Chapter 738: The Ghostly Clone

A purple Talisman appeared.

The Talisman shattered abruptly, condensing into a beam of purple light.

The purple light tore through the air, shooting toward Xiaoqing like an arrow.

In this world, the Talismans of the Profound Heart Sect are the most famous among all schools, categorized by four types: "Yellow, Purple, Gold, and Blood," and this purple Talisman can only be activated by experts such as an Elder.

And the one who released this purple Talisman was none other than Vermilion Bird, one of the Xuanxin Four Generals.

Vermilion Bird had been ordered to investigate Yu Liancheng and the others, but lost their trail at Baqiao. She thought that since the Extreme Joy Banquet was about to be held, that person must have come for the Extreme Joy Banquet as well.

Thus, she returned to the Profound Heart Sect and utilized the Profound Heart Sect's intelligence network to investigate Yu Liancheng's whereabouts.

The Profound Heart Sect is located within the Capital; no person or force can escape the scrutiny of the Profound Heart Sect in the Capital.

Soon, Vermilion Bird discovered news of Yu Liancheng and the others, and after reporting to the Sect Master Jinguang, she rushed to Feiyun Tower. Just as she reached the third floor, she saw the scene of Xiaoqing holding Shangguan Yu'er by the neck.

Vermilion Bird had once visited Shangguan Yuanfan with Sect Master Jinguang, so she naturally recognized Shangguan Yu'er. Thus, she attacked with a purple Talisman, intending to save Shangguan Yu'er.

Facing this swift and mighty purple light, Xiaoqing gave a delicate huff and struck out with her jade palm in mid-air. Without a trace of demonic Qi leaking out, she unleashed a powerful palm force that caused the space before her to churn and surge like a massive, sweeping tide. As soon as the purple light entered this area, it was tossed aside and rebounded.

Vermilion Bird spun in mid-air, dodging the rebounding purple light.

Her brows furrowed slightly, and she silently pinched a communication Talisman between her fingertips. After the communication Talisman burned, she swept her eyes over Xiaoqing and said crisply, "Young lady, Miss Shangguan is the sister of the Great General Shangguan. If there is any misunderstanding, I hope you will release her."

"Vermilion Bird, save me! My brother is an acquaintance of your Sect Master," Shangguan Yu'er cried out urgently.

Xiaoqing, however, pinched Shangguan Yu'er's cheek, her long fingernails once again leaving faint scratches on the tender skin as a trickle of blood welled up: "Hehe, there is no misunderstanding, and I don't want to release her."

With a "clang," Vermilion Bird drew the sword at her waist, the tip pointing straight at Xiaoqing: "Since that is the case, young lady, do not blame me for being heartless."

"I won't blame you, I won't," Xiaoqing smiled like a flower, her slender fingers continuously tracing over Shangguan Yu'er's cheek: "If you stab me once, I will scratch her face once. If you stab me ten times, I will scratch her face ten times. So you had better be confident that you can end this fight quickly, otherwise this little face won't be saved."

"No!" Shangguan Yu'er screamed, terrified.

"You..." Vermilion Bird frowned.

From the palm Xiaoqing had struck earlier, Shangguan Yu'er judged that the opponent's strength was not weak; even if she could defeat her, she feared it would take dozens of moves. Moreover, with Shangguan Yu'er in the opponent's hands, she could not help but be held back by fear. Furthermore, her opponents were not just Xiaoqing; although Yu Liancheng and Xiaobai had not moved, just sitting there gave the Vermilion Bird immense pressure.

Da-da-da! Da-da-da!

A burst of urgent hoofbeats came from the long street, as a group of more than ten riders galloped by.

Although the entire Chang'an was teeming with people, these ten or so individuals were all skilled in archery and horsemanship, and they rushed forward at full speed without hitting a single stall.

Soon, this group stopped in front of Feiyun Tower, dismounted, and filed inside. Following this was a sound of "thump, thump, thump" as they climbed the stairs.

"Sister, the matter of marrying you to Young Master Li can be discussed..."

The voice arrived before the person. Although the voice was urgent, it carried a gentle tone.

Immediately after, a man with a face like jade and a majestic stride burst into the pavilion. But as soon as he entered, he saw the scene before him and could not help but freeze.

The men behind him were all fierce in aura, with long blades at their waists and sharp glints in their eyes; they were clearly difficult characters who had walked very far on the Martial Dao.

"Brother, save me quickly! Have the Feiying Thirteen Guards capture them; I want to make them wish they were dead."

Upon seeing this man, Shangguan Yu'er's initial timidity and fear were swept away, replaced by an outburst of intense joy.

The only one Shangguan Yu'er could call brother was this Great General with real power, Shangguan Yuanfan.

It turned out that after Shangguan Yuanfan discussed the marriage, he saw his sister run out in a rage and felt worried, so he could not help but follow. The so-called Feiying Thirteen Guards were the group of blade-wielding guards behind him, whose martial arts were extremely high and who were well-versed in battlefield slaughter. When they struck, they were as swift as flying shadows, killing without leaving a trace.

