Now It's Your Turn

A painted clay statue of the Mysterious Maiden suddenly began to laugh.

Zhao Zhi's eyelids sank, a faint chill surfacing in his eyes as he stared fixedly at the Mysterious Maiden statue's face.

Delicate features, lovely looks, peerless and otherworldly. She seemed like a warm, approachable elder sister next door, yet also like an immortal maiden above the nine heavens, untouched by mortal dust.

The Mysterious Maiden held an astonishing status in the Great Yin Dynasty and was one of the most beloved deities. Thus, most statues made in her likeness were refined and striking, lifelike rather than crudely made.

The statue before him was no exception.

The craftsman who had created this Mysterious Maiden statue possessed the skill to turn decay into magic.

A clay idol could look so lively and animated that it seemed real.

But.

Clay was clay. It could not become real.

Zhao Zhi continued observing it for a while, yet found no trace of a smile on the Mysterious Maiden statue.

As though.

Everything he had just seen had been an illusion.

But.

Was it truly an illusion?

The cold, sinister aura he had sensed in Iron Horse Manor's cellar, the humanoid creature he had seen in the cave on Cloudflight Mountain.

This world did not contain only martial arts that led to godhood. There were also such strange and extraordinary things, impossible to ignore.

Zhao Zhi's thoughts turned, and his eyes shifted to the side.

Luo Dashan had not noticed the Mysterious Maiden statue's smile. Instead, he was warily watching for anything that might happen around them at any moment.

Anything around them?

Zhao Zhi gave the Mysterious Maiden another deep look, then slowly turned around. His gaze lowered toward the entrance of the Mysterious Maiden Temple.

Footsteps sounded one after another.

Immediately after.

Several figures entered the Mysterious Maiden Temple in succession: Su Qingyou, head of the Su Family; Tao Ran, head of the Tao Family; and Lei Juechen, leader of the Evergreen Gang.

Beside Su Qingyou and Tao Ran each stood a major figure, their auras deep and steady as an abyss, their blood and qi circulating like blazing furnaces.

They were Su Changlin of the Su Family, at Innate Perfection, and Tao Jiuyi of the Tao Family, also at Innate Perfection.

As the leader of the Evergreen Gang, Lei Juechen himself was an Innate Perfection martial artist.

That meant there were already three Innate Perfection martial artists and two Greater Xiantian martial artists present. With such formidable strength, wiping out the Flying Cloud Stronghold five or six times over would have been effortless.

The reason Qingfeng County's Innate Perfection martial artists had not acted before was because they restrained one another, and because none wished to fall during the campaign against the Flying Cloud Stronghold.

Of course, the most eye-catching figure was Qingfeng County's magistrate, Lu Guangyi.

Ever since transmigrating here, Zhao Zhi had never met Magistrate Lu Guangyi. All kinds of work had been conveyed through the chief constable and constables. Today was his first time meeting Qingfeng County's father-official.

"Zhao Zhi."

Luo Dashan's expression changed drastically.

"Brother Luo, step back."

Zhao Zhi spoke softly, his gaze settling upon Magistrate Lu Guangyi.

Lu Guangyi did not look particularly old, appearing around thirty-five or thirty-six. He was not very tall and somewhat plump. His face in particular was round and swollen like a ball; he looked less like a county magistrate than some wealthy squire.

From Lu Guangyi, Zhao Zhi sensed a faintly familiar aura.

The aura of a Human Elixir.

Sure enough, Magistrate Lu Guangyi was connected to Human Elixirs.

"Magistrate Lu." Zhao Zhi curled his lips into a smile. "You truly brought quite a crowd just to kill me."

Lu Guangyi said darkly, "Zhao Zhi, blame yourself for getting involved with too many things."

"Things I got involved with." Zhao Zhi murmured. Then a trace of icy killing intent seeped into his voice. "Sure enough, all of you have come into contact with Human Elixirs. You truly deserve to die."

