Chapter 58: Chapter 58: Being the Scapegoat

Translator: 549690339

The first to arrive was You Ziheng.

As a martial dao sect with ancient inheritance at its peak, Pure Yang Palace naturally also had top-notch flying techniques of the present day.

However, since they were both grandmasters and it wasn’t a fight to the death, the difference in speed wasn’t too big. Just as You Ziheng landed, Pei Zhantu also arrived soon after.

This place was originally a residence uninhabited by anyone, which was why Kong Chengshun was able to rent it on the same day.

Now the residence no longer existed; even the bricks, tiles, wood, and stone were gone. Under the sweeping of that powerful sword qi, ordinary buildings were as good as paper ones.

Even the foundation had been leveled.

The whole ground had sunk more than three zhang, forming a long, deep pit. The bottom of the pit had a very smooth surface, evidently caused by the sharpness of the sword qi.

Although the sword qi had already dissipated by this time, there was still a lingering chill in the air, like a sharp wind.

“A sixth rank expert, Geng Metal Sword Qi,” Pei Zhantu glanced around and deduced the situation, “This residence covered less than one mu of land, and the sword qi was contained within this area, without spreading. It appears to have been targeted specifically at Kong Chengshun.”

“I doubt that’s the entire story,” said You Ziheng, still looking drunk, but his expression was quite grave. He jumped into the deep pit and rummaged through the soil, pulling out an antique-looking longsword, “Tsk tsk tsk, interesting.”

By this time, Wu Zongshan and Wang Lang had also arrived. They were both sixth rank martial artists and couldn’t fly as fast as Pei Zhantu and You Ziheng. “Gentlemen, what has happened?” asked Wu Zongshan, as the head of Huangtong Mansion.

“This was where Kong Chengshun rented a place, destroyed by sixth rank Geng Metal Sword Qi. Kong Chengshun should be completely obliterated,” Pei Zhantu described briefly, then turned towards You Ziheng in the pit, saying, “What about that sword? What’s the story there?”

“It’s a divine weapon,” replied You Ziheng casually. He held the hilt and examined it closely.

“What!?”

“A divine weapon?”

“A divine weapon of the third rank of heaven??”

The three others present were all stunned, almost doubting their own ears.

Wasn’t this the place where Kong Chengshun had rented?

How could there be a divine weapon here?

“That’s right, a divine weapon of the third rank of heaven,” You Ziheng jumped out of the pit, gulping down two mouthfuls of wine with a chuckle, “Heh, would this count as a stroke of divine fortune? I just went down and rummaged a bit and picked up a divine sword.”

“Indeed, it’s a divine sword, but it seems to be sealed by a mighty power,” Pei Zhantu too noticed the grade of the ancient sword, but inside, he felt even more puzzled, “A sealed divine sword, how could it be here with Kong Chengshun? And what about that sword qi just now, was that targeting the divine weapon?”

“But if it was just to seize the divine weapon, why create such a massive commotion? Wouldn’t it be better to assassinate Kong Chengshun discreetly?” Wu Zongshan also felt perplexed.

The thunderous roar from before could be heard by almost half of Huangtong Prefectural City. It seemed almost like it was done deliberately to draw people here, not at all what one would do to scheme after a divine weapon.

Clang!

Just then, the ancient sword suddenly trembled and emitted a sword cry, an aged voice coming from within.

“You kid from Pure Yang Palace, what are you pretending for? The one who unleashed that sword qi wasn’t it you?” Fuyaji’s voice was filled with annoyance; he had by now regained his senses.

However, being held in the hand of a fifth rank sect master, he had no way at all to escape.

Even though a complete Fuyaji Sword was a divine weapon of the third rank of heaven, its current sealed state left it devoid of any autonomous offensive abilities.

Even if someone held it in their hand, it equaled nothing more than a near sharp weapon level refined through hundreds of processes.

Escaping from the hand of a grandmaster was impossible.

Once the Fuyaji Sword spoke, the surroundings suddenly became deathly silent.

Pei Zhantu, Wu Zongshan, and Wang Lang all changed color immediately, their eyes flickered with a trace of fright, disbelievingly staring at the divine weapon. A divine weapon speaking!

