Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 415 Extraterrestrials, Demonic Dragon Strength, Confident Chu Yan'er, Hou Ming's Abilities

The level of human development in the southern foothills of Mo'ao is actually quite high.

The trade between the eight towns was not a matter of a day or two. For relatively basic and common goods such as clothing, the towns had basically integrated them. Top-quality materials aside, the mid-to-low-end clothing worn by ordinary people was already very similar in terms of materials and styles.

Conversely, since the Great Xia had only recently been integrated into the southern foothills of Mo'ao, their summer clothes, with their varied colors and exquisite styles, were quite different from those of the Eight Towns.

Of course, after the opening of Hongmen Port in July, summer clothes gradually spread throughout the eight towns. Currently, some areas have begun to wear summer clothes. Demand drives supply. Furthermore, the summer clothing industry is open to all, and anyone who pays will be taught how to make it. In some places, there are even craftsmen who specialize in making summer clothes.

Regardless of color and material, the summer clothes far surpass those of other towns in terms of both exquisiteness and variety. Based on these two points alone, it is only a matter of time before they replace the traditional clothing of the eight towns.

The signs were already evident from the summer clothing shops that sprang up like mushrooms after rain in the southern part of Hongmen.

Of course, although Xiang Liang could see these things, his focus was not on the six people who had come down from the third floor and taken their seats.

All six were dressed in white. Although Xiang Liang couldn't identify the specific material, he was certain it was cotton. The material wasn't high-end, and the style was quite different from that of Da Xia and Ba Zhen.

"Wuchuan favors black, Muyin favors red, Jinshan favors blue, Jiangxia favors gold, only the people of Beishuo love to wear white..."

As Xiang Liang was pondering, he suddenly heard his colleague Bai Shanning whispering beside him. When he looked up, he realized that not only him, but also the other three Silver Order Wardens who were with him were sizing up the six people.

Xiang Liang did not show any surprise when he saw it.

The Prison Wardens are in charge of criminal matters and are responsible for maintaining public order throughout the Great Xia territory. These prison wardens not only travel to various places to investigate cases, capture and escort prisoners, but also have to prevent people with ulterior motives from infiltrating the Great Xia territory. This is why they can move freely within the Great Xia territory with the prison wardens' tokens.

They pay extra attention to any strangers who stand out, which is one of the professional characteristics of the wardens. Not only Xiang Liang, but the other three are the same.

It's not surprising that Bai Shanning has such knowledge of the clothing of various towns.

The Prison Department has been established for more than five years, and its rules and regulations have become increasingly mature. After being selected as a prison warden, they will go to the Prison Department in the inner city for a month of training, one of which is to memorize the local customs and traditions of various regions on the southern slope of Mo'ao.

"Go and ask."

"it is good!"

Upon hearing Bai Shanning's words, Xiang Liang immediately nodded in agreement.

All four of them were Silver Order Wardens. Strictly speaking, there was no superior-subordinate relationship between them. However, he was not only the weakest among the four, but also the youngest, so he naturally had to be more diligent.

After standing up, Xiang Liang walked directly to the table where the six people were.

The six men immediately noticed and hurriedly greeted him with smiles. Only when they realized that Xiang Liang's target was them did their expressions change slightly.

But they didn't react much. They just waited for Xiang Liang to walk in before the six of them hurriedly stood up. The middle-aged man in the lead awkwardly cupped his hands and asked, "Sir, do you need something from us?"

Seeing the five people's restraint and the awkward expression of the middle-aged man in the lead, Xiang Liang was not surprised. His attire and the silver token at his waist made it clear to anyone with a brain that he had some status.

Xiang Liang took out the token from his waist and showed it, then cupped his hands and smiled, saying, "Xiang Liang, the Great Xia Silver Token Prison Warden, is just conducting a routine inquiry. There's no need for you all to be so formal. Please sit down!"

Upon seeing the token, the middle-aged man immediately relaxed. He skillfully took out a hundred-forged token from his pocket, along with a document attached, and handed it to Xiang Liang.

