Zhou Wenwu's powerful divine sense stabbed toward the two men like a sharp sword, utterly shattering the already terrified Old Hei and Viper's psychological defenses.
Viper dropped to his knees, kowtowing like a pounding garlic pestle. "Yes... yes..."
At that critical moment, hurried footsteps and a righteous roar exploded from the other end of the street:
"Who are these thieves?! How dare you commit murder within my patrol area?! Surrender at once!"
Captain Zhao of the Patrol Squad hurried over with three or four subordinates, his face wearing just the right amount of "shock" and "anger."
Captain Zhao's gaze was as sharp as an eagle's, instantly taking in the situation. When he saw Viper kneeling on the ground, about to speak, and Old Hei sprawled limply nearby, a trace of viciousness and urgency flashed through his eyes.
Captain Zhao gave Viper no chance to finish speaking. He shot forward like lightning and barked, his voice drowning out everything else, "Bold indeed! Committing murder in broad daylight... uh, in the dead of night, attacking a Flowing Cloud Sect steward and Alchemist—your crimes are unforgivable! You cannot be allowed to live!"
Before his words had faded, spiritual power surged violently from his body, and pressure far beyond the Qi Refining Level 8 he usually displayed erupted in an Instantaneous Burst!
His hands moved like phantoms. Without even appearing to form seals or chant an incantation, two incomparably condensed Crimson Fire Snakes radiating destructive intent roared forth!
The fire snakes were unimaginably fast, each shooting straight for Old Hei and Viper's heads!
Their purpose was clear: kill them in one blow and leave no survivors!
Zhou Wenwu had not expected Zhao Qiyuan to arrive so "coincidentally," nor to act with such ruthless decisiveness. Shocked and enraged, he shouted, "Zhao Qiyuan! Stop!"
Zhou Wenwu reacted with great speed, almost instinctively throwing out a heavy Earth Wall Technique in an attempt to block the attack. At the same time, his other hand reached for Old Hei, who was closer, trying to pull him away.
However, Zhao Qiyuan had planned this for a long time. With the advantage of preparation against the unprepared and such close proximity, the two fire snakes seemed to possess intelligence, tracing strange arcs through the air and slipping around the front of the earth wall!
Boom! Boom!
Two explosions rang out almost simultaneously!
Viper did not even have time to scream before his entire head was swallowed by a crimson fire snake, instantly turning to char. His headless body swayed before collapsing to the ground.
Old Hei was pulled slightly aside by Zhou Wenwu, so the fire snake missed his head—but it slammed viciously into his chest!
"Aah—!"
Old Hei let out an incomparably shrill scream. A scorched hole instantly blew open in his chest, his internal organs plainly visible. His eyes widened as he stared in disbelief at the merciless Zhao Qiyuan. Fresh blood mixed with fragments of organs poured from his mouth, and after his body convulsed violently a few times, he fell silent forever.
In the blink of an eye, the two crucial living witnesses were brazenly slaughtered by Zhao Qiyuan before Zhou Wenwu's eyes with thunderous methods!
Zhou Wenwu looked at the two men who had died in an instant, especially Old Hei's unwillingly unclosed eyes. His face turned livid, his chest heaving violently. He suddenly turned, his gaze shooting toward Zhao Qiyuan like Ten Thousand Year Ice, and forced out through clenched teeth, "Zhao! Qiyuan!"
Zhao Qiyuan swiftly withdrew his spiritual power, and the trace of viciousness on his face instantly transformed into "grief" and "self-reproach." He strode forward and gave Zhou Wenwu a deep bow, his tone filled with "sorrow." "Steward Zhou! This subordinate arrived too late and allowed you and Alchemist Li to suffer such fright! This subordinate deserves death ten thousand times over!"
Straightening, Zhao Qiyuan pointed at the two charred corpses on the ground and continued indignantly, "These utterly vicious criminals dared commit such evil within the inner district and assassinate important personnel of the Flowing Cloud Sect. They are simply bereft of conscience! Seeing how fierce and stubborn they were, this subordinate feared they might suddenly rise up and harm you, Steward, or have other schemes. In my urgency, I struck too heavily and failed to leave any alive. This is truly this subordinate's dereliction of duty! I beg Steward to punish me!"
Zhou Wenwu forcibly suppressed his anger, his voice icy. "Zhao Qiyuan, put away this act of yours! Do you take this Steward for a three-year-old child? 'In your urgency'? I think you deliberately silenced them!"
The "wronged" expression on Zhao Qiyuan's face deepened, though a barely perceptible hardness entered his tone. "Why does Steward Zhou say that? This subordinate's loyalty to the sect can be witnessed by heaven and earth! Such criminals deserve to die! Could it be that Steward believes this subordinate should not uphold the sect's dignity or protect your safety? If so, this subordinate is truly disheartened!"
