Chapter 5

After leaving the Ye family, Ye Tianming went straight to a black market to buy a package of something. He spent ten spirit crystals renting a carriage and then headed straight out of the city.

Little Pagoda was a bit curious, "What did you buy?"

Due to the previous generation's issues, this time, its cultivation was sealed, so now it could only act as a life mentor.

Ye Tianming did not answer Pagoda Ancestor. He still had a bit of wariness towards this Pagoda Ancestor, who gave off a somewhat flashy vibe... It was unclear from whom it had learned this.

After leaving the city, he drove the carriage to the Qingzhou Guanxuan Academy, which was not in Qingzhou City but on Qingzhou Mountain, hundreds of miles outside the city.

It was said that originally, the Qingzhou Guanxuan Academy was in Qingzhou City, but over a thousand years ago, a serious rebellion occurred at the academy. This incident not only led to a major overhaul of the academy but also a complete restructuring of the cabinet... As for the specific details, they were unknown, but it was rumored to be related to some dragon clan.

If he used a teleportation array, it would take less than half an hour to reach the Qingzhou Guanxuan Academy, but he did not choose to use the teleportation array. Instead, he took the carriage because a single teleportation required ninety spirit crystals.

Riding in the carriage, however, only cost less than ten spirit crystals.

He saved where he could.

After driving the carriage out of the city for about half an hour, Ye Tianming arrived at a secluded place. On both sides were hills, and there was no one in sight.

At this moment, Ye Tianming suddenly pulled the reins and stopped. Ten zhang in front of him, a middle-aged man stood there.

Zhao Xiu!

Ye Tianming was not surprised. He jumped off the carriage and walked towards Zhao Xiu. Zhao Xiu sighed softly and said sincerely, "Ye Tianming, we deeply regret what happened to your elder brother and Ye Lin. We didn't want it to happen. As the saying goes, it's better to resolve enmity than to let it fester. Continuing this way is bad for everyone..."

Ye Tianming stopped and did not continue walking.

Zhao Xiu took out a storage ring, walked towards Ye Tianming, and with a sincere expression, said, "We know you are going to appeal. How about this: we will help your elder brother recover his dantian and release your Ye family's patriarch. Also, here are seventy thousand spirit crystals as compensation for demolishing your ancestral shrine. Let's put this matter to rest, what do you think...?"

As he spoke, his pupils suddenly constricted because Ye Tianming suddenly lunged at him like a leopard, moving extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, he was already in front of Zhao Xiu. Before Zhao Xiu could react, he felt a sharp pain in his groin.

His testicles were crushed.

Zhao Xiu's eyes widened, and just as he was about to scream, Ye Tianming suddenly grabbed his throat, "Bastard, look at me!"

With that, he took out an iron sword and thrust it straight into Zhao Xiu's throat.

Pfft!

Blood spurted out.

At this moment, about ten Immortal Treasure Pavilion guards suddenly rushed out from all sides, but a flying sword suddenly cut through the air, and before the guards could react, they were instantly killed with their foreheads pierced, dying on the spot.

One of the guards who was not completely dead looked at Ye Tianming in terror, "You're not just a sword cultivator, you're also at the Ten Thousand Dharmas Realm..."

With that, his body slumped and fell straight down.

Ye Tianming looked at Zhao Xiu, who was now dead but with his eyes wide open, filled with anger and shock. He had not expected that this Ye Tianming from the Ye family had already reached the Ten Thousand Dharmas Realm.

What he had not expected even more was that this Ye Tianming dared to kill them, representatives of the official Immortal Treasure Pavilion.

For a civilian to kill an official, how much courage did it take?

Ye Tianming collected all the storage rings from the scene and piled up their bodies. Then, he took out a blue bottle, opened the cap, and poured the black liquid inside onto the bodies. As soon as the black liquid touched the bodies, they began to corrode, and in a few breaths, all the bodies had turned into a pool of black liquid.

He turned and got back into the carriage, continuing on his journey.

Little Pagoda said, "You bought that 'Corrosive Spirit Liquid' at the black market, planning to kill. I'm curious, how did you know he would come to find you?"

Ye Tianming took a bite of a steamed bun, "If you were the Zhao family, what would you do?"

Little Pagoda was silent for a moment and then said, "With the Ye family and the Zhao family at this point, they would naturally want to eliminate all threats. But what if he didn't come?"

Ye Tianming drove the carriage, looking ahead, "He didn't kill my elder brother and the patriarch to eliminate the Ye family, so he would definitely come."

Little Pagoda said, "They are from the Immortal Treasure Pavilion. Killing them will be serious."

In the Guanxuan Universe, killing people from the Immortal Treasure Pavilion and the Guanxuan Academy was a serious crime.

