Chapter 406: Tribunal at Work! Demons! Extraordinary Martial Might!

The entrance to the pit seemed specially treated. Even so, not a trace of aura leaked out. There was no yin qi, no demonic qi, no baleful miasma, nor blood scent; nothing could be sensed.

Just then, the young woman’s face turned pale with fright. She thought bandits had broken in to rob and kill, and all her earlier charm vanished.

Her voice shrilled as she cried for help, “Help! Bandits have broken in! Save me!”

Her loud shouts quickly drew the villagers of Hengyang rushing over.

With a sharp

clang

, Zuo Qian drew his broadsword with his brows furrowed and eyes cold.

“This is a Tribunal investigation! All irrelevant people, stand back!”

He had assumed Li Yanchu would investigate discreetly. To his surprise, the Daoist had gone straight to the problem and, judging by his posture... intended to act directly.

Zuo Qian had even taken the trouble to change into plain clothes. But the villagers of Hengyang weren’t buying it. What was the Tribunal’s reputation compared to the favor of the palace? They supplied tribute to the Inner Court itself!

“Since when can the Tribunal storm into homes, arresting people at will without rhyme or reason?”

“If you damage the court’s tribute, not even ten heads will save you!”

“Fools! Do you know where you stand?”

Unexpectedly, the villagers of Hengyang were downright arrogant. Their hostility was palpable, and they showed not the slightest respect for Zuo Qian.

At this time, Zuo Qian’s brows knit tighter. The Tribunal often faced resistance when investigating, but this village behaved as though they feared nothing at all.

Yet Zuo Qian was a righteous young man. He could not simply kill innocent villagers.

“Stand down! Obstructing a Tribunal investigation is grounds for execution on the spot!” he barked, attempting to intimidate them.

But the villagers did not flinch. Some of the stronger young men even looked ready to start a fight.

Meanwhile, Li Yanchu had already moved, stepping into the pit below. He paid no heed to the exchange between Zuo Qian and the villagers.

Before his eyes stretched pure darkness. The cave was not deep, yet the moment he entered, it reeked of blood and baleful qi.

At its end, what met his gaze was a field of bones. Some were beasts... and some were human.

When he saw this, his face darkened. At that instant, a sharp whistling filled his ears.

Shh-shh-shh!

Several tough, white silk threads shot toward him, strong and swift as heavy crossbow bolts!

Clang-clang-clang!

Qi shield flared before him, easily deflecting the threads.

“Get out here!” With a furious shout, powerful qi surged into his palm.

Crane Control Hand, Dragonbind Hand!

A spider the size of a millstone was wrenched out from the shadows, dragged helplessly into view.

A spider of this size had to be a spirit creature already! From its maw spewed a foul, reeking slime, which was highly toxic and corrosive.

Hissss!

The qi shield forged from Li Yanchu’s Primordial Chaos Techniques carried a force of rebound. The venom splattered against it, only to be reflected straight back at the spider demon.

Where it struck its massive body, smoke hissed up. Where it hit stone, it instantly ate a gaping hole into the rock; it was truly terrifying.

“Freeze!” Li Yanchu jabbed his finger, casting a Daoist Immobilization Spell.

At once, a powerful force pinned the spider demon still. Its massive body crashed heavily to the ground.

“Eh!?” Cuihua gave a surprised little cry, eyes lighting up.

That’s not... the immortal Immobilization Spell, is it!?

Li Yanchu kept the spider bound with his qi and strode straight back toward the cave entrance. With his current cultivation, such a half-formed spider demon posed no real challenge.

The moment he emerged, the villagers of Hengyang blanched.

Boom!

The spider, the size of a millstone, slammed onto the ground, utterly subdued.

“Daoist Master Li, this is...?” Zuo Qian was wide-eyed with shock.

Li Yanchu’s expression was cold. “This cave harbored a demon. Below lie corpses of humans as well as animals.”

“Nonsense! You lying demon Daoist, spouting slander!”

“Scoundrel! You raise spiders yourself, then falsely accuse us!”

“Heavens above, is there no justice left!?”

The villagers erupted in anger, their cries led by the very same young woman he had first seen. She now wailed bitterly, her grief an act of piercing misery.

Li Yanchu swept a cold gaze across them all, and he said in a low voice, “The demon that harms men is right here, yet you deny it with open eyes. Your hearts are truly damnable!”

Rumble!

He stamped his foot, and the earth shook, a deep crack splitting the ground. The villagers recoiled in terror, staring at the young Daoist in disbelief.

Is this... even human!?

“Brother Zuo,” Li Yanchu said evenly, “you who hold righteousness in your heart must not be deceived by lies.”

When he heard this, Zuo Qian’s body trembled.

Li Yanchu’s display had cowed the crowd. His gaze, sharp as sabers, pressed down on them with overwhelming force.

Just then, a few of the loudest young men tried to slip away.

Boom!

Immediately, Li Yanchu struck out with his palm, shattering a boulder taller than a man into powder.

“Until this matter is settled, whoever dares leave... do not blame me for showing no mercy!” His voice was as cold as ice.

Then, everyone fell into a deathly silence. That single palm strike just now was like a siege weapon, capable of splitting mountains and cracking stone!

The villagers stared at one another, not daring to breathe. A cavern of such size hidden beneath their homes, with spider demons preying on humans, to claim ignorance would be utter nonsense.

Li Yanchu had chosen the fiercest possible method to subdue them, all to prevent needless trouble.

Boom!

He unleashed another palm strike. Like a raging tide crashing down, the force exploded the spider demon into dust, annihilating it completely.

The thunderous blast left the villagers of Hengyang stunned once more.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Overbearing, decisive in killing, cold and indifferent, and possessing immense power, this was the impression Li Yanchu left on them. Such a man, whether of the Righteous Dao or Demonic, was one whose word was law. They did not fear Zuo Qian, but they feared... Li Yanchu.

Guided by Cuihua, Li Yanchu hunted down every last hidden spider demon in Hengyang Village. The number was staggering: forty-two in total!

Each one was not yet fully formed, yet still were monsters terrifying to ordinary people. Swift, strong, adept at spitting webs, their venomous slime was highly corrosive. Any cultivator of weak skill who encountered them would have no chance of survival.

But today, they faced Li Yanchu. His qi shield was unyielding and ferocious, his Daoist arts unfathomably profound. All forty-two spider demons were slain right before the villagers’ eyes!

The first one he had obliterated merely to establish his authority. The rest he deliberately left intact as corpses.

And in doing so, he uncovered the village’s secret. Many of the spider demons had been spitting silk, not the white threads used for hunting, but another kind. In many of the caverns lay silk of a different texture, soft and lustrous, resembling that of silkworms.

“This,” he said coldly, “is the so-called tribute those nobles and officials so dearly covet.”

Then, Li Yanchu let out a cold laugh.

At this time, Zuo Qian’s expression was dark, his heart burning with an indescribable fury.

They’re feeding demons with human lives!

Among the bones in those caverns were both men and women, making it impossible to tell if the missing girls were among them.

With Li Yanchu’s extraordinary strength suppressing the villagers, Zuo Qian was determined to drag them all to the

yamen

for questioning. Handled poorly, this case could shake the heavens themselves!