Xun Qing finished speaking, and a giant sword descended from the sky without warning, embedding itself between the two groups. The sword was over two meters wide, and the part exposed above ground stretched for more than twenty meters.
An incredibly sharp aura, like a multitude of swords, was held at each person's throat. Whether friend or foe, not a single person dared to make any small movement. This was despite the fact that the aura was not intentionally targeting anyone!
"Cataclysmic grade... this is truly Cataclysmic grade. It's a sword that descended, so it must be the Punisher from the Hua Prefecture region... Xun Ying!"
Wen Wen sheathed the weapon he had already drawn, standing meekly among the Hunters, not wanting to appear any different. The Disaster True Sequence couldn't detect his differences, but he couldn't guarantee that a Cataclysmic grade wouldn't.
Especially now that he was being watched by a powerful figure among the investigators, he absolutely couldn't draw any attention to himself.
"Big brother, how many times have I told you not to call me Ah Ying..." From the very tip of the giant sword, a white-clothed young man rested his hand on his knee, propping up his face, speaking with a hint of helplessness.
This young man had thick, dark hair tied into a hairpin at the crown of his head. He wore flowing white robes and possessed a handsome appearance, somewhat similar to Xun Qing but more refined, like an immortal descended from a painting.
He was precisely the Punisher of the Hua Prefecture region, Xun Ying, though he disliked the name Xun Ying and preferred to be called Xun Xian.
Xun Qing merely smiled at Xun Ying, saying nothing.
"Fine, you won't change your ways no matter what I say."
Xun Ying leaped from the giant sword. With a wave of his hand, the massive sword gradually shrank, transforming into a normal-sized longsword that circled around him.
He turned around and faced the妖灵村 (Yaoling Village), who were as if facing a formidable enemy, and pointed at the sky. "I've been watching from above, and I know you might have had your reasons for this."
Then, his gaze turned stern, and as his expression shifted, the people of 妖灵村 (Yaoling Village) felt as if they had been struck in the chest by a hammer. One frail fox-woman even spat out blood directly.
"However, I don't care what your reasons are. You will endure this now. Either surrender and be taken into custody, or die."
By merely using his emotions to affect his surroundings, Wen Wen could achieve similar effects when he activated the Disaster Prison Warden state within the facility. But he couldn't do it with the same effortless grace as Xun Ying.
This implied that, for the same Cataclysmic grade, Xun Ying might be stronger than Wen Wen's Disaster Prison Warden state!
If the power of a Cataclysmic grade was a sword, then Xun Ying was a master swordsman. Conversely, Wen Wen in his Disaster Prison Warden state was more like a butcher wielding a sword, merely hacking away like a slaughtering knife.
The bird-headed old woman said with a sorrowful expression, "Does your Hunter Association no longer make sense?"
Xun Ying's voice rose slightly, "This incident has caused casualties of at least several hundred cooperators and over a dozen demon hunters. And we don't even know how many more people the escaped monsters will harm. You want me to reason with you, but who will reason with our fallen comrades?"
"After you surrender, I will give you an opportunity to explain. If your explanation is reasonable, I will consider your past affiliation with the association and help you seek justice."
"If you cannot convince me, then you will await the association's judgment."
"I have spoken. Who agrees, and who opposes?"
Xun Ying's sharp eyes swept over the members of 妖灵村 (Yaoling Village) one by one. No one dared to meet his gaze.
The tiger-headed old man, puffing out his chest, was about to argue with Xun Ying. But the moment he took a step forward, the longsword was already at his forehead, its tip touching his skin.
Against a Cataclysmic grade's ranged attack, a True Sequence monster could barely resist. But when the two were so close, the Disaster True Sequence stood no chance against a Cataclysmic grade.
"You... wish to die?"
Village Chief Long stepped in front of the tiger-headed elder, bowed deeply, and said, "We are willing to comply with the association's arrangements. We implore you to uphold justice for us."
He knew that the moment the giant sword descended from the sky, the only thing they could do was obey the association's arrangements. With a Cataclysmic grade personally arriving, the situation would depend entirely on his mood.
Xun Qing waved his hand, and the Hunters began using various restraints to bind all the members of 妖灵村 (Yaoling Village). Even the few children hiding within the village were not spared.
Once they were all bound, Xun Ying summoned Village Chief Long and the other three individuals, sat down on a chair, and began drinking tea, waiting for them to explain.
Elder Long responded, "Every six months, we must liaign with the association. During our last contact, a group of unfamiliar demon hunters arrived."
"We didn't pay much attention, but seven days ago, this group of demon hunters returned to 妖灵村 (Yaoling Village) and stole our village's most precious treasure, the Qiling Pearl."
"You're saying the Qiling Pearl was stolen?" Xun Ying exclaimed in surprise, spraying out the tea he was drinking and raising his voice.
Xun Qing, standing nearby, didn't quite understand. He didn't have the clearance to know about the Qiling Pearl, so he tactfully excused himself from the interrogation room.
After Xun Qing left, Xun Ying gritted his teeth and said, "The Qiling Pearl... the dwelling place of the true spirit after the 'Beast God Qilin' perished. It possesses unfathomable divine might, and if it encounters a suitable candidate, it can even give rise to another 'Beast God'."
"An item like this, and you're telling me it's lost!" His gaze upon the four elders was as if he were looking at four imbeciles.
According to the records of the Hunter Association, seven hundred years ago, during the fall of a feudal dynasty in the Hua Prefecture region, amidst war, famine, and plague, less than one in ten living beings within the Hua Prefecture region survived.
Death then attracted a large number of undead creatures from the Inner World. During that era, the Hua Prefecture region was practically a paradise for the undead.
Wrathful spirits, malevolent spirits, fierce ghosts, skeletons, zombies... to this day, all the folk legends of monsters in the Hua Prefecture region originated from that period.
The despair of this land, coupled with the immense power of death, condensed into a rare native Cataclysmic grade being in the real world. This monster referred to itself as the 'Netherworld Ghost God.'
The Netherworld Ghost God established the 'Netherworld Ghost City,' intending to construct an undead kingdom on this land.
It was at this time that the 'Beast God' Qilin, who had come from the Inner World, stepped forward, sealing the Netherworld Ghost God within the Netherworld Ghost City, while perishing from exhaustion at Qiling Mountain.
The villagers of 妖灵村 (Yaoling Village) were the former subordinates of the Beast God, guarding the Qiling Pearl and awaiting the appearance of the next 'Beast God.'
The four Disaster True Sequences, represented by the Dragon, Tiger, Sparrow, and Dragon Tortoise, appeared to be configurations of the legendary Four Divine Beasts.
But in reality, it was because the 'Beast God,' unable to defeat those four who ganged up on him in the Inner World, had specifically cultivated these four to the Disaster True Sequence level...
For the entire Hua Prefecture region, 妖灵村 (Yaoling Village) held merit. Therefore, the Hunter Association permitted the existence of places like Qiling Mountain.
And now they were telling Xun Ying that the Qiling Pearl was lost by them. Xun Ying truly felt like drawing his sword and cutting down these four idiots.