Chapter 587: “I Am Not the Murderer!”
The situation suddenly took a sharp turn for the worse!
The City Guard Army of White Paper Immortal City heavily surrounded Listening to the Nether Pavilion.
The grand formation of Listening to the Nether Pavilion had already been activated. Ning Zhuo and the other could no longer escape into the void—they had become birds trapped in a cage, turtles caught in a jar!
“My lord!!!” The City Guard Army rushed into the pavilion. When they discovered the corpse of the Mourning Music Phantom Actress, they could not help but cry out in grief.
“Impossible, this must be fake.”
“Lord Mourning Music Phantom Actress excelled in divination. How could she perish so easily?”
“Seize him! He is the murderer—the one who killed Lord Mourning Music Phantom Actress!!”
Many found it hard to believe. Many were panicked and helpless. Many were filled with hatred and fury, swearing to kill Ning Zhuo.
“I am not the murderer!! I am merely at the Foundation Establishment Stage. How could I possibly kill a Golden Core cultivator, let alone someone like Lord Mourning Music Phantom Actress?!” Ning Zhuo shouted loudly.
At this moment, his face was deathly pale, filled with terror and anger. Some of it was acting, yet much of it was genuine emotion.
Heaven had truly wronged him!
He had been preparing to take out the white candle to reveal his true identity and explain his need for divination. After finally waiting for today’s meeting, he never expected that the Mourning Music Phantom Actress would already be dead.
She had clearly been perfectly fine in the morning, constantly meeting the male consorts who sought promotion. After eating lunch, by the afternoon—she had ended up like this?!
Naturally, the City Guard Army would not simply stand still because of Ning Zhuo’s self-defense.
They all rushed toward him.
Ning Zhuo immediately retreated and stood directly beside the corpse of the Mourning Music Phantom Actress. “Stop! Whoever comes near me, I will destroy her remains.”
“Whoever dares anger me will bear the responsibility for desecrating the corpse of a hero of White Paper Immortal City.”
The City Guard Army immediately halted, staring at Ning Zhuo with mixed shock and fury as they loudly cursed his outrageous audacity.
Ning Zhuo threw his head back and laughed loudly. His face then turned ruthless as he snarled, “I’m going to die anyway. If you dare lay a hand on me and frame me, then at worst I die—but before I die, I’ll drag all of you down with me. I, Jiao Ma, keep my word!”
The City Guard soldiers were stunned and exchanged glances. Immediately afterward they shouted curses at Ning Zhuo, yet ultimately did not dare advance.
But Ning Zhuo did not stop. Instead, he pointed at them.
“You bunch of idiots! Why aren’t you reporting this upward immediately? Mourning Music Phantom Actress has been killed—your enemies will definitely take advantage of this opportunity to launch an attack. Military matters are as urgent as fire. If you delay even one step and the city becomes besieged inside and out, leading to the fall of the Immortal City, every single one of you will be sinners!”
As soon as Ning Zhuo finished speaking, several explosions rang out.
Flames rose from a corner of the city. At the same time, tremors erupted outside the city walls as countless ghostly wails echoed—the Ghost Tide had risen again, launching a ferocious assault on White Paper Immortal City.
The City Guard soldiers all changed expressions.
Ning Zhuo’s words had come true far too quickly!
And judging from the sheer intensity, the enemy’s attack was far stronger than before.
“What are you all standing around for? I couldn’t escape earlier—do you think I can escape now? Compared to me, White Paper Immortal City is ten thousand times more important!” Ning Zhuo continued cursing. “You bunch of idiots!!”
The City Guard Army wavered again.
At that moment, a figure rapidly descended onto the scene.
“You yellow-faced brat, shut up!”
The newcomer was none other than Wen Ruanyu.
In fact, the City Guard Army had already reported the death of the Mourning Music Phantom Actress the moment they discovered it.
Wen Ruanyu barged into Listening to the Nether Pavilion. His eyes locked onto the corpse of the Mourning Music Phantom Actress, and the final trace of hope in his heart completely vanished.
