, and now he could only wait to die!
As Bai Jingjing drew closer and closer to him, Feng Qian felt a chill run down his spine and was filled with a strong sense of crisis.
Fear overwhelmed his heart like a tidal wave, making him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
"Whoosh--"
At this critical moment, a dark blue crack suddenly appeared in the ground, and an ancient road paved with bluestone slabs appeared out of thin air, exuding a chilling aura.
A tall, thin man in a black trench coat walked from the other end of the road. With each step he took, the surrounding skeletons retreated a step.
The visitor was none other than Wen Jingyan.
The two pawns of the mastermind Hu met, but unfortunately they didn't know each other and hadn't received any relevant notification.
"Who are you?" Bai Jingjing narrowed her eyes, the black mist churning around her even more violently. "Who are you?"
Wen Jingyan did not answer, but stared coldly at Bai Jingjing. The Yin-Yang Road beneath his feet suddenly extended, attacking Bai Jingjing like a living thing. The black mist on the ground it passed through quickly retreated as if it had encountered a natural enemy.
Bai Jingjing snorted coldly, and a mirror suddenly appeared in front of her, its surface shining brightly silver, pointing directly at the approaching Yin-Yang Road.
Ripples spread across the mirror's surface, and an identical Yin-Yang Road shot out from within, colliding with Wen Jingyan's attack in mid-air.
Boom!
Two invisible forces collided, unleashing a shockwave that knocked Feng Qian and the person hiding behind him to the ground, their ears ringing.
"That mirror... can replicate attacks?" Feng Qian muttered to himself in surprise, then quickly led his men away from the battlefield.
With his current eyesight, even if he walks far away, he can still see clearly what's happening here.
Feng Qian knew who Bai Jingjing was, but he didn't know much about Wen Jingyan. However, judging from his clothes, he knew that Wen Jingyan was probably the superhuman who had been saving people and eliminating ghosts in the Jing City these past few days.
Wen Jingyan frowned slightly, clearly not expecting his attack to be countered. He quickly changed his hand gestures, and the Yin-Yang Road suddenly split into dozens of small branches, surrounding Bai Jingjing like a spider web.
Bai Jingjing remained calm, and suddenly the skeletons in the black mist gathered in front of her, forming a wall of bones.
The Yin-Yang Road crashed against the bone wall, producing a teeth-grinding grinding sound. Even more bizarrely, the bones shattered by the Yin-Yang Road rapidly reformed within the black mist, returning to their original state in the blink of an eye.
"It's no use." Bai Jingjing's voice was icy cold, devoid of any warmth.
Skeletons are immortal in the black mist, and... the city is full of living people, so she can create another batch at any time.
Wen Jingyan's eyes narrowed, and the Yin-Yang Road instantly contracted, forming a vortex in front of him. A shrill howl came from the vortex, and a huge pale arm suddenly stretched out and grabbed at Bai Jingjing.
Bai Jingjing's expression finally changed, and she quickly retreated. Another mirror appeared in front of her, but this time the pale arm passed right through the mirror and continued to grab at her.
Bai Jingjing hurriedly retreated, and at the same time, a mirror appeared behind her. The mirror suddenly enlarged and swallowed her whole. Her pale arm grabbed at empty air. Wen Jingyan immediately withdrew the Yin-Yang Road and looked around warily.
"Where did she go?" Feng Qian looked around, trembling, afraid that he would be affected.
Wen Jingyan also looked around, then suddenly turned around, and the Yin-Yang Road unfolded once more.
At the same instant, Bai Jingjing leaped out from the reflection in a shop window, and black mist surged in like a tide.
Wen Jingyan was surrounded by black mist, from which came the sound of bones colliding, as more than a dozen skeletons pounced on him at the same time.
Feng Qian's heart leaped into his throat, but Wen Jingyan calm and composed. Suddenly, the Yin-Yang Road beneath his feet rose up like a wall in front of him. The skull crashed into the "path" and passed right through it, disappearing without a trace.
Seeing this, Bai Jingjing's face darkened even more. She pointed to the air, and the mirror spun in the air, instantly splitting into dozens of facets that surrounded the entire street.
"This is..." Wen Jingyan finally revealed a solemn expression.
