I subdue demons and monsters, and cultivate immortality in hell to become a saint.

The grievances of the people are precisely the "missing baby case" that has recently caused widespread panic in Xingsha City!

Hundreds of thousands of hungry babies vanished overnight without a trace—a bizarre event unprecedented in the world.

Logically speaking, if it were the work of ghosts, there would have been a bloody massacre long ago, why would they go to the trouble of kidnapping a baby?

This bizarre operation terrified the entire city, and the Special Operations Department hurriedly intervened in the investigation, but after searching high and low, they couldn't find a single clue.

Not only did they fail to find the results, but they also fueled the panic, leading to widespread public discontent and accusations that the Secret Service was incompetent.

When the news of the divine descent spread, the people, who had been living in constant fear, grasped at it as if it were a lifeline. They burned incense and made prayers, and the immense power of their prayers pierced the sky, alarming the newly established Yin-Yang Bureau. Only then did Wen Tianxiang rush to Zhong Jiu with his documents in hand.

[Ding! Main quest triggered: Thoroughly investigate the case of the missing baby in Xing Sha City and establish the authority of the City God before the people! Quest reward: Randomly draw 400,000 Soul Soldiers!]

A glint of light flashed in Zhong Jiu's eyes. This reward was like a pillow delivered to someone who was sleepy!

He had originally planned to get involved in this matter, but he never expected to get a task along the way. It was wonderful.

Four hundred thousand soul soldiers!

This is a real boost to our combat strength!

Zhong Jiu knew perfectly well that although he controlled the entire Nanling Province, apart from Xingsha City and Guiling City, which had the City God's Mansion to guard them, the other cities were completely undefended and exposed to the threat of ghosts and demons.

Previously, he only cared about the small city of Guiling, and the fate of other cities had nothing to do with him. But now it's different. He is the judge of Nanling Province and has to consider issues from the perspective of the entire province.

Without the City God's Mansion to oversee things, he had to rely on a massive number of soul soldiers to maintain order, and these 400,000 soul soldiers were just the right amount to solve his immediate problem.

More importantly, the system said it was "randomly selected." Although they were all ordinary soul soldiers, not as elite as the Xuanjia Army, ordinary soul soldiers were still divided into different grades.

If you draw a powerful army from a prosperous dynasty like the Qin Dynasty's elite soldiers, the Han Dynasty's iron cavalry, or the Song Dynasty's Yue Family Army, your combat power will still allow you to dominate!

"The Day and Night Wanderers, the Shackled General, the Black and White Impermanence!"

Zhong Jiu slammed his hand on the table, his voice booming like a bell, "All six of you, immediately mobilize and thoroughly investigate the missing baby case in Xing Sha City! Report back immediately if you find any leads!"

"Yes, sir!"

The six men answered in unison and disappeared outside the hall in a flash.

After dismissing the six men, Zhong Jiu summoned a quick-witted messenger and instructed him, "Go and ask Zhang Yunxiao if the Special Operations Department has any leads they can offer in their investigation. Tell him to tell you whatever they have."

The messenger took the order and left, returning shortly afterward. He bowed and repeated Zhang Yunxiao's words: "Your Honor, Minister Zhang said that the Special Operations Department has thoroughly searched the scene of the baby's theft, but found not a trace of yin energy. They speculate that this was probably not the work of an evil spirit."

Not an evil spirit?

Zhong Jiu tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, his eyes deep: What could be causing this?

Before long, the Day and Night Wanderer and General Shackles returned, both looking dejected, clearly having gained nothing.

After a while, the Black and White Impermanence returned, their faces expressionless, but their eyes full of doubt.

"Your Honor, my brother and I went to the Bukpo district to search, but we couldn't find any trace of the baby. However, something still feels off."

Black Impermanence said in a deep voice, while White Impermanence nodded in agreement: "That place looks no different from other districts, but walking inside, you always feel a chill down your spine, as if you're being watched by something."

Beipu District?

Zhong Jiu's eyes narrowed. He knew the abilities of the Black and White Impermanence. These two were veterans of the underworld. Any place that they found strange was definitely not simple.

"Your intuition is right, there's definitely something wrong with Bukpo District."

He immediately made the decision: "Everyone, go to Beipu District and investigate again. Dig three feet into the ground, find out what's wrong!"

The six men accepted the order and set off again, while Chung Kau leaned back in his chair and began to peruse the prayers and wishes gathered by the people.

As news of the City God's arrival spread, the people of Xingsha City went on a frenzy of burning incense and praying for blessings. The massive population base brought him an exponential increase in the power of incense offerings and prayers.

These wishes are mixed with the various desires of the people. If he didn't want to see them, Zhong Jiu could block them at any time, but now that he needed to find clues, he could only patiently sort through all the wishes little by little.

"Um?"

