Chapter 193: 184. Reunion

184. Chapter 184: Reunion

"Emergency notice: A cultivator has committed murder and is fleeing toward the Ruined District. All investigators patrolling the Ruined District must respond immediately to apprehend the suspect. Warning: The suspect is extremely dangerous; lethal force is authorized if necessary."

On top of a building.

Zheng Gong crouched by a window, sniper rifle in hand. In his sights, a car was speeding wildly through the Ruined District. He spoke into his open phone: "Li Yi, I've got the suspect locked in, but his speed's too high—I can't guarantee a clean kill."

"Understood. I'll intercept him," came Li Yi's voice from the other end.

"Be careful—he's at the Spiritual Awareness realm. I'm not worried you can't beat him, I'm worried he'll escape. Finding a murderer in the Ruined District is damn hard."

"Enough. Find your shot position and fire the moment you get a clear shot. I've already spotted the fugitive's vehicle."

Meanwhile.

On a road in the Ruined District, Li Yi stood calmly in the middle of the lane. Directly ahead, a sedan was barreling toward him at 160 kilometers per hour.

He glanced left and right, then smashed a concrete slab with his fist, yanking out a steel bar. He straightened it with a twist, coiled his strength, and hurled it straight at the oncoming car.

"Shhh!"

The steel bar shot like a spear, vanishing from sight in an instant.

At that moment, the Spiritual Awareness cultivator in the car sensed danger. His expression twisted—he yanked the steering wheel hard.

CRASH!

A deafening boom.

The steel bar plunged from above, driving deep into the earth.

Though the car avoided Li Yi's strike, the sudden turn sent it crashing into a pile of ruins beside the road.

Smoke rose from the vehicle. The front end was crushed. It could no longer move.

Yet the driver, despite the massive impact, kicked open the deformed door and leapt out as if nothing had happened.

"Who the hell dared attack me? Do you want to die?" The cultivator burned with rage. He'd just killed people and was fleeing—he feared no one, not even investigators. He'd kill a few more if he had to.

"Jin Zhong. An hour ago, you killed seven in the Old District, severely wounded Investigator Fu Bing, stole a sedan, and fled toward the Ruined District. I'm not mistaken, right?" A voice spoke beside Jin Zhong.

Jin Zhong's pupils contracted. He snapped his head sideways—his heart jolted.

So fast!

He'd been far away just moments ago—how had he closed the distance so quickly? If this man had attacked then, Jin Zhong would've been dead.

"You know a lot, don't you? From the Investigation Bureau?" Jin Zhong sneered. "I killed them. But you never asked why."

"Your reasons don't matter to me. I won't pity you because of your backstory. The world is full of pitiful people—but that's no excuse for killing seven innocents." Li Yi said: "My orders are to capture you. But if you resist, lethal force is permitted. Choose: cooperate and live, or resist and die."

"You're only at the Spiritual Awareness realm. You think you're qualified to make me surrender? One man dares block me? How arrogant." Jin Zhong growled, then lunged at Li Yi.

His body tensed. He threw a punch.

CRASH!

At that moment, his fist emitted a sonic boom.

Li Yi's eyes narrowed. Fist technique?

Impossible.

This murderer knew his fist technique?

But there was no time to think—the punch was already coming.

"You want to fight me with fists? No one in Tianchang City can outmatch my fists."

Li Yi stepped forward, raising his own fist. His tendons, bones, and skin twisted into one force. His entire body unleashed divine power—the air exploded, whipping up a storm.

Their fists collided.

Jin Zhong grunted. His entire arm shattered under Li Yi's punch—blood and shredded flesh sprayed everywhere. The residual force sent him flying backward, slamming into the ground over ten meters away.

"Puff!"

Jin Zhong tried to rise and fight again, but spat a gout of blood. He collapsed, utterly drained.

"Y-you... know fist techniques too?" He stared, stunned.

Li Yi's gaze was icy. "This fist technique was taken from the Danger Zone by me. Do you think I don't know it? Who taught you? Yang Yi Long?"

"So that's it—you're Li Yi from the Investigation Bureau? I've heard of you. Master of fist techniques, and you seized a damaged relic for them. Bad luck—I never expected to run into you." Jin Zhong's eyes darkened with despair. Against any other Spiritual Awareness cultivator, he could've broken out using his fist technique.

