Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 644 - 529

Chapter 644: 529

As the men from the Shenyi Department were heading to the Duchenghuang Temple, Li Xuan’s physical body hurriedly arrived, replacing his Second Mind.

Accompanying him were Luo Yan and Yue Qianqian.

They had left the palace only two hours ago, but after this, Li Xuan had once again taken the girls to the Zhao Prison of Xiuyiwei Division for an interrogation of Bang Zhengyi, the former Qing of Honglu Temple.

His original intention was to finish the investigation of the Crown Prince’s sudden illness as soon as he returned to the capital, but this case in the Shenyi Department had surpassed what his Second Mind could handle.

Here, out of the more than a hundred households, more than eighty had died from heatstroke in the daytime.

The reports from other areas under the jurisdiction of the Liudao Division were even more shocking to Li Xuan.

For instance, in the Qinglei Department where Jiang Hanyun was located, more than a hundred people also died. However, the cause of death was not heatstroke, but complications from ’back sores’.

All of them suffered from large-scale swelling and pus-filled sores on their backs, eventually leading to organ failures and death.

Instinctively, Li Xuan wondered, were these symptoms related to the ’earthly’ elements in the Song of Righteousness?

"Half the morning spent in clay-miring, steam-rising throughout the day, that is the earthly element－"

Li Xuan had begun to sense the danger. His Second Mind, though intelligent, was not as competent as his main body in many aspects, especially without the direct consciousness of his main form.

It was not until this moment that Peng Fulai and Zhang Yue realized that the man leading their investigations earlier had been Li Xuan’s Law Body.

Amazed and incredulous, they both expressed their envy.

They both wished they could have such a body of their own—it would have so many benefits!

The Duchenghuang Temple was on the west side of Beijing, near the city gate.

When Li Xuan and his subordinates arrived, they found that Zhu Chiling, Zhihuishi of the Chilei Department, and Mu Qiangwei, Zhihuishi of the Qinglei Department, had already arrived.

Li Xuan was not in the mood for pleasantries with these colleagues at the moment. He dismounted from his steed and inspected the bodies of more than twenty beggars lying haphazardly in front of the temple wall, their faces swollen and lifeless.

Li Xuan strode over to examine the bodies, his eyes cold as ice.

These beggars had died in a different manner - their bodies were swollen, particularly their lower extremities. The swelling in the thighs of the worst cases were as thick as elephant legs.

"When it rains torrentially, water arises; when it is stagnant and the bed is replaced, it’s then the time of water," said Mu Qiangwei, who had walked over to join him. "We have confirmed that in Jincheng Lane, where the Duchenghuang Temple is located, most of the deaths were due to this cause. There are more dead here. In addition to the beggars and artisans in front of the Duchenghuang Temple, there are over three hundred households."

Li Xuan frowned and asked, "And the Chilei Department?"

"There are also over a hundred households there. The dead suffered from high fevers and the chills. These people also had a history of worshipping at the Duchenghuang Temple, or they had passed by it."

Mu Qiangwei said with a bitter smile, "Whether it is feces, destroyed corpses, or rotten rats, the bad air is mixed out. It’s then the time of filth. It’s said that when Wen Zhonglie died, he was still entwined with seven poisons. Therefore, the image that people carved of him wore chains, which symbolized seven poisons."

Li Xuan once again activated his Tao-protecting Eyes to carefully observe. Although his physical body lacked the Seven Orifices Exquisite Furnace, making his vision slightly inferior, he could still see a trace of dark energy hidden within the corpses.

Li Xuan’s eyebrows deeply furrowed. He entered the Duchenghuang Temple.

The temple master and all the Taoists were gathered in front of the shrine of the Duchenghuang Temple.

There were more than a hundred people sitting cross-legged on the square in front of the shrine.

Besides the temple master and the few chief stewards who managed to remain calm, the rest of the Taoists were clearly gripped by fear and uncertainty.

Li Xuan walked around and looked from the inside out, his confusion growing.

His Tao-protecting Eyes saw nothing unusual within the Duchenghuang Temple.

None of the Taoists were infected with evil poison.

"Haven’t found the source of the poison?" Luo Yan observed Li Xuan’s expression and asked, puzzled, "Isn’t this strange? If there’s no source of poison within the Duchenghuang Temple, then how did those who worshipped here come into contact with the seven poisons?"

