Chapter 2272: _2

“Fine, since that’s the case, I won’t hold you up chasing those Evil Cultivators. We still have things to do, so we’ll be taking our leave.”

Xie Yanyan gave a slight cupped-fist salute and was about to leave, but how could Waxman Zhang let them go so easily? He barked at once, “No one moves! We now suspect that gang of Evil Cultivators is connected to you. I must ask the three of you to stay and cooperate with our investigation.”

“You say there’s a connection, so there is one?” The Broken Blade Guest’s left hand slid to the sheath at his waist; he couldn’t help firing back.

“Yes. If I say there is, then there is. If I say you’re rogue bandits, then that’s what you are. Even if I slaughter all of you here today, it’s still reasonable and lawful.” Waxman Zhang narrowed his eyes, an oppressive aura pouring off him from head to toe.

Feeling that pressure, the Broken Blade Guest instinctively went to draw his blade, but in that instant another sharp aura locked onto him—the burly man to his right, clad in Iron Armor.

The man stared him down, one hand likewise resting on his sword hilt. His mouth was hard as iron; his voice was ice, without a shred of emotion:

“Draw, and you die.”

Seeing the fight about to explode, Little Coffin Immortal Ji Xuan lowered his voice and asked, “Elder Xie, what do we do?”

Among the three of them, Xie Yanyan was the strongest and also their leader. Whether they fought or withdrew, the decision was his to make.

Right now Xie Yanyan felt bitter to the core. Setting aside all the other helpers for the moment, just these three people in front of him were headache enough.

In terms of raw strength, the two sides were roughly evenly matched. The enemy’s strongest was that old freak Waxman Zhang, a veteran enforcer of the Patrol Defense Office with a filthy reputation and a hobby of melting his foes into wax figures for his collection—but his power was formidable. One foot was already stepped into Mid-stage Nether Realm, about the same level as Xie himself.

But the bad thing was that the guy’s ability happened to counter his own. Once they really traded blows, eight times out of ten he’d be the one at a disadvantage.

And it wasn’t just him; his other two—Broken Blade Guest Yin Lishan and Little Coffin Immortal Ji Xuan—would very likely be tied down by the other two enemy experts.

That Face Cover Masked Piano Girl was clearly a Spiritual Apostle, same type as Little Coffin Immortal Ji Xuan. Even if she couldn’t beat Ji Xuan, stalling him would be no problem at all.

As for the other burly man in heavy armor, though his background was unknown, he was obviously a close-combat specialist. In terms of hard power, he even suppressed Broken Blade Guest Yin Lishan by a notch.

With his seasoned experience, Xie Yanyan immediately realized that there had definitely been a leak in the intel. The Patrol Defense Office knew they were coming, and knew full well who the three of them were and what they were capable of, so they’d sent targeted experts to intercept.

In this situation, if a fight really broke out, they would certainly be the ones to suffer.

Taking a step back, even if they somehow managed to win, so what? The three of them would have no strength left to enter the city and provide support. The mission would still be a failure.

And if they truly killed or heavily injured people from the Patrol Defense Office, the cleanup afterwards would be another big headache.

Xie Yanyan’s mind spun rapidly as he scanned the surroundings. The inn’s perimeter was silent; the street that had been fairly lively was now utterly deserted, clearly cleared out.

There was no need to ask—this was definitely the work of that Face Cover woman. She’d used that ancient zither of hers beforehand to “clean out” everyone nearby.

Not kill them, of course, but drive them off in a very particular way.

That in itself was a statement, proof that the people from the Patrol Defense Office were ready and willing to fight.

“As long as you’re willing to stay here honestly until we get to the bottom of this, I guarantee I won’t make things difficult for you.” Waxman Zhang’s voice was hoarse and grating, but carried an unquestionable authority.

“You take a person’s money, you help them avert disaster—that’s an old rule. Enough nonsense; let our hands do the talking.” Xie Yanyan casually plucked at the air, and a slender bamboo pole appeared out of nowhere, with what looked like fishing line tied to the other end.

Xie Yanyan lifted the bamboo pole and simply set it upright before him, unremarkable as could be. The next second, the space before him split open with a pitch-black crack, from within which surged the roar of mighty waters.

“Waxman Zhang, if you’ve got the guts, follow us in. We’ll have ourselves a proper battle, and I’ll get to see what you’re really capable of!”

With that, Xie Yanyan was the first to step into the black rift. Immediately after, Broken Blade Guest Yin Lishan and Little Coffin Immortal Ji Xuan also walked into the dark space one after another, leaving the entrance behind them.

“Good. As if we were the ones afraid of you. Today I’ll let you witness the power of Waxman Zhang firsthand!” Waxman Zhang shot back without the slightest timidity.

Before entering the opponent’s space world, Waxman Zhang made arrangements. He only brought two people in with him: the Masked Piano Girl and the Iron Armor Swordsman, ordering the others to stay put.

Then the three of them entered the enemy’s space world in turn. As their figures vanished, these six powerful Netherworld Envoys were completely cut off from the outside world.

The many experts of the Patrol Defense Office waiting outside couldn’t help but worry in secret, not knowing how the battle inside was going. A clash between six Netherworld Envoys—just thinking about it was enough to make one’s blood race.

Stepping into the enemy’s space world, the scene before them made Waxman Zhang click his tongue in amazement. It was night here; a bright Ming Yue hung high overhead, and to one side a great river ran crosswise. The water surged on without end, churning up snowy white spray amid a murky darkness.

“Brother Waxman Zhang, such vigor—you have my admiration.” Not far away, Xie Yanyan cupped his fists courteously to Waxman Zhang, respect on his face.

At his words, Waxman Zhang took the lead and walked toward them, laughing as he went. “Cold River Lonely Elder truly lives up to his reputation. I’ve offended you today, I’ve offended you!”

“I get it, I get it. It’s work—you folks at the Patrol Defense Office don’t have it easy either. We’re just cooperating with the Chamber of Commerce to earn a bit of money to get by.”

Xie Yanyan sighed, then lowered his voice and continued, “To speak frankly with you, Brother Zhang—that Sheng Jingxuan of Yiling Academy, what kind of thing is he? To seize the Academy, he’d even sell out his own older brother. A petty man like that, if he doesn’t die, there’s no way to soothe the anger of the people.”