The situation plummeted into dire straits!

The city guard army of White Paper Immortal City had completely encircled Listen to You Pavilion. The grand array of the pavilion was already activated, trapping Sun Ning and her companion within, unable to escape into the void. They were now birds in a cage, turtles in an urn!

“Milord!” Upon rushing into the pavilion, the city guards discovered the corpse of Mourning Music You Ling and cried out in unison, their voices laced with sorrow.

“Impossible, this is a fake.”

“Milord Mourning Music You Ling was skilled in divination, how could she perish so easily?”

“Seize him, he is the murderer! He is the one who harmed and killed Milord Mourning Music You Ling!”

Many found it hard to believe, many were panic-stricken, and yet more were consumed by rage, vowing to slay Ning Zhuo.

“I am not the murderer!” Ning Zhuo cried out loudly. “I am merely at the Foundation Building stage, how could I possibly kill a Gold Core cultivator, let alone a figure like Milord Mourning Music You Ling?!”

At this moment, his face was pale, a mix of shock and anger etched upon it. There was an element of performance, yet true emotion also shone through.

Heaven bore witness!

He had been preparing to take out the white candle, declare his true identity, and expound his divination request. He had waited so long for this moment, only to have his expectations shattered. Mourning Music You Ling was dead.

She had been perfectly fine this morning, continuously meeting with the male consorts vying for promotion. After a single meal, this happened in the afternoon?!

The city guards, naturally, would not stand idly by because of Ning Zhuo’s self-defense. They surged towards him.

Ning Zhuo retreated, positioning himself beside Mourning Music You Ling’s corpse. “Stop your steps! Anyone who dares approach me, I shall destroy her remains!”

“Any of you who provoke me shall bear the sin of desecrating the meritorious corpse of White Paper Immortal City.”

The city guards immediately halted, staring at Ning Zhuo with shocked fury, a chorus of accusations rising about his sheer audacity!

Ning Zhuo lifted his head and let out a hearty laugh, then his face contorted with ferocity. “Since I am doomed to die anyway, if you dare to lay a hand on me and slander me, then so be it! Before I die, I’ll drag you all down with me. I, your father, mean what I say!”

The city guards were stunned, exchanging glances. They cursed Ning Zhuo loudly, but ultimately held their ground, not advancing.

Ning Zhuo did not stop there, but pointed a finger at the crowd. “You pack of fools, why aren’t you reporting this immediately? Mourning Music You Ling has been killed, and the enemy is bound to seize this opportunity to launch an offensive. The military situation is like fire! If you are even slightly delayed, it will lead to internal and external troubles, and the Immortal City will fall. Each and every one of you will be a sinner!”

No sooner had Ning Zhuo’s words fallen than several explosions were heard. Fire erupted in a corner of the city, and simultaneously, the ground outside the city trembled, accompanied by countless wails and howls. Clearly, the ghost tide had risen again, launching a ferocious assault on White Paper Immortal City.

The city guards’ expressions changed dramatically. Ning Zhuo’s words were verified far too quickly! And judging from the sheer momentum, the intensity of the enemy’s attack was unprecedented.

“What are you all gawking at? I couldn’t escape before, could I escape now? Compared to me, White Paper Immortal City is ten thousand times more important!” Ning Zhuo continued to curse, “You pack of fools!”

The city guards were shaken once more.

Just at this moment, a figure descended rapidly onto the scene. “Yellow-faced brat, silence yourself!”

The newcomer was none other than Wen Rouyu.

As it turned out, this contingent of city guards, upon discovering the death of Mourning Music You Ling, had reported it upwards immediately. Wen Rouyu stormed into Listen to You Pavilion, his eyes fixed on Mourning Music You Ling’s corpse. The last shred of hope in his heart completely vanished.

His face became exceedingly grim, his gaze like sharp knife light, fixed intently upon Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo, one hand placed on Mourning Music You Ling’s neck, immediately let out a cold snort. “Milord Wen, she was not killed by me!”

