Chapter 108: He felt a sense of disobedience

Li Yunxian showed no reaction to Xiagu’s sudden change in attitude.

Seeing Xiagu casually crush Qing Song and the others to death just to intimidate her with an uncertain effect, there was no way he felt any pity for the sacrifice of his subordinates.

If he did, he wouldn’t have risked sending people into the city.

Li Yunxian only slightly lowered her head, putting on a troubled expression. “Ancestor, I really can’t figure out how those people from Jin City found us.”

After speaking, Li Yunxian looked up at Xiagu and suggested, “This is a serious matter. It’s not just your responsibility alone, Ancestor. How about discussing it with the other ancestors?”

“Surely you don’t want to do all the work yourself, do you?”

Xiagu’s tone was cold and dismissive: “I never mix with them.”

That was a refusal.

Li Yunxian was stunned for a moment, never expecting Xiagu to actually intend to handle this alone.

That was not the behavior of an evil cultivator.

But Li Yunxian was certain: Xiagu was an evil cultivator.

All the spiritual energy flowing through him came from demonic arts.

Yet it made sense.

Every Righteous Cultivator had their own personality and ways of handling things, so naturally, not all evil cultivators were the same.

Li Yunxian’s mind began to work, thinking of new words of persuasion.

However, the situation no longer needed her to say anything.

Her divine sense twitched slightly, sensing something just as a sweet, melodious female voice drifted into the hall.

“That’s such a hurtful thing to say. I thought Xiagu-ge, you and I were quite close.”

As the voice fell, a woman dressed in dazzling, ornate clothes appeared in the hall, standing gracefully.

Her hair was adorned with two jade-green feathers, and every frown and smile carried enchanting charm.

Li Yunxian noticed that instead of slender, beautiful fingers, the woman’s hands bore a pair of blue-green wings shimmering with a faint glow.

Without a doubt, she was a Yao.

And the hall was not occupied by just this Yao—there was also a dark-skinned, heavily muscled human carrying a long sword as tall as a person on his back.

The Yao was in late Jindan stage; the human was mid-Jindan.

Li Yunxian recalled the introduction given by the Special Control Bureau earlier.

Among the four Jindan from outside Jin City, there were two Yaos and one human here.

Though, in reality, it should be two humans and one Yao.

In two days, Li Yunxian had met all but the strange beast Jindan from outside Jin City.

She thought, since these two came together without summoning that beast, it was unlikely she’d see that beast Jindan.

Because… the other party probably hadn’t awakened intelligence yet.

Theoretically, a beast Jindan might awaken consciousness, but only with a certain probability, and many only gain awareness by Nascent Soul stage.

Xiagu didn’t respond to the Yao’s coquettish words, instead coldly said, “Uninvited guests, are you here to start a fight with me?”

At these words, Li Yunxian felt a faint sword intent stirring inside the hall.

She lowered her gaze.

At this moment, she was sure.

Though Xiagu’s magic tool was unusual, his main cultivation was undoubtedly in swordsmanship.

“Xiagu-ge, don’t be so fierce~” the Yao giggled. “I know you’re very concerned about the new city’s changes, so I brought Bloodthirsty over to discuss with you.”

“You’re about to advance to Great Perfection. You’re the strongest among us. How could we dare do anything to upset you?”

After easing the atmosphere a bit, the Yao got to the point, “I also have some city news. Why don’t we discuss it together?”

“Without Qin City as a transit point, everything will become a huge headache,” the Yao said with a distressed look.

Their tribe was selfish and wouldn’t bother with construction, but traveling elsewhere was tough without relying on others.

So, usually in situations like this, they would adopt a false identity like Li Yunxian’s, blending in among ordinary people to take advantage of cars or planes.

Of course, it wasn’t just that; there were other matters relying on the Righteous Cultivators’ infrastructure for entertainment.

Like… new game releases or movie premieres.

Those who had experienced the secular world had needs beyond cultivation—they also enjoyed life.

A cultivator who didn’t understand pleasure wasn’t truly a demon cultivator.

For them, any real loss of benefits was a big deal.

Xiagu’s gaze darkened as he stared at the two Yaos for quite a while.

Li Yunxian could clearly sense from his expression that Xiagu’s dislike of these two Jindan was genuine.

Yet she also didn’t detect any killing intent from Xiagu toward these two outsiders.

He truly had no plans to kill them.

If he took care of the other Jindan first, then the city’s Righteous Cultivator Jindan would mobilize to besiege him.

After a long pause, Xiagu coldly said, “Fine, speak.”

The Yao smiled and waved her hand, displaying a divine ability that caused two Qi Refinement stage hunters to drop from her wings.

The other human sword cultivator raised his hand, pulling in waiting subordinates from afar.

“Speak. Tell Ancestor Xiagu what you saw in the city.”

The trembling Qi Refinement hunters began to describe what they witnessed.

Where they couldn’t explain clearly, Li Yunxian supplemented with her own “observations.”

By and large, the three Jindan already had a clearer picture of the entire incident.

But they still couldn’t figure out how the swift female sword cultivator who moved too fast to see left and right discovered the hunters.

Within the Special Control Bureau, this baffled everyone.

As for the information claiming the sword cultivator’s strength was merely six layers of Qi Refinement, no one took it seriously.

It was obviously a disguise by a high-level cultivator to fool those below her level.

A Righteous Cultivator actually pulling such sneaky tactics!

However, since Ginkgo was at Great Foundation stage, and described the opponent as Qi Refinement six layers, the other must be at least Jindan.

Of course.

Someone who could kill a Great Foundation stage cultivator before they even had a chance to struggle could only be Jindan or higher.

