Trapped in the dungeon, they were unaware of the situation outside, only that Magical Combat had broken out.

Yang Jing frowned. The number of female cultivators in the dungeon didn’t match the number of those reported missing.

"Who are your accomplices?"

Yan Xiangzhi stiffened his neck and said nothing. ’I’m a Noble Son,’ he thought. ’Abducting a few female cultivators is hardly a major crime. All I’ll have to do is pay some Spirit Stones and I’ll just be sentenced to confinement. I won’t be able to leave the clan lands, but I’ll still live a life of leisure.’

Yang Jing had the Demon Suppression Army soldiers come and escort the imprisoned female cultivators out. He ordered them to record their identities so their families could come and claim them.

The guards and servants in the manor were arrested along with Yan Xiangzhi.

As a Noble Son, Yan Xiangzhi couldn’t be punished severely, but the same couldn’t be said for the others.

Just as Yang Jing was about to leave, Yan Xiangzhi, who had been silent, suddenly started talking. Like beans spilling from a bamboo tube, he poured out the entire story behind the Mingfei Joyful Method.

Having a good idea of the reason, Yang Jing quickly jotted down the long list of names. To his surprise, Zuoqiu Ye’s name was also among them.

The Nascent Soul True Monarchs who were observing the scene had already broken into a heated argument.

"Old Ghost Yan, you shameless old bastard! You’re going down, and you insist on dragging everyone else down with you."

Among that list of names were members of two other Noble Families whose Nascent Soul True Monarchs were also present. They naturally knew it was the Yan Family’s Ancestor who had sent a thousand-mile voice transmission ordering Yan Xiangzhi to sell everyone else out.

Yang Jing’s heart sank when he heard about the Mingfei Joyful Method. He never imagined that this infamous Evil Technique had been brought to the Central Continent by Sima Peng.

After this technique spread through the Western Continent, it caused tremendous chaos. In some of the more lawless areas, female cultivators didn’t even dare to leave their homes.

Some observers speculated that this Evil Technique was created by the Four Demon Sects specifically to destabilize the Four Continents, as nearly every member of the Four Demon Sects practiced it.

Yang Jing suppressed his doubts and dispatched his Demon Suppression Army soldiers to arrest the noble scions who were practicing the Mingfei Joyful Method.

Three of the noble scions were even in the crowd of onlookers. Being from Noble Families, their information network was better than Sima Peng’s, so they had arrived a bit earlier. They never expected Yan Xiangzhi to be so dishonorable as to sell everyone out.

After witnessing the power of Yang Jing’s Water Dragon Magical Sword, the three noble scions became much more compliant and surrendered without a fight.

The commotion from breaking through the Five Elements Array had been immense, yet not a single member of the Yan Family had appeared. These noble scions, who were adept at reading the political winds, guessed that the Nascent Soul Ancestors had already come to an agreement.

’If we put up a desperate struggle and Yang Jing just kills us in the process, wouldn’t that be a terrible loss?’

’Sima Peng.’

Yang Jing silently contemplated the name of the man who started it all, the originator of the Mingfei Joyful Method. ’Ever since this man came to the Western Continent, he’s done nothing but stir up trouble. Does he really think I won’t dare to kill him?’

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Sima Peng arrived with his guards. When he saw the noble scions close to him being arrested one after another, his anger flared.

"Yang Jing! They are noble by birth! How can they suffer such humiliation?"

Sima Peng stared at Yang Jing, feeling an intense possessiveness rise within him. Something on Yang Jing’s person was attracting him.

Yang Jing was so angered by this statement that he almost laughed.

In the eyes of people like Sima Peng, only Noble Sons were truly human. Low-born Independent Cultivators were no different than pigs or dogs. Abducting a few to use as Tripod Furnaces was like taking a few sheep from someone else’s pen to eat. It was a crime, yes, but only a minor one.

Just compensate the owner with a few Spirit Stones, and that would be the end of it.

"Sima Peng, you spread an Evil Technique of Gathering and Replenishing, and you abducted cultivators from our Western Continent to use as Tripod Furnaces. Having committed such crimes, do you really have the luxury of worrying about others?"

Yang Jing’s words only agitated Sima Peng further. His Magical Power began to fluctuate, transforming into a howling astral wind.

The Venerable from the Primordial Storage Realm thought, ’This is bad.’ Seeing Yang Jing, he finally understood why the Primordial Seed in Sima Peng’s Divine Soul was so agitated, subconsciously driving Sima Peng to make an enemy of him.

It turned out that Yang Jing had, by some twist of fate, killed a Fur God and was even carrying its corpse with him.

