Chapter 296: Better to Kill the Innocent than Let One Escape (5k, Seeking Subscriptions)

Among the crowd of Golden Core cultivators, there was a young man who had originally been feeling dejected, but upon seeing the foolish appearance of his peers, a sense of arrogance suddenly welled up within him.

Hah!

I've even spoken with that person!

I've even witnessed that person defeat a powerful enemy!

He couldn't help but sweep his gaze across with raised brows, feeling quite proud and sharing in the honor.

"Everyone, let's focus on the task at hand first."

Du En spoke calmly, interrupting the crowd's flattery and gesturing toward the people already gathered outside the hall.

First the Golden Core stage, then the Foundation Establishment stage, and then the Qi Refining stage.

By screening them layer by layer, those who were found to be without issues could be immediately repurposed for the work, allowing the city-wide screening to be completed in an orderly and rapid fashion.

By thoroughly clearing the city district by district and section by section in this manner, any rats hiding within could be ferreted out and suppressed on the spot without harming the innocent.

As for hiding?

Any abnormal movement or attempt to flee, kill!

Hiding in a residence, kill!

Suspicious behavior, still kill!

The city defense measures had been adjusted once more, ensuring they were operating correctly without any risk of misjudgment or oversight.

In short, for now in Changle City, we start with the Golden Core stage.

After the devastation caused by the Fudong Immortal Sect, there were fewer than a hundred Golden Core cultivators left in Changle City, whereas there had originally been several hundred; more than half had been killed or wounded.

When the screening truly began, they couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.

But in reality, it only lasted for an instant; they were scanned and cleared very quickly.

One person's expression changed, blood-colored beast pupils emerged in the depths of their eyes, and their aura surged abruptly, shocking those around them; then, they were promptly dragged out and suppressed, though not killed.

"Hmph! Want to die? It's not that simple!"

Yang Xin, the leader of the Hub City squad, had been prepared and threw out a chain, capturing the infiltrating Fudong cultivator alive, intending to drag them back to Hub City later to squeeze out every bit of their value.

The Golden Core cultivators of Changle City were suddenly trembling with fear, shrinking back and not daring to raise their heads.

Yang Xin was tall, with a fairly broad and amiable face; glancing at Du En's side, he appeared generous and forthright, and overstepping his bounds, he waved his hand and said, "Alright, you have no issues. Disperse; from now on, just do your jobs well."

Hearing this, the true City Lord, Ying Dongqing, immediately raised her brows in dissatisfaction, her gaze shifting over coldly, which made him pause in secret alarm; realizing he had been too eager to show off and had overstepped, he immediately cast an apologetic look.

After all, Ying Dongqing was no pushover; at the Nascent Soul perfection stage, if she were lucky enough to leap over that hurdle, she could finally escape the shackles of the lower levels, ascend to the middle ranks of the Immortal Sect, and earn the title of a Great Cultivator.

Not to mention that she had defected quickly this time; if things went smoothly in the future, she would be ranked ahead of him in terms of seniority.

Therefore, Yang Xin did not dare to put on airs, and Ying Dongqing's expression eased slightly.

The other Nascent Soul cultivators were watching in secret, each with their own expressions and gazes, primarily focused on Du En's performance.

Ying Dongqing was actually watching him too; seeing his calm demeanor, she prepared to generously signal that the matter was over, which would also serve to establish a hierarchy of rank and order.

Then, this group of Nascent Soul cultivators watched in astonishment as Du En suddenly unleashed a surge of mana, no longer concealing his cultivation, revealing his late-stage Golden Core level.

Immediately, a giant cannon, fired with full force—though no longer twenty zhang in size, it was still thirteen or fourteen zhang—descended with a boom like a falling meteorite.

The target: the Golden Core cultivators present!

Hmm!?

What is going on?

Should we stop him?

For a moment, the Nascent Soul cultivators had different thoughts, and various ideas flashed through their minds in that instant.

If they wanted to stop him, they certainly could; after all, Du En was currently in his normal state, and although the attack was sudden, in their eyes, it was still too slow, and they could easily intervene and intercept it.

But in the end, apart from Ying Dongqing quietly connecting further with the various installations of the City Lord's Mansion, the others took no action, completely sitting by and watching, letting Du En act on his own.

