“Hmm?”

Hearing the national preceptor’s words, Hu Ma already sensed things spiraling out of control.

His worst fears were realized.

He'd warned Miss White Wine the moment he saw her in Shangjing, reminding her that the city was swarming with masters from the Ten Families, making it extremely dangerous.

Unfortunately, Miss White Wine had never been one to heed advice. He couldn't force her, but now he could only guess that she was trapped in peril. How could he not worry?

As the pressure on his heart increased and his mind cleared slightly, seemingly weakening even the violent, fierce aura brought by the Meng family's ancestor, he suddenly noticed a strange presence. He turned his head sharply and saw a blizzard of paper money flying in the distance.

In the deep, dark night, in Shangjing City, as silent as a tomb, it seemed especially lively and spectacular.

“Holy crap…”

He couldn't help but stare blankly. “How can she be so brazen?”

Although he already suspected who it was, he still found it somewhat bizarre. It wasn't the right time yet. How did she get in?

Er Guotou was still outside the city, and he hadn't officially given him the signal yet…

Most importantly, when he thought about setting up this situation, he did ask Er Guotou to pass on a message to her: Wouldn't you like to see paper money fill Shangjing City?

But that was just an exaggerated and romantic saying!

She actually made it happen?

“Another Transcendent has infiltrated Shangjing City?”

The national preceptor also noticed some anomalies in Shangjing City. He was even aware of the movements of the Undying Wang family, but he had no time to pay attention to them. He slowly sprinkled the last handful of incense ash in his hand and raised his head.

The incense ash on the ground outlined a huge talisman, covering dozens of zhang (a Chinese unit of measurement) and trapping Hu Ma inside.

“Why are you still thinking about others at a time like this?”

The national preceptor's words were laced with anger and even a hint of mockery.

No matter how good his self-cultivation was, he couldn't help but be angry. He had meticulously planned for twenty years, finally waiting for the Ten Families to return to the capital, with everything prepared. Unexpectedly, this Hu family descendant, who had grown up right under his nose, played a few ruthless tricks and slipped away from him.

The great situation had been ruined, and the Dharma assembly was clearly going to end without success. How could he not feel heartbroken?

Evil! Evil!

The Hu family had completely turned into evil beings. How detestable!

In his anger, he used the incense ash from the ancestral shrine to outline such a talisman and stood up straight, holding three incense sticks and bowing to Hu Ma from afar.

The incense ash on the ground emitted a gloomy and heavy aura, swirling around like violent tornadoes, rapidly drawing away the cold aura on Hu Ma's body.

“Sending away a god?”

Hu Ma immediately noticed and couldn't help but be shocked, narrowing his eyes.

This was the method of Zou Gui (ghost walkers), and it was a method of upper-level Zou Gui against lower-level possessed spirits. Zou Gui counteracted negative spirits. A possessed spirit person could invite a god to possess them, while Zou Gui could forcibly remove the god by making you carry a negative spirit.

This national preceptor really seemed to know everything. He was proficient in all kinds of arts and methods. There was nothing he didn't understand.

For a moment, he felt immense pressure. Ever since he entered Shangjing, he had planned and prepared meticulously, but when facing him, he still felt restricted everywhere.

He couldn't worry about Miss White Wine anymore. He had his own plans. Feeling the rolling yin winds all around him, it was as if countless cold threads were rapidly and forcibly extracting something from his body.

This Meng family ancestor was extremely heavy, making him feel unusually tired to carry. Now that he felt its power being drawn away, it should have been a dangerous situation, but Hu Ma's instinct as a human actually made him feel a little relaxed.

Slowly stretching his muscles, he smiled grimly and looked at the national preceptor. “Your game has been almost completely ruined, and you've exhausted all your trump cards. Shouldn't we finally settle the score?”

“Come!”

“…”

At this moment, he felt relieved. Logically, Miss White Wine's abilities were greater than Digua Shao's (Earth Spirit Wine), but Hu Ma didn't know why, once he knew Digua Shao was there, he suddenly stopped worrying.

Sister Gua (melon) had this ability. She didn't care how strong the opponent was when she stirred up trouble.

Meanwhile, in Shangjing City, among the streets and alleys, Miss White Wine suddenly looked up and saw the endless paper money falling. She was immediately dumbfounded.

She took a deep look at the delicate little face that was arrogant, proud, and somewhat crazy, and her mood was complicated. She sighed secretly, “Among the Mingzhou Transcendent, the one I disliked the most was this fellow…”

“Now that I think about it, do I need to apologize to her?”

She really couldn't understand. Shangjing City was so heavily guarded now, with countless capable people in every sect. For Transcendent, it was simply a forbidden zone.

A single Transcendent entering was almost like seeking their own death, so they could only gather a large army to attack. In addition, even if they wanted to enter, it would be difficult to hide their identity under the surveillance of countless capable people.

How did this unreliable Digua Shao get in?

“Good thing I listened to Senior Lao Baigan's (Old White Wine) words. As soon as I heard there was a big event in Shangjing City, I took a detour in advance.”

