Chapter 225: Evil Spirits

Jiang Jian took the book, glanced at him, and asked, "What's your name?"

Hearing the question, the Deputy Commissioner's face lit up; he hurriedly replied, "Reporting to the Commissioner, your servant is Wang Jian."

Jiang Jian nodded: "Wang Jian, attend."

Wang Jian shouted loudly, "Your servant is here!"

Jiang Jian held the official seal and slightly activated it, his voice cold and stern.

"From this moment, you are the First Deputy Commissioner of the Demon-Slaying Bureau!"

"In my absence, you may act on my behalf as Commissioner!"

A phantom image of the official seal floated into view before Wang Jian.

Several below were stunned!

Liu Ji stared at the phantom seal, mouth agape.

As Regional Military Commissioner, he feared most that subordinates would seize his authority.

He clutched the state seal tightly, refusing to let go.

Yet this Sacred Chooser had just, without hesitation, delegated the Demon-Slaying Bureau's authority in Zhenhai State to Wang Jian!

The other Deputy Commissioner's face darkened; after internal struggle, he stepped forward cautiously and said, "Sacred Chooser, this may violate protocol—perhaps we should reconsider."

He had originally planned to avoid any conflict with the new Commissioner.

But if Wang Jian truly seized authority, he himself would be completely suppressed, with no more bribes to skim.

It was this thought that gave him the courage to speak to the Sacred Chooser.

BOOM!

A stream of gold-white light erupted with a roar!

The Deputy Commissioner spat blood and flew backward like a cut kite, slammed by the light stream onto the courtyard's outer ground.

Outside the hall, on the Patrol Sea Platform.

Three hundred Demon-Slaying Guards, seeing the Deputy Commissioner fall out, all grew solemn, startled.

Jiang Jian, clad in a moon-white robe, rose from his throne, stepped out of the hall, and arrived beneath the Patrol Sea Platform.

"Here, there are no rules."

His expression calm, he walked before the Deputy Commissioner and spoke softly.

His gaze settled on the Patrol Sea Platform.

Each Demon-Slaying Guard was a Jingying of the Divine Gate Realm, seasoned in countless battles.

At this moment,

sensing his gaze, every Demon-Slaying Guard straightened and chorused, "Regional Military Commissioner!"

Behind Jiang Jian, Wang Jian and the others also shouted loudly, "Regional Military Commissioner!"

The wave of voices shook the heavens, stirring the heavy clouds above.

Liu Ji stood frozen, helpless and awkward.

Suddenly,

a flash of insight struck him; he strode forward and declared, "Sacred Chooser, I have urgent news to report!"

Jiang Jian turned his head, glancing at him.

Liu Ji shouted, "I denounce myself: during my tenure, I embezzled eighteen thousand taels of gold from the Demon-Slaying Bureau's treasury!"

He turned and pointed at the Chief Clerk and others: "These men are all guilty of embezzlement!"

"Chief Clerk Sun Sun Luoshui embezzled five thousand taels of gold and committed the grave crime of deceiving the court—falsifying accounts!"

"Wang Jian and Xu Lei each embezzled several thousand taels of gold!"

"All other Thousand-Household officers have engaged in corrupt practices!"

At these words,

everyone present turned pale!

Only Liu Ji stood tall, chest out, radiating righteous indignation.

As imperial kin, even if guilty, he would suffer little.

Yet,

Liu Ji understood the "Sacred Choosers" well.

He knew how terrifying they were.

If he did not voluntarily report the shortfall, but let them discover it themselves,

then,

once the "Sacred Chooser" noticed, they would settle accounts later—and he would not escape.

He might even face worse consequences.

Better this way:

confess before they discovered the shortfall.

Then,

no matter how the "Sacred Chooser" handled it, there would be no lingering threat.

"Gold shortfall: over thirty thousand taels."

Jiang Jian stared at Liu Ji, eyes thoughtful.

Through the official seal,

Jiang Jian now had a general understanding of the Great Zhou's currency.

Ordinary spiritual resources could be purchased with gold.

Commoners used silver for transactions.

Yet,

the cultivation resources issued to Great Zhou officials were utterly worthless to him.

Only the fourth-rank seal of the Demon-Slaying Bureau, held by the Regional Military Commissioner, could connect to the Great Zhou's destiny and truly function.

In other words,

Jiang Jian realized the gold here was useless to him.

The items he brought from Qiushui Palace were the true cultivation resources.

"The destiny-energy converted by the Great Zhou seal."

"Is the only thing in this Demon-Slaying Bureau useful to me."

As he pondered,

Jiang Jian settled his cultivation plan deep within his mind, ignoring Liu Ji entirely, and turned to his side: "Wang Jian."

