Chapter 537: Cultivating at Day, Killing at Night!

"Soul control..." Sun Xiaoqi's eyes trembled. "If you use this method on me too, there’s no need for risk... Oh, you are truly too kind."

"You think too much. Soul controlling is just too exhausting; I’m merely spent for now. Tomorrow, I’ll control you," Yun Xiao chuckled.

"Go away!" Sun Xiaoqi rolled her eyes, not buying it one bit.

"Enough chit-chat, let’s sync up on tomorrow’s alibi, then you head to the city gates and keep watch, create an alibi for me." As he spoke, Yun Xiao unfastened his armor and handed it to Sun Xiaoqi. "Put this on a dummy, then drink and laugh with it, make some noise so people see."

"And you? Can you make it back in time?" Sun Xiaoqi asked.

"No, no, I'll use the cover of darkness to go mining," Yun Xiao smiled.

"Mining? What are you mining?" Sun Xiaoqi asked curiously.

"Don't ask. Wealth should not be flaunted," Yun Xiao replied.

"Whatever," Sun Xiaoqi scoffed, glancing at him disdainfully. "Just so long as you treat me to a feast."

"Go on, get moving," Yun Xiao urged.

"Bleh." Sun Xiaoqi stuck her tongue out at him before taking his armor and slipping quietly back towards the city gates.

The duration of the slaughter was, in fact, not long.

"From a rational standpoint, letting her go was a foolish act," Blue Star remarked dryly.

"Life isn't always about rationality; humans are creatures of emotion, and I am human. My heart is warm," Yun Xiao said.

Blue Star rolled his eyes.

Yun Xiao ignored him and began collecting the treasures from Lu Changfeng and the others, like the True Immortal Jades and Bags of Holding. What was left behind, like the Polar Glacier, he could not take.

"Let’s reap the spoils first." After settling affairs, Yun Xiao glanced back at Lu Qian, who bowed and said, "Master, please."

Together, they quickly disappeared into the darkness.

?ι══????????══ι?

Not long after, they arrived at another desolate place, a forest where giant trees sprawled wildly and the air held a chill of foreboding.

Lu Qian led the way, venturing deep into the abyss. After a lengthy detour, they discovered a fiery cave amidst a river of subterranean lava.

Deep within this cave, the energy of the Celestial Sourcecore was potent, visible as high-quality crystals were embedded in the walls.

"Master, this is the True Immortal Jade Mine. The extent of its reserves is currently unclear, but from what we've explored, if mined carefully, it should yield over 1,000 True Immortal Jades," Lu Qian reported.

"An amount like 1,000 counts as a mine?" Yun Xiao had scavenged 2,000 True Immortal Jades from Lu Changfeng and the others. That amounted to a 20-year stipend for him.

"There's more unexplored," Lu Qian paused. "We have time tonight; I could dig deeper."

"No need!" Red Moon emerged from Yun Xiao's embrace, eyeing the wall crystals. "No need to explore further, nor to mine. I prefer the original flavor, to consume them directly!"

"Are you sure?" Yun Xiao asked, surprised. Could it be this simple?

Blue Star rolled his eyes. "Do you think Reddy distinguishes between a roasted chicken leg and a live, feathered hen?"

"Fair point." Yun Xiao grinned. "Then feast to your heart’s content, and let's aim to hang the corpses before dawn."

"Lift-off!" Having reached the Great Dao Celestial Realm, Red Moon waited for this moment, his mouth crooked in a grin.

ROAR!

From Yun Xiao's arms, Red Moon leapt to the ground, transforming into a fierce beast clad in black scales! Scales, spines, a gaping maw, and sharp claws... the coffin beast's visual impact was overwhelming.

"Wow…!" Lu Qian backed away several steps, her face pale as she stared at Yun Xiao.

"You return to the mayor's office and keep everything normal. Let everyone know that you were at the office all night and went nowhere else," Yun Xiao instructed.

"Yes." Lu Qian hurried away.

"Day for training, night for killing."

Yun Xiao gazed at the blazing mine, his eyes burning with excitement and a smile. "The Celestial Court is truly fascinating."

The first bucket of gold was secured, the divine barrier surpassed!

Now, the real ascent was about to begin!

"But tomorrow, we face a hurdle."

Fifteen Arbiters had perished, along with noble Immortal scions like Lu Changfeng and Jiang Lanyue. Such a major case was a challenge to the very authority of the Celestial Court, resonating through all of Sky Soaring City. A storm was brewing!

Yun Xiao sat in calm meditation, his gaze icy, immovable as a mountain, awaiting the tempest.

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Dawn broke, the dark canopy of night swept across the sky.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

At the break of day, Sun Xiaoqi and Yun Xiao looked towards the city gates.

Twelve Arbiters, each with eyes pierced through, hung high upon the gates, swaying in the wind.

Sun Xiaoqi let out a cry of horror, as shrill as a rooster at sunrise, igniting the entire city of Sangju!

