Chapter 453: Enter the City Lord's Mansion, Capture the Superior

"That is exactly how it is; aside from the spatial anomalies that cannot be investigated, leaving one feeling helpless, there really are no clues in other aspects."

Sheng Zhaoshui gave a bitter, troubled smile, sighed, and began: "To be honest, I would rather encounter a bunch of enemies chasing me relentlessly the moment I arrived; that way, I could just try to follow the vine to find the melon. As it is now, the strongest ones are obviously just some weak genius Great Cultivators—so ordinary to the extreme that it's just very frustrating!"

Hearing this, Du En deliberated before speaking: "Is this Profound Mystery cultivation world truly so unbearable?"

An Shen's gaze also flickered: "Looking at the residential areas for ordinary people here, the population scale should be quite large. Even in mud, lotus flowers can grow. With years of accumulation, it is impossible that there are only 'weak geniuses' at this level, right?"

"Because the social atmosphere here is, how should I put it? It is too focused on personal gain and loss. Regarding outstanding juniors, even those from the same faction, once it is perceived that their status is threatened, they will strike ruthlessly in advance, leading to many outstanding figures perishing for no reason, unable to grow up."

Sheng Zhaoshui had clearly investigated this as well, and spoke with a sigh: "Also, because the foundational heritage is truly too mediocre—there are no precious manuals, and legal codes are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. Plus, the foundation of spiritual energy is a bit too thin and bland. Add to that the monopolization by various parties, tacit targeting, and other factors; in short, latecomers find it very difficult to find a way to break the situation, because no matter how much of a genius one is, it is difficult for a clever housewife to cook without rice..."

"What about Heaven's Pride? If it were Heaven's Pride, they should be able to bring about the final impact."

Du En continued to press.

Sheng Zhaoshui shook his head: "I haven't discovered any traces of Heaven's Pride appearing in these ten thousand years. Perhaps it is because this star realm simply cannot produce native Heaven's Pride."

Isn't this where the suspicious point lies?

Just as the two thought this, Sheng Zhaoshui looked at them, realized something, and couldn't help but retort: "Also, don't talk as if Heaven's Pride are Chinese cabbages. Normally, whether innate or acquired, Heaven's Pride is a situation that is hard to come by in ten thousand years. Moreover, given the situation of this star realm, even if there are those with great ambition, they cannot obtain accumulation; there is simply no foundation."

"In other words, above, there is some kind of suppression set by a Supreme, making it impossible for Heaven's Pride to be born naturally; below, also because of the Supreme, the star spiritual veins have withered, and there are insufficient foundational resources to accumulate and pile up an acquired Heaven's Pride."

Du En accepted this quickly and stated the conclusion directly.

An Shen, however, was somewhat dazed.

This was actually not his fault, because his hometown, the Source Life Star Realm, was an extreme exception—a special case where True Monarch Unmoved had to exhaust hundreds or thousands of stars and star realms to pile up so many genius and Heaven's Pride figures there! In reality, the situation of the Profound Mystery Star Realm is actually closer to the state of a normal fifth-tier star realm; the peak is just weak-tier and ordinary geniuses.

The Radiant Light Star Realm that Du En had visited before was relatively similar, though it still belonged to a more peculiar type among fifth-tier star realms.

—Because there was quite a bit of heritage left by predecessors, not only were strong geniuses still relatively frequent, but it could also produce a near-top-tier strong Heaven's Pride like Great Cultivator Mo Ju.

As for the Great Sorrow Demon like Chang Lingfeng, that belonged to an alternative situation.

"However, Sheng Zhaoshui, you must have some speculation, otherwise you wouldn't be lingering in Nine Clouds City, forming a corresponding landing coordinate."

Du En spoke bluntly, without any hesitation.

"Don't be so distant; I am, after all, your fellow senior brother of the same generation!"

As Sheng Zhaoshui said this, he hesitated, his gaze flickering: "Actually, it's not that I have any speculation, but rather, synthesizing the situation of the cultivation worlds in various places in this realm, I found that the quality of cultivation techniques here in Nine Clouds City is slightly higher by a tiny bit."

"Simply put, since I really can't find any other anomalies, I can only stare at a somewhat suspicious place and try to 'beat the grass to scare the snake'?"

"Yes, that's it, otherwise I wouldn't have the leisure to drink wine here."

Really? I don't believe it.

The attitude of the god and the man was obvious.

Looking at each other again, they each nodded.

"Since that is the case, let us explore a little."

"Straightforwardly, go find Nine Clouds Superior."

The two did not have any good clues, and taking action was better than Sheng Zhaoshui wasting time like this.

Then, they stared silently at Sheng Zhaoshui, making him reluctantly put the table of wine and side dishes into his storage bag before taking back the map.

