Chapter 158

Guan Ya, holding a rifle, acutely sensed the change in Ling Jun's expression, this guy was truly enraged.

Among the Four Young Masters, Young Master Hua was the most tender and considerate. In his youth, after reading *Dream of the Red Chamber*, he revered the scumbag Jia Baoyu as his idol, vowing to be a man like Baoyu. He even imitated the scumbag's speech, constantly uttering the phrase "Girls are made of water and flesh, men are made of mud and flesh" as his mantra.

Not only that, but in his youth, he accompanied his maternal grandfather, an elder of the Hundred Flowers Association, to visit the Fu family. He took one look at Guan Ya in her girlhood and exclaimed in delight, "My Lin Daiyu has arrived."

Then Guan Ya beat out his front teeth.

"Turns out she's a Rong *momo*," Ling Jun thought, pulling back from the brink, abandoning darkness for light. Then he saw the little witch and exclaimed in delight, "So, my Xue Baochai is here."

Another front tooth was knocked out.

From then on, Ling Jun harbored a lifelong grudge against the women of the Fu family.

In short, in the eyes of this contemporary Jia Baoyu, Chi Yu'an's various acts of violence severely challenged his values and violated his bottom line.

While Ling Jun and his group were enraged by Chi Yu'an's actions, Kou Beiyue, half-conscious, only had one sentence echoing in his mind: *You are the Yuanshi Tianzun?*

He wasn't Yuan Ting, he was Yuanshi Tianzun, the Yuanshi Tianzun who killed Li Xianzong, the official adept that Little Yuan, the rising star of the Songhai branch, knew. It was actually him…

Kou Beiyue was shocked, but it also felt reasonable. Little Yuan had high standards, and a mediocre person with a gentle temperament might gain her kindness at most, but it would be difficult to become her friend.

Wait, how did he brag about Yuanshi Tianzun before? No wonder he had to brag about Yuanshi Tianzun. How could Little Yuan be friends with such a shameless person…

Confused, fragmented thoughts flashed through Kou Beiyue's mind. He could only indulge in wild thoughts now. Chi Yu'an's fist had just injured his internal organs. He was probably hemorrhaging. The physique of a Bewitchment Demon wouldn't die easily, but it didn't have the exaggerated self-healing ability of a Night Walker either.

Faced with the accusations, Chi Yu'an stood proudly and sneered:

"Yuanshi Tianzun, you're not an executive yet, do you know what the crime is for framing an executive? Don't think that just because you've achieved Grade A merit, you can do whatever you want. Ordinary official adepts may fawn over you, but that doesn't mean everyone will. That little bit of merit is nothing in the eyes of those with truly deep foundations."

Zhang Yuanqing spat out a mouthful of blood and glared back:

"At least in front of a soft egg like you, Grade A merit is very useful. Ling Jun, that guy is a tool that Chi Yu'an supports, and he has evidence of Chi Yu'an bribing officials at all levels." He looked towards Wu Ye, who was lying unconscious against the wall.

"Alright!" Ling Jun nodded with a heavy expression and strode towards Wu Ye.

Chi Yu'an's pupils constricted, and a dark red glow wandered and brewed on the surface of his white suit.

The scarlet thin gloves emitted a high temperature that distorted the air, and flames were about to burst forth.

Just as the two were about to fight, a messy and hurried sound of footsteps came from outside the hall. Ling Jun stopped and looked over. The dark red light on Chi Yu'an's body converged, and the high temperature of the gloves dissipated.

The three members of the Second Team looked towards the open doorway, where a group of uniformed security guards poured in. They carried riot shields and guns, and wore anti-theft vests and helmets, fully armed. The only middle-aged man without a shield was surrounded by the security guards. This man was slightly fat, with slightly drooping flesh on both sides of his cheeks. He was powerfully built, and it could be seen that he was a burly man when he was young.

"Everyone, put your hands on your heads and squat down," the middle-aged man roared.

Seeing the security guards with live ammunition, Chi Yu'an was slightly taken aback. He had originally thought that it would be the adept squad under his command who arrived.

