Chapter 00256: Flames and a Top Grade Wood Spirit Vein
# Flames and a Top-Grade Wood Spirit Vein
Chapter 256
Novel: Abandon The Universe
Chapter 256: Flames and a Top-Grade Wood Spirit Vein
"Lan Xiaobu, come here for a moment."
Just as Lan Xiaobu finished inspecting the prison cells, Gong Liangye waved him over.
Lan Xiaobu had already been planning to look into the case of the woman in the cell.
Even if Gong Liangye hadn't called him, he would have sought him out.
Given his current rank, he wouldn’t have been able to access the case files on his own.
"Lan Xiaobu, due to the incident at Wumu Market, almost everyone in the Forbidden Immortal Bureau has been dispatched, including those on leave. Even Guang Li and Jian Xuanming, who you’re familiar with, have been called back. So, you’ll have to handle an external case. There’s a case involving a man named Xi Tu from Bai Xi Immortal Corner who was killed in his own home…"
Before Gong Liangye could finish, Lan Xiaobu was stunned.
He hadn’t expected the Forbidden Immortal Bureau to actually care about the lives and deaths of ordinary cultivators.
He had assumed that the bureau’s rules were more symbolic, with their main focus being on suppressing those who opposed the Immortal Court and hunting down such individuals.
Hearing that the bureau would even send someone to investigate the death of a minor cultivator, Lan Xiaobu felt a newfound respect for the Forbidden Immortal Bureau.
He had thought such practices were only common in places like Mu Bei Immortal City, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
This made sense.
In a world where cultivation resources were monopolized by the powerful, those with stable incomes or strength would naturally want stability.
Thus, the Forbidden Immortal Bureau existed to eliminate threats to that stability.
Even though Lan Xiaobu was just a newly appointed Immortal Officer, the fact that the bureau was sending him out showed their stance.
While Lan Xiaobu knew his assignment was likely just for show, the fact that they were making an effort at all spoke volumes.
"If you need assistance, you can take an Immortal Guard with you. How does that sound?" Gong Liangye asked, looking at Lan Xiaobu.
Lan Xiaobu quickly clasped his hands in gratitude.
"Of course, I’m now a member of the Forbidden Immortal Bureau, so it’s only right that I contribute. However, I’d like to first check the case files in the archives on the fifth floor to get more details about this case."
Gong Liangye was slightly surprised but nodded in approval.
He handed Lan Xiaobu a jade token.
"As a first-level Immortal Officer, you don’t have the authority to access the archives. Use my token. After you’re done, you can choose an Immortal Guard to accompany you. I’ll be heading out soon, so return the token to me tomorrow."
Lan Xiaobu took the token and bowed.
"Thank you, Senior Gong Liangye. I’ll make sure to complete the task."
Gong Liangye smiled but said nothing.
Lan Xiaobu was just a new recruit, and his assurances weren’t necessary.
The purpose of sending him to investigate Xi Tu’s case was more about showing the bureau’s commitment to justice rather than actually solving the case.
If the bureau had to solve every minor case, they’d never have a moment’s rest.
After Gong Liangye left, Lan Xiaobu immediately headed to the fifth floor.
He wasn’t interested in Xi Tu’s case; he wanted to look into the case of the woman in the cell and also investigate the man who had placed a divine sense mark on him.
---
At the entrance to the fifth floor sat a middle-aged woman.
As soon as Lan Xiaobu arrived, her gaze locked onto him.
She was undoubtedly an Immortal King—a late-stage Immortal King at that.
Lan Xiaobu had worked with many Immortal Kings before, and he could tell this woman was no ordinary figure.
Lan Xiaobu carefully handed Gong Liangye’s jade token to her.
"Senior, I need to access some case files in the archives."
"You just arrived yesterday, and today you’re already looking into case files?" The woman’s divine sense seemed to pierce through Lan Xiaobu’s consciousness, as if trying to uncover his true intentions.
Lan Xiaobu sighed.
"I didn’t want to, but with the Wumu Market incident, the bureau is short-handed. Senior Gong Liangye had no choice but to send me."
As he spoke, Lan Xiaobu subtly shifted his stance, as if ready to leave at the slightest hint of refusal.
"Go in. You have one hour," the woman said, waving her hand.
A door suddenly appeared in front of Lan Xiaobu.
Lan Xiaobu immediately realized that there were several other doors hidden behind layers of restrictions.
The one he was entering was the lowest level, granting access to only the most basic case files.
Although Lan Xiaobu knew there was no strict time limit for accessing the archives, he still thanked the woman and entered.
He had expected to sift through piles of documents to find the woman’s case file, but to his surprise, the archives were organized with small array screens displaying the names and images of key individuals involved in each case.
With a sweep of his divine sense, Lan Xiaobu quickly located the files for both the woman and the man who had marked him.
Both cases were accessible, indicating they weren’t classified as highly confidential.
After pretending to browse through a dozen unrelated cases, Lan Xiaobu finally approached the woman’s file.
