Chapter 102: Leaving the City to Capture the Demon

"Exactly the same as the one on Yuanzhi back then."

Zhang the Butcher slowly withdrew his hands with a hint of weakness, his voice hoarse; he had originally thought that Uncle Benxin had been deceived by Yuan Gang, which was why he was suppressing him and refusing to grant him the body-refining martial arts of the Jade Liquid Realm.

Now it seemed that perhaps it was this impatient and rash personality that made the inner disciples feel he was unworthy of sharing the "secret methods" with them; even with decent aptitude, he had been discarded without hesitation.

The other Captains and Vice-Generals listened, somewhat confused, not understanding what he was saying.

Shen Yi fixed his gaze on the Monk Benxin beneath his feet, then slowly withdrew his look: "Take all the outer disciples away for questioning; escort all the inner disciples back to the Zhen Mo Si."

One word "take," one word "escort."

This turned the expressions of the disciples inside the pagoda and those at the mountain gate into two extremes.

Taken away for questioning: as long as no crime was committed, they would be released after the interrogation.

The meaning of being escorted back to the Zhen Mo Si was entirely different; this was the treatment reserved for demons and monsters. Once evidence was conclusive, the result would be the head falling to the ground.

"My Lord Shen is wise!"

The outer martial artists lay on the ground, panting heavily in great gasps; anyone who had mixed in the Jianghu had some dark deeds on their hands, but compared to colluding with demons, those were trivial matters. At worst, they would be thrown into a great prison for a while, but their lives could always be saved.

Inside the pagoda, numerous inner disciples had already clenched their weapons, unease faintly lingering on their faces.

Under the leadership of the Vice-Generals, the Golden Eagle Captains quickly rushed upward, the heavy Zhen Mo chains in their hands twisting like dragons turning the sea, clattering loudly.

"Where is your Abbot?"

Shen Yi sheathed his ceremonial blade.

"..."

After hearing the name "Yuanzhi" spoken from Zhang the Butcher's mouth.

Monk Benxin's heart instantly sank to the bottom, leaving not a shred of hope.

He gritted his teeth, staring fixedly at the young man's profile; his expression was not far from Yuan Gang's earlier one, equally venomous and apprehensive.

The simple exchange beforehand had already made him recognize the huge gap between the two; moreover, with so many Zhen Mo Captains present, escape today was impossible even with wings!

The opponent sheathing his blade did not mean he intended to let him go.

It meant there was no need to waste effort on a dead man.

Striking a Vice-General of the Zhen Mo Si within Qingzhou City, the martial art one practiced no longer mattered.

As if to confirm his thoughts, someone soon approached with iron chains designed to suppress the Qi Sea and began binding them around him.

The old monk's breathing grew rapid; he turned his head to look at the beautiful pagoda, his gaze falling upon the panicked inner disciples. Once escorted into the Zhen Mo Si, he knew full well the methods used against demons and monsters.

If even one of them slipped up, their heads would fall in unison.

Making a decision quickly, Monk Benxin shouted loudly:

"My Lord Shen wants to settle a personal grudge; this old monk's worthless life shall be as you wish!"

"But to slander the reputation of the Vajra Gate is absolutely impossible!"

He fell silent, then revealed a ferocious expression, grinding his teeth as he said: "Want to know where the Abbot is? Dream on!"

Before his words had even faded, his arms, bound by iron chains, suddenly shot upward, and two iron palms struck his own jaw without hesitation.

Body-refining martial artists were extremely rare; especially those with the aptitude to enter the Jade Liquid Realm, almost none would consider this path.

Even with the Qi Sea firmly suppressed by the chains, the old monk still retained a portion of his strength.

The Golden Eagle Captain holding the chains was pulled and swayed twice; he was about to scold, but then his pupils constricted tightly.

Only the sound of "Crack!" was heard!

The old monk had actually snapped his own neck; that round head hung down at an extremely exaggerated angle.

"Uncle!"

Upon seeing this state, the disciples inside the pagoda shivered all over, frozen in place on the spot.

A moment later, they came to their senses, exchanged glances, and amidst the shock quickly realized what was happening, swiftly dropping the weapons in their hands.

Forcing the fear in their hearts down, even though they were sweating profusely, they tightly shut their mouths.

Uncle Benxin was using his life to remind them—

Do not be intimidated by this Shen's hound!

Was failing to cultivate the Bodhi Vajra Treasure Body a capital crime worthy of beheading?!

