While the trip to Linzi this time proved successful, all involved found themselves ensnared in a relentless pursuit across the land of Qi, a hunt that spanned from the heavens above to the very depths below. It was inevitable that such a predicament would breed dissatisfaction among their ranks.

After all, the Hell’s Gate Without Door was not a true army, and its establishment was recent. Yin Guan and the other Yama Kings shared a relationship of cooperation at best, with little talk of genuine loyalty. Even now, the City King had begun to question the decisions of the Qin Guang King.

“Whether it is suitable, I say it counts.” Yin Guan cast a glance at the City King, his voice light as he declared, “I say, suitable.”

Regardless of the circumstances, within the Hell’s Gate Without Door that he had single-handedly forged, Yin Guan still commanded sufficient prestige. Under the sweep of his cold, indifferent gaze, the City King immediately fell silent.

Jiang Wang, having encountered the voice of the Song Emperor King Weng at the Small Lotus Bridge, heard him speak: “Qin Guang King, why have you summoned everyone now? My side is nearly exposed, and I may not be able to remain hidden for long. I will have to relocate soon.”

Among the Ten Halls of Yama, the Song Emperor King ranked third. At a time like this, perhaps only he and the Wu Guan King were suitable to speak out, yet his tone held no hint of targeting anyone; he merely discussed the matter at hand.

Yin Guan nodded slightly. “I have devised a new course of action…”

“Still action?” The ninth-ranked Equality King interrupted. “Even the Tai Shan King is dead!”

Among the Yama Kings who participated in this operation, he was the weakest, and his tone now betrayed impatience and nervousness. “Didn’t you say before that as long as we remained hidden, the Qi country couldn’t maintain the lockdown for too long? Wouldn’t it be better for us just to stay hidden?”

“It is no longer enough.” Yin Guan’s voice was remarkably calm, but that very calmness lent it a cruel edge. “In front of Yue Leng, none of you can hide for long.”

“One step worse than the last.” The Equality King shook his head, then nodded. “I do not know…”

Under the immense pressure from the Capture God, Yue Leng, he was already in disarray. A killer who had long wandered in the darkness, his heart already in turmoil, would make any decision without surprise.

The Wu Guan King lifted his head and glanced at Yin Guan perched in the treetop, seeking to discern his meaning. But Yin Guan remained as calm as ever.

“You no longer believe in me?” He asked, “Because I killed the Tai Shan King?”

“You shouldn’t have killed him,” the Equality King said in a low voice. “He didn’t say anything, did he?”

He held no particular affection for the Tai Shan King, but the death of a fellow creature wounded his kind. The Tai Shan King’s demise inevitably intensified his fear. Moreover, his words were not entirely wrong. If the Tai Shan King had revealed anything, they should have been apprehended long ago.

“He surely would have spoken, as long as the price reached his bottom line. That bottom line was perhaps the preservation of his cultivation, or the preservation of his life, or perhaps, simply a quick death.”

Yin Guan’s response remained astonishingly calm. “The fact that he was captured alive itself explains his betrayal. Is that not so?”

No matter how powerful Yue Leng was, as one of the Ten Halls of Yama in the Hell’s Gate Without Door, suicide was still within their capabilities. The Tai Shan King being captured alive only indicated that a sliver of hope still resided within him. The nature of that hope was self-evident.

The Equality King likely wasn’t entirely unaware of this, but under immense pressure, it was difficult to maintain calm judgment. Or perhaps, he was clearer than anyone but sought to use the opportunity to test Yin Guan. In a place like the Hell’s Gate Without Door, those who were too simple likely wouldn’t survive.

The Equality King was silent for a moment, then lowered his head in submission. “Thank you for being willing to explain to me.”

“There is no need to thank me.” Yin Guan’s tone remained flat. “Compared to eliminating you, explaining is still a bit simpler.”

In other words, if explaining became too complex, or if it failed to penetrate, the outcome might be entirely different. In an organization like the Hell’s Gate Without Door, speaking of emotions or loyalty was a laughable notion. This was the style Yin Guan had decided upon from the very beginning when establishing the Hell’s Gate Without Door.