[The guide, Chu Dongning, is from Chen Gu Village in the far north. He has come to visit Xia City after hearing about its reputation. He is accompanied by six people: Chen Qing, He Yang, Zhu Dong, Chen Yu, Chen Huang, and Chu Yan'er. The characteristics of the six people are as follows...]

Issued by: Hongmen Shouzheng Lin Kai
Date of issuance: September 18th, night.

Upon seeing the token, Xiang Liang immediately relaxed. As the prison warden, he was naturally familiar with the travel permit. Moreover, Chu Dongning's actions were so practiced that he had clearly been questioned at the Longhe and Jinbi outposts before.

Even so, he still read through the documents attached to the travel permit, and then carefully compared the appearances of the six people. After confirming that there were no mistakes, he said, "Where is the female companion who accompanied you?"

Chu Dongning immediately cupped his hands and smiled, "My daughter's cultivation is not high, and she is too tired from the journey to come downstairs. I'll leave her to rest in the guest room. If you don't believe me, I'll go and call her down right away..."

After saying that, he turned his head to look behind him, as if he was about to send someone to call him.

"No need, if you're tired, then get some rest! It's my duty, and I apologize for bothering you all unnecessarily."

"You're too kind, sir. I wouldn't dare!"

Chu Dongning's exaggerated reaction was clearly an act. Considering that he might have already been questioned several times by the prison wardens stationed at other locations, Xiang Liang didn't take it seriously and smiled as he bowed to the six people in farewell.

Back at his table, Xiang Liang saw Bai Shanning and the other two looking at him and said directly, "They are from a village-level camp outside the region. They came here because they heard about us and want to visit Xia City. They just came from Hongmen City like us. They have travel permits issued by Lord Lin Kai, so there's no problem."

Upon hearing this, Bai Shanning immediately nodded and smiled, "You came from Hongmen City. No wonder you've been watching Senior Mu the whole time. You probably set off a little earlier than us."

Having decided to integrate into the southern foothills of Mo'ao, Xia City naturally could not remain closed forever. Hongmen City opened as a port in July, and the outer city of Daxia was also opened to the outside world around the same time.

Now, anyone who goes to the Siya Building in Hongmen City, states their purpose, and pays a small fee per person can freely visit Xia City.

This opening to the outside world was initially only for people from the Eight Towns, but as the fame of the Great Xia Dynasty grew, people from all sorts of remote camps outside the Eight Towns began to come over.

After Xiang Liang finished recounting the contents of the six people's travel permits, Bai Shanning laughed and said, "The far northern outer region, that's further north than Beishuo Town. It's at least a thousand kilometers from here. These people really have it tough..."

Seven people, four at the Cold Resistance level, three at the Earth Digging Realm, Bai Shanning's strength is 15, as I just noticed. The four middle-aged men's strength is only between 8 and 10. With such little strength, they traveled thousands of kilometers, crossing the jurisdiction of eight towns, just to come to Xia City to take a look. It is indeed not easy.

After a pause, Bai Shanning changed the subject and said with a smile, "However, once we get to Xia City, these seven people will most likely be like the others. After the tour, they won't want to go back, and they will definitely end up joining our Great Xia."

Upon hearing this, Xiang Liang and the other two nodded immediately, a proud look on their faces.

Given the current splendor of Xia City, not to mention people from these small places in the outer regions, even those at the Cold Resistance level from the eight towns would linger and not want to leave. In fact, since July, a steady stream of people have chosen to stay after visiting Xia City.

Based on Xiang Liang's observation of the six people's attire and demeanor, he concluded that if those six people were to visit Xia City, they would inevitably choose to stay.

"Alright, Brother Mu, that's enough. Let's continue on our way!"

The seven of them had only been resting here, but as soon as Xiang Fuhai spoke, Mu Longhe, Xiang Liang, and the others immediately stood up and prepared to continue their journey westward.

Meanwhile, the six people at the other table watched the seven leave, and it took them another ten minutes or so before their expressions finally relaxed completely.

Chu Dongning breathed a slight sigh of relief and was about to speak when he suddenly heard footsteps coming from the stairs behind him.

The six people turned around and immediately stood up in unison.

