Protectorate Supervisor?
How did this group of killing gods suddenly appear out of nowhere?
The Chengzhu instinctively glanced at Linglong, assuming that the Protectorate Supervisor had been summoned by Linglong for help.
This made him slightly displeased. If Linglong had called the Protectorate Supervisor over, didn’t that mean she didn’t trust him as the Chengzhu?
Indeed, the Protectorate Supervisor’s duty was to counter attacks from the demonic path, but as the lord of a city, the Chengzhu was still reluctant to see this ruthless group who only cared about killing demons and nothing else.
Linglong’s gaze was also confused; she hadn’t asked her senior sister from the Protectorate Supervisor to come help at all.
From beginning to end, the only external aid she had requested was the Chengzhu himself, because she believed that was already sufficient.
It wasn’t until Su Xiaoxiao popped her head out from the Protectorate Supervisor’s group that Linglong guessed the truth of the matter.
Perhaps Hua Jian had written a letter to Su Xiaoxiao, and Su Xiaoxiao sensed something was off, so she called the Protectorate Supervisor to come along?
That would explain everything!
“Miss!” Hua Jian was already happily waving at Su Xiaoxiao.
She hadn’t thought much about it; Su Xiaoxiao bringing so many reinforcements was an unexpected bonus that instantly secured their victory.
Xia Xuan, who had once met Hua Jian briefly, had already landed on the ground and was now facing off against the Chengzhu of Huiyue City, clearly stating their intention: they wanted to take these several demonic cultivators away.
Naturally, the Chengzhu was displeased, but since they were Protectorate Supervisor personnel, he had no choice but to reluctantly agree.
After demanding the demonic cultivators from the Chengzhu, Xia Xuan approached Linglong and Hua Jian, pointing at Yao Mei. “We also want to take this girl away.”
She likely understood that Linglong was currently hiding her identity and undergoing a trial, so she didn’t reveal Linglong’s identity but simply called her junior sister.
“Is she also a demonic cultivator?” Hua Jian looked at Yao Mei, wondering why Xia Xuan wanted to take her away as well.
This girl shouldn’t be that important, right?
“Her identity is too special. Staying here is too dangerous, both for you and for her. For the specific details, you can ask Junior Sister Su,” Xia Xuan explained simply, implying that Yao Mei was not a bad person and that taking her away was for her protection.
While the three were talking, a loud commotion suddenly came from nearby. From the sounds, it seemed the three demonic cultivators captured by the Chengzhu were accusing Hua Jian.
“Why are only we being captured? That guy over there is clearly from Fanghuagu, why aren’t you capturing her!”
No sooner had they spoken than a weak voice came from within the Protectorate Supervisor’s group: “Who said we’re not capturing them? We’re right here too!”
Hua Jian then noticed several cultivators bound with spirit ropes among the Protectorate Supervisor’s troops, including the girl Han Rui whom she knew.
The one speaking wasn’t Han Rui but a beautiful woman beside her, also a Ling King.
Their condition was different from the other captives; aside from being bound, they had no external injuries, unlike the others who were bruised and weakened.
“They were caught on the way here, just grabbed along the way,” Xia Xuan said casually.
The bruises came from resisting arrest, but the Ling King beside Han Rui had seen the Protectorate Supervisor’s formation and promptly chose to kneel, so she wasn’t hurt.
“Oh, so what will happen to them?” Hua Jian asked curiously.
She thought that Fanghuagu’s cultivators surrendered so easily must have a reason.
If being caught by the Protectorate Supervisor was a terrible fate, they would have resisted fiercely instead of just being tied up so calmly.
This question made Xia Xuan’s expression somewhat complex, mostly helpless.
“Probably they’re waiting for someone from Wanhuagu to come and redeem them.”
Wanhuagu was an organization walking between the righteous and demonic paths—disliked by both sides but not outright targeted.
