Chương 38: Chapter 38 City Lord Manor Takes Action
Shangguan Yi arrived at the Xia Family estate an hour later.
"I'll take 70% of the spoils. The rest you can divide among yourselves," Shangguan Yi declared, gathering the pill ingredients, array materials, cultivation techniques, combat techniques, and essence stones from the spoils.
Xia Zu and Xia Fu exchanged hesitant glances but remained silent.
"Take these and focus on replenishing your essence," Shangguan Yi said, handing them two batches of high-grade pills.
Excitement lit up their faces as they respectfully bowed to him.
Shangguan Yi then returned to the Meditation Garden, where he began absorbing three wisps of flame before concentrating on replenishing his core essence.
Upon completing his replenishment, he assessed his cultivation progress, noting a 29% increase. The additional 9% signified that nine false Core Formation Cultivators had perished by his hand.
"This can't be! The previous plan isn't working. With the Everlasting Firmament Flame Technique, I should be progressing faster than this," Shangguan Yi murmured.
He had immense potential and significant opportunities within his grasp, but he lacked the courage to seize them.
"En, the news about the fall of the five mid-grade families shouldn't attract the attention of the high-grade families yet. I still have a chance in the East," Shangguan Yi mused, making up his mind.
Shangguan Yi left the room and headed eastward. It was daytime, and people were going about their lives, still they were oblivious to his presence as he moved under the cover of a concealment array.
This time, Shangguan Yi did not bring anyone with him. Xia Zu and Xia Fu needed a few days to replenish their essence, and as for Shuang'er, he planned to use her once she reached the Core Formation Realm.
One hour later, dressed in a black robe and mask, Shangguan Yi arrived in front of a mid-grade family estate. His Divine Sense swept through the area, quickly locating a false Core Formation Cultivator.
Using the Polar Star Flame Technique, he appeared before the false Core Formation Cultivator in mere seconds.
"Greetings, Senior!" the old man greeted.
Shangguan Yi responded with a blink of his eyes.
The old man, confused, smiled in response. Suddenly, his expression froze.
"Senior, you—!"
Shangguan Yi didn't waste any words. As the old man turned to ash, he retrieved the white flame and disappeared.
When the family's cultivators arrived, there was nothing left.
"It was here that I sensed the aura of a Core Formation Cultivator!" one of them exclaimed.
…
Shangguan Yi moved to the next family.
This family had two false Core Formation Cultivators, who came out to greet him politely.
Their greeting was met with nothing but a blink from Shangguan Yi.
"Arrgh! Senior, we have no grudges with you, why are you harming us?"
"Argh! My core essence is depleting!"
Within ten seconds, Shangguan Yi, without wasting words, cast his technique and moved away. Once they were completely done, he returned to collect the white flame before leaving.
A moment later, the family's cultivators arrived at the scene.
"A fight happened here just now!"
Seeing the chaotic environment, the cultivators quickly understood what had transpired.
But Shangguan Yi was already gone, moving toward the next family.
…
"Senior! Tell us before we die, what exactly did my family do to offend you? Why are you doing this?"
There was no answer.
"Argh! I've cultivated for a hundred years only to die like this! What an unfair heaven!"
Shangguan Yi remained silent. After collecting the white flame, he left.
…
"What a strange technique! It's sucking my core essence and life force! This must be an evil technique—you are a demonic cultivator!"
"Today, I'll perish with you, demon." The old man, his body burning, lunged towards Shangguan Yi.
But Shangguan Yi was already far away. The old man turned to ash before reaching him.
…
"You! Why?" an old woman screamed before turning to ash.
Shangguan Yi collected the white flame and left.
…
"Please, senior, let me go. We bear no grudges against you. If my family has wronged you, we are willing to compensate at any cost," the old man pleaded, kneeling and begging.
Shangguan Yi remained silent until the old man turned to ash.
…
"Senior, spare me, spare me. I've cultivated for a hundred years, and I still want to live. I don't want to die!" the old man begged until his body turned to ash.
Shangguan Yi watched him with a heavy heart, his mood weighed down by the scene.
…
"Hmph! What's so great about being a Core Formation Cultivator? You only know how to bully us. We'll fight you to the death!" Three false Core Formation Cultivators charged towards Shangguan Yi, their bodies burning.
Shangguan Yi had a heavy mood, standing at a distance.
…
"What? We can't extinguish it with our core essence."
