Chapter 159: Chapter 159: The Scattered Fireworks of Bygone Days

“`

The second case was also a couple, who ran a pork shop.

Zhou Heng knew them well; in the past, when he did not have much spare cash but craved something tasty, he would go to this couple’s pork shop to buy some affordable ribs.

The couple knew that he lived alone outside, with both martial arts and earning a living not being easy tasks; they took care of him each time by giving him an extra couple of ounces of meat.

However, several days ago, the couple argued over accidentally cutting an extra ounce of meat during a sale, and in the end, the wife hacked her husband to death and then committed suicide, leaving only a six-year-old child alone in the world.

The third case involved two brothers who took care of their elderly parents together.

On the surface, the two brothers got along well, supporting and helping each other, taking good care of their elderly parents; but a few days ago, they quarreled over who should serve the parents their meal.

In front of their parents, they fought and cursed loudly, inadvertently causing the death of their parents from anger.

The two brothers subsequently became enemies and swore never to interact with each other again.

…

…

There were many more similar incidents, which Wu Zongshan enumerated one by one.

The final outcomes were almost all human tragedies.

Without exception, people’s negative emotions and dark psychological aspects were greatly unleashed during the incidents.

“Star Envoy Sir, according to the description given by the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer, this is undoubtedly the work of evil creatures,” Wu Zongshan said anxiously, like an ant on a hot pan. “Do you have a way to find this evil creature? As long as you can find it, I will assist you with all my strength to suppress it.”

“Whether it’s an evil creature or not must still be confirmed,” Zhou Heng replied, shaking his head gently. “Lead me to the first case to have a look first.”

“Alright,” Wu Zongshan nodded but then hesitated as he looked at Zhou Heng. “But, Star Envoy Sir, with your current attire, won’t you attract too much attention if we go directly?”

“I won’t show my face,” Zhou Heng said indifferently. “You take people to investigate, and I will observe in secret, looking for any traces or aura of the evil creature.”

In terms of the strength of the Divine Soul and spirit, he was no match for Wu Zongshan, who had been practicing the Martial Path at the Sixth Rank for several decades.

However, Zhou Heng had a clear understanding of ghostly and evil auras and had basic attribute bonuses, making him more sensitive to the presence of evil auras than Wu Zongshan.

Even if evil creatures that had developed their powers chose to deliberately hide their aura.

Relying on his Spirit +2 and Insight +2 basic attribute bonuses, Zhou Heng still had a good chance of finding some clues.

As long as the evil creature was active, there might be traces to be discovered.

“If that’s the case… alright, let’s do as you say,” Wu Zongshan replied, though he was somewhat skeptical.

He had already perceived that the Star Envoy’s cultivation realm was not very high, at best just entering the Seventh Rank, or perhaps not even that.

Could someone of such a level really find an evil creature?

This made him doubtful.

As the leader of a prefectural city, having a critical sense of crisis was certainly necessary.

However, now that they needed to find the evil creature, they could only rely on the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer; he had no other choices. Even if he doubted the Star Envoy’s ability, he had to bite the bullet and proceed with the investigation.

Subsequently, Wu Zongshan called over the constable Meng Xing and asked him to lead a team with him to the Sun Family.

The Sun Family was the couple from the first incident’s home.

At this time, the couple had already been dead for five days.

Yet the place was not arranged as a mourning hall, and even the bloodstains from the past remained; the only difference from the time of the incident was the absence of two bodies.

Wu Zongshan had made this arrangement to preserve the crime scene for future investigation.

In fact, Wu Zongshan and Meng Xing had already searched the place many times with their men and had not found any valuable clues; coming here now was merely a pretense.

Essentially, the investigation still depended on Zhou Heng.

Now, Zhou Heng stood on the rooftop of a two-story pavilion not far from the residence, peering down into the courtyard below. His Insight +2 basic attribute bonus allowed him to notice every detail of the site.

However, he found no valuable trace information.

Then, he closed his eyes, letting his spirit sense unfold while circulating his Innate Skill to nourish his Divine Soul with Inner Qi, maximally enhancing his spiritual perception.

Sure enough, as his spiritual perception intensified, he quickly sensed an unusual aura—a breath filled with evil, corruption, and chaos.

Lingering in the air and gradually dissipating.

Had it not been for Zhou Heng’s strong spirit perception, aided by his Insight +2 basic attribute bonus, and a clear concept of ghostly and evil auras, he might not have detected it.

The evil aura had formed a long trail, extending from the scene of the incident within the house, following the shaded sides of the walls, passing through streets and alleys, heading towards the outskirts of Huangtong Mansion City.

“That direction is…” Zhou Heng’s brow furrowed.

Immediately, he leaped into the air, using a lightness skill like Crossing the River by a Reed to fly across the sky, following the trail of the evil aura.

Wu Zongshan and Meng Xing also noticed his actions and couldn’t help frowning.

“Sir, this Star Envoy is rather impolite,” Meng Xing muttered under his breath.

In his view, this so-called Star Envoy, clearly only at the Eighth Rank of the Martial Path, still had a superior demeanor, spoke little, and even instructed the Prefect to cooperate, which was truly irksome.

Only at the Eighth Rank, and so arrogant—do you think you are Zhou Heng?

Unable to contain himself, Meng Xing compared this Star Envoy with Zhou Heng, ultimately concluding that Zhou Heng was indeed the strongest Eighth Rrank fighter of this era, incomparable to anyone else.

