My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

The constables were so frightened that they retreated repeatedly, and Sun Debiao's face turned ashen, his hand holding the knife trembling.

Lu Yang was also stunned, but he quickly realized that someone was clearly casting a spell from a distance, speaking through Magistrate Zhou's mouth!

Ye Qingfeng, however, seemed to have expected this, his expression remaining unchanged, and he simply said...

"You're quite cautious; you don't dare come in person, you only dare to hide in the county government office and play these petty tricks."

Zhou Wenchang sneered: "A little trick? You stinking Taoist priest, even if you have supernatural powers, do you dare to kill an official of the imperial court?"

Zhou Wenchang is protected by the aura of humanity; if you kill him, you will suffer a backlash!

As for me… heh, with just a little manipulation, I can get him to order you all killed! Then, will you resist and be executed, or surrender without resistance?

That's a sinister remark.

Indeed, although Ye Qingfeng possesses supernatural powers, if he were to publicly kill an official appointed by the imperial court, he would be violating the laws of humanity and would suffer a backlash from his luck. At best, his cultivation would be greatly damaged, and at worst, he would face a heavenly tribulation.

The Painted Skin Goddess, hiding behind the scenes, manipulated the situation by having Zhou Wenchang issue orders for the constables to kill people, thus absolving her of any karmic consequences.

However, all of these plans were suddenly interrupted by someone.

It was Lü Yang.

Who knew he had such a background? Now, even if Zhou Wenchang personally gives the order, it won't work.

He was thinking of using Zhou Wenchang to kill these people, but that would be very difficult.

Fortunately, they stopped hiding it; after all, they still had their ultimate backup plan.

Upon hearing this, Ye Qingfeng suddenly smiled.

"You've reminded me," he said in a relaxed tone. "In that case, I'll go to the county government office and talk to you in person."

Before he finished speaking, he raised his left hand—

"Clang!"

Lu Yang's sword sheath trembled, and the Autumn Water Sword flew out on its own and landed in Ye Qingfeng's palm.

Before Lü Yang could react, he saw Ye Qingfeng holding a sword in his hand and taking a light step forward.

With this step, the hem of his gray-blue Taoist robe fluttered slightly.

Then, his whole being—

Disappeared.

It didn't fly away, it didn't leap, it didn't turn into a streak of light.

It's as simple as taking a single step, and then the person disappears.

It was as if the space in front of him was folded by an invisible hand, and this step directly covered a distance of hundreds of feet, leading him to another place.

Only a wisp of breeze remained, stirring up a few specks of charred ash.

The streets were deathly silent.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the spot where Ye Qingfeng had just stood, then looked around.

No one is empty.

"Where is the Immortal... Immortal Master?" Lu Yang was the first to react and asked the people around him in a hurry.

The guests, the yamen runners, and even Lin Zhenyuan and Zhao Damang all looked completely bewildered.

"Just now... just now the Taoist priest took a step forward..." a wealthy businessman who was nearby stammered, "and then... then he disappeared..."

"Disappeared in a single step?" Lü Yang pressed.

"Yes... just one more step..."

A sudden thought flashed through Lü Yang's mind, and he blurted out:

"Shrinking the earth to an inch?!"

He had read many tales of the strange and supernatural and knew that Taoism possessed such supernatural powers—that with a single step, one could shrink a thousand miles into an inch, instantly reaching a distant place. But those were just legends in books; he had never seen them in reality!

But now...

Lu Yang's breathing became rapid, and his eyes were filled with an almost overflowing fervor.

This is truly divine skill! This is the immortal power he has always dreamed of!

He absolutely must become an apprentice! He absolutely must become an apprentice!

At this moment, Zhou Wenchang, who was being controlled by the Painted Skin Goddess, was also stunned.

He—or rather she—looked through Zhou Wenchang's eyes at the spot where Ye Qingfeng had disappeared, where the eerie green light flickered violently, clearly indicating that she was extremely unsettled.

