Fractured Loyalties

The people from the Immortal Sect had suddenly come to Golden Horse City; they could not possibly be here merely to travel and train.

Most likely, the Dynasty had discovered what they were doing. Otherwise, they would not have made such a huge commotion.

In truth, the deaths at the Flower Pavilion were also inseparable from the City Lord's Mansion.

Whether it was the D-Class Mission or the B-Class Mission, the root of it all lay with the City Lord's Mansion.

Not long after entering the city, Lin Heng had gone straight to the Justice Bureau. Though the Justice Bureau stood on equal footing with the City Lord's Mansion, that did not mean the City Lord's Mansion had no lackeys within it.

Thus, Lin Heng's investigation into the culprit behind the Flower Pavilion deaths had, to a certain extent, touched their nerves.

Black Robe sat upright in the seat of honor. Beneath his white-faced mask, his eyes were deep and hollow, while the chill surrounding him left not the slightest trace of life.

Only after a long while did he move his stiff limbs and set down the teacup in his hand.

In a hoarse voice, he said, "You have failed to understand one thing. The appearance of Immortal Sect members in Golden Horse City already means the Dynasty has long known of this matter."

"Your only choice is to get rid of them."

"Get rid of them? How am I supposed to get rid of them?" City Lord Sun Yinan roared.

This was like in Journey to the West, where Nine-Headed Bug ordered Benbo Ba to wipe out Tang Monk and his disciples.

He might as well get rid of the Dynasty's Supreme and become the highest ruler himself!

"The identities of those three have already been investigated—they are disciples of the Green Pavilion Sect! Even if we can erase them, would the Green Pavilion Sect not come knocking?"

"Not to mention that one of them is a Golden Core Realm expert. A single Golden Core Realm expert could slaughter Golden Horse City with ease. With your strength, can you stand against them?"

Black Robe himself was only at the Foundation Establishment Realm. Even ten of him could not match a single finger of a Golden Core Realm cultivator.

The gap between realms was never something quantity could make up for.

At present, they only knew Yun Yao and Lin Heng's exact locations. They had yet to find any trace of Ye Tian, much less probe his cultivation realm.

There was still a hidden blade hanging over their heads. No one could feel at ease under such circumstances.

"Of course I cannot defeat them." Black Robe tapped one hand against the table, producing a steady rhythm. "But that does not mean no one from the Blood Moon Cult will act."

"You mean the Blood Moon Cult will send an expert?" Sun Yinan's eyes lit up.

"Correct. Our young master will come personally. Prepare three strong young men. Once the young master's cultivation cycle is complete, he will immediately strike and kill those three cultivators."

"Choose the Flower Pavilion as the location. There are many people there, and it will be harder to draw attention."

Sun Yinan's brows furrowed slightly. Earlier they had wanted middle-aged men, and now they wanted young men. Would they need elderly men next?

The Blood Moon Cult was an infamous evil cult across the Heavenly Profound Continent. It possessed secret arts that could raise one's cultivation by draining the Life Origin Force of living beings.

Female cultivators generally extracted Yang Essence, while male cultivators extracted Yin Essence, achieving the mutual complement of yin and yang.

Because of these vile and poisonous secret arts, the Blood Moon Cult had once faced suppression and joint extermination campaigns from many Immortal Sect-level forces.

In the end, the entire cult had been forced to hide in the shadows.

If Golden Horse City's cooperation with them was exposed, every one of the City Lord's Mansion's original personnel would undoubtedly die.

Seeing that he still hesitated, Black Robe rose and rolled his neck in a circle before continuing, "You need not worry about the Green Pavilion Sect coming to make trouble. I have already thought of a way. As long as we lure those three out of the city, if they die outside the city, it naturally will not implicate you."

"You must understand: I am not discussing this with you. You have no choice but to rely on me."

"Fine! I agree." After a brief consideration, Sun Yinan could only grit his teeth and accept.

Now, he could only rely on the Blood Moon Cult. The moment he had decided to cooperate with them, he had been firmly bound to the same boat.

"No! This is bad, Master!"

The Steward rushed over in a panic, his expression anxious.

"What are you making such a fuss about!" Sun Yinan shouted.

