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nThe Matriarch of the local Bahshi Assassination Group was kneeling on the spot with an absentminded expression, looking up to the open sky.

nWu Long turned his gaze from her with a sigh, seemingly shaking off the displeasure, as five Spatial Rings flew into his hand, picked up by thin streams of water from the lake.

nIn the direction he turned to, the twins were looking at him with round eyes, which caused him to chuckle, as he took one step to instantly approach them.

nHis hand rose and the talismans reacted, deconstructing the barrier.

nThe talismans started withering, and the array disks cracked and fell around him as he approached the two with normal steps.

nThe twins slightly nervously looked around at the crowd of assassins that was still surrounding them, but for some reason none of them moved, while Wu Long approached with a smile.

n“They can’t move. Their cultivation techniques are currently preventing them from doing so, and have been for quite some time”, Wu Long explained to their astonished gazes.

nHe slightly nodded as he passed by Hong Yue’s side, and went toward Hong Ye.

n“D-Darling…”, Hong Ye slightly meekly said as she was still processing what happened.

n“You’ll learn about everything you need to, and hear everything you want to know about me, Ye’er. You don’t have to rush, take it slowly. For now, let’s get you out of those chains, and wrap up everything here”, Wu Long chuckled as he bent down on one knee in front of the chained beauty, looking into her eyes as he placed his hands on the shackles on her wrists.

nThe way he called her name, full of intimacy and with a gentle voice caused the beauty to suddenly relax, the situation that made no sense before becoming more bearable and her confusion and questions filling her mind somehow fading into background as she looked into his eyes.

n*Crackle!*

nTwo small flashes of light under his palms caused the shackles to start turning into ashes, falling to the floor which broke the still intact pieces into sand and then even finer dust.

nOnly the chains made metal clinking sounds as they fell on the rock surface of the platform.

nHe measuredly smiled and gently taking her freed hands into his rose together with her.

nHong Ye first made a very subtle motion forward and then froze, halting her first instinct to hug him as she looked at his wounded body.

n“Your wounds…”, Hong Ye softly said as worry appeared in her eyes.

n“Heh, I’ll be okay. Just need to recuperate for a bit”, he shook his head with a light smile. He truly needed some rest and recuperation, but he first needed to finish things here.

nTurning to Hong Yue he saw a gaze full of scrutiny and suspicion, causing a chuckle to escape his lips.

n“Haha, don’t worry. You’re fine.

nThe technique I used on them has several functions, but it does not have mind control”

nHe reassured her, although only slightly as it was difficult to trust those words at face value, but then again he did save them so she did not question or outright doubt him.

nNot to mention that he did say he would be answering Hong Ye’s questions when the time was right, and she understood that now was not the best timing for all of that.

nMeanwhile his gaze turned to look at the crowd.

n“They are mostly just low-level people who can’t decide anything. The ones with power to make decisions, and thus those that bear responsibility, have been dealt with.

nThat said, they are, however small their means are, complicit in the harm against you both, and thus you have the right to decide.

nI will eliminate any or all of them if you wish so”

nHe then added, and turned to Hong Ye who first looked surprised, but then eased into a smile, shaking her head.

n“I don’t care about them, Darling. I only care about you and Sister Yue, if you wish for it, I can kill them for you instead so that you don’t strain your wounds”, she said as she looked at him.

n“Haha, it’s just an eye technique, no strain is done. What about you?”, he turned to look at Hong Yue who was still in a light daze from everything that happened before.

n“I… there was a small group of Mortal Elders who were responsible for the smaller details of the ritual…”, she first hesitated, but then something came to her mind as she spoke, and he nodded.

n“Can you identify them?”

nHe received a nod from the white-haired beauty, and as she pointed out people with her Spiritual Qi, all of them started falling where they stood under his gaze.

nHong Ye, remembering that the ritual angered him also pointed out people, as she knew about this matter since her childhood and thus recognized all people involved.