Wang Jian wiped his sweat, stepped forward immediately, his expression deeply respectful: "Regional Military Commissioner!"

Jiang Jian tossed him the book: "Immediately muster the Demon-Slaying Guards. In fifteen minutes, proceed to the State's Burial Grounds."

Wang Jian froze, mouth opening involuntarily, silent.

The State's Burial Grounds were one of Zhenhai State's most severely afflicted zones.

It teemed with ferocious evil spirits.

These spirits frequently left the burial grounds, recklessly harming civilians.

Previously, as Regional Military Commissioner, Liu Ji, fearing casualties, never dared to cleanse them.

Only when several civilians died and local officials reported "disaster" did he send Demon-Slaying Guards to deal with it.

"Your servant obeys!"

Wang Jian snapped out of it, glanced at the prostrate Xu Lei, and immediately agreed.

Then, lowering his tone, he ventured cautiously, "Regional Military Commissioner, the Burial Grounds are overrun with evil spirits—extremely dangerous."

"You are of priceless worth; you must not risk yourself."

"I have a plan: let me issue a formal notice under the Demon-Slaying Bureau's name, uniting Zhenhai State's local government."

"Prepare thoroughly before we move—what do you think?"

Wang Jian spoke firmly, face earnest: "Your servant cares deeply for your safety—no hint of defiance!"

Jiang Jian walked toward the hall, coldly saying, "I want results."

His meaning was clear.

In fifteen minutes, the troops must be assembled and depart for the Burial Grounds.

Whether Wang Jian could coordinate with the local government was irrelevant.

"Yes!"

Wang Jian responded again, gritting his teeth, urgently activating the phantom seal to notify Zhenhai State's government!

The Demon-Slaying Bureau's Regional Military Commissioner acted with ruthless speed—on his very first day, he intended to expend great effort clearing the Burial Grounds!

The news spread through Zhenhai State in moments.

Zhenhai State was immensely prosperous.

Yet it was also a heavily afflicted region.

The people of Zhenhai State, hearing this, remained skeptical, unwilling to fully believe.

Nearby,

Liu Ji grew anxious, hurried forward, and stepped behind Jiang Jian: "Sacred Chooser, about the gold shortfall—"

Jiang Jian did not turn, softly replying, "Go plead guilty to the court. It has nothing to do with me."

Liu Ji froze for a moment, then broke into ecstatic joy, shouting, "Yes!"

As his thoughts turned, he whispered respectfully, "Holy Emissary, I request to deploy some Demon-Slaying Guards to apprehend all criminals in this area and take them away to uphold the Great Zhou's law!"

Jiang Jian said, "Granted."

"Thank you, Holy Emissary!"

He had received the answer he wanted.

Liu Ji's face glowed with delight; his entire body felt utterly at ease.

He turned and left the hall, glaring at the Chief Clerk Sun Sun Luoshui with a sinister smile: "You forged accounts, embezzled gold, and dared to incite me to deceive the Holy Emissary!"

"Do you even recognize the authority of the court anymore!"

Liu Ji waved his hand sharply and barked, "Where are the Demon-Slaying Guards!"

Immediately, several Guard Captains stepped forward in unison: "My lord!"

At this moment, nominally, Liu Ji was still the Regional Military Commissioner.

He still had a cadre of loyal subordinates.

"Arrest this traitor who defies the Emperor and perverts justice!"

Liu Ji spoke coldly, "Especially Chief Clerk Sun Sun Luoshui, Deputy Commissioner Xu Lei, and Captain Zhao."

"These three are deeply guilty—arrest them all and send them to the capital!"

The Guard Captains exchanged glances and replied in unison: "Yes!"

Hearing this,

Captain Zhao and the others turned deathly pale and collapsed to the ground.

"Holy Emissary, I have evidence that Liu Ji hoarded resources!"

"I personally saw those resources—they're useful to other Holy Emissaries!"

As the Guard Captains moved to bind him, Sun Sun Luoshui remained calm, looking toward the hall and shouting loudly!

After brief observation,

Sun Sun Luoshui had accurately deduced:

This "Holy Emissary" cared nothing for the missing gold.

His only concern was the official seal!

Or rather,

He cared only for cultivation resources that benefited him!

Then,

The secret information he held in his hands was perfectly timed.

Indeed,

Upon hearing this,

Liu Ji's breath hitched, his face turning grim.

A cold voice came from within the hall: "Bring the Chief Clerk forward."

The Guard Captains paused their actions, glancing at Liu Ji, uncertain what to do.

Liu Ji snapped back to himself, his body trembling slightly.

Wang Jian led men forward, smirking as he seized Sun Sun Luoshui and dragged him into the hall.

Liu Ji stood frozen, staring at the hall, his expression anxious, silently praying desperately.