His face turned extremely gloomy, his gaze sharp as blades as it fixed on Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo rested one hand on the neck of the Mourning Music Phantom Actress and snorted coldly. “Lord Wen, I did not kill her!”
“You saw me outside the city. I was brought here by Commander Qing Yan. I’m a local.”
“But if you decide I’m the murderer without any evidence at all, then there is only one possibility—you are the spy! Every City Guard soldier here can testify to that!”
Wen Ruanyu’s pupils shrank and his momentum faltered.
The City Guard soldiers were stunned. Ning Zhuo had just been cursing them, and now suddenly he wanted them to testify for him—he was simply acting like a shameless rogue.
But after thinking about it, they realized… there was some logic to it.
Some soldiers secretly began glancing at Wen Ruanyu.
Feeling those subtle gazes, Wen Ruanyu became furious and murderous intent spread from him. “Lord Mourning Music Phantom Actress has died, and you were the closest person to her. You should have been subjected to severe interrogation, yet now you dare threaten me?”
Ning Zhuo shook his head and smiled bitterly. “Lord Wen, I am forced into this situation. If I hesitate even slightly, I will become a prisoner.”
“I am not afraid of death. What I fear is dying without ever holding my own fate in my hands.”
“Besides, I am also a victim. I truly did not kill Lord Mourning Music Phantom Actress. My conscience is clear!”
“Lord Wen, allow me to advise you—do not make a foolish mistake.”
“If you try to force a confession from me and frame me as the murderer to stabilize morale in the city, you will instead fall into the enemy’s trap.”
“Because once the enemy exposes evidence that they carried out the attack, your crime will only grow worse. When everyone in the Immortal City realizes that even someone at your level could be so easily deceived, morale will suffer an even greater blow.”
Wen Ruanyu’s face had turned as dark as the bottom of a pot. “Sharp-tongued brat. I won’t make things difficult for you. Put this on yourself. If I have to act personally, the outcome will not look so pleasant.”
As he spoke, he tossed out a talisman sealed in red jade toward Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo snorted coldly and spread his palm, revealing his Life-Bound Magical Artifact.
A flash of mirror light appeared, and a massive body materialized out of thin air.
It was none other than the heavily armored blood ape—Yuan Dasheng!
Yuan Dasheng stood before Ning Zhuo and reached out to catch the talisman.
In an instant, the City Guard soldiers cried out in shock.
“A Golden Core-level mechanical puppet!” Wen Ruanyu’s expression changed, and his vigilance rose sharply.
The grand formation of Listening to the Nether Pavilion was operating at full power, sealing space so that Ning Zhuo could not escape into the void. However, the internal space of the pavilion was unified and not suppressed.
Ning Zhuo had just discovered this and immediately released Yuan Dasheng.
However, Yuan Dasheng’s Golden Core aura was soon heavily suppressed, dropping directly to the Foundation Establishment Stage.
This was White Paper Immortal City. The entire city lay under the influence of the great defensive formation.
“Little Zhuo, there’s nothing wrong with the talisman.” Inside the Wanli Dragon, Sun Lingtong used his spirit eyes to observe and secretly transmitted the message through divine sense.
Yuan Dasheng then handed the sealing talisman over to Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo glanced at it and put it into his robes without any intention of sealing himself. Instead, he cupped his hands.
“Many thanks to Lord Wen for granting the talisman.”
Wen Ruanyu laughed in extreme anger and finally lost his patience.
Just as he was about to act, a voice sounded behind him.
“Stop.”
Wen Ruanyu and the City Guard soldiers’ expressions changed drastically. They quickly turned around and saluted the newcomer.
“Greetings, Lord City Lord!”
The Lord of White Paper Immortal City had been in extremely poor condition and remained sealed away. Could he really come out now?
Ning Zhuo looked up in surprise—then immediately understood.
