Shangguan Feihua watched Zhang Ying, his expression unchanged. But inwardly, he nodded slightly.

At first, he truly did not like this person because Yue Dewen was very unruly back then, and he disliked that a lot.

But now, the bad impression that Yue Dewen, that old man, had left on him seemed to be gradually fading away on Zhang Ying.

"No matter what you plan to do in the future, do well in what you must do now."

He said in a deep voice.

"Just remember, this is the Jade Void Palace. The rules set by the Palace Master, and the rules I set, must be followed no matter who comes. Be it you or others, it applies to everyone!"

Zhang Rongfang heard this, and his heart calmed slightly.

He understood the meaning behind the words.

Shangguan Feihua's meaning was very clear.

That is, here, it doesn't matter whether you are a Daoist or not, whether you have a backing or not.

Here, everything must be done according to the rules.

No matter who it is, Shangguan Feihua treats everyone equally.

"Thank you, Lord Shangguan!" Zhang Rongfang solemnly clasped his fists in salute.

In fact, the other party did not know his true strength; he only thought he was just an external medicine.

And at this moment, as a Daoist without the support of his mentor Yue Dewen, who was suspected to have perished.

Shangguan Feihua, being someone who didn't get along with his master back in the day, can still treat everyone equally.

Such behavior, no matter what, is convincing and admirable.

"Let's go, the last stop. Ning'an Prefecture." Shangguan Feihua released the Black and White Swift Eagle and led the way forward.

The others silently followed one by one.

Ning Hongli patted Zhang Rongfang on the back, offering silent comfort. Although her own expression was also gloomy with slightly red eyes.

Apparently, her relationship with Old Yue was not just the ordinary friendship she claimed.

The team moved forward once again.

This time, before they arrived at Ning'an Prefecture, it had already been sealed off and controlled by the Spiritual Army in advance.

Although the massacre didn't begin, no one was allowed to enter or leave.

In the brightly lit temporary camp outside the city.

Shang Dingye walked up to Zhang Rongfang with an inexplicable expression.

"I heard that your Cultivation of Literature is quite good. How about it? Can you still act arrogantly without your master's protection now?"

Yue Dewen, that old fool, deserved to die. Serves him right!

Always scheming and plotting against this and that, and now it's good, calculated himself into oblivion.

Unlike others, Shang Dingye didn't care about the news of Yue Dewen's death, in fact, he felt a bit delighted.

Unfortunately, he couldn't avenge himself personally.

However, the master is gone, the disciple is still here.

This Zhang Ying, Yue Dewen's most valued disciple, counts against him just the same.

"Grandmaster Shang, constantly troubling a junior over the matters of the previous generation, where's your shame?" Ning Hongli nearby said with an unhappy expression.

"What does shame get me? Can it help me advance further? Or give me a few thousand taels of gold?" Shang Dingye sneered.

A grandmaster has his own mind and will; since he began martial arts, his greatest motivation has been to make himself superior to others!

To live more comfortably, with more dignity! For more enjoyment, more wealth, and power!

If a person doesn't look out for themselves, the heavens and earth will destroy them!

For this belief, he endured countless hardships and eventually reached where he is now.

To repay kindness and avenge grudges, this is his path! Is it wrong!?

"According to what Zhang Ying Daoist said earlier, since you also like to fight, don't you dare shrink back later. It'll be just right for us to see what methods the Daoist of the Celestial Treasure Palace possesses." Shang Dingye said with a sardonic smile.

Zhang Rongfang's face remained expressionless.

He didn't want to kill the innocent or do meaningless things, which the other seemed to have seen through.

Therefore, this seems to be forcing him to do what he doesn't want to do, to test his true nature and bottom line...

Zhang Rongfang looked at Shangguan Feihua, who was listening to the Spiritual Army officer reporting the situation here.

Inside Ning'an Prefecture, sporadic gunfire could be heard. Clearly, fighting had already begun inside before they arrived.

"Do not be afraid. Old Yue wouldn't have been eliminated so easily!" Ning Hongli said in a deep voice, "With me here, Shang Dingye can't touch you!"

"Thank you, Senior Hongli." Since learning of his master's demise, Zhang Rongfang's emotions have fluctuated, and he's been somewhat unsettled ever since.

First, he doesn't believe his master would be gone so easily.

Second, regardless of whether his master is still alive, right now, at least right now, in name, Zhang Rongfang is without support.

The Jade Void Palace hasn't acknowledged his identity, at most considering him an outstanding fellow disciple.

It's impossible for them to assign significant martial protection for him. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

And no longer would he receive the same level of attention and care as before.

Which means.....

The pressure previously borne by his master will now largely shift onto him.

Zhang Rongfang followed the team as they slowly entered the city.

Their task, as Shangguan Feihua described, is to find the Righteous Alliance's contact and person in charge here.

And they already had insider intel on the search clue, so they just needed to head straight to the destination.

Soon, the group of more than ten people was divided into several teams, coordinating with the local Spiritual Army, heading to various places together.

Apart from Zhang Rongfang, they were all Spiritual Guards of the Spiritual Veins, with the aim of taking on the high-level experts of the Righteous Alliance.

Since Zhang Rongfang wasn't a Bai Shen disciple, he was assigned to work with the previously acquainted Wuyouzi.

The two teamed up with a hundred strong Spiritual Army, following the team leader, directly towards a Righteous Alliance hideout named the Black and White Chess Hall.

Bam!

The door of the chess hall was violently kicked open.

"Who goes there!?" The guards inside loudly yelled, lunging from both sides of the door, but upon seeing it was the Spiritual Army, their movements slowed down.

One squad after another of the Spiritual Army quickly poured in, securing the doors and windows, preventing anyone from entering or leaving.