Chu Yan'er, dressed in a light blue robe, slowly descended the stairs. For some reason, her expression was unusually solemn. If one looked closely, one would notice that her long black hair was slightly glistening with moisture.

Chen Yimou immediately asked in a low voice, "Miss, what did you find?"

Chu Yan'er raised her head, a look of horror flashing in her eyes, and said in a deep voice, "The message that Lords Chen Yuanbai and the other two sent back four months ago is probably untrue!"

Chen Yuanbai, Huang Yingqing, and Li Jiuhe were sent by Chencang this April to support the three northern towns in dealing with the three Xianyang-level forces of Dajue Temple.

In May, the three returned to Chencang and naturally reported the situation at Dajue Temple to the central government of the vassal state in detail. As a young princess, Chu Yan'er naturally had the right to know this information.

Chen Yimou happened to know about this as well.

The most important piece of news that Chen Yuanbai brought back was about the Crimson Blood Demon Dragon in Qinghepu.

The seven of them set off from Hongmen City in the first half of last night, and should have arrived in Xia City long ago. The reason they stopped at Qinghepu was for this matter.

Because Chu Yan'er's true strength was greater than that of the six of them, and she had more tricks up her sleeve, the six of them couldn't go against her and could only let her have her way.

Chu Yan'er went to investigate the situation of Chilong Lake alone at dawn and has not returned. When Xiang Liang questioned the six of them just now, Chu Yan'er was not upstairs at all. Fortunately, Chu Dongning had a quick wit and took the initiative to speak up and dispel Xiang Liang's concerns. Otherwise, if Xiang Liang really became suspicious, they really wouldn't know what to do.

The information brought back by Chen Yuanbai and his two companions was false...

Hearing Chu Yan'er's words, Chen Yimou looked completely confused.

Chen Yuanbai is Chen Yimou's uncle, so he also knows some information about the Crimson Blood Demon Dragon. According to the information his uncle brought back four months ago, the Crimson Blood Demon Dragon is extremely powerful. Even if fifteen Manifestation Yang level beings joined forces, they would not be able to gain the slightest advantage against it. It can be almost certain that it is a Five Elements Realm cold beast, or, in Chen Cang's common sense, a royal-level ferocious beast.

"Does Miss mean that the demonic dragon is more than just at the Five Elements Realm?"

"The Five Elements Realm?"

Chu Yan'er was taken aback by the voice, then realized that Chen Yimou had only heard part of the information from others. She shook her head and said in a deep voice, "It can speak human language; it can influence the celestial phenomena with its physical body alone; even fifteen Manifest Yang level cultivators working together cannot harm it; and it can immediately break free from the monster's control when it senses danger during its slumber. How could that Crimson Blood Demon Dragon only be at the Five Elements Realm?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yimou's expression froze instantly, his pupils filled with horror.

Of course, he wasn't the only one; the other five, including Chu Dongning, reacted even more violently.

The Five Elements Realm, the Beast King level, is already an existence they can no longer look up to.

Further up...

"I spent three hours at the bottom of the lake sketching the form of the demonic dragon, but when I got to the eyes, I couldn't get them to go anywhere. My brush has never done anything like this before. That demonic dragon must be at least at the Celestial Phenomenon Realm, or there's another possibility..."

Celestial realm!
boom…………

Before Chu Yan'er could finish speaking, Chen Yimou suddenly stood up from his chair.

"The lowest rank, that means even Lord Fangbo..."

"I haven't finished speaking, what's the rush? Sit down!"

"I have acted improperly, please forgive me, Miss."

Seeing Chen Yimou's panicked expression, Chu Yan'er immediately scolded him in a low voice. After he sat down again, she continued, "There is another possibility: it is a very powerful calamity-level demon."

Teng…………

Chen Yimou, who had just sat down, along with Chu Dongning and the other four, all shuddered and looked up at Chu Yan'er with astonishment on their faces.

You'd be better off not saying anything at all!
At this moment, all six of them had only one thought in their minds.

The Celestial Realm, also known as the Venerable-level ferocious beast, is already very difficult for Chen Cang to deal with, or rather, he is basically unable to deal with it.

