Chapter 703: None

Bai Lang did not take the basket used for ascending the mountain; he still trusted his own mountain-climbing skills more—besides, Black Wood Cliff was not actually very high. This place was like a treasure pagoda, with only three levels in total, and the highest point was only about two hundred meters tall. Bai Lang reached out and pressed his hand into a crevice in the rock, using the leverage to leap upward. After a few more such presses and leaps, he reached the first level in just a few moments. The members of the Demon Cult on guard duty could not stop Bai Lang and were scattered by him with a few punches and kicks.

Ren Woxing and the others also used their lightness skills to ascend to the first level one after another, and later, through a signal, they even cleared the way to the second level. Bai Lang did not care about these bandits; he began to carefully observe the buildings on the first level, preparing to carry out his duties and collect as much evidence as possible of their plotting of great rebellion—although, given his official rank, he could claim a certain Jianghu sect was rebelling just by moving his lips, Bai Lang felt he needed at least some evidence. If he just spoke up directly, it would be too much like the style of the Grand Guardian Ao...

"The words of this humble official are evidence. This humble official holds the military power of the world, with over a million men under his command. With one military order, the heads of thousands or tens of thousands would fall. Does the Emperor think this humble official is lying?" Bai Lang laughed at himself as he said this.

While Bai Lang was searching, those four guys went straight to the second level. Linghu Chong seemed a bit hesitant but followed them up in the end; conversely, Ren Yingying looked somewhat reluctant. "This guy, I should catch him and send him back to Sect Leader Yue Buqun, abolish his internal force, and throw him into the estate to be raised as a landlord. I think Sect Leader Yue and Master Ning would be reluctant to kill him."

Before long, Bai Lang finished his fruitless search and went straight to the second level; he was too lazy to search the second level. The third level was the core palace of the Demon Cult—it could only be described as a large mansion with several courtyards, though the decorations were quite luxurious. Bai Lang walked in and found the four of them standing in the mansion, looking at a loss. "Dongfang Bubai is not here? That is strange." Bai Lang looked at the Demon Cult members lying on the ground around them.

Most of them were servants and maids who did not know martial arts. Dongfang Bubai himself was one of the world's top experts; did he even need guards? Anyway, rumor had it that Dongfang Bubai was an Innate Expert. There were only two eunuchs in the palace who had reached the Innate realm; it should be said that if Dongfang Bubai had truly entered the Innate realm, his aptitude was indeed outstanding. Now these four were in a bind. With Dongfang Bubai absent, were they just going to sit here and start issuing orders?

That would be too much of a farce.

Ren Woxing might really be able to try that, but with just one word from Dongfang Bubai, his efforts would immediately turn into a sandcastle. Bai Lang looked at these four guys and reached out his hand toward Linghu Chong. "Let's go. I will send you down the mountain. You decide for yourself how to explain this to Sect Leader Yue when you return. If I see you associating with bandits again, Senior Brother... I will send you to the imperial prison. If you're lucky, it'll be the Ministry of Justice; if you're unlucky, it'll be the Jin Yi Guard."

Bai Lang's official authority radiated outward. Even though Linghu Chong considered himself a hermit, he could only murmur in response—a hermit is worth nothing; even the highest-ranking hermits of Zhongnan Mountain fly back and forth outside the Prime Minister's mansion. As for the other three, only Ren Woxing could maintain his composure in front of Bai Lang; he just snorted with dissatisfaction. "Since you few are not the current members of the Demon Cult... wait, Xiang Wentian, you are the current Left Envoy of the Demon Cult, right? Very well, your matter has been exposed; come with me."

After saying this, Bai Lang reached out to grab this "Heavenly King." Ren Woxing wanted to intervene and intercepted Bai Lang's grab, immediately unleashing the Star-Sucking Great Art—the old guy himself knew that for an expert like Bai Lang, the Star-Sucking Great Art might not necessarily work. Ren Woxing grabbed Bai Lang's hand, and immediately a tremendous suction force sought to shake the internal force in Bai Lang's meridians. Bai Lang smiled. "It is truly useless. If you had the North Ocean Divine Art, it might be of some use, but the Star-Sucking Great Art?"

As he spoke, the Star-Sucking Great Art was completely unable to shake Bai Lang's internal force. Instead, with every breath Bai Lang took, the Star-Sucking Great Art expanded and contracted just like Bai Lang's breathing; Ren Woxing completely lost control of this martial art. The old man's expression changed drastically. "An Innate Expert!" he said through gritted teeth. "Such a young Innate Expert!" This sentence even revealed a sense of grief and indignation.

It was no wonder; not everyone could accept the fact that their aptitude was limited and that most of their martial arts training had been in vain.

Ren Woxing retreated violently, while Xiang Wentian turned and ran without hesitation—both times, he had completely failed to live up to his nickname of "Heavenly King." Unfortunately, he could not run this time. Bai Lang's arm simply lengthened, his power surged and recoiled, and he captured Xiang Wentian, who had already darted out more than a zhang, directly sealing his internal force. Bai Lang carried Xiang Wentian. "Let's go, Senior Brother. And you, young lady, take care of yourself and do not lead yourself astray. This Demon Cult and the White Lotus Sect are bound to be uprooted."

Bai Lang reached out and touched his beard. "I remember now, you are the Saintess of the Demon Cult, right? Forget it, I was drunk that time. Let us part ways here." This was simply discriminatory treatment and a double standard, but that was just how Bai Lang was.

He intended to throw Xiang Wentian into the imperial prison and let the Jin Yi Guard interrogate him; as for what could be asked, it didn't matter—this guy had opposed Dongfang Bubai for years, so he probably didn't know much about the sect's affairs or the White Lotus Sect. Bai Lang knew that the White Lotus Sect was colluding with the Tartars in the city of Bansheng in the grasslands; when the time came, he would mobilize the Xuan-Da troops to capture the city and arrest the rebels inside to be punished according to the law.

He had many things to do, and he also had to pay attention to the Japanese pirates in the southeast. Anyway, the opinion of the Jin Yi Guard was that there were Jianghu bandits colluding with the pirates, so he would probably have to go to Nanjing to be responsible for cleaning up the rebels colluding with the pirates after dealing with the White Lotus Sect.

After doing all this, if things went well, he might be promoted to Vice Minister... then it would be time to wear the red official robe.

Bai Lang did not care whether Linghu Chong listened to his advice; after all, fortune and misfortune have no gate, only people call them upon themselves. If this guy continued to be so spineless, he would only sink himself in the end. When Bai Lang left, even Ren Woxing was a bit dejected and did not stop him again. However, Ren Yingying begged Bai Lang, asking if he could let her Uncle Xiang go, because although Xiang Wentian was the Left Envoy, he was busy rescuing the old sect leader and had not participated in any rebellion.

Bai Lang glanced at the Saintess. "How could the imperial court wrong a good person! If he is unaware, he will certainly be released. Do you think he will be kept in the imperial prison to eat old rice?" Bai Lang himself did not believe this; Xiang Wentian must have killed innocent people, so even if he hadn't participated in the rebellion, he would still have to take a trip to the execution grounds. Thus, Bai Lang swaggered down the mountain with Xiang Wentian, threw him onto a mule cart, and a day later, when the man's internal force recovered, Bai Lang was too lazy to seal it again. Xiang Wentian dared not run—Ren Woxing and the others followed Bai Lang from a distance. Of course, Linghu Chong sat on Bai Lang's mule cart; he said that after escorting his junior brother to the capital, he would return to Mount Hua to plead guilty to his master, and after that, he would never leave Huayin again. ===== CHAPTER 704 =====