Where does that wicked woman get her conscience?

Guan Xun found an inn to stay at that was far from the scene of the incident and had fewer people around.

After washing off all the bloodstains, I finally felt the sticky feeling all over my body disappear completely.

I just overheard passersby mentioning the Holy Light Palace, and they all seemed to think it was something not to be trifled with, which suggests that it holds a very high position in the Central Plains.

Hao Aman had also mentioned that the distribution of power here was chaotic and complicated, so it seemed that before arriving in Zhongzhou, they would need to find someone to understand the situation clearly.

As she frowned in thought, there was a loud knock on the door; it was the waiter bringing her hot tea.

"Miss, your tea."

The waiter bent low as he placed the tea on the table, and even poured her a cup. Then, he lingered there, smiling obsequiously as he took a cloth from his shoulder and wiped the table.

This girl has such a beautiful appearance and an extraordinary temperament. More importantly, she has two spirit pets with her. She must be a rich young lady from some wealthy family.

He naturally wanted to gain some benefits before leaving.

Guan Xun lowered his eyes, took out a few gold coins from his storage ring, and placed them on the table: "I want to ask you for some information."

As long as you're willing to pay, everyone's a boss.

The waiter's eyes narrowed into slits with a smile as he quickly stuffed the gold coins into his pocket: "Miss, feel free to ask. My information is guaranteed to be reliable."

"What kind of power is this Holy Light Temple?"

Upon hearing this, the waiter exclaimed twice, "Oh dear!" It seemed this girl came from somewhere else. After all, who in Zhongzhou didn't know about the Holy Light Palace? He simply pulled out a chair and sat down, intending to launch into a long speech.

"Although the Central Plains has countless sub-regions, they are all based on the one pavilion and three halls of the Central Plains Holy City. The Holy Light Hall you just asked about is one of the three halls. In addition, there are the Heavenly Pole Hall and the True Inheritance Hall."

Countless locations… Guan Xun recalled the map he had just glanced at; no wonder the markings were so messy, even a storyteller would have a hard time explaining it.

"Won't this pavilion, three halls, and four major powers all squeezed together cause a fight?" she asked with some curiosity.

The waiter was clearly taken aback, thinking that this girl was really smart: "Of course, there are still conflicts between the three halls. I heard that conflicts occur every year when tribute is presented to the Shangju Pavilion."

We still have to pay tribute?

Guan Xun was taken aback. Wasn't that just a tripartite balance of power? Its status was just like the imperial palace in the capital. How could there be four major powers standing side by side?

If tribute is sent every year... then several national treasuries would have to be built, wouldn't they be full of treasures? Thinking of this, she felt her lips were a little dry, picked up her tea and took a sip: "What kind of tribute is sent?"

"Huh?" The waiter was a little confused by the question. "Well... Shangju Pavilion only opens its doors when tributes are paid each year. I've heard that a lot of obsidian is paid each time, but I don't know much about what else is paid."

"Obsidian?" Guan Xun asked in surprise. "Could Shangju Pavilion be a place that specializes in crafting magical artifacts?"

"No, no, no. Although obsidian is mostly used for crafting magical artifacts, I've never heard of any shops under the name of Shangju Pavilion in the entire Central Continent." The waiter shook his head, his throat becoming dry as he spoke. "On the other hand, the Third Palace owns quite a few shops and properties, the most numerous of which are obsidian purchasing points, which are almost ubiquitous, even in remote villages outside the Central Continent."

"That's why the Three Palaces have so many branches, specifically for managing obsidian purchasing points. Just like the Holy Light Palace you just asked about, there's one in the closest city to here, Moxi City."

"If you go out for a stroll, you might run into their young masters and misses. However, people of their status are usually arrogant, so it's best to avoid them to avoid getting into trouble."

Guan Xun's brow twitched.

Stay away? She's already killed someone...

