Henghui Appears

Upon hearing this, the orange cat showed a human-like "relief" expression on its face.

"With the Gathering Yuan Pill, my cultivation will be restored in just a few days," the orange cat said in a leisurely tone.

In a place like the capital, it's very dangerous to be without the ability to protect yourself. You might be discovered by the court's henchmen, or you might encounter other lurking criminals in the capital who would double-cross you.

"The Gathering Yuan Pill is so effective? That's wonderful! If the Daoist recovers, we can send him a private message in the Earth Book chat group! "Xu Qi'an exclaimed with delight, while simultaneously asking in confusion:

"Since they all come from the Daoist School, why does the Daoist master need to ask the Human Sect for elixirs? The Earth Sect isn't skilled in alchemy?"

The orange cat paused for a moment, then replied indifferently, "The cost of the Gathering Essence Pill is about one hundred taels of gold. And some medicinal herbs can't be bought even with silver."

It's not that my Earth Sect is incompetent, it's that her Human Sect is inhumanly wealthy. This is truly a sad story! Xu Qi'an wanted to laugh but was too embarrassed to.

"Anything you've learned today?" The orange cat leaped onto the table and sat down by the oil lamp, its bright orange eyes looking eerie and unsettling in the dim room.

Xu Qi'an recounted the information he had received from the Prince Yu's residence, along with his own reasoning.

The orange cat listened with a serious expression, instinctively raising its front paw as if to lick it, but then restrained itself, calmly lowering its paw and saying:

"Your analysis is correct. The elopement of Monk Heng Hui and Princess Pingyang involves court factional struggles. However, I don't understand why Heng Hui, since he is still alive, didn't come forward earlier or later, but only after the Sangbo case. Moreover, given his strength and abilities, he is not qualified to participate in the Sangbo case."

Although it was a question, there was no confusion in his eyes.

Xu Qi'an nodded knowingly. "He has a powerful force behind him. I originally thought it was the Prince of Zhenbei. If it wasn't for rebellion, then what was the purpose of releasing the sealed artifact? After all that trouble, he only managed to kill one Daoist priest, the Earl of Pingyuan. Do you think it might have been Prince Yu who did it, releasing the sealed artifact to kill all his enemies?"

"You mean Princess Pingyang is dead, and Prince Yu is avenging his daughter? That's unlikely. If Prince Yu knew about this, given his status as a prince, he wouldn't need to go to such extremes to seek revenge." The orange cat shook its head.

Why is your thinking always stuck on the royal family?

Xu Qi'an said dejectedly, "The suspicion against the Prince of Zhenbei is getting lighter and lighter. I'm really like a little wife making a fuss about getting a divorce."

"The young wife is asking for a divorce?" The orange cat tilted its head.

"All our previous efforts have been in vain," Xu Qi'an replied.

The orange cat's expression froze for a moment. "You have a pretty nice voice."

If Heng Hui hadn't appeared, the sealed artifact would have remained dormant, Xu Qi'an would have retained his suspicions about the King of Zhenbei, believing that the other party was preparing a major move.

However, the actions of Monk Heng Hui are currently inconsistent with the high standards of the sealed artifact.

At least try to kill the emperor.

However, Xu Qi'an did not completely give up his suspicions. The Sangbo case remained shrouded in mystery, and he could only barely see half of it clearly. In addition, no matter how wide Xu Qi'an's 24K titanium alloy eyes were, he just couldn't see through it.

The orange cat gently flicked its tail and offered its opinion. "I think you might have fallen into a misconception."

Xu Qi'an frowned. "What do you mean by that, Daoist Master?"

"Whether it's the Prince of Zhenbei or the Prince of Yu, they are both members of the imperial family. The reason you suspect them is because only Emperor Yuanjing knows about the sealed artifact beneath Sangbo?"

Xu Qi'an nodded.

The orange cat continued, "Aside from the Imperial Censor and Emperor Yuanjing, even the Buddhist School knows about it."

Xu Qi'an shook his head. "The Buddhist School was one of the main forces behind this back then. After the seal on Sangbo was lifted, Abbot Panshu of Qinglong Temple went west, which shows how much importance they attached to it."

The orange cat said, "Demon Race."

The two simple words suddenly gave Xu Qi'an a profound and enlightening experience.

I've always suspected the mastermind was within the royal family. If the one sealed was the first Imperial Supervisor, this guess makes sense. But what if it wasn't the first Imperial Supervisor? Then those who knew about the Sangbo seal weren't just Emperor Yuanjing, the Imperial Supervisor, and the Buddhist School; there was another force I'd overlooked.

That is the power to which the sealed artifact itself belongs.