As long as they hadn’t committed grievous sins, the Protectorate Supervisor wouldn’t overly pursue Wanhuagu’s cultivators. In cases like today, these two Wanhuagu girls wouldn’t even need to be locked up.
As long as Wanhuagu sends someone to pay the ransom, they can be freed.
“But… why did those demonic cultivators mistake you for Wanhuagu cultivators?”
“That’s a long story…”
……
“I see, so they mistook you for Wanhuagu cultivators?” Xia Xuan rubbed her chin and nodded.
Now the group had moved to the main hall of the Su Family, where the original Su family members were being controlled by Protectorate Supervisor personnel—interrogated.
During this time, Su Xiaoxiao had also revealed the truth she had uncovered to Hua Jian, making Hua Jian truly realize the sensitivity of Yao Mei’s identity.
A Saint-Grade Elixir?
Well, that level was a bit too high; she didn’t know what that even meant.
Actually, none present could come into contact with such a level; only Linglong, with her Saintess Master, had even a vague understanding of it.
It was probably a treasure that would incite Saint Lords to fight fiercely over it.
Ling Emperor-level cultivators about to break through Saint Grade would be willing to do anything to obtain this pill.
Only now, the pill had become a person. The righteous Path’s venerable saints wouldn’t go so far as to refine Yao Mei back into a pill.
“Hua Jian, you’re lucky this time you didn’t encounter someone powerful trying to snatch her,” Su Xiaoxiao said with lingering fear.
If this wasn’t in Zhongzhou but in one of the Four Domains, Hua Jian wouldn’t be facing just a few Spirit King-level cultivators.
In places where the Saint Sect’s influence was weaker, the demonic path could still muster some strength.
For example, to grab a Saint-Grade Elixir, the demonic side would send at least a Spirit Lord-led team with several Ling Emperors cooperating.
“This time the demonic side did send a Ling Emperor, but upon seeing us coming, he immediately fled. We didn’t catch him,” Xia Xuan added. This was the main reason she wanted to take Yao Mei away.
A Ling Emperor lurking in the shadows, constantly watching Yao Mei, was not an opponent Hua Jian and Linglong could handle now.
The threat from Ling Kings was reduced thanks to the two’s exquisite coordination, but Ling Emperors were a true dimensional downshift. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t win.
While speaking, Xia Xuan glanced at the still-dazed Yao Mei.
Having lived over twenty years, suddenly being told she wasn’t human but was actually a pill was too much of a shock for Yao Mei.
But to Hua Jian, Yao Mei’s reaction seemed a bit self-pitying.
“Stop daydreaming. You were just a Saint-Grade Elixir before. Don’t look like the sky is falling,” Hua Jian said, patting Yao Mei’s shoulder.
“But a pill… how could I be a pill?”
“A former pill! Besides, you just absorbed the pill’s medicinal power; you’re not truly its reincarnation.”
Yao Mei’s situation couldn’t be called a pill’s reincarnation.
The Su Family’s Elder Master had used a secret method from the Medicinal Valley Secret Realm to channel the power of an unfinished Saint-Grade Elixir into his daughter’s body, using her as a pill furnace to create Yao Mei, a humanoid pill.
Yao Mei’s birth wasn’t truly the completion of the pill. The medicinal power of the Saint-Grade Elixir was sealed inside her body, and many more steps were needed to obtain the actual elixir.
But ultimately, Yao Mei would have to die to get the elixir.
“Just think of yourself as a person with a special constitution. The pill thing doesn’t matter; it’s just the source of your special constitution.”
Hearing this, Xia Xuan nodded in approval. That was the truth.
The cultivation world had many people with strange constitutions and bizarre backgrounds; Yao Mei was just one of many pill-constitution cases.
“But… sigh.” Yao Mei lowered her head, still feeling down.
Especially after learning her birth was full of schemes, and that the grandfather who cared for her held such thoughts, her whole world seemed to turn gray.
This psychological trauma would likely take a long time to heal.
