The villainous bosses from their past lives have all been reborn.

Several days later, Xia Jin led the troops of Jinzhou City to Liangshuipu again and received news that Xun He had died.

Of course, he did not believe the claim that Xun He had perished together with the treacherous cultists in order to save Liangshuipu, a state-owned asset of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

"What exactly happened?"

"That's just the truth!"

Yuan Xiu spoke nonchalantly, which only fueled Xia Jin's already growing suspicions. However, Xia Jin suppressed his anger and asked:

"real?"

"I swear on Yuan Cai's integrity!"

Having no other option, Xia Jin could only ask:

"Where are the corpses of Xun He and those treacherous members of the demonic sect?"

"They've already been cremated!"

"Why so fast?"

"It is the height of summer now. If we don't cremate them, there will be a plague."

Xia Jin felt deflated upon hearing this, and felt extremely dejected.

Despite being the Assistant Prefect of Jinzhou, he was the one who knew the least about this case.

Ultimately, with no other choice, Xia Jin chose to believe.

"So what can I do now?"

"Let's go to Tianquan Manor with Yuan Cai and Ying'er!"

"What for?"

"Abortion!"

Xia Jin looked puzzled, but when Yuan Xiu uttered the words "Holy Child," his previously dejected face gradually filled with enthusiasm.

"Holy Child, what is that?"

"A type of Gu developed by the Demonic Cult, which resides in the body of a young child. After taking over the body, it breaks free and gains greater power than ordinary Gu."

After hearing this, Xia Jin was stunned. After realizing what was happening, he said:

"You mean this is what's inside Ying'er right now?"

Yuan Xiu nodded.

Xia Jin's disgust for the governor of Jinzhou deepened. But he was unaware that his elder brother, Xun He, knew all this yet chose to go with the flow, or rather, to fuel the flames.

Because Xun He needed a new Gu King.

[Spiritual Pressure] can exert a mental influence on creatures within a certain range by emitting spiritual waves and creating pressure. However, this mental influence is limited; the more intelligent a creature is, the more difficult it is to influence it.

If used on a person, even the weakest child, it would only cause a brief moment of fainting.

But Gu worms are different.

Xun He can use [spiritual pressure] to completely control the Gu King, and then form a vast control chain through the hierarchical relationship between the Gu King and the other Gu worms. Furthermore, if he finds a unique Gu worm, he can even utilize the Gu worm's own power.

In this way, without needing any profound techniques for controlling Gu, Xun He can indirectly control a massive force simply by using [spiritual pressure].

However, in Yuan Xiu's view, Xun He's use of this ability was too crude. Xun He only wanted to use this mysterious technique to control the Gu worms, but did not pay attention to the development of the technique itself.

Theoretically speaking, the stronger the power of one's consciousness, the stronger the spiritual pressure will be. Although spiritual waves cannot directly harm enemies, they can cause invisible mental damage.

If one can use the control power of a [Danhuo Master] to reshape the sword intent in one's sea of ​​consciousness, and then combine it with [Danhuo], and through [Spiritual Pressure], instantly release this sword intent imbued with [Danhuo], one can completely catch the enemy off guard.

The [Dan Huo] uses the [Divine] within the opponent's sea of ​​consciousness as fuel. Those below the Grandmaster level have virtually no power to resist and will die instantly if struck. Even Grandmasters cannot resist for long.

Thinking of this, Yuan Xiu couldn't help but want to go into seclusion to study new techniques.

However, he still needs to solve the current problem.

"But why go to Tianquan Villa?"

"At this moment, only the divine physician Liao from Tianquan Manor can abort the fetus without harming Ying'er."

"I see!"

……

After parting ways with Xia Jin, Yuan Cai, and others, Yuan Xiu did not return to Yanzhou, but instead went back to Jinzhou City and sneaked into Moyun Temple.

Compared to before, this ancient temple is now completely dilapidated.

In Jinzhou City today, all sorts of rumors circulate.

Some say that Monk Xingyun was murdered by the Demonic Sect, some say that Monk Xingyun had already defected to the Demonic Sect, and some even say that Monk Xingyun was originally a spy for the Demonic Sect.

However, these rumors are probably no longer of concern to the monk Xingyun, who has now returned to the cycle of reincarnation.

The temple is now neglected and even more dilapidated than before.

Yuan Xiu entered the side hall, only to find that the scene inside the hall exceeded his expectations.

That alchemy furnace where people can refine [Fire Elixir]—

destroyed!

Xun Heqian's?

The thought flashed through Yuan Xiu's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

Xun He had taken Ying'er with him and had to control so many Gu beasts, so he didn't have time to destroy the alchemy furnace.

Then there is another possibility: Xun He has a powerful force behind him.

After all, according to Xun He, he had always used the barbarians of the North as materials for alchemy and had never harmed the people of Jinzhou.

To abduct people from the northern kingdom without being discovered by the Demonic Sect's spy, the Prefect of Jinzhou, it was impossible for him, a mere Chief Secretary of the Jinzhou Prefectural Office, to do so.

Besides, he couldn't subdue those masters of the demonic sect.

The relationships involved are complex and cannot be accomplished by one person alone.

That night, Xun He and Yuan Xiu spoke words that were both true and false, but his statement about wanting to use war to plunder a large number of people in the north did not seem false.

To achieve this, the influence behind Xun He could even extend to the Zhou Dynasty court.

Having thought of this, Yuan Xiu left without lingering.

Xun He's backing might be very powerful, perhaps even extending far beyond Jinzhou. However, one thing is certain: this force is not at odds with the Demonic Sect.

Right now, he has no need to make enemies.

……

Xia Mansion.

Inside Xun He's room, two elders from the Xia family, one fat and one thin, looked at the things Xun He had left behind. The fat elder sighed.

"Xun He, what a pity!"

The thin elder said:

"Their actions were not discreet, leading to this situation. There's nothing to regret; it's simply a matter of the victor taking all!"

"Without his profound skills, it would be much more difficult for us to accomplish many things without anyone noticing. Although we successfully intercepted the intelligence of the Governor of Jinzhou and prevented the Demonic Sect from learning more, the Demonic Sect has probably already alerted us."

The thin elder looked at the fat elder and said:

"Perhaps it's time to bring the Yuan family of Yanzhou into the game."

"We can't make this decision. Besides, that Yuan Sanlang seems foolish, but his actions are unpredictable. Qiu Shu died at his hands, Xun He also fell into his trap, and now he's taken Xia Jin to Tianquan Manor with him. We don't know if he's friend or foe?"

"Whether they are friend or foe, it's always a good idea to let Xia Jin follow him. Xia Jin doesn't know anything, and having him by Yuan Sanlang's side might have some unexpected benefits."

"I hope so!"

……