74: We've caught the criminal red-handed. Let's see how your Lin family can argue!

The wind in the valley seemed to be frozen by the coldness emanating from Li Dong.

Lin Yunzhi was clutching his neck with one hand, like a fish out of water, his feet kicking futilely, his flushed face filled with terror and despair.

“Uh… let… let go… of… me…” He squeezed out a few words with difficulty, his voice hoarse and unrecognizable. That once arrogant face was now only a pathetic struggle for survival.

Li Dong waved his other hand lightly, and a spiritual force swept past. Lin Yunzhi immediately felt his breathing become smoother, but the iron clamp on his neck remained firm.

“Young Master Lin, do you know how to beg for mercy now? Unfortunately, it’s too late.” Li Dong’s voice was calm, showing no emotion. “You almost caused the entire Prefecture City to be buried with you. This debt cannot be settled by begging for mercy.”

“My… my father is Lin Xiaotian! Commander Luo won’t let you go either! If you dare to kill me, the Lin Family and Commander Luo will make your life worse than death!” Lin Yunzhi threatened, feigning ferocity but inwardly weak, trying to grasp at a last straw.

“Oh? Is that so?” A faint curve appeared at the corner of Li Dong’s mouth. “I’ll be waiting. But before that, you should worry about yourself first.”

Just then, an extreme madness and venom flashed in Lin Yunzhi’s eyes. The last bit of spiritual power remaining in his Dantian, including the tiny residual strength from his recent blood-burning sacrifice, surged backward recklessly, converging towards his Golden Core!

“You little beast! Even if I die, I’ll drag you down with me! All of you — explode!” He roared, twisting his other hand at a strange angle, seemingly trying to pull something out of his embrace and crush it. A destructive Aura subtly emanated from his body.

This guy actually wants to self-destruct his Golden Core and destroy something else?

“Trying this in front of me? Did you think I wouldn’t anticipate it?” Li Dong snorted coldly. He had long guarded against Lin Yunzhi acting desperately.

In a flash, Li Dong’s free left hand moved like lightning, his index and middle fingers pressed together, a faint golden glow lingering on their tips. He precisely tapped Lin Yunzhi’s Dantian and several key Acupoints.

“Puff, puff, puff!”

With a few imperceptible soft sounds, Lin Yunzhi’s recently surging violent Aura instantly withered like a punctured balloon. He widened his eyes, his face full of disbelief. He felt that his connection with his Golden Core, and the Meridians in his body, were as if tightly bound and sealed by countless fine threads, unable to mobilize even a trace of spiritual power.

“You… what did you do to me?! My Golden Core… my Cultivation!” Lin Yunzhi’s voice was tearful, completely despairing. Falling from the clouds into the mud, this blow was more unbearable than killing him.

“Nothing much, just temporarily sealed your power, lest you have a momentary lapse in judgment and do something foolish.” Li Dong released his grip on his neck, and with a casual flick, Lin Yunzhi slumped to the ground like a pile of mud, coughing violently.

“Next, it’s time to inventory your ‘relics’.” Li Dong calmly squatted down and began to search Lin Yunzhi’s body.

Lin Yunzhi’s eyes blazed with fury, but he was powerless to resist, only able to let Li Dong do as he pleased.

Soon, Li Dong pulled out a few items from his embrace.

A black metal token shimmering with a faint glow, engraved with complex runes. This was the final core command to activate the “potent demon attraction incense” Formation. If it had been destroyed just now, subsequent investigations would have been more troublesome.

“Tsk, good stuff.” Li Dong weighed it in his hand.

Next was a beautifully crafted small booklet. Opening it, it was densely filled with many names and contact information. It seemed this was Lin Yunzhi’s, and even the Lin Family’s, “emergency contact list,” likely involving many forces.

“This one is even more interesting.” Li Dong’s eyes flickered.

Finally, there was a warm, smooth jade talisman. Li Dong injected a trace of spiritual power, and the jade talisman trembled slightly, revealing several vague but panicked fragments of conversation.

“…plan changed… retreat quickly…”

“…Li Dong… how could he…”

“…quickly inform Lord Luo…”

Although fragmented, it was enough to prove many things.

“It seems your net is quite wide, Young Master Lin.” Li Dong put away the three items, stood up, and glanced at Lin Yunzhi, who lay on the ground like a dead dog. “These ‘criminal evidences’ should be enough to give your Lin Family a headache.”

Just then, at the entrance of the valley, several powerful Auras rapidly approached from a distance.

The leader was Inspector Zhou of the Surveillance Division. His expression was solemn, and behind him followed a team of Demon Suppression Guards in uniform armor, their Auras fierce, clearly the elite of the Surveillance Division.

What surprised Li Dong even more was that next to Inspector Zhou, there were several Cultivators in various costumes. Judging by their Family emblems, they were clearly representatives of several powerful aristocratic families in Prefecture City. Among them were people from the Wang Family and Zhang Family, who had always been at odds with the Lin Family.

