Chapter 1318: Soul collection

With a *clatter*, the jar shattered, and so did Liu Shuheng's head. This action seemed to open some kind of switch; the group suddenly became excited, flying stones were no longer satisfying, and they rushed up to pull and beat Liu Shuheng.

Pushing and shoving, everyone was afraid they wouldn't be able to reach him.

But they soon realized, how could just using stones be satisfying? A one-armed man, having found a large club from somewhere, roared as he rushed into the crowd, beating Liu Shuheng indiscriminately, *bang, bang* sounds echoing.

The last strike hit the crown of his head; *crack*, even from such a distance, He Lingchuan could hear the crisp sound of bone cracking.

The crowd seemed encouraged, screaming and shouting while grabbing everything at hand to beat the prisoner.

Beat him to death! Beat him to death! Only then did the execution scene truly spiral out of control amidst the crowd's excitement!

Yang Meng and the others stood on the side, looking at this riot-like execution, their faces blank, their hearts cold.

Were these still the fellow villagers they were usually familiar with? Were these still those mediocre, timid, numb neighbors who were afraid of causing trouble?

The Soul-Capturing Mirror went "Wow": "They've finally entered the state!"

After the one-armed man finished venting his hatred, he squeezed out of the crowd, but then rushed toward He Lingchuan.

Wanqifeng was about to spur his horse forward to intercept, but He Lingchuan raised his hand to stop him.

This man rushed in front of He Lingchuan's horse, dropped the club, and knelt down with a *thud*, touching his head to the ground:

"Thank you, my lord, thank you, my lord!"

He kowtowed ten times, thanking him ten times.

His face was covered in tears, and also covered in blood.

This was a genuine "kowtow in thanks."

The black-armored cavalry could all hear the bitterness of his past from the dull sound of kowtowing.

Among the crowd beating Liu Shuheng, dozens soon withdrew, coming over to kowtow and thank He Lingchuan; there were old and young, all in tears.

In their blurry, tear-filled eyes, these black-armored cavalry were neither speaking nor moving, quiet and solemn like gods.

The public execution of Liu Shuheng lasted for a full half-hour.

When the crowd dispersed, the criminal was a bloody mess, no longer in human form.

He Lingchuan then drove his horse close to Liu Shuheng, and only when the distance between them was less than a zhang did he throw a chain at him.

If Fu Liushan were here, he would recognize this as the Soul-Locking Chain of the Ghost King's messenger, capable of hooking away both living and dead souls.

The commoners of Shizhou Tou gasped in shock, because they saw with their own eyes that within the black smoke range of this black-armored leader, the chain actually hooked a pale, ghostly shadow out of Liu Shuheng's body!

This shadow flickered and flashed, but it didn't prevent everyone from seeing its true face: Liu Shuheng! Its appearance was exactly the same as City Governor Liu.

Even those with the poorest imagination wouldn't misidentify it; this was Liu Shuheng's soul! Liu Shuheng's soul was confused when it was hooked out, and it wasn't until the chain tightened that it reacted, struggling while screaming, as if begging the black-armored leader for mercy.

But it opened its mouth without making a sound, just like when it was alive, very much like a silent film.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the black-armored leader took out an ochre-colored box, opened it slowly, and Liu Shuheng's soul was sucked in all at once. He then closed the lid and put it away calmly.

Yang Meng watched from the side and found that the box seemed a bit paint-peeled, and the mottled patches of color on the surface looked more like congealed blood.

"Death is not the end; Liu Shuheng must continue to atone for his sins in chaos." The square had long fallen into dead silence, and the black-armored leader's voice echoed in everyone's ears.

After saying this, he patted the giant elephant corpse puppet beside him.

This big guy had stood under the city gate for most of the night, earning enough attention; everyone couldn't help but look at it twice, both surprised and afraid.

But with this pat, the giant elephant corpse puppet disappeared into thin air.

Even Dong Rui didn't know what kind of space He Lingchuan used to accommodate such a tonnage of big guy, and others felt it was even more unbelievable.

Nowadays, where is there storage space with such a large load capacity?

Afterward, the black-armored knights, under the watchful eyes of the city's soldiers and civilians, silently passed through the East City Gate and walked out of this small city.

Zhao Guangzhi had long been untied from the wall, tied up tightly, and taken away from the city by them.

Only then did Yang Meng's heart relax.

The black-armored leader meant it; they had no intention of occupying Shizhou Tou! From now on, from now on, this city belonged to him?

Seeing them going further and further away, Yang Meng woke up as if from a dream and suddenly mounted his horse to chase after them.

"Wait, please wait a moment!"

More than a hundred zhang outside the city, He Lingchuan gently reined in his horse.

Yang Meng caught up from behind on horseback, offering a storage ring with both hands: "Return the property to its owner!"

The other side used this storage ring to send him five hundred jin of grain; he accepted the grain, so he had to return the container to them. On the Flash Gold Plain, this was a treasure with a price but no market, but how could he dare to privately keep the benefactor's things? Only after the other side took the ring did he continue to ask: "You have been as kind as a mountain to us; how should we address you?"

The black-armored leader said faintly: "Why need a name?"

Damn it, that being said, he indeed needed a resounding name.

"Yes, yes." It didn't matter if this person didn't want to say, Yang Meng responded a few times and then said, "You, where are you going?"

The black-armored leader pointed his spear at Zhao Guangzhi.

Yang Meng was a bit surprised, but after his gaze swept over Zhao Guangzhi, who had an ashen face on the horse's back, he immediately understood.

That's right, the other side said they came specifically for Liu Shuheng and Zhao Guangzhi; they had already dealt with Liu Shuheng just now, and now they were going to deal with Zhao Guangzhi.

Liuping was the last place Zhao Guangzhi had conquered; not to mention the cannibal demon's army looting and plundering there, they also followed their usual style and ate quite a few people.

The Zhao army had lingered there for more than two months; Yang Meng didn't even dare to imagine what kind of life the commoners of Liuping had lived.

He admired this group of people in front of him even more: "I have one thing to ask."

The black-armored leader didn't make a sound; only the horse under him snorted impatiently.

Facing the black-armored leader directly was very stressful; Yang Meng instinctively swallowed his saliva: "Although Shizhou Tou is temporarily safe, it was originally a territory assigned to Liu Shuheng by the Liu family. I'm afraid, I'm afraid the Liu family will send troops to seize it in the future."

Liu Shuheng was just a member of the Liu family, and Shizhou Tou was also on the edge of the Liu family's territory.

The black-armored leader said deeply: "This is the Flash Gold Plain."

War and strife were the norm here.

Yang Meng asked respectfully: "You helped us defeat Liu Shuheng and Zhao Guangzhi. What should we do in the future? Can you, can you show us a clear path?"

The black-armored leader had just said that this city was still under his management. The problem was, he only knew how to guard the city; he had never been a City Governor.

"You treated the commoners and citizens kindly in the past, and you must not deviate in the future!" He Lingchuan pointed out to him, "After tomorrow, Liuping will also be a city without an owner."

Liuping? Yang Meng was stunned before he understood his meaning.

This group of black-armored troops was also going to conquer Liuping! That's right, Zhao Guangzhi had already been captured, and Liuping was within reach.

Yang Meng was originally just a Garrison Commander of a small city; his vision wasn't broad enough, and he hadn't realized that opportunity was close at hand.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 1319 =====