The immortal is beside me

Chapter 22 Jiuli Arrives
11:00 am, Liangzhou City Lianhu Shopping Center.

Normally, this time would be a small peak in the shopping mall's traffic, but today the lights on the center building were dim, all the shop curtains were closed, and there was a thick dead air in the air.

Outside the building, a long yellow cordon stretched across the entire road. All the crowds within five kilometers were dispersed, leaving only armed special police patrolling in front of the cordon.

A black sedan approached from the main road, the Environmental Sanitation Bureau logo clearly visible on the window. The special police officers stationed on both sides saw the license plate and immediately pulled back the roadblocks, allowing the car to enter the security zone.

Five minutes later, the car stopped by the roadside. Lu Zhenhai, who had changed into combat uniform, opened the car door. As soon as he got out of the car, he saw dozens of commissioners gathered in the fountain square, forming an airtight circle.

"Captain Lu, you're here!"

Seeing Lu Zhenhai coming, the leading specialist immediately ran up to report to him.

"This morning, our informant passed us information that nine members of the Peach Blossom Land were preparing to attack the commercial street. We captured two of them in the neighborhood, and the remaining seven escaped into the mall and are currently confronting us."

"Have you tried long-range point kills?"

"We've tried both assaults and fixed-point sniping. But the enemy has a special technique that can deceive snipers' vision. As for assaults, we can't use heavy weapons in this terrain. We've tried three times and failed."

Lu Zhenhai frowned slightly as he listened to his subordinates' reports.

Not quite right.

Since receiving the emergency notification two nights ago, this was already the third Peach Blossom Spring incident he had handled, with the locations occurring in residential areas, the city stadium, and a shopping street. To prevent further impact, the Environmental Sanitation Bureau deployed several times their usual staff, barely managing to contain the situation.

Although Taohuayuan had caused chaos and harmed the people many times in the past, most of them were done through imperceptible guidance or soul cleansing. Even if they had to use destructive magic, they would try to keep the noise as small as possible to avoid alerting the enemy.

But now this group of people has suddenly changed their approach and is targeting places where people gather, as if they are afraid that the sanitation bureau will not notice them.

Lure the tiger away from the mountain, and make a feint to the east and attack in the west. These two words popped up in Lu Zhenhai's mind.

"Have all the checkpoints on the main roads been set up?" Lu Zhenhai asked the specialist beside him.

"Everything has been arranged within a five-kilometer radius from the incident site."

"Not enough," Lu Zhenhai said decisively. "Contact the Transportation Bureau. They'll set up surveillance at all exits except for the checkpoints within the city. Also, share the intelligence we obtained about the Peach Blossom Spring individuals with Skynet. Have them search for anyone matching their profile."

The specialist was stunned for a moment: "Search? But the people mentioned in the intelligence are all trapped in the shopping mall."

"Just do it. If they have any questions, let them come to me."

".yes."

The sound of footsteps ran away, and Lu Zhenhai looked back at the shopping mall building behind him, his eyes slightly narrowed.

The enemy chose to start a riot in a residential area like this; it was an open conspiracy. Even if he realized it was wrong, he couldn't just ignore it. He could only jump in and strive for a quick victory.

This was downtown, and the police couldn't just send a Dongfeng down and flatten the shopping mall. If they were to engage in individual combat, aiming to minimize noise, supernatural means would definitely outperform firearms in this type of terrain.

However, according to intelligence, the other side has at least three foundation-building cultivators this time. Although the Environmental Sanitation Bureau also has cultivators, they have only practiced Qi Refining for 10 to 20 years at most, not to mention that the other side also has the advantage of terrain.

This is likely to be a tough battle.

He mentally estimated the firepower, pulled out the intercom from his waist, and prepared to dispatch three more combat teams. Just as he opened the communication channel, a loud voice rang out.

"Just a bunch of street rats, yet they dare to parade through the streets."

The voice came from behind, and all the commissioners who heard it, including Lu Zhenhai, were shocked.

It is an instinctive reaction to a powerful creature, just like hearing a tiger roar in the wild forest. Even if the other party has no ill intentions, one can't help but feel scared.

Lu Zhenhai turned around following the sound, and saw a figure appearing on the steps behind him.

He was a man wearing a white Taoist robe. He looked to be around thirty years old, with a retro bun, sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. There was a hint of majesty flowing between his brows. Just standing there made people feel a bit of awe.

"I didn't expect you to be here in person today."

Lu Zhenhai had seen a lot of things, so he calmed down in a few seconds and saluted the man, saying, "Junior Lu Zhenhai, greetings to Deacon Jiang."

