Chapter 40

The one that always breaks the darkness of the sky is that faint white, like the belly of a fish!

At this time, there are usually very few people who get up!

But it’s not that no one gets up.

In the center of Dinging City, the city lord Jin Shangming was already sitting in the tea room, quietly drinking his morning tea.

Jin Shangming was in his fifties, a bit overweight, with a round face that always seemed to be smiling. However, in the eyes of the ordinary residents of Dinging City, he, who held the power of life and death, was like a god.

Drinking tea was Jin Shangming’s hobby.

With the sound of footsteps, a scholar in his thirties quietly approached Jin Shangming.

Jin Shangming didn’t even lift his eyes, continuing to drink his tea.

After a moment of hesitation, the scholar finally said in a deep voice, "Lord, there’s still no news of Fang Ling."

Jin Shangming didn’t respond, as if he hadn’t heard the scholar’s report.

After a while, the scholar couldn’t help but say, "The Chen family says that if Fang Ling doesn’t show up before the sun rises, they will kill all the Fang family servants and the residents within a mile of the Fang residence."

"They don’t seem to be joking, from my perspective."

Jin Shangming blinked, picked up the teapot, and poured a cup of water, saying, "This tea is best when it’s warm, try it."

The scholar took the tea but didn’t drink it, instead holding it in his hand and saying, "Sir, this involves over a thousand people..."

"What do you want me to do?" Jin Shangming suddenly stood up, his usually gentle and refined demeanor turning a bit fierce.

He pointed at the scholar, saying, "Do you want me to find Fang Ling and let the Chen family torture him to death, or do you want me to forcibly stop the Chen family?"

"Fang Ling isn’t a fool. Although he’s young, he’s a ruthless character. If he has already escaped, he won’t come out just because a few servants and some neighbors die."

"The Chen family can’t even find him, where do you expect me to find him!" Jin Shangming said, then patted his chest, "How can I stop the Chen family? I’m just an ordinary city lord, and behind the Chen family is a Golden Core cultivator!"

"Even the king would bow respectfully to a Golden Core cultivator. What am I, a city lord, worth?"

"If I speak up, the Chen family will be the first to target me! Their patriarch is dead, and they need more blood to wash away their shame."

Sitting in the chair like a deflated ball, Jin Shangming said with a cold laugh, "Although I am a minister in the country, if the Chen family kills me, no one will stand up for me. They might even pin a crime on me, making my whole family die without a proper burial."

The middle-aged scholar wanted to speak, but when he opened his mouth, no words came out. He knew very well that everything Jin Shangming had said was true.

Jin Shangming, looking at his silent subordinate, picked up his teacup again and said, "Drink the tea. Since we are powerless, we can only watch."

The middle-aged scholar drank the bitter tea and, putting down the cup, couldn’t help but say in a deep voice, "Is there really no one who can do anything?"

"Who can do anything?" Jin Shangming’s expression became a bit melancholy as he spoke...

In a small, elegant courtyard in the eastern part of the city, a person was kneeling straight in the middle of the courtyard.

Although the night dew was light, there were still faint traces of moisture in his hair.

However, this person paid no attention to the dew, remaining as still as a stone, kneeling there.

"Drip"

A drop of dew fell from his face, making a soft sound.

"Junior brother, why do you do this to yourself?" A man in his thirties walked over, looking at the kneeling person and said softly.

The kneeling person didn’t speak, remaining firmly in his position.

The middle-aged man sighed, gritted his teeth, and said, "Junior brother, wait a moment, I’ll go to Master and plead for you again."

The eyes of the kneeling person suddenly showed a glimmer of joy.

Quietly entering the main house, the middle-aged man was about to plead with Master Zhao, who was meditating, when he heard Master Zhao say, "For your junior brother’s matter, I am also powerless."

"Under normal circumstances, the Chen family might give me some face, but now, if I go, I will just be another dead person."

The middle-aged man was shocked, saying in disbelief, "Master, you mean the Chen family dares to...?"

"What do they dare not? Now they want to establish their authority. Do you understand? They want to make up for the face they lost!" Master Zhao said, waving his hand at the middle-aged man, full of helplessness, "Blame your junior brother for living too close to the Fang family."

This scene at Master Zhao’s residence was not the only one. In Dinging City, many places were witnessing similar stories...

Outside the military training ground, people had gathered early.

Usually, when there are many people, the chaotic noise would make one’s ears uncomfortable.

But today, outside the military training ground, the gathering of over ten thousand people was eerily quiet.

Even the merchants who always do business were nowhere to be seen.

Everyone was looking in one direction, the gate of the military training ground.

These gazes, besides being cold, were filled with anger!

An anger that was extremely sorrowful but helpless.

The sun slowly rose, but the gate of the military training ground remained closed.

When the sun had risen to a height, the military training ground was still silent.

