Times Had Changed

If we could turn back time a hundred years, the ability to summon wind and rain and control straw figures and wooden figures would be no different from the legendary divine abilities, abilities that only the most inventive minds of humankind could conceive of.

In today's context, these abilities are terrifying, but they don't seem to provoke divine wrath or result in punishment.

"You have trespassed into forbidden territory; your crime is unforgivable!"

The scarecrow, its red, fiery eyes shimmering in the distance, drew ever closer, when suddenly a reprimanding voice rang out.

Ren Wuyang's eyelids twitched repeatedly, Zhou Rihui cursed, and Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Anran exchanged glances.

The fact that Ren Wuyang could still play in the front row shows that the situation outside was simply terrifying.

The Zuo Household's buildings are not luxurious, but they are by no means stingy in terms of materials. Many of their villas are of such high quality that they will not collapse even after a hundred or two hundred years.

Putting aside the strength of the group, Zhang Xuezhou felt that given the sturdiness of the villa, it would be very difficult for those straw men and tree men outside to destroy it.

While the ability to summon wind and rain may seem terrifying, without a force 13 or 14 gale, or without rainwater accumulating to a depth of ten meters, nothing will change. Even if two bolts of lightning strike the top floor of a villa, the house will not collapse.

"Did you find it?"

"That voice wasn't Zuo Jin's!"

Ren Anran and Zhang Xuezhou exchanged a whispered conversation, then quietly waited for the wind and rain to break out outside.

Whenever these straw figures approach the villa, they are knocked down by Ren Wuyang and turned into a pile of weeds and roots, making it difficult to maintain their shape.

Without the awe and without losing physical strength due to panic, external circumstances will not pose much of a problem.

However, finding the mastermind behind it all was a difficult task. Even though Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Anran had been observing, they had not been able to find the source.

"He is located very far away, beyond our perception!"

Zhang Xuezhou stood up, looked out the window for a while, and then drew the curtains back up.

"If this is the magic he's using, he'll eventually run out of strength," Ren Anran said. "Let's just wait and see!"

"What about the glowing gladiolus?" Zhou Rihui couldn't help but ask, "We're not wearing any sun protection clothing right now!"

"With the entire villa providing shade, who needs a blackout suit!"

Zhang Xuezhou smiled and pointed at the villa, indicating to everyone that the current conditions were completely different from those in the imperial mausoleum. This was a villa made of steel, concrete, and masonry, not a pile of loess. Even Kong Zhong, who was good at earth escape, would have broken his head and bled in such a place.

It may look like a small villa, but it's a haven from the wind and rain.

They had previously sealed off every part of the villa and used the Dragon Elephant Combat Technique to repel the approaching scarecrows and trees, making it almost impossible for them to be ambushed at night like the Zuo Household.

They may seem trapped in the villa, but if they stay calm, they might not be the ones who are anxious.

The only difficulty is that Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Anran have not yet found the target of their attack. The target is very far away from them, exceeding the normal casting distance of ordinary cultivators.

They did not come to the Zuo Household to escape disaster, and the investigation should not be delayed for too long.

Zhang Xuezhou pondered for a while before quickly dialing Luo Gaogao's number.

"Gao Gao, can you pinpoint the location of the Zuo Jin communicator?"

Unable to use normal spellcasting methods to fight back, Zhang Xuezhou had no choice but to resort to unorthodox methods.

"Zuo Jin's rank is very high!"

I know you can check!

"It can be investigated, but..."

"This is a legitimate investigation. Committee member Zhou Rihui is right here with us. We'll cover the consequences!"

After a brief exchange, Luo Gaogao hesitated for less than three seconds before readily responding.

Information involving members of the Scarlet Alliance State is classified, but this depends on who is keeping the information confidential.

Zhang Xuezhou had limited connections with the Jiang family, who monopolized communications, but he had a good relationship with Luo Gaogao, who was dedicated to the satellite communications industry. Luo Gaogao's focus was on areas such as communications hacking and tracing.

If Zhang Xuezhou wanted to check Zuo Jin's recent communications, that would be more difficult, but finding the location of Zuo Jin's communicator wouldn't be too difficult; the location could even be pinpointed to a specific point.

"The Zuo Jin communicator is located in Professor Jin Guangming's research institute, in building A2!"

Luo Gaogao is quick to agree to things and also very fast at resolving them.

Just one minute later, a marked map was sent over.

"Brother Zhou, it's all up to you!"

"That purple light..."

"He definitely can't use purple light right now!"

Zhang Xuezhou looked out at the villa, where a storm was brewing.

Those who have been Demonization do not possess such power to summon wind and rain; only Zuo Jin could possibly have such abilities. Zhang Xuezhou did not believe that Zuo Jin could possess one ability with his Zuo Jin and release another with his right, while also occasionally uttering threatening sounds from his mouth.

Having located the target using a communicator, this sudden, fierce attack presented a perfect opportunity for a counterattack.

After Ren Wuyang in the first battle, Zhou Rihui clearly took over the baton, while Ren Anran also stood up.

"If the wind stops and the rain ceases, then it's time for me to make my move," Ren Anran said.

"I'll cover the rear!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded, indicating that this was the current order in which everyone would make their moves.

The lock on the villa gate fell shut, Ren Wuyang rushed out first, his Dragon Elephant Combat Technique about to be activated. Zhou Rihui followed closely behind, with Ren Anran trailing behind.

Zhang Xuezhou then turned and went upstairs.

The dark sky shrouded the area, and the red glowing spots in the straw man's eyes kept converging, only to be shattered by Ren Wuyang, forming a clear gap that pointed to the location of Professor Jin Guangming's research institute.

"Sinners, you have violated the divine law!"

A deep voice accompanied the straw man into the villa with its open gate, and Zhang Xuezhou didn't mind at all.

He sealed the wooden door inside, and in a short time, tender green shoots and leaves sprouted from it. The seemingly sturdy wooden door turned into rotten wood in a short while.

With the external sealing of alloy doors and concrete bricks removed, the wooden structures inside the villa were clearly vulnerable.

"If we had encountered such tactics a hundred years ago, the number of people who could resist would have been very limited, and the area where we could resist would have been very limited. Even if we exhausted all our manpower, it would have been difficult to fight back!"

As Zhang Xuezhou watched the various methods unfold, he felt that many of the situations were constantly overlapping with his own understanding of Huang Daoxian.

But times have changed!

Zhang Xuezhou reached out and pushed open the heavy skylight on the third floor, his body sliding upwards through the skylight.

The sound of shattering came from two miles away. The gloomy, dark sky trembled as if struck by lightning, and even the wind and waves became chaotic.

Zhang Xuezhou's body floated towards the Jin Guangming Research Institute. Zhou Rihui's heavy punches came down one after another, cracking and shattering the thick, blast-resistant glass. With a follow-up kick, the glass used for protection and light transmission in the research institute was completely destroyed.

A sharp whistling sound and Zhou Rihui's shouts and violent attacks came at the same time, accompanied by Ren Anran's rebukes and blows.

Through the gap in the broken glass, Zhang Xuezhou saw a strange-looking Zuo Jin standing in front of him.