The Imperial Guards, like Yama, slaughtered until the Empress cried out for help.

The intense pain caused the leader to wail continuously, but being a Grandmaster, he was still able to use his true energy to stabilize his injuries somewhat.

He spoke in anguish.

"You are... Shen Qing? How did you find me?"

Shen Qing narrowed his eyes, raised his hand, and with a swift movement of his true energy, severed one of the helmsmen's arms.

I am not satisfied with your answer.

"I'll ask you one more time, where is your cult leader?"

Shen Qing's strike caused the leader to lose control of his injuries, and blood gushed out from the severed wound as he roared in pain.

"It's just death, isn't it? I'd rather die than betray our leader..."

Shen Qing smiled and said, "This is really boring. I was actually planning to play a trick on you."

"Don't tell me I wouldn't know? You said you want to sacrifice the common people in Gujing Town, so Gujing Town is the altar."

"Then the bird-man cult leader, who would need to break through to the Grandmaster level, would naturally not be too far off."

"Let me guess, is the cult leader hiding in Gujing Town, or...?"

Shen Qing looked at the helmsman.

"It's either underground, right? I was right!"

The leader's pupils constricted, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

Shen Qing smiled and said, "It seems I guessed right."

At this moment, the girl with the white flower, who was also broken in two, couldn't hold back anymore and screamed in despair.

"Lord Shen! Lord Shen! If he won't tell, I will."

"Our leader is called the Old Demon of Withered Glory, and he's located underground in Ancient Well Town! Save me! Save me! I don't want to die!"

This girl with white hair was only at the Innate Realm, and her true energy was far inferior to that of the leader, so she couldn't suppress her injuries at all.

Zhang Sheng, who was standing to the side, suddenly relaxed his furrowed brows: "Lord Shen! Lord Shen! It's her! It's this girl with the white hair!"

"She was the one who greeted me when I came here the day before yesterday! Although she looks a little different, I remember her voice!"

"It's her! The blood cultivation aura on my body must have come from her!"

The helmsman turned his head with difficulty, looking at the girl in white with an incredulous gaze, his voice trembling.

"It was you...it was you who led them here?"

The girl with the white hair lowered her head, not daring to look the captain in the eye.

They hid in Gujing Town for nearly twenty years without being discovered because they were very cautious. They dismissed some of the outer disciples long ago, leaving only the elites of the sect. These people could suck people's blood without harming their lives.

Moreover, they all adhered to a rule: they resolutely avoided contact with martial artists above the Innate Realm, and they kept their distance from anyone from the imperial court.

That day, when Baihua saw that Zhang Sheng was a martial artist at the Innate Realm and had a burly build, she couldn't resist personally receiving him.

The leader was furious when he saw the guilty-looking girl.

"It really is you! You deserve to die!"

The leader suddenly raised his cautious arm and used the last of his true energy to unleash a slash aimed directly at the White Flower Girl. He no longer cared about his own injuries; all he wanted now was to kill this woman who had caused all this trouble.

The girl with the white hair was filled with terror, shaking her head frantically: "Save me! Save me!"

Just then, Chi Xiao lightly thrust his weapon between the leader and Bai Hua, and the true energy dissipated into the air.

Shen Qing's indifferent voice came through.

"From the moment I stepped into this town, your lives ceased to belong to you."

"You think you can just die like this? That would be too easy on you."

"Black Dog, these two are yours!"

"I have only one request, and that is..."

"Cut it open! Chop it up!"

The girl, who was still basking in the aftermath of her ordeal, suddenly turned deathly pale.

Black Dog's eyes reddened, his hand gripping the knife trembled slightly, and his boots clattered on the ground.

But to the girl with the white flower, the sound was like a death knell, and she roared.

"Lord Shen! Lord Shen! I've confessed..."

But the next moment, the black dog's furious slash landed between her chest and abdomen, the cut so deep that bone was visible, and her pleas for mercy were silenced by a scream.

Jiang Ruohai came to Shen Qing's side.

"Lord Shen, although I've never heard of this 'Old Demon of Withering and Flourishing,' his name reminds me of a cultivation technique called the 'Scripture of Withering and Flourishing'!"

"This 'The Scripture of Withering and Flourishing' was once very famous. Cultivating this scripture requires a hundred years of effort and several cycles of withering and rebirth. Each cycle of withering and flourishing requires absorbing a large amount of blood. As the number of cycles increases, the cycle of each withering and flourishing will also become longer."

