“No rush—I came here not only to issue punishments but also to handle another matter.”
As Lin Yun spoke, he looked at the over eight hundred generals attending the banquet.
His gaze swept over each one.
Soon, his eyes locked onto a burly general.
“He’s really here!” Lin Yun’s gaze sharpened.
This burly general was the one Lin Yun had seen on the streets before, the one he suspected might be a demonic beast.
He had reported it to the previous prefecture lord, but the man didn’t believe him.
When Lin Yun, in the divine capital, learned that the previous lord had been poisoned and killed, he immediately suspected this individual.
Taking office in Dongyuan Prefecture, Lin Yun’s first priority was to root him out—this was the most critical task.
In truth, this person bore no trace of a demonic beast’s aura—at least not under normal circumstances.
But having spent so long in the Demonic Beast Mountains, Lin Yun’s sense for such creatures was keen. Even without a hint of their aura, he had a gut feeling.
“Master, he is a demonic beast,” Bai Ze Beast’s voice suddenly echoed in Lin Yun’s mind.
“Little White, are you certain?” Lin Yun asked, astonished.
He hadn’t expected Little White to speak up now.
“Master, I’m one hundred percent certain. No matter how well it disguises itself, it’s useless—Little White’s innate sense for demonic beasts is razor-sharp,” Little White communicated.
“Excellent,” Lin Yun nodded.
With Little White’s assurance, Lin Yun was completely confident.
He’d had some doubts before, as his suspicion that this man was a demonic beast relied purely on intuition, which wasn’t foolproof.
If he’d misjudged and the man wasn’t a beast, it would cause trouble and give Wu Tong ammunition to exploit.
But now, Lin Yun was certain.
“Huo Zhen, Liang Yuan, Yang Wan—follow my orders and apprehend him at once!” Lin Yun pointed at the burly general, issuing his command.
“Yes, sir!”
The three responded and rushed towards the burly general, restraining him.
They didn’t know why Lin Yun wanted him captured, but since he’d given the order, they obeyed.
This burly general was named Fan Xiao.
“What are you doing?” Fan Xiao roared in protest.
Seeing this, the over eight hundred generals at the banquet stood up in a clamour.
After all, this burly general was part of their Dongguo Party and held a notable position as deputy commander of the Sixth Battalion.
“Enough nonsense—you’ll find out when you’re brought before the lord!” Huo Zhen and the others dragged him towards Lin Yun.
All eyes focused on Lin Yun, everyone eager to know why he was seizing Fan Xiao.
“Lord Lin, we’ve never met—why are you arresting me?” Fan Xiao stared at him.
“I think you know exactly why—because your true identity is a demonic beast!” Lin Yun fixed him with a chilling gaze.
“A demonic beast? My lord, you jest. I, Fan Xiao, grew up in Dongyuan Prefecture. Many cultivators who grew up with me can vouch for me—how could I be a demonic beast?” Fan Xiao laughed.
He showed no trace of panic.
At that moment, a general with a scarred face stood up from the banquet.
“Lord, though you’re the prefecture lord, you can’t just accuse an innocent man. Fan Xiao and I are from the same village, the same age. We grew up together and joined the city guard together. He’s a born-and-bred human—I can attest to that, and there’s plenty of evidence to prove it. How could he be a demonic beast?” The scarred general seemed indignant.
“Exactly, exactly!” The other generals echoed, their complaints rising in a chorus.
Even the over three hundred generals behind Lin Yun, who weren’t part of the Dongguo Party, shared the same doubts. Even they couldn’t see how Fan Xiao could be a demonic beast—it seemed impossible.
Lin Yun, however, remained unshaken.
Without Little White’s guarantee, he might have hesitated to be certain in this situation, as his belief rested solely on intuition.
But with Little White’s unwavering assurance and his own instincts, there could be no mistake.
“You, Commander, can prove Fan Xiao is human, but you cannot prove he is truly Fan Xiao. Perhaps he killed the real Fan Xiao long ago and has been masquerading as him,” Lin Yun said to the scarred commander.
Fan Xiao sneered, “My lord, isn’t that reasoning a bit far-fetched? If you want to frame me, you’ll need evidence, won’t you? I think you’re just using me as a ‘chicken’ to kill and scare the other generals into submission!”
His words sparked an uproar, especially among Wu Tong’s Dongguo Party allies, who grew increasingly outraged.
“Whether you’re a demonic beast will be clear once you’re dead!”
“Huo Zhen, follow my orders—execute him immediately!”
Lin Yun issued the command directly.
“Brother, are we… really just killing him?” Huo Zhen seemed incredulous.
After all, Fan Xiao was a city guard general and a Dongguo Party member. Even if he was their opponent, killing him outright would have unthinkable consequences!
Huo Zhen couldn’t see any evidence that Fan Xiao was a demonic beast—at least not yet.
He knew that killing Fan Xiao without proof would surely provoke a backlash from the Dongguo Party.
“Kill!”
Lin Yun spat the word with iron resolve.
“Yes, sir!”
Though Huo Zhen felt this might lead to unpredictable consequences, Lin Yun’s certainty left no room for doubt, and he complied.
Huo Zhen drew his weapon, his aura of the Fifth Transcending Tribulation Realm fully unleashed, ready to strike Fan Xiao.
“Commander Wu, save me!” Fan Xiao urgently called out to Wu Tong.
“Commander Wu, he’s just pinning a baseless crime on me to kill me and establish his authority!” Fan Xiao pleaded desperately.
Bang!
“Lin Yun, you dare!”
Wu Tong slammed the table and shot to his feet, his earlier composure replaced by blazing fury.
He’d dismissed Lin Yun’s earlier actions and punishments with disdain.
But now that Lin Yun aimed to kill a Dongguo Party member, he could no longer hold back.
“You think I don’t dare?” Lin Yun sneered.
“Yi Chang, Xin Si—stop Huo Zhen!” Wu Tong ordered directly.
Yi Chang and Xin Si, commanders of the Second and Third Battalions, were both in the Transcending Tribulation Realm and Wu Tong’s loyal confidants.
Even though Wu Tong had been sacked, he could still command them effortlessly.
“Yes, sir!”
The two responded, leaping into the air and positioning themselves in front of Huo Zhen, releasing their auras to block him from executing Fan Xiao.
