Chapter 415: Imprisonment

Wu Tie and Pei Feng had already drunk an entire vat of liquor.

Wu Tie's outward manifestation is the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique; his body is immensely strong, half a vat of strong liquor entering his belly is like sprinkling a few drops of water on a volcano, having no effect on him, not even changing the color of his face.

Pei Feng spoke of the primeval inheritance she had obtained by chance, the so‑called Scripture of the World‑Destroying Demonic Phoenix, which Wu Tie also did not know the origin of, but her potential was obviously not trivial either; half a vat of strong liquor entering her belly likewise did not even redden her face.

Thus, in the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, the two downed another vat of strong liquor.

Wisps of white steam rose from above their heads, their bodies like furnaces, continuously emitting powerful heat in all directions.

The two stared at each other intently; Wu Tie reached out and said in a low voice, "Open another vat, let's go again!"

Ma Shu, Huang Yu, and the others stood to the side, eyes wide, watching Wu Tie and Pei Feng drink competitively.

Even someone as blunt as Ma Shu could sense that the atmosphere between Wu Tie and Pei Feng was a little strange. In particular, Pei Feng's gaze at Wu Tie was odd; she seemed a bit peevish, acting sulky, determined to outdrink Wu Tie.

For no reason, everyone just had that feeling.

These two drunkards seem to have locked horns.

The third vat of strong liquor had just been opened when a distant, piercing scream rang out: "Murder! Murder! Officials are murdering…… They've killed many, many people!"

Wu Tie's body suddenly stiffened; then the large chair he was sitting on silently shattered, and he transformed into a golden light that shot up into the sky, flying toward the direction of the scream.

Pei Feng stared blankly, then with a slap she shattered the chessboard and square table before her, turning into a black flame accompanied by a piercing, demonic cry that shot straight up into the sky. Vast black flames in the high air faintly took the shape of a phoenix, closely following Wu Tie's golden light as they descended onto a corner of Great Marsh City.

"Something's happened!" Ma Shu bellowed, stamping his foot and leaping into the air like a flea, each jump covering ten or so li, his speed actually not slow either.

These commanders of the Black Phoenix Army possess immense magical power and extraordinarily strong bodies, following the orthodox path of body cultivation. Precisely because they are body cultivators, their magical abilities and secret arts focus on slaughter and close combat, making them somewhat lacking in flight and evasion techniques.

Therefore they prefer to rely on their strong bodies to travel, basically unwilling to employ evasion techniques, for their evasion arts are simply not presentable.

Wu Tie ran the fastest; as his golden light retracted, he landed heavily behind a wooden building.

Dozens of corpses lay scattered across the ground, a downpour pouring down, the ground flooded with bloodwater.

The newly built drainage system of Great Marsh City was highly efficient; the bloodwater continuously flowed along the ditches into the sewers, and only a few breaths after Wu Tie's arrival, the blood color had basically disappeared from the surface water.

These corpses had almost completely bled out.

Several expressionless military law officers stood in the downpour, their gazes gloomy as they looked at Wu Tie.

"Huo Xiong, the Criminal Law Office is investigating this case; please do not obstruct us. Otherwise, interfering with the Criminal Law Office's duties, you know what crime that constitutes."

A gaunt-faced military law officer brandished a long sword whose entire body flowed with blue light, constantly shedding threads of cold radiance, and gave Wu Tie a grim warning.

"Investigating a case…… does investigating require killing?" Wu Tie likewise expressionlessly regarded these military law officers who were killing at will.

Those men on the ground……

They were indeed not good people, having been exiled to the frontiers and sent to Great Marsh Prefecture; it's obvious they could not be good people.

But over the past two months, Wu Tie has supervised their labor, watching them gradually build the new Great Marsh City, watching them sweat profusely outside the city to open up vast new farmlands, watching them toil diligently in the fields, which has yielded the now lush, thriving crops outside the city.

Wu Tie had promised these people that if they sincerely undertook "labor reform" and honestly "renewed their hearts and minds," he would give them a chance to "start anew as persons."

They would become upstanding citizens of Great Marsh Prefecture, able to live and work in peace there, to marry and have children, to multiply, and to rebuild their lives here.

Although they are not exactly good people, truly heinous villains are few in Great Marsh City aside from individuals like Li Er Haizi and a handful of others; there are not many who deserve an unforgivable death.

As long as they are willing to strive, Wu Tie gives them an opportunity.

Wu Tie's promise to them does not include being slaughtered like pigs and dogs by others.

More than a hundred zhang away at the street corner, a dozen or so men, terrified and trembling all over, huddled under the eaves, staring blankly this way.

Wu Tie suddenly roared, "Who will tell me what happened here?"

Over the past two months, Wu Tie has accumulated sufficient prestige in Great Marsh Prefecture; at the very least, because of Wu Tie, those taken by the Black Phoenix Army as slaves, who used to suffer hunger one meal and full the next, lacking clothing and sufficient food, often facing mortal danger, have now eaten their fill, drunk enough, kept warm, and also gained adequate security.