What does a calamity-level monster even mean?
The five types of monsters—Craftsman, Nightmare, Vengeful Spirit, God, and Demon—are currently only divided into four levels in Chencang: low, medium, high, and the higher-level Calamity.

Because the abilities and methods of monsters are so varied, it is difficult for humans to classify them before they are completely eradicated. Fortunately, Chen Cang has already killed many monsters so far, which is why he has come up with a method for further classification.

No matter how mysterious the methods used by monsters of low, medium, and high levels, in the final killing, it all comes down to strength.

Based on Chen Cang's years of accumulated experience, if a monster can only exert strength below the Cold Resistance level, it is a low-level monster; if it can exert Cold Resistance level strength, it is a mid-level monster; and if it can exert Yang level strength, it is a high-level monster. For example, after the news from Dajue Temple was sent back to Chen Cang in May of this year, the Night Patrol immediately classified the five masters as high-level monsters.

As for the catastrophic level above that!
The meaning is self-evident.

The power that a calamity-level monster can unleash is beyond the comprehension of most people. In the two hundred years since the development of the Chencang military prefecture, it has only been recorded twice.

Fortunately, both times it happened to other warlords.

"The Records of Chencang mention two instances of calamity-level monsters appearing. One was over eighty years ago, when the Hecang garrison encountered a calamity-level nightmare monster. That nightmare monster caused an earthquake, and half of the territory in the four prefectures of Hecang collapsed directly. More than seven million people disappeared without a trace overnight. Am I right?"

As soon as Zhu Dong spoke, Chu Dongning next to him nodded heavily and continued, "That's right. The second time was more than 30 years ago. The Wei Bo vassal state east of Cai Qiu was invaded by a calamity-level craftsman monster. I remember the book said it was called the Beekeeper. It raised countless giant monster bees. The smaller the size of those monster bees, the stronger their venom. Even a Xianyang-level expert couldn't withstand it."

Weibo suffered the loss of over five million people. In the end, they somehow managed to drive the beekeeper away, and they haven't recovered yet.

In the world of Ice Abyss, information is of utmost importance. Therefore, any camp with the means pays great attention to recording all kinds of news and secrets, especially those concerning monsters. They record and collect not only the monsters encountered by their own camp, but also those encountered by other camps, so that future generations can be wary.

Chen Cang was no exception. All four people present, including Chu Yan'er, had read Chen Cang's Chronicle, so they were basically aware of what Zhu Dong and Chu Dongning were talking about.

So after hearing that, their expressions all froze.

At this moment, they had only one thought in their minds: beneath Crimson Dragon Lake, there was a high probability that a calamity-level demonic beast was slumbering, or at the very least, a Celestial Realm Venerable-level cold beast.

"This Great Xia is going to be in big trouble!"

"What Great Xia? The entire southern slope of Mo'ao is doomed."

"According to what Uncle Yuanbai and the other two said, that Crimson Blood Demon Dragon could awaken at any time within the next few decades. Whether it's a demon or a Venerable-level cold beast, the nine towns of the southern slope of Mo'ao are not enough to deal with it..."

………………

For a moment, all six of Chen Yimou's faces showed sympathy.

Including Chu Yan'er.

The rise of the Great Xia Dynasty was indeed legendary. Chu Yan'er was ashamed of her own talent compared to that of Xia Hong, the lord of the Great Xia Dynasty. She could even conclude that there were probably few people in the entire Chencang who could compare with Xia Hong in terms of talent.

Regardless of which of her two guesses was correct, it would be impossible for Great Xia to grow to a level where it could deal with that Crimson Blood Demon Dragon, let alone decades, or even centuries.

"The total population of the nine towns of Mo'ao is actually over 1500 million, but their strength is a bit weak. This huge time bomb is buried in Chilong Lake. When it explodes one day, it will surely cause devastation. What a pity..."

"If the nine towns unite, no, even if they are integrated, it will be useless."

"Their strength is not even in the same league, so integration is useless."

"Whether it's a Venerable-level Frost Beast or a Calamity-level Demon, it's a devastating blow to this land. No one can save them. In that case, we in Chencang don't need to go to the southern foothills of Mo'ao anymore..."

