The Strongest Mythical Emperor
Chapter 149: City Trial Begins

Chapter 149: Chapter 149: City Trial Begins

"We’ve found nothing; the perpetrator seems to be like the ghost from the rumors..." Xu Guiku’s face looked quite awful. After all, such a heinous crime happened right under his watch, and he couldn’t escape his responsibilities.

The most face-losing aspect was that until now, he had not a shred of evidence about the murderer, and didn’t even know where to start investigating. He could only order soldiers to search the entire city aimlessly, merely to make a show of action to his superiors—after all, he couldn’t just do nothing, could he?

Since he couldn’t uncover the truth, he might as well mystify the killer. That way, it wasn’t due to his incompetence, but because the killer was just too powerful.

Despite Xu Guiku’s reputation for iron-clad justice, when it came to his own official cap, he would also engage in some small maneuvers. Every man for himself, and the heavens annihilate the unworthy!

Fei Yushu’s face darkened in an instant, and his gaze towards Xu Guiku became scrutinizing, but he didn’t say much. Instead, he brushed past Xu Guiku with a cold swish of his sleeve.

He planned to first check the situation at the local sub-branch residence.

Xu Guiku naturally saw the disapproval in his heart, yet he still had to toughen his skin and follow.

...

In the blink of an eye, two days hurried past, and the news of the Demon slaughtering the entire sub-branch of the Divine Sword Hall in Luoyan City was buzzing throughout the Nanzhuo Dynasty. Discussions of the incident overshadowed the buzz about prodigious talents of the Hidden Dragon Martial Arts Competition in all forty-eight prefectures.

And on this day, the city trials began everywhere.

In each city, the number of young cultivators who had achieved a star ranking was already in the several hundreds of thousands. In the last few days, the numbers were booming, including not only local cultivators but also many young ones from the Southern Domain’s kingdoms. Especially in the last two days, their numbers had increased nearly by a third, which even made Qin Jun click his tongue in wonder.

Qin Jun and others were in line, accompanied by Li Yuanba, Roaring Sky Dog, Qin Yun, Ye Xuan, Zhu Yanqing, Yang Lan, Zong Yan, and Murong Xuan, while Evening Star and others waited at the Roaming Dragon Inn.

This city trial was quite barbaric, transporting all contestants into the magical world of a certain powerful artifact. Each person would be given a talisman imbued with the strong cultivator’s spiritual energy, and if they encountered irresistible danger, they could crush the talisman to escape. The trial would end when only a hundred remained.

The competition was limited to one week, and if by that time there were still more than a hundred left, a tournament would begin.

The contest format had been announced yesterday, causing a stir across the city. The participants were eager to compete, and various betting markets had already sprung up.

Qin Jun had Jia Xun place a bet on his advancement, withdrawing all the spirit stones from his storage ring, leaving Ye Xuan and others speechless at his actions, but at the same time, they were awed by his confidence.

But with Li Yuanba accompanying him, it would be difficult for Qin Jun to lose.

"Damn, if we keep lining up like this, we’ll be here till it gets dark!" Qin Jun cursed as he looked at the endless queue stretching before him.

"Your Highness, don’t rush. The later we go in, the safer it is," Qin Yun chuckled. At least there would be many fewer competitors because intense battles were bound to break out at the start.

Tens of thousands of cultivators fighting chaotically in a small world meant a very high death rate. Many cultivators probably wouldn’t have time to crush their talismans before being struck down.

Then, Zong Yan, his face filled with an embarrassed smile, suddenly said, "Your Highness, could you perhaps look after us after we go in?"

As he spoke, Ye Xuan, Yang Lan, and Murong Xuan couldn’t help but look at Qin Jun with hopeful eyes.

Following Qin Jun and Li Yuanba would practically guarantee them a spot in the top hundred—Li Yuanba alone could dominate tens of thousands of cultivators!

"Rejected!" Qin Jun didn’t even think before he replied. He scoffed at the notion. Joking right? I’ve led you all the way to Luoyan City, and now you expect me to carry you to the finals of the Hidden Dragon Martial Arts Competition?

Why should I do that?

If it were Zhu Yanqing, it might be a different story, but the other four could go jump in a lake. Like they’re ugly and still ask to be carried, have they no shame!