So even though Yin Guan risked killing the Tai Shan King, which was in fact saving others and, as the leader of the organization, bearing the greatest responsibility and danger, he did not dwell on this point. Instead, he directly threatened the Equality King. In the Hell’s Gate Without Door, this was precisely more effective.

A profound silence settled over them. Yin Guan’s gaze swept over each person, one by one, confirming that all understood his intent. Then, in the quiet, he spoke again: “First, I hope you all recognize one point: we are not the enemy of the Qi country. We are not qualified.”

“The Qi country is very powerful, but it has many opponents. At this moment, we are within its borders and cannot afford to invest too much energy in ourselves. Yet even a little attention from them has already almost wiped us out.”

“Therefore, we must act to stir up the situation. Let the Qi country’s true opponents see an opportunity and step forward. Even if it is more dangerous, we can only do this. Because our only chance of survival lies here.”

Yin Guan’s viewpoint was very clear, and thus, the pressure from the Qi country’s officials seemed even heavier. Several Yama Kings exchanged glances, communicating through their eyes. But ultimately, no one raised any further objections.

Finally, it was the Song Emperor King who spoke: “How do you plan to proceed?”

To the northeast of Bei County, bordering Bi Wu County. To the northwest of Bi Wu County was Xin Ming County. In short, all were within the sphere of influence of Qi Capital Linzi. After the Tai Shan King died in Bei County, the pursuit operations were set back to square one overnight.

But this time, Yue Leng personally devised the pursuit plan, no longer relying solely on the military might of the Divine Manifestation Realm cultivators, but unleashing the true abilities unique to the title of ‘Capture God’.

Soon, the pursuit team discovered traces of the Hell’s Gate Without Door in Bi Wu County. Bi Wu County, named for its unique green parasol trees, lay to the northeast, then came Jing Hai County where the Gao Clan resided, and directly to the east lay Lin Hai County, home to Tian Fu City.

Upon arriving in Bi Wu County, one possibility became unavoidable—the killers of the Hell’s Gate Without Door were very likely to stealthily cross the coast and escape to the nearby islands. Unlike other border cities, the long coastline was extremely difficult to completely seal off. Unless the Qi country completely activated its grand protective array, which was fundamentally impossible for the sake of a few killers from the Hell’s Gate Without Door.

The powerful individual currently overseeing the grand protective array was merely borrowing the array’s power to monitor the country’s borders, ready to descend at any moment. If they could successfully escape to the nearby islands, the situation would no longer be dominated solely by the Qi country; at that point, it could be said that the sky was vast enough for birds to fly freely.

And as a powerful cultivator of the Divine Manifestation Realm, Yue Leng could not easily venture to the nearby islands. That would provoke a reaction from the local forces.

So Yue Leng directly communicated with the county governments of Jing Hai County and Lin Hai County, temporarily isolating traffic between the two counties and Bi Wu County, effectively turning the sea-facing direction of Bi Wu County into an iron wall. And Yue Leng himself personally took up position at the border between Jing Hai County and Bi Wu County.

He employed a reversed net to ensnare the Hell’s Gate Without Door. He possessed a unique and keen perception of the restlessness of those killers from the Hell’s Gate Without Door. If, during the pursuit, those killers from the Hell’s Gate Without Door were to commit another major crime, then he, a dignified generation of Capture God, would lose face.

So he maintained the intensity of the pursuit on one hand, continuing to create pressure, while on the other hand, he carefully controlled the situation, not giving the Hell’s Gate Without Door an opportunity to leap over the wall like cornered dogs.

As for why he chose to position himself on the side of Jing Hai County instead of Lin Hai County, which had a longer coastline, that was a matter of political consideration. The foundations of the Jing Hai Gao Clan were insufficient and perhaps could not withstand a desperate attack from the Hell’s Gate Without Door. And the currently most favored Consort Jing came from the Jing Hai Gao. Considering the worst-case scenario, Yue Leng would rather see an accident befall Tian Fu City than witness a mishap occur at the Jing Hai Gao.

P.S. I believe the goal of that activity at the top of the book review section has been achieved. I just realized the target was twenty thousand points of Star Glory value, and now it’s less than three thousand points.

Everyone, please go give Jiang Wang a heart every day! One heart is one point of Star Glory value. Our average order is 700, if each person clicks once, that’s six hundred points a day!

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