Chapter 242 - 26: A Single Slash Stirs Great Waves

Chapter 242: Chapter 26: A Single Slash Stirs Great Waves

"Hah..."

Chen Ye let out a long, turbid breath. The solid, real sensation of having his body back settled his heart immensely.

And with the death of the caster, Li Gu, the evil Array in the center of the secret room—constructed from all kinds of filth—lost all its Energy support and collapsed with a tremendous crash.

BOOM!

A visible wave of black gas erupted from the Array’s center, violently spreading in all directions.

The blast wave carried countless, piercing wails, as dense, resentful energy and Evil Qi frantically dispersed outwards.

Chen Ye frowned.

’A commotion this big will definitely attract the city patrols!’

’I have to get out of here, now!’

With that thought, Chen Ye didn’t hesitate. He couldn’t be bothered to search Li Gu’s body for any potential loot; he just turned and left.

The most important thing was to escape. After all, if he got cornered here by people from the Celestial Sword Manor or Qingzhou Prefecture City, it would be impossible to explain his way out of the situation, no matter how justified he was.

He had no desire to get himself dragged into trouble over some piece of scum from White Bone Mountain.

And Chen Ye’s judgment was proven correct. No sooner had he left the courtyard than the night patrol teams from Celestial Sword Manor and Qingzhou Prefecture City arrived.

As soon as they arrived on the scene, they were stunned by the Evil Qi before them, which was so thick it was almost tangible.

"Such potent Evil Qi!" a disciple leading the Celestial Sword Manor team said, his expression grave.

"Go take a look!" With a wave of his hand, the Armored Centurion of Qingzhou Prefecture City gave the order. Several of the bolder Armored Warriors, holding Demon-Breaking Talismans, carefully rushed into the secret room, which was already a total wreck.

They came back out a moment later.

"Chief, the person inside is dead!"

"Dead?"

The leaders of the two teams gathered around. When they got a clear look at the gruesome state of Li Gu’s corpse, they couldn’t help but gasp.

The Armored Centurion was an expert. He crouched down to carefully examine the wounds on the body, his expression growing more and more serious.

"The killer is a supreme master of the saber!"

The disciple leading the Celestial Sword Manor team nodded and added, "And judging from the lingering aura at the scene, the fight was over in an instant."

"To dare act so brazenly right here in Qingzhou Prefecture City... this person has some serious nerve," the Armored Centurion said as he stood up, his brow deeply furrowed.

"Hmph. I don’t care who it is. To dare cause trouble on Celestial Sword Manor’s territory during the trading summit is a blatant show of disrespect to our manor!" the disciple snorted, his eyes filled with a murderous glint.

Qingzhou Prefecture City has explicit laws strictly forbidding anyone from dueling within the city, let alone using such a large-scale killing Curse.

Now, not only had someone used an Evil Technique, but someone else had committed murder. This was a blatant challenge to the authority of both Celestial Sword Manor and Qingzhou Prefecture City.

Thus, the two parties secured the scene while reporting the incident to their superiors.

Soon, numerous disciples from Celestial Sword Manor and Qingzhou City Armored Warriors arrived, forming a tight cordon around the entire residence, sealing it off completely.

Not long after, two more groups arrived on the scene, one right after the other.

Representing Celestial Sword Manor was a woman.

She looked to be about twenty, dressed in a suit of white martial arts attire that perfectly accentuated her graceful and well-proportioned figure.

Her long, black hair was held back by a simple jade hairpin. Her face was stunningly beautiful, but her expression was as cold as frost, like ice that had not melted in ten thousand years. Her almond-shaped eyes held an arrogance that kept everyone at a distance.

A longsword hung at her waist, and her entire bearing was like that of a drawn blade—so sharp and brilliant that one dared not look at her directly.

"Senior Sister Xiao!"

Upon seeing the woman, all the Celestial Sword Manor disciples present bowed respectfully.

This woman was Xiao Zhanbai, an elite disciple of Celestial Sword Manor’s Law Enforcement Hall.

Despite her youth, she had already reached the Sea Condensation Realm in her Cultivation. Her Fast Sword technique was nearly unrivaled among her peers, making her a standout figure of the younger generation in the manor. She was highly regarded by the Law Enforcement Elder, Elder Jian.

The man who came from Qingzhou Prefecture City was middle-aged.

He wore the uniform of a Qingzhou Prefecture City Chief Constable. With his average build, plain features, and weather-beaten face, he looked like any other run-of-the-mill official.

But his eyes were exceptionally bright and sharp, as if they could see right into a person’s heart.

"Chief!"

Upon seeing him, the Armored Warriors also bowed in salute.

This man was the Chief Constable of the Qingzhou Prefecture City’s Demon Slayer Department. His surname was Wang, and everyone called him Chief Wang.

He had a wealth of experience in solving cases and was known for his steady and prudent nature. He was a well-known and respected figure in Qingzhou Prefecture City.

Xiao Zhanbai and Chief Wang had clearly dealt with each other before. They exchanged nods, which served as their greeting.

"What’s the situation?" Xiao Zhanbai asked, getting straight to the point. Her voice was cold, devoid of any emotion.

"Miss Xiao, please take a look."

Chief Wang pointed at the two halves of the corpse on the ground.

Xiao Zhanbai walked over. She gave the body a single, cursory glance before her brow furrowed slightly.

"A fast blade."

She was an expert herself, so she could naturally see the terrifying skill contained in that single strike.

Clean. Decisive. Not a single wasted motion.

A single strike had split a living person in two.

Furthermore, judging by the faint trace of Sword Intent lingering at the edge of the wound, the attacker’s Saber Technique had reached the Realm of Returning to the Essence, condensing all of its power into a single point on the blade’s edge.

"Exactly. This person’s Saber Technique is superb; they are not to be underestimated," Chief Wang said with a sigh.