After receiving the notification, he sent messages to the captains under his command and then rushed to support them first. Calculating the time, those guys should have arrived. He didn't expect that the first to arrive were his colleagues from the Shakou District Security Department.

"Director Lu, why are you here?" Chi Yu'an asked in a calm tone.

Director Lu? The deputy director who instructed Kong Liangping to forge evidence and protect Chi Yu'an? Zhang Yuanqing raised an eyebrow. Kou Beiyue, who was seriously injured and lying on the ground, began to breathe rapidly.

"I received a report from the public saying that there were lawbreakers breaking into a private residence and maliciously killing people," Director Lu said with a serious expression, wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet.

Chi Yu'an nodded slightly and pointed to Ling Jun and the others:

"It's them!

"These people are of unknown origin, committing murder, and are extremely dangerous. Director Lu, you must be careful."

Director Lu understood the hint, maintained a dignified demeanor, and said loudly:

"You four, put your hands on your heads and squat down. Warning once."

Then, almost without pausing, he opened his mouth without giving them a way out: "Warning twice, warning three times, fire!"

The surrounding security guards turned a blind eye to their superior's illegal command and unconditionally obeyed. They immediately raised their guns. More than a dozen people with more than a dozen guns fired at the same time, raining bullets down on the four of them. Zhang Yuanqing felt a chill in his heart. Such a dense rain of bullets could directly threaten him.

The worst thing was that Chi Yu'an and the Shakou District Security Director were in cahoots, clearly intending to use these ordinary security guards to create trouble and crisis for them. Killing security guards would change the nature of the situation, and it would also deduct morality points.

"Crack!" The brick under Ling Jun's feet broke open, and a vine decorated with green leaves emerged from the ground, coiling itself into a round shield with a diameter of three meters.

Bang, bang, bang!

All the bullets hit the hard wooden shield, either bouncing off or embedding themselves in it.

Ling Jun snapped his fingers, and with the sound of the snap, the floor tiles under the security guards' feet cracked, and gnarled, dragon-like vines burst out of the ground, growing wildly. The security guards with live ammunition were thrown off their feet and couldn't stand steady.

The vines, as thick as arms, whipped and split, creating a constant cracking sound, instantly knocking more than a dozen security guards to the ground with muffled groans.

Director Lu retreated again and again, suddenly feeling a pain in his back. He lowered his head in horror and saw a vine piercing out of his lower abdomen, stained with blood. He screamed in pain.

The other security guards didn't fare any better. They were beaten by the vines until their bones were broken and their tendons were fractured, and they were in so much pain that they couldn't even scream.

"You dare to hurt the security director, dare to hurt the security guards?"

Chi Yu'an, who had been watching coldly, raised an eyebrow and sneered: "Young man, impulsiveness comes at a price."

"Security guards or directors, when I'm unhappy, whoever is noisy, I'll kill you." The usually smiling Ling Jun exuded gloom. He walked slowly towards Chi Yu'an, his tone indifferent: "Chi Yu'an, I've seen many people more cruel and vicious than you, but there aren't many who can make me angry."

As he spoke, Ling Jun's body suddenly swelled, his loose short sleeves ripped open, and dense, black-and-yellow-striped fur grew on his exposed arms and cheeks. His palms widened and thickened, and sharp black claws popped out. His flip-flops shattered, and his feet transformed into the hind paws of a tiger.

His nose widened, his brown pupils contracted, turning into a pair of amber-colored fierce eyes, and the black fur on his forehead formed a "king" pattern. In a few steps, he had turned into a two-meter-tall giant tiger walking upright.

The humanoid giant tiger slowly fell forward, its front limbs touching the ground, and a deep, majestic roar emanated from its throat as it pounced towards Chi Yu'an.

"Beast King?"

Chi Yu'an didn't panic. Everyone was a Saint, and the difference wouldn't be too great. The scarlet thin gloves spewed flames, condensing into a bright yellow long whip.

"Pa!"

Chi Yu'an swung his arm, whipping at the charging tiger.

