Chương 45: Imperial Magistrate Yue Zhenli (Part IV)

"A lot have died here." One Inspector sighed as he dismounted his horse. The other Inspectors, Constable Mu, Xu Duan, and Magistrate Yue, also dismounted. With practiced movements, each one positioned themselves in specific locations around the Magistrate. Constable Mu and Xu Duan stood behind her, and she stood still like a tower, scanning the wreckage in silence. Meanwhile, the Inspectors retrieved flags from their inner garments and embedded them into the ground around their location.

In total, there were eighteen flags, forming a circle with Magistrate Yue at the center. After completing their task, the Inspectors led the nine horses out of the formation, tying them to wooden beams before returning to the Magistrate's side. Then, forming a protective circle around her, each of them unsheathed a sword and guarded the trio. While Xu Duan looked at the village with sorrow and desperation, Constable Mu stole glances at Magistrate Yue, his gaze trembling slightly.

It was clear that he was waiting for her to act, and that he was very nervous. Next, Imperial Magistrate Yue Zhenli checked the flags with quick glances and closed her eyes. She moved her hands in circular motions, chanting under her breath as Qi gathered before her. This Qi formed colorless streams connecting her hands to the eighteen flags, and each flag began to glow with a metallic golden light, linking them to one another. Characters, previously hidden within the paper, flashed in multicolored radiance.

"Heavens above, I beseech your guidance," she whispered, her muscles tightening as Qi flowed through her body.

"Where—" Abruptly, loud screams interrupted her chant. Magistrate Yue opened her eyes and shouted, "East Inspectors, go!" Three Inspectors broke formation, mounted their horses, and rode toward the northeast side of the village.

"Magistrate, the North Inspectors should be in that direction," Xu Duan said, concern evident in his voice.

"Shouldn't we all go check?" The remaining Inspectors, however, remained unmoved, and Constable Mu seemed irritated by Xu Duan's words.

"We can't. The One-Floor Pagoda Heavenly Formation must be completed," Magistrate Yue replied, her tone slightly gentler as she addressed Xu Duan. Then she closed her eyes once more and resumed her chant.

"Where I stand, the Heavens descend. Touch without touching, see without seeing. Guide me through the first gate and let me enter the first floor. Heavens above, I beseech your might!" As her chant concluded, the flags shifted from metallic gold to a deep golden hue. The change spread through the stream of Qi. The golden radiance flew above their heads, forming a vast net that funneled toward Magistrate Yue's hands.

"First Gate," she shouted.

"Open!" This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Her voice echoed within the formation as she thrust her hands upward. Qi erupted from her palms, and the flags tore free from the ground, shooting into the distance. The golden net expanded, covering the entire sky above Gushou Village. Meanwhile, the flags traveled nearly a thousand steps before plunging back into the earth, embedding themselves deep within the ground.

Magistrate Yue's eyes glowed with golden light as three images formed within her mind. The first showed Bai Xiaomeng being carried by Wang Chen as they neared the edge of the formation. The second revealed the South Inspectors leaving one of the ruined houses. And in the last one, there was Lucian. He stood at the edge of the village, staring directly at the central node of the golden net above.

Blood rose from the ground, feeding into a crimson eye formed in his right hand, while in his left hand there was a double-edged sword stained with blood. Around him lay the broken, mismatched corpses of the North and East Inspectors.

"Constable Mu," Magistrate Yue said, opening her robes and retrieving a talisman.

"Capture the two fugitives to the southwest alongside the West Inspectors." Energized by the command, Constable Mu nodded sharply and rushed forward on foot without waiting for the others. The Inspectors, meanwhile, hastily mounted their horses and rode toward the southwest. Glancing at Xu Duan, Magistrate Yue tossed the talisman toward him. The rectangular paper flashed with the character'Protection' before embedding itself onto Xu Duan's chest.

"Stay here," Magistrate Yue said.

"I must deal with a Demonic Cultivator."

"What about the Village Head?" Xu Duan asked, anguish clear on his face. Magistrate Yue shook her head, her expression softening with a hint of sadness.

"I did not find him. Perhaps he fled." She spoke the last part quietly, suspecting it was unlikely for a commoner to survive such an attack.

"However, the one I am seeing is not the same person you identified," she added, frowning as she retrieved a scroll marked with a portrait and written details. It depicted Liu Tian, labeled as a peak-stage Qi Refining and possible early-stage Qi Condensation cultivator. He was said to be a wanted criminal who had slaughtered commoners across multiple kingdoms and was expelled from his sect! Xu Duan clenched his fists and shook his head.

"That bastard Liu Tian, or whoever he was, left after killing my elders and friends. The Village Head told me to flee with the younger ones using a secret phrase when we encountered three other people. I think they were cultivators."

"A plump man, a frail woman, and a pale short man wearing robes?" Magistrate Yue asked. Confused, Xu Duan nodded.

"Yes. Did you find them?"

"I just saw them," she replied, turning her gaze toward Lucian's direction.

"Now I must go. His demonic techniques are weird, and I do not want him to use them near you."

"Magistrate Yue," Xu Duan said, stepping forward with clenched fists.

"I want revenge, so I won't refuse your help. But why are you being kind to me?" Looking at the grieving young man, Magistrate Yue sighed.

"I am simply doing my duty. While I'm gone, avoid entering any buildings." With that, she channeled Qi into her Root Chakra and Sacral Chakra, reinforcing her endurance and stamina. Then, she activated another talisman, pressing it against her chest. The talisman flashed with the character'Movement', and a golden thread of Qi connected her to the vast net above, pulling her forward. Her body flared with energy, and the surroundings blurred. In one instant, she stood beside Xu Duan.

Next, she appeared before Lucian, who saw a flash of gold coalescing into her form. Channeling Qi into her Solar Plexus Chakra and Heart Chakra, she unleashed an offensive technique aimed at him.

"Heaven's Decree: Dancing Field," she chanted. Six golden swords formed from Qi materialized around her, each connected to the formation above by a thin line, and shot toward Lucian. These blades carried the full force of a Qi Refining cultivator, yet moved with the speed of a Qi Condensation attack! Together, the swords traced a wondrous path, drawing a formation meant to trap Lucian at its center and strike him from six directions at once.

Narrowing his eyes, Lucian had just finished converting the inspectors' blood into Blood Essence and was analyzing the golden net covering the sky when he noticed the attack. This resembles a mage's spell, he thought. Besides, how is a Qi Refining cultivator using such a fast technique? Xu Hua's memories didn't point to a technique this strong! Lucian felt this would not be an easy fight.