In the blink of an eye, Li Yunxian and Feng Songhua arrived at Boxing.
It went extremely smoothly.
Only, Feng Songhua felt the communicator on his wrist vibrate.
Feng Songhua: “?”
Who sent him a message? Someone from Boxing? That quick to respond?
Feng Songhua’s heart skipped a beat. He raised his hand for a glance—and then froze.
There was indeed a message, but it was nothing like what he’d expected.
It was a deduction notification.
Feng Songhua, at least, was a cultivator in the Integration stage, not lacking for wealth. For ordinary expenses under a hundred thousand starcoins, he wouldn’t even be notified.
Teleportation fees were calculated based on cultivation and distance. But as long as the travel was within the same star system, the price wouldn’t fluctuate much—always the base fare.
Normally, when he brought someone through a teleportation array, it was only sixty to seventy thousand starcoins.
Feng Songhua couldn’t help but count the string of zeroes.
550,000 starcoins.
The cost for him alone was 50,000. The remaining 500,000…
Feng Songhua stared at Li Yunxian, utterly speechless.
Damn, that’s a Tribulation Transcending cultivator!
Only now did Feng Songhua fully understand why Li Yunxian held such sway in the Shenzhou team.
Li Yunxian noticed the look on Feng Songhua’s face but didn’t care much.
After all, as long as she used the teleportation array, this information would inevitably be recorded—there was no point hiding it from someone official like Feng Songhua.
She only changed her appearance, cultivation, and face to hide her identity from others.
But with Feng Songhua, since there were only the two of them for now, she did need to reveal some information to make sure he listened to her.
Sure enough, after reading the message, the first thing Feng Songhua did as he recovered was to ask Li Yunxian, “Heading to Ascension Platform?”
This was something they’d already discussed. At this moment, Feng Songhua still confirmed it with Li Yunxian, with a hint of respect.
“Yes,” Li Yunxian answered crisply.
Boxing’s Ascension Platform was grand and imposing, far more luxurious than Qingxing’s, and exuded a sense of ancient style.
After all, every city building on Qingxing was newly constructed. In terms of historical charm, individual structures couldn’t compare to Boxing.
The two stepped into the Ascension Platform. Several cultivators inside immediately turned to look at them.
They all knew Feng Songhua, so no big deal. Everyone just gave him a glance; their main attention fell on Li Yunxian.
“Who are you?” A Nascent Soul cultivator to the right asked Li Yunxian gently.
“You can call me Ginkgo,” Li Yunxian replied coolly.
Feng Songhua added, “She represents the Lishi.”
The people from Boxing didn’t comment further upon hearing this.
Lishi here naturally referred to Li Yunxian and the force backing her.
These people had heard somewhat about the things that happened on Qingxing—the commercial street incident, the Ascension Platform incident, and the recent, ongoing debates about the righteous path and so on.
You could say all of Yinhai Star System’s hottest events had been concentrated in Qingxing. They couldn’t have avoided hearing about it even if they’d wanted to.
They all knew there was a Nascent Soul cultivator in the Lishi group.
Though, rumor had it the person was a silver-haired fox demon cultivator. But right now…
No matter how they looked, the person before them seemed like a human cultivator.
It was clear the other party had hidden her true identity, but that was normal. After all, today’s discussion was highly confidential.
Feng Songhua had already reported what they’d discussed at the hotel that day, and the news had spread down to Boxing.
The Ascension Platform members in Boxing read the report, their faces growing grim.
After all, based on the examples Feng Songhua gave, their first reactions mirrored his exactly.
No one had noticed anything out of the ordinary.
The people of Boxing took a deep breath, their faces showing a trace of heartache.
And why wouldn’t they be heartbroken?
After the higher-ups got the news, half a month of back-and-forth finally resulted in the decision to demolish an entire city just to see what might be uncovered.
In past disasters like beast tides, cities had been destroyed before, but nothing unusual had ever been discovered then.
After analysis, everyone figured that the enemy probably destroyed the evidence along with the city, so this time, they’d have to demolish their own city by hand to find the problem.
The chosen city was Boxing’s central city.
The reason for choosing Boxing’s central city was quite sufficient.
After all, they couldn’t let the enemy sense anything off—so they needed a fitting reason.
