Chapter 340

Chapter 340: The Upper Eighth-Rank Official

The fox face rolled on the ground and soon condensed into a human shape, but it was neither human-like nor ghost-like; it appeared elderly and frail, yet its form was alluring and plump, with five fox tails sprouting from its back.

Li Hui looked down at Ghost Fox from his elevated position and loudly slammed the gavel, asking, “What is your name, Ghost Fox? Where are you from? State it clearly.”

“Kid, what a grand display, who would have thought you’d…”

“Guard Sticks at the ready!”

A howl erupted as the Guard Sticks were employed, striking Ghost Fox and making her wail, her voice trembling as she said, “I am Bai Xiu, a ghost cultivator from the Yin Moon Dynasty…”

The Delong Prince, kneeling nearby, shouted, “Bai Xiu, don’t say anything!”

Li Hui shot a fierce glare; the Delong Prince’s form twisted unnaturally, but at his admonition, Bai Xiu suddenly awoke, roaring in anger, “You dare to dig into my roots, child? A mere fragment of true spirit doesn’t even count as a divided soul; explode—”

“Hmph! Since you’ve come, you might as well stay; you can’t escape!”

What terrified Bai Xiu was that the plaque above the court inscribed with “Great Beginning of Governance” gently swayed; instead of being able to detonate the fragment of true spirit, the suppression power surged toward her main body left outside.

“It’s impossible! Who are you, and how can you control the ancient dynasty’s officers to this extent?” Bai Xiu guessed that Li Hui held an ancient dynasty’s official seal, but such seals only occasionally appeared and were difficult to command in relation to relevant ruins. The current situation was beyond her imagination.

“With the Great Beginning to be an official, a legacy from my predecessors, I am a fellow student from the imperial examination!” Li Hui had already sensed the court’s function, with authority emanating a dominating aura.

He had faced great dangers on Wan Nest Island and ultimately realized it was an ancient dynasty’s site for recruiting officials. Although Wan Nest Island might have other uses, the Earth Axis Hall was undoubtedly meant for the imperial examination, allowing cultivators to thrive in their careers. Little did he expect the Ancient City of Yin Ruins to be a remnant of the ancient dynasty.

“Damn it…” Bai Xiu tried every means to self-destruct when suddenly a thunderous boom resonated from above, and shadows fell down around her.

“No, you can actually bind souls?”

“Day reviews the sun, night reviews the moon; do you think I speak idly?” Li Hui declared with official authority, “Bai Xiu, even if you are a ghost cultivator with a main soul and many divided souls, today you will not escape from immediate justice. Knowing you are a ghost cultivator from the Yin Moon Dynasty is more than enough; just wait and see how fiercely the Yin Moon Dynasty will protect you!”

“Delong Prince, cut your fate and reveal the truth!”

As soon as those words left his mouth, the Guard Stick struck the Delong Prince. Dragon Shadow bellowed in response, and before he could retaliate, he had already dispersed, leaving the Delong Prince dazed and stuttering, “I am Cheng Hong, an Inner Sect disciple of the Haotu Sect; I originally carried a royal mission to contact elders like Xu Mao. Six months ago, my brother Cheng Hong suddenly approached me, saying my sister Cheng Yuyan cultivated the path of ghosts, gaining power in the Yin Moon Dynasty. He wanted us brothers to join the Ghost Fox Sect first, then seizing our father’s imperial throne would be as easy as flipping a hand.”

“Indeed, it’s Cheng Yuyan, even dead she can’t find peace, turning into a ghost and stirring up trouble!” Li Hui waved his hand and said, “Go, summon your brother Cheng Hong and the others related to this.”

“Bang…” Bai Xiu attempted to resist, but a heavy barrage of strikes came down, each blow destroying a portion of her divided souls, gradually revealing a crescent black moon on her forehead.

Ancient, dark, and cold energies flowed down through the black moon, as Li Hui pulled out a court token and threw it down, saying, “Ready the heavy punishments!”