"Who says no one can save them?"

He Yang, the last to speak, was interrupted by Chu Yan'er before he could finish. He and the other five looked up in confusion. Chu Yan'er's solemn face revealed a confident expression as she said, "We are all humans struggling to survive in the Ice Abyss. How can we, Chencang, sit idly by and watch so many people in the southern foothills of Mo'ao perish in vain? Lord Fangbo has always taught us that with greater strength comes greater responsibility. Have you all forgotten that?"

The six people's expressions lifted slightly upon hearing Chu Yan'er's words.

"Lord Fang has a broad mind and cares about the human race. Even if he knows that this demonic dragon is powerful, he will definitely not sit idly by. Besides, decades of time are definitely useless to the Great Xia, but it may be different for Chencang. Whether Lord Fang takes another step forward or Chencang produces a few more experts at the Tribulation Realm, it is not a dream to fight against the demonic dragon!"

Besides, we don't necessarily have to confront the demonic dragon. As long as we can clear the Blood Miasma Plains before it awakens and save the countless lives on the southern slopes, isn't that a piece of cake?

Upon hearing these words, everyone immediately understood and their eyes lit up.

Yup!

Decades of effort might not be enough for the Great Xia, but it would be different for Chencang. Besides, even if they couldn't truly contend with the demonic dragon, once they opened up the Blood Miasma Plain, rescuing people shouldn't be a problem.

"Miss's wisdom and foresight are truly admirable!"

Chu Yan'er waved her hand slightly, turned her head to look to the west, and said with a glimmer of light in her eyes, "In my opinion, after opening up the Blood Miasma Plain, the only difficulty for Chen Cang to go south may be this Great Xia lord."

Recalling the entire process of yesterday's battle at Hongmen, all six people present nodded in agreement. Chen Yimou even spoke up directly: "This lord of Great Xia has quite the bearing of a powerful ruler. Now that Great Xia has firmly established itself as the overlord of the Southern Mountains, it will definitely be extremely wary of us foreign forces."

Chu Dongning immediately showed a hint of apprehension and replied, "I think he's more than just a powerful leader. Thinking back to last year's Dajue Temple turmoil, Daxia was secretly watching from the beginning, winning over Jiangxia and supporting Muyin. In the final battle of Ba Shang, he suddenly attacked and killed the three masters, set up a trap to redraw the Ba Shang territory, and completely established himself in the Nine Towns. In less than five months, he was able to subdue six towns and win the hearts of all nine towns. The whole process was step by step, steady and solid. I've seen many town-level camp lords, but those who can compare to Xia Hong can be counted on one hand!"

"The key point is that he seems to have figured out that Brother Chen was behind the Three Towns Chamber of Commerce incident. Yesterday, he even ordered the three towns to send the body over and made all six towns send people to cooperate with the investigation. It's clear that he wants to get to the bottom of this matter. He's planning to continue to win over the hearts of the eight towns. I think the title of overlord of the Southern Mountain is not enough for Xia Hong. At the very least, he's aiming for the title of the ruler of the nine towns. If this continues, it's probably only a matter of time before Great Xia annexes the eight towns!"

"It's only because Brother Chen is so capable that he could have been found out. If it were someone else, they might have been caught. Xia Hong is indeed a tough opponent!"

Hearing Chen Yimou and the others' evaluation of Xia Hong, Chu Yan'er nodded slightly, a proud look on her face, and said, "The more talented, the better. Lord Fangbo has always loved talent. Once he unifies the southern part of Mo'ao, Xia Hong will surely become a pillar of our Chencang."

All six nodded, their faces showing an expression of understanding that this was the right thing to do.

"By the way, how long did it take for the group that was escorting Mu Longhe to leave?"

"At most fifteen minutes."

Upon hearing Chu Yan'er's question, Chen Yimou immediately answered, then asked with curiosity, "Why is Miss asking this?"

Chu Yan'er smiled and said, "Xia City's control over its territory is indeed too strict. The checks are so frequent. If this continues, it will easily cause problems. It just so happens that we are going to visit Xia City, and we are still missing a guide! We can catch up with them and find an opportunity to travel with them."