Li Xuan too was puzzled. He turned to ask Yue Qianqian, "Qianqian, could you transport me to the Underworld?"

During his time in Nanjing, he had been able to travel to and from the Underworld thanks to Tingtian Ao’s help.

In Beijing, although Li Xuan’s cultivation had reached The Third Door and his divine power was said to be at the False Heavenly Position, he lacked the ability to penetrate the Underworld.

This task could only be accomplished with the help of a spellcaster, and Yue Qianqian was one of the best.

Yue Qianqian looked doubtful, "I’ll give it a try, but I’ll need to set up a formation first, which requires about 50,000 to 60,000 silver taels’ worth of materials——"

She had recently set her sights on an immortal treasure, which she could use at her current cultivation level, and it was perfect for invoking the gods.

The problem was that, while she had received over two million silver taels’ worth of various exotic treasures from the Leshan Giant Buddha, she still didn’t have enough money.

Yue Qianqian had no plans to take a share from the "Immortal mace."

Before Yue Qianqian could finish speaking, a cold voice from the distance rang out, "No need to try."

Li Xuan looked in the direction of the voice, and saw a tall man in a white robe, flying in the air.

Li Xuan’s face hardened slightly, and he greeted the figure from afar, "Deputy Venerable!"

The newcomer was none other than the Deputy Venerable of the left. At this moment, he had opened a green eye in the middle of his forehead, looking over the temple of Duchenghuang.

"The Underground of Beijing has already been shut off from the outside world, even I and the Divine Venerable can’t get in or out for now."

Then he turned his gaze to Li Xuan: "Li Xuan, you and the Shenyi Department don’t need to intervene in this case. It involves Zhonglie Duke Wen, as his second-generation Disciple, you should understand the importance of avoiding suspicion."

Li Xuan felt a sinking feeling right away, his instinct resisting.

※※※※

At the same time, in the Underground of Beijing City.

A towering figure pierced by seven giant chains stood on the west city wall of the Beijing Underground.

—That was ’Duchenghuang of Beijing’, Zhonglie Duke Wen of the Jin Dynasty, known as the ’Heavenly Spirit King Shengfu’.

At this moment, his whole body was engulfed in a raging poisonous fire, almost swallowing his entire Divine Body.

About twenty steps in front of him was an unexpected guest from outside the Underground.

This man seemed to be in his thirties, dressed in black armour, with handsome features and a red gash from the hairline to the brow. He had a long beard under his jaw, and his demeanour was cold and aloof.

Even though his right sleeve was empty, his towering, earth-shattering aura was on par with that of Zhonglie Duke Wen’s.

The one-armed middle-aged man stood behind the city wall, staring at the city with his hands folded on his back, murmuring in admiration, "As expected of you, Zhonglie, the atmosphere in this Underworld is quite different from when it was under the Yuanting Dynasty. I remember there were four blood-soaked mountains of corpses, and nine seas of resentful spirits. But now, you’ve pacified them all, and everything is in good order."

Zhonglie Duke Wen stared at this man, feeling a sharp pain in his Primordial Spirit.

This was caused by the sharp intent of the other party, stimulating his mind.

"Sir!"

In Zhonglie Duke Wen’s eyes, there was a hint of helplessness and heartache: "So, you’re determined to take this step? Do you realize that what you’re doing will cause countless living beings to suffer in the world?"

"So what?" The one-armed middle-aged man responded with a dismissive laugh: "According to Buddhism, all beings in this world can’t escape the cycle of life and death. Everybody will die, so what’s the difference between early death and late death? The saying ’no destruction, no construction’, how can we break the so-called Heavenly Dao without it?

Do you know that in the history written by the Qianqiu Brush, hundreds of years later, their descendants will suffer even more when the Jin Dynasty falls, and the land of ShenZhou sinks. This time, the humane realm will still be destroyed by foreign races. I’m just advancing the course of this history."

Zhonglie Duke Wen frowned slightly, "Sir, you are too extreme. The Heavenly Dao is formidable, but man is destined to win. Is the future written by Qianqiu Brush undoubtedly the future? Haven’t you heard that those so-called ’histories’ of the Jinque Palace have all been shattered?"

