When Wei Ting first learned of the Wan Sang Town massacre, he immediately activated the nation-protecting great array, sealing off the borders. However, this clearly failed to trap Zhang Linchuan.

Experts from Wei Country’s Criminal Department were dispatched, and within an incredibly short time, they systematically eliminated twenty-seven distinct clues left at the scene. Yet, they found no true trace of Zhang Linchuan. They couldn’t even determine the direction of his escape.

After all, by the time the bloody affair was discovered, too much time had passed. There was ample room for manipulation.

Jiang Wang, though a stranger to the Southern Border, personally joined the investigative team assembled by Wei Country’s Great General Tan Wen Qi. Following the most probable escape routes analyzed by the Criminal Department, he spent two full days searching for Zhang Linchuan within the Southern Domain.

The result was the same – nothing.

Zhang Linchuan seemed to have vanished into thin air, completely detached from Wei Country’s intelligence network. He appeared in no one’s sight.

He was like a beast of the dark night, slipping back into the shadows after dusk.

During these two days, there was no response from Ruan Si’s side. Instead, Chong Xuan Sheng’s analysis, conveyed through the Tai Xu Illusion Realm, arrived in a timely manner.

“Your intuition is correct. Zhang Linchuan is indeed covering something up. Zhang Linchuan absorbing a large number of wronged souls in Wei Country to replenish his Wusheng World has led everyone to believe that he is using slaughter to achieve his Dao. This shouldn’t be his true purpose.”

In the Xinghe Pavilion, Chong Xuan Sheng said, “Because to achieve such a goal, he should conceal himself as much as possible, not expose himself. His first action shouldn’t have been to kill only tens of thousands of people. If he were caught off guard, his first move should have been to kill as many as possible. With Zhang Linchuan’s intelligence, he could certainly have undertaken a more spectacular act to achieve his Dao through slaughter.”

Jiang Wang said, “I feel he is very calm, both towards his own life and the lives of others.”

“We have temporarily reached a consensus on our judgment of Zhang Linchuan,” Chong Xuan Sheng narrowed his eyes and said, “Let’s reconsider what Zhang Linchuan did in Wei Country. He slaughtered a town, wrote a blood-soaked challenge to Wei Country, representing the Wusheng Religion’s founder acknowledging the matter and declaring it just the beginning of their revenge. What do you think is the crucial point?”

He paused, giving Jiang Wang a moment to think, then answered himself: “The crucial point lies in its irreplaceability. Among all that he did in Wei Country, the only irreplaceable aspect is his provocation of Wei Country. He could have killed people anywhere, and he could have carried out revenge for the destruction of the Wusheng Religion in other countries. In the current situation, no matter where he committed the crime, his evil deeds would inevitably spread quickly, so there’s no question of not generating more hatred.”

“So let’s consider this problem. If it was just to kill and plunder souls to fill the Wusheng World, why didn’t Zhang Linchuan just find a small country? Why didn’t he go to Cheng Country or Mo Country?”

“Anyway, he’s killing common people. What’s the difference between committing such evil deeds in Wei Country and in Cheng Country?”

“I’ve thought long and hard, and there’s only one very strange, very difficult point to grasp— in Wei Country, he will encounter danger, but in countries like Cheng Country or Mo Country, he wouldn’t.”

Chong Xuan Sheng said, “The difference between choosing Wei Country and choosing Cheng Country is the reason Zhang Linchuan chose Wei Country. Whether I understand it or not, this is the only answer.”

“I don’t know what connects this. But we now know two points.”

“First, Zhang Linchuan’s main goal is definitely to restore his cultivation and strengthen himself. Second, his choice to do such things in Wei Country is related to danger.”

“From this, we can deduce that this path Zhang Linchuan is taking to restore his cultivation and strengthen himself requires the element of danger. What Chen Yi Wu told you about Zhang Linchuan seemingly courting death isn’t wrong.”

