"Seven-Star Sword Technique—grez."
Xiao Chen executed the fourth form of the technique he had just mastered.
The defining characteristic of the grez form was its steadiness and weight.
With a single slash, he vertically split the giant python in two.
Then, in three quick flashes, he once again appeared before Zhu Xiuguo. "Don’t be afraid. I’m not planning to kill you just yet. How about you answer a few of my questions first?"
At his words, Zhu Xiuguo raised his Magic Shield defensively while secretly forming magic formulas with his hands.
He stared nervously at Xiao Chen and asked, "What in the world do you want?"
Xiao Chen ignored his subtle hand movents and asked, "Why are you capturing those Loose Cultivators? Are you with the Luotian Sect or the Divine Fire Sect?"
But Zhu Xiuguo didn’t answer, asking in return, "Who are you? Why are you asking about this?"
Xiao Chen shook his head. "I’m not satisfied with that answer."
"Seven-Star Sword Technique—Phecda."
The Phecda form was all about unpredictable and deceptive movents. Before Zhu Xiuguo could even see the Sword Light, he heard a CRACK as his Protective Spiritual Light shattered.
A mont later, a sharp pain shot through his left thigh.
Xiao Chen pressed on, "Answer my questions. What’s your relationship with Jing Qiyuan? Do you have soone pulling the strings behind the scenes? Who is it?"
Zhu Xiuguo gritted his teeth, refusing to make a sound.
Instead, he looked at Xiao Chen and threatened, "Since you recognize Old Jing, you should know not to ask questions you aren’t supposed to."
"I’ll be honest, we’re working for the Jiang Family."
"If you get in the way of the Jiang Family’s business, you can’t afford the consequences."
Xiao Chen shook his head again. ’Why don’t you ever learn?’
This ti, he directly used the Dubhe form, severing both of Zhu Xiuguo’s legs. "Answer my questions. Any more nonsense, and I’ll send you on your way."
But Zhu Xiuguo seed to feel no pain.
He raised his hands high, chanting an incantation.
His aura suddenly surged as a massive amount of Magical Power poured out of him, condensing in mid-air to form a large character that read "Halt."
Then, he pushed forward with both hands.
The massive character for "Halt" imdiately flared with brilliant light and pressed down on Xiao Chen’s head.
"Hahaha, you love asking questions, don’t you?"
Zhu Xiuguo burst out laughing. Realizing he was no match for Xiao Chen, he had decisively begun preparing his final trump card—the Immobilization Technique.
He never expected Xiao Chen to pay him no mind, actually allowing him to secretly complete the magic formulas.
He used his Magical Power to prop up his body, dragging himself in front of Xiao Chen.
"You love asking questions, don’t you? Go on, ask another. I’d love to hear it."
"Did you think you were so badass, huh?"
"Did you think I was no threat to you at all?"
"What about now? Can you still move? Huh?"
"You sneaky bastard. I’m going to see just who you are."
Then, he reached out to snatch off Xiao Chen’s cloak.
SQUELCH.
The flying sword pierced straight through Zhu Xiuguo’s heart.
Xiao Chen cracked a smile. "Surprise, surprise."
"You didn’t really think I was immobilized, did you? I was just teasing you."
Blood trickled from the corner of Zhu Xiuguo’s mouth as he trembled, trying to raise his hand. "You... how is this possible..."
With a sharp twist of the flying sword, Xiao Chen cut off his last words.
’I have to admit, that massive character for "Halt" looked quite formidable.’
’Too bad he ran into . Thanks to the protection of the Divine Protection Veil, I hadn’t felt any restriction or restraint at all.’
"If you won’t talk, I’ll find the evidence myself."
Xiao Chen picked up the Storage Bag and used Profound Fire to erase all traces at the scene.
He had discovered a benefit to using the Seven-Star Sword Technique.
The battle scenes it produced were much cleaner. There was no great cloud of smoke, dust, and fire, which made tidying up afterward far more convenient.
To catch them all in one fell swoop and not give the rest of the Zhu Family ti to react, he didn’t imdiately take inventory of the Storage Bag.
Instead, relying on his mory, he first went to Zhu County, where the Zhu Family was based.
Although it was nad Zhu County, it wasn’t ho to only the Zhu Family; four other small Cultivation Clans also resided there.
With the Demon Extermination Hall’s Manager Token and Zhu Xiuguo’s head, Xiao Chen easily convinced the other four families to join forces and surround the Zhu Family.
A small clan like this only had a single Foundation Establishnt patriarch protecting it.
The rest of the clan mbers were only at the Qi Refining stage and were powerless to stop them.
Xiao Chen led the charge into the Zhu Family compound and soon found fourteen imprisoned Loose Cultivators in the cellar.
Now they were caught red-handed; all the evidence was there.
"Steward Xiao, the Zhu Family warehouse has been found. Should we seal it up, or search it?"
The Sun Family Patriarch, who was nearby, ca over to report.
"Oh, the warehouse?" Xiao Chen thought for a mont. "Let’s go, we’ll search it together."
The Zhu Family’s warehouse was stockpiled with a large quantity of Spirit Ore, four chests of Spirit Stones, and a batch of custom-made Magical Artifacts—all items like ropes and shackles.
Xiao Chen opened one and saw that a single chest contained a full one thousand Spirit Stones.
"You can take so of this Spirit Ore back with you to study. See if there are any clues related to Demon Cultivators."
"As for the Spirit Stones, I will be taking them to submit to the sect."
"Any objections?"
The other four all indicated they had no problem with this.
With the Zhu Family dealt with, Xiao Chen returned to the Li Huo Sect and posted an escort mission at the Demon Extermination Hall.
He also dropped four large chests off at the treasury, leaving two hundred fifty Spirit Stones in each one.
Only then did he return to Cuiwei Valley and begin refining the Storage Bag.
This ti, it only took him two hours to successfully break the restriction.
The mont he opened the Storage Bag, Xiao Chen was dazzled by the sheer volu of Spirit Stones inside.
A sweep of his Divine Sense revealed a staggering seven thousand five hundred Spirit Stones.
"So many?"
Xiao Chen was puzzled. ’It makes no sense for soone like Zhu Xiuguo, with only a second-layer Foundation Establishnt cultivation, to be carrying so many Spirit Stones.’
Next, there was an Upper-Grade flying sword.
There were also several backup items: a Middle-Grade Magic Robe, Flying Sword, and belt.
The most nurous items were ropes and shackles similar in style to those in the warehouse, but stained with blood.
It was clear these items had all been used before.
Additionally, there were two Yellow-Level, Tier-Two cultivation techniques, but they were both Fire Elent skills.
Xiao Chen pulled a large number of books out of the Storage Bag.
But they were either account ledgers or miscellaneous biographies and texts.
He looked through them carefully and finally found a relatively new ledger that recorded the details of the Zhu Family’s "Spiritual Sheep" trade with the Jing Family.
According to the ledger, the first transaction occurred early last year, and the quantity was very small.
The trades stopped for several months, then picked up again in August after the "great investigation" ended.
And the quantities were also getting larger and larger.
Recently, the volu had suddenly multiplied several tis over.
What was even stranger was that the Jing Family had actually raised the purchase price for "Spiritual Sheep" by fifty percent.
A single "Spiritual Sheep" could be sold for a full seventy-five Spirit Stones!
’No wonder his Storage Bag was filled with so much wealth. So that’s why.’
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