Zhou Wenwu's eyes were sharp as blades. "Uphold the sect's dignity? Protect my safety?
Zhao Qiyuan, you truly arrived at a 'timely' moment! Why did you not come earlier or later, but appear precisely when they were about to identify the mastermind behind this?
And why did you strike to kill without distinguishing black from white, not even leaving a sliver of opportunity for interrogation?! What exactly are you afraid they might reveal?!"
Zhao Qiyuan's expression darkened slightly. He no longer bothered to maintain the full pretense, and his voice turned cold. "Steward Zhou, what do you mean by that? Could it be that you suspect I, Zhao Qiyuan, am in league with these rogue cultivators?
Based solely on a few words these two dead men might have spat out in wild accusation before dying? Steward, investigations require evidence! If you are so arbitrary, I fear it will be difficult to convince the public!"
Zhou Wenwu stepped forward, the pressure of the Ninth Level of Qi Refining faintly spreading from him. "Evidence? This Steward will naturally investigate! Tonight's patrol records in the Southwest District, Captain Zhao's movements—none of it will escape scrutiny! I would like to see just how much filth is hidden behind this!"
Feeling Zhou Wenwu's pressure, Zhao Qiyuan not only did not retreat, but instead curled his lips into an indistinct cold smile. The aura around him stirred slightly, and a powerful spiritual power fluctuation spread out covertly. He was unmistakably at the Ninth Level of Qi Refining. "If Steward Zhou wishes to investigate, this subordinate will naturally cooperate. But... why make certain matters known to everyone? It would likely benefit neither the sect's reputation nor the Marketplace's stability. Since Alchemist Li has fortunately survived, it would be better to turn a major matter into a minor one and focus on treating his injuries. As for these rogue cultivators, who are dead and cannot testify, they can simply be handled according to precedent."
Zhou Wenwu felt Zhao Qiyuan's undisguised spiritual pressure of the Ninth Level of Qi Refining, and his pupils contracted slightly. He was shocked. This Zhao Qiyuan had actually broken through without a sound!
No wonder he was so fearless! Zhou Wenwu's face became even uglier. "Zhao Qiyuan! Are you threatening this Steward? Using the sect's reputation as a shield? Alchemist Li is an External Alchemist registered with the Flowing Cloud Sect. He suffered such an assassination attempt within the Marketplace. If we do not investigate until the truth is laid bare and severely punish the culprit, where will the sect's dignity remain?! Who would dare serve the Flowing Cloud Sect in the future?!"
Zhao Qiyuan gave a smile that did not reach his eyes. "Steward, you overstate matters. How would this subordinate dare threaten you? I am merely stating the stakes involved. The sect's reputation is greater than heaven. As for Alchemist Li..." He glanced at the unconscious Li Chengjie. "Is he not still alive? Perhaps it was merely an ordinary robbery dispute that he unfortunately stumbled into. Why must Steward insist on making it complicated and implicating the innocent?"
Zhou Wenwu laughed in extreme anger. "The innocent? Zhao Qiyuan, tell me, who is innocent? These two 'rogue cultivators' you instantly silenced? Or the one who ordered them... you yourself, Captain Zhao?!"
Zhao Qiyuan's face finally sank completely, his tone carrying an undisguised warning. "Zhou Wenwu! I have explained myself to this extent only because I respect you as a Steward! Do not mistake kindness for weakness! I have said it already: without evidence, everything is slander! If you insist on having your own way and tearing off all pretense, then hmph, I, Zhao Qiyuan, at the Ninth Level of Qi Refining, am not someone to be casually manipulated! Once things turn ugly, let us see whose face looks worse! Let us see whether the sect believes your baseless suspicions or me, the Patrol Squad captain who has worked diligently for so many years!"
Zhou Wenwu's chest rose and fell violently as he stared fixedly at Zhao Qiyuan. He knew that given the other man's absolute strength and the lack of irrefutable evidence, it would likely be difficult to take Zhao Qiyuan down on the spot today.
Zhou Wenwu forcibly suppressed his urge to attack immediately and said word by word, "Good! Very good! Zhao Qiyuan, this Steward will remember what happened today! You want evidence? I will find it! The suffering Alchemist Li endured today, everything he lost, the Flowing Cloud Sect will reclaim for him a hundredfold! Not a single person involved in this matter will escape!"
Zhao Qiyuan snorted coldly. "Steward Zhou, investigate all you like! I, Zhao Qiyuan, stand upright and sit straight; I am not afraid of your investigation! But I advise Steward of one thing: do not be so stubborn and lacking a screw in the head. Sooner or later, you will regret it!"
Before you continue