"The final cycle will last nearly thirty years, and the required blood volume will reach its peak. However, once this final cycle of growth and decay is overcome, one will definitely break through to the Grandmaster realm!"

"Moreover, this 'Withering and Flourishing Sutra' is quite special. The practitioner's own physique will also change, and they can undergo withering and flourishing, and can quickly recover from injuries. Even if an arm is severed, it can heal quickly once it is reattached."

"They might be difficult to deal with..."

If you calculate it this way, the timeline roughly matches up. Black Dog was slaughtered in his village when he was still a child, and he joined the Embroidered Uniform Guard after he grew up. More than ten years passed, so if you add up the time, it's about thirty years.

The one who slaughtered Black Dog Village was this withered old demon; he didn't choose the wrong place.

Shen Qing's eyes were icy cold.

"Withering and flourishing? Who cares about withering and flourishing!"

"Just tell me! Can he come back to life?"

Jiang Ruohai shook his head: "That's impossible."

"That settles it then. It withers and flourishes a few times, I'll chop it down a few times!"

"Even if he could really come back to life! Let him live a few more times! I'll chop him up a few more times!"

After saying that, Shen Qing raised his foot and stomped hard on the ground. A loud noise came and the whole backyard trembled. A large hole appeared under Shen Qing's feet, and by the moonlight, one could see that there was another world below!

"You're all up there. Cut down anyone who peeks out from below!"

Before anyone could react, Shen Qing finished giving the instructions and jumped into the tunnel.

Jiang Ruohai bared his teeth at Shen Qing, who looked like a savage beast: "You're ruthless!"

However, he quickly composed himself. With Shen Qing gone, he was now the highest-ranking officer here, and he needed to stabilize the situation immediately.

"Zhang Sheng, you brat, come here and die!"

"Quickly take some people and evacuate the residents of Gujing Town! There will be a big commotion tonight, don't let these people stay in the city and get in the way."

"Ma Xiong and Gao He! You two cooperate with the Imperial Guards to quickly search Gujing Town! Find good vantage points to set up sentries! Shoot down anyone who shows their face!"

At the command, everyone sprang into action.

"Then Black Dog, are you done chopping them up? If you're done, come with me! You can smell their scent; we'll look for the remaining spies in town."

"What do you mean it hasn't been chopped into minced meat yet?"

Outside the Drunken Spring Pavilion, Zhang Sheng jumped onto the wall and roared with his inner energy.

"Everyone, get out of Gujing Town! It's dangerous if you stay here!"

But when he shouted, there was basically no reaction; it only attracted the attention of people on the street.

"Hey, who is that? Why are they telling us to leave Gujing Town?"

"Looks like he's a member of the Imperial Guard? Ignore him, I saw him at the Drunken Spring Pavilion the day before yesterday, he's lewd!"

"Endure~"

Zhang Sheng blushed slightly. He really didn't expect to run into another customer from the same day, and to make matters worse, the customer recognized him.

The scholar stood beneath the wall, his face full of disdain: "So you Imperial Guards are so polite? But why are you so foul-mouthed in our own home? You're just bullies among your own kind, aren't you?"

"Get down here! Watch me!"

Having said that, the scholar jumped onto the high wall, channeled his inner strength into his throat, and let out a low shout.

"Damn it! Who the hell are you guys?! Can't you see?! This is the Imperial Guard investigating a case! Get out of Gujing Town within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn!"

"If you dare obstruct the investigation, I'll chop you all up!"

Having said that, the scholar turned and glanced back at the courtyard: "Tiger! Shout!"

Although somewhat reluctant, the white tiger still opened its massive jaws and roared, "Roar!!!"

Although this sound wasn't as loud as the previous one, it was still enough to resound throughout Gujing Town!

The people on the street fell to the ground, pushing themselves back, their fear palpable.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard! It's the Embroidered Uniform Guard! Run!"

"run!"

In the blink of an eye, not only strong young men, but even eighty-year-old women were able to drop their canes and start walking.

The scholar turned and glanced at the other Imperial Guards: "Still watching? Hurry up and go shout! Shout as I just said!"

Zhang Sheng looked at the scholar with eyes full of admiration.

At that moment, he was truly convinced.