The Golden Core cultivators were terrified and horrified, the shadow looming over them, an irresistible force; they felt their lives were hanging by a thread and were about to end.

They wanted to struggle, but were completely suppressed; furthermore, vines grew out and coiled around them, binding them completely, leaving them only to wait for the giant cannon to descend and turn them into a mass of minced meat and paste.

Those who had previously followed Zhang Qing and his group couldn't help but roar in anger; they wanted to utter their final words, questioning why they had met such an end.

"Sigh—!"

Suddenly, a sigh rang out.

The giant cannon collapsed, and the vines withered.

The Nascent Soul cultivators moved in response; the shaken Golden Core cultivators drifted away like scattered paper, while the one who had sighed was already surrounded, with various fourth-tier life-bound treasures poised and aimed directly at him.

These Nascent Soul powerhouses were very nervous at this moment!

Because as this person began to reveal his true colors, they felt as if they were being stared at by a prehistoric beast, their hair standing on end, unable to suppress the feeling.

This terrifying sensation—a genius-level Nascent Soul cultivator, and at Nascent Soul perfection at that?!

Even Ying Dongqing, who had already activated the support of the eight cities, was extremely tense at this moment; she never expected such an enemy to be hiding so close, nor did she expect the opponent to reveal his hostility only when forced out at this very moment!

Startlingly, he was that young man!

Ying Dongqing had previously noticed the young man's small gestures of admiration, but she hadn't paid any attention to them, because she was a centenarian herself; she had seen such youthful infatuation many times before and felt no ripples of concern.

And not long ago, on the inner city battlefield, she had secretly observed him as well, even considering eliminating him, fearing he might also be an infiltrator.

It turned out she was right!

But, if that was the case, why hadn't he intervened in Du En's battle earlier?

It was clear that if he had just made a move, he would have succeeded!

Therefore.

In other words, his goal was not to kill or destroy, but to truly infiltrate and sneak in!

Ying Dongqing quickly grasped the key, while the young man, Lu Zhihong, wiped his face, his appearance changing while his stature remained the same, causing the others to grit their teeth, feeling even more nervous.

Having changed into a delicate and young face—his own face—he then spoke to Du En behind the crowd, appearing peaceful on the surface but using a tone like a bloodthirsty beast grinding its teeth.

"How did you discover me? How did you perceive my target? I clearly acted perfectly from start to finish, even Fellow Daoist Ying Dongqing didn't notice. Well, after all, I am actually quite..."

"Shut up!"

Ying Dongqing's face was covered in frost, and she couldn't help but get goosebumps; she couldn't help but feel a chill, not daring to imagine what her future ending would have been if Du En hadn't exposed and forced this guy out, allowing him to truly develop within Changle City!

Lu Zhihong paid her no mind, only staring at Du En, wanting to obtain the answer to his doubts.

At this, Du En's heart stirred, and he decided to speak to satisfy him: "First, the timing of the battlefield changes was too perfect, creating an excellent moment where it seemed your conspiracy was about to collapse."

"Hmm, I actually really don't know about that. After all, once we penetrate your side, it is very difficult to pass information directly to each other; we can only rely on our own judgment to make decisions."

"Secondly, your previous actions had a flavor of 'issuing orders in the morning and changing them in the evening,' and choosing to remain trapped in the land of Changle was also strange. Clearly, quite a bit of time had passed from when I was discovered by your sentry points to when I arrived here in Changle; you could have completely split up and acted, like fish entering the sea."

"That is a bit of wishful thinking. Unless one leaves the Luoyu Realm, as long as you are detected, being caught is only a matter of time."

"Then, that secret technique of yours where the Nascent Soul houses the Golden Core seemed a bit deliberate, creating the illusion for others that it is just like that, that the Nascent Soul needs to be separated and housed."

"This was indeed deliberate. However, how did you reach that conclusion? It is clearly a secret technique from our side, and even your Great Cultivators couldn't crack it to this step, which is why you couldn't detect my existence just now."

"Finally, from the pig-face mask at the beginning, to the animal-hide cloak of that lurking agitator, and the broken remnants of the Golden Core, I feel they might have been intentionally provided by you."

"Couldn't it be that you are heroic, wise, and decisive, and that is why you were able to seize them? Also, a normal Golden Core shattering would of course not be in that state, but that was clearly a deterioration that only occurs under the influence of a secret technique. Under normal circumstances, one could never derive such a conclusion; the evidentiary strength is too weak!"