"Hmph, it seems you still haven't figured out the situation." Xiaoqing pinched Shangguan Yu'er's neck, causing it to creak, and her fair face turned the color of a pig's liver.

Shangguan Yuanfan's expression changed; he doted on this sister the most, she was the apple of his eye.

He waved his hand, and three of the Feiying Thirteen Guards instantly transformed into three black shadows, moving like lightning toward Xiaoqing with incredible speed.

Within the black shadows, three blade lights bloomed. These blade lights were honed in battlefield slaughter, and the moment they appeared, they possessed a soul-shaking, terrifying power.

And these three blade lights, interwoven into a net, were extraordinary; even a demon with established cultivation would likely be sliced apart by them.

Xiaoqing was holding Shangguan Yu'er and naturally did not expect the black shadow blade lights to arrive so quickly, so she could not help but panic.

Bang!

Before Xiaoqing could act, a teacup in front of Yu Liancheng suddenly exploded, shattering into three pieces, carrying unimaginable, sharp force as they whistled and swept forward.

The three teacup pieces collided with the three blade lights, and the blade lights shattered with a boom. The three figures were squeezed out from the black shadows, stumbling backward with pale faces, looking at Yu Liancheng in utter astonishment.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

The Feiying Thirteen Guards were indeed rare experts in the world, with swift reactions. The moment the three were repelled, the other ten simultaneously transformed into black shadows, their blades drawn.

These ten joined forces to form a formation, and their momentum was not to be underestimated.

Especially the moment those long blades, like flashes of lightning, slashed down, the entire world was left with only the simplest black and white colors. The black was the figures, and the white was the blade light. The black and white colors intertwined, continuous and endless. Like a gale, like a tide, they swept and cut toward Yu Liancheng and Xiaoqing.

"In the Capital, there are indeed experts everywhere." Even Bai Suzhen, who was not in the black-and-white realm, felt a strange and sharp pressure surging toward her. Her dark hair flew, and the gale brushed her face like a knife.

"Trifling tricks!" Yu Liancheng sneered, raised his palm, and pressed down slightly.

Boom!

The moment he raised his hand, the air in the entire room seemed to condense into a great mountain, then pressed down toward the group of Feiying Thirteen Guards. The entire space deformed, emitting a roar as if it were unbearable.

Bang! As the entire Feiyun Tower shook, the ten shadow guards all collapsed onto the ground, their bones creaking under the invisible pressure, as if their bodies were about to burst.

Shangguan Yuanfan said urgently: "They are all righteous men guarding the country, I hope you will show mercy."

"General Shangguan, you wanted to attack without distinguishing right from wrong; don't you want to know why your sister was held hostage by Xiaoqing?" Yu Liancheng smiled slightly and followed suit by lifting the invisible pressure, allowing the shadow guards to stand up from the floor, but they looked at Yu Liancheng with eyes full of astonishment and awe, as if they had seen a God.

Seeing that Yu Liancheng had not dealt a lethal blow, Shangguan Yuanfan breathed a slight sigh of relief, then cupped his hands and said: "I am all ears. I wonder how my sister offended you all?"

"It's nothing major; speaking of it, it was just a few words of verbal dispute." Yu Liancheng smiled slightly and recounted what had happened earlier, without adding or subtracting anything.

"So that's how it is. It was my sister who was rude first; a little punishment is only right."

Shangguan Yuanfan bowed again to apologize. Based on his knowledge of Shangguan Yu'er, he knew that Shangguan Yu'er was absolutely capable of doing such a thing, and could even do things ten or a hundred times worse.

"If an apology were useful, what would we need constables for?" Yu Liancheng shook his head and turned his gaze to Xiaoqing: "Whatever you want to do, just do it; I have your back."

Xiaoqing gave Yu Liancheng a charming smile. After getting along for these few days, she found that this guy Yu Liancheng was indeed very much to her liking, and then she swept her gaze toward Shangguan Yu'er.

"You... what do you want to do?"

Seeing that even Shangguan Yuanfan could not control the situation, Shangguan Yu'er finally felt fear, trembling all over, terrified that the other party would really carve "Ugly Woman" or "Slut" on her face, which would be even more unbearable than death.

Slap!

Xiaoqing swung her hand back and slapped Shangguan Yu'er across the face; Shangguan Yu'er immediately tumbled to the ground like a rolling gourd, a palm print appearing on her jade-white face.

"Get lost. I'm not as vicious as you, this one slap is enough." Miss Xiaoqing stood with her hands on her hips, looking quite heroic and spirited.

Shangguan Yu'er's delicate body trembled, and she swept a glance at Xiaoqing with her beautiful eyes, filled with resentment and malice. Such a great humiliation was something she had never suffered in her life. If she did not take revenge a hundred or a thousand times over in the future, she would rather die.