He was already overwhelmed with troubles today. Could something else have happened?

The Steward panted as he hurriedly said, "Young Master, Young Master... he... he died in front of the Nameless Tavern in West City."

At those words, Sun Yinan's pupils suddenly constricted, and his heart gave a violent thump. "What did you say?"

"Young Master... he was slapped to death by a woman. His body is outside."

Sun Yinan burst through the door. Upon seeing the corpse on the ground, so mangled it was scarcely human, his head buzzed, and he staggered before collapsing.

Bang—

Bang—

Bang—

He grabbed a handful of broken stones with both hands and viciously smashed them against the ground several times.

"You damned beast! You brutally tortured my son to death! You deserve to die! I will kill them!"

"Black Robe!" He rose to his feet and stared fixedly at the other man. "Bring the person who killed my son before me alive! I will avenge my son with my own hands! At any cost!"

When he finished speaking, monstrous fury burst from his clouded eyes, and killing intent surged around him like raging waves.

At that moment, he wished he could immediately grind that person to dust and scatter their ashes.

Black Robe neither agreed nor refused.

Killing a Golden Core Realm cultivator was already an exceedingly difficult matter, let alone capturing one alive.

"Give me some time. I will help you find a way."

Elsewhere, after killing someone, Yun Yao still showed no restraint. She had actually checked into an inn in broad daylight.

Lin Heng had already tried to persuade her.

He had advised her to keep a low profile, but it had been of no practical use. Instead, she had comforted him and told him not to worry.

With no other choice, he went to the Justice Bureau to meet with the Bureau Chief.

By the time he arrived at the Justice Bureau, the man had already been waiting in the main hall.

"Immortal, everything is prepared."

"Mm." Lin Heng nodded. "This matter has not been leaked, correct? If word gets out, our ambush plan will go down the drain."

"Rest assured, Immortal. The two men under me are extremely trustworthy. I did not even notify the City Lord's Mansion about this."

"To be honest with you, ever since the City Lord's Mansion repeatedly tried to reduce the murder case from something major to something minor, I knew they could not be uninvolved."

The Bureau Chief spoke sincerely.

Oh?

That truly surprised Lin Heng somewhat.

"Shouldn't your Justice Bureau and the City Lord's Mansion share prosperity and ruin alike? Why are you guarding against them instead?"

To his surprise, the Bureau Chief merely shook his head slightly.

"The Justice Bureau and the City Lord's Mansion are both administrative institutions authorized by the Dynasty, only with different divisions of responsibility. The Justice Bureau oversees law, discipline, and inspections, while also bearing supervisory duties."

"The City Lord's Mansion manages internal and external affairs and makes the major decisions. That does not mean the Justice Bureau is subject to them, nor does it mean they will cover for each other."

Only after seeing that no one was nearby did the Bureau Chief continue in a low voice, "A thousand people wear a thousand faces, and everyone acts for themselves. Sun Yinan wants to drag me into the water, thinking I have not noticed his dealings... Only by bringing him down can I gain a chance at promotion."

"That Female Sovereign of the Dynasty has no time to tend to every corner of the mortal world. I want to advance too badly. Without people like me willing to climb upward, even the most enormous creation will become corrupt and rotten."

Lin Heng understood now.

So it turned out that the Dynasty's investigation of the City Lord's Mansion had been tipped off by the Justice Bureau.

But Lin Heng could not approve of such grandiose talk.

From another angle, Golden Horse City's situation was no different from that of the Green Pavilion Sect.

The Green Pavilion Sect had six peaks plus one Main Peak, making seven peaks in total.

For their existing interests, the Seven Peaks fought openly and schemed in secret, while maintaining a harmonious facade.

In reality, from Elders above to disciples below, which one of them was not divided in heart and spirit, wishing they could devour one another alive?

Even an Immortal Sect as powerful as this was no exception, much less a Dynasty institution where the mortal world and immortal sects were mixed together.

Lin Heng did not care about any of that. All he wanted now was to strengthen himself and shatter the original pattern of fate.

Whether it was Ye Tian or a Child of Fortune.

Whether it was himself or a villain.

The irreconcilable contradiction could only end with one side dead and the other alive. There was no room for negotiation.