This time I chose Paladin.

Chapter 246 The Wind Came

The eerie winds still howled over Zhongzhou, carrying an otherworldly heat from the heavens, whipping up dust but unable to dispel the oppressive atmosphere hanging over the ancient city. The mournful wind sounded like the wailing of countless wronged souls above the clouds, unsettling the mind.

Han Jiangxue stood amidst the ruins of the abandoned village, her white hair dancing wildly in the hot wind, surrounded by a ritual site destroyed by ice flowers.

She looked down at the Star God cultist lying limp and lifeless at her feet, her cold brown eyes devoid of any warmth.

“The wind is picking up,” she said softly, more like talking to herself, “or to be more precise, ‘the wind has come down.’”

Yi Jian looked up at the sky with a grim expression. The gloomy sky was torn into strange patterns by the distorted air currents.

"This wind is so strange, it doesn't seem like it should exist on Earth... it feels like it was blown down from the stars." He kicked the cultist again and shouted, "Hey! Does this awful weather have anything to do with you? Speak up!"

The cultist merely curled up, making strange hoarse noises in his throat, his eyes still unfocused, as if his soul had already been ripped away, leaving only an empty shell enduring torture.

The wind picked up, its sharp whistling penetrating eardrums and reaching deep into the heart, stirring up one's most primal fears.

“I’ve heard people say that really strong winds are terrifying,” Han Jiangxue suddenly said in an almost flat tone, her gaze still fixed on the cultists. “Because they sweep ancient creatures from the deep sea ashore. Then these creatures evolve rapidly, become water-soluble, and start a 4-on-4 mudslide battle using stationery as weapons.”

Yi Jian: "..."

He turned his head expressionlessly, looking at Han Jiangxue's exquisite yet utterly emotionless profile. He took a deep breath, almost choking, and forced out the words through gritted teeth: "...Delete the Sprague from your brain! Is this the time for jokes?!"

"Oh," Han Jiangxue responded readily, agreeing without hesitation.

But after a moment, she spoke again, her tone still calm, but with an undeniable air of authority: "Go away."

"Huh?" Yi Jian was taken aback and didn't react.

“I said, get away from me.” Han Jiangxue repeated, finally shifting her gaze from the cultists to Yi Jian. “I learned a little trick from Brother Nie to get people to talk, a custom version. The scene might not look very nice.”

Yi Jian looked into her icy eyes, then glanced at the inhuman cultists on the ground, and suddenly shivered.

He understood what Han Jiangxue meant, so he didn't ask any more questions. He simply turned around and left quickly, finding a corner of a broken wall far away from the area to squat down, even covering his ears slightly with his hands.

Han Jiangxue withdrew her gaze and refocused on the Star God Cultists beneath her feet. She slowly extended her ice axe staff, the tip of the axe swirling with visible white frost.

Without the slightest hesitation, she smashed the cultist's hand with a pickaxe.

"Uhhhhhh-!"

The cultist, who had been like a corpse, suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream, his body convulsing violently. The extreme cold did not merely affect the surface of his body, but rather, like countless tiny ice needles, pierced directly into his bones, ravaging his nerves, amplifying his pain, yet strangely keeping him clinging to his last shred of consciousness.

Han Jiangxue's expression remained unchanged, like a doctor performing a delicate operation, only her gaze was frighteningly focused.

While asking questions in a calm tone, she carefully controlled the strength and direction of the cold air, sometimes flowing like an icy river, slowly eroding the other person's willpower; sometimes stabbing like an icicle, precisely striking the most vulnerable part of the other person's consciousness.

The air was filled with the faint sound of ice crystals condensing, the cultists' intermittent, distorted screams of extreme pain, their questions chilling, their answers broken. This process lasted for nearly half an hour. For Yi Jian, huddled in the corner, even with his ears covered, the faint sounds were enough to send a chill down his spine.

Finally, the commotion behind them gradually subsided.

Yi Jian lowered his hand and slowly stood up.

He saw Han Jiangxue walking towards him, her face paler than usual, but her eyes sharp as newly drawn ice blades. She rubbed her purple-tipped hands together, the chill emanating from her not yet completely dissipated, causing the surrounding hot air to condense into a layer of frost.

"I got the information." Han Jiangxue's voice was a little hoarse, carrying a sense of exhaustion, but her tone was very certain. "Although he's just a low-level soldier and doesn't know much..."

"But he confirmed that the higher-ups of the Star God Cult have been in frequent contact with people from the 'Cult of Light' recently, seemingly planning a 'major collaboration.' My plans are just an insignificant detail. However, he doesn't know why the cult knows about my relationship with Yun Shu."

She paused, then added, "As for the specific details, timing, and location of the cooperation... he knew nothing about it. He only knew that they were instructed by their superiors to create as much chaos as possible in the near future to attract the attention of the authorities."

Yi Jian frowned: "Worship the Church of Light? Those lunatics who worship all light and heat? What are they trying to do by getting involved with the Church of the Star God?"
"Wait, the weather is unusually hot. Could they be behind this?"

"I don't know." Han Jiangxue shook her head and looked in the direction of the old city. They had all seen the system notification and knew what was there: "...but it's definitely related to that thing. We must go back as soon as possible; the information here is very important."

After she finished speaking, she stopped looking at the area behind her that was already covered in ice and started walking out of the village.

Yi Jian quickly followed, unable to resist glancing back. Where the cultists had once stood, only irregular fragments remained, while frost slowly melted under the intense heat, clear water seeping into the scorched earth like a spring.

The wind still blew, but it seemed to carry a hint of bloodshed.

On the other side of the wind, Liang Zhenduan had just returned to his office. He took out his Phantom Spirit and checked the message that Nie Weiyang had sent him earlier.

He did a self-examination... Yes, he did.

But upon closer reflection...

...What kind of situation would be considered wrong?

Thoughts are free, everything is permitted… No, wait… Liang Zhenduan pinched his brow. No, this isn't right, not everything is permitted!
"Call three psychologists over here!" Liang Zhenduan shouted. "They must monitor my condition closely!"

The guard did not answer.

In the chilling silence, a soft chuckle came from outside the door. Then, a hand grasped the doorknob, and Hao Yao pushed the door open and entered, a strange smile on his face and starlight gleaming in his eyes. Liang Zhenduan's gaze swept over it and landed on his hand: it was a starstone, but it had been shaped like the skull of some kind of creature.

Oh.

Hold.

Liang Zhenduan thought expressionlessly.

(End of this chapter)