NOVPUBA moment later.
Jiang Qin looked at the scroll and slightly furrowed his brows.
"There was nothing unusual about the place where the Evil Spirit first appeared until an entire village vanished without a trace, drawing the attention of others.
Then, the officialdom started sending people to investigate but to no avail. It’s only then that it was confirmed to be the work of the Evil Spirit!"
"And then, it was the destruction of the Nine Curves Sword Sect."
"All records concerning the Evil Spirit are scarce within the officialdom; basically, everything there is can be found here for Mr. Jiang to peruse!"
The Yunshan Prefect spoke.
Jiang Qin nodded in acknowledgement and then said, "The officialdom should assign a few people to accompany me to the Nine Curves Sword Sect!"
"Why the hurry, sir? I have already arranged a banquet. How about we proceed to the Nine Curves Sword Sect after we have eaten and drunk to our content?"
The Yunshan Prefect’s face wore an ingratiating smile.
Jiang Qin slightly shook his head, "As long as the issue with the Evil Spirit remains unresolved, I won’t have peace of mind."
"So be it, since Mr. Jiang insists, then this official will have someone to accompany Mr. Jiang on the visit!"
The Yunshan Prefect no longer insisted and ordered his subordinates to assemble outside the government office to join Jiang Qin and others on the journey to the Nine Curves Sword Sect.
This time.
To investigate the Nine Curves Road affair. n𝚘𝚟𝚙𝚞𝚋.𝚌o𝚖
The Evil Suppression Bureau hadn’t sent only Jiang Qin but also several Evil Punishment Envoys.
The so-called Evil Punishment Envoys.
Are essentially agents of the Evil Suppression Bureau primarily responsible for dealing with the Evil Spirit.
Each of the Evil Punishment Envoys is a Magician who has undergone Refining Evil, and their strength is not to be underestimated.
Among them.
Some powerful Evil Punishment Envoys have even stepped into the Yun Ling Realm and even become masters within the Spirit-controlling Realm.
Now.
The five individuals Jiang Qin brought with him were all high-ranking Spirit-controlling magicians.
The reason for such an arrangement was because the Evil Spirit of the Nine Curves Road was not simple, and in the interest of caution, they would suppress it with full force upon its discovery.
Five Spirit-controlling Evil Punishment Envoys.
Plus Jiang Qin.
That was a total of six individuals from the Spirit-controlling Realm.
Such a force almost constituted a majority of the power of the Evil Suppression Bureau in Guangyang Prefecture.
…
"Sir, there seems to be a problem here!"
Upon entering the Nine Curves Sword Sect, one of the Evil Punishment Envoys frowned at the surroundings, and his expression turned sour.
Jiang Qin asked, "What’s the problem?"
"Quiet!"
"Don’t you think that the entire Nine Curves Sword Sect is far too quiet!?" Ling Xianzhong said in a grave voice.
Before joining the Evil Suppression Bureau, he had also served the court, solving many cases, which made him especially sensitive to any traces and movements.
Upon hearing this.
Another Evil Punishment Envoy laughed and said, "Isn’t it normal for it to be quiet? The entire Nine Curves Sword Sect is dead, how could it not be quiet?"
"No…"
Ling Xianzhong shook his head.
"The quiet I’m talking about isn’t that kind of quiet. It’s not just the Nine Curves Sword Sect; ever since we stepped into Yunshan City, something seems off."
"The Nine Curves Sword Sect has been annihilated, and the Evil Spirit rumors of the Nine Curves Road have been rampant, yet have we seen any panic on the faces of the commoners?"
As soon as these words were spoken.
The expressions of everyone finally began to change.
Jiang Qin’s demeanor turned grave: "Ling Xianzhong is right. Since we entered Yunshan City, everything seems to have become different, everything is too quiet, unbelievably quiet!"
With that said.
Jiang Qin looked toward the constables who had accompanied them, only to see them staring straight at him, with particularly stiff smiles on their faces.
In an instant.
Jiang Qin struck out with his palm, landing it directly onto one of the constables who suddenly shattered, with blood and flesh splattering everywhere.
However.
Upon the constable’s death, the others still stood there motionless.
Jiang Qin struck again, massacring all the remaining constables.
However.
Jiang Qin’s brows furrowed ever more tightly.
"How strange!"
"Truly bizarre!"
The constables died like puppets, their flesh and blood bursting forth, yet not a hint of the stench of blood was present.
At this time, the others finally noticed something amiss here.
"It’s fake!"
"It’s all fake!"
Several from the Evil Suppression Bureau became visibly alarmed.
If everything they witnessed from the beginning was an illusion, then what kind of entity could silently trap them within this illusionary realm?
At that moment.
Jiang Qin’s long sword at his waist suddenly unsheathed, all of his Spiritual Power driven to its limit, an ominous and icy aura explosively burst forth as he violently slashed down in front of him.
Rip!
The space before their eyes split apart as if it were torn canvas.
A different scene.
Once again appeared before the group.
Gone was the Nine Curves Sword Sect, and they found themselves on the streets of Yunshan City, but unlike the Yunshan City they knew, the whole place was now eerily silent, as if shrouded in a blood-red haze.
And above Yunshan City, stood an imposing Buddha, fingers gently touching a flower, smiling. Yet the face bore not a hint of compassion, only a sinister and fierce expression, its eyes shedding two lines of blood tears, staring intently at the group.
Their gazes met.
Several from the Evil Suppression Bureau screamed in horror as the Evil Spirits sealed within them, seemingly beyond control, began to forcibly resurface, an awful and eerie chill erupting violently.
Only Jiang Qin and Ling Xianzhong managed to barely suppress the surging power of the Evil Spirits.
Even so, both of their faces were filled with utter despair.
"Forbidden zone!!"
"This is a Disaster Level Evil Spirit—"
Ling Xianzhong’s face was filled with terror.
Disaster Level Evil Spirit!
It was an entity capable of creating a forbidden zone!
No wonder!
No wonder they had failed to notice anything was amiss.
It was because just as they set foot into Yunshan City, they had been influenced by the Evil Spirit, falling into the illusion created by the forbidden zone.
On the other side.
Jiang Qin’s face had turned ghostly pale.
"Evil Buddha!"
"Impossible, after that battle with the ancestors of the Evil Suppression Bureau, which left both sides severely injured, how could it have recovered to Disaster Level strength so quickly!"
Evil Buddha!
This was the Evil Spirit that the Evil Suppression Bureau had been tirelessly pursuing.
As soon as the news from the Nine Curves Road came out, Jiang Qin had already considered this possibility, which was precisely why he personally led five Magicians of the Spirit-controlling Realm here.
A heavily wounded Disaster Level Evil Spirit, even with severely diminished strength, was not something an ordinary Magician could contend with.
To suppress it.
Only a united front of many powerful individuals would suffice.
But now, Jiang Qin realized he had been too optimistic; this Evil Spirit had somehow already regained its Disaster Level strength, having slaughtered the entire Yunshan City, transforming it into what is known as a forbidden zone.
Trapped in a forbidden zone.
Desperation unavoidably welled up in Jiang Qin’s heart.
Just then.
Buddhist chants seemed to echo from heaven and earth, but such chants were devoid of any righteousness, instead evoking an extreme sense of eeriness. Ling Xianzhong could no longer suppress the Evil Spirit within him; his body exploded violently.
Seeing this.
Jiang Qin did not look back as he dashed towards the outskirts of Yunshan City.
However.
The Buddha in the void suddenly stirred, and a blood-stained palm reached down toward him. As darkness enveloped the skies, Jiang Qin looked up to see the sinister patterns on the Buddha’s palm.
"No—"