“But he doesn’t truly want to die. Otherwise, he should have chosen to go to Chu Country to kill and slaughter towns. His course of action should be to place himself in a sufficiently dangerous situation to achieve some goal, ultimately leading to the result of restoring his cultivation and strengthening himself. At the same time, his choice must avoid places where he would undoubtedly face death.”

This logic was indeed very clear. Listening to this, Jiang Wang’s concrete understanding of Zhang Linchuan deepened.

First and foremost was confidence. Zhang Linchuan was more confident than he had ever imagined. Whether it was the White Bone Evil God, the East Domain Overlord, or any other powerful figure or nation, he dared to confront them all, dared to scheme against them all. There seemed to be no fear in his life.

From this stemmed his extraordinary courage. Ignoring the lives and deaths of others is not bravery. Sometimes, ignoring one’s own life and death is also a kind of habit. Only someone with a strong desire to live, yet who can calmly face death and calmly welcome danger, can be said to possess extraordinary courage.

On this foundation, Zhang Linchuan was cold, ruthless, and deeply calculating.

Having such a person as an enemy meant absolutely no room for neglect.

“Will Zhang Linchuan make another move? Has his goal been achieved? I don’t know,” Chong Xuan Sheng said, “But if he is going to take the next step, the most likely places are Song Country, Dan Country, Longmen Book Academy, Southern Dipper Yin, and Jian Ge. Yue Country and Zhuang Country are possibilities after that.”

He paused, looking at Jiang Wang: “But I hope Zhang Linchuan is still several steps away from his goal, otherwise he probably won’t show his face again.”

Jiang Wang suddenly rose: “I will go to Song Country now and wake up Chen Yi Wu. If Zhang Linchuan has already gone to Song Country, we can catch him in the act. For the other places, I will ask Guang Shu to help me send letters and inform them.”

“Please arrange for a tight outer and loose inner defense to lure Zhang Linchuan into a trap.”

Chong Xuan Sheng thought for a moment, then only said, “Marquis Wu An’s handling is already very appropriate. Please also protect yourself.”

And Jiang Wang said nothing more, his figure already disappearing. Time in the Xinghe Pavilion is fleeting and cannot be chased. Jiang Wang was absolutely unwilling to waste it, unwilling to give Zhang Linchuan more space. Exiting the Tai Xu Illusion Realm, he simply explained the situation briefly to the people responsible for the pursuit in Wei Country, then set off for Song Country himself.

He flew at full speed, hurrying without pause.

Chen Yi Wu was obviously surprised by Jiang Wang’s arrival, but he received him very politely.

With the utmost courtesy of a scholar, he invited Jiang Wang to his study for a discussion.

The room was filled with precious books, yet the visitor had little mind for them.

When they chatted at Yan Yun Mountain Prefecture, they talked about Zhang Linchuan, and this time they also talked about Zhang Linchuan. It seemed that Zhang Linchuan was more important to Chen Yi Wu than the elegance of ten thousand years of culture, which made him feel a little regretful.

But he was a person who knew etiquette, and his elegance was his own pursuit; he did not force it on others. Then he and Jiang Wang began discussing Zhang Linchuan.

Listening to Jiang Wang explain the situation in Wei Country in a few short sentences, he also sighed and said, “Committing such evil deeds in Wei Country and being able to escape without a single trace left behind? This Zhang Linchuan is truly a bit evil.”

Jiang Wang got straight to the point: “I have come this time to remind Brother Chen to be extremely careful of Zhang Linchuan. He is causing such a stir, he must have a plan. His next target is very likely to be Song Country.”

“Thank you for your concern, Brother Jiang.” Chen Yi Wu was clearly full of confidence in Song Country’s defenses: “Since the incident at Yan Yun Mountain Prefecture, our country has entered a state of alert. From Shang Qiu to the border cities, all related passes have been tightened. Not even a strange fly can pass. All departments are on twelve-hour standby. If that Zhang Linchuan dares to come to this land of culture, we will bury him here!”

