Ye Ling quietly finished her meal, planning to settle the bill and leave to continue her travels.
But just as she stood up to depart, a lowered conversation from a neighboring table clearly drifted into her ears.
“Have you all heard? That wanted martial artist from Heishui Commandery, Lin Jie, has actually broken through!”
The other was stunned. “Lin Jie? The fugitive villain registered as a late-stage Xiantian Realm cultivator? The one with the joint bounty from the four major sects?”
“That’s him. He was originally a rogue cultivator with no backing. He had no sect resources or elders to support him, so he was constantly short on cultivation resources.
“He took a wicked path, making a living by robbing and killing passing cultivators and merchant caravans for their spirit stones and herbs.
“A few days ago, he went completely mad and slaughtered a large escort agency, leaving not a single soul alive among the hundreds of people in the household.
“With such heinous blood debts, the four major sects were furious, which is why they joined forces to issue a wanted warrant.”
The man sighed, his tone filled with lingering fear. “No one expected that after laying low for a while, his cultivation would actually break through.
“A few days ago, a mid-stage Xiantian Realm inner sect disciple from the Burning Heaven Martial Academy went to hunt him down, only to be slain on the spot.
“Those who witnessed it say that Lin Jie has already stepped into the Xiantian Realm Great Perfection.”
As those words fell, a clamor arose throughout the hall. Ye Ling paused in her tracks, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Lin Jie. This name was precisely the target of the decapitation bounty mission she had accepted at the sect's Mission Hall.
The man continued in a low voice, “No one expected his strength to skyrocket after a period of dormancy.
“Now, the four major sects have urgently sent out transmissions to warn all disciples who accepted this mission. The intelligence is outdated, and this man is extremely dangerous.
“Moreover, since he just killed an inner sect disciple of the four major sects, he probably won't stay in Heishui Commandery for long. He has likely fled and relocated by now!”
Ye Ling's heart instantly grew solemn. This man was at the Xiantian Realm Great Perfection, carried hundreds of lives on his hands, was a rogue cultivator, and was ruthless, cunning, and skilled at fleeing and pillaging.
If she continued to travel at a leisurely pace, she would completely miss the opportunity to track him down, allowing this villain to escape deep into the wilderness, never to be found again.
After a brief moment of thought, she made her decision: her journey to see the mountains and rivers would be put on hold for now. Completing the mission and slaying the villain was the priority.
Her mind made up, Ye Ling hesitated no longer. She settled the bill, left her table, and walked out of the tavern.
Standing on the street, she lightly circulated her spiritual energy, leapt into the air, and began to fly on her sword, speeding toward Heishui Commandery at full velocity.
Being so close to the Qinglan Sword Sect, Xiantian Realm cultivators flying on swords was a common sight. The pedestrians, vendors, and low-level cultivators on the street looked on with calm expressions, none of them surprised.
Relying on the low-consumption advantage of her Profound-grade low-tier sword-controlling technique, Ye Ling flew without rest or pause, pushing her spiritual energy to the limit.
After five full days of rapid travel, crossing ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers, she finally entered the territory of Heishui Commandery.
Every commandery city in the Qingyun Kingdom had official administrative outposts for the four major sects. The Qinglan Sword Sect's outpost in the commandery was located right on the main street in the center of the capital city.
Ye Ling pondered for a moment. During the sect tournament last year, she had shone brilliantly and amazed the entire commandery.
The disciples at the various outposts would likely recognize her original appearance. If she showed up in her true form, it would inevitably attract waves of attention, causing unnecessary trouble.
Thus, she circulated a wisp of gentle spiritual energy to slightly obscure the contours of her eyes and brows, subtly adjusting her appearance and temperament. She completely concealed her sharp, astonishing edge, making herself look like an ordinary, cold female cultivator.
She then took out the personal disciple token that Sect Master Leng Zhiwei had specially gifted her before her departure.
This token was low-key and restrained in design, unlike the dazzling and ostentatious gold-patterned True Disciple token, and was meant specifically for her to travel in private and handle matters discreetly.
Stepping into the outpost, two white-robed outer sect disciples on duty glanced at the token. Their expressions instantly turned solemn, and they bowed, their attitude exceedingly respectful.
Ye Ling got straight to the point, asking directly about the wanted criminal Lin Jie's latest movements.
The disciples on duty did not dare to delay and immediately reported the facts.
“Reporting to Senior Sister, Lin Jie was seen plundering in the territory of Heishan City just the day before yesterday, and he fled immediately after committing the crime.
“According to the latest deduction from the sect's transmissions, he has already left Heishan City and is highly likely to have fled to the vicinity of Qingshi City to hide.”
Delaying no further, she bid farewell to the outpost disciples, stepped out of the office, soared into the air, and accelerated on her sword once more.
With her current mid-stage Xiantian Realm cultivation, combined with the low-consumption, highly efficient sword-controlling technique, she was like a streak of green light cutting through the sky at extreme speed.
In just one hour of rapid flight, Ye Ling crossed the intercity distance and landed within the borders of Qingshi City.
The moment she stepped into the city, a familiar aura rushed over her. Ye Ling's heart stirred slightly as she recalled the past.
This Qingshi City was precisely the neighboring city when Uncle Qin had led them to Heishui Commandery to participate in the sect selection last year.
Moreover, this city was closely adjacent to her hometown, Baiyun City. The two cities shared borders, had similar customs, and were extremely close to each other.
A trace of warmth and anticipation quietly arose in her heart. Once she killed Lin Jie and finished this bounty mission, she could return to Baiyun City on her way back, visit her home, and take a brief rest.
Suppressing the thoughts in her heart, Ye Ling quickly regained her composure.
Qingshi City's territory was not small, with complex markets, mountain forests, and suburban villages.
As a newcomer unfamiliar with the area, searching aimlessly would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, making it impossible to pinpoint Lin Jie's hiding spot.
Since Lin Jie was a fugitive villain skilled at hiding, a reckless search would only alert the enemy and cause him to flee again.
The fastest and most reliable way to investigate was to rely on the local official forces.
With this thought, Ye Ling restrained her external spiritual energy, concealed most of her aura, and walked along the city's main road directly toward the Qingshi City Lord's estate.
Inside the main hall of the Qingshi City Lord's estate at this moment, a middle-aged man in a brocade robe with a calm face was pacing back and forth anxiously.
He was the Qingshi City Lord. Just half a day ago, he had received an urgent notification from Heishui Commandery, informing him that the wanted criminal Lin Jie, who had slaughtered an entire household and carried heavy blood debts, after breaking through to the Xiantian Realm Great Perfection and slaying the inner sect disciple of the Burning Heaven Martial Academy, was highly likely to have fled into the territory of Qingshi City to hide and commit crimes.
The City Lord was extremely anxious. His own cultivation was only at the mid-stage Xiantian Realm, which was enough to suppress ordinary bandits. But against a genuine Xiantian Realm Great Perfection villain, he stood absolutely no chance.
Once Lin Jie went on a killing spree, plundering and slaughtering in the city, he would be completely powerless to stop him, and the entire Qingshi City would suffer a catastrophe.
He had already sent an urgent signal for help to Heishui Commandery City, but even now, he had not received any reply.
A sense of anxiety lingered in his heart, making it impossible for him to calm down.
Just as he was filled with worry, pacing with his head down to think of a countermeasure, he happened to look up.
He suddenly discovered that in the empty and solemn main hall, a tall, upright youthful figure had appeared silently.
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