Instantly, the ancient dark energy surged, madly spreading throughout the entire court, attempting to tear apart all barriers to drag Bai Xiu away.

“Powerful…” The ground trembled, and the officers shouted in unison.

Brushed by the dark energy, cracks appeared on the officers’ bodies, yet they still struck with great accuracy and vigor, the terrifying force following the thread of Bai Xiu’s fragment of true spirit, as the ancient dynastic power pressed down heavily.

“Boom…” Among the eight officers, two collapsed, and Bai Xiu let out a monstrous wail, collapsing to the ground, trembling as she begged, “Young master, spare my life; spare me…”

“Spare your life? Will you harm others again?” Li Hui retorted sternly, “Strike! Destroy her physical form until she is finished. If you don’t die, tell Cheng Yuyan, those who do many evil deeds will end up dead, no matter whose power she borrows, whenever I see a ghost cultivator from the Yin Moon Dynasty, I will kill one!”

“Kid, you will regret coming to this world.” Bai Xiu was struck with loud noises, her form fading more and more until her cries became nearly inaudible, and finally, with a pop, she dissipated.

Unexpectedly for Li Hui, the Deputy Inspector General’s Seal shook heavily, drawing in wisps of azure energy from the court.

Que San exclaimed in excitement, “What fortune! Sir, you are a fellow student of the imperial examination; you have just been promoted to upper eighth-rank! I originally suggested you come here, hoping there was a glimmer of luck, and that you could be promoted. I did not expect your wish to come true; congratulations on your successful career!”

“Thank you!” Li Hui smiled slightly, not taking it to heart, but at least he had dropped the ‘Deputy’ from Deputy Inspector General and had become an Inspector General. If he could find other ancient dynasty relics, he might reap even more benefits.

Cheng Hong took a long while to return with a hundred cultivators, but he did not bring his brother Cheng Hong with him.

“What is going on? Where is this place?”

“Pay attention; the atmosphere isn’t right!” The hundred cultivators realized too late; the plaque of the court descended, casting heavy shadows to suppress them, making all their efforts useless.

“Come to the court one by one.” Li Hui sat firmly in the center, aware that Cheng Hong was cautious and did not trust his brother, so he brought so many people to test the waters.

These people would be struck with a Guard Stick, and whatever they said would be recorded.

They were disciples of the Dragon Hua Sect, with twenty-three having joined the Ghost Fox Sect; the others were misled and believed there were treasures to be found.

“Twenty-three helping the wicked, cut their fate and extinguish their true spirits; beat them!” Li Hui held up the bright official seal, deeply hating the Ghost Fox Sect, his iron face unwavering in judgment of life and death. Even Cheng Hong would be executed; it was not simply about destroying true spirits. How terrifying were the blows of the Guard Sticks? They could follow the connection and hunt down their main bodies.

Before long, the official seal trembled once more.

“Eh?” Li Hui’s face lit up: “Wonderful! An Inspector General at the upper eighth rank, able to seize people’s fate. Being in the court can also increase power, and through them, I can monitor the localities in connection with the Ghost Fox Sect.”

“Everyone listen up, the Ghost Fox Sect acts contrary to the way of things, harming the world by infiltrating various sects! Find these disciples and bring them before the court for questioning.” With absolute authority, he decreed!

Four of the six officers divided their ranks and thunderously left.

The city was soon in chaos, as colossal figures roamed the streets, capturing people. Disciples from various sects, not knowing the reason, united in anger to attack the officers.

Li Hui paid no heed to them, fiercely apprehending suspects, uprooting more than five hundred hidden spies. The Haotu Sect alone did not capture Cheng Hong, while a piece of information emerged: the Yin Moon Dynasty was building a passage for the ghostly beings to descend upon the world, and the Wutu Continent would become increasingly chaotic, where people would easily turn into ghosts.

“Disturbing the Yin and Yang? It seems I must quickly advance to Essence Cultivation to enhance my spiritual sense; otherwise, I won’t be able to tell who is human and who is a ghost, and that would be dire!”