Chapter 208: Investigation Results and Surprises

As soon as Qian Shougang died, Zhao Xing quickly returned to Long Xiao's location. By this time, Long Xiao had already dealt with the remaining Black Dragon Guards on the warship.

"How did it go?" Long Xiao asked.

"He's dead."

Long Xiao replied, "That's good. Should we retreat now?"

Zhao Xing said, "Even if we retreat, we must take this warship with us. We are currently pursuing enemy forces, and it would be unacceptable to leave the spoils of war here."

Long Xiao hesitated, "Didn't you say reinforcements were arriving soon? My five hundred men can't fight against tens of thousands." The Black Dragon Guards were not ordinary soldiers; the Prince of Liang's private army was also a powerful force. It took considerable effort to deal with Qian Shougang; both Long Xiao and Zhao Xing had given their all. Although Qian Shougang held a Rank Six position, he was merely a commander of a thousand men in the Black Dragon Army. There were many Rank Six officers stronger than him.

"They're already here," Zhao Xing said, pointing in a certain direction. In the eastern horizon, five Black Dragon warships appeared. One of them quickly descended near the location where Qian Shougang died. Two of the warships dispatched numerous flying boats, which swarmed to surround Zhao Xing, Long Xiao's five hundred men, and their warship. The other two warships suddenly turned north, on alert.

"What do we do now?" Long Xiao's expression was grim.

"Don't panic," Zhao Xing said. "Our people have also arrived. Signal them and say that the Divine Might Army is annihilating the enemy."

After killing a Rank Six officer and over a thousand Black Dragon Guards, Long Xiao felt somewhat weak from the initial rush of adrenaline, but Zhao Xing remained calm. Why did he insist on annihilating them completely, instead of simply punishing Qian Shougang and being done with it?

Firstly, if Qian Shougang had lived, even if they had defeated him this time, a powerful Rank Six general like him would inevitably seek revenge later, whether openly or through covert malice. The troubles would be endless. Zhao Xing's approach was to eliminate the source of the trouble directly, solving it once and for all.

Secondly, the Divine Might Army had risen rapidly, and Zhao Xing's cultivation of Ground Fire Lotuses further accelerated their ascent. As the saying goes, "Fame brings trouble." If Qian Shougang's "forced requisition" had succeeded today, there would have been no repercussions. Tomorrow, 'Li Shougangs' and 'Wang Shougangs' would emerge endlessly, and anyone could come to bully them. In that scenario, Zhao Xing could forget about earning merits. If he cultivated Ground Fire Lotuses and earned military achievements, only to have them forcibly taken, his merits would be directly deducted, and he would have done all the work for someone else. What would be the point?

It's important to note that Qian Shougang's actions were not a normal requisition; it was a forced requisition that violated proper procedures, essentially no different from robbery. A legitimate requisition process required a "Divine Spirit Contract" witnessed by a deity, clearly stating the amount borrowed and the agreed-upon return date. Qian Shougang only had a verbal order; he hadn't even invited a deity, and the temple in City No. 98 hadn't been built. This indicated he intended to default on the debt later and had no intention of returning anything. This way, City No. 98 would lose military merits, while Qian Shougang, with the Ground Fire Lotuses, could generate many merits for himself. Weaker generals wouldn't be able to argue effectively against Qian Shougang, who came from a powerful army. In the barren lands, battles often occurred without proper oversight. Even military merits required statistics from multiple sources, human witnesses, material evidence, and finally, comprehensive consideration from superiors, relying on the 'Creation Plate' for calculations. Incidents like two armies competing for merit or seizing battle achievements were common during large-scale wars. Killing Qian Shougang was a preemptive strike, preventing countless future attacks.

Zhao Xing understood this principle, and so did Liao Rulong. That's why he immediately led his army to the location at top speed. Since Zhao Xing controlled the clouds in the sky, the Black Dragon Guard reinforcements and Liao Rulong's unit arrived almost simultaneously.

"Commander Qian Shougang of my Black Dragon Army is dead. This area will be sealed off. Divine Might Army, please cooperate with the investigation," Commander Zheng Liu ordered the warship formation ahead from his Black Dragon warship.

