Chapter 196: Beheading and Collecting the Corpse

"Is Wang Shuner really that important? Worthy of Lingxuzi, his grandmaster, coming out personally to save him?"

Chen Guanlou was very surprised and couldn't figure it out.

Their group of prison guards hid outside the execution ground, watching the fighting flying back and forth above. One side wanted to save the person, the other side wanted to kill, and both sides were entangled extremely fiercely. It looked like their strength was evenly matched, and for the time being, neither could get the better of the other.

"With such a grand display, I'm afraid this Wang Shuner isn't simple, or perhaps he has other backgrounds." Old Zhang Tou said.

Chen Guanlou's hands were a bit itchy. A group of Fourth or Fifth Rank, or even Sixth Rank martial artists were fighting on the execution ground, and he really wanted to participate to weigh his own strength.

Since returning from Hu Family Village, he hadn't fought seriously. He felt he could compete with a Fifth Rank martial artist, but he would only know the specific outcome after fighting.

Alas, there was truly no room for him to display his skills in this situation today; he could only be a spectator.

"Chen Tou, are we just going to watch?" Qian Fugui came to his side and asked in a low voice.

"Otherwise? Do you have the ability to save him?"

Qian Fugui shut his mouth decisively.

Xiao Jin patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, with such a big commotion, let alone Wang Shuner dying on the spot, even if he were really taken away, the higher-ups wouldn't blame us prison guards. In such an accident, with such strong martial artists, we prison guards can only watch. In any case, we've done our best."

They had done their best by shouting twice: Protect Wang Shuner.

Hearing Xiao Jin's words, Qian Fugui finally felt relieved.

Boom!

A sword energy came directly toward them.

"Run quickly!"

Chen Guanlou took the lead and ran toward an open area. The prison guards had no other skills, but their instinct for self-preservation was super strong. Once they heard the word "run," no one looked back, and they directly used all their strength to follow Chen Guanlou.

Just after running out, rumble—the place they had just been hiding in had turned into a large pit, and the surrounding buildings had become ruins.

Is this a Ninth Rank? The lethality is comparable to a missile.

Could it be that one sword strike could slash off a mountain peak?

In this scene, are you sure this is just a high-martial arts world and not cultivation?

Chen Guanlou had deep doubts about the world he was in.

The strength of a Ninth Rank martial artist compared to a Fourth or Fifth Rank could no longer be described as a chasm—the word "chasm" didn't do it justice. It could only be described as a dimension. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional, three-dimensional and four-dimensional... that was a qualitative difference, a dimensional difference.

"Are there immortals in this world?" he muttered to himself.

Old Zhang Tou followed his words and said, "It is rumored that there were immortals in the world eight hundred years ago. Later, in the Great War of Immortals and Demons, the immortals disappeared."

"Eight hundred years ago, it was the Great Yu Dynasty. Were there really immortals then?"

"That's what the legends say."

Three hundred years ago, the Taizu of the Great Qian Dynasty overthrew the Great Yu Dynasty and established the Great Qian Dynasty.

The Great Yu Dynasty, a dynasty that lasted nearly a thousand years, was thus destroyed.

"Are there no exact records?" Chen Guanlou was very curious.

Old Zhang Tou shook his head. "After the legendary Great War of Immortals and Demons, the Great Yu Dynasty suffered many disasters. For five hundred years, the Yu capital experienced dozens of baptisms of war and fell many times; most of the data and documents disappeared in the flames of war."

Sigh!

Chen Guanlou sighed secretly.

He led the prison guards and hid far away, ensuring their own safety.

As far as his eyes could see, he saw a scene that shocked him.

Lingxuzi made a feint to the east and attacked in the west, suddenly breaking away from the battle and slashing Wang Shuner to death with one sword. The incident happened too fast, and the City Gate Army's reaction was clearly half a beat slow. It was precisely this half-beat that allowed Lingxuzi's disciples and grand-disciples to cooperate with his actions, scoop up Wang Shuner's head, scoop up his corpse, immediately break away from the battle, and flee at high speed.

"Chase!" Old Man Mo roared, and the City Gate Army chased in all directions.

