Chapter 147: The Fake Enters the Devil’s Sea

"Blood-sucking demons have reappeared?" Baili Feihong slightly frowned.

"What on earth is happening in Dongbin City? If it were just ordinary blood-sucking demons, given Lord Gongyang's abilities, he would have detected the trouble in the city immediately."

He used the Tiangang divine ability once more: Foreseeing the Future.

All Baili Feihong could see was a sea of blood.

"Returning to Dongbin City can no longer be delayed." Baili Feihong said with a solemn expression.

He glanced at his skill points, which now began with a seven. This massive reserve of skill points was his foundation of confidence.

The Myriad Realm Origin Returning Technique had already been cultivated to the third layer, and he had more than enough skill points for the fourth and fifth layers.

"I had originally intended to make a trip into the Devil's Sea before leaving, to accumulate skill points into the nine-figure mark. It seems I no longer have time to waste."

He had already delayed for a very long time.

The commotion caused by refining the Qiankun Cauldron this time would inevitably alarm many people.

Last time, when he deceived the Black-Faced Grand Archprelate of the Black Heaven Cult, members of the Black Heaven Cult would surely come to the capital to verify the situation.

Having delayed for so long, they would undoubtedly grow suspicious.

Once they reacted, the best way for them to obtain the Black Heaven Stele would be to keep their eyes on me.

And he would find himself entangled by the Black Heaven Cult once again.

Baili Feihong did not have that much time to play games with them.

He had to return to Dongbin City.

No one could block his path.

Judging that the omens in Dongbin City were likely the precursors of the prophecy, Baili Feihong immediately headed underground.

The passage leading to the subterranean depths of the Town-Demon Building had already been sealed by him using the Pointing Earth into Steel divine ability.

Only he could employ earth-escaping techniques to enter this place.

Any other powerhouse wishing to enter the subterranean world would have to shatter his divine ability.

Last time, he had been in a rush and had not carefully studied this geocentric world.

However, he knew that the Black Heaven Stele had been bound by the Town-Demon Divine Ropes and had already merged completely with this special geocentric world.

To take the Black Heaven Stele away, the seal of the Town-Demon Divine Ropes had to be undone.

At that time, the aura of the Black Heaven Stele would be exposed.

It would inevitably be sensed by the Black Heaven Cult.

Once the Black Heaven Stele emerged into the world, the Martial Saints of the Black Heaven Cult would surely step in to seize it.

"In that case, I will transfer this geocentric world into my Qiankun Cauldron."

"This is the embryonic form of a blessed cave-heaven realm. If left in a sect, it would be a treasure for which people would crack their skulls fighting."

"Once things stabilize in the future, I can anchor this blessed cave-heaven realm into the void. By then, I can cultivate within it, or even leave it to future generations."

Facing such a treasure, Baili Feihong was naturally tempted.

"Black Heaven Stele, I wonder how many people are eyeing you. I am taking you away, hoping you will still be of use to me in the future; otherwise, I will only have to find a way to destroy you."

He glanced at the Black Heaven Stele, which was suppressed by the one hundred and eight Town-Demon Divine Ropes through the Tiangang-Disha Demon-Townment Formation. Baili Feihong felt a sense of temptation; a voice in the dark told him that refining the Black Heaven Stele would grant him the secret of eternal life.

Yet Baili Feihong was still young, and death was still an unknown distance away.

His resistance to the temptation of eternal life was extremely strong.

He stepped out of the geocentric world.

Standing on the outer perimeter, the scene was exceptionally marvelous.

In truth, from the outside, the geocentric world did not appear very large.

Yet the interior of the geocentric world was much larger than Feiyuan Island.

Holding the Qiankun Cauldron, he removed the lid and continuously cast the Pot-Heaven divine ability and the As-You-Will-Size divine ability, hollowing out the entire earth.

Along with it, the very soil that gave birth to the geocentric world was lifted by a mighty force and transported into the Qiankun Cauldron.

Based on Baili Feihong's judgment, the Town-Demon who had sealed the Black Heaven Stele back then was a top-tier master of divine abilities who practiced the Town-Demon Six Paths Scripture.

