Chapter 1

Besides the Sword Saint-level experts present, no one could observe the spirit servants. Even the arrival of the four Yin corpses, with their surging aura of extreme Yin and chilling cold, made their hair stand on end, as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.

The ordinary soldiers felt fear from the bottom of their hearts, like hearing ghost stories as children, fearing the illusory ghosts and gods.

The two Saints of the Shenrui Army exchanged glances, their expressions turning grave. If they didn't have great trust in their intelligence sources, they would have suspected they were chasing the wrong enemy.

That lecherous and extravagant emperor actually possessed such cultivation.

Leaving aside the emperor himself, the aura of the four evil creatures and two vengeful souls was terrifying, all being Grandmaster-level.

Such a powerful expert was actually willing to be a puppet emperor, manipulated by others.

The two Saints from the Ministry of Justice felt a chill in their hearts. The Beast King shouted sternly, "Who dares to intrude into the Ministry of Justice?!"

Having witnessed the opponent's strength, they preferred to communicate first, then consider whether to fight to the death.

However, the senior generals of the city defense army knew better. A young general holding a changqiang (long spear) took the lead, saying, "Those who dare to intrude into the Ministry of Justice shall be killed without mercy!"

Pointing his changqiang, he didn't give the Saints from the Ministry of Justice a chance to speak, and ordered his subordinates: "Charge!"

Immediately, more than twenty brave soldiers hardened their scalps and charged forward with their sabers, while more than a dozen archers pulled their bows and shot fiercely.

Zhang Yuanqing remained motionless, allowing the arrows to hit him, and raised his head to let out a sharp whistle, a mental strike!

Bang bang bang!

The brave soldiers who charged with their sabers fell to the ground one after another, dying on the spot. The archers in the rear also bled from their seven orifices, their souls shattered.

Ordinary people couldn't withstand a Level 5 Saint's group attack skill at all. With a single mental strike, more than thirty brave soldiers of the city defense army died on the spot.

The extraordinary-level platoon leaders and squad leaders lost their fighting power one after another. After clearing out the small monsters, Zhang Yuanqing snapped his fingers, "Go!"

The four Yin corpses and two spirit servants immediately pounced on the Saints from the city defense army, the Ministry of Justice, and the Shenrui Army. Zhang Yuanqing then summoned his short blades, concealed his figure, and waited for an opportunity to sneak attack. The scene was immediately chaotic.

The combat power of a Saint-level Yin corpse was weaker than that of a Lingjing Xingzhe (Lingjing Wanderer) of the same level, and naturally weaker than that of an ancient cultivator. However, their advantage lay in not fearing death and daring to trade their lives for their opponents'. Moreover, they were refined by the Enchantment Demon, and were extremely skilled in close combat.

Therefore, even if the Saints present could suppress the Yin corpses, they couldn't destroy them in a short period of time.

Zhang Yuanqing appeared from time to time, attacking the Fire Demon swordsman and the Plague God, creating bleeding knife wounds on his enemies' bodies each time.

After the short blade pierced the Fire Demon's chest, Zhang Yuanqing once again used Night Tour to conceal himself, put on the Yin-Yang Dharma Robe, and summoned two water dragons, turning them into a torrential downpour.

Then, he took out the Thunder God mark and stuck it on his forehead, and his body burst with bright blue electric light.

In an instant, electric plasma and bleeding effects covered the entire area with the rain.

After leaving the Ministry of Justice, Hong Ji Ge (Red Rooster) ran wildly through the streets. The dense crowd made it impossible for him to unleash his speed. After receiving several fierce kicks from the Red High Heels, Hong Ji Ge leaped onto the roof and began a city-wide parkour.

The "da da" sound behind him followed like a shadow. A Saint's speed was naturally faster than that of the Red High Heels, but the former was a perpetual motion machine, a rules-based item. Once a chase was initiated, even if mountains had no ridges and heaven and earth merged, it would never part from its target.

Fortunately, the city defense army had all been attracted to the Ministry of Justice, and no one was paying attention to him, a madman running on rooftops. In normal times, the city defense army would have shot him down with an arrow.