That reason, naturally, was Li Yunxian’s affair.
-Everyone knew the Bohai Chamber of Commerce had seriously offended Li Yunxian.
Plus, with the chaos on Qingxing growing by the day, it made sense for an even bigger incident to follow.
Furthermore, in addition to the demolition in Boxing, the other forces on that list would also be ‘retaliated’ against by official arrangements, as if the entire Lishi force was moving out in a mighty counterattack.
Thinking of this, the people of Boxing couldn’t help but look again at the utterly calm, seemingly-all-under-control Li Yunxian.
From now on, aside from those few high-level official cultivators, the general public would only see Lishi as an unfathomable force.
No one would dare make a move against Li Yunxian lightly.
This whole string of actions was the authorities using borrowed force to ruthlessly hammer all who harbored hostility.
Such calculation was truly impressive.
And with the threat of the alien race looming, priorities had to be set—so even if this was all a scheme, the officials could only sigh: Ah! Such cleverness, such brilliance, such a perfectly timed reason.
—The younger generation is indeed to be feared.
The cultivators of Boxing sighed inwardly, but didn’t say much more, and moved on to the main topic.
Namely: how to minimize the damage when demolishing Boxing’s central city.
Don’t touch the residential area; minimize impact. The industrial zone can’t be disturbed either. The schools for children—sometimes at night—could be demolished.
-If those aliens wanted to place a mass-hypnosis effect on all cultivators, it would most likely be targeted at the schools.
Their long-standing garrison at the Ascension Platform could also be problematic…
Line by line, they listed and sorted—where to act, where not to, where to put up a show.
And for when something odd happened in the city, they discussed possible alien reactions, the arrangement of guards, and the personnel for cleaning up any alien intruders.
Of course, most importantly, they discussed how the demolition team should withdraw safely.
As they reached this topic, all eyes fell on Li Yunxian.
Li Yunxian’s voice was calm, not at all seeing this as an issue: “Don’t worry, no one can catch me.”
Feng Songhua’s mouth twitched.
Indeed, unless a Tribulation Transcender came in person, no one could catch Li Yunxian.
With her ability to swap cultivation and change her form, no one could tell the real from the fake.
Since Li Yunxian said so, the people of Boxing believed it.
With all that had happened before, Lishi had established a reliable reputation in their eyes. In a time when most cultivators turned a blind eye during arrests, she was still trustworthy.
So, the next question—
“Just the two of you?” someone from Boxing asked curiously.
Li Yunxian shook her head, “There’s one more at the Nascent Soul stage, he’ll come later.”
She was referring, of course, to Su Wenjing.
What a perfect laborer!
But more importantly, the other party’s talent was in spatial arts.
If there was something unusual, he could just reach across space and snatch it. Incredibly convenient.
Li Yunxian had no intention of letting him off.
Of course, their Shenzhou companions couldn’t be abandoned.
But a bunch of Gold Core and Nascent Soul juniors really weren’t suitable for this job—if anything happened, it’d be trouble.
So Captain Su Wenjing still needed to escort them and, by the way, chat with the two Tribulation Transcenders on Kui Xing’s side, to see what information they had.
Three people… That number felt a bit low to the people of Boxing.
After all, there were three Integration and over ten Nascent Soul cultivators at the Ascension Platform.
What if they really did catch someone by mistake?
They exchanged glances, preparing to discuss after Li Yunxian and her group left how to best let things slide. For now, they continued to perfect the demolition plan for Boxing’s central city.
They discussed all day and night, but one unknown remained.
-How much power did the aliens actually have?
In theory, there were only three Integration-level aliens on Boxing.
But who knew if there were others hidden?
At present, the righteous path’s power was hardly overwhelming.
If a mass of high-level righteous cultivators suddenly gathered in Boxing, it would surely put the aliens on alert.
Listening to their worries, Li Yunxian didn’t think this was a big issue at all.
She said, “You just need a few more righteous Nascent Soul or higher cultivators in Boxing? That’s nothing. I’ll handle it for you tonight.”
The people of Boxing were all stunned, curiously turning to Li Yunxian.
Li Yunxian didn’t explain further, only said, “Just wait and see.”
So, night fell.
Boxing’s central city was at peace.
