“But these are all merely inferences,” Fourteen noted. “We lack sufficient evidence to prove Lei Zhanqian’s involvement.”

“Once the target is locked, evidence becomes easy to acquire,” Chong Xuan Sheng countered. “For instance, as I mentioned before, a full-scale military mobilization to thoroughly search the Barbarian Forest. They certainly won’t find Lan Chi’s lair, which will instantly expose Lei Zhanqian’s lie. Another example: immediately apprehend that Zhou Qing Song. His involvement with Lei Zhanqian will be revealed upon interrogation!”

It wasn’t necessarily meaningful, yet it was the genuine essence of the mundane world.

Children playing, old men laughing.

This gate separated the Evil Sea from the other shore of the mortal realm.

This one Gate of Red Dust, though amidst the calamitous waters, did not belong to them. Its other half was within the mortal realm, yet it was also isolated from it.

It wasn’t defined by abstract questions or in-betweens, nor did it represent specific individuals or groups. It was simply a gate, a gate leading to the mortal realm.

The rolling red dust lay just beyond this gate.

But the gate leaves were tightly shut, not awaiting external guests.

With this gate unopened, beings of the present world passed through on their own.

It appeared to be just a small gate, yet several True Monarch powerhouses, like mountains and seas, could pass through without feeling crowded.

One gate seemed like one side of the sky, possessing its own realm.

If Jiang Wang were to find a fitting comparison within his understanding, this Gate of Red Dust itself was quite similar to a miniaturized Maze Realm, spanning the vast sea near the shore.

Within this gate, Cha Wang and Si Yu An looked back at the calamitous waters.

They saw the entire rootless world surge once more.

The previous calm was gone. The heaven and earth laws left behind by the Legalist Grandmaster Wu Bing Yi were instantly shattered.

Dark clouds rolled, roaring across the four wilds.

Waves raged like furies, crashing against the water peaks, lifting them high into the sky!

The state of the Evil Sea was visible to the eye; everything was irretrievably falling. The abyss was not just a shape, but could be equated to the current Evil Sea itself.

Si Yu An, Wu Bing Yi, Chen Pu – these were all not merely grandmasters, but world-renowned, top-tier powerhouses, yet they had all temporarily chosen to leave.

Even a three-year-old child should know something was amiss.

But at this moment, Moving Mountain True Person Peng Su Jian suddenly broke free from Huo Shi Ji’s grasp and turned back on the blood boat.

“Sect Master, please return! The Blood River still has boundaries ahead, how can no one guard ours!”

His words were pulled down by his own actions.

He plucked the black hairpin from his head and shook it forward.

This black hairpin, like a flying sword leaving its sheath, whistled sharply, tearing through the heavy space!

Yet they saw it, swelling against the wind, instantly covering the sky and obscuring the sun.

That ancient tree towering, those rugged mountain rocks, the scenery of a famous mountain. The mountain’s overall shape resembled a seated tiger, majestically overlooking the eight directions… precisely Tai Sheng Mountain, whose main peak was eight thousand zhang high and whose body extended several thousand li!

Once a famous mountain on the border of Xia Country, few literati and ink guests left poems to praise it. One day it was pulled away, and even now, some mourn its loss.

Now descending upon the Evil Sea, it fell with grandeur, its momentum comparable to the tilting of the sky.

Looking at this effort, Peng Chong Jian was actually attempting to resist the changes in the calamitous waters with his own power, to fill the sea with a mountain… regardless of whether he could succeed, this effort was truly extraordinary!

He was indeed a solitary figure, sharp and exceptional, worthy of having once contended with Xiang Feng Qi.

Tai Sheng Mountain crushed the tens of thousands of li of accumulated clouds, falling with a rumble, seeming to cover the entire heavenly palace!

The rumbling sound of the giant mountain breaking through space was almost simultaneous with the chanting of Bodhi. They collided and resonated with each other.

But just the next moment, the towering giant mountain, falling at extreme speed, suddenly stopped in mid-air!

After the giant waves were pushed aside and scattered, supporting this mountain was a hand.

A hand that could not be described, a hand without form, supporting Tai Ning Mountain!

The reason for saying this hand was indescribable, formless, was because the moment it appeared in view, Cha Wang’s illusory body within the Red Makeup Mirror directly collapsed.