Hua Jian couldn’t do much except wait for Yao Mei to come out of the shadow herself. No one else could help; whether she understood or not depended entirely on herself.
Just after comforting Yao Mei, Xia Xuan turned her head and listened carefully to something. She nodded slightly while listening.
Hua Jian gave Linglong a questioning look. What’s wrong with your senior sister?
“She’s probably talking with Master Uncle,” Linglong whispered to Hua Jian.
Although Venerable Fenghua had been hiding in the background watching the drama, she had always been there.
So from the start, the demonic side had no chance of success in this incident.
Who could have guessed that in Huiyue City, besides the Chengzhu, a peak Ling Emperor, there was also an elder of the Yaochi Sect hiding?
While the two were whispering, Xia Xuan had finished exchanging words with Venerable Fenghua.
“Linglong, Hua Jian, come with me. Junior Sister Su, please stay here and look after Miss Yao,” Xia Xuan stood up and issued the order in an unyielding tone.
Su Xiaoxiao opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but faced with Xia Xuan’s imposing presence, she couldn’t utter a word.
What could she say? The other party was a Yaochi Inner Sect disciple, a senior Protectorate Supervisor, and a Ling Emperor-level powerhouse. She was completely outclassed.
She could only play the powerless role of a husband watching Hua Jian being taken away, feeling miserable!
For a moment, Su Xiaoxiao became the most downhearted person in the hall, even causing the still melancholy Yao Mei to be affected, subconsciously forgetting her own unhappiness and wanting to comfort Su Xiaoxiao.
Hua Jian didn’t notice Su Xiaoxiao’s unhappiness; she was listening to Xia Xuan assign her a task.
And this task felt very strange.
“You want me to free Han Rui and the others? Why me?” Hua Jian was utterly puzzled after Xia Xuan finished speaking.
Linglong had just reminded her not to get involved with Wanhuagu, so why was Xia Xuan now asking her to free Wanhuagu members?
Moreover, according to Linglong, this seemed to be Venerable Fenghua’s decision…
Could it be encouraging me to get involved with Wanhuagu?
“Venerable didn’t tell me why,” Xia Xuan shook her head, indicating she was just as clueless as Hua Jian.
The venerable knows much more than we juniors; she must have her reasons for this decision. We only need to follow orders.
So Hua Jian looked at Linglong, wanting to hear what little Dragon Girl meant.
“If Master Uncle says so, then just listen to him. He definitely won’t harm you,” Linglong said. They couldn’t deny Venerable Fenghua’s suggestion.
What seemed baffling to them had clear reasons for the venerable.
Like last time in the Dragon City Secret Realm, her Master had to cooperate with the demonic cultivators to some extent, which eventually helped her Master catch a big fish.
This time should be similar; it couldn’t be that Venerable Fenghua came up with this idea on a whim.
“I have a feeling it’s going to be very awkward later…” Hua Jian sighed, already imagining how embarrassing she’d be.
She could have ignored Han Rui’s Wanhuagu identity before, but now, there was no way to hide.
They could only talk with their true identities.
“Here, press this and it’ll undo the spirit ropes binding them,” Xia Xuan handed Hua Jian a jade-colored small pillar about half the size of a palm, pointing to a tiny formation carved on it.
“Oh, I’m going alone?”
“Yes, you alone. We’ll be watching behind to prevent them from attacking you.”
……
The captured demonic cultivators were thrown into a vacant courtyard of the Su Family by the Protectorate Supervisor.
The Ling Kings from Tianmomen looked downcast, their faces full of despair.
They had already guessed their fate; their worst case would be having their cultivation taken away and spending their lives mining spirit stones.
The worst case would be being thrown into the Ice Prison Heaven Jail of the Protectorate Supervisor, never to escape.
Compared to them, the two Wanhuagu girls were more relaxed. No one wanted to kill them; they usually dealt in gray-area trades.
When the sect paid some spirit stones, they could be redeemed.
If no one came from the sect, they could work and pay their own ransom, no pressure at all.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.