Chapter 496: The Mastermind and the Aftermath

Previously nailed to a tall building on Linjie, Chen Chen Qixian of Da Hong had been wounded but not dead.

But suddenly, his head drooped, and he lost all breath.

He's dead!

With that roar erupting from the crowd, the Da Hong cultivators gathered on the street—including the diverse Da Hong elites and ordinary citizens—exploded in fury in an instant.

Da Chen's earlier unauthorized provocation of war, which killed countless Da Hong elites, had already enraged them.

Now, they dared to murder someone openly in the capital of Da Hong, Changle City!

It was sheer audacity beyond bounds.

Their nerve had reached unimaginable heights.

Did they truly think Da Hong people were made of clay?

Many onlookers shared similar emotions.

Just then, someone in the crowd incited a cry, and the mob instantly erupted in rage.

Under the leadership of this instigator, Da Hong elites, Da Hong cultivators, and Da Hong civilians surrounding from all sides launched full-force attacks on the envoy team.

This attack was real—genuine violence.

Not just vegetables and eggs anymore!

In an instant, a storm of dazzling light surged from all directions, slamming into the Da Chen envoy team.

At that same moment, Xu Jin appeared behind the tall building where Chen Chen Qixian had been nailed.

Behind the building, a Da Hong cultivator at the peak of Sixth Stage, Ninth Layer, was fleeing rapidly.

The instant he saw Xu Jin, the cultivator's face turned ashen.

Instinctively, he accelerated, trying to escape!

But Xu Jin had come specifically for him.

In the instant he arrived, a flash of green erupted from empty space.

The special star technique granted by the Eighth Stage Wood Source Star Pattern: Green Shadow Thousand Weave!

In an instant, hundreds of thousands of green starlight tendrils burst forth from the void, each like a venomous green serpent, binding the true murderer into a green cocoon.

A single green ray shot straight into his mouth, stuffing it full, silencing him completely.

At that same moment, Xu Jin seized Chen Chen Qixian's corpse and the captured killer, and vanished back to the envoy team.

Upon returning, Xu Jin sent a mental message to Li Zhi, the military marquis escorting the team: "Immediately disperse the attackers, or bear the consequences yourself!"

Li Zhi, the Da Hong military marquis, was a young soldier, burning with passion.

The envoy team's earlier refusal to heed them had already angered him; now, Xu Jin ordered him to disperse the attackers, and his fury deepened.

"You dare kill my Da Hong citizens in broad daylight and then order me to clean up your mess? Are you asking me to betray Da Hong? Dream on!" Li Zhi roared.

He not only refused to act, but ordered his two thousand troops to stand idle and watch.

"Fool!"

Xu Jin sneered, then shouted aloud, his voice like thunder: "Da Chen envoy team—free to retaliate!"

Upon receiving the order, the Da Chen envoy team instantly perked up.

They had been forced to endure blows passively for too long, and were seething with resentment.

In an instant, Ying Ge's flying sword shot skyward and slew a Fifth Stage archer perched atop a tall building who had been firing relentless volleys at them.

At that same moment, on both sides of the Linjie building, others spotted the captive and corpse in Xu Jin's hands and panicked: "Stop him!"

Instantly, four Sixth Stage and two Seventh Stage cultivators lunged from all directions, attacking Xu Jin.

Yet each shouted loudly: "The envoy team has killed again—kill them all!"

Xu Jin sneered and charged straight toward them.

Below, the military marquis Li Zhi's expression finally changed.

He wasn't stupid.

The envoy team killing people was unjust.

But if the chief envoy were killed here in Changle City, he didn't care whether others suffered—he knew he would bear full responsibility.

"Stop!"

Roaring, Li Zhi could no longer stand idle—he shot skyward in an instant.

At that same moment, Xu Jin's form flickered, accelerating instantly; with a thought, golden spearlight materialized in midair and blasted toward the six charging at him like a furious arrow.

The four Sixth Stage cultivators were effortlessly impaled by Xu Jin's spearlight and nailed again to the Linjie building.

No matter how they defended or channeled starforce, it was useless.

The gap was simply too great.

Xu Jin's Eighth Stage Earth Source Star Pattern, Eighth Stage Earth Image Star Pattern, and related star patterns had all been strengthened to Level Eight; his starforce was immense, his Yuanling cultivation base already at Yuanling Peak.

With all these layers of enhancement, even a mediocre Spearlight technique, when wielded by Xu Jin, became terrifyingly potent.

But the two Seventh Stage cultivators were harder to deal with.

One was Seventh Stage Early, the other Seventh Stage Mid; their starforce erupted violently and barely shattered Xu Jin's Spearlight technique.

They avoided being nailed to the Linjie building.

But at that exact moment, Xu Jin had already flown past them and unleashed Green Shadow Thousand Weave again.

In an instant, he bound them both into two green cocoons.

