124: Shock! The royal guards were completely dumbfounded; this case was impossible to investigate!
He raised his head and glanced in the direction of the Central Martial Arena.
At this moment, that place was still bustling with noise and excitement, exceptionally lively.
It seemed no one had noticed that just a few streets away from the martial arena, a blood-soaked case shocking enough to rock the entire capital had just occurred.
A faint curve lifted the corner of Li Qing's mouth.
"The show is over."
"It's time to go watch someone else's show."
He stepped forward, unhurriedly, walking towards the direction of the Central Martial Arena.
Less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn after Li Qing left.
"Woo—! Woo—!"
The sharp sound of Police Whistles tore through the tranquility of Vermilion Bird Avenue.
A large number of capital City Guards, clad in heavy black iron armor and wielding Standardized Longswords, surged in like a tide from all directions, swiftly sealing off the entire area.
Leading them was the Deputy Commander of the City Guard, Zhao Xin.
He was a seasoned veteran of the battlefield, a powerhouse whose cultivation had reached the Late-stage Spirit Transformation Realm, renowned for his impartiality and ruthless methods.
However, when he rode his horse to the scene and clearly saw the sight before him.
Even this iron-blooded general, accustomed to bloodshed and slaughter, couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath of cold air.
"Hiss!"
Who?
It wasn't that the scene before his eyes was terrifying.
Rather, the shock was that someone dared to commit such an act in the capital during the Martial Competition period!
He saw that the originally prosperous Vermilion Bird Avenue was now completely transformed.
The street was full of potholes and bumps.
The shops on both sides were utterly destroyed, leaving broken walls and ruins, a scene of complete devastation.
In the air, the pungent smell of blood was almost enough to make one vomit.
"What... what happened here?!"
Zhao Xin dismounted from his horse and strode quickly into the scene, his expression extremely grave.
Soon, a Coroner responsible for examining the scene ran over, his face deathly pale, his voice trembling.
"C-Commander!"
"A-according to preliminary examination, thirty-seven bodies have been discovered at the scene!"
"Among them, the identities of three have been confirmed!"
"They are... are assassins from the 'Shadow Kill' organization in the capital, codenamed 'Fierce Ox', 'Poison Scorpion', and 'Blood Blade'!"
"What?!"
Zhao Xin's pupils abruptly contracted.
'Shadow Kill'!
This name was like thunder to his ears!
That was the most notorious assassin organization in the Great Xia Dynasty!
Every assassin within it was a desperado who had crawled out from mountains of corpses and seas of blood, ruthless in methods and formidable in strength!
Especially this 'Blood Blade', he had long heard of him—a Peak expert of the Meridian Opening Realm, his hands stained with the blood of countless masters, a major criminal with a high bounty on the City Guard's Wanted List!
Now, he had actually died here?
Moreover, died together with two other Meridian Opening Realm assassins?
"What was the cause of death?"
Zhao Xin forcibly suppressed the shock in his heart and asked in a deep voice.
"R-Reporting, Commander."
The Coroner swallowed his saliva and said with a trembling voice.
"'Fierce Ox', Late Stage of Meridian Connecting Realm, primarily cultivated his Physical Body. The upper half of his body was directly blasted into a bloody mist by an indescribable force of Great Strength, leaving no trace of his bones!"
"'Blood Blade', Peak of the Meridian Unblocking Realm, died from a shattered throat bone, killed with a single strike!"
"As for 'Poison Scorpion'... his death was the most miserable. His entire head looked like it had been stomped and exploded by some heavy object!"
Listening to the Coroner's report, Zhao Xin's eyelids uncontrollably twitched violently.
Killed with a single strike!
Three top-tier assassins at the middle-Late Stage, even Peak, of the Meridian Opening Realm were all killed with a single strike?
To be able to kill these people so quickly.
What level of strength did this murderer possess?
Middle Stage of the Spirit Transformation Realm?
Or Late Stage?
"Besides those three, what about the others?"
"The others mostly died from Sharp Weapon piercings, likely peripheral members of 'Shadow Kill'. But over a dozen people... their deaths were very strange."
An expression of confusion and fear appeared on the Coroner's face.
"Their corpses showed no fatal wounds on the surface, but the bones and Meridians inside their bodies were completely shattered by a shockwave force transmitted from the soles of their feet!"
"A shockwave force transmitted from the soles of their feet?"
Zhao Xin's brows tightly knitted together into a deep frown.
He looked in the direction the Coroner pointed.
He saw a huge, immense depression in the center of the street.
Although someone had hastily covered it with rubble, it was still discernible that it was a... footprint!
A terrifying footprint half a foot deep and over three meters in diameter!
The moment he saw this footprint, Zhao Xin felt the hair on his scalp stand on end!
One stomp!
Just one stomp caused such terrifying destructive power?
A Body Cultivator?
"Investigate! Investigate for me!"
Zhao Xin roared as he gave the order.
"Seal all city gates! Mobilize all secret agents! Find the murderer for me!"
At this critical juncture, this kind of thing happening.
I'm afraid I'll be held accountable... The bloodshed on Vermilion Bird Avenue, like an earthquake, instantly ignited the entire capital.
The news spread to the desks of all major powers at an unbelievable speed.
Imperial Palace, Imperial Study.
The Emperor of Great Xia, wearing a dragon robe and exuding authority without anger, looked at the secret report in his hand, his brows tightly furrowed.
"Stomped and shattered the Seven Star Soul Locking Array with one foot? Killed a Peak of the Meridian Unblocking Realm expert with one punch?"
"Zhao Xin, at this time, are you still shirking responsibility?"
Below, Zhao Xin knelt on the ground, cold sweat streaming down.
"Your Majesty, I guarantee with my head that every word is true!"
"I suspect the murderer is most likely related to that youth from Jinling City, Li Qing, who shone brilliantly in the Martial Selection Tournament a few days ago!"
"Oh?"
A flash of sharp light gleamed in the Emperor of Great Xia's eyes.
"What evidence do you have?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, there is no direct evidence."
"However, the attribute of power displayed by that enormous footprint at the crime scene is identical to what that Li Qing used on the arena!"
"Both are pure, extreme, overwhelmingly domineering strength!"
The Emperor of Great Xia fell silent.
His slender fingers lightly tapped the armrest of the dragon throne, emitting a 'thump, thump' sound.
The entire Imperial Study was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
After a long while, he slowly spoke.
"This matter ends here."
"What?!"
Zhao Xin abruptly raised his head, his face full of disbelief.
"Your Majesty, this..."
"Dismissed."
The Emperor of Great Xia waved his hand, giving him no further chance to speak.
"Yes..."
The panic in Zhao Xin's heart subsided, and he withdrew with a bowed posture.
After he left, the Emperor of Great Xia clapped his hands.
A figure, ghost-like, slowly emerged from the shadows behind the dragon throne.
"Your Majesty."
"Hmm!"
The Emperor of Great Xia nodded slightly.
"Li Qing?"
A profound light flashed in the Emperor of Great Xia's eyes.
"Pass down the order: seal all case files related to this incident and classify them as top secret."
"At the same time, closely monitor every move of that Li Qing."
"I am quite curious to see how much of a stir such an interesting Genius will create on this chessboard once he enters the game."
He paused, then added.
"Also, go investigate what Qingyue has been up to recently."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Shadowy Figure merged back into the darkness and disappeared.
###Chapter 123