Ye Tianming's expression was indifferent, "When the law and the enforcers cannot bring justice to the victims, private revenge from this moment on is justified, even noble."

With that, he drove the carriage forward.

Little Pagoda did not say anything more.

A moment later, Ye Tianming took out his Dao Sword and examined it carefully.

This sword had been with him since he was a child, and he naturally knew how sharp it was. Moreover, he knew that this sword was abnormal. He had used it once before, when he went deep into the mountains to search for herbs. At that time, he encountered a beast three realms higher than him, and he used this sword to slay it.

Three realms higher!

And it was done easily...

A mysterious sword, a mysterious Pagoda Ancestor... His own background was a bit mysterious.

Little Pagoda suddenly asked, "From the beginning, you seemed a bit afraid to use this sword. Why?"

Ye Tianming countered, "Pagoda Ancestor, is this sword mine?"

Little Pagoda said, "No."

Ye Tianming nodded and gently stroked the Dao Sword, "The power of this sword is too strong for me. If I use it frequently, I will lose myself because it is not my power. Once a person loses themselves, they can't recognize their own worth. Most importantly, I will become increasingly dependent on it, unable to live without it, becoming its slave. Moreover, as you said, this sword is not mine, so it will eventually leave me. Therefore, I cannot rely on it."

Little Pagoda was silent for a moment and then said, "Your thinking is correct, but this sword is not impossible to become yours, or rather, it is yours."

Ye Tianming smiled.

Little Pagoda asked, "Why?"

Ye Tianming said, "Self-strengthening is the way to go."

Little Pagoda laughed, "That makes sense."

Ye Tianming added, "However, if I encounter extreme danger, I will use it. Living is the most important."

Little Pagoda laughed, "It's good to think that way."

Ye Tianming put the sword away. As he passed a stone bridge, he suddenly threw all the storage rings he had obtained into the swift river below.

Little Pagoda was puzzled, "What are you doing? I saw you count them; there were over two thousand spirit crystals."

Ye Tianming did not speak.

Little Pagoda: "......"

Three hours later, it was now deep into the night. A full moon hung in the sky, casting a pale light that fell to the ground like snow.

Ye Tianming drove the carriage on the road and suddenly stopped. Not far away, there was a bonfire by the roadside. Next to the bonfire, a woman sat, wearing a moon-white robe, her long hair cascading over her shoulders. She was stunningly beautiful, her eyes full of spirit and confidence, exuding a sharp and capable aura.

At that moment, she was roasting a fish, which had already turned golden, indicating it had been roasting for some time.

The woman turned to look at Ye Tianming and smiled, "Come and sit."

Under the moonlight, her beautiful face looked even more captivating, unforgettable.

Ye Tianming did not linger on her beautiful face. He glanced at the token on her waist, jumped off the carriage, and sat down in front of her.

The woman turned the fish in her hands, "Three hours ago, thirteen people from the Immortal Treasure Pavilion were killed and their bodies destroyed."

Ye Tianming picked up a stick and gently poked the fire, remaining silent.

The woman looked at him, "This is a heinous crime. I investigated Zhao Xiu. Many people hated him because of the demolition, but the ones with the greatest conflict were still your Ye family. So, I had my people investigate your Ye family and found that three hours ago, you left Qingzhou City. This can't be a coincidence, right?"

Ye Tianming still did not speak.

The woman looked at him, "You did it."

Ye Tianming raised his head and met her eyes, "Do you have evidence?"

The woman smiled, "The storage rings on their bodies should be with you, right?"

Little Pagoda: "......"

Ye Tianming said, "No, if you want to search, you should have a legal search warrant."

The woman suddenly took out a thick stack of paper and a pen, quickly writing on a sheet. A moment later, she stamped it and handed the paper to Ye Tianming, "Here is your search warrant. If it's not enough, I can write more. In the entire Wan Prefecture, I can investigate anyone I want."

Ye Tianming looked at the stamp, his heart suddenly filled with shock.

Inspector!

A legendary terrifying existence, representing the cabinet to inspect the world, one rank higher than local officials, with the power to execute first and report later. He had not expected to encounter an inspector here, and for her to be so young, it was terrifying.

Ye Tianming took the search warrant and remained silent, his left hand tightly gripping the Dao Sword at his waist.

The woman glanced at the Dao Sword at Ye Tianming's waist, her lips curling slightly, but she did not speak.

Ye Tianming suddenly looked up at her, but she spoke first, "If you confess now, I will consider it a surrender, giving you a chance to avoid the death penalty. Of course, you can also draw your sword and kill me to silence me, but I sincerely advise you not to do that."

Ye Tianming said, "Search me."

With that, he handed over his storage ring and Little Pagoda to the woman.

The woman did not take the storage ring or Little Pagoda. She stared at Ye Tianming for a moment and then said, "It seems I underestimated you."