On the warship, Chen Shijie raised an eyebrow upon hearing this news. Zhao Xing… had already killed a Black Dragon Army commander? Liao Rulong had also learned the full story on his way here, analyzed for him by Pu Zhong. His heart skipped a beat; this brother was incredibly fast.

Despite his thoughts, Liao Rulong quickly reacted. "The Divine Might Army is pursuing enemy forces of foreign tribes. This is our combat zone. Please leave immediately!" His stance was very firm; he insisted that the Divine Might Army was pursuing foreign enemy forces. All these procedures would be investigated later. Liao Rulong was an experienced military veteran, and with Pu Zhong and Chen Shijie by his side, he naturally knew what to do. Flag signals were exchanged between the two sides. Liao Rulong reiterated his statement three times, and the warships began to advance.

Seeing Liao Rulong's superior numbers, the first five Black Dragon warships, which had come as reinforcements, dared not act rashly and withdrew from the area directly above Zhao Xing. They hadn't figured out why Qian Shougang died here, or why the Divine Might Army was claiming to be eliminating enemies. The commander of the first five warships was Zheng Liu, a relatively upright man who had no knowledge of Qian Shougang's arrival. Seeing the strangeness of the situation, he had to give up inspecting Qian Shougang's ship. He merely retrieved Qian Shougang's body, called his superior from his flagship, and confronted the Divine Might Army.

A top-grade Rank Five Dragonbone Warship landed on the hill. Qian Shougang's Black Dragon warship was only a mid-grade Rank Five. Compared to Liao Rulong, who had upgraded his equipment, Qian Shougang's warship was like an old hen standing next to an elephant.

"Zhao Xing, Long Xiao." Liao Rulong, Chen Shijie, Yu Ziqi, and Pu Zhong flew down from the ship. Wen Shaoyang and Jiang Ming remained at Fire Dragon Pass. Liao Rulong had purchased five top-grade Rank Five Dragonbone warships, and now he had dispatched three of them, indicating great importance.

"Are you two alright?" Liao Rulong asked, looking at the scattered limbs and bodies on the ground, a sense of shock welling up inside him. "My god, how many did they kill?"

"We're fine, thank you for your concern, Commander," Zhao Xing said. "These are all enemy bodies."

Liao Rulong asked in a deep voice, "Are there any survivors?" Zhao Xing glanced at Liao Rulong. No wonder the Divine Might Army had risen; they were all ruthless individuals. Old Liao's second question was about survivors. If there were any, they should be dealt with quickly.

"None. The enemy forces have been completely annihilated," Zhao Xing said. "The treasures from the looted supply city are all on this ship."

"Activate the records on the Dragonbone Warship and bring out the divine statue from the marching hall to oversee," Pu Zhong said. "Maintain the battlefield as is."

Pu Zhong began preparing for the aftermath. As an advisor, he knew very well that the death of a Rank Six martial general was no small matter. Their current goal was to manage the situation to ensure they had the moral high ground.

A quarter of an hour later, the Black Dragon Army once again hailed Liao Rulong. Their attitude had become much more assertive. This was because the one hailing them was no longer Zheng Liu, but Zheng Liu's superior, Xie Kuiguang, a Rank Six Superior Commander of Valiance.

"How dare the Divine Might Army intercept and kill a Rank Six martial general of my army?"

"Enforcement team, bring back the culprits and evidence for trial!" Xie Kuiguang's voice echoed through the sky, and the warships aimed at Zhao Xing and Long Xiao's position.

"Let's see who dares!" Liao Rulong flew into the sky, and thousands of his men simultaneously drew their combat blades, fiercely blocking the small squad Xie Kuiguang had dispatched.

"Liao Rulong!" Xie Kuiguang shouted. He had already learned Liao Rulong's name from Zheng Liu, and even clarified the names of Zhao Xing and Long Xiao. "Are you going to harbor criminals?"

"You scoundrel, who are you to accuse my Divine Might Army of a crime?" Liao Rulong's temper was even fiercer than his. "This area has become a temporary combat zone for the Divine Might Army. Hundreds of thousands more troops are on their way. Try to touch me!"

"Intercepting and killing a Rank Six martial general—is your Divine Might Army rebelling?!" Xie Kuiguang roared.

"Attacking an allied combat zone—are you committing treason?!" Liao Rulong retorted, matching his intensity.