The leader of the hundred-man squad strode in, his eyes scanning the entire room from beneath his helmet.

"Who's Luo Chengfei!?"

At this moment, there were still a few tables of guests playing chess inside the hall; seeing the commotion, they all stood up, confused and at a loss.

"Officers, have you come to the wrong place? There's no one named Luo Chengfei here in my humble shop," said a white, fat middle-aged man, who seemed to be the owner. He rushed out, sweating, and put on a flattering smile as he tried to slip a piece of silver coins into the leader's hand.

"Are you the owner?" The leader pushed back the silver coins. "Take him down!"

Immediately, a group of spirit soldiers stepped forward to restrain the fat owner.

Just then, the fat owner's expression turned cold, and he abruptly charged forward, delivering a heavy punch to the leader's chest plate.

The chest plate caved inwards, and the leader was forced back several steps, barely managing to steady himself.

The other people in the chess hall suddenly all leapt up, lunging at the surrounding spirit soldiers.

They drew concealed daggers from their sleeves and could easily kill a spirit soldier, their actions ruthless and fierce.

Wuyouzi was not frightened but pleased upon seeing this, and leapt forward to engage in combat with the fat owner.

At close range, the crossbow arrows were surprisingly hard to aim, leaving no room for their might to manifest.

Zhang Rongfang took a few steps back to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

Seeing the fat owner quickly falling into a disadvantage, about to be captured and killed.

Unexpectedly, the fabric curtains inside the hall were suddenly split in half by a sharp blade.

A black silhouette flew out, as it passed, the surrounding spirit soldiers' necks spurted blood.

All were beheaded by this person.

Wuyouzi's expression changed, and with Ninth Grade skills, shook off the fat owner and fiercely struck at the black silhouette.

Boom!!

A mouthful of blood spurted out, he fell to the ground, unexpectedly struck in the chest, killed on the spot.

Super Grade!?

And using internal techniques! This is the upper echelon of the Righteous Alliance!!

Zhang Rongfang felt a chill in his heart, instantly deducing the level of the opponent's speed and strength.

The black silhouette kept moving, darting among the spirit soldiers, with each movement killing a soldier.

The technique and body technique were like a swift eagle touching water, light and graceful, with a certain King Yan demeanor.

"Go!"

Strangely, most of the spirit soldiers present were injured, yet the person seemed not to notice Zhang Rongfang at all, rushed past him, slammed open the door, and bolted out.

The others also flashed their eyes and completely ignored Zhang Rongfang; instead, after repelling the spirit soldiers, they charged out of the hall under the cover of crossbow arrows.

Zhang Rongfang felt inexplicable, but regardless, at this moment, as a Daoist, he had to act. As long as his strength was pressed to the External Medicine level...

Swoosh!

He suddenly chased out, striking fiercely towards the leading black silhouette.

This move was the Flame Emperor Talisman of Great Dao Teaching, the Scarlet Smoke Sear, suitable for dealing with swift and powerful opponents.

And the power was precisely controlled to the External Medicine level.

Boom!

Strangely, this strike hit the black silhouette's back without obstruction.

The opponent ignored it, grunted, and instead used the force to escape quickly into the distance.

Zhang Rongfang was momentarily stunned; he expected the person to counterattack but didn't expect him to focus solely on fleeing.

He was about to pursue.

But before he could react, someone swiftly approached from a short distance.

"How bold! Zhang Ying, you dare conspire with unruly troops to harm our Great Spirit officers!? Attempting to harm our sect members!?"

It was Shang Dingye!

He didn't even glance at the fleeing people from the chess hall; instead, he focused on Zhang Rongfang.

In an instant, Zhang Rongfang understood the opponent's scheme.

Whether the people from the chess hall just now were truly from the Righteous Alliance was uncertain.

But they definitely had connections with this Grandmaster Shang before him!

They had just run, deliberately letting him off, allowing him to strike without retaliation. Then Shang Dingye arrived!

This was framing him!

Zhang Rongfang reacted swiftly.

But Shang Dingye was already standing some distance in front of him, with a cold expression.

"If I hadn't kept my guard up, it would be hard to confirm you, Zhang Ying, are indeed in cahoots with the Righteous Alliance's unruly troops!"

He wasn't in a rush to fight, instead, turning to look in another direction.

Over there, Ning Hongli's team was rapidly arriving.

"Ning Hongli, look at the person you want to protect! Betraying even the identity of a Daoist, quite amusing indeed!" Shang Dingye laughed and spoke loudly.

He was deliberately making a big deal out of it, thoroughly tarnishing Zhang Rongfang's reputation.

"This time, I caught them in the act, let's see how you try to explain it away!"

"I don't know anything," Zhang Rongfang said calmly, understanding in his heart. "I did nothing from start to finish; it's all your words. Did you actually witness what happened?"

"Many people here saw that scene just now! And there's Nephew Ding!" Shang Dingye pointed to Ding Wuyou who had just gotten up.

"Indeed, I saw it clearly; that Righteous Alliance expert completely ignored Zhang Ying, deliberately letting him go!" Ding Wuyou said righteously at this moment.

"I swear, everything I saw was true! If I lie, may lightning strike me!"

"Good, good!" Shang Dingye chuckled.

Those black silhouettes were all Shang family's insiders placed within the Righteous Alliance, cooperating actively to set this trap.

Originally, he thought it would be more troublesome since Zhang Ying was also Super Grade External Medicine, requiring cautious adjustments when acting.

But just now, Zhang Ying didn't act immediately, merely stood there and watched the surrounding people die.

This left Shang Dingye initially suspecting Zhang Ying was involved with the Righteous Alliance. But now, he was sure Zhang Ying indeed had connections!

Because Zhang Ying hesitated, hesitated about whether he should act immediately!

This was an unexpected joy, an unexpected gain!