The seal has remained intact for five hundred years, indicating an extremely terrifying top-tier powerhouse. Could such a person be Rogue Cultivator or Demon Race? Hmm, this remains to be verified.

Xu Qi'an took out the porcelain bottle and placed it next to the orange cat, casually saying, "I met the Imperial Advisor today. Hmm, he's a bit different from what I imagined."

The orange cat gave him a nonchalant glance. "Not the otherworldly, ethereal figure you imagine."

Just as Xu Qi'an was about to nod, the orange cat added, "They might even be more alluring than the women from the Imperial Academy of Music, making you drool, right?"

"No, no, it's just that I couldn't help wanting to give someone a handle against me." Xu Qi'an suddenly realized, "She really does have a problem."

With a beautiful woman like his aunt, a pretty young girl like Lingyue, a lively and adorable girl like Chu Caiwei, a charming and passionate nightclub queen like Biao Biao, and a cold and proud ice queen like Princess Huaiqing, Xu Qi'an has seen many beauties.

But his mind was always wandering uncontrollably, constantly thinking about the color of the banana peel.

This can only be a problem with the imperial advisor himself.

The orange cat didn't answer directly, but instead asked a rhetorical question, "Why do you think the Human Sect is called the Human Sect? Why does Luo Yuheng want to be the Imperial Preceptor?"

He paused, then continued, "Luo Yuheng is the daughter of the former head of the Human Sect."

Why are you telling me this? Are you implying that woman is actually available for sex? Xu Qi'an smiled outwardly:

"As far as I know, among the three sects of Daoist School, only the Heavenly Sect is free from emotions and desires; the Human Sect and Earthly Sect allow normal marriage. Does the Daoist priest have any children?"

The orange cat shook its head. "I did think about it when I was younger, but as I've gotten older, I've become less interested in relationships. As for matters of love and intimacy, they're simply too vulgar."

"Is it really just unbearably vulgar, or is it something people are forced to do in their middle age, like soaking goji berries in a thermos?" Xu Qi'an sighed.

"The Daoist priest has transcended vulgar tastes; he is truly admirable."

He would be happy if all men in the world were like you, he added in his mind.

In the dead of night, the streets of the inner city were deserted, and the cold wind howled through the treetops.

The sound of orderly footsteps came from afar, and a patrol of city guards walked from the end of the street. After the massacre of the Pingyuan Earl's family last night, the defense force of the inner city has been increased several times over.

A dark figure walked through the inner city, weaving through streets and alleys. He seemed not to be avoiding the Nightwatchers Imperial Saber Guard and Golden Guard who guarded the city. In fact, whenever someone looked in his direction, he would be blocked by some obstacle, sometimes a wall, sometimes a roof.

He arrived at the Ministry of War's residence without incident, glanced up at the plaque, and saw the lower half of his face peeking out from under the hood, a sinister purple smile spreading across his lips.

Who is it?

The guards at the gate then noticed the man in black robes, and while shouting at him, they drew their standard-issue swords.

The man in the black robe raised his right arm from beneath his cloak, revealing a patchwork of menacing blue veins on his bright red skin, making it look like the arm of a demon.

He clenched his fist suddenly, facing the guards and the gate.

Boom!

The gate turned to dust, the guards turned to dust, and the energy exploded into a ripple-like shockwave, turning the walls and everything around it into dust.

In the Ministry of War's residence, lamps were lit one by one, and cries of fear and shouts rose and fell.

The guards in the mansion rushed toward the gate, swords drawn.

With no obstacles in his path, the man in black robes strode into the Ministry of War's residence. His deep, dark eyes, hidden beneath the cloak, coldly and eerily gazed at the lights within.

Suddenly, the moment he entered the Minister's residence, the surrounding scenery changed abruptly. The face beneath the black-robed man's cloak turned slightly as he surveyed his surroundings.

He appeared in a desolate urban area, with dilapidated streets, withered yellow weeds all around, and in the far distance, he could vaguely see simple houses.

This is a desolate area that even the poor are too lazy to come to. There are many similar places in the capital, but the capital of the Great Feng Dynasty is too big, and such places are selectively forgotten by the court.

"I've set up a teleportation array at the Ministry of War's residence," someone said calmly.

The man in black robes turned around and saw a figure in white robes standing a dozen feet away, with his back to him, his hands behind his back, and his long hair and white robes fluttering in the wind.

His demeanor was remarkable, giving people a sense of extraordinary presence.

"Who are you?" the man in black robes asked in a hoarse voice.

"In the capital, there are actually people who don't know who I am. Man, you've successfully caught my attention," the man in white said.

The man in black robes snorted coldly, raised his right arm, and gently shook hands with the man in white.

In the explosion of energy, the figure of the man in white vanished like a reflection in water.

