"Crack..."

A cracking sound came from within Song Ren's arm.

Hidden Force!

Chen Yuan merely lightly brushed Song Ren's right arm, and it immediately drooped down limply as if it had been crippled.

Song Ren gritted his teeth in pain, disregarding the injury to his right arm, and his left arm reached for Chen Yuan's neck.

"Crack..."

Chen Yuan stepped forward, grabbing Song Ren's left arm. Immediately afterward, his left arm was crippled, and then, his legs.

In the blink of an eye, Song Ren lost all combat power, collapsing to the ground like a pile of mud, the majority of the bones in his body shattered.

Such injuries could never be healed in this lifetime!

He gasped for breath, cold sweat pouring down his face as he clenched his teeth, enduring the piercing pain within his body. His face showed a mix of frustration and regret.

He was frustrated by his own high self-regard, thinking that few Refinement Realm martial artists in Nanling Prefecture were his match. But this Chen Yuan had casually waved his hand and broken all the bones in his body, turning him into a cripple.

He would never be able to touch a gun again.

Both of them...

As for regret, it was for not carefully investigating Chen Yuan's situation before attempting the ambush. This was no ambush; it was clearly suicide!

Not far away, the two men with blood spurting from their arms struggled to their feet, leaning against the wall as they tried to escape.

Chen Yuan's strength was too terrifying, completely beyond their ability to handle.

Unless a Core Formation expert appeared, probably no one in the Foundation Establishment Realm could do anything to him.

With a flick of his toe, Song Ren's spear landed in his hand. Chen Yuan suddenly hurled it like a sharp arrow, directly piercing through both men's legs. They cried out in pain and fell to the ground again.

Chen Yuan's gaze was sharp as he turned his head to look directly at Song Ren, a smirk on his lips:

"Remember to change your name in your next life. Don't call yourself Song Ren; change it to 'Offering Heads' – it amounts to the same thing."

In any case, it meant the same thing. At first, Chen Yuan thought he was some kind of expert, but who knew he was just a fancy spearhead – all show and no substance.

Song Ren's face was ugly, but he couldn't retort.

He had indeed offered his head this time.

"Chen Yuan, you're ruthless enough!"

"Alright, I don't have time to waste words with you. Yang Wanlou hired you, right?" Chen Yuan asked directly.

Song Ren's pupils contracted, realizing that Chen Yuan seemed to have known everything all along, even who had ordered them. It was as if he had been waiting for them to come.

Seeing Song Ren lower his head, Chen Yuan said calmly:

"If you're smart, you'll confess everything. If you're not, you probably know what kind of punishment you'll receive in the Sky Survey Division..."

"Yes."

After a long silence, Song Ren lowered his head.

Resisting was pointless; it would only cause him unnecessary suffering. Since Chen Yuan had seen through everything long ago, this ambush was obviously within his expectations.

Thinking about it, it made sense. With such great strength, probably no one in the entire Nanling Prefecture could do anything to him unless a Core Formation expert appeared.

"That's right. Now, tell me everything you know..."

In Song Ren's account, he had been dispatched by Lin Beihan, the head of the Blood Kill Hall, to first find Chen Yuan's location through the city-wide network of spies and then ambush him.

And to erase all traces of him.

He was deeply trusted by the head of the Blood Kill Hall and knew that Yang Wanlou wanted to kill Chen Yuan, so he had enlisted the help of a high-ranking member of the Azure Dragon Society. He was in charge of grain transport and had deep ties with the Azure Dragon Society.

Asking them to kill someone, especially a mere Sky Surveyor with no background, was not a big deal at all.

As for failure...

To be honest, they had never even considered the possibility of failure.

In their estimation, ambushing Chen Yuan would be an easy task. Perhaps it could be resolved without him even having to take action.

After listening to Song Ren's confession, Chen Yuan grabbed him with one hand and used his spear to pick up the other two men, heading straight for the Sky Survey Division.

......

......

"Yang Wanlou sent people to ambush you!"

Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed, and killing intent surged around him. The three men slumped on the ground trembled as they looked at Zhang Xuan, obviously having heard of his reputation. Although his time in Nanling Prefecture had been short,

his name was well-known.

Many forces believed that he might be the one to take over the position of Azure Envoy.

"That's right. They have confessed."

Chen Yuan nodded.

Zhang Xuan's gaze flickered, and he had the three men in front of him taken to the Sky Survey Division's prison to await punishment. In a moment, only the two of them remained in the room.

"Sir, should we make a move?"

Chen Yuan was eager to try. He could find out if the Supreme Mystery Scripture was in the Yang family by searching!

"Their confession is only one piece of evidence. Even if we can confiscate their property, are you confident that you can find evidence of Yang Wanlou's crimes?" Zhang Xuan turned his gaze to Chen Yuan.

"Rest assured, sir, this subordinate will definitely find it."

If he missed this opportunity, he didn't know when the next one would come.

He was eager to enter the Core Formation realm.

Only then could he survive better in Nanling Prefecture City.

"In that case, take some men and search their house..." Zhang Xuan took out the Sky Surveyor's token and threw it to Chen Yuan.

With this token, the Sky Surveyor could mobilize a dozen reserve Sky Surveyors below the Refinement realm.

