The scarred man furrowed his brow as he noticed Han staring at him intently.

  "Who are you?" he demanded.

  "Are you connected to the Goddess?" Han asked, his tone unwavering.

  The scarred man remained expressionless. "Who are you really? I don't understand what you're talking about."

  "You gathered us here..." Han pressed.

  Whoosh!

  Han unsheathed his sword and swung it.

  Boom!

  Blood splattered.

  At this distance, in these conditions, a cultivator facing a martial artist wouldn’t stand a chance.

  The scarred man staggered backward with a scream, fury boiling in his eyes as he glared at Han.

  "Who are you? How dare you commit murder inside the Ghost and God Bureau?"

  "Are you connected to the Goddess?" Han asked again.

  "I don't..."

  Another swift sword strike, and the scarred man was injured again, deep wounds visible.

  "You reckless fool!" The other members of the Ghost and God Bureau were both shocked and enraged. Who was this man, daring to harm the Deputy Chief within their very ranks?

  The Bureau had two powerful martial protectors at the Meridian Realm, and they rushed toward Han, intent on subduing him.

  "Who dares to move?!" Han shouted, his sword pointed at them, his gaze sharp and commanding. Both martial artists were immediately immobilized.

  "Stay where you are!" Zhao Du Guan ordered loudly. "This is an official envoy sent to Qinghua County to handle a major case!"

  Han lowered his sword and turned to face the two martial protectors. "Are you connected to the Goddess?"

  They both shook their heads in unison.

  It was the truth.

  "Watch everyone here. No one is to leave."

  Han approached the scarred man, his expression calm as he asked once more, "Can you answer my question now?"

  "I don't know what you're talking about," the scarred man replied fiercely. "I don’t know the Goddess. Even if you’re an envoy, you need evidence to proceed with your investigation!"

  His voice was full of defiance, but inside, he was seething with hatred. If Zhao hadn’t called them into the sunlight so suddenly, he wouldn’t be in such a passive position now.

  Whoosh!

  Han’s sword cut through the air, severing the scarred man’s head cleanly from his shoulders.

  Without looking back, Han ignored the gruesome sight as the man’s soul flew out, confusion still evident on his face. But the next moment, an excruciating pain gripped him.

  The power of the sunlight tortured him, making him wish for death as he suffered endlessly.

  At his weakest moment, Han swiftly captured the man’s soul, preventing his escape.

  It wasn’t going to be that easy for him to die.

  "Sir..." Zhao Du Guan hesitated, his voice trailing off. "Are you certain Deputy Chief Hong is involved with the Goddess’s cult? If something goes wrong..."

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  "I won’t make a mistake," Han replied confidently.

  "...Alright. You’re in charge."

  Han had no time for further debate. If he showed any weakness, they would exploit it, dragging things out with excuses.

  Better to act decisively, eliminate those who dared oppose him, and make it clear that no one would interfere with his mission.

  Backed by the authority of the Xuandu Sect and the endorsement of the state religion, who could stop him?

  Han swiftly interrogated the remaining members of the Ghost and God Bureau. With his sharp intuition, he neutralized three more individuals in quick succession—followers of Hong, also complicit in the cult’s conspiracy.

  The truth came to light, and no one with a guilty conscience could escape Han’s detection. Each use of his truth-seeking token revealed more, allowing him to continue his work unhindered.

  The courtyard was covered in blood, and those still alive from the Ghost and God Bureau trembled in fear. The two martial protectors stood frozen, unsure of what to do.

  Han was like a death god among them.

  Too brutal.

  Zhao Du Guan, despite feeling helpless and humiliated, could only endure.

  He had been derelict in his duties, and now, fully cooperating with Han, he hoped to at least make some amends.

  Should he entertain any thoughts of resisting, he knew he would meet the same fate as the scarred man.

  "Send word to the two Deputy Chiefs of the Defense Bureau and have them come here," Han ordered, turning to Zhao Du Guan.

  The two bureaus had communication methods to exchange information.