A slight accident won’t stop the overwhelming trend. The Jin Dynasty still can’t escape its impending downfall. There’s a set pattern in the rise and fall, the change of dynasties in this world."

The one-armed middle-aged man nostalgically asserted, "Zhonglie, you only managed to hold back the collapse of the sky once a few hundred years ago. I have tried countless times to break the cycle of the rise and fall of my Yanhuang bloodline every few hundred years, but every time it ended in vain.

Until now, I finally understand that destruction is much easier than conservation. It’s much easier to destroy the luck of the Jin Dynasty than to preserve it."

"Absurd!"

Zhonglie Duke Wen looked stiff, with strong dissatisfaction in his eyes: "So, thirteen years ago, you personally got involved, causing nine out of ten military generals above the Fourth Gate of the Jin Dynasty to suffer huge losses. At the beginning of this year, you made Zhang Guanlan and others assist Meng Wu in breaking the mountains and seas and besieging the Dushi Zhuguan?"

Although the Qianqiu Brush writes history, it does not delve into details. The characters it writes are only about famous ministers and generals, as well as those with enough strength to shape the world’s currents.

However, the ’fate’ of the ordinary people and the low-ranking military and civilian officials who are not mentioned in the history books are not under the supervision of the Qianqiu Brush and the Jinque Palace.

This is where the one-armed middle-aged man is clever. He seems to have not changed history or fate, but he has slowly steered the ’future’ in a different direction.

But Zhonglie Duke Wen couldn’t agree with the one-armed middle-aged man’s view: "Do you know that your actions will plunge countless innocent civilians in this world into catastrophe? Even if you are successful, what then? When ShenZhou sinks, dragons and snakes rise from the land, the Central Plains will be swept away.

The Mengwu people have an outstanding leader like Khan of Vala Yexian, they will surely reign over the Central Plains again. What’s the difference from hundreds of years later? It’s just the beginning of another cycle."

"Who says Mengwu will reign over the Central Plains again?" The one-armed middle-aged man calmly met Zhonglie Duke Wen’s gaze: "Yexian is indeed worrisome, but I have made arrangements long ago.

Nowadays, the Mengwu has been severely hit and faces many potential dangers. The conflicts between Tuotuobuhua and Yexian are irreconcilable, and the Datan and Wala Departments are completely incompatible. After this, I have a good plan to keep the Mengwu out of the Central Plains. You can just watch from the sidelines and see how I turn the tide."

Zhonglie Duke Wen, in the midst of the poisonous fire, gave out a soft sigh and pleaded earnestly, "Sir, the unknown factors beyond the Heavenly Dao have already descended to the humane realm. Why don’t you give it a bit more time and give this world and the common people a chance?"

"Unforeseen factors? Are you referring to that Marquis of Guanjun, Li Xuan?"

The one-armed middle-aged man chuckled: "But I prefer to see him as the Heavenly Dao’s countermeasure against me. The heavens are sending him, presumably to rectify the chaos and thwart my plans. How could I let these Heavenly Buddhas have their way?"

At this point, his brows constricted slightly as he looked into the void in the distance. He saw a small white figure trying to escape from this Underground space under the divine protection of Zhonglie Duke Wen.

"Where is it trying to go?" The one-armed middle-aged man extended his hand and summoned, forcibly pulling the six-eared lion-like spiritual beast before him.

The one-armed middle-aged man looked curiously at it: "Who do you think this little guy is going to look for? What’s the point? Apart from you, who else in the entire capital can stop me? Resistance is futile and will only lead to more deaths."

The small spiritual beast appeared furious and bit at his arm.

But the one-armed middle-aged man didn’t care in the slightest. He stared at Zhonglie Duke Wen with icy blue eyes: "Zhonglie, don’t push me! I don’t want to slaughter in Beijing, but if the situation forces my hand, I won’t refrain from killing."

Having said that, he casually threw the spiritual beast into Zhonglie Duke Wen’s arms, and with a swing of his sleeve, vanished from the city wall.

At this moment, Zhonglie Duke Wen appeared slightly perplexed. His entire body was riddled with cracks, and seven kinds of coloured poisonous fire spurted out from within.

They even broke through the space of the Underground and spread into the humane realm.

But in the twinkling of an eye, the poisonous fire was forcibly restrained by Zhonglie Duke Wen’s Divine Power at his side.