Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 674 Slay! (Two chapters combined)

Dai Long was also present when Xiao Ran was choosing a professional rune for Huang Le in the warehouse of the City of All Beings that day, so he knew that Huang Le's profession was spirit possession.

Although the profession of spirit possession is only F-rank, it happens to have the ability to repair equipment and enhance items.

Huang Le's hands-on skills were quite good. After taking a closer look from the corner, he realized that although the mirror was broken, there were no missing parts. He could just piece the broken pieces back together, and with his skills, he could manage to do it alright.

At that moment, when the precious mirror reflected the magistrate's Dharma body, his righteous aura instantly emitted suffocating black smoke.

Beneath the crimson flames of karma was a demonic face, with three faces and six eyes, covered in filth, and countless black threads spreading out from its wide official robe.

These threads spread out like spider silk, clinging to everyone's body.

It's just that some people have more and some have less.

"Look closely, this is the so-called upright and just official you all know!!"

Jin Chanzi pointed to the magistrate's physical form and then to the black lines wrapped around his body.

"These black lines are what he uses to corrupt you. Everyone is guilty, but he is innocent; everyone is evil, but he is virtuous. He stands on the moral high ground, wielding the power of life and death, yet he devours your flesh and blood!!"

When Jin Chanzi uttered these words, even Qi Tongwei and the other constables showed expressions of shock on their faces.

"It's you, it's you, it's all your fault. We are innocent, it was you who instigated us."

A man kneeling on the ground screamed. At that moment, the magistrate's image was reflected in the mirror in a circular shape, and the shackles that had been suppressing everyone disappeared completely.

The man struggled to his feet, pointing at the county magistrate above him and cursing loudly.

As he spoke, he kept trying to tear off the black threads wrapped around his body.

Unfortunately, these black lines, though seemingly tangible, are actually intangible. Over the years, they have long since become one with them, and no matter how much the man pulls at them, it is to no avail.

Seeing that the conflict was irreconcilable, he simply vented all his resentment on the county magistrate.

"You corrupt official, greedy official, incompetent official, you deserve to die a thousand deaths, you are an outrage against heaven and earth!! We have all fallen into this state because of you!!"

The man's cursing quickly drew the attention of the others.

"This corrupt official has ruined us like this! My poor granddaughter! I never intended to harm her; it was all this corrupt official who forced me to do it!!"

An old man covered his face and wailed. Those who knew him knew that he had drowned his eldest granddaughter with his own hands in order to have a son in the family.

These things were not honorable in themselves, but now that the old man has spoken out, all the blame is being placed on the county magistrate.

"I, Zhang San, am an honest man. I used to have land, a house, and a wife. I had a good life. But after this corrupt official came, I got addicted to gambling and prostitution. I gambled away my entire fortune and prostituted myself, causing my wife and children to break apart. You corrupt official, you are a heartless and insane beast!"

More and more townspeople spoke up, blaming all their mistakes on the county magistrate.

"Holy crap!! These people..."

Listening to these people's words, the old demon Qinghai couldn't help but think to himself, "Good heavens, each one of them dares to speak so boldly. In the end, he can only influence your emotions. You all degenerate yourselves, and in the end, you still want to absolve yourselves of all responsibility?"

"This is the backlash."

Jin Chanzi glanced at Qinghai Laomo, read his thoughts, and sneered: "When an avalanche occurs, no snowflake is innocent. The whole nation is evil, which is his nourishment, but since he is the one who promotes evil, he will eventually be harmed by evil."

"Kill the corrupt official! Restore our innocence!!"

"Kill! Kill the corrupt official!"

Someone in the crowd shouted, and more and more villagers surged out, rushing towards the county government office.

Qi Tongwei and his constables were completely bewildered upon seeing this, as they had no idea how things had turned out this way.

But the imprint of "uprightness and justice" remained in their minds, and that righteous spirit made them make a quick decision, joining the crowd as they rushed toward the government office.

