King of Creation Chapter 1796 - 1781: Was It Really You?

"Your Majesty, this Weizhou Chii Family is actually a secret investigation target of our Secret Overseer. As early as over a hundred years ago, it was already confirmed that this Chii Family is the Hidden Clan of the Xio Clan under the West Patrol Xio Family."

Hearing Ren Venerate Emperor Ji Long’s question, Chief Eunuch Yu Chao’en added a sentence, further confirming Ren Venerate Emperor Ji Long’s statement.

Yu Chao’en’s words made Grand Celestial Official Wu Yu’s expression turn subtle, and made Ren Venerate Emperor Ji Long’s gaze flicker.

"If that’s the case, then I can’t help but feel this army of a hundred thousand from the Demon Clan seems a bit like it’s targeting the Xio Family, targeting West Patrol Xio Qiangu.

Even more like it’s taking revenge on West Patrol Xio Qiangu.

Wud Qing, what do you say?" Ren Venerate Emperor Ji Long said.

Beads of sweat began to appear on Grand Celestial Official Wu Yu’s forehead; this question was not easy to answer.

No matter how he answered, an army of a hundred thousand from the Demon Clan sneaking into the Heartland of Great Zhou to slaughter people without a sound was, in any case, a dereliction of duty on the Heavenly Patrol Department’s part.

Moreover, even if there really was someone exacting revenge, who has that kind of pull to let an army of a hundred thousand from the Demon Clan in?

Each of these questions was trickier than the last.

Seeing the sweat on Wu Yu’s forehead, Ren Venerate Emperor Ji Long instead laughed. "Wud Qing, look how frightened you are. Am I really that terrifying?"

"I merely want to use this incident as a pretext to hear your thoughts. No matter what you say, I will not hold it against you."

"In that case, this minister thanks Your Majesty for your benevolence in advance."

"I must say, Your Majesty’s eye is indeed extraordinary. With just this bit of intelligence, you’ve grasped the key point of the incident." Grand Celestial Official Wu Yu calmly slipped in a bit of flattery. "This army of the Demon Clan that appeared this time is indeed highly targeted, to the point it even left survivors.

For the Demon Clan’s nature, this is simply impossible. And the locations attacked cover such a wide range, all of them related to the Xio Family, while not harming any other ordinary commoners.

From this angle, Your Majesty’s inference is indeed possible.

But the problem is, who is this avenger or mastermind behind the scenes? To be frank, up to now, this minister has not thought of a single suspect who has such capability." Wu Yu said.

Hearing this, the Ren Venerate Emperor nodded. "That is exactly what puzzles me. Even if the Human Demon Battlefield had turned into a sieve, it would still be impossible for an army of a hundred thousand from the Demon Clan to slip through.

Those Dao Realm top experts whose bodies have evolved Little Worlds do have such ability, but they have absolutely no need to do this.

So, I can’t figure it out either. However...."

At this point, the Ren Venerate Emperor’s gaze suddenly flashed. "Have you noticed that this matter is almost identical to what happened in Lingzhou half a month ago?

All of them are Demon Clan invasions that stir up a huge commotion and then vanish into thin air afterward.

The only difference is that the targets are different. The former targeted Ye Zhen, while the latter targets West Patrol Xio Qiangu.

Tell me, could this be.....some kind of revenge method cooked up by that fellow Ye Zhen?"

Ren Venerate Emperor Ji Long’s words were meant to shock; Yu Chao’en and Wu Yu both shuddered at the same time.

"It’s indeed possible, but this minister does not believe Ye Zhen has such vast influence." Wu Yu said.

"I think so as well. It’s just—who on earth did this?" Ren Venerate Emperor Ji Long slowly shook his head. "Forget it. As for who is behind this, you, Great Attendant, and Wud Qing, just investigate it in secret.

The urgent matter now is how to use the momentum of this incident to ruthlessly screw Xio Qiangu over once, and take the opportunity to weaken that overgrown West Patrol branch that’s hard to rein in, no?"

Hearing this, Grand Celestial Official Wu Yu nodded vigorously. "Your Majesty, regardless of whether the West Patrol side can fulfill the Military Order I issued,

no matter the result, this incident alone is not enough to bring down West Patrol Xio Qiangu. However, we can use this incident to hammer a few more nails into the West Patrol....."

Ye Zhen did not hear the conversation between Ren Venerate Emperor Ji Long and Grand Celestial Official Wu Yu. If Ye Zhen had heard that Ren Venerate Emperor Ji Long was already suspecting him, he would probably be utterly stunned.

