Chapter 350: Chapter 137: Can the Demon Suppression Guard Slay Zhang Yunpeng? If Not, Then I’d Rather Not Be One

The old fiend had used some unknown Secret Technique, previously leveraging the Nine Nether Spirit Locking Array to continuously increase its power.

Now, the Nine Nether Spirit Locking Array was broken, and the Paperman had been silent for quite a while...

"It’s still a bit too soon... The probability of winning is only eighty-eight percent."

Yue Mankong’s voice rang in Chu Fan’s mind.

’An eighty-eight percent chance of winning isn’t enough?’

Chu Fan was taken aback.

This old fellow’s caution made him want to curse.

"Fine..."

Yue Mankong said, "Chu Fan, go guard the southwest. Don’t let that Zhang Yunpeng get within fifteen zhang of the Three Talents Sealing Demon Array. Leave the rest to me."

’Zhang Yunpeng!’

Chu Fan’s heart skipped a beat.

His attention was currently focused entirely on the Resentful Spirit and the experts from the Moon Worship Sect; he had almost forgotten about this scoundrel.

’To think that this Lord Demon Suppression Envoy hadn’t made a move, but was secretly scheming all along, and hadn’t overlooked such a key figure!’

Just then, Yue Mankong’s voice continued, "In Cyan Yang Ancient City, the only ones who can suppress and seal that Resentful Spirit are Ghost Moon and Zhang Yunpeng. They must have some kind of Exotic Treasure..."

"Ghost Moon had the Five Elements Cauldron, and you’ve already killed him... Don’t let Zhang Yunpeng come over and cause trouble. If he undoes the Resentful Spirit’s sealing chains, my eighty-eight percent chance of victory will drop to forty-eight percent."

"Don’t kill him yet... The moment he dies, the sealing chains and runes on the Resentful Spirit will shatter. When that happens, the bit of power I’ve worked so hard to gather won’t be enough to control the Resentful Spirit."

At this point, the Paperman transformed into a streak of white light, stuck to the stone pillar where Ding Jian stood, and shot rapidly upward. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Chu Fan said no more. Tapping his toes lightly on the ground, he shot toward the southwest like an arrow.

In the southwest, County Magistrate Zhang Yunpeng was directing constables and government officials to surround and kill the White-robed Cultists, all while approaching the Three Talents Sealing Demon Array!

WHOOSH!

A figure flashed across the field. Chu Fan appeared silently, landing right in front of Zhang Yunpeng just as he was about to make a move.

Zhang Yunpeng stopped in his tracks, a perfectly measured look of displeasure and confusion appearing on his face.

When he got a clear look at the newcomer’s face, a nearly imperceptible coldness flashed in his eyes, only to be immediately replaced by an even broader smile.

His smile was as warm as a spring breeze, tinged with surprise and admiration. "You must be Chu Fan! Excellent! Excellent! A hero emerges from the young, indeed! You saved Cyan Yang City, turning the tide against all odds! As the parental official of this county, I will certainly petition the imperial court on your behalf and see that you are awarded a great merit!"

His voice was resonant, carrying the usual, convincing tone of an official, as if he were genuinely overjoyed that such a young hero had emerged in the city.

Chu Fan just watched him quietly, his eyes as placid as a deep pool.

The Zhang Yunpeng before him was dressed in a brocade robe, his face pale and beardless, exuding a gentle and scholarly air.

If Chu Fan hadn’t already known the truth—that this scoundrel was the mastermind behind the entire disaster—he might have actually been deceived by this sanctimonious facade!

In that instant, memories flooded his mind like a tidal wave—

The bones of those who had frozen and starved to death under dilapidated eaves;

The terrified eyes of the common people as gangs ran rampant;

The sight of government officials, like wolves and tigers, extorting taxes and oppressing the innocent...

The misery and despair that countless citizens of Cyan Yang City had recently endured, as well as his own experiences from two years of fishing, all surfaced clearly in his mind.

These images were like a searing hot iron, burning away at his reason.

He forcibly suppressed the surging killing intent in his heart and said coldly, "The lords from the Demon Suppression Bureau are giving it their all, but they’re already on the verge of losing control of the Resentful Spirit. This area is dangerous, and the energy is turbulent. Uninvolved personnel should not approach—otherwise, you might be drawn in by the volatile energies and face utter annihilation, your very soul scattered!"

"I see!" Zhang Yunpeng nodded in realization. His gaze seemed to inadvertently try to look past Chu Fan again, toward the center of the chaotic energy, a timely look of worry appearing on his face.

"Then we certainly mustn’t disturb the lords. I am merely concerned about the battle. Since that’s the case, I will wait here for good news."

As he spoke, he readily took a few steps back, putting on the air of someone reasonable and considerate of the bigger picture.

Behind him, a group of government officials exchanged glances, looking as if they had never seen their master be so agreeable.

In the crowd, the young government official whom Chu Fan had saved before glanced at Zhang Yunpeng, then turned his gaze toward the part of the battlefield where his boss, Lu Tao, was.

Unfortunately, his strength was too weak. He had not yet undergone Mortal Transformation, so even if he wanted to help, he was powerless to do so.

...

Chu Fan did not leave just because Zhang Yunpeng had backed down.

He turned to the side, calmly sat down on a cracked boulder nearby, and laid his long saber across his lap.

The blade was stained with enemy blood, its thunder pattern faintly visible.

He took out a clean cloth and began to slowly and meticulously wipe the blade.

The corner of Zhang Yunpeng’s eye twitched, and the hand behind his back clenched unconsciously.

A flash of unconcealable anger crossed his eyes, but he ultimately didn’t act on it. He simply faced the battlefield, as if completely focused on the state of the fight.

Just then, at the location of the Three Talents Sealing Demon Array, a sudden change occurred!

Ding Jian, Shi Hao, and Lin Yue, who had been rooted to the three ancient stone pillars like boulders, were channeling all their power to maintain the array’s operation.

Now, as if receiving a silent command, they all slammed their palms together at the exact same moment, forming a complex and uniform hand seal!

RUMBLE—!

A huge, muffled thunder-like sound came from deep underground.

This sound wasn’t an explosion, but the trembling of space itself, triggered by the conversion of immense energy.

Following that, the scene on the field abruptly distorted and blurred!

The light screen of the Three Talents Sealing Demon Array, which had been flowing with brilliance and flashing with runes, vanished into thin air like a soap bubble!

The three giant pillars supporting Ding Jian and the others did not slide or roll away. Instead, they shifted aside strangely, like illusions, no longer locking the central Resentful Spirit in their triangular formation.

It felt as though the Resentful Spirit, the Moon Worship Sect expert, and Old Limp fighting inside the array, along with the entire surrounding space, had been forcibly "sliced" away and "moved" by an invisible power!