“Outside the city, you saw me. I was dispatched by Commander Qingyan and am a local.”

“But if you wish to accuse me of being the murderer without any evidence, then there is only one possibility—you are a spy! All the city guards here can testify!”

Wen Rouyu’s pupils contracted, and his momentum faltered.

The city guards were wide-eyed and speechless. Just moments ago, Ning Zhuo was cursing them, and now he was asking them to testify. He was simply a scoundrel. But upon reflection, *ai*, there was some logic to his words.

Some city guards secretly scrutinized Wen Rouyu. Sensing these implicit gazes, Wen Rouyu was so enraged that killing intent filled him. “Milord Mourning Music You Ling is dead, and you were the closest person to her. You should be subjected to severe torture, yet you are threatening me?”

Ning Zhuo shook his head and let out a bitter laugh. “Milord Wen, I am also forced into this situation. A moment of hesitation, a single step back, and I become a prisoner.”

“I am not afraid of death, but I worry about dying in vain, never having grasped my fate in my own hands.”

“Moreover, I am also a victim. Milord Mourning Music You Ling was indeed not killed by me. I act with integrity!”

“Milord Wen, I also offer you a word of advice, do not be confused.”

“If you wish to force a confession, frame me as the murderer in a short time, and find a scapegoat to stabilize morale in the city, this will only play into the enemy’s scheme.”

“Because as long as the enemy army later actively reveals evidence of their actions, your crime will be compounded, and the city’s morale will suffer a greater blow when everyone realizes even high-ranking officials like you can be easily deceived.”

Wen Rouyu’s face was now as black as the bottom of a pot. “Sharp-tongued villain. I will not make things difficult for you. If you cling to this, and truly want me to make a move, the scene will not be a pleasant sight.”

As he spoke, he threw out a talisman bearing a red jade seal, shooting it towards Ning Zhuo. Ning Zhuo let out a cold snort, his palm extended, revealing his life weapon.

A flash of mirror light, and a colossal figure appeared out of thin air. It was none other than the Heavy Armored Blood Ape · Great Victory!

Yuan Great Victory stood before Ning Zhuo and reached out to catch the talisman.

In an instant, the city guards gasped in low voices.

“A Gold Core level mechanical puppet!” Wen Rouyu’s expression changed involuntarily, and his vigilance soared.

The grand array of Listen to You Pavilion was fully activated, imprisoning space and preventing Ning Zhuo from escaping into the void. However, the space within the pavilion was a single entity and not subjected to suppression. Ning Zhuo had just discovered this point and immediately released Yuan Great Victory.

However, soon, Yuan Great Victory’s Gold Core aura was greatly suppressed, falling directly to the Foundation Building stage. This was White Paper Immortal City, and the entire city was under the influence of the city-protecting grand array.

“Little Zhuo, the talisman is fine.” In the Ten Thousand Miles Roaming Dragon, Sun Lingtong observed with his spirit eyes and secretly transmitted a divine sense message.

Yuan Great Victory then handed the sealed talisman to Ning Zhuo. Ning Zhuo glanced at it, pocketed the sealed talisman without the slightest intention of sealing himself, and instead cupped his hands. “Thank you, Milord Wen, for bestowing the talisman.”

Wen Rouyu was both enraged and amused, finally losing his patience. Just as he was about to make a move, he heard a voice transmit from behind him. “Stop your hand.”

Wen Rouyu and the city guards’ expressions changed dramatically. They quickly turned around and saluted the newcomer. “Greetings, City Lord!”

The state of the White Paper Immortal City City Lord was very poor, always in a sealed state. Could she come out now? Ning Zhuo was surprised, lifted his eyes to look, and suddenly understood.

