Chapter 667 - 208: All Factions on the Move

In a vast, empty wilderness, a cold wind gusted by. The onset of winter made the air feel all the more turbulent and biting.

The sound of footsteps echoed across the desolate wilderness. Then, one by one, constables clad in the uniforms of the Government Office emerged from the darkness.

The sound of tearing air resounded endlessly from the sky.

Constables whose power had reached the Unity Realm or higher descended from the sky, completely surrounding Shen Bai.

Shen Bai frowned. A moment later, he saw Zhang Dao Ling approaching with his men.

"How audacious, Shen Bai! You dare to murder my son? As a Court-appointed official, you have committed such a heinous act of slaughter. What punishment do you deserve?"

Zhang Dao Ling bellowed at Shen Bai the moment he arrived.

Hearing Zhang Dao Ling’s words, Shen Bai glanced around. Understanding dawned on him, and the corners of his mouth lifted into a slight smile.

"I never thought, Lord Zhang, that you would devise such a scheme just to eliminate a rival like me. But the cost of framing me seems a bit high, doesn’t it? You were even willing to sacrifice your own son."

The surrounding constables and Chief Constables exchanged glances.

They were all somewhat surprised to hear Shen Bai’s claim, but none of them let it show on their faces.

There was no emotion in Zhang Dao Ling’s eyes, only a cold indifference.

He looked at Shen Bai and said slowly, "Shen Bai, I don’t know what you’re talking about. But the evidence is conclusive. I advise you to surrender without a fight and return with me to the Government Office to face judgment."

Though his face was devoid of expression, Zhang Dao Ling’s heart was bleeding.

This whole play was a scheme devised for him by Xinhua Academy.

Xinhua Academy had guessed that Shen Bai would likely visit the Government Office by night, so they told him to send Zhang Huan away quickly. Before doing so, however, they proposed two clever stratagems.

The first was that Zhang Huan would be sent elsewhere, as would be logical, thus ensuring Zhang Dao Ling’s temporary safety.

The second was that if Zhang Huan couldn’t escape, he was to be killed, and the blame for everything would be placed on Shen Bai.

He had long ago planted a Dao Text inside Zhang Huan’s body, allowing him to easily sense any abnormalities in the vicinity.

So, just as Shen Bai was about to seize him, Zhang Dao Ling detonated the Dao Text, blowing Zhang Huan’s body to pieces.

He was Zhang Dao Ling’s son, but Zhang Dao Ling felt he had no other choice.

’Thinking it over, by killing Zhang Huan, I can completely escape this crisis. At the very least, Shen Bai won’t be able to find anything on me. Although it’s cruel to kill my own son with my own hands, I have no other options. I can only resort to this desperate measure. If I lose a son, I can always have another. But if I’m gone, the Zhang Family line ends for good.’

Seeing Zhang Dao Ling’s indifferent expression, Shen Bai sneered. "It seems I’ve fallen into your trap today. But if you think you can just haul me back, it won’t be that simple."

"Are you going to resist arrest?" Zhang Dao Ling frowned.

’If Shen Bai returns with me to the Government Office today, I can personally preside over his case. There will be plenty of room for me to maneuver. If he resists arrest, that’s even better. Then, he won’t be able to clear his name even if he jumps into the Yellow River.’

Shen Bai slowly shook his head. "I’ll go back to the Government Office with you. But *they* don’t have the authority to escort me."

The moment he finished speaking, without another word, Shen Bai transformed into a blur and flew toward Lingyun Dao.

The surrounding constables moved to intercept Shen Bai, but under his gaze, they instinctively faltered for a moment.

Watching Shen Bai’s retreating figure, Zhang Dao Ling gritted his teeth and said, "Let’s go. Follow me back to the Government Office."

’Be arrogant for today. Once we’re in the Government Office, we’ll see how arrogant you can be. At that point, if you try to escape or pull anything else, I’ll have ways to deal with you.’

Zhang Dao Ling plotted continuously in his mind.

Soon, Zhang Dao Ling led his many constables back to Lingyun Dao.

...

「Lingyun Dao.」

「Inside the Government Office.」

Wang Teng and Ma Yuan rushed in with a group of Observatory members, only to find Shen Bai sitting leisurely in the main hall of the Government Office, casually watching Zhang Dao Ling.

"Audacious! How dare you detain the Daoist Si of the Observatory? This is utter lawlessness!"

Wang Teng took a step forward, unleashing the full force of his Celestial Spirit Realm Peak power. The pressure made it difficult for the surrounding constables and Chief Constables to breathe.

Ma Yuan, on the other hand, went to Shen Bai’s side and asked with concern, "Lord Shen, are you injured?"

Shen Bai shook his head. "I’m perfectly fine. But today, I want to see, Zhang Dao Ling, what exactly is it that you want with me?"

At the head of the hall, Zhang Dao Ling sat in his seat of authority, his fists clenched. A gloomy aura surrounded him, but he kept it from showing on his face.

’What the Observatory has done today is a direct slap in my face. Even though I’m the one who framed Shen Bai, he is still officially accused of a crime. Yet the Observatory is acting as if I’m invisible, causing a ruckus right here in my Government Office. As a Daoist Order, how can I endure such a humiliation?’

CRACK!

Zhang Dao Ling slammed the gavel on his desk and boomed, "Shen Bai has committed a crime! Are you still going to protect him? If you insist, then I will report all the facts of today’s events to His Majesty in Xuanjing City. What will you do then?"

Ma Yuan had been asking about the situation with the trial, but upon hearing Zhang Dao Ling’s outburst, he immediately looked up and retorted, "The Court has issued an order: if a member of the Observatory commits a crime, the case should be handed over to the Observatory for internal handling. The Government Office has no jurisdiction. Furthermore, Lord Shen is a Daoist Si, your equal in rank. On what grounds can you try him?"

This was, in fact, a regulation of the Great Zhou Country.

If a member of the Observatory committed an offense, it was to be reported up the chain of command within the Observatory, to be handled by a higher-level body of the same organization.