Lu Zhihong watched and listened until now, marveling at Du En's unchanging expression, simply because he was not suppressed by his aura at all, nor did he feel alarmed because of the previous "fluke."

At the same time, he felt some sighing, and even carried some dissatisfaction.

"In other words, these arguments of yours are entirely personal guesses; you didn't actually find any evidence, and didn't really catch my tail."

"Yes, that is so. Even the person you disguised as, I actually didn't see any problems with, just felt a bit concerned about why they appeared so cleverly. However, this was also because you never made a move, so I chose to let it go."

"Haha, so that's how it is. Hiding in the spatial turbulence before, only appearing when Fellow Daoist Ying Dongqing returned, was because of this reason, huh? However, you still saw one point, which is that I might be hiding among the Golden Core stage?"

"I can't say it like that. I just feel that the Golden Core stage is the most suitable, because the Nascent Soul stage is too conspicuous. Even if one passes the screening, they will be watched and scrutinized both openly and secretly; once there is any unusual movement, it will be noticed immediately."

Du En began a somewhat long-winded explanation: "And the Foundation Establishment stage seems too weak, and is easily influenced by the situation. It is very likely that one would exhaust all efforts and toil, only to fail to achieve one's goal due to some sudden situation, or even be sent to the front lines."

"Therefore, the Golden Core stage is the most suitable phase. It doesn't have too much attention, and later, when breaking through to the Nascent Soul, one can use the excuse of 'cashing in on accumulated experience' to legitimately reveal a portion of one's strength, gain more regard, and begin trying to climb upward."

"At the same time, stealing the identity and position of someone who already exists can also avoid unpredictable influences as much as possible. As long as one strictly performs their duties and pleases their superiors, the matter of being sent to the front lines will not occur."

"As for how to modify one's own changes in speech and behavior, you caused quite a stir this time, and many Golden Core stage cultivators were affected; it is already enough to form an external catalyst that is convincing enough."

"So, for this kind of thing, one can only blame you for placing the possibility of infiltration and possession—no, it should be infiltration and replacement, covering oneself in the skin and flesh of others—right in front of me so early."

Thus, Lu Zhihong laughed after hearing this: "Heh! That decadent guy who lived in a drunken stupor actually made you care so much, unexpectedly."

His laugh at this moment seemed very cold and evil, but unlike those previous Fudong cultivators, although this guy also had some traces of being processed by external forces, his own roots were still there, and the basis of his temperament and will was still his own.

Perhaps this is the treatment for a genius.

Over at the Fudong Immortal Sect, only when one reaches the level of a genius can one have a little bit of human treatment.

He laughed and mocked maliciously at this moment: "Just based on your own suspicion, you dared to do that? Weren't you afraid that you were just overthinking, leading to all these unlucky people dying in vain, and then, you yourself would also be punished because of it?"

Du En replied calmly: "I have someone above me."

Lu Zhihong: "..."

The crowd: "..."

What he said made so much sense!

But they immediately reacted.

Lu Zhihong's expression became strange: "As far as I know, the Changmeng Resolution is not the type of person who would condone such things."

"There is no problem. I have observed the Golden Core stage cultivators here in Changle; basically, they are all people who deserve to die."

Listening to Du En's matter-of-fact words, the Golden Core stage cultivators on the periphery who had just recovered looked at each other, and then felt a sense of depression where they wanted to cry but had no tears.

Traveler Du, would you like to listen to what you just said?!

"Good, good, good! A good 'deserve to die'!"

Lu Zhihong stepped forward, and the Nascent Souls tacitly stepped back.

It wasn't that they didn't dare to fight, it was truly that this fellow's aura was too overwhelming, and they were unconsciously led by it.

This guy is even more dangerous than what was perceived!

The personnel of Shu City couldn't help but secretly regret.

Now it's great; they didn't get to pick the peaches, and they might even get themselves dragged into it!

Ying Dongqing was even more nervous, but didn't dare to take the initiative to attack; she had been intimidated invisibly.

Lu Zhihong laughed leisurely and coldly, questioning Du En: "Then what about the young man I acted as? And the other guys who lived in a drunken stupor? We were among them too. According to your school of thought, we surely aren't people who 'deserve to die', right!"

"Because you truly exist, I think the Resolution will understand."