Tensions were high. The mechanical crossbow cannons on both sides' warships were loaded, and clusters of qi formations condensed in the sky. It must be said that Liao Rulong's unit of the Divine Might Army, after defeating the Wolf God Tribe and capturing Fire Dragon Pass, now possessed a momentum that was no less than that of the Black Dragon Army. For a moment, Xie Kuiguang genuinely dared not act. The same was true for Liao Rulong. Both were evenly matched, and for now, it was merely a war of words. If a real fight broke out, neither side could bear the consequences. However, Xie Kuiguang could not let Liao Rulong and his men leave. Qian Shougang and a thousand Black Dragon Guards had died right under his nose; how could he easily let them go?

"Roar!" A clear dragon roar echoed from afar, signaling the arrival of Xia Jing and Li Que's troops. Xie Kuiguang saw that Liao Rulong indeed had reinforcements behind him and immediately felt the situation was difficult. Furthermore, why were the Black Armored Army and the Pacifying Sea Army also here? Xie Kuiguang knew that Qian Shougang had bullied the Divine Might Army, but he never expected it would lead to such a massive display. "The Divine Might Army's wings have truly hardened..." Xie Kuiguang knew it would likely be impossible to capture Zhao Xing and Long Xiao's group. Nor would it be possible to take Qian Shougang's warship. If they could have moved first and taken Qian Shougang's warship and Zhao Xing and Long Xiao's Valiant Camp, it would have been advantageous for his Black Dragon Army in terms of handling the situation. Now, it was hard to say what would happen.

"Xie Kuiguang," Xia Jing said, arriving on a flying boat between the two armies. "What's going on? Why are you attacking allied forces?"

"Crown Prince," Xie Kuiguang's tone softened when facing Xia Jing. He could disregard Liao Rulong and Yang An behind him, but Xia Jing's father, Xia Hou, was a guest of honor even to the Prince of Liang. This was because Xia Hou was renowned as the strongest Rank Four Yuan Po martial artist, having once slain a Rank Three Yuan Soul demon cultivator.

"A Rank Six martial general from our army, along with a thousand Black Dragon Guards, died here, allegedly killed by the Divine Might Army," Xie Kuiguang said. "We must take the culprits back for questioning..."

"From the looks of it, you're not planning just a questioning," Xia Jing interrupted. "If the Divine Might Army had fewer men, would you have attacked?"

Xie Kuiguang remained silent; he had indeed thought that.

"Xie Kuiguang, you are a Rank Six Superior, and Commander Liao is also a Rank Six Superior. There is no hierarchical difference between you. You have no right to order generals from another army," Xia Jing said calmly. "As for what truly happened, let's invite the Military Judicial Department to intervene."

Xie Kuiguang's face darkened, but he knew he couldn't handle this matter himself, so he could only report it. On Liao Rulong's side, they were also reporting to Jia Pu and Yang An. The situation had escalated, but the highest rank on the battlefield was Rank Six; the squabble could only be handed over to higher authorities.

In Xi'er Commandery, at the Divine Might Army Commander's Residence:

"What? He killed a Rank Six officer from the Black Dragon Army?" Jia Pu stood up abruptly. "What exactly happened?"

Pu Zhong and Liao Rulong stood inside the marching hall. At this moment, their illusory figures appeared in the Divine Might Army Commander's Residence, reporting everything to Jia Pu in detail. The narrative remained the same: City No. 98 had suffered an enemy attack, the defending commander Wang Ji was severely wounded, several deputy commanders were injured, and valuable Ground Fire Lotuses were plundered. Zhao Xing and Long Xiao led the Valiant Camp to reinforce, caught up with the foreign enemy forces disguised as Black Dragon Army, and annihilated them. Unexpectedly, they turned out to be real Black Dragon Guards.

Liao Rulong swore, "General, you can't blame Zhao Xing and Long Xiao! If they were our Great Zhou army, why would they attack City No. 98 and steal the Rank Five Ground Fire Lotuses we worked so hard to acquire? Who would have thought that?!"

Jia Pu: "..."