The one who spoke stood two zhang tall. Her face was pale white, her lips ink-black. Her long hair was formed from three thousand six hundred thin strips of snow-white paper twisted together, hanging down to her waist. Her neck and shoulders were supported by delicate bamboo frameworks, while thin paper like cicada wings formed layered folds across her shoulders.
Her pure white skirt was densely covered with rune patterns, and as its hem dragged across the ground, waves of cold yin energy spread outward.
At her waist hung a red cord, the most eye-catching detail. At the end of the cord dangled a bronze bell, yet it produced no sound at all.
It was clearly a paper puppet of magical treasure level!
The paper puppet emitted a Nascent Soul-level aura. Like a drifting white cloud filled with rolling yin energy, she floated into Listening to the Nether Pavilion.
She did not even glance at Ning Zhuo. Her gaze remained fixed on the corpse of the Mourning Music Phantom Actress.
Although her face showed no expression, the long moment of stillness gradually filled the air with deep sorrow and grief.
“Xiao Le… I never expected you would fall during this crisis of internal and external siege.” The paper puppet incarnation of the Lord of White Paper Immortal City spoke softly.
The entire hall fell silent.
Only the howls of the Ghost Tide outside the city, along with explosions from new disturbances within the city, echoed from time to time.
After remaining silent for a long while, the paper puppet incarnation finally raised her head and looked toward Ning Zhuo.
“My mood is very bad. I want to kill someone.”
“I will give you three breaths to prove that you have nothing to do with the death of the Mourning Music Phantom Actress.”
“After three breaths, you will accompany Xiao Le in death.”
Ning Zhuo shuddered as cold sweat poured down his forehead.
He wanted to speak, but the paper puppet incarnation had already begun counting.
“Three.”
“One.”
Even Wen Ruanyu’s heart skipped a beat. The paper puppet incarnation had skipped the number two entirely, revealing just how impatient and murderous she truly was.
“Little Zhuo, I’ll hold them off. You escape first!” Sun Lingtong’s hair stood on end as he prepared to rush out of the Wanli Dragon.
Ning Zhuo stood at death’s door, trembling with fear. Suddenly he raised his hand.
“I can prove it!”
In that short moment, his entire head had already become drenched in sweat.
Ning Zhuo stared directly at the paper puppet incarnation.
“All that is required is to cut open the abdomen of Lord Mourning Music Phantom Actress. That will prove my innocence.”
Wen Ruanyu immediately shouted angrily, “Outrageous! You still dare to desecrate Lord Mourning Music Phantom Actress’s corpse!”
The City Guard soldiers also became agitated, but with the City Lord’s incarnation present, none dared speak.
The paper puppet incarnation, however, fell into thought.
Suddenly, she raised a finger and slashed.
Her magic power formed a blade that instantly cut open the abdomen of the Mourning Music Phantom Actress and split open her stomach.
When Ning Zhuo saw the large amount of spirit food remaining inside, the tension in his heart finally loosened.
He cupped his hands. “Lord City Lord, Lord Mourning Music Phantom Actress used Netherworld Cuisine to treat her injuries. These dishes are difficult to digest and cannot be aided by magic power, otherwise the meal would be wasted.”
“After lunch, according to the schedule, I was the first male consort to meet Lord Mourning Music Phantom Actress.”
“If I had killed her, it would have been not long ago.”
“But the undigested spirit food in her stomach proves that she died earlier—shortly after finishing the Netherworld Cuisine, she was attacked!”
Everyone fell silent.
All eyes first looked at the corpse of the Mourning Music Phantom Actress, then turned toward Ning Zhuo.
Sun Lingtong exclaimed happily, “Little Zhuo, that makes sense!”
Wen Ruanyu frowned.
Ning Zhuo let out a long breath. “I had absolutely no time to commit the crime. At that moment, I was in the Dining Hall of the Hidden Yang Residence, eating Netherworld Cuisine on the spot. Many people witnessed it!”
The paper puppet incarnation snorted coldly, yet killing intent still filled the air.
“Your deduction is reasonable. However, that alone cannot completely clear your suspicion.”
“Who exactly are you?”