This was not just a matter of a divine sword having a spirit!

You Ziheng, holding the Fuyaji Sword, also felt his hand tremble slightly, but he put on an air as if he had expected this all along, even letting out a hiccup and laughing, “Senior, you really do have a quick temper.”

As he spoke, thirty-six apricot-yellow beams of light flew out from his disheveled Taoist robe, instantly enveloping the entire Fuyaji Sword.

The voice from inside the sword came to an abrupt halt, quieting down.

It turns out that those thirty-six apricot-yellow beams were talismans, and You Ziheng directly suppressed the “spirit” within the Divine Sword.

—The Fuyaji Sword was already in a sealed state, and its spirit that reached the outside world was not strong, so for a Fifth Rank Grandmaster like You Ziheng, sealing it was not difficult.

Pei Zhantu and the others let out a sigh of relief when they saw the Fuyaji Sword become quiet.

“So it was you who acted, when did you learn the Geng Metal Sword Energy Technique?” Pei Zhantu looked at You Ziheng, now convinced by what the Fuyaji Sword had said earlier.

This also explained why You Ziheng immediately discovered the Divine Weapon upon arriving; he had come specifically for this sword.

“Just playing around with some Secret Six Rank sword energy techniques… hie!” You Ziheng let out another burst of alcoholic breath, chuckling, “I might have caused a bit of a stir, but mainly I wanted to attract you all over here, just in case I couldn’t seal it properly.”

Then he clasped his hands towards Wu Zongshan and said, “Sorry for the trouble, Mansion Master, please excuse the inconvenience.”

“Not at all, Taoist Master, if not for you, Huangtong Mansion would have faced a far greater disaster,” Wu Zongshan said as he hurriedly returned the gesture, still feeling a bit apprehensive.

“If you hadn’t discovered it early, it indeed would have been a great disaster,” Pei Zhantu nodded and added, “Sealing the Divine Sword within the Pure Yang Palace is also safe.”

“The assessment for Zhou Heng is set for tomorrow, after which I will return to Pure Yang Palace,” You Ziheng said seriously, also glancing in the direction of Zhou Heng’s home.

“Congratulations! For killing the insignificant foe, Kong Chengshun, you’ve received a Fortune Bag [Copper]+1.”

Zhou Heng didn’t even have time to pay attention to the System’s reward notification; after releasing the Three Palm-Heart Thunders, he quickly fled the “crime scene” amidst the chaos.

Things went smoothly.

Almost everything unfolded according to his plan.

He was well aware of his own strength; using Palm Thunder to momentarily daze the Fuyaji Sword was already his limit—he absolutely couldn’t eliminate the threat of a God-tier Weapon.

What he couldn’t do, however, others could.

Currently in Huangtong Mansion City, there were two Sixth Ranks and two Fifth Ranks, each with their own significant backgrounds, and it was very likely that they could temporarily seal the Fuyaji Sword.

Therefore, Zhou Heng’s plan was as follows:

While killing Kong Chengshun, make as much noise as possible to draw the attention of these powerhouses, and use Palm Thunder to prevent the Fuyaji Sword from escaping until those powerhouses arrived. Naturally, they would then discover this Divine Sword and handle it accordingly.

Moreover, the attack of the Geng Metal Sword Energy Technique was of Secret Six Rank level, and he, a mere Ninth Grade, would normally be unable to unleash such a powerful sword qi.

As long as he departed from the “crime scene” quickly enough without being discovered, he could almost perfectly absolve himself of suspicion.

Even if some genius detective deduced that he was behind it,

at most, he would garner the enmity of the Chang Xing Sect.

Compared with the threat of a Divine Weapon at any moment, that was of little consequence.

Better to take the lesser of two evils.

Having resolved such a big problem so swiftly, Zhou Heng felt spirited and refreshed, and he couldn’t help but let a smile spread across his face, thick with pleasure.

But as soon as he arrived at his own doorstep, the smile on his face froze.

Under the moonlight,

stood a disheveled Taoist in his robe, a wine gourd hanging at his waist, his hair a mess, looking drunkenly as he leaned against the door, watching him with a half-smile.

You Ziheng.