Ye Tianming looked at her, "Can I go now?"

The woman stared at Ye Tianming, her gaze penetrating as if she could see through his soul, "The Zhao family and your Ye family have been enemies for generations. This time, Zhao Xiu used his power to oppress your Ye family, giving you a reason and motive to kill him."

Ye Tianming calmly said, "Evidence."

The woman said, "To destroy the bodies, you would need something, specifically 'Corrosive Spirit Liquid.' You wouldn't dare buy it from the Immortal Treasure Pavilion, so if I'm not mistaken, you would go to the black market in Qingzhou City. I've already sent my people to investigate the black market. They should be back soon."

Ye Tianming's calm gaze flickered, and his left hand tightened on the Dao Sword.

The woman, as if not noticing his movement, brought the roasted fish to her nose, sniffed it lightly, and then licked it, a greedy smile appearing on her beautiful face, "Before I finish this fish, if you confess, I will still consider it a surrender. Of course, you can also act, continue to kill and silence me. It's clear you have some skills."

Ye Tianming poked the fire with a stick, his eyes fixed on the flames, not speaking.

The woman also did not speak, focusing on eating the fish, not leaving a single piece of meat.

The scene suddenly fell into silence.

Ye Tianming's left hand remained on the hilt of the Dao Sword, ready to draw it at any moment. His gaze, as calm as still water, was fixed on the bonfire, showing no emotion.

The scene was as quiet as if it were frozen.

Time passed slowly.

At this moment, a shadow rushed through the darkness from a distance.

The woman put down the fish bones, patted her hands, and looked at Ye Tianming, "Unfortunately, you missed your last chance to surrender."

Ye Tianming did not speak.

At this moment, a black-clothed figure appeared beside the woman, kneeling on one knee, "Madam."

He then presented a folded document with both hands.

The woman did not even look at it, "Arrest him."

With that, she stood up, hands behind her back, and walked away.

The black-clothed figure did not move.

The woman frowned, stopped, and turned to look at the black-clothed figure, who hesitated.

The woman sensed something was wrong, opened her palm, and the folded document flew into her hand. She opened it, her expression instantly changing, and then she closed it sharply. She looked at Ye Tianming, her beautiful eyes filled with obvious shock and surprise.

Ye Tianming threw the stick into the bonfire, "Farewell."

With that, he turned and got back into the carriage, driving it into the darkness. But at that moment, the woman appeared in front of Ye Tianming like a ghost, standing very close to him. Ye Tianming could clearly smell her fragrance.

Her eyes fixed on Ye Tianming, "Remember, my name is Nanling Zhao. I'm watching you now."

With that, her figure trembled, and she retreated several zhang away.

Ye Tianming's heart relaxed, and he drove the carriage away.

Watching Ye Tianming disappear into the night, Nanling Zhao slowly looked down at the folded document in her hand. She opened it and found that what Ye Tianming had bought at the black market was not 'Corrosive Spirit Liquid' but thirty compressed steamed buns and a recording device.

Beside Nanling Zhao, the black-clothed figure said, "Madam, Zhao Xiu and the others were definitely killed by this person. We should just arrest him, throw him into the death cell, and see how tough he is. I don't believe he won't confess."

Nanling Zhao shook her head, "As an inspector representing the cabinet, the first rule is to follow the law. Arresting him without evidence is illegal."

With that, she looked at the distant night where Ye Tianming had disappeared, "Buying steamed buns and a recording device doesn't require going to the black market. He was deliberately misleading us. This means he had planned the murder long ago and had already bought the Corrosive Spirit Liquid earlier. It will take at least ten days to reach the academy by carriage, so there's still time. Let's go to the black market and investigate."

With that, her figure trembled, and she disappeared into the night.

In the distant night.

Little Pagoda said, "What you bought at the black market were steamed buns?"

Ye Tianming did not speak, just took out another steamed bun and started eating.

Little Pagoda asked, puzzled, "When did you buy the Corrosive Spirit Liquid?"

Ye Tianming did not answer.

After a long silence, Little Pagoda suddenly said excitedly, "I know, I know. When Ye Zong first came to find you, when you and your brother were passing by the Immortal Treasure Pavilion on the way back to the Ye family, you asked Ye Zong to buy something from the Immortal Treasure Pavilion. What he bought was the Corrosive Spirit Liquid. Damn, you were planning to kill them back then?"

Ye Tianming's eyes slowly closed, "Unfortunately, I acted too late. Otherwise, my elder brother and the patriarch..."

With that, he slowly raised his head to look at the endless night, "The Ten Thousand Dharmas Realm is not enough, far from enough. I need to become stronger. I want to become an emperor, no, I want to become an even more powerful existence..."

...