Chapter 332: Wolves in Sheep's Clothing! The Sword's Radiance Slays the Wicked! (4202)

Chapter 332: Wolves in Sheep's Clothing! The Sword's Radiance Slays the Wicked! (4202)



Town Ning City, City Lord Manor.

In this frontier city, the City Lord Manor, which had been empty since its construction, finally showed signs of life.

The grand hall was now filled with dozens of figures, each with a unique aura. Some were stronger, others weaker, ranging from Human Immortals to Celestial Immortals, all of them powerful Human Race cultivators responsible for guarding Town Ning City.

Among them, the strongest presence belonged to the cultivators from Huayue Celestial Sect, Lingyan Pavilion, and Demon Suppressing Alliance.

Their expressions varied; some were terrified, some frowned, some worried, and others fearful.

Yet, they all shared a common sentiment, bowing their heads low, unwilling to meet the gaze of the two figures above in the hall.

Who could have imagined that a mere waiter from Sea Gazing Tower, an insignificant and easily replaceable person, would have such a background?

And who would have thought that a young man, merely at the Earth Immortal Rank, would become the new City Lord of Town Ning City? Throughout history, the City Lords of the eleven frontier cities had always been Supreme Celestial Immortals without exception!

Although this young man's cultivation was not at the Supreme Celestial Immortal level, his strength was terrifying, already reaching that of a Supreme Celestial Immortal.

At this moment, under the young man's gaze, everyone's hearts trembled slightly, anticipating an ominous event.

Qin Zheng looked down indifferently.

His original intention was to find a place to cultivate in this frontier region while waiting for the Demon Race's next move.

But to his surprise, in this overlooked town, he encountered an old acquaintance from the Yuanyang Realm.

Recalling the three Celestial Immortals and their inquiry about the survival of his remaining Law Bodies in the Yuanyang Realm, Qin Zheng's expression changed, as if he wanted to kill and silence them.

He immediately sensed something amiss and stopped the Demon Suppressing Alliance leader who was about to kill to silence the Sea Gazing Tower manager, as well as the Huayue Celestial Sect's grand elder who was about to flee.

The three major powers of Town Ning City were not clean!

Qin Zheng's eyes flashed with a cold light.

After a few breaths.

He spoke, "Tell me everything you know, no matter how big or small the detail."

Qin Zheng's voice remained calm.

But to those below, his words thundered like a roaring storm, enveloping their minds with an overwhelming force.

The manager of Sea Gazing Tower, standing at the forefront of the crowd, had a pale face devoid of any blood.

Upon hearing Qin Zheng's voice, he trembled and slowly raised his head.

"I... I don't know anything."

"If you don't believe me, then kill me too!"

He spoke with a trembling voice.

Qin Zheng closed his eyes slightly, as if deep in thought.

Beside him, Xiaoyao Immortal Lord had a cold smile on his lips but didn't interfere.

As one of the Human Race's seven Supreme Celestial Immortals, they had always been at the forefront, fighting against the Demon Race.

Regarding the Human Race's rear areas, due to the current predicament, they lacked the capacity to pay attention to these matters.

Therefore, as long as there were no major disturbances in the rear, they generally turned a blind eye.

This allowed them to focus entirely on countering the Demon Race.

As for the four frontier cities that rarely faced Demon Race invasions due to their distance from the Demon Race's territory, the Human Race forces responsible for guarding these cities had only one requirement: prevent the Demon Race from breaking through and invading the inner regions!

As long as this condition was maintained, they wouldn't interfere with these four cities.

However, it seemed that the Human Race forces in charge of Town Ning City had crossed a line. Xiaoyao Immortal Lord's eyes narrowed, and a hint of killing intent flashed in his gaze.

Over the years, while they had been tough on the Demon Race, they had forgotten to teach their own people a lesson. Now that Town Ning City was under Qin Zheng's control, let's see how he handles it. If he wasn't ruthless enough, Xiaoyao Immortal Lord would take care of the aftermath.

At this moment, Qin Zheng's calm voice echoed again.

“I'll give you one more chance.”

This was clearly directed at the manager of Sea Gazing Tower.

The old man shook his head, intending to continue feigning ignorance.

But Qin Zheng's voice sounded again.

“If you don't answer my questions, I'll extract your soul and personally search your memories!”

As he spoke these words, Qin Zheng's eyes opened, and a cold light like a sharp sword pierced the manager's heart.

"Ahh!"

He cried out in panic and stumbled, sitting on the ground.