As Miss White Wine was thinking, Digua Shao was already beaming with pride, giggling, “Sure enough, I caught up with this kind of excitement.”

“It wasn't in vain that I washed chamber pots for two days!”

“…”

Miss White Wine, no, the entire cat, was stunned.

No wonder!

She was the person who knew Shangjing City best. She had investigated it thoroughly, knowing that Shangjing City had begun to investigate inside and out ever since the Great Luo Dharma Sect's leader returned to the capital.

She also knew that the entire city was protected by the ancestral shrine of the Ten Families. Once the city gates were closed, it was practically isolated from the outside world, and outsiders couldn't enter. The reason why Digua Shao could appear here was suddenly simple…

She came in before the city gates were closed.

And the reason why she wasn't discovered was also simple. She came in with the farmers who collected night soil outside the city…

Shangjing City was neither dead nor alive, but on the surface, it was still prosperous. All the merchants and travels in and out of the city were actually under the attention of the Ten Families, or rather, the Undying Wang family, except for the lowest level, the farmers responsible for collecting night soil coming into the city…

It really couldn't be said that the Wang family was careless!

Transcendent were famous for their pride. Who the hell would be willing to pretend to be a night soil collector in order to hide their identity?

The key was that she had been lurking among the night soil collectors for many days…

Of course, exaggeration aside, thinking about it carefully, it really made sense.

Night soil was filthy and could break spells. She hid in that stinky place, wasn't that the safest place to hide?

“Not good, that evil being has accomplices in Shangjing City…”

As Miss White Wine was thinking quickly and pieces of paper money were flying all over the sky, the Wang family's managers, errand runners, and retainers who had rushed over from all directions were also greatly surprised.

The paper money came abruptly and floated lightly, making it difficult to avoid. The people at the front were hit on the head by the paper money and scattered in panic.

Although the paper money was the lowest-level object in the Criminal Soul Gate, it didn't have much effect on these doctors with abilities, but there were just too many of them!

While shouting and scattering, they divided their manpower and quickly flanked them, trying to block their way.

But they escaped easily, but they didn't expect that Shangjing City was now full of people, and they were people who were standing still.

As they dispersed, the paper money also chased after them, but it was too useful for those who didn't know how to avoid and just stood there blankly in Shangjing City. Pieces of it flew all over the sky, covering an unknown number of people.

Strands of life force were all bought by the paper money.

Through the relationship between the paper money and the paper figures in the air, it spread to the paper figures' bodies.

The people in Shangjing City were neither alive nor dead, so they should have no “life” to speak of, but they all possessed purple energy.

Purple energy was vitality, which was also equivalent to lifespan. As a result, they were all bought away, as if they weren't even bargaining, and even the few paper figures flying in the air were quickly stained with purple energy. In the meantime, the pale paper figures faintly turned purple.

The Wang family members who had rushed over looked at this scene, and their expressions changed drastically. “They actually came prepared. She's actually forcibly collecting the Dan Qi (elixir energy) in Shangjing City!”

And Digua Shao, who had just thrown out paper money to save the cat, was suddenly greatly surprised.

Then she was overjoyed.

“No wonder Senior asked me to prepare so much paper money. It turns out there are good things everywhere in Shangjing City?”

“Ever since I entered the profession, I've never bought life so cheaply!”

“…”

Amid the cries of surprise, it couldn't be said that the Wang family members who came to chase were not reacting quickly. During the rapid flanking, a group of people came from the front, led by the Siling Gate's (Death Command Gate) executioner.

His expression was cold and stern, and most of his face was covered by a cloth hat. When he reached ten zhang (a Chinese unit of measurement) away, facing the endless paper money, he stopped and took out a medicine stove from his sleeve, gently lighting the fire.

Then, he took out a cattail leaf fan from another sleeve and gently fanned it, and the purple smoke in the stove floated forward.

All living things, smelling the purple smoke at that moment, would have their vitality cut off and die silently.

Beside him, the small managers and errand runners who covered their faces with special wet cloths moved forward and quickly approached.

But what they didn't expect was that the cloth-clothed girl who was driving the paper figures, facing their approach, didn't dodge or avoid them. Instead, she raised her foot and kicked two large night soil buckets over, and the stench temporarily forced everyone back.

Then, she actually completely ignored the side with the large number of people, and instead quickly pinched the hand seals to drive the paper figures, flying straight towards the direction of several large houses next to them.

The paper money on the paper figures quickly fell, flying and dancing non-stop.

This unexpected scene stunned the Wang family members who had rushed over. “Why isn't she blocking the way and removing the paper money?”

Taking another look, they were all so angry that their eyebrows jumped wildly.

The countless paper money was flying through the windows and into the houses, like wind and snow pouring into the city. An unknown number of people who were standing there stiffly and didn't know how to avoid it were hit by the paper money.

That guy didn't even care about them at all, but was frantically buying life…

Was she here to help, or to refine treasures in the city?

(End of Chapter)