Jia Pu was speechless, watching Liao Rulong's clumsy acting. "You don't know? Who would believe that?" But what was said publicly was one thing, and the objective truth was another. Jia Pu inquired about the process in detail and found that Zhao Xing's actions, from rescue to killing, were entirely based on this set of objective facts. This provided favorable corroboration for the military tribunal.

"Well done," Jia Pu quickly read through their detailed report and silently praised them. It was hard to imagine that this was orchestrated by Zhao Xing, who had been in the military for less than two years.

"I understand," Jia Pu said. "Stay put, do not make any moves, restrain your subordinates, and ensure no further conflicts occur."

"Understood," Liao Rulong nodded, and his illusory figure dissipated.

The killing occurred on September 27th. On that day, a total of 120,000 troops from the Divine Might Army and the Black Dragon Army confronted each other near Xi'xian Ridge. The confrontation between the two armies naturally attracted considerable attention. The Fire Demon Tribe's commander in Xi'xian Ridge was greatly frightened. He thought the two armies were staging a show, secretly intending to attack him. He immediately withdrew his forces, fortified his defenses, and remained holed up. The Military Judicial Department naturally discovered this unusual situation very quickly. However, it wasn't until October 1st that personnel from the Military Judicial Department's Underworld Judicial Division and Supervisory Department intervened.

On an ordinary hill in Xi'xian Ridge, Zhao Xing waited quietly. At that moment, a chilling wind swept through, and the sky suddenly darkened. "Whoosh!" The sky howled, and a hundred-meter-tall illusory figure appeared between heaven and earth. It looked ferocious, holding a curved saber and bearing numerous command flags on its back.

"Rank Three Underworld Judicial Deity, Deng Gang." Zhao Xing couldn't help but stand up as he looked at the underworld deity. Beside it were six smaller figures. Zhao Xing recognized three of them: First, Fan Zhaoli, the Director of the Department of Earthly Advantage, who was also a Rank Five Agricultural Officer in the Military Judicial Department's Yang City. Second, Liu Tianning, a member of the 'Supervisory Department'. Third, Tantai Ming, a Rank Four Military Agricultural Officer from the Nine Heavens Responding Yuan Mansion, whose jurisdiction included the current Xi'xian Ridge combat zone. All three were qualified to participate in this investigation. On the surface, only Fan Zhaoli seemed to have some connection with Zhao Xing. In reality, it was all a result of strategic maneuvering.

When Fan Zhaoli, Liu Tianning, and Tantai Ming looked at Zhao Xing, their gazes were relatively gentle. The other two, however, looked at Zhao Xing with scrutiny. It was clear they belonged to the Prince of Liang's faction. Zhao Xing observed them. These two were Rank Five martial generals, and the remaining person was a Rank Four priest.

"Greetings, esteemed sirs," Zhao Xing said, cupping his hands.

"Commander Zhao Xing of the Nine-Section Camp, we are now investigating the 'interception and killing of Qian Shougang' matter," a Rank Five martial general said coldly. "We need to ask you a few questions. You must answer truthfully."

Tantai Ming interjected, "The matter has not been characterized yet. How can you use the term 'interception and killing'? Let the Underworld Deity Deng Gang perform soul-summoning first. Priest Shen, if you please."

Rank Four Priest Shen Yiheng nodded, "That is proper."

"Underworld Deity soul-summoning is an overwhelming force," Fan Zhaoli said, waving his hand. A shadow projected onto the ground, and a vibrant, lush tree suddenly grew. "Commander Tantai, please have Zhao Xing wait here."

"Understood," Tantai Ming nodded. Zhao Xing cupped his hands and stood beneath Fan Zhaoli's large tree. Truly, 'it's good to have a big tree to lean on for shade.' After Zhao Xing stood beside Fan Zhaoli, the chilling sensation disappeared, replaced by a refreshing coolness.

"Return, oh spirit!" Underworld Deity Deng Gang held a soul lamp, gesticulated, and chanted a unique melody that echoed between heaven and earth. He chanted three times, but there was no response.

Underworld Deity Deng Gang looked at Priest Shen Yiheng: "Unable to summon his soul."

"Why is that?" a nearby Rank Five martial general asked. "Where did Qian Shougang's soul go?"

"After a person dies, they become a ghost. After a ghost dies, they become a 'jì'."

"I can sense that Qian Shougang's soul and the souls of the Black Dragon Guards have all transformed into 'jì' and cannot be summoned."