Jiang Ruifeng, a senior deacon of the Jiuli Sect, has reached the Golden Core stage. Information shows that he is over 400 years old, and he can be considered an elite in terms of both cultivation and age.

As one of the sects with the closest ties to the government, Jiuli has always dispatched elite monks to the Environmental Sanitation Bureau. These elites are often dispersed across various regional branches, functioning like embassies and intelligence stations.

When special circumstances occur, these people will also fight as official monks. Due to their outstanding combat capabilities, their status in the bureau is quite high, and even the top leaders from all over the country have to be respectful when they meet them.

"A few days ago, I received a notice that Deacon Jiang was preparing to come to support us. I had originally planned to hold a ceremony to welcome him within the bureau, but then this mission suddenly came up today. I apologize for any impoliteness."

Lu Zhenhai clasped his hands in front of his chest, leaned forward slightly, and performed a standard Ming Dynasty bow.

Jiang Ruifeng is over four hundred years old, which means he is from the Ming Dynasty. When meeting such a person, one must follow the old etiquette. This is an unwritten rule.

"Director Lu, you're welcome. My sect has heard about the Peach Blossom Spring incident and sent me here to investigate the situation and provide assistance. You can discard the complicated formalities and simply tell me the situation directly."

Jiang Ruifeng also raised his hand in return, speaking fluent Mandarin, "I never expected that our sect's ancient enemy, Peach Blossom Spring, would resurrect. I just heard you were planning to round up those rats in this building?"

No nonsense, straight to the point, typical monk style.

"That's right," Lu Zhenhai said. "There are so many people here, the risk of capturing him alive is too high. If we're not careful, it could endanger the residential area. To be on the safe side, it's best to kill him directly."

The arrival of the Jiuli Sect's senior deacon was great news for everyone at the Environmental Sanitation Bureau. With a Jindan master at his side, his earlier worries were significantly alleviated, and even his tone of voice became a bit more assertive.

"It's difficult to use firearms in this terrain, and we need the help of monks. Deacon Jiang, if it's convenient for you, please help us destroy the enemy."

"No problem. That suits me just fine."

Jiang Ruifeng bent his fingers slightly, a glimmer of light flashed, and a magical sword appeared in his hand. He pulled the sword out of its sheath, his eyes reflecting a chilling cold light.

"A peerless elder of our sect once said: To eliminate evil, the only way is to stop killing. In this situation, we should follow the teachings of our ancestors."

Killing to stop killing? Lu Zhenhai's heart stirred slightly. The feeling he had when he first read the History of the Nine Li reappeared, and he immediately remembered the name of that "predecessor." Zhou Wuqing. If it was him, he was indeed worthy of the word "unparalleled."

Thousands of years have passed, and the descendants of Jiuli are still passing on his famous sayings.

Lu Zhenhai sighed in his heart, raised the walkie-talkie in his hand and switched to short-distance call mode.

"Everyone, please activate the auxiliary B formation."

There was a buzzing sound, and several drones rose into the sky from all directions and circled around the shopping mall.

Each mech was inscribed with a special spell script. Under the control of the ground specialists, the mechs intertwined to form a massive formation in the air. Below, all anti-aircraft units were fully prepared, guarding the formation with all their might to ensure its proper function.

"Positioning completed."

A talisman was handed to Jiang Ruifeng. Using this talisman, the cultivator's perception could be connected to the formation, expanding the range of his spiritual awareness by more than five times, enough to cover the entire shopping mall.

Jiang Ruifeng slowly stroked the blade of the spirit sword with his fingertips. Wherever his fingers touched, the spirit patterns engraved on the sword lit up, stimulating tiny lightning to surround the side of the sword.

He closed his eyes and concentrated, his consciousness sweeping across the tens of thousands of square meters of buildings with the help of the formation. Suddenly, he opened his eyes abruptly and pointed with two fingers at an open window on the east side of the mall.

"go."

The sword clanged, and the spirit sword, surrounded by lightning, flew up, splitting into several streaks in the air and transforming into flickering streams of light. Under Jiang Ruifeng's control, the streaks of light flew in through the open window of the mall and disappeared into the shadows behind the window.

The specialists all stretched their necks, hoping to catch a glimpse of Jin Dan's impressive performance. However, after a while, the imagined spectacle did not materialize. Jiang Ruifeng remained standing there with his arms folded, as if nothing had happened.

“What is this?”

Someone started to murmur inwardly. Before they could finish their question, they saw a flash of light before their eyes, a pause, and then the faint sound of thunder could be heard.