His expression changed, and finally, he sobbed, "I'll tell you everything, I'll say it all!"

If his soul were to be extracted, even his willingness to die would become meaningless.

"The Sea Gazing Tower was established jointly by three individuals: Wu Alliance Lord, Xu Clan Lord, and Elder Xiao," the old man hastily explained.

"It appears to be just a tavern, but it controls all the resources in Town Ning. Everyone who enters the city, be they human or demon, must pay a sufficient amount of resources to gain entry and exit!"

Qin Zheng narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone remaining calm. "Humans and demons?"

The old man nodded and quickly added, "Town Ning City is located near the endless ocean, allowing for resource exchanges with sea demons. It's a mutual need, which is why Town Ning City is so prosperous."

"Because of this, the three elders loosened their restrictions on the Demon Clan. As long as they pay enough resources, they can enter Town Ning City."

At this point, the old man paused, glancing fearfully at the two above him. "Of course, they can't enter the Human Race's territories from Town Ning City."

Seeing that Qin Zheng remained silent, the old man continued, "But the situation in Town Ning City soon caught the attention of a dragon demon!"

"He claimed to be the Eighth Prince of the Dragon Palace, and although his bloodline was impure, he indeed possessed dragon aura and formidable strength, surpassing the three elders."

"He boldly declared to the three elders that if Town Ning City didn't pay tribute to him, he would stir up a storm, disrupting the city's peace. He even threatened to lead the Dragon Palace's forces to attack Town Ning City!"

"With no other choice, the three elders had to agree to his demands and regularly pay tribute."

"This is how they managed to appease him."

"As for the tribute..." The old man hesitated, as if afraid to speak further.

But at that moment, Qin Zheng's heart already understood.

"The tribute is from the Human Race, isn't it?" Qin Zheng asked calmly.

"Yes!" The old man nodded firmly.

"That dragon demon is already a Celestial Immortal! Yet, he still craves human flesh like an ordinary demon!" The old man spoke quickly. "We had no choice but to submit. Without a top-tier Celestial Immortal guarding Town Ning City, it couldn't withstand his disturbances!"

"And given the current situation of the Human Race, we can't afford to provoke the Dragon Palace!"

"If we didn't make this concession, the Human Race would face even greater danger!"

Qin Zheng slightly lowered his head, concealing his expression, but his voice turned icy cold as he said, "So, you sought a lower realm near the Spirit Ruins Realm and captured humans from there to pay tribute to that dragon demon, didn't you?"

Hearing this, the old man's body trembled, and he cried out, "We had no other choice!"

"That dragon demon's demands were too great! If we captured humans from the nine domains of the Spirit Ruins Realm, we would surely be discovered!"

"In collusion with the demons, we would be despised by the Human Race. With no other options, we could only turn our attention to the lower realms surrounding the Spirit Ruins Realm!"

"The Dharmakaya from the Yuanyang Realm, one of the tribute offerings, was sent to that demon dragon's lair!"

As the old man finished speaking, he wore a resigned expression. "I know my sins are heavy, and I have failed the Human Race!" he said in a mournful voice. "Today, I only ask for death. Please grant me that, my lords!"

As he finished speaking, a group of humans from the Human Race, standing behind him, echoed his sentiments with righteous indignation. "We failed to report what we knew, and we too have failed the Human Race! Please grant us death, my lords!"

Their faces were filled with emotion, as if they were about to brazen gesture seemed to echo through the entire Town Ning City.

Free Spirit Immortal Lord's eyes narrowed slightly.

If this was indeed the case, it was somewhat understandable. After all, in the face of the entire Human Race, sacrificing a portion of their lower-ranked members to temporarily appease a threat was a justifiable decision.

But his gaze shifted slightly towards the young man beside him.

Qin Zheng slowly rose to his feet and spoke, "Before I emerged, the Yuanyang Realm was ruled by a Dharmakaya-level Golden Phoenix."

"In that Yuanyang Realm, humans were treated like cattle, at the mercy of that Golden Phoenix. There was no dignity to speak of until I rose and slew it, bringing peace to the Yuanyang Realm."

"However, this act attracted the attention of a Human Immortal-level Golden Phoenix, who sought to destroy the Yuanyang Realm!"

"And when I defeated it and arrived at the Spirit Ruins Realm, I was greeted by four Human Immortal-level Golden Phoenix demons!"

"I assumed it was just a local issue within the Human Race's territories, but as I learned more about the Spirit Ruins Realm, I discovered something else."