To them, Wu Tie is undoubtedly like reborn parents.

Seven or eight men immediately rushed out from under the eaves, knelt in the rain curtain, and loudly related what they had seen and heard.

"The eldest daughters of the Luo and Huang families cried for help."

"Sir, we keep your 'Baojia Order' firmly in mind, not daring to forget it, so we have taken up our weapons to come to the rescue."

"These people, they, they kill at will…… the Du brothers, the Tie brothers, the Xiong brothers…… these good brothers, all have been killed, all have been killed……"

"They kill without reason, just strike down at will!"

Several men kowtowed like pounding garlic, continually knocking their heads against the ground in supplication to Wu Tie.

"General Huo, be our judge!"

"General Huo, although we are convicts, we do not deserve death."

"What sort of people are they from the military's Criminal Law Office, when the law of the Great Jin is above—how can they just kill without cause?"

After all, they come from bad backgrounds, yet these men have some experience dealing with the grassroots officials of the Great Jin; they loudly lamented, imploring Wu Tie to be their judge. Moreover, their reasoning is sound—they truly do not deserve death, and even the Great Jin authorities could not arbitrarily execute them.

Pei Feng hovered in midair, black flames coiling around her, she drew forth that black long spear and looked down upon the several military law officers.

With a "dong" sound, Ma Shu descended from the heavens, heavily striking the ground and shattering the stone-paved ground within several zhang around him; he let out a low, hoarse roar from his throat, each hand gripping a strangely shaped wolf‑tooth heavy hammer.

Huang Yu, Li Er Haizi, Qian San, and the others rushed over one after another; immediately afterward, orderly footsteps sounded from all sides, and the air was filled with the sound of something tearing through it.

The Great Marsh Prefecture Army and the Black Phoenix Army, two forces numbering twenty‑to‑thirty thousand troops, rushed to this place, and more than a dozen tower ships and flying vessels flew over, sealing off this airspace.

"You lot, did you hear that?" Wu Tie looked at the several expressionless military law officers and said, "You cannot kill without cause."

A high‑pitched voice rang out: "Who says they killed without cause?"

Zhao Yin walked out from the rear door of the wooden building, hands behind his back, surrounded by a group of military law officers.

The downpour drenched Zhao Yin from head to toe, and likewise soaked Wu Tie; neither used divine abilities to avoid the rain, so both were quickly drenched to the skin.

Like two beasts meeting on a barren plain in a storm, both famished, the rain stimulating their senses, they stared at each other, eager to bite a fatal spot on the other.

"Who says it was without cause?" Zhao Yin stared at Wu Tie, and the frustration that had been building all morning suddenly surged forth.

In his mind, Wu Tie was surely destined to die.

Yet the surely‑to‑die Wu Tie dared to stand before him like a fierce demon, so Zhao Yin's inner fire grew even fiercer.

Having killed who knows how many rebellious commanders at his hands, Zhao Yin could not tolerate anyone in the military acting so arrogantly before him; he wished that everyone who saw him would collapse from fear and terror, trembling as they begged for mercy.

Seeing Wu Tie expressionless, standing ramrod straight like a pine before him, Zhao Yin felt only a surge of wicked fire rising to his head.

He laughed, pointing at the dozens of corpses on the ground, and said leisurely: 'Certainly, they colluded with demons and murdered the Great Marsh Prefecture advocate Xi Bai… General Huo Xiong, please join me in memorializing the throne, fully stating their crimes… Then, investigate their relatives, and with the charge of treason, confiscate their property and exterminate their clan!'

Wu Tie looked at Zhao Yin, shook his head: 'Sir Zhao Yin, you say these people colluded with demons and murdered Zhang Xibo? You… your brain is broken, right?'

Zhao Yin abruptly stepped back, as if punched hard in the face, and stared at Wu Tie with utter shock.

Having lived this long, Zhao Yin had never heard such insolent words before.

For a moment, Zhao Yin even forgot how to respond to Wu Tie.

Pei Feng, hovering in the air, raised his eyebrows, looking quite spirited, the corners of his mouth slightly curled, revealing a charming smile.

She couldn't utter such strange words as Wu Tie's, but she suddenly realized that Wu Tie's words perfectly matched her mood—she likewise felt that Zhao Yin's brain was broken.

If you're investigating the case, investigate it—why are you harming these people?

Even if they are all frontier convicts, what purpose does it serve to harm them for no reason?

Relying on strength to bully the weak without any cause—Pei Feng could not do such a thing……

Of course, forcibly conscripting convicts as slaves is different—this is for the survival of the Black Phoenix Army, not wanton bullying of the weak.

'Impudent!' Zhao Yin was stunned by Wu Tie's words, but the group of military judges behind him, adhering to the principle that a minister must die if his lord is humiliated, were quite resolute and stepped forward together, simultaneously shouting at Wu Tie.