Zong Yan was immediately anxious, and just as he was about to speak, Zhu Yanqing beat him to it. "When did disciples of Yan Qing Sect become such spineless creatures? He’s helped us so much, and yet we continue to impose?"

Ye Xuan and Yang Lan’s faces, once full of anticipation, fell in an instant, and both Zong Yan and Murong Xuan became silent too.

Indeed, the dangers they had encountered along the way were resolved with the help of Qin Jun and others. If left to themselves, even if they could reach Luoyan City, they would definitely have to pay a certain price.

All four of them were awash with shame and dared not look into Qin Jun’s eyes.

Qin Jun was quite pleased with this, and with a teasing smile he said to Zhu Yanqing, "Miss Zhu, would you like me to protect you?"

Zhu Yanqing simply turned away, ignoring him completely.

Qin Jun didn’t mind, as he hadn’t intended to bring Zhu Yanqing along in the first place. After all, the two weren’t close, and this world wasn’t short of beauties. Zhu Yanqing was not yet able to move Qin Jun’s heart.

The group continued on their way.

About four hours later, Qin Jun and the others finally arrived at the square of the assessment. Fei Yushu and Xu Guiku guarded the left and right of the portal in order to ensure the safety of the competitors. If even the Divine Sword Hall could get slaughtered, what about these young cultivators?

If the competitors from a city of the Hidden Dragon Martial Arts Competition were wiped out, the competition would surely crumble and lose its prestige.

Upon seeing Qin Jun and Li Yuanba, Xu Guiku’s face visibly changed, and he couldn’t help but recall the face of Li Bai, his hands subconsciously clenching into fists.

Fei Yushu’s eyes lit up; he remembered Qin Jun and Li Yuanba well, especially since few cultivators at this edition of the Hidden Dragon Martial Arts Competition had managed to achieve a nine-star rating.

Feeling the gaze of the two men, Qin Jun puffed out his chest and lifted his head, causing Xu Guiku’s mouth to twitch. This kid was just asking for a beating!

"Do your best, I have high hopes for you."

After Qin Yun and Ye Xuan’s group of five entered, when it came to Qin Jun’s turn, Fei Yushu took out a wooden token with a smile.

Although he had heard about Qin Jun’s refusal of the Divine Sword Hall’s envoy, he didn’t care. Geniuses were all like that; how could they possibly pledge allegiance to a single sect immediately? All the sects needed to offer olive branches before they vied for their interests.

Joining a sect now versus making a name for oneself in the Imperial Dynasty and then joining a sect later were completely different scenarios in terms of treatment.

The treacherous act of the Nanzhuo Dynasty branch’s Thirteenth Elder sending people to assassinate Qin Jun hadn’t been reported upwards, thus creating such a tragedy and still not linking Qin Jun to the Divine Sword Hall’s case.

"Thank you!" Qin Jun nodded as he accepted the token, then walked straight through the portal with Roaring Sky Dog.

Roaring Sky Dog had learned a special secret method to conceal its aura from Evening Star, which only Immortal Realm powerhouses could see through, making Qin Jun quite envious. Unfortunately, Evening Star refused to teach him, claiming that the method was only suitable for the Demon Clan.

After watching Qin Jun enter the portal, Xu Guiku’s expression turned contemplative; he suddenly thought of a possibility and sent a message to Fei Yushu.

At that moment, Li Yuanba also took the wooden token and entered the portal.

"What? Are you serious?"

Fei Yushu’s grave voice caused a ripple of confusion among the cultivators queued up behind him.

"Yes," Xu Guiku affirmed gravely, while internally cursing himself for only just thinking of it.

In the whole of Luoyan City, only a handful of forces capable of annihilating a branch of the Divine Sword Hall and holding a grudge against them existed. Qin Jun was among them, and especially that mysterious man named Li Bai. Because the Divine Sword Hall’s disciples had died so miserably, Xu Guiku’s first suspicion was the demon. But upon seeing Qin Jun’s annoyingly smug smile, he couldn’t help but think the worst. You wouldn’t know unless you thought about it, but once you did, it was shocking.

It’s damn possible!