"Hehe, this is really interesting."

Looking at the crowd surging towards the county government office, Jin Chanzi couldn't help but sigh.

"Yes, as the saying goes, evil people will always be punished by evil people, but I really didn't expect it to turn out like this." Dai Long and Qinghai Old Demon also sighed.

"Why... are you all like this? Didn't we win?"

Huang Le, beaming with satisfaction, walked over and noticed the three men's wistful expressions, which puzzled him.

Upon seeing this, the three immediately shook their heads.

As expected, Huang Le is still hopeless.

However, even though he was mud, he wasn't entirely useless; at least he made a great contribution this time.

Considering that Huang Le had repaired the bronze mirror and put it to great use, Jin Chanzi had no choice but to patiently explain to Huang Le.

Do you think these townspeople really just suddenly woke up?

"This……"

Huang Le was taken aback upon hearing this, and glanced sideways at the figures surging towards the yamen.

What I saw in that daze wasn't ordinary people, but more like a group of thugs.

Seeing that Huang Le seemed to have grasped the point, Jin Chanzi patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction and said, "Not bad, you've made some progress. Let's go, let's follow them and see how this play ends."

"Kill the corrupt official and restore peace!"

"Kill the corrupt official and restore peace!"

The slogans on the street grew louder and closer.

In the county magistrate's courtroom, the magistrate trembled all over, his righteous aura rapidly turning into evil black smoke.

"Unruly people, unruly people!!! These unruly people, I feed them, I give them water, I ensure they have good weather and abundant harvests. In this chaotic world, if it weren't for me, they would have been devoured to the bone long ago. How dare they rebel against me!!"

As the black smoke around him grew thicker, the bright and upright signboard behind him became increasingly glaring.

"Kill them all! Kill them all! Leave no one alive! Kill them all!!"

The magistrate raised his head, pointed at the bailiff beside him, and roared.

The constables looked at the magistrate with cold expressions, their minds still shining brightly with the ideals of justice and righteousness.

That upright and righteous spirit did not change with the change of the county magistrate.

No one responded to the magistrate's order.

Xiao Ran stood behind and watched coldly, looking at the county magistrate in front of her, and then her gaze fell on the plaque hanging in the high hall.

The four characters on the plaque, "正大光明" (Upright and honorable), still exude righteousness.

"I see……"

Upon seeing this, Xiao Ran instantly understood, and her gaze towards the county magistrate was filled with a hint of mockery, or rather, disdain.

"You!! Why don't you listen to me? Go and kill them! They're all guilty, they all deserve to die!!"

The magistrate looked at the constables, his once gentle and refined face now contorted with rage.

No matter what he said, none of the constables present made a move; in fact, they all stared intently at him.

"Fine, fine!! If you won't do it, I'll do it myself!!"

Seeing that these constables were no longer obeying his orders, the furious magistrate was about to take action himself.

A surge of malevolent energy, mixed with blinding karmic fire, rose from his body.

But before he could even make a move...

"Snapped!"

A gavel slammed onto the table.

The next second, a massive aura of righteousness crushed down from behind.

"Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding..."

The righteous spirit, like a surging tide, became heavy shackles binding the county magistrate.

Instantly, this usually arrogant county magistrate knelt on the ground, unable to move.

Even the soaring Dharma body was instantly shattered, its body becoming a mess, losing all its former glory.

"Who!! Who is it!!"

The magistrate turned his head with difficulty and saw a blurry figure bathed in a sacred light in the courtroom.

The same clothes, the same face, as if he were another version of himself, eyes wide open, glaring angrily at the magistrate kneeling on the ground.

"You!! Who are you?!"

Upon seeing this scene, the county magistrate felt his head buzz.

He couldn't understand why there was another version of himself sitting in the chair.

Not only him, but the townspeople who flocked to the government office were also stunned.

"Yes, why are there two county magistrates?"