But then,

Sun Sun Luoshui's voice rang out, causing Liu Ji to shudder as if struck by lightning.

"During his tenure, Liu Ji secretly withheld seven Great Zhou imperial edicts!"

"Each edict contains immense Great Zhou destiny energy!"

Sun Sun Luoshui spoke with confidence: "According to court protocol, Great Zhou edicts must be enshrined in the Incense Burner Hall—no one may touch them!"

"Yet Liu Ji replaced them with forgeries and smuggled all seven back to his own residence!"

"I suspected something, so I long ago dispatched agents to shadow him and gathered proof!"

"If the Holy Emissary doubts me, please visit the Incense Burner Hall!"

"Right now, the edicts displayed there are all fakes!"

Outside the hall,

Liu Ji's body went limp, his face ashen, and he collapsed to his knees.

"Sun Sun Luoshui, you venomous little worm!"

He muttered, "I treated you well—how dare you spy on me in secret!"

The next instant,

The Holy Emissary's voice, icy and cold, struck Liu Ji's ears like thunder: "Wang Jian, lead the Demon-Slaying Guards immediately to raid Liu Ji's residence and retrieve the edicts."

"If all seven edicts remain, send all the guilty parties to the court."

Dark streams of light intertwined.

Jiang Jian, clad in a moon-white robe, appeared at the edge of the Patrol Sea Platform, his expression grim.

The Great Zhou edicts contained vast quantities of destiny energy.

They were extremely valuable for Jiang Jian's use of the official seal!

The Zhenhai Province had gone a long time without a Holy Emissary being appointed.

Over these years, many edicts had accumulated.

Shen Xi had recommended Jiang Jian for Zhenhai Province precisely because of these edicts!

One reason was these very edicts!

Whenever a Holy Emissary assumed office, these edicts would be made available to him.

This had become an unspoken rule of the Great Zhou court.

In other words,

These Incense Burner Hall edicts were originally meant as resources for Jiang Jian!

Although Shen Xi had spoken briefly and said nothing of this,

Jiang Jian had been completely unaware of the edicts' existence.

But no one had anticipated:

Regional Military Commissioner Liu Ji had grown so brazen he dared to embezzle even what belonged to a Holy Emissary!

Soon,

Wang Jian led a squad of Demon-Slaying Guards onto the Patrol Sea Platform, his face grim: "Regional Military Commissioner."

Jiang Jian murmured, "Speak."

Wang Jian spoke nervously: "Only four of the seven edicts remain."

"Three edicts,"

"Were sold by Liu Ji at exorbitant prices to other provinces."

"However,"

"I found in his residence the items he received in exchange—a box."

As he spoke, Wang Jian waved his hand.

Immediately, a subordinate stepped forward reverently, holding a tray upon which lay a wooden box, resting on brocade silk.

The atmosphere on the Patrol Sea Platform froze.

Three hundred Demon-Slaying Guards held their breath, not daring to speak.

Below the Patrol Sea Platform,

Liu Ji's face was as white as paper; he trembled and cried, "Holy Emissary! Please spare my life!"

He crawled on the ground, clawing up the stone steps of the platform, mouth gaping.

His body suddenly stiffened.

In an instant,

Liu Ji's entire form dissolved into scattered black light.

Crumbled downward, reduced to ash.

Silence fell over the entire Patrol Sea Platform.

All members of the Demon-Slaying Bureau bowed their heads, trembling, not daring to make a sound.

"Fifteen minutes have passed."

Jiang Jian lightly brushed his moon-white sleeves, his expression calm: "Come with me to the Burial Mound to cleanse the calamity."

Deep within his spirit,

There was no anger.

Destiny edicts were among the Great Zhou court's few precious resources.

He was a stranger here and had no knowledge of them.

Recalling this,

Jiang Jian felt a surge of caution.

He had come here, and his spiritual essence easily crushed these men.

Without realizing it,

He looked down upon the beings of this place with contempt.

"My inner state still needs refinement."

"Never underestimate anyone."

"When the time comes, even ants can overturn heaven."

"Moreover, these native beings have all fought their way out through brutal Sacred Selection rituals."

"Three imperial edicts—as a lesson."

Jiang Jian steadied his spirit and swept away, from his subconscious, all contempt for the beings of this place!

A thousand-li dike collapses from an ant's hole.

This matter is not significant.

Yet it made Jiang Jian far more vigilant about cultivating his inner composure.

The world is cluttered with myriad affairs, the mortal realm bustling and noisy.

A single misstep, and one sinks into it, stained and corrupted in spirit.

"At every moment, one must cultivate one's nature."

"It also benefits the cultivation of spiritual essence."

As his emotions churned.