As soon as Jiang Wang heard these words, he knew that Chen Yi Wu didn’t truly take it to heart. This person clearly didn’t think that Zhang Linchuan would dare to come to Song Country and act recklessly at this time.

But speaking of strict checks at passes and being on alert everywhere, wasn’t Wei Country the same?

And in the end?

Zhang Linchuan still committed evil deeds, successfully escaped, and disappeared without a trace.

“Please, Brother Chen, you must take this matter seriously,” Jiang Wang said very earnestly. “I have always known that Song Country’s foundation of talented people and beautiful land is very deep. But this Zhang Linchuan is extremely cunning, destroying humanity, and cannot be measured by common sense. I even suspect that he may have already sneaked into Song Country.”

At that moment, he explained Chong Xuan Sheng’s analysis and his own summary of relevant information about Zhang Linchuan to Chen Yi Wu in detail. His words were extremely urgent, expressing sincere and heartfelt concern.

Discussing another country’s defenses can easily lead to feeling like one is pointing fingers and being presumptuous. But Jiang Wang’s attitude was so sincere, and Chen Yi Wu was a tolerant person, so he actually listened carefully.

He thought for a long time, then bowed to Jiang Wang, and said seriously: “Brother Jiang’s analysis is reasonable. This Zhang Linchuan truly cannot be underestimated. I will immediately escalate the nationwide hidden investigation in Song Country. If Zhang Linchuan has already sneaked into our country, there’s absolutely no way he can escape again!”

“If I catch this Zhang Linchuan, I will peel his skin, eat his flesh raw, and chew his bones to dust!” a red-eyed Wei Country general said viciously in the military tent.

Discussing, analyzing, and cursing Zhang Linchuan was not something confined to one place, one person, or one time.

A circle of generals sat around a brazier, the firelight flickering, illuminating their gnashing teeth.

“Fine,” Tan Wen Qi said in a deep voice, “cursing Zhang Linchuan won’t kill him.”

He especially looked at the one with the loudest voice, his tone cold and stern: “Who permitted you to drink wine while on duty? Go back and punish yourself with a stick!”

The general who was pointed at did not argue, only ground his teeth with hatred and said, “My brothers are unwilling!”

Zhang Linchuan’s escape was a fact that these people who were still struggling for this had to face.

Tan Wen Qi was silent for a moment, then said: “Marquis Qi Wu An left without any letters, so it’s estimated that he couldn’t persuade True Monarch Ruan. Tomorrow, you first take your men back. I will go to Mount Xumi and see if I can persuade Chan Master Xing Nian to lend a hand.”

Chan Master Xing Nian of Mount Xumi was the highest achiever of the “Future Star Host Robbery Sutra” in the current world. In the art of divination, he would not lose to Ruan Si.

But even though he said so, he understood in his heart that the opportunity was remote.

Firstly, the longer time passed, the weaker the connection between Wan Sang Town and Zhang Linchuan became. Even for Chan Master Xing Nian, pursuing the trace of the demonic person now would be far more difficult than it was a few days ago.

Secondly, how could a figure like Chan Master Xing Nian care about his feelings? He wouldn’t care much about Wei Country’s reputation either. Even if he brought more merit and money, the other party would probably disdain even a glance. Except for the future of Mount Xumi and the orthodox Buddhist law, there was probably nothing worth Chan Master Xing Nian’s attention. He said he was representing Wei Country in visiting the mountain, but it was not certain if he would see the true Buddha.

But if he didn’t try, how could he be willing?

Don’t look at Wei Country’s pursuit team still continuing with quite some momentum. But Zhang Linchuan had already escaped!

Wei Country would not give up on the pursuit of Zhang Linchuan, but the resources that could be mobilized for such a God-level evil religion leader were quite limited. It was impossible to spend the entire nation’s strength on this matter.

And the limited resources were simply not enough to strangle Zhang Linchuan.