The tiger, running at high speed, sprang to the left, and the long whip missed, leaving a deep crack in the ground.

"Pa, pa, pa!"

Chi Yu'an struggled to swing his arm, lashing out with one fierce attack after another.

But the mottled tiger dodged left and right, nimbly avoiding the strikes, rushing in front of Chi Yu'an and pouncing fiercely.

Chi Yu'an retreated several steps, retracting the long whip and transforming it into a straight sword.

Then, a heatwave erupted from Chi Yu'an's body, his aura rising layer by layer. Using "Berserker," he stomped his feet and no longer retreated. His leg muscles swelled, propelling his body like a cannonball towards the oncoming tiger.

He knew that the opponent was a Beast King with powerful recovery abilities, but Chi Yu'an wasn't afraid of mutual destruction.

In terms of healing power, the Sweet Dew inner armor was enough to match the Beast King, and the burning attribute of the Scarlet Flame Divine Weapon could suppress the Beast King's recovery. Exchanging injuries, he wouldn't lose out.

Suddenly, the mottled giant tiger's body twisted like a boneless fish, lengthening continuously. In the next moment, the mottled giant tiger transformed into a black-scaled giant snake as thick as a bucket.

Zzzzt.

The straight sword, which should have pierced the tiger's heart, slid across the scales, creating a charred wound. And the giant snake's head snapped forward, opening its fangs and biting Chi Yu'an's neck.

*Crap.* Chi Yu'an had never seen a Beast King transform so quickly. Caught off guard, he was about to self-destruct to force back the giant snake. However, a strong feeling of fatigue suddenly surged through his body. His hands, which could tear apart tigers and leopards, couldn't exert any strength, and his knees went weak, causing him to fall to the ground.

*He's been poisoned.*

The giant snake's fangs contained terrible toxins, which had been injected into his blood vessels through the bite, paralyzing his body.

"Heh, heh…" Chi Yu'an widened his eyes, an unwilling roar escaping his throat.

The giant snake released its mouth, stood upright, its scales shrinking back into its body, growing legs and feet, and returning to human form. Its private parts were covered by thick fur.

"The gap between Saints is very large."

Ling Jun looked down and mocked, then turned to look at Li Dongze and said, "You take this damned bastard to get the evidence."

Li Dongze nodded and picked up the unconscious Wu Ye.

Ling Jun then looked at Zhang Yuanqing, narrowing his eyes and saying, "I've taken the lead for you in this case, but you should think about how to explain your association with an evil profession to the elders."

*This trash is so strong!* Zhang Yuanqing was still in shock.

A level 4 Saint with full experience was ridiculously weak in front of him. Moreover, it was clear that Ling Jun hadn't used his full strength at all.

At this moment, hurried footsteps came again, and seven or eight adepts, holding guns, swarmed into the hall.

Seeing the messy scene and Chi Yu'an, who was paralyzed on the ground, these official adepts suddenly stopped and looked at each other.

Chi Yu'an struggled to raise his head. When no one was paying attention to him, he moved his lips towards his subordinates who had arrived and said a few words in lip language: *Save me, or I'll reveal everything you've done.*

Dawn, pet shop.

A curly-haired teddy bear jumped onto a wooden table. The potted plant on the table extended a tender green tendril, consciously turning on the laptop, entering the password, and logging into the voice conferencing software. The curly-haired teddy bear waited silently for more than ten minutes until the meeting time began.

In the conference room, four avatars came online one after another.

Elder Gou coughed steadily, making an opening statement: "Everyone has seen the video evidence, right? Lao Huo, Chi Yu'an is your subordinate, how to deal with him is up to you to decide."

The elder whose avatar was a fire deity said in a muffled voice, "According to the rules of the gang and the rules of the alliance, he must die. My opinion is to execute him on the spot. If it's not convenient for you to do it, give him back to me and I'll deal with him personally." The video content contained dozens of clips, including rape, gang rape, and abuse. Regardless of other criminal evidence, these alone were enough to sentence Chi Yu'an to death.