Chen Yimou was taken aback upon hearing this, and said with concern, "Miss, isn't this a bit inappropriate? There are two Xianyang-level experts in that group. What if they see through us..."

Chu Yan'er immediately took out a silver pill bottle from her hand and said confidently, "Don't worry, just take another Blood Concealment Pill before we set off. Not to mention those two Manifestation Yang level cultivators, even Xia Hong won't be able to see our true strength."

The six hesitated for a moment, but seeing that Chu Yan'er had already started distributing pills, they didn't say anything more, took the pills and swallowed them.

"They should be taking the straight path, we need to think of a way..."

After discussing for a while, Chu Yan'er and her six companions quickly came up with an idea. They swiftly left the post station and set off from Qinghepu, continuing westward. However, this time they did not take the straight road but instead quickly crossed the snow.

........................

The third day of the tenth month in the eighth year of the Great Xia Dynasty

Hongmen City, Siya Building
The main hall on the first floor was currently packed with a large crowd.

Xia Chuan sat at the head of the table, and below him were Yuwen Tao, Yuan Cheng, Qiu Peng, Xu Ning, Lin Kai, Liu Yuan, Zhu Xing, Wang Yuan, and many other people from the Great Xia Dynasty.

On the left and right sides of Xia Chuan, there are four seats. The first seat on the left is Murong Ping, the head of the Muyin Supervisory Council. Next to him are Yang Rong, the head of the Beishuo Supervisory Council, Shangguan Yuan, the head of the Jinshan Supervisory Council, and Ye Yizhou, the head of the Wuchuan Supervisory Council.
Sitting at the head of the right side is Xiahou Qin, the head of Jiangxia Academy, followed by Cao Tianying, the head of Yangqu Academy, Long Wenbai, the head of Longgu Academy, and finally Duan Xing, the head of Chuishan Academy.

The eight towns were arranged in a circular order, which obviously did not indicate any particular order; otherwise, the three northern towns would certainly not have agreed to such an arrangement.

At this moment, in the very center of the nine seats, there were thirty-two corpses neatly arranged. All the corpses had many spots on their faces, and it was clear from the time that they had been dead for a long time.

At this moment, among the eight academy leaders, the ones with the most unpleasant expressions were Yang Rong from Beishuo, Cao Tianying from Yangqu, and Long Wenbai from Longgu.

The three looked down at the corpses on the ground closest to them, their eyes filled with sorrow, occasionally flashing with anger.

Given the perilous nature of the Ice Abyss, humans have long been accustomed to death and naturally do not have much of a taboo about the dead.

But that also depends on how close or distant the relationship is.

The 32 corpses on the ground were the members of the Chambers of Commerce of Beishuo, Yangqu and Longgu towns who were killed on the first, third and fifth days of last month, respectively.

There are 13 people from Beishuo, 9 from Yangqu, and 10 from Longgu, making a total of 32.

On the 18th of last month, Xia Hong gave the three towns a ten-day deadline. Five days earlier, they had already sent the bodies of the deceased members of their respective merchant guilds to Hongmen City.

Whether the lords of the various towns thought about the Great Xia's insistence on investigating the case was unknown, but in the eyes of the people present at this moment, it was clearly bullying.

On the 18th of last month, Xia Hong defeated Yang Zun in one battle. The twelve beast kings that appeared out of nowhere completely shocked the six towns. Even Yang Zun was so frightened that he took the initiative to say that there was another hidden story behind the deaths of the 13 people from the Beishuo Chamber of Commerce. How could Yangqu and Longgu towns still have the courage to investigate?

When Yang Rong, Cao Tianying, and Long Wenbai delivered the body on the 28th of last month, they were already mentally prepared; they were simply there to cooperate with Da Xia in putting on a show.

What kind of show is this?

It was naturally discovered by the Great Xia that the real culprit was not Yuwen Tao and his two companions!
The three of them never expected that the Great Xia would go to such extremes.

At this moment, almost none of the 32 corpses on the ground were intact; the original wounds on all the corpses had been reopened.

