After a night’s rest, Han went to the Peng residence as usual to offer his prayers to the Goddess.

With the strength of his soul, even though he was only at the Out-of-Body stage, he was powerful enough to conceal his true depth from Peng Liuming, a Night Wanderer-level cultivator.

As for the other martial artists of the Celestial Mother Sect, they had no chance of seeing through Han’s abilities.

"Jia brother, remember to attend the Goddess Ceremony today," Wang Hao winked at Han, his grin lecherous.

"I’ll be there," Han glanced at him. "Such a grand event, it would be a shame to miss it."

"Hahaha," Wang Hao laughed heartily. "You won't be disappointed."

Not staying long at the Peng residence, Han returned to his quarters, his mind calm, and resumed his martial training.

The Goddess Ceremony wouldn't start until evening, so Han was in no hurry.

At the peak of the Meridian Realm, Han felt fearless within the borders of Qinghua County.

In the afternoon, Han left his house and headed south through winding streets.

After a while, Han arrived at a secluded location.

The Spirit and Demon Bureau of Qinghua County.

Han took a step forward, but the guards stopped him.

"Hold, entry is forbidden here."

Han didn't argue; the two guards were merely following orders.

He took out a token from his pocket, and the guards' expressions immediately changed.

"My apologies, Lord. Please, enter," they hastily greeted him.

Han put the token away. "Take me to your chief."

The guards exchanged glances, and one of them went to fetch the chief while Han followed behind.

This token had been given to him by Lu Qingmo before he came to Qinghua County—it was the Chief's Order from the Spirit and Demon Bureau.

The tokens of the Spirit and Demon Bureau were similar across the regions of the Great Qi; one side bore the Yin-Yang symbol, and the other side had the name of the jurisdiction.

No matter the place, any Chief’s Order was recognized everywhere.

After a while, the guard led Han to a door.

"The Chief is inside."

Han nodded and gave a command. "Wait outside. Don’t leave."

He pushed open the door. Inside, a middle-aged man was staring directly at him.

"Who are you?"

"Chief Zhao," Han took out the token and said, "I represent Chief Lu from Black Cloud Town. I need to handle a case and hope the Spirit and Demon Bureau of Qinghua County will cooperate."

Chief Zhao's expression shifted slightly. "Chief Lu of Black Cloud Town..."

A hint of anger flashed across Zhao's face. Even though the Spirit and Demon Bureau in Black Cloud Town was officially on the same level as the one in Qinghua County, Zhao felt this action was rather disrespectful.

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But when he thought of Lu Qingmo, his anger quickly deflated.

Inferior in strength, lacking in connections—what could he do?

"Please, speak. The Spirit and Demon Bureau of Qinghua County will fully cooperate."

Han’s gaze was sharp as he stared at Zhao. "Are you aware that someone in your Spirit and Demon Bureau has colluded with the Celestial Mother Sect?"

Chief Zhao’s face paled, and he couldn’t sit still any longer.

"Do you have evidence for this accusation?"

"The Celestial Mother Sect is a serious matter. If you falsely accuse the Spirit and Demon Bureau of Qinghua County, I will go to the capital and demand justice."

"Hmph, evidence?" Han scoffed. "I am the evidence!"

"I witnessed one of your deputy chiefs meeting with emissaries of the Celestial Mother Sect."

"Where did you see this?"

"At one of their bases."

"How could there be a Celestial Mother Sect base in Qinghua County?"

Han smirked. "Why couldn’t there be?"

"I’ve joined the Celestial Mother Sect myself!"

"..."

"Should I arrest you now?"

"There are two deputy chiefs in your Spirit and Demon Bureau, one named Zhao and the other named Hong. Which one did you see colluding with the Celestial Mother Sect?"

"I’m not sure yet," Han shook his head. "Have your guards gather everyone from your Bureau outside. I'll identify them when I see them."

In recent days, Han had confirmed that both the Spirit and Demon Bureau and the Martial Bureau in Qinghua County had deputy-level officials working with the Celestial Mother Sect.

But who exactly it was remained a mystery, as Wang Hao and his associates had kept quiet, only promising to introduce them during the Goddess Ceremony.

However, Han had seen the two deputy chiefs from afar and was confident he could recognize them in person.

The Celestial Mother Sect had many members, and Han intended to catch every one of them, which was why he came to the Spirit and Demon Bureau.

Leveraging this power would ensure the Sect’s destruction.

Chief Zhao's expression flickered between hesitation and resolve. Eventually, he ordered his guards to do as Han instructed, ensuring discretion.

Han was not worried about Zhao suddenly turning hostile. At this close distance, with his current strength, and considering it was still daytime, it wouldn't be difficult for him to take down a Night Wanderer cultivator.

Strength was his confidence in entering the Spirit and Demon Bureau.

"Chief Zhao," Han stared at him, speaking coldly, "The Celestial Mother Sect has been in Qinghua County for ten years, secretly spreading their beliefs and poisoning the people. Their Goddess worship is now widespread across the county, and you didn’t notice any of this?"

"They claim to be the 'Goddess.'"

"The Goddess?" Zhao sighed heavily. "You may not know, but in remote places like Qinghua County, the people are suffering. From time to time, strange beliefs arise."

"I’ve heard of this 'Goddess' before. I even had my subordinates investigate it. The conclusion was that it was a popular belief formed spontaneously by the common folk, and we took care of it."

"But I focused on my own cultivation afterward and didn’t pay attention to it anymore. I didn’t realize this 'Goddess' was actually the Celestial Mother, let alone that she had grown this powerful."

Based on the responses from his sources, Han believed Chief Zhao was telling the truth.

"Prepare for the consequences when your superiors find out," Han said coldly.

Zhao could only smile bitterly. Even though he wasn’t involved with the Celestial Mother Sect, the fact that this had happened under his watch meant he would bear the blame.

The fact that the Celestial Mother Sect had spread so far in Qinghua County was a major failure on his part.

"What about the Chief of the Martial Bureau?" Han asked next.

"Chief Qian is the only cultivator in Qinghua County at the Body Refinement stage, but... he’s rarely here."

Zhao continued, "He spends most of his time in the capital, pursuing greater martial skills. Local matters are handled by two deputy chiefs from the Martial Bureau."

"What about the county magistrate?"

"The magistrate... is a gentleman with refined tastes. He prefers music, chess, calligraphy, and painting."

Han couldn’t help but laugh coldly.

No wonder the Celestial Mother Sect had been able to develop so easily in Qinghua County.

A county magistrate who was indifferent to government affairs, lost in the arts.

A Martial Bureau chief who was never in Qinghua County.

A Spirit and Demon Bureau chief who didn’t care about the events happening under his own roof.

It was no surprise Qinghua County had ended up this way.

If it hadn’t been for the Celestial Mother Sect’s presence in Black Cloud Town, Qinghua County would probably have fallen under their control in a few years!

"Tell me about the two deputy chiefs of the Martial Bureau, including their appearances."

Zhao complied, but then asked a question.

"Lord, how do you plan to deal with those who have colluded with the Celestial Mother Sect?"

Han sneered but didn’t respond.

After a while, the guard returned to report that everyone had been summoned.

Han strode forward, heading to the courtyard.

He looked up at the sky. The scorching sun bathed the land, bringing hope.

But it also brought despair to the spirits of the dead.

In the Spirit and Demon Bureau of Qinghua County, there were more than ten individuals, with the two deputy chiefs standing at the front. Han glanced over them, recalling his earlier glimpse.

His gaze quickly locked onto one of the deputy chiefs—a man with a scar on his face.

It was you, Scarface!