Ink panel: Hunting the sun and surveying the sky from the bow.

After a while.

Dozens of soldiers from the Shanhaisi, Bingmasi, and Qintianjian rushed to the edge of the ruins.

They stood on a hilltop and looked into the distance.

The scene in the distance was in a mess, as if the world had been turned upside down, mountains collapsed, and rivers dried up, making them all gasp in shock at the same time.

"What exactly happened here? Did anyone of you notice it in advance?" A Shanhaisi official asked in a deep voice, frowning and revealing a trace of solemnity.

The others shook their heads and said, "We just noticed the changes here and rushed over immediately."

"There's no time to lose, let's go check it out."

Everyone quickly rushed towards the core of the ruins.

What they didn't expect was that before they even got close, they sensed a strong aura lingering in the ruins, and faintly there was an ancient murderous aura.

These auras mixed together, like thousands of fine needles, piercing through their body's protective true qi, causing their skin to sting, their minds to feel uneasy, and as uncomfortable as being pricked by needles.

The chief officer of the Shanhai Division asked in doubt: "Did a demon attack Kyoto? Are these left by the great demon?"

"Impossible. Our military has been patrolling the capital recently, and we have not left any of the capital area behind. If there are any demons, there is no way they can escape our patrols."

"That's weird."

The official from the Imperial Observatory stepped forward, circulated his spiritual power, captured a wisp of breath, closed his eyes and felt it carefully.

After a while, he immediately made a judgment and exclaimed: "Spiritual Realm! This is the breath of the Spiritual Realm."

"Just now, powerful beings in the Yuanshen realm fought here. Only beings like them would leave behind auras that would not be wiped out in a short time."

"This breath is a little familiar..."

Each of these people has practiced martial arts for many years and has already mastered their five senses.

The chief of the Shanhai Division circulated his spiritual power, and a pale white light fell into the void, making a crackling sound, and entangled and obliterated a wisp of residual breath.

He thought about it carefully, and after a while he seemed to remember something and was suddenly startled.

"It's General Xue! His vitality was wiped out by others."

"Hurry, this matter is of great importance and must be reported to His Majesty immediately!" a soldier from the Military Affairs Department shouted loudly.

After so many years, someone actually committed crimes near the capital. What's more terrifying is that he even killed a general of the current dynasty. They couldn't believe it.

They can anticipate what kind of storm is coming.

……

In the capital city.

Shen Qing took his uncle, aunt and others through a small route and returned safely to his place of residence in the capital.

"Uncle, aunt, please look." Shen Qing pointed to the magnificent mansion in front of him and said, "This is my house in Kyoto. From now on, this is your home. I will arrange for the servants one by one. You can live here with peace of mind."

Uncle Shen Er stepped forward, looked at the carvings on the gate and the huge "Shen Mansion", and said with emotion: "The capital city, the foot of the emperor, is really extraordinary. We, the hunter family, are lucky enough to spend our old age here. I never dreamed that I would have such a good life."

"Okay, okay... Qingzi, you really have something to show for yourself!"

When everyone who had followed Shen Qing along the way heard this, they all felt mixed emotions.

They recalled the days when they lived in Hongshan Village, and then thought about the present situation, which seemed a little unbelievable.

Yang Feng and others stood aside in the convoy and said respectfully, "Sir Shen, we have escorted you from Yongzhou to here and we have completed your instructions. We are going to report to Brother Wu now. Goodbye."

Shen Qing smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work. I will reward you handsomely once I have settled my family affairs. I will also have people compensate those brothers who met with misfortune as soon as possible."

"Thank you, sir."

Yang Feng and others bowed and did not stay in front of Shen Qing.

Not long after they left, a distant bell sound suddenly rang out from the sky in the capital.

"This is... the Imperial Bell!"

Shen Qing's expression changed slightly.

The Imperial Bell is a magic weapon of the Ji family of the Great Zhou Dynasty. It will be rung whenever a major event occurs.

The sound of the bell will spread throughout the capital.

After the bell had been sounded three times, any official who did not return to his yamen or his post would be beheaded.

Shen Qing didn't know why the imperial bell was rung at this time.

Could it be that someone knew that he had killed Xue Zhao?
Shen Qing wasn't sure.

But considering how careful he was at that time, it shouldn't have been so easy to be discovered.

What's more, his breakthrough to the Soul Formation Realm happened outside the city, so no one would associate it with him.

The second bell rang.

Shen Qing knew that he couldn't delay any longer.

After settling his uncle and aunt, he changed into a clean official uniform and walked towards the Bingmasi.

When he arrived at the Bingmasi Yamen, it was already crowded with people.