This was a sentimental truth, but it was also a reality he had to face.

Hearing Tan Wen Qi say this, these generals, who were grinding their teeth, swallowed their bloody tears and slowly rose, returning to organize their soldiers.

In the military tent standing in the wilderness, very quickly only Tan Wen Qi remained.

Only at this moment did he show a look of exhaustion.

Such a battle-hardened veteran as he did not fear the charge of ten thousand troops, nor did he fear how brave the enemy general was. All he had to do was deploy his troops, fight hard, and kill hard.

But against an opponent like Zhang Linchuan, he truly felt like a mouse pulling a turtle, unable to do anything.

He couldn’t even find the person, so what was there to talk about dealing with him?

This person had no kin, no friends, no home. The Wusheng Religion he created with his own hands no longer existed. If he wanted to follow the vine to find the melon, there was no vine to follow.

Even if all these things existed, it was unlikely that they could influence Zhang Linchuan.

In this period of time, so many people died in the Wusheng Religion, how many pious believers cried out to their God Master for help? Zhang Linchuan didn’t even respond.

This kind of absolutely emotionless person fundamentally would not care about anyone.

Tan Wen Qi silently looked at the brazier in front of him, feeling a surge of violent anger, wanting to kick it over. Even he felt a sense of powerlessness, a chest full of hatred that he could not release.

He felt the hate for his own emotions filling his chest cavity.

Bang bang!

He felt his heart beating very fast, very heavily.

Not good! The experienced Tan Wen Qi, at this instant, detected that something was wrong, suddenly woke up, and his qi suddenly surged like a tide.

But just in the next moment— *crack*!

His chest bone directly tore through his flesh, opening like a door towards both sides. His chest cavity cracked open, and a fresh red heart jumped out!

Tan Wen Qi desperately bit his own heart, seeing that this heart also had dense cracks spreading, then like flower petals, it shattered open, and a pure white seed jumped out from the center.

That seed jumped in the air, swelled upon seeing the light, and turned into a male with an unremarkable face.

“Zhang, Lin, Chuan?” Tan Wen Qi saw his eyes already cracked open, and he heard his voice ringing out so painfully.

Although he had never personally seen this person, and although his vision was already a bloody blur, he was very certain that the person who appeared before his eyes at this moment was the Wusheng Religion’s founder, Zhang Linchuan.

Zhang Linchuan left twenty-seven distinct clues in Wan Sang Town to mislead the pursuit, and then designed to interfere with the guard in Xie Lan County to buy himself more escape time.

But these were all just feints.

Zhang Linchuan was fundamentally hiding in Wan Sang Town, fundamentally hiding in Tan Wen Qi’s heart, fundamentally not escaping one step outside. No wonder the entire Wei Country Criminal Department searched frantically but couldn’t find any trace of the Wusheng Religion’s founder!

When? Tan Wen Qi painfully thought, was it the first time he entered Wan Sang Town and smelled that bloody gas, the first time he felt anger? Was it when he personally hanged that guard in Xie Lan County, hating that he couldn’t slice him piece by piece?

He couldn’t remember exactly when he was tricked.

More painful than his cracked chest bones and chest cavity, more painful than his heart cracking, was this— he sealed off Wan Rou Town, witnessed the miserable state of his own people, publicly declared that he wanted revenge for those innocent people, and participated in the pursuit of Zhang Linchuan with all his might, but in the end, he was the one who personally sent Zhang Linchuan out of Wei Country!

And at this moment…

Zhang Linchuan opened his eyes. There was a very brief moment of blankness in his eyes, as if he had just woken up.

But upon seeing Tan Wen Qi’s appearance and hearing Tan Wen Qi’s voice, he immediately reclaimed his sealed “self.”

The “evil seed” had already harvested Tan Wen Qi, disintegrating his ability to resist.

