Master of Strange Dao

Not only were the wealthy households indulging in fine food and drink, but even on the streets there were still people casually browsing the shops.

Yu Ziqing killed two obstructing government officials and headed straight for the granary.

Upon opening the granary, he saw it was empty, so barren that even mice would cry. Yet inside the Prefectural Governor Mansion, people were still feasting on lavish meals.

Yu Ziqing took a deep breath and looked at the minor official guarding the granary.

"I won't kill you, I know you don't have the power to do this.

Tell me the truth, where has all the grain gone?

Don't tell me you don't know, all the grain shipments can't possibly bypass you.

If you're still alive, it means you're definitely involved."

"My lord, I am just a minor official, I could only dare to embezzle a little, how would I dare to starve so many people.

It was Lord Si who, together with the city's grain merchants, sold off the Jade Rice that was planted elsewhere.

But no one expected, suddenly, a great disaster struck.

The grain merchants had promised to supply grain for disaster relief, but they went back on their word and fled.

As a result, so many people starved to death in such a short time."

The frightened minor official knew that he dared not take the blame for the calamity's arrival.

"Are you saying the granary was entirely filled with Jade Rice? Where did all that spirit field come from?"

"The area around Dingyou City naturally has good conditions, no need for spirit fields, and one can grow Jade Rice.

A little spirit rain is enough, though the yield per mu is lower.

After those farmers plant Jade Rice, despite the lower yield, they can exchange it here for regular grain, which is more than they would get from a normal harvest.

Naturally, they are willing."

"But this year, suddenly a great disaster occurred, and they did not even have the chance to exchange for normal grain, nor did they have surplus grain, and the Mansion had no reserves, right?"

"Yes..."

Yu Ziqing did not make it hard for him, knowing that this minor official was actually just a projection within the Sealing, he was never taken along by the Priest when he sealed the Ten Thousand Ghosts, his fate would only be silenced and killed.

Once the Priest finished the Sealing, he would not let a single survivor exist outside.

By the time the sealing dissolved, as long as he had made proper arrangements, even if someone had witnessed everything within the seal, the truth would be concealed when the dust settled.

It was only at the end of the Dingmao Era that these people dared to do such a thing.

No need for spirit fields to grow Jade Rice, and though the yield per mu was low, there were plenty of fields.

If the farmers near Dingyou City all planted Jade Rice, the combined yield would be enough to surpass the Jade Rice grown in spirit fields.

All those resources, all that money, could be exchanged for money that cultivators use.

Yu Ziqing understood.

The so-called great disaster, was probably also related to the large-scale planting of spirit plants here, even if Jade Rice was the lowest grade of Spirit Plant, it was still a Spirit Plant.

With such large-scale cultivation, without sufficient replenishment, it drew on the local spiritual energy and vitality.

The final result was that the harvest was gone, the environment ruined, and the farmers were left without even surplus grain to fill their bellies.

The combined grain of all Dingyou City and its vicinity, was probably not enough to prevent starvation here.

Yu Ziqing stood in place, taking out the Prefectural Governor Seals of Dingwei City, Jiazi City, and Dingyou City, and laid them out in a row.

Below them were sixteen County Magistrate Seals, also laid out in a row.

"Dadui, if you still wish to exist, then listen well.

In the name of three Prefectural Governors and sixteen County Magistrates, and in my name, I strip the Prefectural Governor of Dingyou City, Lord Si, of his position."

In an instant, all the seals lit up together.

A beam of light shot up into the sky.

In the distance, on the battlefield, a beam of light thundered down.

It struck the seal in Lord Si's hand.

The seal in his hand shattered, turning into nothingness, and all it represented disappeared, swept away by that beam of light.

Meanwhile, on the Prefectural Governor Seal of Dingyou City in Yu Ziqing's hand, the light circulated and absorbed it.

Yu Ziqing tucked away all the seals.

Gazing at the horizon.

On the battlefield, Lord Si's power plummeted; he spat out blood, and he seemed to age twenty years in an instant.

Who... Dadui is gone, who can strip me of my position?

Unfortunately, he would never understand.

He and the middle-aged man from the Shi family were battling against a horde of ghosts, but once his side showed a flaw, he was immediately swarmed by the ghost qi, and an endless number of ghosts pounced on him.

His corporeal form was torn apart thread by thread; saying that he was reduced to innumerable pieces was an understatement.

His flesh was disassembled, his bones crushed and gnawed, and even during this process, he was still conscious.

It was not until his body was utterly shredded to the point of no further destruction.

The pervasive yin qi and ghost qi washed over his Divine Soul, pulling it apart to continue the tearing and gnawing process.

The chilling and despairing screams were drowned out by the ghosts' roaring.

For a moment, the scales of victory began to tilt.

Yu Ziqing's Yin God opened his eyes, observing the conditions on the battlefield.

Watching the middle-aged man from the Shi family becoming increasingly overwhelmed, surrounded by the hordes of ghosts, draining his power bit by bit.

The elder from the Shi family, locked in battle with the Big Ghost, saw his son about to be defeated and die, and immediately wanted to go to his aid.

"It's clear he ascended by taking shortcuts; he can't even tell that at this point in the battle, if either he or the Big Ghost takes a step back, whoever loses momentum will retreat step by step, and his death is certain," said Yang calmly.

Yu Ziqing merely watched quietly; he did not need blood to wash away grievances, the ghosts needed it.

He had seen countless starving ghosts, knowing that normally, starving ghosts are very calm and won't harm people, sometimes even helping those who haven't starved, preventing them from dying of hunger.