The mirror simultaneously lit up with a blinding light, and Feng Qian felt dizzy. When he opened his eyes again, the street had turned into an infinitely extending maze, with the same scene in all directions, making it impossible to distinguish which was real.
"It's like we're trapped in a mirror!" Feng Qian exclaimed in horror.
Wen Jingyan a deep breath, suddenly bit his finger, and dripped blood onto the Yin-Yang Road. The gray path was instantly stained with blood, extending in all directions. Wherever the blood path passed, the Mirror Space began to distort and shatter.
"I've found you." Wen Jingyan suddenly rushed in one direction, the Yin-Yang Road piercing like a sharp sword towards a seemingly ordinary mirror.
The mirror shattered, and Bai Jingjing stumbled out, seemingly injured, but her eyes remained cold. The black mist gathered again, this time even thicker, almost obscuring the entire sky.
She pushed her hands forward sharply, and the black mist instantly condensed into countless sharp spikes that shot towards Wen Jingyan.
At the same time, a mirror began to spin rapidly behind her, and another "Wen Jingyan" emerged from the mirror—the same appearance, but with a strange smile.
"A clone?" Wen Jingyan frowned. This person was really troublesome, with too many tricks up his sleeve.
The real and fake Wen Jingyan acted simultaneously, making it impossible to distinguish between them.
Countless skeletons, accompanied by the thick fog and the fake Wen Jingyan, surged towards the real Wen Jingyan once again.
The real Wen Jingyan manipulated the Yin-Yang Road to suddenly extend, engulfing the skeleton within it.
Feng Qian and the others standing behind him hid to the side, watching this scene with trepidation.
After a brief exchange, the chaotic scene made it impossible to distinguish between the two Wen Jingyans, so Feng Qian, who wanted to help, didn't know who to fight.
At this moment, Feng Qian squinted, and a golden light flashed in his eyes. He suddenly noticed a detail: the real Wen Jingyan was still standing on the Yin-Yang Road!
Unfortunately, Bai Jingjing seemed to have discovered this as well, and immediately patched it up. With a turn of the mirror, she actually replicated the entire Yin-Yang Road.
Wen Jingyan frowned deeply. He hadn't rested in a long time and really didn't want to keep exhausting himself like this.
He noticed that the woman opposite him didn't seem to be really fighting, so he paused his attack and tentatively said, "That's enough. Neither of us can defeat the other; continuing will only result in mutual destruction."
Bai Jingjing immediately stopped, after all, she was acting under someone else's orders, with the aim of revealing the existence of the extraordinary, and the charade had run its course and it was time to end it.
The churning black mist gradually subsided, and her voice was icy. "So what do you want?"
Wen Jingyan didn't answer, but instead asked, "If I may ask, is it your doing that Jing City has become like this? Why would you do that?"
Bai Jingjing nodded, taking the blame willingly. "I helped the Investigation Bureau handle a very tricky supernatural incident. In return, they promised to let me explore an ancient tomb, but they've been dragging their feet and refusing to deliver. So I have to teach them a lesson."
That's it?!
Wen Jingyan and Feng Qian didn't react much, but were shocked by Bai Jingjing's audacity to overturn the table.
However, those standing behind Feng Qian were furious, their eyes blazing with rage. What did he mean by "giving him a lesson"?
Bai Jingjing has the ability to resolve supernatural events, so it's wrong for her to negotiate with the authorities for compensation!
With great power comes great responsibility; she should proactively take on the responsibility!
The Investigation Bureau merely stalled for time, yet she resorted to such perverse and unreasonable actions—it's utterly absurd!
Bai Jingjing could tell what they were thinking just by looking at their expressions. She sneered disdainfully, "They're all spineless cowards. They'll only learn what 'respect for the strong' means when they're hurt."
Wen Jingyan was also speechless, only saying, "Things have blown up so much, have you thought about how to end this? Why don't we both take a step back? As for your grudge with the Investigation Bureau, I suggest you two communicate again."
Bai Jingjing looked coldly at Wen Jingyan: "Why can't you take a step back? Stop stopping me."
Wen Jingyan was taken aback, then said righteously, "That's impossible. I can't just stand by and watch you wreak havoc on the region without doing anything."
The two faced off for a long time. Finally, Bai Jingjing let out a cold snort, the black mist suddenly contracted, her figure gradually blurred, and finally disappeared completely.