"Is it enough to just sentence him to death?" The female elder whose avatar was a river snorted coldly:

"I've checked Chi Yu'an's general physical examination data. He has an extremely strong hatred of women and violent tendencies. How did you manage to turn a blind eye to such a psychological evaluation? He should have been investigated long ago. As an elder, you also have a responsibility."

"Are you teaching me how to do things?" Elder Chihuo of the Chihuo Gang said angrily.

For Fire Masters, discrimination against women and violent tendencies were normal. As long as their mentality wasn't completely distorted, there was no need to focus on them.

"Perhaps, I can also teach you how to be a person," the female elder of the Water God Palace said in a gloomy tone. Water and fire were incompatible, and the two elders would quarrel as soon as they met and fight as soon as they saw each other.

The Zhongting elder stepped forward to smooth things over, saying:

"The video evidence must be submitted to Jingcheng. I don't know how the officials involved in the case in Shakou District will deal with it."

Elder Chihuo of the Chihuo Gang sneered:

"Those without backgrounds will be beaten to death by Sun Dasheng's iron rod, and those with backgrounds will just have their mounts taken back. We don't need to worry about officialdom matters. Let's talk about the Copper Sparrow Terrace case."

Elder Gou said:

"First, Chi Yu'an supported underworld forces and has amassed more than 2 billion in wealth over the years, but we haven't been able to track down where the illicit money went."

"Are you saying that there is someone behind Chi Yu'an?" The elder of Baihu Bingzhong said thoughtfully.

"Just a guess." Elder Gou chuckled, "He used to be a son-in-law of the Zhu family."

"Kill him and ask his spirit," Elder Chihuo of the Chihuo Gang said directly.

"Stupid, the execution of an executive requires approval from headquarters, and headquarters needs time to review and investigate." The female elder of the Water God Palace mocked. Water and fire were incompatible, and the two elders would quarrel as soon as they met and fight as soon as they saw each other.

Elder Gou said:

"Second, several adept squads in Shakou District and Chi Yu'an accused Yuanshi Tianzun of colluding with evil professions and harming his colleagues. Ling Jun and the Second Team of Kangyang District admitted that there was a Bewitchment Demon present at the time."

Elder Chihuo of the Chihuo Gang said in a deep voice:

"I've checked the Copper Sparrow Terrace surveillance footage, and the situation is true. What explanation does he have for this?"

Elder Gou said:

"Yuanshi Tianzun's explanation is—to punish evil and promote good."

"Punish evil and promote good?" The female elder of the Water God Palace repeated in a low voice.

Elder Chihuo of the Chihuo Gang snorted coldly:

"Perfunctory! No matter what his purpose, associating with a bloodthirsty Bewitchment Demon is a stain that he can never wash away. According to the rules of the alliance, private contact with evil professions will result in expulsion from the Five Elements Alliance, or even imprisonment or the death penalty. Considering that he exposed Chi Yu'an's crimes and made contributions, and that he has Grade A merit, I think he should be given a major demerit and imprisoned for half a year."

The elder of Baihu Bingzhong immediately said, "I object!"

A major demerit would affect Yuanshi Tianzun's promotion. Yuanshi Tianzun was a member of Baihu Bingzhong, and he couldn't agree to that.

Elder Gou said:

"Let me explain here. The sister of that Bewitchment Demon was one of the victims of Copper Sparrow Terrace and was killed by Chi Yu'an two years ago. He became a Bewitchment Demon because of this. Fu Qingyang has already taken him into custody and interrogated him. He hasn't killed any ordinary people."

Hearing this, the elder of the Water God Palace, who had been hesitant, immediately expressed her opinion: "I also object."

The elder of the Chihuo Gang and the Zhongting elder didn't express their opinions, nor did they budge.

The Five Elements Alliance had never been lenient towards members who colluded with outsiders. The spies of the Dark Night Rose were killed without hesitation. A major demerit and imprisonment for half a year were already very lenient.

At this time, the elder of Baihu Bingzhong said, "Fu Qingyang has contacted me. He hopes to connect with us."

The conference room was silent for a moment, and Elder Gou said:

"Let him in."

