Aftermath

With a "whoosh," the firefly on the blue oil lamp flickered and went out, leaving behind a wisp of blue smoke.

The True Disciple guarding the life lamp inside the hall panicked, and soon the entire Zi Maple Valley was filled with roars and cries.

"Shen Ang is dead!"

The news spread rapidly to every corner of Cloud Horn Prefecture. In some places, the news of Shen Ang's death was received before the news of the establishment of the New Cloud Alliance was heard.

Upon hearing the news Ye Zhen, the first leader of the alliance, looked particularly grim, and Tie Liuyun's face also turned ashen. Who was slapping the state court in the face this time? The Two Instruments Sect or the Yue Household?

Was it because the old man, the Marquis of Earl of Nan'an, had recently killed three False Core Cloud Water Sect in Ding Prefecture, offending them to the point that they had also taken action?

I wonder what the Earl is thinking.

Thanks to the tacit understanding among the higher-ups, the Two Instruments Sect only exerted a little effort, and the Golden Core remained unmoved, yet this was enough to keep the few remaining officials of the state court busy. If they were to provoke the even more colossal Cloud Water Sect at this point...

Sweat streamed down Tie Liuyun's forehead. This man was indeed of noble birth and highly skilled, but his ability to cause trouble was equally undeniable.

He left without a word and went back to Central Prefecture to Core Formation, leaving those who worked for him, like Tie Liuyun, trapped here and unable to get out.

Such a thing is not impossible; the Kuang Household is used to doing this kind of thing. Otherwise, even relying solely on the legacy of the founding emperor, the Immortal Dynasty would not be so weak as it is now.

The news of the death of Shen Ang, the Shen Ang of Zi Maple Valley, quickly reached the state court. News also came from the state court, and the lord was furious, smashing his wine cup again.

At this moment, no one dared to be negligent. Acting Sima Gun was dispatched and led his men to Tanggu County at top speed to track down the real culprit.

After several days of investigation, an old Qi Refinement cultivator led a group of Foundation Establishment to the official road where Shen Ang had died.

He pointed to a small pit with many teardrop-shaped pits clustered together and said, "This should be the trace of blood containing some kind of witchcraft. According to the disciples of Zi Maple Valley, Shen Ang has not practiced such methods, so it is very likely left by the murderer."

With a flick of his sleeve, he blew away the dust covering the small pit, revealing a patch of dark red blood. The Qi Refinement cultivator then took out a set of tools, from which he took out a fine needle made of Second Tier demon bone, and gently placed the needle tip on the bloodstain.

The pure white bone needle turned black and then quickly back to white, emitting a foul odor from its tip. Everyone avoided it, except for the Qi Refinement just reached out and sniffed it carefully.

"The smoke smells bitter and spicy, so this person's cultivation level is probably not even at the Foundation Establishment, but their Law Power is quite profound. They've been stuck at the Perfected Qi Refinement stage for quite some time now."

Before long, Lao Xiu discovered several more traces nearby, and examined them one by one using various methods.

Several hours later, the old man transcribed the results of his examination onto a piece of silk and carefully arranged them before turning to the Acting Sima Gun and saying, "The murderer is undoubtedly Chen Ye."

He first broke Shen Ang's Vine Technique with a Yin- Shen Ang Law Technique of at least the Hong Grade, then used two Pseudo Spirit Artifacts to hold off Shen Ang's flying sword, before unleashing a Water-Swallowing Technique and Spirit-Summoning Technique of at least the Great Perfection level. Finally, he must have used poison to kill Shen Ang.

"Chen Ye?!" If he didn't know that this was the man the Earl had brought from the Dali Court of Judicial Review the capital, Acting Sima Gun wouldn't have really believed his reasoning.

After all, even among the Foundation Establishment in Cloud Horn Prefecture, there aren't many who can kill Shen Ang, a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator, in a one-on-one fight.

With just the Qi Refinement someone nearly a hundred years old? I heard he was injured in his younger days and has never fully recovered.

However, upon closer reflection, it's remarkable that Chen Ye, a Qi Refinement cultivator, possesses two Pseudo Spirit Artifacts, several Law Technique mastered to perfection that counteract the methods of Shen Ang, and a rare poison capable of killing Foundation Establishment cultivators.

These methods also require a great deal of effort to prepare, and even ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators would not have them.

After pondering for a while, Acting Sima Gun brought Shen Jin Shen Ang's grand-nephew for questioning, and after inquiring again about how he brought Chen Ye to visit Shen Ang, he finally made up his mind.

"All counties have issued arrest warrants. Whoever finds Chen Ye will be rewarded with 30,000 Spirit Stone for his capture, and 10,000 for his death!" To be frank, the reward for capturing a murderer who killed a Foundation Establishment cultivator is not high. After all, even if Foundation Establishment cultivator takes on the case, he will risk being killed by the murderer.

However, once the wanted notice was issued, many people in Cloud Horn Prefecture were tempted. After all, it makes sense; the head of a Qi Refinement cultivator is worth half a Foundation Establishment Pill!

Not to mention the Foundation Establishment True Cultivator who had ideas, even many bold Qi Refinement cultivators were tempted.

