Chapter 316: Chapter 147: Temporary Mission 6

Ouyang Sword stepped forward.

"Brother Shen, everyone from Xinhua Academy is a lunatic. Don’t waste your breath on them. The more you say, the more trouble you invite upon yourself."

After Ouyang Sword finished speaking, the innkeeper on the ground drew her last breath, her body now a corpse.

Shen Bai looked at the corpse on the ground, his brow furrowed slightly.

The Xinhua Academy was a faction unlike the Wild Taoist Sect or the Wild Buddha Sect. They were completely and utterly mad.

Shen Bai had never seen anyone driven to such madness for the sake of so-called research.

They were a faction of twisted individuals. In Shen Bai’s opinion, calling them ’lunatics’ was no exaggeration.

Shen Bai said, "Someone’s coming."

As the two of them watched the innkeeper die, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed around them.

Shen Bai and Ouyang Sword turned to see a dozen or so people in the official robes of the Observatory appearing in the clearing ahead.

Their leader was a middle-aged man whose cultivation was at the Meridian Realm. He wore no weapons at his waist, but his hands shimmered with a jade-like light, a clear sign that his true power lay within them.

Shen Bai stroked his chin. "Fellow members of the Observatory. I am Shen Bai of Fenglin State, here on orders to assist Xia Yunzhou."

As soon as he finished speaking, the middle-aged man in the lead cupped his fist in greeting.

"I am Yang Feng, Head of C for the Xia Yunzhou Observatory. A pleasure to meet you, Lord Shen. Your exploits in Fenglin State are legendary."

Shen Bai returned the gesture. "It is merely a minor reputation, nothing worth mentioning. Lord Yang, let’s get right to the point. What is the current situation in Xia Yunzhou?"

He still had to attend the internal exam; this was just a temporary mission, so he didn’t want to waste any time.

Yang Feng nodded. "Lord Shen, please come with me. We can speak in detail on the way. And this must be Lord Ouyang from Huaxing State. My greetings."

Ouyang Sword returned the gesture as well.

With nothing more to say, they prioritized the mission, following behind Yang Feng as they headed north.

...

Along the way, Yang Feng explained the situation to Shen Bai in detail.

"Liangshui County is a county seat in Xia Yunzhou. Three days ago, the entire populace fell into a state of frenzied madness."

"They behave erratically, wandering about in a daze every day, as if their very souls have been drained from their bodies."

"The constables investigated for a long time but found no pattern, so the case was handed over to us."

"To our surprise, our investigation revealed that a piece of each citizen’s soul was missing."

Shen Bai frowned. "A piece of their soul is missing?"

Yang Feng nodded. "Exactly. A part of it was forcibly extracted while they were still alive. Once part of the soul is drawn out, they naturally become dazed, like walking corpses."

"Without the nourishment of a complete soul, the physical body will also gradually wither away. It’s a form of slow death."

"After a thorough investigation, we determined this is the work of the Xinhua Academy. They’re researching some method of resurrection using souls."

Shen Bai asked thoughtfully, "So, how can our presence here help solve this?"

He had hit upon the crucial point.

If this were Fenglin State, his own territory, he could have naturally handled the investigation from start to finish.

But things were different now. He was only here to assist; the specific solution would depend on Yang Feng.

Yang Feng thought for a moment before asking, "Lord Shen, how long do you have until your internal exam?"

Shen Bai considered it. "About ten days."

After so many days of travel, he would be able to reach Yunxi State in just ten days.

Yang Feng said, "In that case, Lord Shen, please come with me to Liangshui County. We already have a lead, but we need your help."

"Soul Masters are a unique profession; they specialize in matters of the soul. We happen to have found one. We just need to follow the trail of the fragmented souls, and it will lead us to the person behind this."

"Lord Shen, you are a powerful warrior. We will need you to accompany us when the time comes."

Shen Bai nodded upon hearing this.

Now that a plan was in place, he saw no need for further talk.

They were still some distance from Liangshui County, so Yang Feng curiously changed the subject.

"Lord Shen, is it true? Can you really achieve ’Overcoming Adversity and Attacking Upward’?"

The legends about Shen Bai hadn’t spread too far and wide, but the Observatory was a single organization, so word got around internally.

To be honest, Yang Feng hadn’t believed it. But after seeing the field of corpses from before, he had no choice but to reconsider.

Shen Bai smiled. "Lord Yang, some things are better left unsaid."

Yang Feng immediately replied, "I understand. Please, say no more, Lord Shen."

Such a thing was a private matter, after all. Yang Feng had only asked out of curiosity; since Shen Bai didn’t wish to speak of it, he wouldn’t press the issue.

As they were talking, they soon arrived at their destination.

Shen Bai looked at the ordinary-looking county town before him; there was nothing unusual about it.

"You’ll see once we’re inside," Yang Feng said.

Then, led by Yang Feng, Shen Bai and Ouyang Sword walked into Liangshui County.

The moment they entered, Shen Bai sensed that something was wrong.

Inside the town, the people were wandering aimlessly back and forth, just like the walking dead.

Every face was vacant, their eyes utterly devoid of light.

Strangely, however, they all remained within the town’s boundaries, never stepping outside the gates.

Numerous members of the Observatory stood guard along the perimeter, their faces grim.

An old man in plain clothes stood with his hands raised.

Streams of light emanated from the old man’s hands, sinking into the bodies of the townsfolk one by one.

Yang Feng explained, "Lord Shen, that is the Soul Master. He’s still searching, but he’s already found a few clues."

Shen Bai nodded and was just about to speak.

Just then, one of the zombie-like townsfolk suddenly walked right up to Shen Bai.

Shen Bai had assumed the person had just wandered over randomly, but to his surprise, as the townsman stood before him, a hint of mockery flickered in his vacant eyes.

"Long time no see, Shen Bai."

Hearing that familiar voice, Shen Bai’s brow furrowed slightly. "Wang Tianxing?"

It was the voice of Wang Tianxing, the Copper Member from the Xinhua Academy he had encountered on the Life and Death Road.

Wang Tianxing licked his lips and said, "Shen Bai, I didn’t expect to find you here. In that case, I’ll give you a little gift. Don’t you want to know where that fellow Long Lang is? He’s the one behind all this, you know."