“Why are they here too?” Li Dong’s heart stirred. It seemed the “explosive news” he had anonymously sent out earlier had worked.

As soon as everyone landed, their gazes simultaneously fell upon the center of the valley.

When they saw the completely destroyed core of the demon attracting Formation, reduced to ruins, and the demon-attracting incense and bloody Qi that had not yet completely dispersed in the air, and then saw Lin Yunzhi, who was under Li Dong’s foot and looked miserable, they all gasped in cold air.

“Heavens! This… this is that great demon attracting Formation?”

“Looking at this scale, once it’s detonated, the entire Prefecture City would probably…” A Family representative’s voice trembled.

A middle-aged Cultivator from the Wang Family pointed at Lin Yunzhi and angrily shouted, “Lin Yunzhi! It really is you, you deranged lunatic! Your Lin Family actually dared to do such an inhumane thing!”

The representative of the Zhang Family also sternly said, “If it weren’t for Young Hero Li Dong’s timely intervention, wouldn’t all of us today have become sacrifices for your Lin Family!”

For a time, emotions ran high.

Inspector Zhou quickly walked to Li Dong, glanced at Lin Yunzhi on the ground, who was breathing more out than in, and then at Li Dong. Seeing that although his face was a bit pale and his Aura slightly unstable, he was not seriously injured, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Li Dong, you’ve worked hard.” Inspector Zhou’s voice carried a hint of imperceptible relief. “How is the situation?”

“Lord Zhou, I have not failed my mission.” Li Dong said concisely, “Lin Yunzhi is here. The Formation he attempted to detonate, the ‘potent demon attraction incense,’ has been destroyed by me. These are the physical evidences found on him.”

With that, he handed over the black token, the contact list, and the recorded jade talisman.

Inspector Zhou took them, and after a sweep of his Divine Sense, his face grew even more grim. “What a Lin Family! What a Lin Yunzhi! With both human and physical evidence, I’ll see how they can argue their way out of this time!”

“Yunzhi—! My son!”

Just then, a furious roar filled with grief and despair came from outside the valley, like a clap of thunder from a clear sky.

Immediately after, a violent Aura swept over. Lin Xiaotian, the head of the Lin Family, rushed in with a large group of Lin Family experts, their faces ashen.

When Lin Xiaotian saw his most beloved son being trampled underfoot like a dead dog, his life unknown, and the surrounding aristocratic Family members pointing and shouting at him, his rage instantly shot to his head.

“You little beast! How dare you injure my son like this! Give me your life!” Lin Xiaotian’s eyes were bloodshot. Without asking any questions, he angrily struck out at Li Dong with a palm, the palm wind whistling, carrying the powerful pressure of the Late Foundation Establishment Stage.

The Lin Family experts behind him also drew their weapons, poised to attack.

“Lin Xiaotian! How dare you!” Inspector Zhou roared, his figure flickering as he blocked in front of Li Dong, meeting the attack with a palm of his own.

“Boom!”

The two palms collided, and Qi waves rolled. Inspector Zhou’s figure swayed slightly, and Lin Xiaotian also retreated half a step, his face growing even angrier.

“Zhou Bapi! Get out of my way! This matter has nothing to do with your Surveillance Division!” Lin Xiaotian shouted sternly, “This brat injured my son, I want him to pay with his blood!”

“Pay with his blood?” Inspector Zhou stood his ground, a golden light flashing in his hand as he revealed a token—it was the Surveillance Order issued by the Demon Suppression Headquarters!

“Lin Xiaotian, look clearly at what this is! Lin Yunzhi is suspected of setting up a great demon attracting Formation, endangering the safety of the entire Prefecture City, and the evidence is conclusive! This case has been officially taken over by my Surveillance Division! Now, immediately order your people to retreat, otherwise, don’t blame this official for treating it as obstructing official duties and harboring accomplices!” Inspector Zhou’s voice was stern, and a fierce Evil Qi belonging to the surveillance system emanated forth.

The other aristocratic Family representatives who came with him also spoke up.

“Family Head Lin, your son’s actions are outrageous. Are you still trying to shield him?”

“If it weren’t for Young Friend Li Dong, we would all be in trouble today! Your Lin Family must give us an explanation!”

Lin Xiaotian’s face alternated between green and white as everyone spoke. He glanced at his son on the ground, then at the Surveillance Order in Inspector Zhou’s hand and the watchful aristocratic Family members. Although furious, he knew that with this setup today, trying to forcibly take his son away and destroy the evidence would likely be difficult.

“Inspector Zhou, everything must be based on evidence! My son Yunzhi has always been law-abiding, how could he do such a rebellious thing? It must be this young brat Li Dong who framed him!” Lin Xiaotian forced himself to argue, trying to buy time.

“Framing?” Li Dong had been observing with cold eyes, and now he finally spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly audible throughout the scene. “Family Head Lin, do you even believe what you’re saying? How was your son ‘framed’ right under my nose to set up this vast and intricate Big Dipper Seven Stars Demon Attracting Formation covering several miles? And how was he ‘framed’ to carry the detonation command, a list of accomplices, and a communication jade talisman on him?”