Countless low-level Rogue Cultivator, driven by greed, were eager to act; the cultivators of the New Cloud Alliance, obeying orders, mobilized in full force; and the Foundation Establishment of Cloud Horn Prefecture lay in wait in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment.

The matter was of great importance, so Kang Dabao was not able to escape and was arrested along with several of his fellow disciples in Tanggu County.

The Daoist Black Shoes didn't travel with them this time. Don't Chongming Sect the fighting skills of these younger members of the Ming Sect, who are quite good among their peers. But if the Daoist Black Shoes were with them, they would definitely hold him back.

The Daoist Black Shoes only had a few hundred Spirit Stone left, so he wouldn't pass up this good opportunity to enrich himself.

Before leaving, the Daoist Black Shoes solemnly called over Kang Dabao and the others, instructing them, "That Chen Ye is not someone you can handle. Follow the other three disciples to wipe out the Grass Witch Cult disciples."

Kang Dabao nodded hurriedly, knowing full well that this was a job of picking up money, so he wouldn't refuse.

As he spoke, Kang Dabao quickly tugged at Jiang Qing's sleeve.

The latter showed a helpless expression. Although he liked fighting, he was not stupid. Chen Ye was an opponent who could kill Foundation Establishment True Cultivator. Jiang Qing had this much self-awareness and knew that he was no match for him.

Pei Yi asked from the side, "Uncle-Master, is Chen Ye really that troublesome?"

The Daoist Black Shoes nodded slightly. "Although he used some methods, even ordinary Green Leaf Foundation Establishment, unless they are late-stage cultivators, would be in some danger facing him."

Kang Dabao was starting to admire Chen Ye.

Qi Refinement Refining Foundation Establishment and then the Foundation Establishment stage would be enough for the disciples of the Grass Witch Cult to boast about for years to come, if those disciples were still alive by then.

Li Sun stood on a small Green Leaf sword. He was in poor spirits after a night of reckless behavior in a small immortal cultivation clan. He swayed in the air for quite some time before he could finally steady himself.

"Second Grandfather is truly capable. His friendship with Elder Zhao back then was genuine. Hehe, I've suddenly become inner disciple of the Grass Witch Cult. Where in this small Pingrong County can't I go?! I must take good care of him and make sure he lives a few more years. It would be so beneficial for me."

"It's just that these teaching exams every five or ten years are a bit annoying; you always have to go through the motions." Li Sun muttered to himself again, the scent of perfume wafting from his clothes into his nostrils. He couldn't help but inhale a few more times, his mood growing increasingly unpleasant.

Having just emerged from a life of pleasure, he was filled with resentment until he glanced at the Green Leaf at his feet, at which point his mood improved slightly.

"If I were still a rogue cultivator with a Rogue Cultivator flying sword, I don't know when I would ever be able to gather enough Spirit Stone." Thinking of this, Li Sun's face lit up with joy again.

Thinking of these things, Li Sun's mood improved slightly, and he rallied his spirits to look ahead.

"What's that so dazzling?" Li Sun's small eyes narrowed slightly as the bright spot in front of him stung, but the next instant, he felt a chill on his neck.

Jiang Qing dodged the spurting blood column, flicked his fingers, and sent the Seven Luminaries Heart-Slaying Sword flying through the air. Blood droplets gathered at the tip of the sword and slid down. After doing this, Jiang Qing frowned and threw the severed head to Kang Dabao.

"That's the fourth one, so nimble." Kang Dabao nodded with a smile, quite satisfied. Taking advantage of these slow-witted birds' lack of information, he could still reap a good harvest.

"Senior Brother, Uncle Black Shoes has told you to fight for it!" Jiang Qing said with dissatisfaction.

It's unspeakable that a sect leader would lead a few junior brothers to ambush and kill low-ranking disciples of the Grass Witch Cult.

"Senior brother is indeed steady." Pei Yi, who had been assigned by Kang Dabao to check the Storage Bag, added with a complicated expression.

Yuan Jin chuckled beside him, "Little Sanzi's finally got what he deserves. When he was younger, he always sided with the sect leader whenever we talked about these things. Now he's getting a taste of that feeling, isn't he? It's not pleasant, is it?"

"Of the three Foundation Establishment forces, only the Book and Sword Gate sent Jia Wenze, who only advanced in the last twenty years. We'll talk about that later. Do you really think the Grass Witch Cult is so easy to defeat? They've been entrenched in Pingrong County for years, and they've accumulated a lot of Qi Refinement like Chen Ye. Even if they can't compare to Chen Ye, they're not easy opponents. How could they be wiped out so easily?"

Kang Dabao, looking completely unconcerned, snatched the list from Pei Yi's hand and glanced at it briefly.

"Not bad, another two hundred Spirit Stone have come in. These Grass Witch Cult disciples are much richer than those poor rogue Rogue Cultivator."

Perhaps to verify his words, several groups of disheveled cultivators swept past from a distance. Jiang Qing swung his sword in a circle, stopping them all. Pei Yi took out the roster and checked them one by one, finding that none of them were Grass Witch Cult.