“`

“Don’t think that way,” Wu Zongshan shook his head, having already discerned the direction Zhou Heng had gone, and said gravely, “Perhaps he really has found some clues.”

“The Mansion Lord is truly magnanimous,” Meng Xing sighed.

He didn’t believe that the Star Envoy had found any clues at all. What could a mere Eighth Rank in the Martial Path find?

He assumed that this was just Wu Zongshan’s way of providing an excuse for the Star Envoy to back out gracefully.

If Zhou Heng were here, he would surely be able to find some clues, right?

For some reason, he always had an inexplicable confidence in Zhou Heng, feeling that Zhou Heng could succeed at any time.

“By the way, Mansion Lord, something was reported to me by my subordinates earlier, and I haven’t had the chance to inform you,” Meng Xing suddenly remembered something and said in a low voice, “There are people suspected to be from Canxin Pavilion lingering near the prefectural city.”

“What, Canxin Pavilion?!” Wu Zongshan’s expression became even more solemn upon hearing this, and he looked at Meng Xing beside him and said seriously, “Is this true?”

“My lord, when have I ever spoken falsehoods? Indeed, there are people from Canxin Pavilion, and it seems their cultivation realm is not low,” Meng Xing said, “Could this evil sect be taking advantage of the chaos to plunder, to cultivate some evil skills?”

“Have your men increase their defenses; we must not let people from Canxin Pavilion sneak in,” Wu Zongshan hurriedly instructed, saying gravely, “Regardless of their intentions, allowing disciples from an evil sect to enter the city would be my fault as the Mansion Lord.”

Canxin Pavilion was not particularly powerful among the evil sects, its strength similar to Chang Xing Sect, but slightly stronger, with one more grandmaster and several top-notch Innate masters.

Unlike Chang Xing Sect, though, Canxin Pavilion had backing, and their supporter was no weaker than Pure Yang Palace.

Heavenly Palace of Cloud Soaring!

They were the foremost among the four great evil paths of Da Qi, immensely powerful, with a significant number of grandmasters and top-tier authors, including several Celestials and more than one Tao Lord.

Moreover, it was rumored that Heavenly Palace of Cloud Soaring harbored a Saint who had survived from the Middle Ancient Era.

Divine First Rank, for the vast majority, this was the ultimate limit of the Martial Path.

With such a Divine First Rank evil sect as their backing, Wu Zongshan had no choice but to be cautious.

After all, Heavenly Palace of Cloud Soaring was an entity not inferior to Pure Yang Palace.

“Yes, my lord, I will lead my men to guard and rigorously inspect those entering and leaving the city,” Meng Xing nodded, then took his leave with his men to proceed to the city gates.

“It’s a troublesome time,” Wu Zongshan sighed and then gently shook his head.

First, the evil creatures, and now the disciples of an evil sect, how can Huangtong Mansion City not have a moment of peace…

He then cast a simple illusion to conceal his presence, soared into the sky, and followed the path Zhou Heng had taken; shortly after, he arrived at a deserted pork shop.

This was the scene of the second incident and also a place where Zhou Heng used to frequently buy meat.

Usually bustling, the neighbors with extra money typically came here to buy some meat to eat.

Cheap and affordable.

Normally, when the butcher shop was idle, sounds of the pork butcher scolding his children and flattering his wife would emanate from the shop, filled with the smell of life’s fireworks.

But now, it was eerily empty.

What was once a bustling pork shop had turned pitch-black and devoid of light, like a square, massive coffin burying the happy family that used to live there.

Although Zhou Heng didn’t have a close relationship with the pork butcher and his family, upon seeing this scene, he couldn’t help but feel angry.

On top of the incident with that couple earlier.

This filled him with disgust toward the evil creatures.

They were just people striving to change their lives, longing for a better tomorrow, a better future, yet they all died because the evil creatures sought to absorb negative human emotions!

“Star Envoy, have you found any clues?” Wu Zongshan approached and asked.

“Indeed, there are some,” Zhou Heng replied, continuing to extend his spiritual perception as he entered the pork shop.

In his perception, the pork shop was enveloped in an evil aura much denser than other places.

“Star Envoy!” Wu Zongshan saw Zhou Heng walk in so casually and quickly followed behind.

To prevent any accidents from befalling the Star Envoy.

After all, although the Star Envoy had a strong discerning ability, capable of detecting the presence of evil Qi directly, his strength had not yet reached the Seventh Rank, making his ability to handle sudden crises undoubtedly inadequate.

However, before stepping into the pork shop, Zhou Heng had already secretly prepared several special skill cards.

Now, the pork shop still reeked of the blood from slaughtering pigs, but the meat had been taken away, leaving only some fragmented skeletons.

Dark and lightless, the shop was now a collection of bones. In Zhou Heng’s senses, the evil presence pervaded the place.

Tap, tap!

His footsteps echoed through the shop, as clear as if he were walking in an empty valley.

Creak, creak!

Just then, all the fragmented skeletons in the shop began to tremble and even levitated!

Whoosh!

A cold wind suddenly picked up, and the temperature around him dropped instantly.

One by one, the skeletons stood up, and pig skulls floated in the air, with a murky blue light shining from their eye sockets.

And they all turned their heads to stare at Zhou Heng.