'Impudent?' Wu Tie grinned, stepping forward three paces with huge strides, almost reaching Zhao Yin's face, almost nose-to-nose staring at him: 'There's even more impudence… Sir Zhao Yin, you say they colluded with demons—do you have any evidence?'

'Evidence?' Zhao Yin chuckled, reached out and shoved Wu Tie hard, trying to push him away.

He was not accustomed to such close contact with others, especially since Wu Tie was his 'enemy,' the object of his investigation.

He shoved hard once.

Wu Tie didn't budge an inch.

He shoved hard again.

Wu Tie still didn't move.

Pei Feng, floating in the air, suddenly let out a 'pfft' laugh.

Zhao Yin's face flushed red from anger, a faint trace of color appearing on his deathly pale lips; he placed both hands on Wu Tie's chest and shoved with all his might.

Zhao Yin is an imperial in-law of the Great Jin; what he cultivates is a royal secret technique his mother brought to the Zhao family, the Great Bright King Body—a method of an ancient Buddhist lineage. When cultivated to the utmost, his body is pure and flawless, containing supreme dragon-elephant strength, and he can further cultivate the Great Bright Dharma, capable of destroying all evil spirits.

The advantage of being an imperial in-law is having ample resources to aid cultivation.

Zhao Yin is young, yet he has already entered the Fetal Storage Realm, and he further tempered his flesh with Starlight Essence, pushing the Great Bright King Body divine skill to a high level. Now, exerting his full power, a vague dragon-elephant apparition appears above his head, and within his body comes a tremendous dragon-elephant roar.

Crack—crack—crack, the thick stone slabs on the ground kept shattering, spiderweb-like cracks spreading outward for several li.

Zhao Yin's forehead beaded with faint cold sweat, and from each of his pores streamed a thread of clear, pure, warm white light, making his whole body shine like flawless white jade relic.

A mighty aura shot up to the heavens, blasting a hole in the high clouds, so that within a radius of several li not a single drop of rain fell.

But Wu Tie still didn't move an inch.

No sign of Wu Tie exerting force, not even a twitch in his muscles beneath the skin—he stood firm like a pillar holding up the sky, and no matter how hard Zhao Yin pushed, Wu Tie merely remained unmoving.

In his heart, the five-element essence blood continuously released strange energy.

Wu Tie's body grew stronger and increasingly 'heavy,' his frame gradually leaning forward, while Zhao Yin's hands kept retreating bit by bit, the light on his surface gradually dimming and flickering.

The Great Bright King Body is an overbearing technique to the extreme; although it is a Buddhist divine ability, it follows the overbearing path.

This technique stresses advancing without retreat; if Zhao Yin were to retreat, the technique would surely suffer setback and backlash, inflicting great harm upon him.

Wu Tie gradually pressed down on Zhao Yin; the uniform energy within him, like the radiant light that illuminated the void when heaven and earth were split, trembled violently, shaking his five viscera and six bowels with excruciating pain.

'Huo Xiong… you cultivate the Nine Revolutions Mystic Art… but how is your cultivation so formidable!' Zhao Yin stared at Wu Tie, at a loss; he knew Huo Xiong's full details, he knew Huo Xiong cultivated the Nine Revolutions Mystic Art.

But Huo Xiong is only a half-step into the Fetal Storage Realm; no matter how strong the Nine Revolutions Mystic Art is, he should not be a match for my Great Bright King Body.

Wu Tie remained silent, merely continuing to press down.

From within Zhao Yin's body came the clear sound of bones grinding together; his body trembled slightly, and suddenly his deathly pale skin split open in extremely fine cracks, from which trickled thin streams of pale red blood tinged with white light.

In Zhao Yin's seven apertures, blood also seeped out faintly; his mouth slightly opened, revealing that the gaps between his teeth were already filled with blood.

'Sir!' the two military officers standing beside Zhao Yin cried out in alarm, heedless of danger, they drew their sidearms and fiercely stabbed at Wu Tie's abdomen and chest vital points.

'Bold!' Pei Feng shouted angrily, swooping down from the air at high speed, his spear trailing two points of black fire, he thrust swiftly at the heads of the two military officers.

'Impudent!' Wu Tie suddenly raised his hand and slammed a heavy slap onto Zhao Yin's face.

With a tremendous bang, Zhao Yin was sent flying by Wu Tie's slap, spinning backward a great distance, directly smashing the wooden building behind him to pieces.

Ding—ding, the two military officers' celestial longswords pierced Wu Tie's body; they thrust forward with force, but Wu Tie's skin was incredibly tough, like a suit of celestial heavy armor—no matter how hard they struck, the blades could not penetrate even a bit.

'Come here, Sir Zhao Yin has treacherous villains beside him colluding with demons, plotting to harm Sir Zhao Yin.'

'Quickly protect Sir Zhao Yin… and slay all these treacherous villains!'

Wu Tie raised both hands, and with two pops blasted the two military officers straight into minced meat.