Light gathered in Lu Guangyi's mung-bean-sized eyes, making him look somewhat crazed. "Martial cultivation has always been about doing whatever it takes. Aristocratic clans and martial sects plunder resources and ride above all living beings. How can ordinary martial artists like us contend with them? If we wish to advance in martial arts, then we can only march through dangerous paths and walk along the sword's edge. A Human Elixir is merely one method of advancement."

Zhao Zhi nodded. "You make a great deal of sense."

Lu Guangyi froze where he stood, unable to think of how to respond for a moment.

Zhao Zhi continued, "Unfortunately, I do not like Human Elixirs."

A vicious gleam appeared in Lu Guangyi's eyes. "Then die."

"Magistrate Lu, if Zhao Zhi dies here, the people of Qingfeng County will surely learn of it. When that time comes, I fear none of you will be able to remain in Qingfeng County for long."

Luo Dashan shouted, fierce in appearance but weak at heart.

Lu Guangyi glanced at Luo Dashan and smiled faintly. "Once Zhao Zhi is killed, I will naturally issue a warrant for his killer. Isn't that right, Second Chief?"

Another person entered from outside.

It was Luo Yun, the Flying Cloud Stronghold's Second Chief.

After the Flying Cloud Stronghold was destroyed, Second Chief Luo Yun had vanished without a trace.

He had not truly disappeared. After secretly seeing Zhao Zhi emerge from the passage, he knew the plan had gone wrong. Thus, he immediately left the Flying Cloud Stronghold and came to Qingfeng County in search of Lu Guangyi.

The two sides reached another agreement.

He would bear the infamy of killing Zhao Zhi.

Lu Guangyi would give him one Human Elixir, along with ten thousand taels of silver.

Ten thousand taels of silver were enough to let him live the rest of his life in carefree ease.

Luo Yun bared his teeth in a grin. "To have the great hero so enthusiastically praised by the common people die by my hand—what a delightful thing."

"You colluded with the Flying Cloud Stronghold?!"

Luo Dashan's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.

From beginning to end, Luo Dashan had known absolutely nothing about Magistrate Lu Guangyi's connection to the Flying Cloud Stronghold.

"Kill me?"

Zhao Zhi raised a brow lightly.

The next instant.

He stomped heavily upon the ground. The stone tiles beneath his feet immediately cracked, and his body shot out like a cannonball. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Luo Yun, his five fingers curling into claws as they seized at him like lightning.

"You?!"

"Courting death."

"Seeking your own doom."

Seeing that Zhao Zhi still acted so wantonly despite their presence, Su Changlin, Tao Jiuyi, and Lei Juechen spoke at once. Their incomparably powerful inner qi surged forth as each employed his own method to seize Zhao Zhi.

Lu Guangyi's mung-bean-sized eyes shifted slightly, and he deliberately took one step back to avoid facing Zhao Zhi directly.

Zhao Zhi's gaze swept over Su Changlin and the other two, yet his expression did not change much. The incomparably vast inner qi cultivated through the True Martial Mountain-Suppressing Technique surged through his meridians like a raging flood, transforming into the immense, majestic force of Diamond Force and blocking the three men.

When the attacks of Su Changlin, Tao Jiuyi, and Lei Juechen landed on Zhao Zhi, it felt as if they had struck an incomparably hard city wall. None of their methods had the slightest effect.

Then, in the next second.

A terrifying rebounding force erupted from Zhao Zhi, crashing violently into Su Changlin and the other two and sending all three flying backward.

All three were profoundly shaken, their faces pale as they looked at Zhao Zhi.

After shaking Su Changlin and the other two away, Zhao Zhi's clawed hand appeared before the horrified Luo Yun. His hooked fingers seized Luo Yun by the throat.

Zhao Zhi looked at the terrified Luo Yun. "You?"

Crack.

Zhao Zhi snapped Luo Yun's neck, and the light in his eyes swiftly faded.

[You helped a loyal bandit fulfill his own oath. Merit +26.]

Zhao Zhi casually threw Luo Yun's corpse aside. His gaze swept across the remaining people as he smiled faintly. "Now it's your turn."