With the flying sword rushing into the spot as the center, the interior of the shopping mall, which had been without power, suddenly lit up for a moment. Amid the crackling sound of electricity, the neon signs in front of the window flickered and extinguished, bursting with electric sparks, as if a short circuit had occurred due to the impact of excessive current.

Several screams rang out from inside the building, accompanied by flashes and explosions of spiritual power conflict, but they only lasted for a few seconds before falling silent.

A stream of light with electric sparks flew out from the open window, turned into a magic sword in the air, and returned to Jiang Ruifeng's hand.

He sheathed the sword with one hand and nodded to Lu Zhenhai beside him, saying, "The body is on the east side of the second floor. Manager Lu, please send someone to collect it."

Those who had been murmuring just now fell silent. A team of specialists trotted into the mall, and ten minutes later, they really came out carrying several corpses and lined them up on the ground.

There were mixed discussions and gasps all around. It was the first time for many commissioners to see such a strong man in action, and they were stunned by his quick and decisive fighting style.

They had originally imagined this would be a thrilling battle, with Jindan cultivators displaying their divine might, turning the world upside down and crushing the enemy with thunderous force. But in reality, it wasn't even a battle. From the moment the attack began to the moment it ended, it took only a few tens of seconds, and the enemy was reduced to a corpse.

"Deacon Jiang is truly a man of extraordinary skill, truly astonishing." Lu Zhenhai saluted again, his words full of genuine admiration.

Compared with those large-scale spells with great momentum, Jiang Ruifeng's action this time seems to be insignificant, but it is even more terrifying in the eyes of those who know the matter.

Without much movement, without even a face-to-face encounter, he annihilated the enemy in a matter of seconds. This could only be attributed to absolute overwhelming power. When heavy weapons were unavailable, he became the heavy weapon.

The powerful Jindan master is so terrifying!
"You're too polite, Director Lu." Jiang Ruifeng waved his hand and said, "Once the corpse is examined, please send a copy of the results to our sect. If it is really the Peach Blossom Spring that is causing trouble, the Jiuli will certainly not sit idly by."

This was not the first time that Lu Zhenhai had cooperated with Gu Xiu. Seeing this, he did not exchange too many pleasantries. He just walked forward and carefully examined the corpse.

The bodies on the ground were perfectly intact, with only a bloody hole scorched by lightning at their vital points, indicating that each had been killed in a single blow. A closer sniff revealed a faint floral scent mingled with the bloody odor, a hallmark of the Peach Blossom Spring.

He glanced at the corpses, but his face darkened again.

"Is this all?"

"That's all. Two for foundation building, four for Qi refining."

Lu Zhenhai narrowed his eyes and asked Jiang Ruifeng over there, and got the same answer.

According to information provided by official informants, there were a total of nine people involved in the attack. Including those captured previously, only eight are now under official control.

A foundation-building cultivator escaped. In other words, one person never appeared within the encirclement.

The previous speculation was confirmed. The enemy really had other intentions. They wanted to attract the attention of the Environmental Sanitation Bureau by attacking the urban area and thus achieve a feint to the east and attack in the west - but what was their real goal?

He arranged for his men to clean up the scene and took out his cell phone again to inquire about the progress, but before he could make the call, an internal number called first.

"This is the Skynet system. Based on the information you provided earlier, we have discovered a suspected target individual who passed through the bridge out of the city at 9:15 this morning. We have determined that their route and destination are the Yiyuan Power Plant in the suburbs."

"Immediately dispatch nearby specialists to surround that place. I'll be there soon." Lu Zhenhai said decisively.

This time he was responded to by a moment of silence, followed by some hesitant words.

"Manager Lu, a team of specialists is already on duty at the Yiyuan Power Plant."

"Team?" Lu Zhenhai was slightly stunned.

Three hours ago, in the collective dormitory of the Environmental Sanitation Bureau.

As soon as Qin Jiajia walked out of the dormitory gate, she saw a black car parked outside. The window was rolled down, and the person inside had the Environmental Sanitation Bureau logo on his arm.

"You are Xiao Qin, right? We are here to pick you up and take you away together."

The driving specialist greeted her, "Director Li should have told you what mission we're going to carry out this time, right?"

"Well, she told me."

Qin Jiajia nodded. She had previously learned that there were five evil cultivators who attacked Zhou Qing. Before the attack, these five had briefly stopped in the same place, which was their destination this time.

"Go to the Yiyuan Power Plant where the evil cultivators appeared before, and search for any traces they left behind."

(End of this chapter)