"Thank you, sir."

It was better for Chen Yuan if no one else interfered.

"Sir, what should be done with these three members of the Azure Dragon Society?"

Zhang Xuan frowned slightly:

"Continue to detain them. We can't move against the Azure Dragon Society based on just a few people. They can completely deny that they have already expelled them from the gang.

There have been such cases before."

"And the Prefect and the Azure Envoy do not have the courage to take action against the Azure Dragon Society, which is why we have the current situation: the court's authority is no match for the power of the Jianghu forces."

Zhang Xuan snorted coldly, somewhat dissatisfied.

But he was also helpless. This was not something he could control at the moment, and the Prefect and Azure Envoy's concerns were not without reason. The entire military force of Nanling Prefecture consisted only of the Sky Survey Division and a garrison unit of the military.

If they were to deal with one force alone, it would be easy.

But if the five major forces of Nanling Prefecture, plus a dozen smaller forces below them, put pressure on the government together, they would not be able to withstand it. Acting rashly would only force them to rebel.

And the court's current situation was not good. There were strong enemies surrounding them, and internal turmoil was constant. In the end, they would only compromise...

The Great Jin Dynasty had been established for more than two hundred years, and there had been countless uprisings, but in the end, they were only suppressed, and then they rebelled again and were suppressed again. Compared to some other prefectures, Qing Prefecture's situation could be considered stable.

Even the Prefectural Governor would not forcibly take action against the Jianghu.

However, the more this was the case, the more arrogant the Jianghu forces became, creating a vicious cycle.

"This subordinate understands!"

Chen Yuan nodded with a solemn expression.

The Sky Survey Division had many reasons to eradicate these Jianghu forces, but the Prefect and the Azure Envoy did not have the courage to directly break ties, perhaps because they were wary of something.

"Chen Yuan, you must remember, this time you are arresting Yang Wanlou. If there is no conclusive evidence afterward, the Sky Survey Division will definitely release him once pressure is applied from above."

"At that time, you and Yang Wanlou will be in an irreconcilable situation."

"However, rest assured, with this envoy here, no one in Nanling Prefecture can touch you..."

"Thank you, sir."

Chen Yuan's expression was very serious.

Zhang Xuan's meaning was very clear: on the surface, no one could touch him, but if there were endless ambushes, Zhang Xuan could not protect him at all times.

But Chen Yuan was already aware of this.

His character was never one to rely on others.

"In that case, take action. Do it beautifully. This envoy is looking forward to the surprises you will bring to Nanling Prefecture in the future..." Zhang Xuan's lips curled up, revealing a smile.

He had long known Chen Yuan's character through various files.

In short, he was vindictive.

His personality was fierce, even more so than his own.

The fact that he had used Yue Shan to lure the Sky Survey Division to Cien Temple must have had ulterior motives. However, Zhang Xuan didn't care. Who in this world didn't have secrets?

As long as he was useful and could create value, that was enough!

......

The Yang residence.

The lights were brightly lit in Yang Wanlou's room. He sat upright, constantly sipping tea, showing his current anxious mood.

Ambushing a Sky Surveyor seemed simple, but if it failed and evidence was found, it would result in the extermination of the clan. This was the style of the Sky Survey Division over the years.

If Chen Yuan's words had not been so aggressive and he had not actually felt guilty, he would never have allowed anyone to do such a thing.

"Creak..."

Yang Wanlou's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly turned his head to look at the person who had entered. When he saw who it was, his brow suddenly furrowed:

"Why are you here?"

"Father, did you send someone to kill that Chen Surveyor?"

Yang Qingan looked directly at Yang Wanlou, his face pale and bloodless. He stepped into the room and reached out to close the door again.

"What nonsense are you talking about? How could I be so unwise?"

Yang Wanlou scolded.

"Heh... you could even kill Yan Shi, so wouldn't you kill the Chen Surveyor who discovered that her death was suspicious?" Yang Qingan sneered.

Yang Wanlou frowned:

"What are you trying to say?"

"Father, leave quickly. I have a feeling that the Chen Surveyor who dared to provoke the steward in public is definitely not an ordinary person. Perhaps he is waiting for you to take action!"

Yang Qingan took a deep breath.

"I said, I didn't take action."

Yang Wanlou's eyes began to turn indifferent.

"Father, don't ruin our family for my sake..."

"You can now teach me a lesson, can't you?"

"Ever since I contracted this terrible illness, you have changed, Father. You have compromised with the Azure Dragon Society, using the elixirs they concoct to prolong my life, and even your temperament has changed drastically. You have even done something to your daughter-in-law..."

"Enough! I said that Yan Shi drowned. You are now suspecting me of violating ethical norms!"

Yang Wanlou slammed the table.

"Yan Shi confessed to me long ago, and I... I actually accepted it. But why did you have to kill her and falsely accuse her of having an affair?" Yang Qingan's expression turned calm.

"She knew too much. Once it was leaked out, our Yang family would be in danger!"

After a long silence, Yang Wanlou said in a low voice.

"Is it the silver in the ancestral hall? I knew about it a long time ago..."

"You..."

Yang Wanlou's pupils contracted, staring at Yang Qingan.