Captured again.

Li Zhi, who had just leapt skyward to rescue Xu Jin, stood frozen in shock!

He even rubbed his eyes in disbelief!

Four Sixth Stage, two Seventh Stage—one of them Seventh Stage Mid—and he had utterly defeated them!

Utterly defeated!

Unbelievable!

But it wasn't over yet.

The instant Xu Jin bound the two Seventh Stage cultivators into cocoons, a streak of fire shot from the heavens like a meteor, hurtling toward Xu Jin.

Its aura surged like an ocean.

As it neared, the fire exploded into nearly a hundred fiery meteor trails, striking Xu Jin from afar.

The terrifying power made every heart tremble.

Seventh Stage Peak!

A Seventh Stage Peak cultivator.

Li Zhi froze in shock.

He recognized this aura—it was Da Hong's Marquis Tai Kang.

Sensing the aura of this Seventh Stage Peak cultivator, Xu Jin's expression grew colder—the true mastermind had appeared!

Because he sensed: the target of those fiery meteor trails was not him.

It was the captives he held in his hands.

This was an attempt to eliminate witnesses now that the plot had been exposed!

Far away, the newly arrived Da Hong Marquis Gong Bo felt utterly helpless.

A plan that had been ninety-nine percent certain had failed!

He had never imagined this envoy not only possessed unmatched combat power but also astonishing perceptiveness.

Originally, even if the plan failed, he could have slipped away silently.

But who knew his men sent to strike in the shadows had been captured alive by Xu Jin?

His trusted subordinates had all launched a coordinated strike to seize the chief envoy, Xu Jin.

But they had all been captured by Xu Jin!

The moment he saw this, Marquis Gong Bo's heart shattered.

He had only intended to secretly stir trouble and settle a personal grudge—he never imagined the situation would spiral so wildly out of control!

As Xu Jin watched the torrent of fiery meteor trails descending upon him, he prepared to act—when suddenly, a speck of starlight appeared, forming a colossal hand that instantly covered the entire street and every airborne attack in the sky.

Xu Jin's eyes narrowed instantly.

Eighth Stage!

And Eighth Stage Late! Yu Mu Jin Zhong was activated to its utmost limit; the space before him folded into two layers simultaneously.

Tian Gang Lei Lian Dun hovered, ready to unleash.

At the same moment, Xu Jin's mind sank into the Earth Image Star Pattern, drawing forth the Earth's Core Resonance.

He could inject it into Yu Mu Jin Zhong at any moment to massively enhance his defense.

The next instant, the suddenly appearing colossal hand gently clenched.

Instantly, Marquis Gong Bo's hundred fiery meteor trails, the countless attacks from Da Hong elites and cultivators surrounding from all sides, and even the Da Chen envoy team's retaliatory star techniques—all were drawn back into the giant starlight hand.

With a slight squeeze, every star technique vanished into nothingness.

"Chief Eunuch Wei!"

Marquis Gong Bo cried out, turning to flee—but the newly formed starlight hand followed like a shadow, snatching him instantly into its palm.

At that same moment, the terrifying aura of Eighth Stage Late rippled outward in waves.

Wherever it passed, every Da Hong elite and cultivator froze, faces filled with terror, halting all attacks.

Many officials, including Military Marquis Li Zhi and his subordinates, all bowed in unison: "We pay homage to Chief Eunuch Wei!"

"First, escort the envoy team to the Sifang Pavilion."

The Grand Eunuch of the Inner Court of the Great Hong Palace, Wei Zhong, gave a sharp command, then glanced at the string of captives in Xu Jin's hand. "Lord Xu, let this servant handle these prisoners."

"No need to trouble the Grand Eunuch!"

"I never let others hold onto my spoils," Xu Jin smiled.

"Hmm?"

Wei Zhong's gaze turned sharp; he lifted his eyelids, and a vast aura of spiritual soul pressure slammed toward Xu Jin.

Xu Jin's eyes blazed as he met Wei Zhong's gaze, utterly unafraid.

He stood motionless against the assault of Wei Zhong's spiritual soul aura.

Wei Zhong's eyes flickered with slight surprise.

"Grand Eunuch Wei! My Chen diplomatic mission entered the city strictly according to Great Hong's regulations, yet today we nearly were assassinated on the street and almost died right there. I ask you, Grand Eunuch, to give our Chen mission a proper explanation!"

Here, Xu Jin smiled. "Or perhaps, we'll find that explanation ourselves—slowly."

Wei Zhong's gaze swept over the military marquis Li Zhi, who trembled in fear; Wei Zhong then said, "Lord Xu, rest assured—the Emperor already knows of this matter and will uncover the truth!"

In the next instant, the Grand Eunuch of the Great Hong Inner Court turned and left.

With an eighth-rank late-stage official intervening and speaking, even the most unruly Great Hong subjects dared not stir further.