These cultivators were all injured, some lightly, some heavily, and their cultivation levels were not high, hovering around the early to mid-stages of Qi Refinement.

Kang Dabao, leaning on his flying sword, questioned the group for a while and found out that they were all well-informed Rogue Cultivator from the surrounding counties who wanted to take advantage of the situation.

Unexpectedly, they were directly conscripted by the disciples of the Book and Sword Gate. The team of over a hundred people was annihilated after only three strikes from the Grass Witch Cult's formation.

The remaining survivors fled for their lives, only to be killed by another wave of disciples from the Book and Sword Gate Sect. A few of them were lucky enough to escape, but were stopped by Kang Dabao and his group.

The cries and injuries of these Rogue Cultivators were absolutely true. Kang Dabao had only asked half of the questions when one of the Rogue Cultivator, unable to suppress his injuries, died on the spot.

Their plight was tragic, but no one felt much sympathy for them. Did they think they were heading to the Grass Witch Cult's stronghold for a feast?

In front of a group of Rogue Cultivator, Kang Dabao unabashedly picked up the Storage Bag of the deceased Rogue Cultivator and put it back into his hand.

He questioned the Rogue Cultivator every detail in their words, over and over again, until he was certain he hadn't been fooled. Only then did he lose interest, but he didn't bother with them anymore.

The young Rogue Cultivator were terrified and huddled together in a ball. In the end, Pei Yi, being kind-hearted, applied some cheap medicine to their wounds before letting them go.

Kang Dabao secretly rejoiced. Fortunately, it wasn't the Grass Witch Cult disciples who retreated, and fortunately, the Grass Witch Cult's great formation hadn't been broken yet. Otherwise, the Chongming Sect wouldn't have even gotten a taste of the soup.

When Sect Leader Kang Da realized what was happening, he first glanced arrogantly at his three junior brothers, the meaning of which was self-evident.

"See? Still arguing? What's the point? If we were still joining the main force to besiege the Grass Witch Cult's stronghold right now, we might have even lost some of our own fellow disciples."

"Hmph." Although Kang Dabao was right, Jiang Qing was still a little angry. He hugged the Seven Luminaries Heart-Slaying Sword to his chest and stood there pretending to doze off.

Kang Dabao and Yuan Jin both knew his straightforward nature and ignored him. Pei Yi, however, was used to mediating and was about to say a few words of advice when he heard several screams coming from the direction where the Rogue Cultivator had fled.

Jiang Qing opened his eyes and saw a white-clad swordsman riding a blood-red longsword toward the Chongming Sect's group.

"Uncle Jia was wondering why the fellow Daoists from the Chongming Sect hadn't arrived yet, and even asked me to keep an eye out while I was chasing the escaped soldiers. I never imagined that they were here to Rogue Cultivator rogue cultivators."

The white-clad swordsman was of rather ordinary appearance. After he finished speaking, he glanced at Jiang Qing, who was holding a sword in his arms, with a disdainful expression.

Jiang Qing couldn't stand such humiliation. He was just a Late Qi Refinement; it wasn't like he hadn't killed him before.

He was about to retaliate when Kang Dabao stopped him. Kang Dabao's small eyes narrowed, and he presented four severed heads to the white-robed swordsman, saying, "Fellow Daoist, you're mistaken. We brothers are merely using orthodox military tactics—encircling a point and attacking reinforcements."

"Heh." The white-robed swordsman spoke with disdain, not even glancing at them. "Alright, my master says the battle at the front is critical. Fellow Daoists, you should head to the Grass Witch Cult's stronghold first, then come to the rear to besiege and attack reinforcements."

Kang Dabao was a little angry. This guy was so arrogant; he even emphasized the phrase "besiege the point and attack the reinforcements"!

They lack basic social skills; some things are better left unsaid once they're understood.

"I have not yet had the pleasure of learning from the Chongming Sect Kang Dabao."

"Heng Yiban of the Book and Sword Gate." Heng Yiban introduced himself with his head held high, bowing slightly, "Please, gentlemen."

The other party used the pretense of Foundation Establishment True Cultivator as a cover, leaving Kang Dabao with no excuse. He then led his three junior brothers to the Grass Witch Cult's headquarters with Heng Yiban.

The New Cloud Alliance's siege of the Grass Witch Cult's grand formation included not only disciples from various factions, but also a much larger number of Rogue Cultivator.

Conscription during wartime is an age-old practice. You think you can become a carefree hermit just because you've cultivated immortality? Dream on! If you won't be the one filling in the moat, then my own disciple will be!

This scene was far more brutal than the attack on the Five Aspects Sect. Back then, our side had a significant advantage. The Five Aspects Sect disciples had just lost their sect leader and were unstable. The two Sima, Fei and Gun, easily wiped out a group of Foundation Establishment, and there was almost no one in the formation who could defeat them.

Under those circumstances, the state court's attack on the Five Aspects Sect Formation was effortless, and they captured it without much effort.

Now, Jia Wenze is injured!

Thanks to Brother Heiyunke for the 500 coins, and thanks to Brother Qingshan Xiaohanlang for the 100 coins.

Thank you, Brother Baiyao, for the six Extended Net Moon.

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