Just as everyone was at a loss, the magistrate sitting in the hall had already slammed his gavel.

"Ascension!"

As the voice faded, Xiao Ran immediately felt the four words "upright and honorable" in her mind blazing like a blazing fire, illuminating her sea of ​​consciousness.

Xiao Ran was not afraid at all. She even silently used the Soul Cultivation Technique to quickly devour most of the blazing spiritual energy, and her spiritual power immediately increased by more than ten points.

However, the other constables, such as Qi Tongwei and others, seemed to have completely lost their minds at this moment, and quickly rushed out of the crowd, standing neatly on both sides, each in their respective positions.

The bailiffs on both sides, wielding water and fire sticks, shouted in unison, their voices like thunder: "Majesty!"

This scene felt so familiar, as if it were yesterday, a familiarity that defies description.

The county magistrate, who was usually high and mighty, has now become a prisoner.

The methods he usually used to deal with prisoners were now being used on him exactly as they were.

"What's going on? Why are there two county magistrates?!"

Huang Le peeked out from behind the crowd and was completely bewildered to see that there were actually two county magistrates in the courtroom.

Looking back at the three, Jin Chanzi made a shushing gesture and whispered, "The one sitting up there is fake."

"fake?"

Huang Le was completely baffled. Seeing his slowness, the Old Demon Qinghai almost kicked him: "Whether it's true or not doesn't matter, what matters is that the magistrate is finished."

The old demon Qinghai stared at the plaque in the courtroom: "This thing is the truly evil one. The magistrate is nothing but a puppet he controls, a fruit he raises. Isn't now the time to reap the rewards?"

"How dare you, Zheng Hanwen! In your tenure as an official, instead of bringing benefits to the people, you have instigated them to do evil, nurtured and indulged evil, and used evil to fund your administration, which has led to this great disaster. Do you know your crime?!"

"me……"

The magistrate opened his mouth wide, his eyes fixed on the figure in the chair, trembling all over, unable to utter a single word.

"Zheng Hanwen!!"

The county magistrate in the hall, however, had wide-open eyes, like a tiger's, and slammed his gavel on the table: "The people are so innocent! You are so heartless and insane, unworthy of being a public official. You deserve to die! Guards!"

"promise!"

In the courtroom, the constables all responded, "Execute him on the spot to set an example for the people."

Qi Tongwei and another constable immediately stepped forward, grabbed the magistrate's arms on the left and right, and pressed him to the ground.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran immediately knew that her opportunity had come, and stepped forward: "My lord."

“I used to be an executioner in my hometown, so let me carry out the execution myself.”

As Xiao Ran spoke, he had already taken out the [Decapitation Blade] and held it horizontally in his arms.

The magistrate's gaze swept over Xiao Ran, and seeing Xiao Ran's upright demeanor, he nodded with satisfaction: "Good!"

Upon seeing the magistrate's agreement, Xiao Ran walked up to the real magistrate with his knife in hand. The blade gleamed coldly, and as Xiao Ran slowly raised it, the real magistrate collapsed to the ground.

"Kill him! Kill this corrupt official!!"

As the crowd looked at the broadsword in Xiao Ran's hand, they all shouted and stared intently at the magistrate kneeling on the ground.

Just as the old demon Qinghai said, whether the magistrate is real or fake is not important; killing the magistrate is the most important thing.

Kill him, and all their mistakes can be wiped clean until the sun rises tomorrow.

Then everyone can happily go back to their own little lives. Even if I sleep with your wife tonight, when we meet tomorrow, we should still greet each other, sit down and have tea together.

Everyone was clean and neat.

Hearing the shouts of battle, Zheng Hanwen, who was kneeling on the ground, turned ashen-faced.

He couldn't understand why things had turned out this way.

At this moment, Xiao Ran noticed that countless crimson clouds of smoke were constantly surging out from the people outside the government office, and all of these clouds of smoke were flowing towards Zheng Hanwen.