Shen Yiheng immediately looked at Zhao Xing: "Not only did he kill them, but he also crushed their souls? This wasn't an accidental killing at all; you knew Qian Shougang's identity and still killed him!"

Tantai Ming looked at Zhao Xing: "How do you explain Priest Shen's question?"

Zhao Xing remained unperturbed, a gentle breeze appearing in his palm: "Sirs, I possess the high-tier technique 'Fiend of Yin Wind'. My spell attacks are precisely like this. When facing the southern barbarian tribes, is Priest Shen asking me to hold back?" 'Fiend of Yin Wind' was originally a spell targeting souls.

"Why didn't you confirm his identity?" a Rank Five martial general demanded.

Zhao Xing replied, "The situation was critical. It was a life-or-death battle from the moment we met. Where was the time to confirm identities?"

"Then why did you rob City No. 98's valuable resources?"

Another Rank Five martial general said, "It was a requisition."

Zhao Xing asked, "If it was a requisition, where is the Divine Spirit Contract? And why were people injured?"

"Furthermore, if he truly was Qian Shougang, why didn't he surrender?"

The two were left speechless by the questions. They were supposed to be interrogating Zhao Xing, but now it seemed as if they were the culprits. The martial general, somewhat enraged and embarrassed, exclaimed, "This is all just your side of the story!"

Zhao Xing calmly said, "Then please, sirs, summon Qian Shougang's soul and question him."

"You..." Qian's soul was currently in the 'jì' state. To summon Qian Shougang for questioning, there was only one possibility: to ask a Rank One Reincarnation True Monarch to summon his soul and transform him into an underworld deity. But Qian Shougang didn't have a million military merits. He had arrived late to the battlefield, and his merits were even less than many Rank Seven officers. If he had a million military merits, he wouldn't have resorted to stealing the Divine Might Army's Ground Fire Lotuses. The rules of the underworld deity system were clear. It was impossible to have a Rank One Reincarnation True Monarch summon a soul for an investigation. Otherwise, anyone could die in such a way to become an underworld deity. Wouldn't that indirectly undermine the underworld deity system?

Fan Zhaoli couldn't help but smile, seeing Zhao Xing's composed answers. In truth, Qian Shougang had broken the rules himself. As long as Zhao Xing insisted it was an accidental killing and not intentional, the punishment would be minimal. If it were intentional, it would be different. Qian Shougang's crime didn't warrant death, and it wasn't Zhao Xing's place to punish him. However, the Prince of Liang's faction hadn't anticipated that Zhao Xing possessed nine high-tier techniques and conducted himself with such meticulousness. City No. 98 lacked a temple, and in the Southern Wilderness, the underworld deity supervisory system was less effective than in Great Zhou. Even military merits required comprehensive verification from multiple sources, let alone a situation like this. Therefore, only the chief judges of the Supervisory Department could conduct interviews, collect evidence, and investigate.

After questioning the personnel from City No. 98 and examining Wang Ji's injuries, the Military Judicial Department's Supervisory Department soon released a preliminary finding: Qian Shougang had brought about his own demise by not following proper procedures when requisitioning the Divine Might Army's supplies. He had injured the defending commander using his authority as a superior officer and forcibly requisitioned the Divine Might Army's valuable supplies, an act equivalent to robbery. This led Zhao Xing, Long Xiao, and others to mistakenly believe them to be enemy forces disguised as barbarians, resulting in their deaths in Xi'xian Ridge.

After the preliminary findings were released, they were submitted to the Nine Heavens Responding Yuan Mansion, the Ten Yang Caverns, the Military Judicial Department, the Prince of Liang, the Divine Might Army Commander, and other relevant parties for review. Seven days later, the final investigation results were announced: Zhao Xing, Long Xiao, and the Valiant Camp were found not guilty, with no military merits to be deducted.

This outcome immediately caused a considerable stir. Even Zhao Xing himself was somewhat surprised: "Huh? This is the result? Not guilty or a light penalty were both within my expectations, but how come no military merits were deducted at all? What happened?"

I won't write anymore today. I'll adjust and write more tomorrow during the day. At the end of the month, I'll check how many updates I've delivered and how many are still owed.