There wasn’t even half a moment’s struggle.

Even the fifty li range that the Red Makeup Mirror could penetrate completely dimmed, no longer existing in view.

Jiang Wang, with his half-finished Eye of Immortality, could not see anything.

He could only vaguely feel an outline of a hand.

It was something that divine arrival level cultivators could not describe!

While with Si Yu An’s cultivation, he could of course see the “truth”—that it was a hand with discernible bone joints, full of flesh, and a fresh, moist red color. It was as fresh as if from a normal “person.”

This freshness made his sword-like eyebrows slightly furrow.

The grass sword at his waist unexpectedly chimed.

Facing this hand.

Even he could not suppress his own sword intent!

Then, as a powerhouse of his Dao level would see, that hand casually pushed upwards.

Tai Sheng Mountain, extending for several thousand li, was directly shattered on the spot!

Whether mountain rock, soil, giant trees, or high cliffs,

In an instant, they all shattered, turning into tens of millions of tons, hundreds of millions of tons of fine black sand, pouring down from the sky!

This Tai Yi Mountain was moved from Xia Country’s famous mountain; Peng Chong Jian that year, leveraging the momentum of Liang Country’s restoration, broke its roots, nurtured it within his palm, and carried it on his body as a branch of black light for several decades.

These several decades were spent nurturing and refining it without stop, every single day.

With his contemporary True Person cultivation, his Moving Mountain divine ability, his meticulous management, and his long-term carving,

It was higher, more majestic, and more solid than the original Tai Yi Mountain, and in battle, it was naturally stronger. Extremely strong!

After Peng Chong Tong’s refinement, every blade of grass, every tree, every stone, every clod of earth on this mountain contained great power.

It could be said that this Tai Doubt Mountain hairpin was already a rare treasure in the world, capable of being used as a magic tool in True Person level battles. Although not comparable to Cave Heaven treasures, it was still a human extreme.

Especially at this moment, under Peng Chong Jian’s full force urging, it possessed a might that was infinitely close to the Dao level, and it was not necessarily incapable of attempting to challenge a True Monarch, just as Xiang Feng Qi did that year.

Yet, this one Tai Ning Mountain.

Was completely shattered by that hand’s gentle push!

From this world, the name Tai Doubt would no longer be heard,

All of Ding Moving Mountain True Person’s power ceased to exist again,

The black sand filling the sky entered the water. This water domain, previously purified by several True Monarchs, instantly became turbid. The broken sand of Tai Jia Mountain became a carrier of evil thoughts, once again causing large-scale pollution to the pure water.

And Peng Su Jian himself fell face up, his aura rapidly declining, cracks appearing on his Cave True body, like a piece of porcelain about to break.

A contemporary True Person as strong as Peng Su Jian, after only one direct confrontation, had been reduced to this state!

Blood River True Monarch Huo Shi Ji, precisely at this moment, gave him a push. A faint bloody light covered Peng Chong Jian, forcibly healing the cracks on his body and pushing him, along with the blood boat beneath him, directly into the Gate of Red Dust.

Peng Su Jian himself, however, suddenly turned back, his back towards the blood boat, and directly faced the black flowing sand all over the sky, as well as the fresh hand within the flowing sand.

Huo Shi Ji lifted a finger, a sword light circling the rapidly flying blood boat, without saying another word.

“Sect Master Huo! No need to do this!” Fang Ai, who had already stood inside the Gate of Red Dust, urgently shouted, “This matter still has hope!”

Peng Chong Jian alone faced the surging Evil Sea, faced the terrifying existence that had already extended a hand, and left everyone inside the Gate of Red Dust only the fluttering shadow of a blood-colored Dao robe.

“Various Dao friends!”

His voice spread throughout the Evil Sea: “This matter may have hope,

This responsibility cannot be borne by others. I, Peng Chong Jian… have deceived various Dao friends!”

What did these words mean?

Chen Pu’s heart was surprised. He lifted his eyes to look at Huo Shi Ji, but the Sword Pavilion Pavilion Master showed no expression, as if he had already guessed.

Peng Chong Jian’s voice continued: “Today’s matter is actually the negligence of my Blood River Sect.”

