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"If it weren't for the Taoist priest's intervention tonight, we would probably be in grave danger."
As Zhao Fangxu spoke, he stood up again and bowed deeply to Zhang Yunyuan, saying, "I will never forget the great kindness of the Daoist Master."
Zhang Yunyuan accepted his bow before slowly speaking, his voice still ethereal:
“I, a humble Taoist, have come here on a journey and sensed that the evil aura here is soaring to the heavens, which is contrary to the harmony of heaven, so I took action. Layman, you need not worry about it.”
His words were perfectly watertight, explaining his motives for appearing while attributing everything to fate, without any connection to cause and effect.
Although Zhao Fangxu had countless doubts in his mind, such as why this Taoist priest had such unfathomable and extraordinary abilities, he wisely refrained from asking any further questions.
He knew that such a reclusive master had his own principles of conduct, and that digging too deep would only annoy people.
All he has to do now is try every possible way to keep this great figure in Tianjin.
Zhao Fangxu's tone became extremely sincere, "Tianjin is currently rife with undercurrents, and the depth of foreign infiltration is far beyond our imagination."
I humbly request that you, Taoist priest, stay in Tianjin temporarily and lend a helping hand to the people of Tianjin to expose this group of heartless and evil scoundrels and restore peace to the people of Tianjin.
"Once the matter is accomplished, the Tianjin guards will surely offer a generous reward!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yunyuan remained silent in thought.
His purpose in descending the mountain this time, besides visiting the famous sites of various sects, was primarily to engage with the world and temper his mind.
The chaos in Tianjin is a perfect testing ground.
He wasn't in a hurry to refuse.
Seeing that he didn't immediately refuse, Zhao Fangxu was overjoyed and quickly added:
"If you have any needs, whether it be rare medicinal herbs or ancient books, as long as my Zhao family has them and the Tianjin Guard can find them, we will definitely provide them to you!"
"That won't be necessary. Two decent places to stay for me and my apprentice will suffice."
Zhang Yunyuan finally nodded, "If it's not too much trouble, my disciple and I will stay here for a few days."
"Great!"
Zhao Fangxu was overjoyed and quickly got up to make arrangements, "This junior will immediately prepare the best room for the Taoist priest!"
After settling the two in, Zhao Fangxu didn't rest for a moment and immediately rushed to the secret dungeon of the Tianjin Guard.
The dungeon was dark and damp, filled with a foul odor that was a mixture of blood and mold.
Those foreigners and superhumans whose cultivation had been stripped were tightly bound to a specially made rack. Their faces were ashen, but their eyes remained fierce, like a few wolves with their teeth pulled out.
Zhao Fangxu uttered only one word.
Several Tianjin guards awakened psychic abilities, and experts skilled in mental interrogation immediately stepped forward, employing various methods in turn.
However, the result surprised everyone.
The mouths of these foreigners are harder than the strongest alloy.
No matter how much they were threatened or bribed, physical torture was like scratching an itch through a boot.
When the mental experts of the Tianjin Guards tried to invade their minds, it was as if they had hit an invisible, indestructible wall.
When a skilled practitioner forcibly attacked the opponent's sea of consciousness, he suddenly let out a scream. He was struck as if by lightning, blood flowed from his mouth and nose, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.
"what happened?!"
Zhao Fangxu's expression changed.
Another pale-faced interrogator said in a trembling voice:
"Mr. Zhao, it seems that their minds have been implanted with an extremely sophisticated Western secret technique."
That secret technique formed a mental barrier; any attempt to probe it would result in a powerful backlash!
"My mental strength was also affected by the backlash, and I suffered a serious injury."
Zhao Fangxu walked up to the foreigner in the lead and stared intently at him.
The foreigner gave a cruel smile and said in broken Chinese:
"It's useless...you...sick men of East Asia...you'll never get anything...from us..."
Zhao Fangxu's face was so gloomy it could drip water.
He realized once again that this incident was far more complicated than he had imagined.
The opposing organization is highly organized, uses bizarre methods, and even possesses secret techniques specifically designed to seal memories.
Conventional forces are powerless against this.
Left with no other choice, he had to grit his teeth and turn back to walk towards the small Western-style house.
It seems I'll have to seek help from that unfathomable "Master Yun" again.
Chapter 120 Clues to the Mystery of the Black Market Emerge
Deep inside the dungeon of Jinmenwei, the air was so heavy it seemed you could wring water out of it.