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Lin Xiaotian’s face, twisted with anger: “Or are you saying, Family Head Lin, that your son has a special habit of sleepwalking and setting up Formations?”

“Pfft!” In the crowd, someone couldn’t hold back and laughed.

Lin Xiaotian’s old face turned liver-purple, and he pointed at Li Dong: “You… you stop trying to twist words here!”

Li Dong ignored him, cupped his fists towards Inspector Zhou, and said, “Lord Zhou, after a fierce battle, this Junior’s spiritual power is greatly depleted, and I also have some injuries. Now that the matter here is concluded, I ask Lord to uphold justice and bring the criminals to justice, restoring peace to the Prefecture.”

He appropriately showed some fatigue, and his face became even paler. After all, clashing with Lin Yunzhi’s blood-burning secret art and destroying the entire great Formation had indeed taken a considerable toll on him.

Inspector Zhou nodded, gave Li Dong a deep look, and a hint of approval and concern flashed in his eyes: “Li Dong, rest assured, this official will investigate this matter thoroughly and will not let any culprit escape! You should recover for a moment.”

Just as the two sides were in a stalemate, and the atmosphere was extremely tense, a slightly authoritative voice drifted over.

“Heh heh, everyone’s tempers are quite hot. What happened to warrant such a large mobilization?”

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice, only to see Luo Yi, the Commander of the Prefecture Demon Suppression Division, walking over unhurriedly, surrounded by his personal guards. He had his usual gentle smile on his face, but the smile did not reach his eyes.

Upon seeing Luo Yi, Lin Xiaotian was like a drowning man grasping at a life raft. He immediately cried out, “Commander Luo! You must uphold justice for my Lin Family! This Li Dong, I don’t know what methods he used to bewitch Inspector Zhou, frame my son Yunzhi, and even injure him! You see, Yunzhi, he…”

Luo Yi’s gaze swept across the entire scene, finally resting on the evidence in Inspector Zhou’s hand and the dying Lin Yunzhi on the ground. His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Inspector Zhou stepped forward, neither humble nor arrogant, and said, “Reporting to Commander Luo, the Surveillance Division received a report and caught Lin Family’s eldest Young Master, Lin Yunzhi, red-handed setting up a ‘potent demon attraction incense’ Formation here, attempting to attract demons and endanger Prefecture City. These are the physical evidences seized at the scene, and the captured suspect, Lin Yunzhi. The nature of this incident is extremely egregious, and its impact is immense. Our Surveillance Division believes that it must be handled severely and harshly to serve as a warning to others!”

He presented the evidence in his hand.

Luo Yi’s gaze lingered on the evidence for a moment, then he looked deeply at the pale-faced Li Dong, a hint of gloom flashing in his eyes.

The surrounding aristocratic Family representatives also echoed, vehemently condemning the Lin Family’s crimes and requesting Commander Luo to deal with them severely. For a time, public sentiment surged, and all fingers pointed at the Lin Family.

Luo Yi inwardly cursed Lin Yunzhi for being incompetent, but his expression remained calm. He knew that with such human and physical evidence, and with multiple forces witnessing the situation, openly protecting the Lin Family was no longer possible.

He pondered for a moment, then finally spoke, his voice carrying an unquestionable authority: “This matter, this Commander is now aware of. Lin Yunzhi, as a direct descendant of the Lin Family, actually committed such a heinous act, plotting to endanger the entire Prefecture. It is simply appalling! The Demon Suppression Division has always had zero tolerance for such evil deeds! We will never condone or harbor evildoers!”

He declared righteously, “This Commander announces the immediate establishment of a special task force of the highest standard, to be jointly commanded by Inspector Zhou of the Surveillance Division, to thoroughly investigate this case! From Lin Yunzhi to all personnel involved behind him, once verified, no matter who is involved, they will all be severely punished without leniency! We must give a satisfactory explanation to the millions of people in the Prefecture!”

His words were righteous and impeccable.

Lin Xiaotian’s face instantly turned ashen upon hearing “severely punished without leniency,” and his lips trembled, but he dared not say more.

The people of the Prefecture and other aristocratic families nodded in approval, praising Commander Luo’s wisdom and decisiveness.

However, just as Luo Yi finished his announcement and his gaze turned to Li Dong, a chilling killing intent suddenly flashed in the depths of his seemingly fair eyes. Although it was fleeting, Li Dong, who had been constantly observing him, keenly caught it.

“Kid, you got lucky this time. But, we’ll settle our scores slowly.” That look seemed to say.

Li Dong sneered inwardly. It seemed this Commander Luo had completely held a grudge against him. But, it didn’t matter. Many debts don’t weigh one down, and many lice don’t itch. Since the cards were already on the table, let’s see who would have the last laugh.

The storm in the valley seemed to have temporarily subsided. But Li Dong knew that this was just the beginning. A bigger storm was quietly brewing over Prefecture City.