nAs they finished, the crowd felt their freedom returning to them, but did not move from the spots they stood in, only looking at each other in confusion.

nThey did not really know what to do. It was not like they could do anything against Wu Long. But more than that, they were too used to following orders.

nNow almost all people who gave out those orders were dead, as those who were involved with the ritual were generally higher-

nlevel people.

n“Heh, we meet again, Your Majesty”, Wu Long then noticed someone and turned to one man standing in the crowd, a silver mask among thousands.

nThe man he looked at raised his hand and removed the mask, revealing the face of the King of this country.

n“This humble one greets the one with the Eyes of the Ruler”, the man said with a solemn expression and got on one knee as the others followed, realizing from the man’s words that Wu Long was currently the highest authority in here.

n“Heh, I guess even if you never witnessed them, you still recognize the authority these eyes give, it seems even if rotten they were Bahshi Assassins…”, Wu Long chuckled.

nEven as the Transcendents showed disobedience to the new ruler of Bahshi Assassins by using the ritual she forbid, they still kept the old customs, relaying the knowledge of subordination to the Bahshi Ghost Ruler Eyes, the holder of which was supreme to them.

nNow that the people around heard the Matriarch name the eye technique, they could be certain what they witnessed, and thus act in accordance with their rules.

n“You all are spared and can continue on as you were before, resuming normal operation. Just follow standard procedure and have the remaining highest in rank to lead you. Anything that happened or was said here is to never be spoken of. This hall is to be completely destroyed”, he then said losing further interest in them, not bothering to look further as they collectively made a hand and fist salute, lowering their heads, as he turned back to the twins.

n“Take me to the area belonging to the Transcendents”, he then asked the two, and followed them through a series of underground passages to a separated area.

nHe quickly unraveled any Spiritual Formations and traps, taking away anything he deemed useful and then completely destroyed everything else, particularly seeking out anything related to the ritual in a larger area.

nWhen he was done, the three exited through a complex of small buildings in the middle of the lush forest located in the Forbidden Royal Ancestral Grounds of the Hong Dynasty, and then sped away toward the former Clear Moon Pavilion.

nThe owner was no longer crying, his eyes shining, busy calculating the exact value of his pavilion, quibbling with Kwon Qianhong when he made corrections, as Wu Long instructed the latter to give the man double the value of the pavilion and the same on top of that for emotional duress and lost profits.

nWu Long chuckled at the sight of the two thrifty men arguing the value of the wood used for the flooring, shaking his head.

nIn truth, Wu Long used this pavilion because of its rather remote location and large garden, which allowed his Dao Family and the Frozen Garden, as well as his subordinates, to fit without densely packing the area.

nHe could use a much cheaper cultivation chamber, which would have been more suitable, as a decent one would usually be constructed of the sturdiest materials available in large quantities in the area, and also have a Qi Gathering Formation, as well as other options, making it a better choice for cultivating rather than a luxury pavilion.

nA lot of those were available for rent in major cities like this for wandering cultivators.

nBut most of them on the Three Continents resembled an ant’s nest, with a building or area packed densely with small rooms, driven by the desire to maximally utilize space.

nAfter all, this world’s wandering cultivators, or rogue cultivators as Sects liked calling them, were mostly on the poor side with not significant cultivation bases.

nIt was quite different from the outside where even those without affiliations could boast quite high cultivation and wealth.

nOn this island, every such room also had a Spying Formation of the Bahshi Assassination Group as well.

nNot waiting for the calculations of damage to be over, Wu Long retreated with everyone to the inn, leaving only Kwon Qianhong and Butler Bang on the scene.

nHe introduced the twins to his ladies, who welcomed a new Dao Sister and a new guest of the Wu Family.

nBut they collectively decided to leave all real discussions and conversations for later, as Wu Long needed some time to readjust.

nEven to cultivate with them to recuperate, he had to first be in condition to do so.

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