The Vajra Gate changing its cultivation method was nothing rare; though not known to everyone, the Zhen Mo Si was certainly one of those who knew.

Uncle Benxin and his disciples had offended the other party; having just struck a member of the Zhen Mo Si, they were surely not going to survive the night. But what were they, the others, afraid of? If the Shen fellow had evidence, why would he delay taking action?

"This..."

Hong Lei quickly walked to Shen Yi's side, his face looking somewhat grim: "I will order people to investigate immediately."

At this point, there was no need to debate whether the Vajra Gate had problems.

As the Captions swarmed out, Qingzhou City had already entered a state of alert; not even a fly could fly out.

Tracking down an old bald monk was not difficult, but once he was out of the city...

Even with the most cautious conduct, it was inevitable that news would leak out... Monk Benxin had risked suicide just to buy this sliver of time, to seal the mouths of his disciples. As long as the Abbot reacted and destroyed the evidence, the Vajra Gate, though suffering heavy losses, would still have a chance to rise again.

They might even use the opportunity to dig a huge pit of "favoritism and bending the law" for Shen Yi!

"..."

Shen Yi looked at Monk Benxin on the ground, raising an eyebrow slightly; it was just a casual question, yet the reaction was quite large.

He then took a silver bell from his waist, infused Qi into it: "I trouble you all; I wish to know the whereabouts of the Vajra Gate Abbot."

About a few breaths later, several pieces of information traveled along the Qi into Shen Yi's ears.

"You're welcome; he is at Pingkang Mountain. I saw him just half a month ago."

"The Vajra Gate has a habit of taking virtuous men to the mountains to gather Qi; they change locations every so often."

"Hahaha... Truly a fake bald monk, stealing the Daoist Priest's breathing and Qi-gathering techniques! However, I have heard of this matter too. It is said that many believers stay there for many years, sending letters home every few months to invite relatives to come and meditate together. After occasionally returning home to visit, they still hold the Buddha in their hearts and quickly return."

Qingzhou was already one of the twelve prefectural capital cities, and tonight such a huge commotion had occurred.

A fair number of demon hunters gathered to watch the spectacle and soon gave their reply.

Shen Yi put away the silver bell, only to notice Hong Lei's strange expression as he stared at him in shock: "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing at all."

Hong Lei waved his hand and swallowed hard.

Having served as a deputy general for so many years, he had dealt with demon hunters before, but this was the first time he had ever seen a silver bell in person.

Thinking of that band of madmen, Hong Lei shook his head; it was best not to see such things at all.

One could say that the realm of Perfect Jade Elixir was merely the minimum standard for bearing a silver bell; anyone who took up such a bell and survived was rumored to already be a Golden Core powerhouse.

Their short lifespans were not due to the demon hunters' strict rules.

The main reason was that standing out from ordinary demon hunters already proved one's mind was not quite right; wandering alone, carelessly trespassing into the territory of higher-realm demons, they did not think to flee but insisted on tearing a strand of the opponent's qi to bring back and exchange for a reward, considering anything less a loss.

No wonder Lord Shen did not get close to General Chen; the problem lay right there.

With a strange look in his eyes, Hong Lei bent down to lift the corpse of Monk Benxin, smacking his lips and saying, "What was the rush..."

Soon, all the direct disciples of the Vajra Gate were bound completely by the Demon-Suppressing Chains.

Taking the example of Monk Benxin to heart, the Captains deliberately wrapped them a few extra times and then produced special silver hooks, unused for a long time, to pierce their collarbones.

"My lord, if you leave the city, a deputy general as your personal attendant can bring at most one hundred and twenty men; three deputy generals... You have no personal foundation of your own, so we could temporarily gather some for you, but I fear such a small force may not be enough."

Holding Benxin's corpse, Hong Lei reminded Shen Yi of this.

Do not think this matter is just one step from ending; if that old bald donkey's realm has truly advanced as rumored, that final step will indeed be very hard to cross.

Back on Qingfeng Mountain, Chen Qiankun was the commanding general; all accidents were his responsibility. He beheaded the sect master, destroyed the Ancestral Sword, and in the end had to seek out and eliminate the sea dragon, only to have Shen Yi snatch the glory first.

Now that Shen Yi personally leads the Captains to destroy demons, he clearly has not reported to General Chen; while enjoying the supreme authority, he must inevitably shoulder the same responsibility.

If he fails, what is lost besides his life is also the face of the entire Qingzhou Prefecture Office.

(End of this chapter)