“To this moment, I must not deny it to everyone. It was a True Person of my sect who, in spying on and deriving the Dao path, acted arbitrarily within the calamitous waters, possessing ambition but lacking control, thus stirring out the Shan Ti Evil Ancestor!”

“I thought I could rely on my own power to quell it, hence I concealed it and did not report it, until the Dao level evil apparition appeared, and I could finally conceal it no longer.”

“But I still harbored a侥幸之心 (jiǎo xìng zhī xīn – heart of luck/fluke).”

“I requested aid from various Dao friends, wanting to borrow your power to quell the calamity, and I would take the opportunity to wipe away related traces, attributing this matter to the changes within the calamitous waters themselves, thus preserving the reputation of my Blood River Sect.”

Everyone inside the Gate of Red Dust was silent, listening to him narrate the cause and effect of today’s situation. Some previously unclear points were now verified one by one.

Why the calamitous waters suddenly changed, when there were no signs before.

Why the Blood River Sect had guarded the calamitous waters for so many years, yet could allow the situation to deteriorate to this point, and why, only after the situation had evolved to this extent, was the Blood River Sect willing to seek aid.

All the problems had answers.

Although there were still some details that were not clarified.

But Peng Chong Jian deliberately did not speak vaguely, presumably to protect that True Person of his sect.

Wu Bing Yi’s face was expressionless, not saying a word.

Wen Du Ru Huo Shi’s eyes also showed anger, but besides the anger, there was also sorrow.

Peng Chong Jian continued: “Because I was not sincere and not truthful, I prevented everyone from successfully tracing the source, finally allowing the situation to worsen to this!”

“I still held a sliver of hope, thinking of retreating to guard the Gate of Red Dust, abandoning the Blood River boundary, and in my remaining life, recasting the glory of ten thousand years… but Protector Peng fought desperately and awakened me.”

“The Blood River as a boundary was forged by countless disciples of my Blood River Sect, through fifty-four thousand years of struggle. It is also where countless benevolent and righteous people sacrificed themselves over these fifty-four thousand years, giving the Blood River its red color! What am I, Peng Chong Jian? What does my life, death, honor, and disgrace count for? It cannot compare to the billions of souls who died to cure the calamitous waters.”

“Things have come to this, the sky is tilting and hard to save. This is all the sin of me, Peng Chong Jian, alone. I am willing to bear it with my own body! Today’s matter ends here; I hope everyone will not blame the disciples of my Blood River Sect.”

“After I die, please protect our mountain gate on our behalf. The fifty-four thousand years of merit of the Blood River Sect must not dissipate today:”

“Our generation will go to the battlefield; mountains and rivers will have successors.”

Peng Chong Jian hung high in the sky, his back to everyone, his blood-colored Dao robe billowing like a flag.

Finally, his voice rose to a shout: “Heaven blames me, ah! Heaven blames me, ah!”

His loud voice responded to itself: “I blame myself too!”

After speaking these words loudly, his body shook, and in an instant, he turned into a ten thousand zhang high blood-colored giant. His body was full of Dao rules and blood patterns manifesting the principles of heaven and earth; within his murky form, there was a world. His entire life’s cultivation was manifested at this moment.

He strode rapidly through the calamitous waters, directly crashing into the vast flying sand!

That was sand flying all over the sky; even the clear calamitous water could not cover the blood color.

In this newly brightened rootless world, it was so fresh and bright.

He rushed to the center of the Evil Sea.

His fist, like a mountain, smashed down, striking directly upon the palm of the hand that lifted upwards in the center of the calamitous waters.

Boom boom boom boom boom boom!

The entire Evil Sea continuously let out explosive sounds.

Thousand zhang high giant waves roared up one after another.

Amidst the surging waves, the Shan Ti Buddha always appeared, and Peng Chong Jian’s voice was so grand—

“A great evil calamity every three hundred and thirty-three years, and you all appear again today!”

The last sound was an earth-shattering boom.

The ten thousand zhang high blood-colored giant instantly collapsed, turning into a surging blood river, staining the vast calamitous waters!

Then it rose again from the calamitous waters!