The three Jindan present all turned grave.

But the news wasn’t all bad; Li Yunxian’s sweet words also helped.

“According to the report, only thirteen of that batch I encountered died; the rest were other Special Control Bureau personnel.”

“It seems the city’s detection methods are still inaccurate.”

“They must rely on something else for judgment.”

This made sense and was the only good news among many problems.

The Yaos looked at Li Yunxian with some softness in their eyes.

“Then continue sending people into Jin City. It’s best to capture some isolated Righteous Cultivators and question them,” they said.

Li Yunxian lowered her gaze, listening to this new arrangement.

***

After the meeting, returning to her quarters, she sent the new batch of hunter lists to Yu Anle again.

This time Yu Anle had learned her lesson.

She stared at the communication device and replied immediately upon receiving the message.

“Yunxian, wait, Director Wu wants to see you!”

Li Yunxian calmly replied, “I’m not going.”

She had already set up half of the Killing Array.

Once the other half was done tomorrow, it would only be a matter of the Qin City people handling the new hunters, forcing the three Jindan to reconvene and discuss plans again.

After sending this message, Li Yunxian was about to put away her phone when the screen flickered.

A new message appeared.

Li Yunxian glanced over.

She froze.

“Director Wu says he disguised himself as an isolated Qi Refinement stage Special Control Bureau member and was captured by them!!”

Li Yunxian’s usually composed body shuddered.

Good heavens.

The nonsense at the afternoon meeting actually came true.

Someone really was going to pretend to be a Jindan while at Qi Refinement stage!

Li Yunxian twitched at the corner of her mouth but said nothing, quickly putting the phone back into her storage magic tool.

The third day.

Perhaps learning from the unlucky subordinate who had died halfway last time, the hunters sent into the city this time were much more cautious.

Or maybe Director Wu, who needed time to prepare for being captured while disguised as Qi Refinement, caused the change.

Either way, it was a peaceful day.

Li Yunxian calmly finished setting up the remaining parts of the Killing Array.

She buried the final core of the formation, and within Xiagu’s lair, the aura subtly shifted.

The Xiagu body hidden underground looked around in puzzlement.

He felt a faint unease.

His divine sense swept inch by inch throughout the lair but detected nothing.

The Killing Array Li Yunxian set up had illusions and trapping arrays embedded inside, and once formed, its concealment was excellent.

Eventually, Li Yunxian sensed Xiagu hesitated and withdrew his divine sense.

***

On the fourth day, Jin City finally made its move.

A certain lamp on the altar flickered and went out again.

Li Yunxian raised her head slightly.

She could feel it too: aura fluctuations from two directions in the distance.

They belonged to the other two Jindan.

Immediately, the Yao’s aura headed straight for Qin City.

As for what happened, Li Yunxian’s sensing range was limited; she could only faintly detect some aura from so far away.

Xiagu noticed Li Yunxian’s movements.

There was surprise but also understanding.

With such sensing ability, Xiagu thought Ginkgo, this Great Foundation stage cultivator, must be just a step away from Jindan.

No wonder she had such confidence, even daring to roam around his lair.

Xiagu justified this internally, sensing a subtle anomaly.

Soon, the Yao’s aura returned, coming toward Xiagu’s side.

After several breaths, bang bang—three Qi Refinement stage cultivators were thrown straight onto the hall floor by the Yao.

Li Yunxian reacted quickly and appeared in the hall.

Her eyes immediately landed on the three cultivators collapsed on the ground.

Two of them she had seen before.

They were outsiders.

The other…

Li Yunxian clearly sensed that one was truly a Great Perfection Jindan in actual cultivation level.

Director Wu had really been captured.

Li Yunxian was speechless for a moment, then lowered her head to conceal her expression.

She couldn’t let Director Wu notice her yet.

The Yao’s disturbance was naturally noticed by the Jindan hunter.

Soon, he also appeared in the hall.

He looked around, puzzled: “Where is Xiagu?”

Just as he finished speaking, Xiagu’s clone slowly and uncertainly appeared, sitting high in the hall.

The unease in his heart grew stronger.

But his true body was well-hidden.

Xiagu was confident he would not be discovered.

Everyone still thought he was a monster.

So Xiagu still came out.

However, once outside, the feeling of unease intensified.

Xiagu’s gaze swept the crowd warily.

The Yao, used to Xiagu’s negative looks, smiled directly, “I snatched them back from the Special Control Bureau.”

“This little bastard from the Special Control Bureau knows quite a bit,”

the Yao pointed at Director Wu.

Li Yunxian’s voice carried a hint of excitement and determination as she approached Director Wu.

“Then I’ll be the one to interrogate him.”

Xiagu said nothing but after scanning everyone, his eyes fell on Director Wu.

He felt a strong sense of dissonance.

This person before him shouldn’t be like this.

At the edge of Great Perfection Jindan, Xiagu couldn’t see through Director Wu’s disguise, but he could vaguely feel something.

“Wait!” His anxiety rising, Xiagu spoke abruptly.

At this moment, Li Yunxian had already stepped beside Director Wu and reached out her hand.

Upon hearing Xiagu, she looked up at him in confusion.

But her hand’s momentum didn’t stop.

Her hand had already grabbed Director Wu.

Everyone present was there.

Though Director Wu hadn’t discovered Li Yunxian’s presence yet, he had decided to act.

Because from Xiagu’s state, he knew he was about to be exposed.

But just before Director Wu made his move, he suddenly felt something extra in his hand.

It was a jade token carrying a distracting spiritual aura.

Director Wu: …