Zhao Fangxu respectfully led Zhang Yunyuan to the front of the cell, his face showing a hint of shame.
"Master, I am incompetent. I have tried every method, but I still cannot get these people to talk."
They also lost a skilled interrogator specializing in mental torture.
Zhang Yunyuan's gaze calmly fell on the foreigner who was leading the group.
In his perception, there was indeed an extremely faint rune composed of pure spiritual energy slowly flickering between the other person's eyebrows.
Like a finely crafted lock, it firmly secures the gateway to the sea of consciousness.
"Western restrictions are quite interesting."
He spoke softly to himself, his voice not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.
Zhao Fangxu and the Tianjin guards behind him felt a chill run down their spines.
The mysterious technique that they couldn't budge even slightly was described by this Taoist priest as merely "somewhat interesting".
Zhang Yunyuan ignored the gasps and horror around him.
He took a step forward, his body remained still, but his aura suddenly made the entire space freeze.
The resentment and provocation that had been in the eyes of the foreigners were instantly replaced by a tremor from the depths of their souls, turning into unbelievable fear.
He slowly raised his right hand, his index and middle fingers joined together. There was no light emanating from his fingertips, nor any sharp whistling. Instead, a wisp of chaotic, misty energy swirled around it, as solid as a tangible substance.
That was no ordinary Qi, but an absolute silence that seemed capable of swallowing light and dismantling rules, exuding a terrifying aura that brought all things to stillness.
"What...what do you want to do?! Stop!"
The foreigner's voice was shrill as he tried to struggle, only to find that his aura had been completely locked by an invisible force, and he couldn't even muster a trace of magic power.
He could only watch helplessly as those two fingers, imbued with an aura of annihilation, fell like guillotines slowly descending from a guillotine, pointing towards his brow.
There was no loud bang, no explosion.
The moment the fingertip touched the skin, only a very slight, yet teeth-grinding "hiss" sound was emitted, like a red-hot iron being plunged into ice water.
The solid spiritual barrier branded between his brows, which embodied his life's cultivation and the laws of another realm, was as fragile as snowflakes under the blazing sun before that wisp of chaotic Dao Qi.
Its supposedly formidable defense failed to even provide a moment's resistance before being utterly swallowed up, decomposed, and reduced to nothingness from the level of existence with an absolute crushing force!
The foreigner's eyes suddenly widened, and all the brilliance and magical light in his pupils vanished instantly, leaving only utter emptiness and deathly silence.
The alien energy surging around him dissipated instantly, like a punctured air sac.
The once unbreakable gateway to the sea of consciousness was opened with ease.
Zhang Yunyuan's divine sense swept straight in, easily invading the other party's chaotic and disordered sea of consciousness.
Countless fragments of memories flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern.
In the end, he found what he was looking for.
"Pandora..."
Zhang Yunyuan withdrew his finger and softly uttered a name.
Zhao Fangxu quickly stepped forward: "Daoist Master, you mean?"
"A mobile underground black market called 'Pandora'."
Zhang Yunyuan's tone remained calm, "They use this black market to trade all sorts of shady things."
Forbidden techniques, heretical magical artifacts, experimental data from supernatural beings, and even... living 'materials'.
The word "materials" sent a chill down the spines of all the members of the Tianjin Guard present.
"The next transaction will take place three days from now at midnight."
The location is uncertain; we will need to use a secret code to contact each other.
Zhang Yunyuan then informed Zhao Fangxu of the time and code he had extracted from the other party's memories.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Fangxu was overwhelmed with emotion.
He looked at Zhang Yunyuan, and the awe in his eyes had turned into a fanatical worship.
These four words were the only adjective he could think of at that moment.
"Thank you, Taoist Priest!"
Zhao Fangxu bowed deeply again. "With this intelligence, we can follow the clues and wipe them out in one fell swoop!"
He immediately turned around and gave his men a stern order.
"Keep these people under strict surveillance!"
Furthermore, immediately utilize all of the Zhao family's business networks and official connections to investigate!
"Investigate every inch of the area, from the flow of funds and goods to all suspicious personnel changes in Tianjin recently!"
I must find out where this 'Pandora's' lair is within three days!
The machines at Jinmenwei started operating at unprecedented speed and efficiency.
For the next two days, Zhao Fangxu practically lived in his study.
Countless pieces of intelligence converged from all directions like snowflakes, and he quickly analyzed, filtered, and integrated them.