Shen Qing did not stay in the first courtyard and went directly to the third courtyard.

At this time, the four chief officers Wei Chengye, Zeng Weifeng, Zhao Lengyan and Yang Henshan had all arrived.

They sat around an old round table, talking in low voices, discussing some important event.

Shen Qing gently pushed the door open and walked into the room.

He glanced at everyone and said, "Everyone, am I not late?"

"You've come at the right time. Come and sit down." Wei Chengye said, pointing to the empty seat next to him.

Shen Qing didn't hesitate, he went forward and picked up a chair and sat down. He asked curiously, "I wonder what the palace is calling for this time?"

Zeng Weifeng raised his head and said in a heavy tone, "The body of Lord Xue Zhao was found on the outskirts of the city today. This matter has alarmed the court, and His Majesty is furious!"

"Ah, there is such a thing?!" Shen Qing was shocked and said in astonishment: "I remember that Lord Xue was a martial artist at the Yuanshen realm. Didn't he return triumphantly? How could he die out of nowhere?"

Yang Henshan took over the conversation and said, "Who knows? Lord Xue's cultivation is unfathomable. It is really puzzling that he was killed like this. It is simply a slap in the face of Your Majesty."

"Lord Lan has already entered the palace to meet the emperor. We will definitely have a hard time in the future."

……

Longevity Palace.

The door was open and the sunlight shone in from the door, illuminating a solemn and dignified scene.

Important officials from the three departments, namely the Internal Affairs Department, the Military Department, and the Mountain and River Department, were urgently summoned here.

They all lowered their heads and remained silent, making the atmosphere in the hall seem extremely depressing.

Right in front of him, Ji Zikong was wearing a dragon robe and sitting on the high dragon throne, with an unquestionable majesty between his brows.

His eyes were like torches, scanning the ministers below. After everyone was in place, he slowly spoke, with a bit of suppressed anger in his voice: "My dear ministers, I just received news that Xue Zhao, an important official of the court, was brutally murdered outside the capital. He was killed right under my nose. What do you think?"

"Bingma Division?"

Lan Gongliang stepped forward and said, "I am here!"

"Do you have any clues?" "Your humble servant... Your humble servant also just found out."

"What about the Shanhai Division and the Nei Shi Division? You are the ones who are responsible for getting General Xue back to the capital."

"I deserve death, Your Majesty, I hope you will forgive me!"

As the highest leader of the Internal Affairs Bureau, the eunuch He Yong, who held the seal, prostrated himself on the ground and said tremblingly.

Following him, Ji Hong, the head of the Shanhai Division, also knelt on the ground and pleaded guilty: "I deserve death, Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

"Hmph! Forgive me, forgive me... If everything can be forgiven, what use would I have for you, my ministers?" Ji Zikong's face turned pale when he heard this, and he seemed extremely unhappy.

His aura as the best warrior in the world suddenly erupted, sweeping across the entire hall like a violent storm.

He had amazing control over his strength, not a single bit of it leaked out to the surroundings, all of it was concentrated on Ji Hong, Lan Gongliang and He Yong in front of him.

This momentum is like substance and weighs a thousand pounds.

Under the pressure of this momentum, Ji Hong and others felt as if they were being pressed down by a huge mountain, and even breathing became difficult.

He clenched his teeth and tried his best to straighten his back, but his body trembled uncontrollably.

At the same time, bursts of "cracking" sounds of bones were heard in the hall.

Ji Hong and others were overwhelmed by Ji Zikong's momentum, and their bones began to break.

"Investigate this for me. Investigate this for me at all costs. I want you to give me a satisfactory answer in the shortest possible time!"

The three of them were sweating profusely and kowtowed like crazy: "I obey your command."

Ji Zikong withdrew his Qi, making the three of them feel relieved.

They immediately regulated their breathing and repaired the injuries in their bodies.

In the next few days, the news of Xue Zhao's death quickly spread throughout the capital, causing an uproar.

The three most powerful departments of the Great Zhou Kingdom, the Bingmasi, Shanhaisi, and Neishisi, took joint action and almost turned the capital and the surrounding areas upside down.

As the instigator, Shen Qing was forced to be involved in this storm. He patrolled around with a group of subordinates every day to catch the real culprit.

However, this was destined to lead to nothing.

After Shen Qing hastily dealt with the day's work, he returned to the yamen as usual.

He had barely sat down in the Bingmasi office when he saw Ji Bo, the chief steward of the royal armory, coming out to look for him.

"Master Shen."

As soon as he entered the door, Ji Bochu said with a smile on his face, just like a Maitreya Buddha.