  Zhao Du Guan nodded and immediately followed Han’s command, as everyone else watched in stunned silence, wondering who this deadly figure was, and why Zhao Du Guan followed him without question.

  Soon enough, the two Deputy Chiefs of the Defense Bureau arrived, but when they saw the bloodied courtyard, their faces went pale.

  One of them, a burly man with a thick beard, immediately turned to leave.

  "That’s Deputy Chief Gao, a small but skilled cultivator at the Meridian Realm!" Zhao Du Guan quickly informed.

  He had already realized that Gao was involved in this mess.

  Before he could speak further, Han was already pursuing the man, his boots powered by martial skill, ensuring the burly man couldn’t escape.

  Small Meridian Realm cultivator? Perfect. Time for a test run.

  Han swung his sword with a mighty force, the blade clashing with the burly man's long sword.

  Clang!

  The bearded man’s weapon snapped in half instantly.

  A forged blade couldn’t hope to stand against a weapon of Han’s caliber.

  Moreover, the man wielding it was no match either!

  "You’re connected to the Goddess, aren’t you?" Han asked calmly.

  "Zhao Du Guan, what is this?!" the bearded man shouted. "Zhao, help me!"

  "Zhao Guang, Gao Wen is colluding with the Goddess. Assist the envoy in apprehending him immediately!" Zhao Du Guan ordered.

  The other Deputy Chief of the Defense Bureau was stunned, unable to believe what had just happened. But after hearing Zhao Du Guan’s words, he didn’t hesitate and prepared to act.

  However, Han wouldn’t give him the chance.

  A sword strike shattered the bearded man’s blade, and another came down swiftly. The bearded man couldn’t dodge, and his blood sprayed everywhere as he cried out in agony.

  Before he could react, Han struck again.

  Whoosh!

  The man’s head flew into the air before crashing back to the ground in a bloody mess.

  Boom!

  The body crumpled, creating a cloud of dust.

  Han slowly sheathed his sword, blood dripping off the blade as it glinted in the light, once again gleaming bright.

  A brutal killing spree, blood-soaked snow.

  The bearded man’s body hit the ground with a resounding thud, and Han casually glanced at the others still standing. His expression remained unchanged.

  Thud!

  Before the others could fully process what had happened, they watched in shock as Han easily killed the Deputy Chief of the Defense Bureau with one stroke.

  How vicious.

  A small Meridian Realm cultivator, taken down with such ease.

  This “death god” must be at least at the Greater Meridian Realm, right?

  None of them realized that Han, the one slaying their Deputy Chief, had only just entered the Meridian Realm.

  Inferior techniques, weapons, and martial skill couldn’t compete with him.

  The sword—sharp.

  Han turned his gaze on the remaining Deputy Chief of the Defense Bureau, and the man instinctively took a step back.

  Zhao Du Guan quickly explained the situation.

  "Are you involved with the Goddess or the Goddess’s cult?" Han asked.

  The man shook his head vigorously. "No, I have no connection with the Goddess or the cult, and I know nothing about Gao Wen’s actions."

  The truth.

  Zhao Du Guan quickly added, "Envoy, this is my nephew. I raised him. He wouldn’t do such a thing."

  Han glanced at Zhao Du Guan. If he recalled correctly, another Deputy Chief of the Ghost and God Bureau also shared the Zhao surname.

  Perhaps family ties were at play here.

  But Han wasn’t concerned with that right now.

  Looking at the setting sun, he knew the Goddess’s gathering was about to begin.

  "Get all the Defense Bureau’s martial artists to come here now," Han ordered Zhao Guang. "Anyone in Qinghua County, don’t let a single one escape. And..."

  "Don’t say anything you shouldn’t."

  "If you try to run, I’ll chase you to the ends of the earth."

  Zhao Guang nodded earnestly, no longer acting like a Deputy Chief, his authority stripped away in the face of Han's power.

  Looking around the blood-soaked courtyard, he had already guessed Han’s plan.

  Tonight, the rivers would run red with blood.