"Kill him, kill him! Once he's dead, this flame will extinguish on its own."
Three old men activated their techniques and charged at Shangguan Yi.
Shangguan Yi moved swiftly, responding with a blink of his eyes.
…
Shangguan Yi visited 20 families in a day before his core essence dwindled to 10%. His sole focus was on eliminating the false Core Formation Cultivators, disregarding the treasures each family possessed. Thus, it took him mere minutes to complete his task at each location.
However, with each encounter, Shangguan Yi's mood grew heavier as he witnessed the varied expressions of those before their deaths. He was inexperienced in such ruthless actions, but a voice within him urged him to continue.
Aware that he needed to adapt to these deeds before this feeling faded, Shangguan Yi found himself in the secret room of a random low-grade family. He set up a small protection array before absorbing around 40 wisps of white flame to replenish his core essence.
Instead of returning to the Xia Family, he had slaughtered all members of this random family, seeking refuge in their secret room to rest and cultivate. Over six hours, he absorbed all 40 wisps, advancing his cultivation to 70%. Now, he needed to eliminate another 30 false Core Formation Cultivators to achieve a breakthrough.
Suppressing his excitement, Shangguan Yi focused on replenishing his core essence and preparing for the next move.
Meanwhile, Shangguan Yi's actions had angered the mid-grade families whose ancestors he had slain. Unable to tolerate such audacity, they promptly reported the matter to the City Lord Manor.
"Such audacity! This person must be a demonic cultivator!" declared Fu Bo, the City Lord, a middle-aged man with a robust body and red hair, his tone icy.
The patriarchs of the 20 families stood respectfully before him.
"This person has caused chaos in our city. We must capture him and enforce punishment to uphold the rule of Red Maple City," proclaimed a middle-aged man with a sturdy physique, rising to suggest Fu Bo.
The patriarchs looked upon this man with reverence. He was Tie Tu, the Head of the City Guard, commanding thousands of guards within the city. Under his watchful eye, no demonic cultivator dared to enter Red Maple City.
Fu Bo nodded in agreement with Tie Tu's suggestion. "Hmph! These demonic cultivators grow more arrogant by the day. Do they think my Red Maple City is their hunting ground? Tie Tu, I entrust this matter to you."
"You will not be disappointed, City Lord," Tie Tu assured Fu Bo before turning to the patriarchs of the 20 families.
"I'll need each of you to provide me with any information you have on this demonic cultivator," Tie Tu stated firmly.
The patriarchs exchanged glances, their expressions filled with helplessness. "We're ashamed to admit it, but we know nothing about this person. He acted swiftly and left without a trace. We didn't even catch a glimpse of him," they replied in embarrassment. They had come seeking assistance, yet they found themselves clueless about their enemy.
Tie Tu remained composed, showing no sign of annoyance. "There's no perfect crime in this world. He must have left something behind. You just have to think about it," he encouraged them calmly.
Relieved, the patriarchs began to ponder the matter earnestly. Tie Tu didn't rush them; he sat calmly, sipping his tea, while Fu Bo observed the scene with a composed expression.
Suddenly, one patriarch exclaimed in excitement,
"That's right! When we arrived at the scene, we could sense the remaining heat."
Tie Tu blinked in recognition.
"Yes, I also noticed the heat and burning smell when I arrived at the scenes." Another patriarch added.
"The same for my family."
"And mine."
"This person must specialize in flame techniques!"
Tie Tu nodded solemnly, the recent reports of five mid-grade families being annihilated in the eastern suburbs emerging clearly in his mind. "Don't tell me..."
Swiftly, Tie Tu stood up and bowed deeply to Fu Bo. "City Lord, I have the clues. Recently, five mid-grade families in the eastern suburbs were annihilated by three masked cultivators. The leader among them uses flame techniques to burn many cultivators to ash. This must be related. I will start my investigation from there."
Fu Bo's expression hardened. "Hmph, using flame to burn victims to ash. This is beyond the actions of a mere demonic cultivator. Such a person cannot be tolerated. If you find him, you have my authorization to eliminate him on sight."
"I will," Tie Tu affirmed, bowing again before swiftly leaving the hall. He needed to assemble his team specialized in investigation and combat for this operation.
"We will follow General Tie Tu to apprehend this murderer. Farewell, City Lord," the 20 patriarchs bowed to Fu Bo
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