"What kind of person is this Nine Clouds Superior generally?"

"Just ordinary evil; in any case, not a good person."

"In that case, we can be slightly more aggressive in our actions."

The conversation did not stop, and the action unfolded, swift and decisive.

The city spanned a hundred miles, and the City Lord's Mansion occupied twenty. From their current position, there was actually still some distance, about seventy or eighty miles.

Out of caution, they did not sweep their divine sense too wantonly.

So it was only after a blink that they truly saw this City Lord's Mansion.

Because they had already arrived before the City Lord's Mansion.

The east gate was towering, painted in vermilion, with long, imposing lintels, appearing somber and ceremonial.

The most critical thing was that on the left edge of the archway not far in front of the gate, three corpses were currently hanging, swaying slightly in the wind, causing people passing by from afar to bow their heads and walk humbly, while the City Lord's Mansion soldiers guarding the gate held their heads high and chests out.

"Very fresh corpses. One is seventy-three years old, one is forty-two, and one is only eighteen. All of them were in the Qi Refining stage before they died; not a single one was at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining. The highest is the eighteen-year-old one, at the eighth level of Qi Refining."

Du En glanced at the three corpses, which were clearly those of bottom-tier rogue cultivators, and already knew all the basic information clearly.

The life force had not yet withered, proving they had died recently.

His gaze was calm, and he shifted it toward Sheng Zhaoshui.

It was as if he were questioning him, and even more like a still, ancient well.

This made the guy who had been flippant before, and who was originally secretly lamenting Du En's handiwork, shrink his neck slightly. A sense of tension arose spontaneously, and he couldn't help but click his tongue at how much he had changed.

It was far, far stronger than when they had faced each other before; just looking at each other like this made one's heart jump! Of course, he did not forget to explain slightly: "It is not that I did not want to strike, but rather, why should I strike?"

Saying this, Sheng Zhaoshui's eyes narrowed slightly, his flippant smile restrained somewhat, and his true nature seemed to emerge, rolling up from those layers of deep water.

"That's true."

True about what? Du En did not say.

He seemed not to care about this at all. As his footsteps moved, he had already stepped into the City Lord's Mansion, and with another slight release of his divine sense, he quietly locked onto the target person.

Sheng Zhaoshui, who deliberately lagged half a step behind, actually felt a sense of relief in his heart, so he transmitted his voice to An Shen the Diamond Mirror: "I was really quite scared just now, but such things are being staged and happening everywhere in Profound Mystery, in the Immortal Sects, and in every place. Even if I really helped once, what substantial problem could it solve?"

"Do not refrain from doing good because it is small; perhaps they are just that kind of person. Regarding his side, well, if I didn't see it, I wouldn't mention it, but having seen it and being capable of doing something, naturally I must strike." "They?"

Sheng Zhaoshui glanced at the city around him, nodded slightly in acknowledgment, and keenly sensed that this "they" An Shen spoke of was a bit strange; it seemed not to include himself, and it seemed not to include the people on the Fifth Peak of their sect.

Before he could continue to ponder, An Shen had already followed, taking that half-step.

Regarding the corpses hanging on the archway, other than a slight change in his gaze, he had no obvious emotional fluctuation.

"Was my understanding correct after all? However, when did such a person who calculates gains and losses so much come to the Fifth Peak?"

Muttering this in his heart, Sheng Zhaoshui also stepped forward.

It took some time to mention, but in fact, all three arrived at the location of Nine Clouds Superior, in the great hall of the City Lord's Mansion, at roughly the same time.

"Scoundrel!"

City Lord Jiuyun Shangren was a dignified man with a square face and long beard, wearing ornate robes that resembled an imperial gown; he sat on a chair upon the high dais, berating the person kneeling below the steps.

"This subordinate knows their crime! I beg for your mercy!"

The person below the steps was not equipped as fully as the soldiers in the city outside the manor; they only carried a sword, but in reality, everything from their clothing to the sword was of a grade far exceeding those armors and long spears, all being fourth-grade items.

Thus, this was clearly a member of the inner guard, a personal bodyguard with impressive cultivation and absolute loyalty, so their current attitude was naturally a matter of course.

Regardless of whether they were at fault, they should admit it first! With this, Jiuyun Shangren's expression softened slightly, putting away his thunderous rage, and he spoke: "I arranged for you to be the personal bodyguard of that rebellious son, yet you failed to fulfill your duty of admonishment; however, since the subsequent report was timely and your actions were decisive, I shall only fine you ten years of salary as a warning to others!"

"Thank you, Exalted One!"

The guard hurriedly thanked him and kowtowed.