"Didn’t they say they would open the gate when the sun rises? It’s been half an hour, why hasn’t anyone opened the gate!" Finally, someone in the crowd spoke up!

This voice, like a lit fuse, immediately opened the floodgates of everyone’s speech.

"Yes, why hasn’t the gate opened!"

"Are they stalling for time!"

"What’s going on!"

...

The voices were chaotic, and all kinds of words were spoken, but no one dared to push open the slightly ajar gate of the military training ground.

They didn’t dare to risk their lives.

"Where are they?"

A figure, like a hawk, flew from a distance, passing over the heads of the crowd and arriving at the gate of the military training ground in an instant.

"Boom"

When the figure was three zhang away from the military training ground, he suddenly extended his palm, and a green aura instantly struck the gate of the military training ground.

The wooden gate instantly shattered into seven or eight pieces, falling to the ground.

Almost all eyes turned to look inside the military training ground.

This time, what they saw didn’t disappoint them.

A small hill, about ten feet high, was steadily piled up in the military training ground.

A hill made of human heads!

Seeing these heads, many people couldn’t hold back their tears, for they knew that among them were their loved ones!

"Ah!"

The man who had burst open the gate of the military training ground let out a long, mournful howl to the sky.

This howl shook the heavens, making people feel a sharp pain in their hearts.

Although many people found the howl extremely uncomfortable, they felt a hint of joy in their hearts.

They felt that the Chen family had provoked a formidable opponent.

"Isn’t that the Ninth Master of the Chen family!" An old man with white hair suddenly said in a deep voice.

His words made many people recognize him.

"It’s the Ninth Master of the Chen family, what did he just do..."

"What’s going on? Why did the Ninth Master come himself!"

"Hey, look, the head at the top seems to be the Chen family’s steward, Chen Shengtong!" This exclamation seemed to remind everyone, and then someone shouted, "Oh, the one below isn’t Chen Shengba?"

"It’s the Chen family’s Third Tiger!"

"It’s the Chen family’s Sixth Son!"

...

Amidst the surprised and somewhat relieved voices, Chen Yuanlu, standing before the hill of heads, was filled with anger. Today was supposed to be the day he and his nephews would wash away the Chen family’s shame. But when he woke up, he didn’t see a single member of the Chen family!

Feeling something was wrong, he searched the Chen family’s residence without success and immediately rushed to the military training ground.

What he didn’t expect was to be greeted by a hill of heads.

All the heads of the adult males of his Chen family!

"Fang Ling, I, the Chen family, will never rest until you are dead!"

"Look, what are those words?" A man pointed to a faint line of characters on the military training ground.

His question was quickly answered by a scholar, who loudly said, "This is the price of offending our Fang family!"

"This is the price of offending our Fang family!"

"This is the price of offending the Fang family!"

Almost everyone outside the military training ground shouted these blood-soaked words. In the shouts, some people were visibly agitated.

Although it was just a guess, everyone knew who was responsible!

It was Fang Ling, all of this was done by Fang Ling!

The Chen family was going to establish their authority by killing people at the military training ground, and Fang Ling directly placed the heads of over a thousand Chen family members on the training ground.

What a bold move!

What a decisive action!

...

Gu Yang Mountain!

Three not very high peaks, like the character "pin," surrounded a valley covering ten miles.

In the valley, which was usually rarely visited, six people were now standing, four men and two women!

"Prince Qingluo, if you keep looking around, I’ll gouge out your eyes!" A young woman broke the silence of the valley first.

This woman was tall and slender, with a delicate face that carried a hint of coldness.

Prince Qingluo laughed, saying without a care, "A graceful lady, a gentleman’s ideal. Sister Xu, you are so heartless, my heart is about to break!"

"Don’t call yourself a gentleman in front of me, you know what you are, Prince Qingluo!" The woman’s voice grew louder, "Three years ago in Qingyang City, dozens of virtuous women were kidnapped and used for cultivation. Although they all returned home, they all committed suicide. Prince Qingluo, you can’t say you had nothing to do with this!"

Prince Qingluo’s face showed no change; instead, he laughed loudly, "Sister Xu, those women being favored by me, a cultivator, was their good fortune. As for their suicides, it was their own fault."

"To be honest, in this Dinging City, I have my eye on a good woman and plan to take her as a furnace companion. After this matter is resolved, why don’t you come with me to see her?"

"You..."

Before Sister Xu could finish speaking, another woman with a smiling face beside her said calmly, "Sister Xu, don’t argue with Fellow Daoist Qingluo over the affairs of mortals. You still need to work together with him."

"Sister Qin is right. It’s about time, let’s prepare to enter the secret realm!" Ma Brother, standing beside Prince Qingluo, chuckled.

His words immediately received a response from the other four. In their eyes as cultivators, the lives of mortals were not a big deal.

But is it really not a big deal?

They didn’t know that on a peak ten miles away, a young man was quietly waiting...

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