In the blink of an eye, the large execution ground became quiet.

The execution ground, which had been built to the height of a floor, had long since become ruins, and the surroundings were pitted and bumpy.

The crowd of onlookers was even more dead or injured.

Chen Guanlou's group of prison guards, under his leadership, were preserved intact, without even a single injury, which could be considered the luckiest.

"Wang Shuner was killed." Chen Guanlou said in a low voice to Old Zhang Tou. "The corpse was also picked up by Lingxuzi's people."

"You saw it?"

"I saw a rough idea." Chen Guanlou firmly refused to admit that he had seen the whole process clearly. At such a distance, seeing it clearly—if the higher-ups knew, he would inevitably be interrogated.

Old Zhang Tou was silent for a moment. "Let's go, let's go see the situation."

Chen Guanlou nodded in agreement.

He led the prison guards to the execution ground that had turned into ruins.

"Chen Tou, this is Wang Shuner's." Prison guard Liu She picked up a hand.

"Left hand!"

Wang Shuner's left hand, which had been shaved of blood and flesh and left only dry bone, had separated from the corpse and fallen into a corner of the ruins.

Chen Guanlou's heart suddenly relaxed; with this dry bone, he had the certainty to fulfill his duty.

Just as he was instructing the prison guards to search carefully to see if they could find more parts of the corpse, Xiao Chengcheng arrived at the execution ground with a large team of Brocade Uniform Guards and took over all the work.

Chen Guanlou handed over the dry bone hand and retreated decisively.

The water in this matter was deep; he had to get out quickly!

Who would have thought that the third-ranked rebel leader had such a big backer behind him, not only storming the execution ground publicly but also having the ability to kill and take the corpse away under the eyes of a Ninth Rank martial artist.

Killing—Chen Guanlou could understand.

Whether it was to silence him or to let Wang Shuner suffer less, it was understandable.

Taking the corpse away was a bit incomprehensible.

Fleeing for one's life, carrying a corpse—were they afraid that others wouldn't know they were the villains who stormed the execution ground?

In such hot weather, the corpse would stink in less than half a day. The stench of the corpse couldn't be covered up at all; how could they flee?

He couldn't figure it out!

A group of people returned to the Heavenly Prison, covered in dust.

When Jiang Jiang Yucheng Fan learned that someone had stormed the execution ground, Wang Shuner was dead, and the corpse had been taken away, he immediately acted as if his own father and mother had died, shouting: "What should be done? What should be done? It's really a case of fearing what comes. Are you sure the people who stormed the execution ground weren't rebels?"

"They were definitely not rebels. On the spot, a high-ranking martial artist called out the other party's identity—it was a person named Lingxuzi. Lingxuzi called Wang Shuner a disciple, and Wang Shuner called the other party Grandmaster."

Jiang Jiang Yucheng Fan felt relieved. "It's good they weren't rebels, it's good they weren't rebels."

Immediately after, he said: "This official must go to the Ministry of Justice immediately. Little Chen, you and Master Li keep an eye on the Heavenly Prison; there must be no more accidents."

"Don't worry, my lord, I guarantee there will be no accidents."

Jiang Jiang Yucheng Fan left in a hurry.

Chen Guanlou brought hot water to wash up and changed into a clean uniform.

Master Li had the kitchen prepare two side dishes to help Chen Guanlou calm his nerves.

"I heard it was a Ninth Rank martial artist?" Master Li asked.

"I don't know. With my meager skills, I only know that the visitor was very strong; as for how strong, I don't have the eyesight to see." Chen Guanlou always kept his identity in mind—an ordinary prison guard who only knew a few moves, lacking the eyesight to see through the rank and strength of martial artists.

"Being able to bring people back safely in the battle of Ninth Rank martial artists, without a single death or injury, is very remarkable."

"Master Li is too kind; today was really luck."

"Luck is also strength. The crowd of onlookers today—those who weren't injured were dead. You can see how lucky it is that all of you were able to return safely."

"Respect to Heaven, thanks to Heaven for the blessing." Chen Guanlou raised his glass decisively and toasted to the sky. ===== CHAPTER 197 =====