A mere ten years of salary was neither painful nor itchy, and since it was only a fine of ordinary salary, as a highly valued bodyguard of the City Lord's manor, they had plenty of other ways to rake in money.

They were human too, and although they appeared loyal, they could not help but secretly heave a sigh of relief.

Consequently, they were even more tearfully grateful.

Jiuyun Shangren caught this emotion and nodded slightly, then thought of his rebellious son who had forcibly abducted a female cultivator, his expression turning dark once more as he said: "Lock that rebellious son up, ground him for ten years, and he is not allowed to leave until he breaks through his current cultivation!"

"Yes!"

The guard replied, then hesitated slightly, kneeling to ask for instructions: "That Qi Refining female cultivator who was snatched by the Young Master..."

"Cut the weeds and dig up the roots, why keep her?"

Jiuyun Shangren said it as a matter of course, then suddenly thought of something, paused, and added: "Forget it, wait a while longer."

"Yes."

While the guard acknowledged the order, they also sensed their master's intent and immediately spoke some pleasant words: "Although the Young Master was relatively reckless this time, he was ultimately just eager to please you, knowing you wish to hold a grandchild with spiritual roots as soon as possible..."

"Too much talk, get out!"

"Yes, yes."

The guard retreated with a fawning smile to convey Jiuyun Shangren's decree.

Jiuyun Shangren stroked his long beard; after his subordinate left, a look of satisfaction finally appeared on his face, as the other's words had touched his heart, turning his mood from overcast to clear.

As for the plight of those at the bottom of the Qi Refining stage, he did not take it to heart at all! Then, his expression froze.

"You have finished your business; it is time to talk about ours."

Du En's voice rang out, and the figures of the two people and one mirror appeared abruptly in front of and on both sides of Jiuyun Shangren.

Before he knew it, he had already been lifted and dropped onto the ground before the steps.

Cold sweat broke out instantly, but Jiuyun Shangren was a man of ambition; he immediately roused his magic power, intending to unleash the might of the early Nascent Soul stage to blast away everything around him and trigger the various defensive measures within the City Lord's manor...

"You really don't understand the situation."

Du En raised his hand, fast as lightning, and tapped him lightly on the head; his divine palace shattered, his cultivation collapsed, his origin was extinguished, and a Nascent Soul, looking like a dried shrimp, was plucked out on the spot.

"Just like you said earlier, compared to the True Monarch Supremes, you aren't exactly a heinous villain, so, do you know the Soul-Searching Technique?"

Hearing such calm and matter-of-fact words, Jiuyun Shangren, still conscious, was terrified beyond measure and wanted to beg for mercy, but he could not speak, completely under the other's control.

Du En was looking at Sheng Zhaoshui.

The Origin Saint Pupil was not omnipotent; although it could see an individual's life experiences, they were all those profound enough to leave a mark on the source of life, such as when cultivation advanced or broke through, what spirit pills or medicines were consumed, or what severe injuries or damaging techniques were suffered, tending toward the various aspects of the physical life itself.

As for the information recorded in the mind, heart, and Nascent Soul—what was known, seen, and heard—it could not be seen, which was why he had needed to specifically question the three demon hunters he saved earlier; now that he had captured this Jiuyun Shangren, he naturally had to ask an expert to obtain detailed information.

If there were no such expert, he would have to waste some effort to interrogate him.

It was just that doing so was very inefficient, and if this Jiuyun Shangren were to hide something, or even deliberately cause trouble by mixing in false information, it would be most unpleasant.

"How would I know such demonic, evil methods?"

Sheng Zhaoshui sounded dissatisfied, his tone quite exaggerated, feeling as if he had been slandered, but then he changed his tune: "However, I pride myself on having some ability when it comes to questioning people and digging for information; hand this Nascent Soul over to me, and in about half a day, I can make him open his heart."

Hearing these words, which had become flippant halfway through and even somewhat overly familiar, as if he wanted to be friends, Jiuyun Shangren felt only fear in his heart.

Do you dare believe it?!

He did not dare! Du En felt this was still a bit slow, so he looked toward An Shen.

The one in the Longling Mirror did not decline or show modesty: "I know soul-searching, let me do it."

No, are you really the exception on the Fifth Peak? Sheng Zhaoshui was slightly stunned, secretly frowning.

Could it be that in just these few years, the situation had already undergone drastic changes he was unaware of? In the old understanding here, someone like An Shen, who clearly had a criminal record and mastered such unorthodox methods as soul-searching, would normally never have been taken under the command of that True Monarch Chang Meng! —In the past, when facing those within the Immortal Sect who had been forced to take sides, he had been somewhat calculating, needing to clarify their specific pasts and ensure they had not crossed any bottom lines before accepting them.

But now...

(End of this chapter)