Crucially, the mastermind behind the plot had already been captured.

Especially since the evidence remained in Xu Jin's hands.

The rumored Chen Chen Qixian slain by the mission was, in fact, murdered by a sixth-rank captive whom Xu Jin had captured first.

Residual star-force energy still lingered within Chen Chen Qixian's corpse.

Any skilled cultivator who sensed it would immediately reach a conclusion.

The remainder of the journey proceeded smoothly.

Half an hour later, the Chen diplomatic mission peacefully took up residence in the Four Directions Pavilion.

At the same moment, within the Great Hong Palace, the Great Hong Emperor regarded the prostrate Marquis Tai Kang with a calm, amiable expression.

"Marquis Gong, I know your clan members perished in the war instigated by Chen, and I know you advocated for total war against Chen—no peace, no truce."

"But this mission? I personally approved it. Must you so directly slap my face?"

The captured Marquis Tai Kang pressed his forehead to the ground, protesting, "Your Majesty, I had no such intention! I simply never expected this envoy to be so powerful—my men kept failing, and matters spiraled out of control."

"Ah, you've made this very difficult for me," the Great Hong Emperor said with a faint smile.

"I deserve death—please, Your Majesty, punish me!" Marquis Gong Bo bowed deeply.

"You came from the Star Hall—I have no direct authority to punish you!" said the Great Hong Emperor.

"I am Your Majesty's subject; whatever punishment You see fit, I accept," Marquis Gong Bo hastily spoke the proper words, though inwardly he was now at ease.

His confidence stemmed from his Star Hall origins.

Even an emperor must consult the Star Hall before acting against him.

Often, matters simply faded away.

Yet before Marquis Gong Bo could fully relax, the Great Hong Emperor suddenly spoke: "But this matter is of grave consequence, involving foreign relations—I cannot decide alone. I must report it truthfully to the Star Lord and let him adjudicate."

"Your Majesty, there's no need to trouble the Star Lord with this!" Marquis Gong Bo grew anxious.

But the Great Hong Emperor said nothing; he calmly retrieved the Star-Picking Token, recounted the entire incident in detail, then sent a starlight message to the Star Lord of Lord Tianyang.

He sought the Star Lord's judgment.

Soon after, starlight messages appeared on the Great Hong Emperor's Star-Picking Token.

It was the Star Lord of Lord Tianyang's reply.

"Marquis Gong, the Star Lord's judgment has arrived."

"The Star Lord says you have disgraced yourself and undermined national dignity. Your title is revoked. You are to be dispatched to the newly established Eight Wilderness Frontline," the Great Hong Emperor smiled.

"Grand Eunuch Wei, issue the decree according to the Star Lord's command."

"Your servant obeys!"

Instantly, Marquis Gong Bo panicked.

Especially upon hearing the punishment—being sent to the Eight Wilderness Frontline—he was truly terrified.

The Eight Wilderness Frontline would be the very front of the impending war; dozens of eighth-rank cultivators were said to be deployed there.

Once battle began, it would be a meat grinder.

Once sent there, he would be finished.

"Your Majesty, for the sake of this old minister's loyalty, please plead for mercy!"

The Great Hong Emperor silently waved his hand; attendants dragged Marquis Gong Bo away, and officials moved to strip his title.

"Loyalty?"

The Great Hong Emperor sneered.

"More likely, he's fiercely loyal to the Star Lord of Lord Tianyang."

"Your Majesty, please be cautious with your words."

Grand Eunuch Wei Zhong whispered a warning, then casually sent a streak of starlight to seal off the chamber from outside.

The Great Hong Emperor's expression grew colder. "These Star Hall people grow ever bolder. Even my own diplomatic mission, right under my nose, dares to scheme against it—they're growing ever more disrespectful toward me."

"Your Majesty, do not be angered. This Great Hong realm still belongs to You."

"Go. Carry out my orders—it will serve as sufficient recompense to them."

"Yes," Grand Eunuch Wei Zhong nodded.

Just as Grand Eunuch Wei Zhong was about to leave, the Great Hong Emperor suddenly asked, "Is this chief envoy, Xu Jin, truly that strong?"

Hearing this, Wei Zhong turned and bowed deeply. "Your Majesty, in this servant's view, even an ordinary seventh-rank cultivator would not be a match for this chief envoy Xu Jin!"

"Three days from now, when You receive the mission, we've arranged a martial demonstration and notified the delegation."

"But given Xu Jin's performance, no one here can suppress him!"

"Perhaps we should cancel the demonstration."

"Cancel? Why cancel?"

"Xu Jin is a disciple of the Chen State Dao Academy. Let the Lord Tianyang Star Hall solve this problem."

"Go find Elder Wang Kan. Have him select the combatant for the demonstration," said the Great Hong Emperor.

"Your servant obeys."

(End of Chapter)

(End of chapter)