But against Li Yi—he couldn't. Because this fist technique originated from Li Yi himself.

"Answer my question. Or my next punch shatters your skull." Li Yi strode forward, radiating an aura of invincibility—intimidating, terrifying.

"I bought the technique. Paid thirty million. As for Yang Yi Long—I don't know him. But the CEO of the company that sold it? His surname is Yang." Jin Zhong gritted his teeth.

Li Yi's face darkened instantly.

Damn it.

Yang Yi Long really had the audacity to do this. After stealing the technique from me, he turned into a middleman, selling it for thirty million per copy. He's got real business sense—sitting at home collecting cash. But flooding the market like this is killing the goose that lays the golden egg.

Some techniques circulate openly, but everyone tacitly maintains a fair price to ensure cultivators who risk their lives to obtain them get proper returns. Yang Yi Long is disrupting the market—devaluing techniques.

If everyone does this, who'll bother risking their life to find new techniques? They'll just wait to ambush others and become middlemen.

"Good thing I didn't teach him the full technique—I held back a key part. Otherwise, I'd have died of rage hearing this." Li Yi decided he had to act. He couldn't let Yang Yi Long get away with this.

Seeing Li Yi lost in thought, Jin Zhong seized the chance. Without a word, he surged to his feet and bolted.

He'd killed too many—he wouldn't surrender. The Investigation Bureau wouldn't spare him. Better to risk everything—flee into the Danger Zone. If lucky, he'd survive. Besides, he wasn't the only one running. There were plenty of fugitives in Tianchang City.

"Bang!"

But as Jin Zhong had barely fled a few steps, a gunshot rang out.

Simultaneously, a bullet pierced Jin Zhong's chest. His eyes widened in disbelief as he collapsed, his body convulsing uncontrollably, his life force draining rapidly.

"See? I told you not to resist. You didn't listen. Now you got shot." Li Yi shook his head. "I gave you a chance to live. You refused. I just don't get you. Earlier, a whole gang tried to kill investigators. Sometimes I wonder—are people from the Earth Prisones born evil?"

Jin Zhong couldn't answer. He was dead. No breath left.

"Li Yi, is the suspect dead?" Zheng Gong's voice came through the phone.

"Dead. Bring the body back to close the case." Li Yi said: "What the hell's been going on lately? Every patrol in the Ruined District is either chasing criminals or mediating fights. I haven't even hunted a single ferocious beast."

"Can't be helped. The situation's chaotic. Murders are rising. If we investigators don't act fast, order will collapse." Zheng Gong was already driving back.

He stopped the car, packed the criminal's corpse into a body bag, tossed it in, wrote a brief death report, and submitted it. The mission was complete.

"Li Yi, get in. Our shift ends at six today. After that, we can try switching to another task."

"Guess we have no choice." Li Yi nodded.

Soon.

The two drove out of the Ruined District. The journey remained uneventful—no incidents.

They reached the city's defensive line, underwent routine inspection, and were cleared through as usual.

But as they were being checked, Li Yi noticed a crowd gathering near another convoy. They were buyers lingering nearby—someone had returned from the Danger Zone with a haul.

"I'll pay two hundred million for this transcendent creature's corpse."

"Sell me these ferocious beasts—I'll offer twelve million."

"A live transcendent creature? Perfect! I've been waiting for this—I'll pay five hundred million."

"..."

Bidding cries erupted continuously.

Li Yi hadn't been paying attention—until he heard the price for a live transcendent creature could double. Curiosity stirred.

Who had the strength to capture a live transcendent creature from the Danger Zone?

Transcendent creatures possessed terrifying vitality and power. Even Spiritual Awareness experts risked death facing them. To kill one, you couldn't hold back—you had to eliminate them completely, or they'd strike back in desperation. Most preferred bringing back corpses, not live ones.

"Zheng Gong, that crowd's lively. I'm going to check it out."

"Alright. I'll wait here for inspection. I'll call you when it's done." Zheng Gong nodded.

Li Yi pushed through the crowd, using his height to move forward. He soon saw a pile of ferocious beast corpses—twenty to thirty of them—stacked like a small mountain, worth hundreds of millions.

