Chapter Twenty: Retribution

However, given the immense power carried by Wang Zhenling’s primordial spirit at this moment, that sword strike was utterly useless!

No matter how sharp the sword energy was, it remained but a single blade. Yet, the power Wang Zhenling wielded now was like a mountain, or a train thundering toward its target.

Boom!

The longsword shattered inch by inch, and the assassin, covered in blood, collapsed to the ground.

Seeing the death of his two companions, the final assassin was struck with horror. Gritting his teeth, he suddenly pulled a bead from his robes and threw it to the ground.

Boom!

A cloud of black mist billowed out, carrying a foul, pungent odor—it was clearly poisonous. Under the cover of this mist, the assassin turned and fled!

Alas, the assassin did not know that this was a trick Wang Zhenling had played long ago. Back when he was rescuing Zhen Yunzi, Wang Zhenling had already employed such a maneuver. Seeing it now, his heart remained entirely unperturbed.

The power carried by his primordial spirit roared forth like a gale, dispersing the black mist in an instant before slamming into the assassin. The assassin’s body suddenly stiffened, and he stood frozen in place. In that very moment, Wang Zhenling surged into the assassin’s consciousness with his overwhelming force.

Bang!

Unable to withstand the intrusion of such immense power, the assassin’s head simply exploded.

With a gust of wind, Wang Zhenling’s primordial spirit returned to his body, still savoring the sensation of that raw power.

A large detachment of county guards finally reacted and surrounded the area. Soon, Magistrate Wang Guang arrived, only to find the corpses of the assassins. The magistrate’s expression was grim; to be attacked by assassins right within the county hall in broad daylight—if word of this got out, would it not be a laughingstock?

However, he vaguely suspected who the mastermind behind this was, and he felt caught in a dilemma. Should he investigate this or not? If he did not, would the prestige of the county hall not be dragged through the mud? Yet, if he pressed the investigation, Wang Guang suspected that ten to one, it would lead to the Emperor’s envoy. If that were the case, would things not become even more troublesome?

While he was deliberating, he heard Wang Zhenling say, "Magistrate, these were practitioners from the Wuji Mountains. It is truly detestable that they would strike at the county hall in retaliation. It seems we must conduct another thorough sweep of the county to clear out these stragglers!"

The Magistrate of Danling County felt a wave of relief; with Wang Zhenling putting it that way, the matter became much easier to handle.

He immediately shouted sternly, "These demonic thieves are incredibly bold! Pass the order to every corner of the city and the surrounding villages—hunt down these demonic thieves!"

"Yes!"

The county clerks and guards, unaware of the hidden truth, genuinely believed it was the work of straggling practitioners from the Wuji Mountains and shouted in righteous indignation. Only a few sharp-witted clerks looked at Wang Zhenling with somewhat peculiar expressions.

Wang Zhenling had recently offended the Emperor, and specifically, that Imperial Envoy! If anyone truly wanted him dead, it would certainly be the envoy. As for the practitioners of the Wuji Mountains, even if there were stragglers, they were at most beaten dogs—how could they dare to commit murder within the county hall?

Since Wang Zhenling dared not pursue the truth and instead attributed it to demonic thieves, could it be that he had chosen to back down?

Night fell. At a nearby post station, the Imperial Envoy was in a towering rage, cursing the men of the Chengtiandao sect as complete trash. They had promised to kill Wang Zhenling, yet when the action was taken, not only did they fail, but everyone sent had perished. They were useless to the extreme!

The post station was divided into an inner and outer courtyard. The inner courtyard was originally the residence of the postmaster and guest rooms. Now, however, even the postmaster had been driven out, and every room was occupied by the troops brought by the Imperial Envoy. This party consisted of nearly two hundred men, filling the entire station to capacity. The original occupants of the post were forced to huddle in the outer courtyard for the night.

At this moment, Wang Zhenling’s primordial spirit had left his body and quietly arrived near the post station to observe the situation.

"The post station’s fortune is thin; there are only two ghost soldiers on patrol. To me, they pose no obstacle. But this Imperial Envoy has over two hundred guards and subordinates with him. He surely has ghost soldiers protecting him as well... perhaps even heroic spirits. This makes things difficult..."

A gentleman does not leave a grievance unavenged! The assassination attempt earlier that day was almost certainly the work of this Imperial Envoy, and how could Wang Zhenling let him off easily? This was not just about revenge. He did not know what the envoy might incite the Emperor to do against him once he returned to Shenluo. Since that was the case, it was better to strike first. Perhaps he could even muddy the waters...

The most critical point was that Wang Zhenling had sufficient evidence within the Danling County Hall. No one could find any leverage against him; even if the envoy died suddenly, no one would suspect him. So, why not do it?

The only question now was how to proceed. Even though Wang Zhenling had finally stepped into the Out-of-Body stage—his spirit chamber reaching five inches, just above the spirit length and approaching the spirit treasury—he did not believe he could force his way in and kill the envoy amidst such powerful guards.

So, how should he go about it? Wang Zhenling observed quietly, waiting for an opportunity.

"This Imperial Envoy’s external fortune is flourishing; he must be a trusted confidant of the Emperor. However, his natal fortune appears quite ordinary, much like my own..."

"And these guards... they must be from the Imperial Guard... Hmph, all flash and no substance!"

The guards were all tall and looked robust. However, when observing their *qi*, it was hard to sense the stern bravery of true soldiers. On the contrary, each one was hollow in vitality and sluggish in spirit. They did not even wear true armor, likely finding it too heavy. Instead, they wore ornate, lightweight leather and cloth armor, decorated with gold and silver, some even with filigree work. They looked majestic and beautiful from afar, but as for their defensive capability... that was another matter entirely!

As Wang Zhenling peered at them, he saw through the envoy’s fortune and the background of these men, and a plan slowly took shape in his mind.

"I shall start by creating a little disturbance..."

Before coming, Wang Zhenling had made preparations and brought a bag. By this time, he was already capable of manipulating objects with his primordial spirit; pulling out a small bag was a trivial task.

As the bag opened, handfuls of grain spilled out, transforming into vast amounts of fragrant food—steamed millet—which instantly attracted countless ghosts from all around.