The Bohai Chamber of Commerce’s area—security personnel’s attitudes seemed slightly lax, but they still dutifully patrolled their usual routes.
A closer look at the hidden corners revealed many cameras subtly sweeping left and right, covering every scene.
Feng Songhua was speechless at the sight. He turned to Li Yunxian: “This is your solution?”
Li Yunxian’s lips curled, “Of course. It’s simple.”
As she spoke, a profound-grade spirit sword materialized in her hand. “Just watch.”
As her voice fell, the spirit sword in her hand was instantly raised.
Feng Songhua had met Li Yunxian before, but as he sensed her sword intent, he was still stunned.
That astonishing control—if he weren’t standing right next to her, he would never have sensed her sword’s power at the ready, let alone the Bohai Chamber’s security staff.
In the next instant, Li Yunxian swung her sword.
In the moment no one realized, the entire Bohai Chamber of Commerce headquarters was split in two.
The guards only saw a flash of silver before them, as if something had happened—or maybe nothing at all.
A moment later, they realized a half-meter-wide smooth crevice had appeared right before their eyes.
Some security staff were still trying to figure out what happened when the roaring sound of a sword rang in their ears, followed by the crashing of collapsing buildings.
Their iconic Bohai Chamber headquarters collapsed before their very eyes, turning to ruins.
All the security personnel stared, mouths agape, unable to believe what they were seeing.
“Quick! Report up! The headquarters is under attack!” desperate shouts filled the security office.
***
Meanwhile, Li Yunxian leaped lightly, standing atop the ruins.
She turned, smiled at the crowd, and raised her hand.
Li Yunxian tossed the spare Four Arts items from her inventory to every corner of the Bohai Chamber.
“Good evening, everyone. Nice to meet you. Here’s a little gift. As for a return gift—I’ll just help myself,” Li Yunxian’s voice was brisk, laced with provocation and arrogance.
The moment she finished speaking, the items she’d thrown flashed with light.
Some exploded, some trapped, some created illusions, but most unleashed endless, tribulation-like thunder, striking the Bohai Chamber from above.
In the blink of an eye, the already-collapsed main entrance of the Bohai Chamber headquarters was reduced to scorched earth.
Li Yunxian chuckled, producing several storage artifacts.
She casually threw them toward the Bohai Chamber’s treasury as detected by her senses, not bothering to pick and choose—she just filled each storage device to the brim, then disappeared into the night.
The whole attack and getaway took less than a minute.
The Bohai Chamber’s security personnel weren’t weak—there were several at the Gold Core stage.
But with so much happening lately, they hadn’t had time to react at all.
By the time they escaped the mess of traps, seeing the devastation before them, no one could speak.
The Anbao Duizhang in charge of tonight’s security was trembling with rage: “Who did this? I swear I’ll catch her!”
Everyone was silent.
No one could answer that question.
At this moment, Li Yunxian had already returned soundlessly to Feng Songhua’s side: “Alright, it’s done.”
She tossed the storage rings she’d collected to Feng Songhua. “You guys can return these after it’s over.”
She wasn’t a real thief; Li Yunxian had no reason to keep this stuff.
She’d always believed that troublesome things should be handled by professionals.
Feng Songhua’s mouth twitched as he took the ‘loot’ from her.
Only now did Feng Songhua understand what Li Yunxian meant by “bolstering the righteous side’s high-level combat power.”
Li Yunxian had made a scene and thoroughly stomped the Bohai Chamber of Commerce’s face into the ground.
As long as the Bohai Chamber had any pride left, they’d be sure to send people after Li Yunxian.
With the mysterious, unfathomable methods she displayed today, there was no way high-level combatants wouldn’t be involved.
The Bohai Chamber’s powerful guest cultivators couldn’t just look the other way.
Even if it was just for the sake of money and connections, whether or not they actually tried to catch the “thief,” they’d have to show up at the headquarters for appearances.
And the number of people who’d “show up” would depend on how much value Li Yunxian took.
Feng Songhua sneaked a peek into the storage artifacts.
Looked like the Bohai Chamber would be sending a lot of people.
Li Yunxian’s plan for boosting righteous side’s combat strength was really just to poach people straight from the Bohai Chamber!
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