"Five days, supposedly to investigate a case, and all they did was destroy these 32 corpses like this. Great Xia really has some impressive methods!"

"Isn't it a bit much to go to such lengths to destroy evidence?"

"The Great Xia lord is so powerful and has extraordinary abilities, we three towns didn't dare to pursue the matter in the first place, so why do we have to desecrate the corpse like this?"

Seeing that Xia Chuan, who was seated at the head of the table, remained silent for a long time, Yang Rong, Cao Tianying, and Long Wenbai finally couldn't contain their anger and started to mock him.

Xia Chuan looked down at the three of them but didn't respond. Instead, he turned to Hou Ming in the line on the left and waved, saying, "Hou Ming, you said you found the results. Let's start now!"

"I obey my orders!"

After Hou Ming agreed, he stepped out from the crowd, looked around at the eight academy leaders present, as well as the eight towns of the Cold-resistant level behind them, and finally faced the direction of the three towns of Beishuo, Yangqu, and Longgu. He cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Hou Ming, the Great Xia Golden Order Prison Warden, apologizes to the three academy leaders first."

Yang Rong, Cao Tianying, and Long Wenbai were stunned.

"Hou Ming has been investigating the case for the past five days, and he has caused a lot of damage to the corpse without informing the three heads of the court. This is indeed a bit excessive. I hope that the three of you will be understanding, considering that we are all working together to find out the truth."

Upon hearing Hou Ming's words, Yang Rong sneered and made no response, while Cao Long and the other man's expressions softened considerably.

Hou Ming didn't waste any more words. He walked directly to the 13 corpses of Bei Shuo and pointed at Yang Ning behind Yang Rong, asking, "Yang Ning, you said before that you personally saw Lord Yuan kill 13 people from Bei Shuo all by himself on the night of the first day of the ninth month, is that right?"

Yang Ning's face was filled with hatred, but he stepped forward without flinching and nodded in response, "That's right, I saw it with my own eyes."

"Then let me ask you, what weapon did Lord Yuan use to kill him?"

"It's his double-edged giant axe!"

All eyes immediately turned to Yuan Cheng.

To be precise, it was on the silver double-edged giant axe next to him.

Yuan Cheng's face twitched slightly, but he did not speak.

"Alright! Let's put aside for now whether Lord Yuan has the ability to kill Yang Fan and thirteen others at such a fast speed. Please take a look at Yang Fan's corpse first."

Yang Fan did indeed have a large axe mark on his forehead, and his entire face was almost completely cleaved apart. It was clear that he had been killed by an axe chopping into his face.

Seeing everyone staring at Yang Fan's head, Hou Ming bent down and pried open the flesh between his eyebrows with his bare hands.

Yang Fan has been dead for so long, and his body has been frozen for many days. You can imagine how stiff his flesh and blood are. But Hou Ming is a level 25 expert, so it shouldn't be difficult for him to pry open the flesh and blood of the body.

laugh…………

Hearing the sound of flesh being torn from bones, everyone's brows twitched violently.

After Hou Ming peeled away the flesh from Yang Fan's forehead, he stood Yang Fan's body upright and then showed the exposed skull to everyone.

Because the flesh on the forehead of the corpse had been ripped open, everyone could see the condition of the bones inside at a glance, and upon seeing this, everyone's expression immediately froze.

There was a small crack about the width of a thumb on the bone between the eyebrows of the corpse.

"Have you all noticed anything?"

Those present today are all quite old. They only lowered their heads to think for a moment before immediately understanding, and their expressions changed drastically.

The small laceration at the brow bone was much deeper than the original wound on Yang Fan's face, indicating that there was a very high probability that the fatal wound was actually this laceration on the brow bone, rather than the wound on the face caused by the axe blade.

It's not just a very high probability, it should be over 90%!

Judging from the slash marks on Yang Fan's face, Yang Fan would have been dead without a doubt after that axe blow. If Yuan Cheng had really killed him, there would have been no need for him to stab Yang Fan between the eyebrows with his sword; it would have been a pointless act.

"Of course, one body isn't enough to prove anything..."

