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n

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nNo matter how hard the man in black struggled to break free, it was all in vain.

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nAs the terror intensified inwardly, his heart dropped to the deepest valleys.

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nPow!

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nThe Painted Ancient Fan slapped onto his chest once. The mighty force broke all his ribs and slammed his body to the ground.

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nXiao Ran walked up to him.

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nHe removed his mask and saw an unfamiliar face. “Who sent you?”

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n“Just kill me if you have the guts!” The man in black closed his eyes tightly, fully prepared for death.

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n“Death is not frightening at all.” Xiao Ran commented.

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nWith his Heavenly Slave Divine Finger activated, 15 shots of finger forces penetrated his body.

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nIt was as if countless ants were biting and tearing away at his soul. They ate a little and spit it out, and repeated this over and over.

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n“Ah…” The scream was earth-shattering.

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nThe man in black was in excruciating pain. He grabbed at his body and forcibly pulled out his flesh, without realizing it.

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n“Tell me everything and I’ll give you a quick death,” Xiao Ran said.

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nThe man in black persisted. After a few minutes, he couldn’t take it anymore.

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nHe would rather die than suffer this inhumane torture again.

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n“I’ll… talk!”

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nA stream of purifying spiritual force was injected into his body and temporarily relieved his pain.

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n“My patience is limited. You only have one chance,” Xiao Ran warned.

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n“Qian Yi sent me,” the man in black said.

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nQian Yi was the Prefectural Governor’s name.

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n“Just as I guessed.”

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nContinuing with the interrogation, he asked, “And what’s this about the Jade Poison Scorpion?”

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n“I don’t know the details either. I don’t know where Qian Yi got it from, but he imprisoned it in a secret location and nurtured it with human flesh and blood.”

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n“Beast!” Xiao Ran cursed.

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n“With your strength, how did you guys manage to subdue it?”

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n“The Jade Poison Scorpion’s sanity has been erased. With the help of the Soul Catcher Bell, there is a chance of controlling it for a while,” the man in black said.

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nXiao Ran retrieved the Soul Catcher Bell from his body.

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nIt was about the size of a palm and had three small bells inside.

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nHe tried shaking it and heard a special bell ring. It was ineffective on ordinary people. It seemed that it could only be used on the Jade Poison Scorpion.

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nHe put away the Soul Catcher Bell and continued with the interrogation.

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nA few moments later,

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nafter Xiao Ran obtained everything he wanted, he made the man in black write down everything he said and then signed it.

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nHe carried him back to the base station of the Divine Sword Guards.

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nLittle Zhou and the others were gathered in the courtyard. All 82 people were present.

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n“Brother Xiao, are you all right?” Seeing Xiao Ran return, Little Zhou hurriedly went up to him.

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n“I’m fine,” Xiao Ran said.

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nAfter Xiao Ran threw the man in black to him, Little Zhou asked, “Who is he?”

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n“He was sent by Qian Yi to command the demon to silence all of us.”

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n“Ah.” Little Zhou knew better than to ask further questions.

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n“Lock him up. Then gather some men and we will go to the Prefectural Governor’s residence,” Xiao Ran ordered.

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nWith 10 men left on duty and to watch over the man in black, the rest followed Xiao Ran and Little Zhou and they rushed to the Prefectural Governor’s residence.

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nAt the Prefectural Governor’s residence,

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nQian Yi was uneasy. He looked at the night sky. He could feel two powerful auras fighting.

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nOne was the Jade Poison Scorpion, and the other was very unfamiliar.

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nHis expression changed drastically. “Is there such a powerful Profound Realm expert in Horizon Prefecture? Could it be him?”

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nShaking his head, he dismissed the speculation.

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nHe was too young to have such a high level of skills evolution.

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nHe brooded for a few seconds, then made up his mind.

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n“Whether it works out or not, I can’t stay here any longer. I have to leave immediately.”

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nHe walked to the wall and lifted a painting to reveal a pattern of plum blossoms. He held it and turned it three times, revealing a secret passage in the ground.

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nHe brought no one with him. Without informing his family and children, he slipped into the secret passage and rushed inside.

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nThe moment he left,

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nXiao Ran arrived with his men. They were stopped by a group of soldiers outside.

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n“What are you doing?” The lead officer barked.

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n“Take them down,” Xiao Ran ordered.

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nLittle Zhou was the first to charge forward. He might not be able to fight against people with high evolution levels, but with these rookies, he was extremely capable.

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nThey quickly subdued the group and then rushed into the residence.

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nIn less than three minutes,

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nthe Prefectural Governor’s residence was completely under control. Everyone was herded together. They squatted on the ground with their hands behind their heads.

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nSome of those who resisted were swiftly dispatched.

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nLittle Zhou said expressionlessly, “He escaped.”

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nXiao Ran did not speak. He activated his spiritual soul energy to check the residence.

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nIn the study, he found a secret passage hidden underground.

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n“I’ll leave this to you. I’ll go capture him,” Xiao Ran instructed.

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n“Brother Xiao, be more careful. Your own safety is top priority. At this point, the case is basically solved. Whether we can catch him or not won’t affect the outcome much,” Little Zhou instructed him in return.

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nXiao Ran gave him a kick in irritation.

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nHe reached the study and broke in.

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nWith a strike of his palm, he blasted open the secret passage. He looked at the steps below and quickly dashed in.

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nA few minutes later,

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na terrifying tsunami up ahead could be heard. Waves crashed and collided wildly, like a gigantic dragon released from its cage, running berserk in a savage manner.

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nXiao Ran also noticed it and said with an icy expression, “One trick after another. If it had been other people here, they would have died here.”

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nInstead of retreating, he advanced.

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nHe headed directly into the incoming tsunami in hot pursuit.

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nHe could breathe freely in the water because he had utilized the Water Gauge Mystic Origin Fruit. Even if he was 100,000 feet under the sea, it would be like walking on flat ground and breathing naturally, not to mention this bit of water pressure.

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nThe Horizon River ran through two prefectures. The river water was rapid and turbulent.

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nLegend had it that there were demons in the river, and they were extremely powerful, highly-evolved demons. However, since ancient times, no one had been able to verify it.

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nAt this moment,

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nQian Yi stood by the river bank and looked at the secret passage that was swallowed by the river, his expression full of malevolence.

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n“A cunning rabbit has three burrows. I’ve been a Prefectural Governor here for ten years. How can I not have any backup plans? How dare you ruin my plan? Go to hell!”

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n“You are going to be disappointed.” Xiao Ran rushed out of the exit.

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nHe then looked at the onrushing river waters. Giant waves surged one after another, relentless and unstoppable.

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