Chapter 008: Departure

Since entering Chang'an, Wang Bo had never dealt with the Demon Suppression Bureau, committed no crimes, and certainly never killed or set fires. So why had the Demon Suppression Bureau suddenly taken an interest in him?

He thought for a moment, his eyes flickering, then suddenly approached the two Demon Suppression Bureau officials and began to perform a soul search.

Soul search was a vile spell that forcibly rifled through a person's memories.

Those subjected to it often suffered excruciating pain and ended up as idiots.

Of course, there were also advanced soul search techniques that, by looking into the target's eyes, could clearly see their past and present lives—extremely powerful.

But Wang Bo did not master such spells.

The soul search methods he knew were mostly the destructive kind, causing irreversible damage to the target's brain once used.

Fortunately, besides spells, Wang Bo was also proficient in magic, which included many techniques for rifling through memories.

Combined with his understanding of the soul, he had created a very powerful soul search spell that could find what he wanted without harming the target.

Wang Bo placed his hands on the father and son, and in just a few breaths, he found what he sought, learning the whole story of the Demon Suppression Bureau's surveillance.

It turned out that the Demon Suppression Bureau was monitoring him on the orders of Tang Dynasty Chancellor Fang Xuanling.

And Fang Xuanling had ordered the investigation because Wang Bo's recent extensive socializing with demon hunters had unsettled the court.

What Wang Bo hadn't expected was that, in the eyes of the court, demon hunters were such a sensitive group.

The court feared their great power yet needed them to slay demons and vanquish monsters.

They resented their disregard for the law but had to rely on and use them.

Hmm... this world really was twisted.

To be honest, Wang Bo had never known that the reason he was targeted by the court was this. In the plot of Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons, almost all attention was focused on Chen Xuanzang, Miss Duan, the demon hunters, Sun Wukong, and others.

The court was just a backdrop.

It never even appeared.

Thus Wang Bo had inadvertently overlooked the court. After all, his strength was enough to defeat true immortals and arhats; his eyes were on bodhisattvas and great beings like Tathagata Buddha, so he naturally cared little for a mere court.

But he hadn't expected the court to enter his field of vision in such a way.

Now that the court had its eyes on him, Wang Bo immediately thought of leaving. Not because he feared the court—its strength wasn't enough to scare him.

It was mainly the trouble.

In the world of Journey to the West, the court represented the orthodox human realm. If Wang Bo caused trouble for the court, it would likely attract the attention of immortals and buddhas.

But Wang Bo didn't want to attract their attention yet, especially not from big shots like the Jade Emperor and Tathagata Buddha.

What Wang Bo feared wasn't the court itself, but the chain reaction after moving against it.

In essence, Wang Bo wasn't strong enough. If he could match the Jade Emperor and Tathagata Buddha, he wouldn't care about the chain reaction from challenging the court.

But for now, Wang Bo had to keep his distance.

Then Wang Bo found the mansion's steward, told him he was going on a long journey and to look after the house. Without waiting for the steward's nod, Wang Bo drifted away.

After leaving Chang'an, in just a few moments, Wang Bo caught up with the three Daoists who had stolen his treasure.

Wang Bo moved and blocked their path.

"Honored masters, where are you off to?"

The three Daoists were horrified to see Wang Bo. The old Daoist trembled, "You! How are you here?"

Wang Bo retorted, "Why can't I be here?"

The thin Daoist flew into a rage, shouting, "Stop your tricks!"

Though surprised Wang Bo had caught up, he didn't think Wang Bo was formidable. He pulled out a stone seal, channeled his magical power, and hurled it.

The stone seal shot through the air, instantly turning into a small mountain, pressing down toward Wang Bo.

"Mountain-Suppressing Seal, suppress!"

Wang Bo didn't move. He raised an eyebrow, and a sharp sword qi whistled out from between his brows. The sword qi swept forth, unstoppable, and in an instant split the so-called Mountain-Suppressing Seal.

The mountain formed by the seal shrank rapidly, turning into two stones that fell from midair.

The thin Daoist's magical artifact was broken, and his mind suffered a heavy blow. He spat out a mouthful of blood, rolled his eyes, and fainted.

Seeing this, the old Daoist finally understood that this man was no mere merchant.

The Mountain-Suppressing Seal was something he had passed on to his disciple. He knew its power well; though not top-grade, it wasn't something ordinary people could break.

Even he would have to channel his power and avoid its edge. He never expected that the other party could destroy the seal with a casual sword qi—such strength was unfathomable.

The old Daoist immediately begged for mercy, "This old Daoist failed to recognize a true master and showed off his meager skills before you. I am willing to accept punishment. Please spare my life, sir."

Wang Bo hadn't expected the old Daoist to be so spineless, losing all will to fight after seeing him make a move.

But in other words, he was a wise man who knew when to yield, though a bit old and weak.

Wang Bo snorted coldly and said calmly, "You old Daoist, you don't know what's good for you. I treated you to fine wine and meat, yet you tried to kill me. How can I spare you?"

With that, Wang Bo's eyes flashed, and two invisible sword qi shot out. One struck the old Daoist's brow, the other his dantian.

The sword qi entering his dantian stirred gently, destroying it and turning his magical power to nothing.

The sword qi entering his brow rampaged unimpeded, destroying his zifu.

Then the two sword qi whistled back into Wang Bo's body.

The old Daoist laughed bitterly. With both his dantian and zifu destroyed, he was now an ordinary mortal fallen from grace. Decades of cultivation, the painstaking accumulation of vast magical power in hopes of transcending mortality, prolonging life, and even achieving ascension to immortality—all had become a bubble, a phantom.

His heart ashen, the old Daoist bit his tongue, spat blood, laughed a few times, and died of rage.

Seeing this, Wang Bo felt no pity. The old Daoist was ruthless; if Wang Bo had been an ordinary man, he would have died at his hands.

He would never sympathize with an enemy just because they died miserably.

After the old Daoist died, Wang Bo turned his gaze to the female Daoist.