"Shrinking the earth to an inch... This Taoist priest can actually shrink the earth to an inch?" The Painted Skin Goddess was shocked.

"Such supernatural powers are something even a great Taoist master might not be able to master... Just who is he?"

She suddenly had a bad feeling.

……

The Wen'an County Government Office, the secret underground room in the back residence.

The Painted Skin Goddess—Liu Ruyan's true form—sat cross-legged in the center of a blood-red array.

This formation was drawn with her own blood essence mixed with cinnabar. At the core of the formation was a bronze mirror, which reflected the scene on the long street.

She formed a mudra with her hands, her ten fingers wrapped with dozens of invisible gray-black threads.

These silk threads penetrated the ceiling, floor, and walls of the secret room, extending all the way to the front hall of the county government office.

Finally, it entangled itself in Zhou Wenchang's limbs, bones, and soul.

This is her "Soul-Tethering Silk," which she has cultivated for many years. It can remotely control other people's minds and thoughts with evil magic, allowing them to speak and control their actions.

The plan was going smoothly: manipulate Zhou Wenchang to order the killing of Ye Qingfeng and others, and use the government to eliminate this major threat.

Even if they fail, they can force Ye Qingfeng to take action against Zhou Wenchang, thus incurring a humanitarian backlash.

But she never expected—

The Taoist priest vanished into thin air on the long street!

"Shrinking the earth to an inch... How could it be shrinking the earth to an inch..." The Painted Skin Goddess's face turned pale, and her unease grew stronger.

She forced herself to calm down and comforted herself: "So what if I can shrink the distance to an inch?"

He doesn't know where I am. The county government office is so big, with so many rooms, how could he possibly find me?

Moreover, I have Zhou Wenchang's humanitarian aura shielding me, which will interfere with his divine sense probing..."

Just then, a soft sound came from the entrance to the secret room.

"Click."

It sounded like the bolt being pulled back.

The Painted Skin Goddess shuddered and abruptly turned her head to look at the entrance to the secret chamber.

The hidden door made of blue bricks was now sliding open silently.

Outside the door was a dark, deserted corridor.

"Who?!" the Painted Skin Goddess shouted sharply, her Soul-Binding Silk taut in her hand, ready to launch an attack at any moment.

no respond.

Only the night wind blew in from outside the door, causing the candlelight in the room to flicker.

The Painted Skin Goddess held her breath, staring intently at the doorway.

She extended her divine sense to sense her surroundings—there was no unusual aura, no fluctuation of magical power.

"An illusion?" She frowned.

Just as her mind relaxed slightly—

A hand reached out from behind her.

The hand was long and clean, with neatly trimmed nails, and gently rested on her right shoulder.

The Painted Skin Goddess's hair stood on end, and she screamed as she lunged forward!

But that hand only pressed lightly.

A gentle yet irresistible force pressed her back to the spot, rendering her unable to move.

"Don't move." A calm voice sounded in her ear, "This humble Taoist priest doesn't like having people turn their backs on her."

The Painted Skin Goddess froze on the spot, then slowly, very slowly, turned her head.

She saw a young, calm face with a hint of amusement.

Wearing a gray-blue Taoist robe and a wooden hairpin to tie his hair, who else could it be but Ye Qingfeng?

He stood half a step behind her, his left hand casually resting on her shoulder, his right hand holding the Autumn Water Sword, its tip pointing diagonally to the ground.

He appeared silently in the secret room, right behind her, like a ghost!

"You...how could you..." The Painted Skin Goddess's voice trembled, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"How did you find me?" Ye Qingfeng finished her sentence for her, and smiled slightly.

"Although your Soul-Binding Threads are concealed, when you control Magistrate Zhou, there will always be a trace of soul power fluctuations that trace back to the source along the threads."

"I merely followed that slight fluctuation and took a single step."

He spoke casually, as if he were simply saying that I found the kitchen by following the aroma.

The Painted Skin Queen was terrified upon hearing this!