This ten thousand zhang blood river roared like a dragon, rampaging through this rootless world, sweeping in all directions,

What evil apparition, what Bodhi evil sound, what negativity and nothingness, were all swept away by this terrifying power, all suppressed and killed!

The terrifying power it manifested at this moment had completely exceeded Chen Pu’s feeling of extremity.

Meanwhile, the ten thousand zhang blood river itself also decreased at an astonishing speed, from ten thousand zhang to a thousand, from a thousand zhang to one, and then suddenly disappeared.

Until the echoing voice that suppressed the hard sea had faded, this processless world also quieted down.

Only to see—

The vast black clouds parted.

Ninety thousand li of wind and waves were calm.

What a clear sea.

Vast blood-colored truth was revealed!

A Dao level powerhouse, a contemporary True Monarch, a formidable existence standing at the absolute peak beyond the ordinary, just like this, died in the Evil Sea.

No one had ever imagined such a thing before!

It was not a calamity, there was no great disaster.

A grand, top-tier powerhouse of the present world died on such an ordinary day.

Before the water, Chen Pu had imagined only a difficult battle, at most involving the level of Cave True.

Life and death, illusion and extinction, could never be so impermanent again!

Because Peng Chong Jian did not perish in the present world, he could not trigger the sorrow of heaven and earth, there was no grand funeral befitting a contemporary True Monarch.

But who could say that the scene before their eyes was not grand enough?

Huo Shi sighed and turned to walk into the Gate of Red Dust.

Wu Bing Yi still did not say a word, silently watching this side of the rootless world.

“Very dim, don’t you think?” Xu Xi Ming, carrying his six-chi cast plow sword askew, asked like this.

Chen Pu did not reply.

“Let’s go,” Huo Shi Ji finally said.

He gently flicked his grass sword and then walked towards the other side of the gate.

Before being rolled away by the sword light, Chen Pu took one last look back at the calamitous waters.

Hua hua hua.

Hua hua hua.

The Evil Sea in view was divided into three layers.

The distant two were simply clear, extending to an unknown end.

The slightly nearer, turbid two were vast, stretching for ten thousand li.

As well as the far off one, the blood-colored boundary river that circled the Gate of Red Dust and flowed. Its waves rolled casually back and forth, not for anyone’s joy, not for anyone’s sorrow.

Only that blood color seemed three points brighter.

“Brother Shen!”

“Mhm!”

Shen Changqing walked on the road and encountered familiar faces. They all greeted each other or nodded.

But no matter who it was,

Each person’s face had no extra expression, as if they were indifferent to everything.

To this,

Shen Changqing was already accustomed.

Because this was the Town Demon Division, an institution that maintained the stability of Great Qin. Its main duty was to kill demons, ghosts, and weirdness, and of course, it also had some other side jobs.

It could be said that,

Everyone in the Town Demon Division had their hands stained with a lot of fresh blood.

When a person becomes accustomed to seeing life and death, they become indifferent to many things.

When he first came to this world, Shen Changqing was a little unaccustomed, but over time, he became used to it.

The Town Demon Division was very large.

The people who could stay in the Town Demon Division were all powerhouses with strong strength, or people with the potential to become powerhouses.

Shen Changqing belonged to the latter.

Among them, the Town Demon Division was divided into two occupations: Town Guard Envoy and Exorcism Envoy.

Anyone who entered the Town Demon Division started from the lowest level Exorcism Envoy.

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Then they were promoted step by step, eventually hoping to become a Town Guard Envoy.

Shen Changqing’s predecessor was an apprentice Exorcism Envoy in the Town Demon Division, the lowest level among the Exorcism Envoys.

From his predecessor’s memory,

He was also very familiar with the environment of the Town Demon Division.

It didn’t take long before Shen Changqing stopped in front of a pavilion.

Different from the other solemn places in the Town Demon Division, this pavilion seemed to stand out from the crowd. In the bloody Town Demon Division, it presented a different kind of quiet.

At this time, the large door of the pavilion was open, and people occasionally went in and out.

Shen Changqing hesitated slightly before stepping in.

Entering the pavilion,

The environment suddenly changed.

A blend of ink fragrance and a faint bloody smell rushed towards him, making him instinctively frown, but he quickly relaxed.

The kind of bloody smell on everyone in the Town Demon Division was almost impossible to wash away.