To a Primordial Seed, a Fur God was practically the finest blood-meal imaginable.

This made the Venerable extremely anxious. He had been in the Nine Heavens World for some time now and had gained a general understanding of its cultivators. Right now, a dozen or so Nascent Soul Cultivators were clearly watching the situation. If they noticed something amiss from Sima Peng’s expression, wouldn’t his grand plan for the Primordial Storage Realm be at risk of exposure?

Possessing the Grotto Dark Dharma Eye and Bright Qi Talent, Yang Jing’s perception was far sharper than that of an ordinary cultivator.

He too now sensed something strange about Sima Peng.

’Sima Peng managed to cultivate to the Foundation Establishment Realm. Even if he has a perverse temperament, he should have some degree of Willpower. Why does it feel like he’s practicing a Demon Skill and can’t control his own emotions?’

Seeing that the two might come to blows, Li Xishan hurriedly stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Yang Jing.

"Secretary Yang, Secretary Yang, please, don’t fight! Young Master Sima is a scion of the Noble Family behind my Celestial Treasure Tower. He only made such a mistake because he isn’t familiar with the rules of our Western Continent. The Celestial Treasure Tower is willing to compensate for all the damages!"

he said through gritted teeth.

If anything happened to Sima Peng in the Northern Domain, his career as General Manager would be over.

"We all have business to conduct. The Celestial Treasure Tower has also made great contributions to the stability of the Northern Domain. I implore you, Secretary Yang, be merciful where you can."

Yang Jing narrowed his eyes. "Shopkeeper Li, are you saying that because of the Celestial Treasure Tower, this Sima Peng can do as he pleases in the Northern Domain Seven Kingdoms, and my Northern Army Governor’s Mansion should just hold its nose and accept it?"

Sweat immediately broke out on Li Xishan’s forehead.

"Secretary Yang, that’s not what I meant at all! Not at all!"

Yang Jing said, "My official position is Seven Kingdoms Minister, not Secretary of the Seven Nations Ticket Office Board. Sima Peng has spread the Demon Sect’s Evil Technique of Gathering and Replenishing in my Northern Domain and abducted my people to be his Tripod Furnaces. If I do not punish him severely, where would the authority of the Northern Army Governor’s Mansion be?"

In the next moment, the howling astral wind shot straight toward Yang Jing, engulfing Li Xishan in its path as well.

Li Xishan was caught completely off guard. He never imagined Sima Peng would attack so suddenly. Fortunately, his Defensive Spiritual Artifact activated on its own, raising a Protective Spirit Light that blocked the astral wind.

Amid a harsh, scraping sound, a stunned Li Xishan looked back to see that Sima Peng had already summoned his Magical Treasure, the Cyan Sparrow Ring. He was using it to channel even more astral wind, trying to tear Yang Jing to shreds.

Li Xishan could feel his Protective Spirit Light beginning to waver under the relentless assault of the astral wind.

Sima Peng wasn’t holding back in the slightest. His face was savage, his eyes filled with malice, completely devoid of his usual suave demeanor.

"Haha, Shopkeeper Li, you’re so loyal to Sima Peng, yet he just sees you as a stray dog he can kick aside at any moment."

Yang Jing still had the leisure to taunt Li Xishan.

Li Xishan’s face fell, and he moved aside.

Without him blocking the way, the howling astral wind blew directly toward Yang Jing.

Although Yang Jing had used up more than half of his Magical Power breaking the Five Elements Spirit Suppressing Array, he wasn’t the least bit flustered. The concept of one’s state of mind might seem esoteric, but it was very real.

How could someone like Sima Peng—ambitious but untalented, impatient and hot-headed—ever grasp the true meaning of a Daoist Technique?

He formed a Sword Mantra with his hands, and the Celestial Waterfall Sword immediately surged with the Five Elements True Fire, transforming into a Fire Dragon Magical Sword.

As Yang Jing channeled his Magical Power, the Fire Dragon Magical Sword, now dozens of yards long, shuddered violently. It unleashed immense power as its True Fire flared, crashing straight into the howling astral wind.

The astral wind was swift; confronting it with the Water Dragon Sword Scripture would have been too clumsy. That was why Yang Jing chose the ferocious Fire Dragon Sword Scripture for this Magical Combat against Sima Peng.

Thanks to the Five Elements True Fire, this Sword Mantra’s power was even greater than that of the Water Dragon Sword Scripture.

BOOM!

The Fire Dragon and the astral wind collided.

Yang Jing let out a soft sound of surprise. Sima Peng hadn’t been utterly defeated. Although his Fire Dragon Magical Sword had the upper hand, his advantage wasn’t as great as he had anticipated.