"You thought I was there, but I'm actually here." The man in white appeared in another direction, still with his back to the man in black.

"A fourth-rank Warlock?" the black-robed man murmured, then sneered, "A mere fourth-rank sorcerer dares to obstruct me."

His tone was extremely arrogant, showing no regard for high-level experts.

"How dare a mere fourth-rank official obstruct me?" The man in white muttered a few words in low voice, then exclaimed in admiration, "Well said! Very bold words. They have given me great inspiration."

He paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "You mere fourth-rank martial artists dare to stand by and watch the fire from across the river in front of me?"

The man in black robes was taken aback, unsure of his meaning, but he soon realized that in each of the four directions—east, west, south, and north—a Nightwatchers dressed in black uniforms, wearing a short cloak, and with a golden gong embroidered on his chest had appeared.

The Jinluo to the east had a cold and expressionless face; the Jinluo to the west was as beautiful as a woman, with a sinister smile on his lips; the Jinluo to the north held a long sword in his arms, not a standard long saber; the Jinluo to the south had sharp eyes like knives, with fine crow's feet at the corners of his eyes.

Click, click, click. The sound of mechanisms came from the left of the man in white, and a row of repeating crossbows appeared out of nowhere, automatically cocking themselves.

On the right were rows of small artillery pieces.

Boom boom boom. Boom boom boom.

Crossbow bolts and cannonballs were fired simultaneously, focusing fire on the man in black robes.

The cannon encountered a transparent wall of air, exploded in mid-air, and left behind a dazzling wave of fire that traveled along the wall of air.

Taking advantage of the vibrations caused by the cannon fire, the runes engraved on the crossbow bolts lit up, easily piercing through the air barrier and shooting towards the man in black robes.

The crossbow itself constitutes a small-scale formation.

The man in black robes remained calm and raised his right arm, causing the crossbow bolts to shatter against his arm.

The cloak shattered into pieces, revealing the true form of the man in black robes: a handsome yet sinister young monk whose right arm was thicker than normal, ugly and terrifying.

"A body of copper and iron?" the white-clad man, who had been facing away from everyone, said in surprise.

At this moment, the four Golden Gongs attacked simultaneously, unleashing fierce spear and sword intent. They first attacked the man in black robes, while Nangong Qianrou and Jiang Luzhong did not use weapons and chose to engage in close-quarters combat.

"The Buddha said, 'Be compassionate.'" The man in black robes clasped his hands together and chanted a Buddhist mantra.

The sharp spear and sword intent hesitated for a moment, losing their edge, but returned to normal in an instant.

Taking advantage of this critical moment, the man in black robes repeatedly struck his right arm, shattering the unavoidable and unstoppable spear intent, as well as the all-piercing sword intent.

Then, he twisted his waist and counterattacked, colliding with Jiang Luzhong's unparalleled fist intent.

Jiang Luzhong groaned, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, and staggered backward.

The man in black robes took the opportunity to turn around and punched Nangong Qianrou in the chest, causing the short cloak on her back to explode into pieces.

With a terrifying suction, Nangong Qianrou's face gradually turned pale.

A crimson light flashed in Nangong Qianrou's eyes, his handsome face contorted in a ferocious grimace, and he let out a roar that sounded inhuman as he slammed his headbutt into the face of the man in black robes.

The two retreated simultaneously, yet, unwilling to admit defeat, they engaged in a fierce battle.

Four warriors and a monster of unknown origin fight each other in a desolate city, leaving ruins in their wake.

The air burst open in bursts, unleashing a terrifying hurricane that swept across an area of several miles.

The white-robed Warlock maintained a distance that was neither too close nor too far from them; in close combat, the martial artist was undoubtedly the invincible one among those of the same level.

The Warlock's combat style is naturally more elegant and spirited. The white-robed Warlock stomped his foot on the ground and declared loudly, "The earth unleashes its murderous intent!"

The array patterns spread from the soles of his feet, enveloping the fighting warriors. The already ravaged ground suddenly trembled, coalescing into a terrifying force.

The white-robed Warlock stomped the ground again. "The heavens have unleashed their murderous intent!"

Suddenly, dark clouds rolled in the night sky, streaks of lightning flickered, and thunder was gathering.

"The man has murderous intent!"

As the white-robed Warlock finished speaking, the forces of heaven, earth, and man coalesced and surged towards the black-robed man.

This put him in a position where he was an enemy of the whole world.

The hideous right arm seemed to have been stimulated and revived on its own, unleashing an indescribable and terrifying pressure, causing the prominent veins to suddenly glow.

The handsome yet sinister monk grinned and clenched his fist.

Boom! The sound of an explosion engulfed everything.