He saw that the speaker was two zhang tall, her face deathly white, her lips ink-black. A head of long hair was twisted into three thousand six hundred snow-white strands interwoven with fine crimson, hanging to her waist. Her neck and shoulders were supported by bamboo strips in an exquisite bone shape, and thin, cicada-wing-like paper was piled on her shoulders, forming complex folded wrinkles.

Dense symbols adorned the plain white great skirt, its hem dragging along, stirring up waves of Yin-cold energy. And at her waist, a section of red rope was tied, the most eye-catching element. At the end of the red rope hung a bronze bell, but no sound could be heard from it.

This was undeniably a treasure-level paper person puppet!

The paper person puppet emitted a Nascent Soul level aura. Like a white cloud, she brought rolling Yin energy and floated into Listen to You Pavilion. She didn’t even glance at Ning Zhuo, her gaze fixed solely on Mourning Music You Ling’s corpse. Although her face was expressionless, standing there for a long time, she exuded a thick, sorrowful emotion.

“Little Le, I didn’t expect you to be harmed amidst these internal and external troubles,” the paper person clone of the White Paper City Lord said softly.

The entire scene was silent, only the sound of the ghost tide outside the city and the occasional explosions from the renewed chaos within the city reached them.

The paper person clone was silent for a moment before lifting her head to look at Ning Zhuo. “My mood is very bad, I want to kill someone!”

“I’ll give you three breaths of time to prove you have no connection to Mourning Music You Ling’s death.”

“After three breaths, you will accompany Little Le in burial.”

Ning Zhuo was suddenly terrified, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. He wanted to argue, but the paper person clone had already begun counting down. “Three.”

“One.”

Even Wen Rouyu’s heart leaped. The paper person clone didn’t count “two,” skipping it directly. This revealed her impatience and killing intent without doubt.

“Little Zhuo, I’ll break your rear guard, you go first!” Sun Lingtong’s hair stood on end as he was about to rush out of the Ten Thousand Miles Roaming Dragon.

Ning Zhuo’s life hung by a thread, his heart pounding with alarm and fear. He suddenly stretched out his palm. “I can prove it!”

In a short time, he was already covered in cold sweat. Ning Zhuo stared intently at the White Paper clone. “You only need to cut open Milord Mourning Music You Ling’s belly to prove my innocence.”

Wen Rouyu suddenly shouted in anger. “Bold! You actually wish to desecrate Milord Mourning Music You Ling’s corpse!”

The city guards also became agitated, but they were restrained by the city lord’s clone and dared not speak. The White Paper clone, however, fell into thought.

Suddenly, she extended her finger and drew a sudden line. Magic power, like a knife, directly broke open Mourning Music You Ling’s belly skin, and then her stomach. Seeing the large amount of spirit food remaining in her stomach, Ning Zhuo’s guarded heartstring relaxed.

He cupped his hands and said, “City Lord, Milord Mourning Music You Ling treated herself by eating Nether Meals. And these Nether Meals are difficult to digest, and cannot be aided by magic power to digest, otherwise they are eaten in vain.”

“After lunch, according to the arrangement, I was the first male consort to meet Milord Mourning Music You Ling.”

“If I killed Mourning Music You Ling, it must have been not long before.”

“But the undigested spirit food in Mourning Music You Ling’s belly proves that she died earlier. Not long after finishing the Nether Meal, she was attacked and killed!”

The crowd fell silent. Everyone’s gaze shifted to Mourning Music You Ling’s corpse, then back to Ning Zhuo. Sun Lingtong rejoiced. “Little Zhuo, that makes sense!”

Wen Rouyu frowned.

Ning Zhuo exhaled a mouthful of stale air. “I had no opportunity to commit the crime, because at that time, I was in the dining hall of the Hidden Sun Separate Manor, in the process of eating a Nether Meal. Many people witnessed this scene!”

The paper person clone let out a cold snort, her killing intent still palpable. “Your inference is not bad. However, you cannot completely clear yourself of suspicion. Who exactly are you?”