But in the blink of an eye, Shangguan Yu'er lowered her head, stood up, and stood obediently beside her brother Shangguan Yuanfan, acting very well-behaved, as if she were a little girl who had made a mistake.

Shangguan Yuanfan sighed: "This matter is settled, we shall take our leave."

"Wait."

"I wonder what else you have to say?" Shangguan Yuanfan asked.

Yu Liancheng looked at Shangguan Yu'er and said calmly: "I observe that your sister is entangled with blood-Qi and resentment; I fear she has committed countless evil deeds in secret. How does General Shangguan intend to handle this?"

Shangguan Yuanfan took a deep breath: "It is because I have been busy with official duties and neglected her discipline. I will certainly discipline her strictly in the future, and such a thing will never happen again." Then, his expression turned stern, showing the majesty of a general: "Is one slap not enough? Does your Excellency still wish to hold her accountable?"

"I am too lazy to hold her accountable, but *they* wish to," Yu Liancheng's tone turned cold.

"They?" Shangguan Yuanfan frowned.

"That's right, they—the people who were harmed by your sister, Shangguan Yu'er."

Yu Liancheng flicked his sleeve, and a divine light shot out from the 'Heavenly Weeping Scripture' at the center of his brow, shining upon Shangguan Yu'er.

Instantly, the blood-Qi and resentment that were originally invisible on Shangguan Yu'er's body suddenly materialized, rolling with black mist.

The black mist condensed continuously, actually forming a mirror, and within the mirror, countless scenes were revealed. The scenes of Shangguan Yu'er killing, injuring, harming, and torturing people in the past appeared one by one, flowing rapidly. Each scene was shocking, making the resentment in the room grow heavier and heavier, as if countless ghosts had manifested, weeping tears of blood.

Shangguan Yuanfan and the Vermilion Bird had heard of Shangguan Yu'er's misdeeds from time to time, but at this moment, they did not expect there to be so many sins.

One must know that both were well-informed people, especially the Vermilion Bird, who usually spent her time slaying evil cultivators and Demons. Yet, such a fierce and wicked person was perhaps something even Demons could not compare to.

Yu Liancheng picked up the wine pot, tilted his head back to take two sips, and said leisurely: "General Shangguan, Divine General Vermilion Bird, I wonder how such a wicked person should be punished under Tang Law?"

Shangguan Yuanfan and the Vermilion Bird stammered for a moment, not knowing how to answer.

Shangguan Yu'er realized what was happening and immediately wept like rain: "Brother, Sister Vermilion Bird, I—I was wrong, please spare my life..."

"For such crimes, even death by a thousand cuts would not be excessive." Shangguan Yuanfan took a deep breath: "But as an elder brother acting as a father, it is ultimately my failure to teach her. I will report everything to the Emperor and accept punishment myself; I only hope the Immortal will spare her life today." Having said this, he bowed deeply to the ground, his posture extremely low.

It is said that when the Son of Heaven breaks the law, it is the same as the common people. But if he reports it to the Emperor, can Shangguan Yu'er really receive the punishment she deserves? I fear not.

"I said it before, it is not I who holds her accountable, but they who wish to." Yu Liancheng shook his head and opened his hands slightly: "Now, it is time for them to settle their debts and grievances."

The Heavenly Weeping Scripture at the center of his brow radiated brilliant light once more, shining upon the black mist.

"Shangguan Yu'er, return my life to me."

"I merely looked at you on the street, yet you gouged out my eyes and I died in hatred."

"You set dogs on me to bite me to death; today I shall turn into a vicious dog and tear you to pieces."

The black mist churned, turning into ghosts that looked as if they were substantial, their faces ferocious and venomous, circling around Shangguan Yu'er to claim her life.

"No, don't..."

"Get lost!"

"

"I wasn't afraid of you when I was alive, let alone now that you are dead."

Shangguan Yu'er screamed hysterically, trembling, her arms clutching her brother's arm tightly, as if it were her last straw.

Shangguan Yuanfan held Shangguan Yu'er tightly; no matter what wrong things this sister had done, she was still his sister.

But Shangguan Yuanfan and his Feiying Thirteen Guards were not cultivators, and they had no way to deal with the ghosts empowered by the Heavenly Weeping Scripture; they could only let Shangguan Yu'er be torn apart by the vengeful spirits, emitting shrill screams.

And the only one who could help, the Vermilion Bird, bit her lip and never made a move.

In the end, Shangguan Yu'er was torn to pieces by the ghosts, blood splattered all over the floor, her face still bearing an expression of fear and astonishment.

And those ghosts who had originally been drowning in a sea of bitterness gradually became peaceful, the blood-light and filth on their bodies dissipating, and they bowed gratefully to Yu Liancheng before turning into specks of light and vanishing.

To eliminate the resentment of vengeful spirits, rather than working without sleep or rest, it is better to let them kill their enemy with their own hands.

Shangguan Yuanfan looked at the broken corpse on the ground, dazed and confused, his eyes rolled back, and he actually fainted.