After combing through the last strand of wish power, Zhong Jiu suddenly sat up straight, his eyes sharp as knives. "Wait! A piece of the wish power is missing!"

He closed his eyes and quickly recalled the origins of these people who made wishes: Dongcheng District, Xicheng District, Yuefu District, Xinkai District... covering almost all areas of Xingsha City, except for Beipu District!

Bukpo Ward has a population of 500,000. Even if not all of them believe in God, it's impossible that not a single person burns incense and makes a wish.

This is too unusual; there's definitely something wrong!

Just then, the two wandering spirits rushed back in a panic, their eyes blazing with anger. They bowed deeply and said urgently, "Your Honor! We've found out! There's something seriously fishy going on in Beipu District!"

"Oh? Tell me more!"

Zhong Jiu's tone was calm, but a chill had already crept into his eyes.

Upon hearing the report from the Day and Night Patrol God, Zhong Jiu's face instantly darkened, and a powerful killing intent emanated from him: "Very well! Very well indeed! How dare you commit such heinous acts on the territory of my City God's Mansion! You're truly tired of living!"

He abruptly stood up and ordered in a deep voice, "Pass down the order! The Yin-Yang Division, the Inspectorate, the Gale Hall, the Xuanjia Army, plus ten thousand Soul Soldiers, all will accompany me to the Northern Pu District! Today, I will show those scum what it means for Heaven's justice to be clear and retribution to be swift!"

Who would have thought that such a group of audacious geniuses were hiding in Xingsha City right under his nose, treating him, the judge, like air!

By this time, it was already dark. The people of Xingsha City had long lost their sense of security because of the missing baby case. As soon as it got dark, they locked their doors and windows and hid under their blankets, trembling with fear. The whole city was eerily quiet.

Just then, a deafening drumbeat suddenly rang out, "Boom boom boom!" The drumbeats penetrated the doors and windows, echoing throughout the entire city of Xingsha.

What was that sound?

Many people curiously got up and cautiously peered out the window, but it was pitch black outside and they couldn't see anything.

Only a few sharp-eyed people looked up at the sky and were astonished to see a huge dark cloud slowly drifting northward, and the deafening drumbeats were coming from within the cloud.

Rumble!

Above the dark clouds, the statues of the officials of the City God's Palace were solemn and sacred, surrounded by golden light; below the dark clouds, ten thousand soul soldiers had already lined up in neat rows, their military might awe-inspiring and their killing intent soaring to the sky.

In stark contrast, the Bukpo district remained eerily silent, as if it hadn't noticed anything, or was deliberately turning a deaf ear.

"You audacious monster, hiding in your shell and playing dead?"

Zhong Jiu sneered, his voice carrying immense divine power, booming like thunder across the Beipu District, "You dare to pretend to be deaf and dumb in front of this god? You truly have no regard for your own life!"

Before he finished speaking, he waved his hand, and twelve Blazing Flame Banners flew out instantly. The blazing golden flames were like twelve fire dragons, shooting straight toward the nearest apartment building in Beipu District.

scoff!

The flames had barely touched the building's wall when a piercing scorching sound rang out, followed by a deep, angry roar from inside: "You damned underworld devil! You don't know what's good for you, do you?"

Pound pound pound...

A series of shattering glass sounds rang out, and hundreds of "residents" suddenly jumped from the high-rise building, landing steadily with a clang. Their eyes gleamed with a menacing green light as they stared intently at Zhong Jiu in the sky.

"We've kept to ourselves, why are you barging in and causing trouble?"

A burly middle-aged man stepped out, staring at Zhong Jiu with a sinister look in his eyes, his tone full of threat.

"Keep to your own business? You must have got your head stuck in a door!"

Zhong Jiu scoffed, pointing at the group of monsters, his voice icy cold, "Xingsha City is the territory of my City God's Mansion. You bunch of demons in human skin, kidnapping infants and harming living beings here, and you dare to tell me we keep to ourselves?"

He paused, his tone growing increasingly domineering: "Let me make this clear: in Xingsha City, it's either me or you. From today onward, there will be no place for you here!"

"court death!"

The burly middle-aged man roared, but Zhong Jiu didn't give them a chance to waste words. He shouted at the shackled general, "Take him down!"

General Shackles accepted the order and dashed out in a flash. The hundreds of "residents" immediately let out inhuman howls and pounced on General Shackles.

But the moment they started to move, their "human skin" suddenly peeled off layer by layer, revealing their true appearance: they were actually a group of demons wearing human skin!

These fairies are not very powerful. Although they can walk upright and speak human language, they still retain the appearance of wild beasts. They usually rely on human skin to disguise themselves and live a good life in Beipu District. No one has discovered their true faces.

Now that their human skin has been peeled off, they are all green-faced, fanged, and ferocious, a veritable pack of beasts in human skin!