Chapter 5998

As

dawn broke, the faint light pierced the misty spiritual energy above Jade Immortal City, yet it could not dispel the suddenly heavy atmosphere within the city.

Inside the Jade Immortal Palace, in the duty room of the Executioners’ quarters, the atmosphere was even more oppressive, like solidified ice.

Four executioners, their faces pale and their foreheads dripping with cold sweat, stood

with their heads bowed, not daring to even breathe. At the head of the table, behind a large desk carved from a single piece of obsidian, sat a middle-aged man with a somber expression.

He wore a dark blue brocade robe embroidered with intricate cloud patterns, his face lean, with three long wisps of beard, giving him a scholarly air.

However, his narrow eyes flashed with a chilling light, and he exuded an aura of authority and suppressed murderous intent.

This was Fei Qing, the Grand Steward of the Jade Immortal Palace.

“Two living people vanished right under your noses overnight?”

Fei Qing’s voice wasn’t loud, even somewhat calm, but to the four stewards, it was like an ice pick piercing their bones.

“Reporting…reporting to the Grand Steward.”

The leading steward mustered his courage, his voice trembling, “Last night…last night everything was normal. At midnight, the shift change was clear; the duty records were clear. Tu Meng was on duty and didn’t leave the dormitory.” ”

Tu Gang…Tu Gang was off duty yesterday and, as usual, went to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, and hasn’t returned yet.”

“At the morning roll call, we found both of them missing. We immediately sent people to search—the dormitory, the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, Qianjinfang, and even several places they frequented—but…they were nowhere to be found.”

“We asked their colleagues, and no one heard anything unusual last night…”

“What about the dormitory’s formation? Was it triggered? Were there any signs of outsiders breaking in?” Fei Qing interrupted the steward’s report, his fingertips lightly tapping the obsidian tabletop, producing a crisp, rhythmic sound.

“The formation… the formation is functioning normally, with no trigger record.”

“We have carefully checked Tu Meng’s residence and the entire courtyard, both inside and outside, and found no signs of a struggle, nor any residual aura or fluctuations of magical power. Everything… everything is eerily normal.”

Another steward added, his face filled with disbelief.

“Eerily normal…” Fei Qing repeated the sentence, his narrow eyes slightly narrowed, the cold light intensifying.

“Two body cultivators at the fourth rank of the Upper Immortal Realm, especially Tu Meng, who was on duty, inside the courtyard, protected by the formation, just vanished without a sound? Without even a trace?”

Fei Qing stood up, slowly walked to the window, and looked at the gradually brightening sky outside, but his eyes became even more profound.

The Tu Gang and Tu Meng brothers were his trusted henchmen, specially promoted to handle shady matters, especially the Fallen Soul Slope incident some time ago… Now the two of them have disappeared at the same time, neither alive nor dead, this is definitely not unusual.

“Recently, has anyone been inquiring about… things they shouldn’t be inquiring about?” Fei Qing asked suddenly, his back to the stewards. The

stewards exchanged glances. One of them seemed to remember something and hesitated before saying, “Reporting to the Grand Steward, a few days ago… there seemed to be a rumor that someone in the Zhiwen Pavilion in the dark alleys of the West District was spending a lot of money to inquire about… about the Fallen Soul Slope.”

“Especially… about that male and female cultivators. But the old ghost of the Zhiwen Pavilion is tight-lipped, and our people haven’t been able to find out exactly who they are.”

“Falled Soul Slope… that male and female…” Fei Qing turned around, a barely perceptible shadow crossing his face. “Anything else?”

“Anything else…”

another steward whispered, “Yesterday afternoon, an informant from the Punishment Hall reported that there seemed to be an unfamiliar face loitering near the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, seemingly… seemingly inquiring about Tu Gang’s whereabouts. But at the time, we thought it was just a common revenge or debt dispute, and didn’t… didn’t take it too seriously.”

Bang!

Fei Qing slammed his palm on the obsidian table, smashing a chunk off the hard corner and reducing it to dust!

“Useless trash!”

he roared, his eyes blazing with murderous intent. “Someone has already tracked down the executioner! How dare you be so negligent?!”　　The four deacons fell to their knees in terror, kowtowing repeatedly: “Grand Steward, please calm your anger! We have failed in our duty! We deserve to die!”

Fei Qing’s chest heaved slightly as he suppressed his surging rage and a growing unease.

The disappearance of the Tu brothers, the inquiries about the Fallen Soul Slope incident and the executioner… the connection between these two events was too obvious!

Could it be… that old acquaintances of that man and woman had come knocking?

But according to intelligence, those two had no foothold in the Thirteenth Heaven. How could they possibly have mobilized such a master of uncanny skill, capable of silently bypassing even the dormitory’s array?

Or perhaps, when they infiltrated the vicinity of the City Lord’s Mansion, they truly discovered something, and this involved more than just them?

Countless thoughts raced through Fei Qing’s mind.

He knew Yu Wuji’s temperament well, and he understood the consequences if anything entrusted to him by the Divine Clan went wrong.

The Fallen Soul Slope incident had to be kept secret; any glimmer of hope that might be revealed had to be nipped in the bud!

“Pass on my orders!”

Fei Qing’s voice returned to its icy tone. “First, immediately seal off all information and declare that Tu Gang and Tu Meng have secretly left the city on official business. Anyone who dares to discuss or spread rumors in private will be punished severely for disrupting the affairs of the city!”

“Second, mobilize the entire Punishment Hall and the Inner Guard to secretly investigate all unfamiliar faces entering the city recently, especially those with unknown cultivation levels or suspicious movements.” ”

Focus on tracking down those two people who inquired about Fallen Soul Slope and the Tu brothers! Dig three feet into the ground to find them!”

“Third, strengthen the guards and array alert levels in all areas of the City Lord’s Mansion, especially the Inner Palace, the warehouse, Fallen Soul Slope, and other key locations. Without my authorization, no one is allowed to approach!”

“Fourth, notify the deacons of the West District to immediately impose a citywide curfew. Only entry is permitted, no exit! Strictly check all city gates and teleportation arrays. All those leaving the city must undergo rigorous questioning!”

A series of orders were issued, clear and decisive.

“Yes! We will obey the Grand Steward’s orders!” The four deacons, as if granted a pardon, quickly accepted the orders and left.

Fei Qing remained alone in the duty room, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

He walked to the wall, opened a hidden compartment, revealing a row of neatly arranged jade boxes, each labeled.

His finger traced over several of the boxes, finally stopping at one labeled “Jiaxu 73.”

Inside were the “Soul Refining Crystals,” condensed from the soul fragments of Mu Sha and Liu Qingyin, collected from the Soul Refining Array at Fallen Soul Slope.

According to custom, Soul Refining Crystals of this level required periodic reinforcement and sealing with a special array, and were reported to the Divine Race.

“Could it be… that they really came for this?”

Fei Qing muttered to himself, his eyes flickering.

He instinctively wanted to immediately check if the Soul Refining Crystals were safe, but years of caution held him back.

The situation was unclear; if he rashly went to the secret vault where the Soul Refining Crystals were stored, he might be targeted…

He hesitated for a moment, then took out a specially made communication jade talisman, infused it with magic power, and whispered a few words.

A moment later, the jade talisman glowed faintly, transmitting a brief divine message.

Confirming that the secret vault formation was intact and there were no immediate abnormalities, Fei Qing breathed a slight sigh of relief, but his vigilance was at its peak.

He decided that he must see the manor lord, Yu Wuji, today to report this matter in person.