After running for a quarter of an hour, starlight rose ahead, and Yuan Shi Tian Zun (Primordial Lord of Heaven), disguised, walked out of the starlight.

Zhang Yuanqing canceled the pursuit command, appeased the Red High Heels, and obtained agreement on "deferred payment of the price." Then, he looked at Hong Ji Ge and said, "Follow me."

Hong Ji Ge rubbed his shoulder and back, which had been kicked painfully, and asked, "Where are we going? How many people did you kill in the Ministry of Justice?"

"Four Saints," Zhang Yuanqing casually replied. "I didn't kill the Saints from the Shenrui Army. I feel they are useful. I swallowed the spirit bodies of two senior city defense army officers. I'll devour them later. I'll take you to meet Jingwei first."

Jingwei had been taken away by Wang Beiwang. Although it was sudden, and everyone hadn't agreed on a meeting place, Zhang Yuanqing knew that Wang Beiwang would definitely return to their base in the west of the city.

That was the only known base for both parties, the other being Wang Beiwang's home and the elder's residence.

Zheng Wenshi, wearing armor and a changjian (long sword) at his waist, led a team of fifty men and strode into the Ministry of Justice, arriving at the scene of the battle.

Looking around, the bluestone floor tiles were cracked, the pavilions had collapsed, broken tiles and beams were lying everywhere, and more than forty corpses were neatly arranged, covered with white cloth.

The Ministry of Justice's Plague God commanded the cleanup of the scene and the collection of corpses with a pained expression. Seeing Zheng Wenshi arrive, the Ministry of Justice's Plague God's expression turned solemn, and he greeted him, "General Zheng!"

The person in front of him was in charge of the city defense army's Second Battalion, a total of four thousand men. Although his official rank was Fifth Grade, he held military power in his hands. Moreover, he was the younger brother of Zheng Xiang (Prime Minister) Zheng Wenhan.

Zheng Wenshi was a Grandmaster-level expert at the peak, only one step away from becoming a Saint.

Regardless of family background, power, or cultivation, Zheng Wenshi was a pivotal figure in the Southern Dynasty. It was said that Zheng Xiang had tried his best to recommend his younger brother Zheng Wenshi to command 50,000 elite troops to guard Linxia City, but he was intercepted by the Yang family's Qilin (Kylin) son.

Zheng Wenshi mainly cultivated swordsmanship and supplemented it with the art of water control, possessing both the sharpness and majesty of a swordsman and the gloominess of a water ghost.

He swept his gaze over the corpses covered with white cloth and said coldly, "Has the thief been captured?"

The Ministry of Justice's Plague God shook his head and said, "The thief's divine power is unmatched. He killed four Grandmasters and more than ten city defense army soldiers. He left triumphantly and even took their corpses."

After a pause, he added, "Three Saints are chasing after the thief. They have already fled."

"General Zheng, I heard one of the three thieves shout: 'The muddle-headed emperor?'"

Before he could finish speaking, Zheng Wenshi's eyes, like knives, instantly fixed on him, and the Ministry of Justice's Plague God immediately fell silent.

Zheng Wenshi said lightly, "His Majesty, the muddle-headed emperor, is wise and martial. He resides in the imperial palace. How could he appear here? Furthermore, His Majesty is not a cultivator. Do your job well and don't make wild guesses!"

"Yes, yes," the Ministry of Justice's Plague God repeatedly nodded.

Zhang Yuanqing led Hong Ji Ge over the gray brick wall and saw Jiang Jingwei and Xiu'er sitting in the courtyard, each with a big white steamed bun, with minced meat in the bun.

The two of them were eating with greasy mouths. Wang Beiwang sat to the side, holding a teacup in his hand, anxiously spinning it with his fingertips.

Seeing the two return safely, Wang Beiwang breathed a sigh of relief, and then looked at Zhang Yuanqing with a complicated expression, saying, "Thank you."

Zhang Yuanqing didn't waste words and said in a deep voice, "Take Xiu'er and your parents and leave the capital. Go hide somewhere else!"