No wonder that elder was so weak; he was just a branch elder from a small place, and probably the weakest one at that.

I didn't expect it to be this kind of force; that's definitely troublesome.

What happened on the street just now will probably soon spread throughout the entire deserted village and the branch families of Moxi City, and even the main family.

The thought of the entire Central Plains being filled with people from the Holy Light Temple gave Guan Xun a headache.

She picked up her teacup again, her eyes darkening as she looked at the obsidian bracelet hidden in her sleeve. It seemed that the original owner of this body was likely one of the members of the Three Palaces and One Pavilion.

If they're buying up obsidian on such a large scale just for offerings, then why doesn't the Upper Residence Pavilion craft any magical artifacts? What would they need this stuff for?

Never mind, it has nothing to do with her anymore.

Remembering the markings on the map, Guan Xun changed the subject and asked casually, "I see a snowy region marked on the map of Zhongzhou. Are you familiar with it?"

The waiter was immediately astonished: "That place is just like the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons, a dangerous place. It's said to have no end, and no one who steps in ever comes out. Miss, you're not planning to go there, are you? You mustn't!"

Guan Xun shook her head slightly; she had only asked out of curiosity.

A perilous place...

A thought flashed through her mind, and she looked up at the waiter, a hint of something unreadable in her eyes: "Have you heard of the Black Sea, that perilous place?"

"...The Black Sea? There's such a dangerous place?" The waiter squinted his eyes in confusion, then shook his head. "No, there isn't."

Never...

Guan Xun lowered his eyes slightly and said nothing more. After carefully inquiring about the route and other matters, he waved for him to leave.

No sooner had the waiter left than Chi Rong climbed onto the table, curiously took a small sip of tea, and almost vomited. It shook its head and said, "Master, you killed those people from that palace, they'll be coming for you soon."

"Ah."

Guan Xun glanced at the darkening sky outside the window, then turned and poured himself another cup of tea.

We shouldn't linger here. Let's wait until it gets darker before heading to the north.

……

The Holy Light Palace in Moxi City has split up.

The sound of crashing and smashing echoed throughout the hall. Tables, chairs, and decorations were all smashed to pieces and scattered all over the floor.

In the center of the lobby, three bloodstained and already stiff corpses were placed side by side.

He died with his eyes wide open, and his death was extremely gruesome.

The atmosphere in the lobby was extremely tense, so low that it felt almost suffocating. Apart from a woman lying beside him, crying pitifully, there was no other noise.

Finally, the middle-aged man sitting in the high seat, his face as black as ink, could no longer bear it. He slammed his iron fist heavily onto the coffee table, smashing the already cracked table into several pieces.

He stood up abruptly, kicked the woman, sending her flying out of the lobby entrance.

"All you do is cry! If you hadn't let them race horses in the streets, this wouldn't have happened!"

Such a commotion only drew a glance from a few elderly people nearby.

The woman struggled to her feet, her clothes stained with blood, her hair disheveled and falling across her face. She didn't bother to tidy herself up, her voice already hoarse: "You blame me! Shouldn't we be catching the person who killed Yun'er and Yue'er now!"

"My Yun'er! My Yue'er! Mother will definitely avenge you!"

Her lips trembled uncontrollably, and she collapsed to the ground, weeping bitterly.

An old man glanced at the corpses with a heavy heart, his face solemn as he said in a deep voice, "Master, Madam is right. The most important thing now is to catch the murderer and avenge them!"

“This person is quite powerful and ruthless. She is said to be a young woman. Could she be someone from another of the two palaces?” Another obese old man asked in an unusually cold voice.

The middle-aged man addressed as the head of the household had thick, straight eyebrows, his teeth clenched so tightly they were grinding, and an overwhelming killing intent emanated from his body. His tone was extremely chilling.

"Anyone who dares to kill a member of my Holy Light Temple, no matter who they are, will be torn to pieces and their bones reduced to ashes!"

……