It seems that all the karma is being concentrated on him alone, making Zheng Hanwen's karma increasingly heavy.

Xiao Ran glanced at the figure sitting in the courtroom, his eyes flashing with a fluorescent light. With the help of the power of rewind, he could clearly see the face sitting in the courtroom.

It was a blurry outline without facial features, with strands of gold thread running through its body, the other end of which was connected to the plaque above its head that read "Upright and Honorable".

Seeing this, Xiao Ran already knew what to do and silently raised the large knife in her hand.

Behind the desk, the county magistrate slowly stood up, drew out a command arrow, and threw it forward.

"cut!"

A glint of light flashed in Xiao Ran's eyes, and he silently murmured two words: "Taihua!"

With this silent recitation, the blade in his hand suddenly emitted a deep dragon's roar.

"Whoo~~~"

A chilly, gloomy wind blew in, making everyone feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

In a daze, everyone felt as if their souls were being ripped away, and their bodies involuntarily knelt down on the ground.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!!"

"Human head blood, sacrifice to the Grand Duke Jupiter, ghosts beneath the blades of kings, nobles and generals!"

The sound of nursery rhymes followed, and the old man who had been shouting that he had been bewitched by corrupt officials and drowned his granddaughter opened his eyes wide, only to find in horror that he was kneeling on the execution ground.

What horrified him even more was that, at the execution ground, he saw his granddaughter, whom he had drowned with his own hands, grinning at him, holding a large, white steamed bun in her hand, as if waiting for her to be beheaded.
Not only this granddaughter, but also the daughter-in-law he drove to her death, and the old man he sent away with a bowl of poisoned wine.

They were all waiting for him down there.

"No!! No!! Master, sir, I don't want to die!"

"Slash! Slash! Slash!!"

"Golden knife dyed, blood basin full, steamed buns stained with blood, a miserable sight..." The nursery rhyme continued to be sung.

Everyone immediately let out heart-wrenching wails.

"Bold!!"

In the hall, a gavel struck, and everyone's eyes were immediately illuminated. From afar, they saw the official, like a deity, illuminating the area before them.

"Your Honor, we are innocent! We are innocent!!" Upon seeing the magistrate's figure, everyone felt as if they had seen a glimmer of hope.

But the next second, streaks of silver light shone from behind them.

Behind Xiao Ran, a huge banner appeared, waving and exuding a suffocating majesty.

Behind the banner, a mountain-like figure gradually emerged from the chaos.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, it emitted a cold, silvery-gray light, exuding an aura of deathly silence, coldness, and ruthlessness that weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.

The silvery-gray light wasn't strong, but it instantly dimmed the magistrate's righteous aura.

That was Taihua, a legitimate deity of Xitai Mountain. Xiao Ran prayed to the gods with his own thoughts and summoned a wisp of Taihua's divine essence. How could such an evil spirit like him possibly contend with it?

Xiao Ran took out the [Suppressing Calamity Token], activated it, and hung it on his waist. With a thought, a six-zhang-tall Yin God Dharma Image appeared behind him.

Both men held large knives, their gazes fixed on the silhouette behind the table.

Seemingly sensing the danger, golden light emanated from the plaque above the table, which read "Upright and Honorable," and flowed into Xiao Ran's body, attempting to forcibly control her through the imprint in her sea of ​​consciousness.

Unexpectedly, these strands of golden light disappeared without a trace after entering Xiao Ran's body, as if a stone had sunk into the sea.

Xiao Ran's eyes were clear as she looked at the plaque.

"In the end, this magistrate is nothing but your puppet. You are the one who is causing chaos and manipulating people's hearts. You make the magistrate think that he can be high above the clouds and govern with evil, but he doesn't know that he is the one being raised. All the blame is placed on him. If you kill him, you will have achieved your goal and everyone will be happy. This is what you call being upright and honorable. You are openly drinking human blood to nourish your righteousness!"