He did not say anything more, just raised his hand and pressed down, crushing Tan Wen Qi into the ground, turning him into a puddle of flesh, broken bones, and rotten mud mixed with blood.

This activity in Wei Country did not involve him clashing with a Wu Shen, nor did he experience any intense battles. But the process was more dangerous than the time at Yan Yun Mountain Prefecture, by countless times!

During the entire process of lodging the evil seed, sealing himself, and hiding within Tan Wen Qi’s body, he was almost completely unaware of the outside world.

As long as he was discovered, the result would be immediate death and the disappearance of his Dao.

Once a Wu Shen personally arrived, once a Master of the Dragon Tiger Altar like Dong Fang Shi divined nearby, it could be said that as long as he showed a hint of a flaw, even a slight one, he would have already died.

He was in constant danger, minute by minute. This was not just walking on the edge of life and death, but living within death.

Although he made every step flawlessly, and his final concealment was almost perfect. But a God-level perfect is full of leaks in front of a True Person. He had the vision of a Cave True level, and could only “mend the gaps” as much as possible, but could not be “without leaks.”

But which True Person would specifically inspect a great general like Tan Wen Qi who had achieved God-level many years ago?

That would almost be like stripping Tan Wen Qi naked and showing him to the crowd, a strange and great insult.

Zhang Linchuan knew deeply that once the Wan Sang Town incident was discovered, the Wei Court would definitely seal off the borders as a first step. A strong person like Dong Fang Shi would also prioritize sealing off towns and all passes everywhere to prevent the criminal from fleeing.

Because the criminal had already left himself escape time, according to normal logic, sealing off the escape routes was definitely the most important step. Sealing off the scene and investigating evidence would be secondary.

He seized this time difference, quietly and silently planted the evil seed in Tan Wen Qi’s body, then sealed himself and hid within.

Of course, even having done his plan to this extent, he was still in a life-and-death crisis for a long time.

As long as Tan Wen Qi had the slightest self-detection, as long as Dong Fang Shi looked at Tan Wen Qi twice more, perhaps he would have had to answer for it in Wei Country. Fortunately, he didn’t.

He had planned early, waiting until Wei Country’s alert level was lowered before killing Tan Wen Qi and leaving.

But he did not expect that Tan Wen Qi, as one of the leaders responsible for the pursuit of the Wusheng Religion’s founder, would leave Wei Country and directly take him away from the dangerous area. This was simply the best possible outcome.

Could it be that killing many people truly earned the favor of heaven’s will?

This truly made him feel a hint of humor.

Turning over these thoughts with indifference, Zhang Linchuan retracted his palm, only saying one sentence: “The second tribulation ends.”

His aura was clearly stronger.

His pale palm simply wiped, breaking the edges and links with the Rootless Divine Ability, then disappeared within this military tent.

Jiang Wang sat at Chen Yi Wu’s home, waiting for the results of Song Court’s nationwide hidden investigation.

Zuo Guang Shu had already used the channel of the Marquis of Huai Country’s Mansion to help him convey the reminder about Zhang Linchuan to important figures in Dan Country, Longmen Book Academy, Southern Dipper Hall, Jian Ge, Yue Country, Zhuang Country, and other places.

Yes, even Zhuang Country, he asked Zuo Guang Shu to notify.

Because he hated, not the common people of Zhuang Country, but Zhuang Gao Xian and Du Ru Hui, who regarded common people as cultivation materials, as trading chips, as mud and weeds.

He could settle accounts with Zhuang Gao Xian and Du Ru Hui at any time, but he could not sit by and watch Zhang Linchuan go to Zhuang Country and arbitrarily kill common people.

Now he only hoped that Zhang Linchuan had already sneaked into Song Country, or was just preparing to sneak into Song Country.

This way, he could end all this as soon as possible.

The bloody storm had continued for too long. The people of the world should not be in panic for a long time because of a Wusheng Religion founder, Zhang Linchuan.

He also should not let Lin You Xie’s lingering obsession wait too long.