Du En's expression remained unchanged, only saying this.

What he gambled on was those various subtle possibilities that, although lacking definitive evidence, would emerge when carefully combed through, and were truly impossible to ignore.

Furthermore, he pointed out bluntly: "Moreover, you were actually intentionally letting people think in this direction, right."

"…Hahaha! That's right! Because only then is it stimulating enough!"

A madman!

Sweat broke out on the foreheads of Ying Dongqing and the others; toward this guy whose light laughter had faded and whose wild nature had emerged, becoming exceptionally arrogant, they felt only increasingly deep apprehension, and even fear.

He intentionally created a pile of detailed loopholes that clearly lacked empirical evidence but did indeed exist, bit by bit cultivating his most favorite prey.

In fact, whether it was Ying Dongqing or Zhang Qing, when facing this incident, while pondering the ins and outs, they would more or less mutter to themselves, always feeling there were some things that weren't right, but because there was no actual, powerful supporting evidence, they ultimately only felt they were overthinking.

It wasn't that they were all good people who would talk about rules and morality with suspects, but that those things that weren't right were all set up very subtly and cleverly!

It would make people mutter, feeling like something wasn't right, but if they carefully combed through it, they would find themselves like headless flies, as if they were delusional in the void, completely impractical.

This is what they called having no evidence, no basis to prove his existence!

This is what Lu Zhihong wanted, and then, when he revealed his fangs in front of them in the future, it would make them regret why they didn't rack their brains to get to the bottom of it back then!

This is the prey he wanted, tender flesh filled with regret, fear, and despair!

However, he had now encountered a cold stone.

Looking up and meeting that face, the calm countenance and rippleless gaze gave Lu Zhihong the feeling of choking on a piece of meat.

Even at this moment, there was still no fear, no regret, and even less possibility of any despair...

So he couldn't help but sigh: "Really now, even in the mortal world, one is given a final meal before being beheaded; is your Falling Feather like this because you are a bit stingy?"

Du En did not answer, turned around, and walked away directly.

Because Meng Changqing was urging him desperately, and because the person capable of suppressing Lu Zhihong had already arrived.

Clouds rise from the southeast, Yi suppresses the land on one side.

When that lean and withered old man stepped into this city, the various city defense measures, both overt and covert, seemed to be welcoming him, lighting up with bright ripples one by one.

From the outer city to the inner city, and then to this City Lord's Mansion.

In fact, the city lords of those small and medium-sized cities of the Falling Feather Immortal Sect could not perfectly control the city defenses.

Because they start at the fourth or fifth rank, and even those like Ying Dongqing are like five-year-old children wielding a hundred-jin hammer; they simply cannot control them freely and must also fear a backlash against themselves.

But it is different now; the person who can truly bring out the many mysteries of the city defense has already arrived on the scene.

Great Cultivator Yun Yi.

The moment he stepped into the City Lord's Mansion, it was as if clouds gathered in the sky, and then as if time flowed backward, they dispersed.

"Wait, why is it you?!"

Lu Zhihong had originally been quite open-minded; after all, in a world where the strong prey on the weak, since he had been accidentally exposed, it was very normal to die at the hands of a Great Cultivator from the Falling Feather side.

He did not think at all that these rabble present could kill him!

But, how could it be this old thing who came over in the end?!

"I have always petitioned to go to the front lines to avenge my first disciple, but the Hub never allowed it, and I could only remain trapped in the city, often gazing toward the northeast. This time, thanks to Cultivator Du, I can finally ease my withered will."

"Wait, wait..."

No need to wait, or rather, he had waited too long.

The crowd did not see any movement at all, yet Lu Zhihong's Nascent Soul had already been more than half shattered, dropping him to the level of barely the early stage, falling into an infant-like quiet coma, and was effectively sealed within a dark, gloomy cloud.

The lean and withered old man came like a light breeze and flowing clouds, and left like a light breeze and flowing clouds.

The inner and outer city defenses thus quickly returned to calm, which, to the local City Lord Ying Dongqing, even felt a bit reluctant to part?

For a moment, her thoughts were complex, then quickly returned to firmness.

If he can achieve this, I can also achieve this!

"As long as I can seize the opportunity..."

She looked back at the mansion, at the City Lord's office.

Du En had already reconnected and met with Meng Changqing.

(End of chapter)