"There are eleven frontier cities in the Human Race's territories, guarding against any demons attempting to invade."

"I want to ask, how did those four Golden Phoenix demons enter the Xuanuan Domain and cause such chaos within the Human Race's territories?"

"!"

Qin Zheng's voice was calm and serene, as if he were narrating a story to the audience.

But to the crowd below, it was as if the King of Hell had spoken, a soul-shattering command.

One Human Celestial, overwhelmed with terror, couldn't hold back any longer. He instantly turned and attempted to flee the grand hall.

But in the next moment—

Whoosh!

A massive hand tore through the void, grasping his head.

In his panic, he tried to struggle free, but the hand gripping his head was unyielding, impossible to budge!

Qin Zheng turned to the old man, his voice cold as he spoke, "You didn't tell the truth, or at least, you didn't reveal the complete truth!"

"But that doesn't matter now."

After speaking, his gaze shifted to the others in the hall.

"Since you all seek death, I'll grant your wish today!"

As soon as he finished speaking—

Qin Zheng's slender fingers suddenly clenched with force, and the Human Celestial's head was crushed in his grip, turning the ground below into a mess of red and white.

The hall's doors instantly slammed shut.

At that moment, cries of shock and anger echoed within the hall.

"You go too far!"

"Everyone, attack together! Hurry!"

"What choice do we have? We're all forced into this!"

"He's just an Earth Immortal. We can defeat him if we attack together!"

". . ."

Under the intense shouting, auras surged towards the sky, lifting the roof of the City Lord's Mansion into the air!

Dozens of Celestial auras, including Human Celestials, Earth Immortals, and even Celestial Immortals, converged, emitting an overwhelming pressure that bordered on the brink of invincibility!

But in the next instant—

Boom!

A majestic and awe-inspiring blade light, mixed with fiery flames, suddenly soared into the sky, turning the entire sky of Town Ning City into a sea of crimson.

Then, the dozens of Celestial auras vanished like the wind, completely disappearing between heaven and earth.

At this moment, in the City Lord's Mansion, on the spacious ground—

Qin Zheng slowly sheathed his sword.

Except for the manager, all the other Human Race experts had been turned to ashes by that single strike.

"Haha..."

The manager, as if frightened out of his wits, made incomprehensible sounds, his body slumping to the ground.

Though he was a Human Celestial expert, a pool of liquid had formed between his legs.

Qin Zheng looked at him and asked again, "Apart from offering tribute to the Dragon Demon, what else have the three major powers done?"

This time, the old man suddenly shuddered and burst into tears, "They also passed on specific intelligence about the Human Race to the Dragon Demon!

"The Dragon Demon then handed it over to the Demon Race, and in return, the Demon Race stopped invading Town Ning City, and the Dragon Demon gained additional benefits from the Demon Race!"

"They also allowed some members of the Demon Race to enter the Xuan Yuan Domain and ordered the Human Race experts in the Xuan Yuan Domain not to report any news, or they would face consequences!"

"That's all I know! I truly know nothing else!"

At this moment, the old man stopped hiding the truth and spilled everything he knew.

A single strike, slaying dozens of Celestial experts!

The impact of this strike far surpassed the casual and effortless slaying of the three Celestial Immortals earlier.

Upon hearing his words, even the Free Spirit Immortal Lord's expression turned ugly.

Passing on the Human Race's intelligence to the Demon Race—

This was no different from colluding with the enemy!

In this situation, the Human Race was as vulnerable as being naked before the Demon Race, with every change in their situation known to their enemies!

No wonder, since the invasion of the Ten Thousand Chariot Demon Nation, the Human Race had suffered more defeats than victories!

Every time the Demon Race invaded, they seemed to have just the right amount of power to suppress the Human Race!

Previously, they had attributed this to the Demon Race's formidable foundation. Who would've thought that there was more to the story?

The Free Spirit Immortal Lord's eyes burned with raging flames.

"These two-faced traitors! I'll sweep them all away!"

He roared in fury.

But at that moment, Qin Zheng stopped him and called for two more people.

"Since this has happened in Town Ning City, the other three cities might face similar situations! Only by having three Top Rank Celestial Immortals present in the remaining three cities can we prevent information leaks and erase any traces!"

The Free Spirit Immortal Lord instantly understood Qin Zheng's intention. "Since we've made our move in Town Ning City, we need to speed up. I'll take the lead!"

After speaking, he stepped forward and instantly merged into the void.

Qin Zheng's gaze turned to the manager, and he continued, "Do you know where the Dragon Demon resides?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end