But the real treasures were the three transcendent creatures. Two were dead. One still lived. It resembled a hairless wild man—seven or eight parts human, towering and muscular. One arm was as thick as a man's thigh. Fierce.

But the living one was grievously wounded—both legs severed, one arm limp, its body limp and powerless, utterly broken.

From the buyers' chatter, Li Yi learned its name.

The legendary Mountain Demon—Shan Xiao.

Said to bewitch minds and wield unmatched strength—could tear apart ferocious beasts. Most Spiritual Awareness experts couldn't even escape it alive, let alone kill it.

But to buyers, its identity didn't matter—only that it was alive. A live transcendent creature meant continuous profit. They all rushed to buy it. Bidding surged—within moments, it surpassed five hundred million, still climbing.

Li Yi didn't envy them—he admired. Only someone of extraordinary power could capture a transcendent creature alive. They deserved it.

But then his face darkened instantly.

Because he saw a familiar figure near the convoy.

Tall, slender, long hair flowing, arms crossed behind his back—his aura unmistakable.

Yang Yi Long!

No mistake—it was Yang Yi Long.

And beside him stood a woman—the woman with the green vertical pupils? Qin Qing?

Li Yi's mind froze. Why was Qin Qing still with Yang Yi Long? Hadn't he abandoned her treatment? No—wait—her injuries seemed healed. No abnormalities. Had Yang Yi Long treated her?

Likely.

Last time Li Yi saw Yang Yi Long, he'd spoken about Qin Qing in front of Li Shaoqing, Vice Chairman of the Cultivator Association. Yang Yi Long probably couldn't withstand the pressure and paid for her treatment. Later, when Yang Yi Long tried to kill him, Qin Qing warned Lin Yue. It didn't help much—but she'd indirectly helped him.

Was this karma?

Now it made sense—Yang Yi Long was selling fist techniques. He was trying to recoup his losses. Besides treating Qin Qing, his company had been shut down after the Wang Jian incident. He must be desperate for money.

Truly an evil bastard.

Li Yi felt like he'd been bitten by a dog. No way to respond—only revulsion.

If you're so capable, go sell Guiding Technique.

See if the original owner of Guiding Technique comes looking for trouble with Yang Yi.

So you dare not sell Guiding Technique, but you dare sell fist techniques, thinking you won't invite trouble for yourself, is that it?

A wicked coward who picks on the weak and fears the strong.

Pah!

Li Yi spat forcefully.

He knew he was not yet ready to fight Yang Yi—his cultivation base still lagged behind, and more importantly, Yang Yi had many allies: not just Qin Qing, a Spiritual Perception expert, but several other powerful teammates.

This was a top-tier cultivator squad, not the likes of Wang Yu's gang. Li Yi had killed those two Spiritual Perception experts before only because they weren't particularly strong and were already severely wounded from hunting transcendent creatures—he'd caught them off guard and shot one dead first. If he faced a fully healthy, top-tier Spiritual Perception expert head-on, his chances of victory were slim.

If Li Yi clashed with Yang Yi without at least a ninety percent chance of winning, he would only lose.

Yet just as Li Yi thought this.

Suddenly.

Yang Yi, not far away, suddenly sensed something, glanced over, and locked eyes directly on Li Yi amid the crowd.

In that instant, Yang Yi's smile vanished; his eyes brimmed with cold killing intent. His shoulder-length hair floated involuntarily, and white streaks of energy flickered around him like static electricity.

He had unconsciously activated Guiding Technique.

"Yang Yi, what's going on?" Qin Qing frowned and asked immediately.

"It's Li Yi," Yang Yi said calmly.

Qin Qing's green vertical pupils immediately turned toward him—and there, in the crowd, was Li Yi. His own vertical pupils glowed, fixed on them.

The two were like apex predators of the food chain, meeting face to face.

Yet Qin Qing's gaze at Li Yi held complexity—no killing intent, for she bore him no grudge. In fact, last time, his words had saved her. Still, she understood Yang Yi's actions: he wasn't selfishly withholding her treatment—he bore the weight of the Yang family's resources and its survival. Desperate to become a Cross-Domain cultivator, all their fates rested on him, forcing him to do many things against his will.