The other three elders didn't object.

A dozen seconds later, Fu Qingyang's avatar appeared in the conference room. Unlike the other elders, who used profession-related elements as their avatars, Fu Qingyang's avatars on all his chat software were of himself.

"Elders, Yuanshi Tianzun is my man. I have something to say about his punishment."

Fu Qingyang's voice was neither humble nor arrogant, his pronunciation was standard, and his enunciation was clear.

"Are you going to plead for him?" The Zhongting elder spoke.

"I won't plead for anyone. I will only state the facts," Fu Qingyang said in a calm tone.

The Fu family's young master's respect for the elders had always been superficial. After all, even the female marshal was trash in his eyes, and everyone present must also be trash.

"First of all, I want to report Yuanshi Tianzun's psychological evaluation—a philosophical idealist. At this stage, it is not recommended to give him too important a position.

"Understanding this person, we can find reasonable logic in his behavior. The Bewitchment Demon is called Kou Beiyue. Two years ago, his sister disappeared for no reason and was later killed. He became an adept because of this.

"This person's character is not bad. He hasn't killed innocent people and is even more law-abiding than many orderly professions. Therefore, the philosophical idealist Yuanshi Tianzun has contact with him. Therefore, Yuanshi Tianzun took action to help, resulting in tonight's Copper Sparrow Terrace incident.

"Legally, he was wrong, but in terms of emotions and reason, I don't think he was wrong."

The Zhongting elder sighed, "For law enforcers, idealism is not a good thing."

Fu Qingyang said lightly, "Whether it's a good thing or a bad thing, let's not discuss it for now. At least he's a good person. The elders don't object to that, right?"

The five elders didn't speak, which was considered a default.

Fu Qingyang spoke eloquently:

"Yuanshi Tianzun's composition is not a problem. Next, let's talk about how to handle this matter. It's impossible to cover it up now that it's reached this stage. We must issue an announcement to explain to the various branches and headquarters. Chi Yu'an's actions have damaged the image of the Five Elements Alliance, both internally and externally. Therefore, we need to avoid the important and take the light, and we need to set an example. Elders, you don't want to be held accountable by headquarters, do you?"

The elder of the Water God Palace smiled and said, "Go on."

Fu Qingyang continued:

"We can characterize Chi Yu'an as a member of the Dark Night Rose, lurking in the Five Elements Alliance, doing evil and extorting excessively. All of this is the fault of the Dark Night Rose. What does it have to do with our Songhai branch? We are also victims. The general physical examination has just ended, and the internal erosion of the Dark Night Rose is no stranger to the Five Elements Alliance, so it is entirely acceptable. But if that's all it is, it still won't convince everyone, and the blame for negligence is inevitable.

"Therefore, we need to guide public opinion."

Elder Gou pondered for a moment, "Guiding public opinion is a good idea. Tell us your thoughts."

"Following the general physical examination, the Songhai branch launched a thunderous attack, dispatching Yuanshi Tianzun to investigate the major executives, and sure enough, they ferreted out a member of the Dark Night Rose. Yuanshi Tianzun ventured alone, collected evidence, and after several life-and-death situations, he cooperated with the Kangyang District adept squad to destroy the bandit's den and capture the traitor." Fu Qingyang finished speaking in one breath and said solemnly:

"A bad thing has turned into a good thing. What do the elders think?"

As for Yuanshi Tianzun's punishment, wouldn't punishing a hero be slapping themselves in the face? The conference room fell silent.

After a moment, Elder Gou shook his head slightly, "Inappropriate!"

Fu Qingyang raised an eyebrow, "Where is it inappropriate?"

Elder Gou: "The title is too long."

The other elders remained silent.

Fu Qingyang understood and said, "I will now order someone to rewrite the title. It will be posted on the forum as soon as it dawns."

8:00 AM.

The Songhai branch posted a post on the forum:

# The Dark Night Rose is Too Deceitful, Yuanshi Tianzun Single-Handedly Destroyed the Traitor's Nest #

ps: I'll fix the typos later.