Although Ren Venerate Emperor Ji Long is nothing special among the emperors of the Great Zhou Calendar’s dynasties, to sit on that throne for several hundred years, how could he be simple?

Amidst the intense pursuit of a hundred thousand Demon Clan invaders by the West Patrol forces, with Grand Celestial Official Wu Yu’s Military Order deadline looming less than half a day away, West Patrol Xio Qiangu made a sudden appearance in North Sea County.

"What, Inspector Xio himself?"

Liu Feng, the Deputy Envoy of the Second Route Wind Patrol, was utterly stunned by the report. At such a critical juncture, why was West Patrol Xio Qiangu in North Sea County instead of directing the search for the Demon Clan army?

"Invite him in immediately!"

"No, all of you, come with me to greet him."

Despite the deep animosity between West Patrol Xio Qiangu and Ye Zhen, to the extent that they harbored deadly wishes for each other, Xio Qiangu held the position of direct superior to their Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy. Thus, proper protocol had to be observed.

Before Liu Feng could even rally his subordinates to go out, Xio Qiangu, his face grim, strode directly into the Government Office of the Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy. "There's no need. Have Ye Zhen come out to see me."

Without further ado, Xio Qiangu took the main seat in the office, exuding an aura of authority and arrogance, much like a general with a Gold Blade.

Liu Feng was taken aback, his expression becoming rather awkward. "To be completely honest with you, my lord, our Wind Patrol Envoy’s breakthrough was previously interrupted. Following that incident, he entered seclusion once more, and it has been nearly half a month now."

"In seclusion?"

Xio Qiangu scoffed coldly. "Even in seclusion, a person is still alive. As long as he breathes, he can move! Dispatch a Talisman Communication and order him to appear before me immediately, or I shall charge him with dereliction of duty without hesitation."

These words caused Liuu Feng's expression to stiffen momentarily. He then responded with solemnity, "My lord, all the responsibilities of the Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy are presently under this subordinate’s temporary management, and all operations are proceeding as usual. Regarding the cooperative investigation you requested, our Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy has already assigned one-third of our available manpower. How can this be construed as dereliction of duty?

If my lord insists on pressing charges, then we shall have no choice but to file an appeal with the Heavenly Patrol Department Headquarters!"

Frustrated by this stonewall, Xio Qiangu was deeply displeased. After a few deep breaths of contemplation, he stood up. "Since Ye Zhen claims to be in seclusion, then lead me to verify whether he truly is."

"This...."

Liu Feng hesitated slightly.

"What, even that is not permitted? If that is the case, then I must seriously suspect that Ye Zhen is using seclusion as a pretext to engage in some nefarious and unspeakable activities....."

"Hahahahaha....."

A burst of hearty laughter erupted from outside the door, causing Xio Qiangu’s face to contort. It was evident he recognized the owner of the laughter.

"Inspector Xio, if you wish to see your subordinate, a simple order would suffice. Why trouble yourself to personally descend upon our North Sea County?"

"Ye Zhen?"

Upon seeing Ye Zhen enter, West Patrol Xio Qiangu's pupils contracted. "Your period of seclusion has concluded?"

"My seclusion ended quite some time ago. I merely stepped out to attend to a minor matter and have only just returned," Ye Zhen stated.

"What matter?" Xio Qiangu pressed, his tone sharp.

"Oh, nothing of great consequence!" Ye Zhen replied with an air of utter nonchalance. "A certain beast caused me some rather unpleasantness a few days prior. Thus, I decided to stir up a little trouble myself. While I couldn't dispatch the beast, I could certainly vex it."

"Hm? You?"

Xio Qiangu had initially paid little attention to the first part of Ye Zhen's statement, but the latter half immediately caught his attention, with its veiled implication.

At this moment, if Xio Qiangu remained oblivious to Ye Zhen's meaning, he would be utterly foolish.

Ye Zhen was unmistakably employing a veiled insult, referring to Xio Qiangu as a beast. Furthermore, based on Ye Zhen's words, he could infer the following interpretation:

The recent Demon Clan invasion had displeased Ye Zhen, leading him to seek retribution upon Xio Qiangu now that the hundred-thousand-strong Demon Clan army was specifically targeting the people of Xio Qiangu's clan?

With this realization, Xio Qiangu's eyes widened instantly, fixated on Ye Zhen's gaze, as if spewing flames.

"It was truly you?"

Xio Qiangu bellowed, each word strained through gritted teeth, his Killing Qi surging like a tempestuous tide.