Shen Qing was a little surprised and stood up quickly. He bowed with both hands and said, "What brings you here today, sir? I wonder what sir wants to see me about?"

"Can't I just take a look at you if there's nothing wrong?" Ji Bochu said with a smile.

Shen Qing said: "You are joking, please sit down."

Ji Bochu glanced at Shen Qing and was surprised to see that he had a restrained and natural aura, and it was clear that his cultivation had improved.

He opened up a conversation and said, "Master Shen, it has been a while since you have been to the Royal Armory. Have you been too busy recently?"

Shen Qing sighed deeply and said thoughtfully: "Lord Ji also knows what happened in the capital recently. Since His Majesty has issued an order, we naturally cannot neglect it."

Ji Bochu nodded in agreement and said, "It is indeed a big deal and there is nothing you can do. However, I have something good to tell you."

"Oh, I wonder what good news the adults are talking about?"

"Your Majesty has recently collected a batch of martial arts from all over the world, and we are just trying to sort them out. Right now, all the government offices are so busy that I can't spare any manpower to help. So I specially came to ask Lord Shen to come and help me a little?"

Shen Qing said: "Master Ji, I have a lot of things on my hands right now, I am afraid I am powerless."

"Hey, Lord Shen, don't worry. You have His Majesty's Cuiying Order. As long as you agree, I will go and tell His Majesty. At your age, it is a good time to practice. If you keep burying yourself in these miscellaneous things, wouldn't it be a pity?"

"If you come to me, you just need to help me keep an eye on the people on the fifth floor. You can use your spiritual eyes to practice in your spare time."

"Besides, this is a rare opportunity to show your face in front of His Majesty. If you can get His Majesty's guidance, even a little bit will be enough for you to benefit from for the rest of your life. Don't you think so?"

Hearing Ji Bo say this, Shen Qing couldn't help but feel alert for some reason.

There is no such thing as a free lunch.

Even if there was, he didn't believe it would fall on him.

Shen Qing hesitated for a moment and said, "Isn't this a bit bad?"

"What's wrong with that? If a man doesn't work for himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth."

Shen Qing fell silent.

He secretly looked at Ji Bochu a few times, unable to figure out what the other party was up to.

Just as Shen Qing was making random guesses, he felt a hint of warmth on his chest.

It is the spiritual realm.

There was news from Xiaohu.

Shen Qing apologized, "Sir, please sit down for a while. I'm going to take care of some personal matters first. Please wait for me for a moment."

Ji Bochu said nonchalantly, "Master Shen, you go ahead and do your work first."

Seeing Shen Qing leaving, a hint of cunning appeared in his eyes.

In his opinion, no one could refuse such a good thing that happened to him.

In the back hall.

Shen Qing took out the spiritual realm, and lines of small words appeared on it: "Xue Zhao is dead."

After a few breaths, lines of small characters appeared on the spiritual realm again: "Dao Zun has already known about this. He believes that the fate of the Great Zhou has come to an end, so he has accelerated the actions of his subordinates. At the fastest, it will take three to five months, and at the slowest, it will take one to two years to enter the capital to attack and kill the Ji family."

"The Dao Zun is extremely powerful. Brother Qingzi has already made arrangements."

When Shen Qing saw this message, his face changed. He didn't expect that Huang Tian Sect would take action so quickly.

If that’s the case, the situation in the capital, no, the entire Great Zhou is in a bad state.

Thinking of the killing array he encountered that day... a strong sense of crisis enveloped his heart.

At this moment, he suddenly thought of Ji Bochu in the living room, and thought to himself: "Ji Bochu came here this time just for me. He is throwing out bait to lure me into doing something dangerous. What could it be?"

"If I were to say that the most direct connection between him and me is that I chose that immortal martial arts technique."

"Could it be that the problem lies with this immortal martial arts technique?"

Shen Qing kept reasoning in his mind, and after thinking it over, he felt that there was only one possibility.

"In this way, I can use this opportunity to escape from these mundane affairs, and I don't have to catch myself every day. I can focus more on cultivation, and I can also use the royal spiritual eye to speed up my cultivation."

He thought about it carefully and felt that there was nothing wrong with it.

Having made the decision, Shen Qing walked out from the back hall.

Ji Bochu glanced at Shen Qing and said, "Sir Shen, what do you think?"

Shen Qing pretended to be silent and said with difficulty: "Since it is difficult to refuse your kindness, then I will be disrespectful to refuse it. I will trouble you from now on, Master Ji."

When Ji Bochu saw Shen Qing agree, he couldn't help but reveal a sly smile. (End of this chapter)