The Unruly Immortals

Speaking of which, with a slight wave of the Astrological Bureau junior officer's hand, the people behind him distributed sheets of paper to each person present.

Li Huowang took one, leaned in closely, and discovered that it seemed to contain some addresses and descriptions.

"These are all suspected members of the Oblivion Path. Bring them in, dead or alive," he said.

"As long as you can positively identify them, for the ordinary head of an Oblivion follower, one head, fifty Yangshou Pills, and a half rank promotion."

"For the heads of Sanyuan and Sixi, one head, three hundred Yangshou Pills! A promotion of three ranks!"

"Among them, the one who kills the most will receive a personal award of thirty-six cycles of unblemished Yangshou from the head of the Astronomical Bureau!"

Upon these words, all present buzzed with excitement, such rewards were truly unprecedented.

One hundred and eighty years! Who wouldn't want to live an additional one hundred eighty years! Moreover, the longevity bestowed by the head of the Astronomical Bureau would naturally not turn one into a fiend!

Those who had intended to hide their true capabilities now cast aside all hesitation, eager to try their luck.

"Go forth, I wish you all quick success and rapid promotion. Oh, and remember this, the Oblivion Path is filled with heinous crimes; this campaign against them is truly a noble act on behalf of the people, the world, and His Highness in enforcing Heaven's will. Thus, it's better to wrongly kill a thousand than to let one escape!"

"Boom—!" The gates to the four cardinal directions of the Capital City were shut tight with a thunderous noise.

Amidst the sound of war drums, soldiers clad in Heavy Armor ascended the city walls. Their bodies radiated an Evil Qi, as if they had formed giant walls on all sides, sealing everything within.

The huge crossbows and weapons that were meant for enemies were now turned inward, aimed at the city itself.

The snow continued to fall, blanketing the Capital City in white, while some black dots, like ants, gradually spread from the direction of the Astrological Bureau towards its surroundings.

Li Huowang, with a furrowed brow, spurred his horse on, continually tapping the horse's hindquarters, moving towards the eastern corner of the city with five others following behind, all of them examining the paper they each held.

Screams and cries of despair had started rising from within the houses around them.

A wooden door adorned with door gods was smashed open, and a frail woman clutching a swaddled infant stumbled out.

However, accompanied by a whooshing sound, a ghastly large saber rapidly pursued them from inside the house.

In that critical moment, the baby in the woman's arms suddenly sneered, its body shrank down, and it wriggled out of the swaddle.

Then it fiercely kicked with its tiny limbs, pushing its mother into the path of the incoming blade, while using the recoil to escape.

With a "puchi," the woman was pierced through the heart by the blade, her warm blood melting the pure white snow, revealing the dark tiles underneath.

A woman with two scars on her face charged furiously out of the house, pulling out the ghost-headed saber and dashing towards the infant who was crawling away in the snow.

"Damn it! Bloody Oblivion Path! If you have guts, don't run!" she cursed.

As for the mother's corpse, tossed aside like a broken sack in the snow, no one took notice except for Li Huowang.

"A lot...a whole lot of people will die tonight," he muttered, his jaws clenched tight, his cheeks progressively bulging.

All along the way, scenes filled with bloodshed unfolded before Li Huowang. Neither side was holding back, causing quite a disturbance.

There were bouts of one-on-one combat, and there were also instances of cooperation. The entire Capital City was like a pot of porridge over a high flame, slowly boiling from the inside out.

Before he realized it, he had arrived at his destination.

Li Huowang violently leaped from the horseback, crashing into the paper window, and charged into the house.

Looking at the family of three huddled together and crying in front of him, Li Huowang raised the Purple Tassel Sword in his hand, but found himself unable to bring it down no matter what.

Suddenly, a streak of cold light came shooting through the broken window. With a "clang," sparks flew as Li Huowang deflected the object away.

"This is mine! Get lost!"

Li Huowang, with bloodshot eyes, shouted hoarsely as he turned aside.

Turning back, Li Huowang looked again at his wife among the family of three. He put away his sword and from the Torture Tool Bag tied at his waist, he pulled out a dagger.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you, but to make sure you're not from the Oblivion Path, I need to see your face. After I have taken a look, I'll heal you."

After the screams, Li Huowang left a piece of Silver, his face grim as he walked out of the house.

The good news was that the person was not from the Oblivion Path, but the bad news was equally that the person was not from the Oblivion Path!

Stepping swiftly onto the lumber at the side, Li Huowang stepped onto the windowsill and flipped onto the snow-covered roof.

Standing at the highest point of the roof, Li Huowang looked out at the Capital City engulfed in chaos, thinking that if there were eighteen levels of hell, it could not be much worse than this.

The members of the Astrological Bureau and the Oblivion Path, leaping and flying over the rooftops, never gave a thought to the common folk. But then again, how could they?

And these unarmed civilians, suddenly caught between the two sides—no matter what they did or didn't do, their fate seemed already sealed.

Perhaps the only reason was that they were in the way, and the next moment, they would be decapitated.

At this moment, Li Huowang should have been searching for Xinsu and Bei Feng, but as the tragedy of the human condition unfolded before him, he suddenly realized his mind was buzzing incessantly, incapable of stopping.

"Boom!" A towering building in the distance was suddenly set ablaze, acting like a giant torch that replaced the absent moon in the sky, illuminating everything around.

"What are human lives to you? They are people! Living, breathing humans!" Li Huowang pointed at the entire Capital City and cursed loudly.

He thought he had become cold enough, but when these things actually happened before him, he still couldn't turn a blind eye.

Yet after the cursing, Li Huowang felt a deep sense of helplessness rising within him. If he couldn't even control himself, what right did he have to control others?

"Woo-ah... woowoo!!" A strange sound rose beside him. Li Huowang turned to look and saw that it was Jin Shanzhao, left with only half a body.

He was crying blood and, with an expression of grief and indignation, pointed at everything before him, muttering something Li Huowang couldn't understand.

Then there was crying again, this time from Monk. He cried with his hands clasped together, continuously chanting Amitabha Buddha, praying for the souls of the deceased.

"Hey! What are you doing, Hong Zhong? The essence of military is speed! Stop bothering with them, and let's hurry to find Old Bei Feng!"

Li Huowang looked towards Hong Zhong, speaking those words, his eyes colder than ever before. Then his gaze shifted to the headless Peng Longteng.

She stood there like a statue, silently facing the Military on the distant city wall.

After Li Huowang clenched his fists tightly and gave himself two fierce punches to calm his restless mind, three figures rushed towards him.

Two women and a man—it was clear from their attire that they were from different social standings.

Behind them, six or seven people were in pursuit, but when they saw Li Huowang, their eyes brightened up. "Hong Zhong! You were here! Quick, run! We'll cover your retreat!"

Having said that, they resolutely took their stand, facing the approaching Astrological Bureau, and blocked them from Li Huowang.