Faced with Xiao Ran's questioning, the plaque trembled continuously, trying to control Qi Tongwei and the others to use the power of the supernatural tales to suppress Xiao Ran.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Ran had already struck first. When he raised his broadsword, he used the [Barber] class skill, Spirit Blade, to sever the connection between Qi Tongwei and the others and the plaque.

Although Qi Tongwei and others still maintain an upright and honorable image, they are no longer controlled by the plaque.

Hearing Xiao Ran's words, they seemed to realize something, and their gazes turned to the plaque, their expressions becoming suspicious.

Ultimately, they were government officials, and they listened to the county magistrate, not the words of a plaque.

Now that the county magistrate deserves to die, they should be even less likely to obey the orders of this plaque.

"Since this magistrate deserves to die, then you deserve to die even more!!" Xiao Ran's eyes blazed, and a massive amount of spiritual power emanated from him.

Behind him, Taihua slowly raised his hand and threw out a command arrow.

"cut!"

The broadsword was like a celestial blade; with each swing of the blade, everyone felt their bodies tremble, as if the blade were about to be chopped off their heads.

The blade, imbued with the divine radiance of Taihua, crashed down with a deafening roar. The crimson karmic fire coiling around the magistrate's neck shrieked as if encountering a natural enemy, and then a head flew off into the air.

At the same time, this blow not only severed the county magistrate's head, but also caused the townspeople outside the yamen to feel an excruciating pain shooting through their necks.

Some people couldn't take it and fainted on the spot, while others rolled their eyes back and fell to the ground without breathing.

This strike was not physical, but it severed the black threads binding them.

From then on, they would no longer be affected by the plaque, but while they could escape the death penalty, they could not escape punishment.

Depending on the number of black threads wrapped around their bodies, each person will pay a huge price.

They will either shorten their lifespan or diminish their blessings. Those who are lustful will become impotent, those who are prone to slander will lose their tongues, those who are prone to prying will go blind, and those who are prone to killing will pay with their lives. All their karmic debts will be repaid.

For a while, there were constant wailing sounds.

Xiao Ran then flicked his wrist slightly, and the blade flashed in mid-air, drawing an arc that slashed upwards towards the plaque inscribed with "Upright and Just" on the courtroom.

"Crack!"

A crisp cracking sound came from the plaque that read "Upright and Honorable." The fake magistrate sitting on the high hall let out a scream and then vanished without a trace.

A moment later, the plaque hanging in the high hall snapped in two and crashed heavily to the ground.

As dust settled on the ground, a deathly silence fell over the government office.

Besides the magistrate's head on the ground, there were more than a dozen corpses outside the yamen.

Xiao Ran walked up to the plaque, picked up the broken plaque, and examined it carefully.

"I never expected that a mere inanimate object could cause such a commotion. It's fortunate that we discovered it in time, otherwise, once you've gained more power, I might not have been able to kill you!"

At this moment, Jin Chanzi and the others also walked in from outside.

"You acted sooner rather than later. If it weren't for him, we might have suffered a great loss this time."

Jin Chanzi pointed at Huang Le and said.

Xiao Ran looked at Huang Le with some surprise. He hadn't expected Huang Le to be of any help, since even if Huang Le was willing, his skills were still too poor.

He was truly surprised that Huang Le could actually be of great help this time.

"Hehe, lucky, lucky."

Huang Le grinned and scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly as he spoke.

At this moment, the old demon Qinghai stepped forward, took the broken plaque from Xiao Ran's hand and examined it carefully. Then he turned it over and exclaimed, "Hey!! Look!"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned around and saw that the Old Demon Qinghai pointed behind the plaque.

Xiao Ran and the others then discovered that there was a seal behind the plaque, with the eight characters "By Mandate of Heaven, May Your Life Be Long and Prosperous" clearly written on it...

(End of this chapter)