Chapter 84: The Nie Family Expulsion and the City Lord's Arrest

"Elder Hao! Elder Hao! I have news to report!" At that moment, several disciples of the Heavenly Zenith Sect hurried toward Hao Hu, their faces anxious.

Hao Hu frowned and asked, "What has you all so flustered?"

"Elder Hao, you ordered us to follow Wu Tian and see what he was up to. We have just learned what happened. Wu Tian has killed the head of the Nie family!"

"What? Nie Yuntian was killed by Wu Tian?" Hao Hu's expression changed drastically.

"Yes, and not only that—nearly every member of the Nie family above the rank of First Martial Master, as well as the elite guards, were all slaughtered by Wu Tian. Almost eighty percent of the Nie family is dead, and nearly half the Nie estate has been destroyed..." The disciples rapidly relayed their report.

Hao Hu and the elders beside him were all wide-eyed with shock. They had thought Wu Tian’s words about erasing the Nie family were just angry bluster. They never expected he would actually annihilate them. The family head was dead, all the experts above Martial Master slain, and eighty percent of the clan wiped out. If this was true, the Nie family was truly finished.

Hao Hu was incredulous, taking a sharp breath. "Are you certain you saw this correctly, or is this some kind of joke?"

"I saw it with my own eyes! Wu Tian took less than half an hour, and we watched the entire thing. No one in the Nie family could stop him. It was Nie Yuntian who crippled Wu Tian and was responsible for Elder Huang’s death. Wu Tian went for vengeance."

"Nie Yuntian was a Seventh-level Martial Spirit, among the strongest in Pingyang City—few could match him. Yet Wu Tian killed him single-handedly, and slaughtered so many of the Nie clan. How powerful has this boy grown?" Hao Hu could hardly comprehend it.

"Unbelievable. Not long ago, he was a cripple with a shattered core, and now he can even slay Nie Yuntian. Wu Tian has surpassed his peers by a wide margin," one of the elders beside him sighed with emotion.

"After this display, Pingyang City will be in an uproar tomorrow..." Hao Hu forced a bitter smile.

...

In the City Lord’s Mansion, City Lord Song Ke was roused in the middle of the night by Captain Ma.

"City Lord! City Lord, there’s grave news!" Captain Ma shouted outside the door.

"What’s all this shouting? Can’t a man get any sleep?" Song Ke opened the door, his tone irritable.

"City Lord! Urgent news—Wu Tian stormed the Nie estate alone and wiped them out. Over eighty percent of the Nie clan is dead, including the family head!"

"Are you joking, Captain Ma?" Song Ke could not believe it.

"No joke, it’s true! Wu Tian single-handedly erased the Nie clan from Pingyang City. Only the elderly, women, and children remain; anyone capable of fighting was killed. City Lord, this is no small matter—you must see for yourself!"

Song Ke’s eyes widened, his mind reeling. "You’re saying Wu Tian destroyed the Nie family alone? Just him?"

"Yes, just him. Even Nie Yuntian was slain by Wu Tian!"

"My heavens! How could this be? I must see it with my own eyes!" At last, Song Ke shook off his drowsiness, his body trembling—not from cold, but from fear.

Without delay, Song Ke led a large contingent of city guards to the Nie estate.

...

After ransacking the Nie estate, Wu Tian did not return immediately to the Heavenly Zenith Sect. Instead, he went to his master’s grave.

Though this was not truly his master, it was the master of the body he now inhabited. Wu Tian felt a strange attachment.

"Master, your great vengeance has been avenged today. He Jiang and Nie Yuntian have met their deaths by my hand! I believe they will suffer punishment in the underworld. I know there is a darker hand behind these events, but one day I will uncover the truth! Master, watch over me—I will keep moving forward!"

With that, Wu Tian poured a flask of wine upon the grave, then made his way back to the sect.

On his return, Wu Tian went straight home to sleep. He had fought several battles that day; though his stamina could be restored with medicinal elixirs, his spirit was weary. He collapsed into bed, paying no mind to the commotion outside.

Night passed swiftly, and by early morning the Heavenly Zenith Sect was abuzz with excitement.

"Hey, have you heard? The Nie family was wiped out last night—the family head is dead! They say Wu Tian did it!"

"Really? Since when is Wu Tian so formidable? Does that mean he’s stronger than the elders?"

"Of course! Last night, Wu Tian clashed with the Nie family’s four great guardians in the sect, utterly crushing them. Then, in a fury, he stormed the Nie estate and erased their family from Pingyang City!"

"The Nie family deserved it, but for Wu Tian to accomplish this alone—isn’t that terrifying?"

...

All morning, the sect was alive with talk of Wu Tian’s destruction of the Nie family. At that moment, a large force of city guards flooded into the Heavenly Zenith Sect, heading straight for Wu Tian’s humble cottage.

"Wu Tian! Last night you massacred the Nie clan, a grave violation of the Empire’s laws. The City Lord’s Mansion is hereby arresting you in the name of the law!" It was City Lord Song Ke himself, leading the party to confront Wu Tian.

At that moment, Wu Tian opened his door, stretching lazily. "Well, so many guests so early, and all city guards at that. Welcome to the Heavenly Zenith Sect."

"Wu Tian, surrender quietly or we will be forced to take you by force!" Though Song Ke spoke with authority, there was hesitation in his eyes. If Wu Tian could kill Nie Yuntian, he could just as easily kill him. What if Wu Tian lost his temper?

"Hmm? Arrest me? What law have I broken?" Wu Tian pointed to himself, feigning confusion.

"Wu Tian, have you forgotten? Last night you attacked the Nie estate and nearly exterminated the family. The family head and over a hundred lives were lost by your hand! This is a serious crime. I am placing you under arrest according to the law!" Song Ke pointed at Wu Tian, his expression stern.

"City Lord Song, what an honor to have you arrest me personally. But—do you have any proof?" Wu Tian gazed at Song Ke with a faint smile.

Song Ke dragged a man forward. "This man is a servant of the Nie family—he saw you kill with his own eyes! Well? Is this the man who slaughtered the Nie family?"

The servant looked at Wu Tian, who cast a cold glance his way. Instantly, the man trembled from head to toe, then burst into tears. "It wasn’t him! I don’t know anything! Please, don’t ask me—I know nothing!"

"So, City Lord Song, you bring a lunatic as a witness to convict me? Tsk, tsk... City Lord, what’s the point? If you wish to arrest me, I wouldn’t dare resist. Come, City Lord, since you wish to take me, I am yours to seize." Wu Tian stepped up to Song Ke with a smile.