**Ju Xiuruo**, a resident of Leyi Immortal City in Jiangyan Immortal Path, was an early-stage Profound Immortal.
On the 21st day of the fourth month in the 561st year of the 321st era of the Mo Xuan Immortal Calendar, she killed her partner, Yang Buqing, and his sister-in-law, Shi Yan, over a flame.
While fleeing Leyi Immortal City, she killed three city guards before escaping into the void outside the Mo Xuan Immortal Domain.
On the 30th day of the fifth month in the 562nd year of the same era, she was captured by Guang Li and Jian Xuanming, two second-level Immortal Officers from the Jiangyan Immortal Path’s Forbidden Immortal Bureau, and imprisoned in the bureau’s dungeon, awaiting trial.
Lan Xiaobu frowned as he read the file.
According to the records, Ju Xiuruo had killed her loved ones over a flame and fled into the void.
If that were true, why was the flame still in her possession? Shouldn’t it have been confiscated immediately after her capture?
Even if Ju Xiuruo had been framed, the fact that she possessed a flame would have made her a target.
Lan Xiaobu found it hard to believe that no one in the Star Ascension Immortal Court would try to seize such a valuable resource.
After all, flames were rare treasures that even Immortal Emperors would fight over.
For a cultivator, possessing a flame could drastically alter their path to immortality and ensure their survival.
The only explanation was that the claim about Ju Xiuruo having a flame was fabricated.
Perhaps everyone assumed it was a lie, which was why no one bothered to take it from her.
But what if the rumor was true, and Ju Xiuruo really did have a flame?
Regardless, Lan Xiaobu sensed that there was more to this case than met the eye, and the key lay in the flame.
From the file, Lan Xiaobu also deduced that the Mo Xuan Immortal Domain was not part of the Five Realms Immortal World.
The Five Realms had only recently merged, and their legal systems were far from being as comprehensive as Mo Xuan’s.
The timeline also suggested that Mo Xuan existed independently of the Five Realms.
Next, Lan Xiaobu turned to the file of the ruthless man who had marked him.
**Bian Yufeng**, a notorious bandit.
On the 12th day of the third month in the 7600th year of the 320th era of the Mo Xuan Immortal Calendar, he ambushed a merchant caravan from Hengyu Trading House outside the He Ning Market in Jiangyan Immortal Path, killing 171 people.
On the 19th day of the sixth month of the same year, he ambushed and killed Zhi Feng’an outside Tianyun Immortal City in Jiangyan Immortal Path, stealing a top-grade wood spirit vein…
Lan Xiaobu’s heart raced as he read on.
The file detailed over a thousand crimes, all committed within the Jiangyan Immortal Path of the North River Immortal Protectorate.
It was hard to imagine how much destruction this man had caused.
What intrigued Lan Xiaobu the most was the mention of the top-grade wood spirit vein.
If he could get his hands on it, his cultivation, alchemy, and array skills would all advance significantly.
As the ruler of the Lingwei Immortal Domain, Lan Xiaobu had acquired thousands of spirit veins of various grades after dismantling the Great Profound Cultivator Alliance.
However, he had never come across a top-grade spirit vein.
He suspected that even the high-grade spirit veins he had obtained were flawed, likely due to the low-level natural laws of the Lingwei Immortal Domain.
Unfortunately, he had no way to compare, as he had yet to see the spirit veins of the Mo Xuan Immortal Domain.
The file on Bian Yufeng didn’t list all the treasures he had stolen, but the top-grade wood spirit vein was undoubtedly the most valuable.
Lan Xiaobu decided he would investigate whether the spirit vein was still in Bian Yufeng’s possession.
Given that Bian Yufeng was now imprisoned, Lan Xiaobu doubted he had acted alone.
If he had accomplices, the spirit vein might still be out there.
Bian Yufeng’s cultivation was likely at the late-stage Great Yi Immortal or early-stage Great Zhi Immortal level.
If he had accomplices, they would probably be of similar strength.
Lan Xiaobu realized he needed to improve his own cultivation, at least to the Great Yi Immortal level, to stand a chance.
As Lan Xiaobu moved on to Xi Tu’s case file, he made a mental note to prioritize advancing his cultivation.
He had never met Xi Tu, but the file included his image and name, making it easy to locate.
The contents of the file were brief.
**Xi Tu**, a cultivator from Bai Xi Immortal Corner.
On the 7th day of the second month in the 562nd year of the 321st era of the Mo Xuan Immortal Calendar, he was killed in his home.
His wife, Shangguan Qian, was severely injured…
That was all.
There were no details about the crime scene, records of the incident, suspects, or motives.
Lan Xiaobu sighed inwardly.
This was a farce.
He wasn’t here to solve the case, though.
Gong Liangye had likely sent him to send a message: no matter who was killed, the Forbidden Immortal Bureau would take it seriously and send someone to investigate.
(End of Chapter)