Hou Ming then spoke again, turning his head to gesture towards the Great Xia side. Immediately, more than a dozen Silver Token Wardens came out and, together with him, helped to lift the bodies of the other twelve Beishuo Chamber of Commerce victims. Then, some opened the chests, some the backs of the skulls, and some the spines...

Every area they tore open had a tear about the width of a thumb.

"These small cracks in the bones are very obvious in color. You all know whether we added them later..."

Hou Ming spoke first to explain, then paused and continued, "The eight academy leaders are all above me in cultivation, so they should know very well that the strength of a Cold-Resistant level cultivator is concentrated in their skin and flesh. Putting aside the other twelve people, let's take Yang Fan, whose strength is 31, as an example. If you want to break through his skin and flesh and strike straight to his bones, I dare ask you, how many of you here can do it?"

Everyone present immediately looked at Yuan Cheng, then turned to Yuwen Tao next to him, and finally looked at Xia Chuan, their expressions changing drastically at the same time.

"To achieve this, one needs at least a strength of 50 or higher, and none of those present today possess that, right?"

Hou Ming spoke confidently, plunging everyone into silence.

Only Xia Chuan, Yuwen Tao, Yuan Cheng, and Xu Ning, who were at the head of the table, exchanged glances, a strange glint in their eyes.

Others may not know, but they themselves know that if they put in their full effort, they are capable of achieving it.

Of course, they couldn't possibly offer any explanation at this moment.

"If it were only the Beishuo family in this situation, it could be an accident, but please continue reading!"

Before anyone could speak, Hou Ming continued to gesture to his subordinates.

As Hou Ming and his team uncovered small, thumb-width cracks deep within the bones of the other nineteen corpses, just as they had done before, the expressions of the eight town leaders and their companions all changed.

"You all should have noticed, right? The wide wounds on the nine corpses of the Yangqu Chamber of Commerce are not as deep as these small lacerations; and the normal knife wounds on the ten corpses of Longgu are not as deep as these small lacerations. I don't need to say more about what this means, do I?"

What else could it mean!
Anyone with a bit of experience could tell from those small cracks that they were clearly made by a longsword with a blade about the width of a thumb.

No matter how strong a person is, they cannot change the weapon they are accustomed to using. After all, Bingyuan often has to fight to the death with cold beasts. People like Xia Hong who can master all weapons are extremely rare.

The small cracks on the skeletons of the 32 corpses were all deeper than normal wounds, which means that those small cracks were the real fatal wounds of these people.

Judging from the depth of the wound on Yang Fan's brow bone, the person who used the sword must have been at least level 50. No one present today has that level of strength.

Not only among those present today, but even if you searched the entire Nine Towns, you probably couldn't find more than twenty people with a strength of 50 or above.

"Gentlemen, things are basically clear now. There is a Cold-Resistant level expert with a strength of over 50, who knows the weapons that Lords Yuwen, Yuan, and Qiu usually use. This person killed members of the Three Towns Chamber of Commerce on the first, third, and fifth days of September, and deliberately created these wounds with his weapon after killing them, making the Three Towns mistakenly believe that the three lords really did the killings."

"Impossible, absolutely impossible, you're lying!"

"I saw Yuwen Tao kill people with my own eyes. I saw it with my own eyes, how could it be fake? I even swore on my cultivation level, and you still don't believe me?"

"I saw Qiu Peng kill people with my own eyes. You've deliberately staged this to deceive us!"

………………

Seeing that everyone in the room was nodding in agreement with Hou Ming's assessment, Yang Ning, Cao Yuanwu, and Long Bohai could no longer stand there. They were too emotional and forgot all the instructions given to them by their elders. Regardless of whether they offended anyone, they stood up and shouted that Hou Ming was lying.

At this, everyone's expression froze slightly.

In particular, to increase the credibility of their words, the three of them started swearing oaths about their cultivation levels in front of everyone, which confused everyone again.

These three really don't seem to be lying!
However, the evidence Hou Ming provided was already extremely convincing.

what is the problem?

"Gentlemen, why don't you let me give it a try?"

　Last day, please vote! There's one more chapter before midnight today!!!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)