The reason he chose to come to Song Country was because, given Zhang Linchuan’s repeated risk-taking, his skill in utilizing people’s psychological blind spots, and his “under the lamp is the darkest” style, Song Country was the most likely place for his next action—provided he actually had a next action.

Hate can blind a person’s eyes, and anger can too.

So Jiang Wang repeatedly told himself that he must remain calm. He must respond to an enemy like Zhang Linchuan with a calmness almost similar to Zhang Linchuan’s cold ruthlessness.

He constantly constructed “Zhang Linchuan” in his mind using Ru Meng Ling.

Not only his image, but also his character, his techniques, his divine abilities, his speech, and all his actions.

He wanted to understand this enemy as well as he understood himself.

The many pieces of intelligence about the White Bone Dao sent by Ye Qing Yu, the large amount of information about the Wusheng Religion from Zuo Guang Shu, and Chong Xuan Sheng stationed in Lin Zi, also constantly integrating information from all sides— all of this was very helpful.

Jiang Wang, like researching a top-secret technique in one go, with a near-obsessive attitude, was seriously researching Zhang Linchuan.

He had already imagined a thousand, ten thousand times how he would deliver his first sword strike. He was only waiting for Zhang Linchuan to appear before him.

Just at this moment, the old knife-coin in his body, which had been motionless as wood, suddenly jumped out, drawing a mysterious and unfathomable trajectory in the air, suspended not far in front of him.

It seemed within reach, yet also seemed outside the five senses.

The voice of Jian Zheng Ruan Si from the Qin Tian Jian rang out from the knife-coin.

“It is I.”

The letter sent to the Southern Xia Governor’s Mansion was like a stone sinking into the sea. Jiang Wang originally thought that True Monarch Ruan had already refused him.

He had also considered asking Yu Bei Dou to divine, but through the new knife-coin Yu Bei Dou sent him, he couldn’t contact Yu Bei Dou at all.

He had to give up on the idea of asking a high-ranking person to divine and continue fighting Zhang Linchuan with intelligence and bravery from other aspects.

Unexpectedly, Ruan Si’s message came at this time.

“Monitor Adult!” Jiang Wang immediately sat up straight.

“Burdened with common affairs, I just found some free time now,” Ruan Si did not waste time, explaining briefly, then said, “In the way of divination, cause and effect must be repaid. Asking the old man to lend a hand comes at a heavy price. Marquis Wu An, are you prepared?”

Jiang Wang only cupped his hands and said, “Please, Monitor Adult, do not hesitate to divine. This Prince has already prepared. If money can be used, this Prince is willing to exhaust his family fortune. If my meager talent can be used, Jiang Wang is willing to serve as a dog and horse.”

Cause and effect must be repaid is a rule of divination. Even if the Son of Heaven of Qi asked Ruan Si for help, there had to be a repayment. Of course, Jiang Wang could not be an exception. Whatever Ruan Si wanted, he would give.

“Four years of meritorious reputation, used up for private hatred,” Ruan Si sighed and said, “I understand Marquis Wu An’s determination.”

This star-gazing master did not haggle over the price, only saying, “I have personally looked over your letter. The bones and blood are all very clear, and can reflect the scene in Wan Sang Town, Wei Country.”

His words took a turn: “But I cannot divine those who died in Wan Sang Town.”

Jiang Wang was somewhat stunned: “Why?”

Ruan Si sighed and said, “The people of the world probably all underestimate this Wusheng Religion founder. There is still a scheme within the scheme. The reason I cannot divine is because those dead souls in Wan Sang Town did not all enter the Wusheng World. Instead, they were cast into the Netherworld. Zhang Linchuan relied on the White Bone Holy Body to commit evil, using a secret method that seems to be but is not of the White Bone Dao, and then cast the killing to the Netherworld. Any divination master who wants to truly get to the bottom of it is not calculating Zhang Linchuan, but the White Bone Evil God!”