The citizens of Sangju City, confined all night, flooded the streets!

When they beheld the row of 12 Arbiter corpses, Sangju City exploded!

A succession of gasps rose and fell, sweeping across the city.

People ran about, almost madly, not out of sorrow but out of fear and dread!

Everyone was shaken by this earth-shattering case, their hearts trembling, their words faltering even as they spread the news.

In the Celestial Court, the death of 12 Heavenly Officers caused more uproar than the death of 10,000 mortal cultivators.

Even the weakest of these officers represented the Celestial Court!

Many were stronger than regular Arbiters, yet their statuses were much lower. For once ordained with a

rank

in the Celestial Court, a cultivator ascended beyond the ordinary, embodying the will of the heavens!

"Twelve Arbiters…!"

"Including yesterday, that's 15!"

"My goodness, what kind of fiend did this…?"

All the citizens of Sangju City were dumbstruck.

The commotion drew everyone's attention, and this time no one took charge, not even Lu Qian dared to bring down those Arbiters.

She immediately ordered the public not to approach and then, along with Yun Xiao and Sun Xiaoqi, sent a flying talisman to notify the Thunder Department and Skyruler Immortal Manor!

Even after the talisman was sent, Sangju City remained in turmoil, seething with unrest.

Everyone was plunged into panic, fearing the arrival of the next night.

"What if a few hundred more Arbiters come? They can't all be killed, can they?"

"Too horrifying!"

The storm surged, escalating several magnitudes.

"This flying talisman will surely shake Sky Soaring City to its core!"

Just as the people of Sangju City had anticipated, indeed, within an hour, over 300 Skyruler Sword Vessels swiftly descended upon Sangju City!

"The real celestial dignitaries are here!"

The crowd watched with intense eyes, their hearts trembling mightily.

The doors of the sword vessels opened one by one, and from the central position, a large sword vessel capable of accommodating ten people, several high-ranking figures emerged all at once!

"There are two Rank 7 Sky Protectors!"

"I recognize them! One is Liu Chaochao, and the other is... Lu Cheng from the Lu Immortal Manor!"

"My heavens! The real big shot is in the middle, that's Lord Lu!"

"A Rank 6 Heavenly Officer has come to Sangju City?"

It was notable since their own mayor was only Rank 9.

Now, hundreds of Heavenly Officers above Rank 9 had arrived all at once, a testament to the magnitude of the event.

"I remember, isn’t Lu Cheng the little sister of Lord Lu?"

"Yes!"

"These are people from the Lu Immortal Manor, holding the highest positions in the Skyruler Immortal Manor."

The people watched these dignitaries with fervent eyes, scarcely daring to breathe.

Beside figures like Lord Lu, Liu Chaochao, and Lu Cheng, even high-ranking Arbiters like Liu Mumu drew no attention.

In fact, this time even six Arbiter commanders had arrived!

When the hundreds disembarked from their sword vessels, they flowed like a mighty torrent, pressing towards the city gates where the citizens of Sangju City hurried to greet them with respectful bows.

However, the Arbiters from Skyruler Immortal Manor paid them no heed!

From the moment they appeared, the gaze of these hundreds was fixed upon the 12 Arbiters strung up high.

It was a massacre and a grave provocation to the Skyruler Immortal Manor!

Over 300 Arbiters, their eyes ablaze with fury, were seething with rage.

Only Yun Xiao was smiling inwardly.

"Lu Yao, I have avenged you. This spectacle today, I dedicate to you," Yun Xiao thought with satisfaction.

This was his way of enjoying retribution! But he knew that Lu Yao's revenge was not yet complete.

Yuan Gang had been stripped of his rank and reduced to a commoner, but he was not dead, and might rise again.

And Lu Changfeng's most significant backer, Lord Lu, was still present!

He knew well that Yun Xiao was not Lu Yao!

At that moment, Lord Lu's eyes swirled with fierce fire, fixated on Lu Changfeng at the center!

Lu Changfeng, his eyes streaming with black blood, hands hanging limp, had a face full of terror and had died a gruesome death.

"Changfeng!" Lord Lu roared, his fists clenched tight, as a vast storm of celestial power swirled around him, pushing back the surrounding Arbiters several steps.

To lose a daughter, then a son! Even the most capable at his age would be heart-wrenchingly tormented by such events.

"Lord Lu, please restrain your grief," Liu Chaochao said, his scalp tingling at the sight.

But more than that, he was furious!

"Such audacity! Since the founding of the Thunder Department and Skyruler Immortal Manor, there has never been such a provocation!" Lu Cheng exclaimed sharply. She was a woman dressed in Arbiter Armor, her eyes narrow and her demeanor cold, exuding a forbidding air.

"First, bring down the bodies, place them in coffins!" Lord Lu suppressed the raging fury within him. After saying this, he abruptly turned back to face the crowd, his voice thundering, "Bring me Lu Yao and Sun Xiaoqi for immediate interrogation!"