Jiang Jian stepped forward, and beneath him appeared a jet-black phoenix, letting out a clear, piercing cry!

Long Long Quexu spread its wings and soared, black light swirling around it.

Carrying Jiang Jian, it flew toward the Burial Mound.

Not long after.

Hundreds of members of the Demon-Slaying Bureau arrived at the Burial Mound, their expressions grim and deadly.

Ghostly wails echoed, eerie and terrifying.

Jiang Jian stood atop Long Long Quexu's head, gazing down, his expression strange.

Only when he saw the Burial Mound.

Did he realize he had overestimated the "disaster."

Under the deliberate interference of the Earth-Moon Academy.

The native beings here, though resolute in spirit and rapidly advancing in cultivation,

Had abysmally low combat power.

Compared to the seventy prefectures on the surface, they were not even in the same league.

Yet.

The Earth-Moon Academy's methods ensured the Second Realm remained firmly controlled.

Its beings could never possibly rebel.

The Burial Mound, infamous for its ferocity,

Was, in Jiang Jian's eyes, merely a few Spring-Source-level minor ghosts and a hundred wandering souls.

Upon the Burial Mound,

A woman in a gauze dress appeared, her voice hoarse: "Demon-Slaying Bureau!"

"Didn't we already agree? We're allowed to hunt once every few days!"

"Beyond that, we keep to our own waters!"

"Why have you brought such a show? Do you intend to break the agreement?!"

Behind her,

Several malevolent ghosts gradually materialized.

Among them, a white-clad girl spoke coldly: "Yesterday, when we went out to hunt, I obeyed the agreement and ate only a few villagers—my stomach still isn't full!"

Wang Jian's face changed. He looked up at Jiang Jian: "Regional Military Commissioner, this white-clad ghost is utterly vicious—her resentment energy is immense!"

Yet inwardly, he was frantic.

He cursed the Zhenhai Prefecture authorities for moving too slowly—they still hadn't arrived.

Though Jiang Jian had just effortlessly slain Liu Ji, proving formidable strength,

Wang Jian had suffered multiple defeats here at the Burial Mound; deep in his spirit, he still felt unease facing these demons.

"Xiao Ling, that man is no ordinary figure."

The gauze-dressed woman stared at Jiang Jian, her gaze grave. "Though he emits no aura,

His black bird looks extraordinarily remarkable."

Hearing this,

The white-clad girl sneered, her form twisting into a grotesque ghostly face that lunged at Jiang Jian with a shriek: "Perfect—I'm hungry! Watch me swallow him whole!"

Jiang Jian's expression remained blank. He stared silently at the ghostly face, not moving a muscle.

The terrifying face surged closer, its crimson mouth gaping wide, eyes brimming with malice, ready to devour him!

The demon drew near.

Jiang Jian stood firm, his palm turning lightly.

Brilliant white starlight rapidly gathered.

In an instant, a three-foot snow-white sword appeared.

Jiang Jian raised his gaze slightly, raised Han Guang, and slashed casually.

A frost-white blade-light tore through the darkness, blindingly brilliant.

All around, an eerie silence fell.

The ghostly face crumbled, reverting to the white-clad girl, who was drawn into the blade-light and dissolved silently.

That silent blade-light did not pause—it grew with the wind.

In the blink of an eye, it stretched dozens of zhang long, sweeping across the Burial Mound.

A blazing sword cry shattered the dead night sky, piercing eardrums!

BOOM!

The blazing white blade-light roared past!

Hundreds of demons had no time to react.

Their faces twisted,

Even a single scream could not escape—they were swept away by the blade's light and flame, their forms and spirits obliterated.

The gauze-dressed woman and the several demons behind her also changed expression, swallowed by the blade-light, crumbling to ash.

The vast Burial Mound, as if washed clean by heavy rain, was utterly pristine, not a trace of yin energy remaining.

Looking out, not a single malevolent ghost remained.

Seeing this,

Wang Jian, Sun Sun Luoshui, and the three hundred Demon-Slaying Guards stood frozen, expressions stunned.

Not far away,

A group from the Zhenhai Prefecture authorities rushed over, arriving just in time to witness this horrifying scene.

"Did I see that wrong?"

One of the prefecture's spirit advisors rubbed his eyes. "Is this still the Burial Mound?"

The once-feared Burial Mound now held only barren ruins and shattered walls—no demon in sight.

Meanwhile,

Jiang Jian's Regional Military Commissioner seal suddenly trembled!

Its aura unlocked many new potentials!

"Clearing the Burial Mound has unlocked enough Great Zhou cosmic fortune to fuel my full cultivation for about a month."

Holding the seal, Jiang Jian estimated internally, yet never paused his steps.

"Next location."

"Demon-Hiding Ravine."

……

……

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(End of Chapter)