Had it been an ordinary Town-Demon, approaching the Black Heaven Stele would have resulted in contamination by its power, reducing them to a follower of the Black Heaven.

Deep underground, having hollowed out such a vast area, a collapse of the surface was bound to occur.

Baili Feihong hurriedly cast his divine abilities to control the groundwater, causing it to surge into the pit.

At the same time, he reinforced the surrounding earth, transforming it into steel.

Having completed all this, he extracted a wisp of the Black Heaven Stele's aura and used the Pivoting Creation divine ability to forge a replica stele.

However, the ancient characters inscribed upon the stele had become a chapter of The Analects.

The characters were written using the ancient Chinese script of his previous life.

Even if the people of the Black Heaven Cult found this stele, they would find the inscription utterly incomprehensible.

Using his divine ability to confine the aura of the Black Heaven Stele, he returned from the underground to the Town-Demon Building.

Boom~~

A wisp of dark power spread and diffused, causing an energy leakage.

It pierced through the firmament like a ray of black light, exceptionally dazzling.

Yet very soon, this black light vanished, sealed completely by Baili Feihong using his Demon-Sealing Art.

The Town-Demon Department seemed like a disturbed hornet's nest; over a hundred Town-Envoys swarmed out. Seeing their high-spirited and determined expressions, Baili Feihong was very satisfied.

Every single Town-Envoy watched as their Lord Garrison Commander carried a massive stele and placed it at the gates of the Town-Demon Building.

Qin Tiesheng hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "My Lord, the aura of this stele..."

"It bears a strong resemblance to the Black Heaven divine power of the Black Heaven Cult, doesn't it? This is the true root cause behind the Black Heaven Cult's relentless attacks on our Feiyuan Island. It is the supreme treasure of the Black Heaven Cult, the Black Heaven Stele."

Baili Feihong made no attempt to conceal anything.

"In the past, it was sealed beneath our Town-Demon Building. Now, its very existence has threatened the peace of Feiyuan Island, so I have broken its seal and brought it out."

Qin Tiesheng's face showed utter shock; he naturally understood what the concept of the Black Heaven Cult's supreme treasure entailed.

The Black Heaven Cult would continuously attack Feiyuan Island precisely to obtain this stele.

"My Lord, have you decided how to deal with this Black Heaven Stele?"

Qin Tiesheng asked anxiously.

His words also represented the inner thoughts of all the Town-Envoys.

"No matter where it is placed, the Black Heaven Cult will mobilize its forces to fight for it without regard for the cost. Therefore, I have decided to take the Black Heaven Stele into the Devil's Sea, find a place deep within the Devil's Sea, and casually discard it."

Baili Feihong did not use the word "seal."

Instead, he said he would simply discard it.

"I suppose the demons of the Devil's Sea will definitely be interested in this Black Heaven Stele."

Baili Feihong revealed a brilliant smile.

Even if the Black Heaven Cult tracked him down for an item he had casually discarded, it would be impossible for them to learn its location.

Because this treasure would inevitably attract demons to fight over it.

Although this Black Heaven Stele was a counterfeit, it was still a treasure and retained a sliver of Black Heaven's power.

Throwing it into the Devil's Sea would instantly provoke a scramble among the demons.

"As expected of my Lord, to have already figured out how to deal with this evil artifact of the Black Heaven Cult—this indeed saves our Town-Demon Department a great deal of energy."

Qin Tiesheng said with great joy.

He could even deduce that by letting the aura of the Black Heaven Stele leak and making a grand show of sending it into the Devil's Sea, Baili Feihong was essentially telling the Black Heaven Cult: I've thrown this thing into the Devil's Sea, go look for it yourselves.

In short, Lord Garrison Commander was protecting Feiyuan Island.

With the treasure of the Black Heaven Cult no longer sealed on Feiyuan Island, the Black Heaven Cult would naturally not waste its energy on Feiyuan Island.

Given Feiyuan Island's current defenses, even if an archprelate-level expert were to attack, they might not necessarily be able to breach it.

The existence of the thirty-six divine-ability golden giants formed the Tiangang Formation—what threat did a Dharma Form pose?

"Recently, malevolent and evil qi has been breeding within the city. None of you are permitted to slack off; step up your patrols, and upon discovering any traces of demons or ghosts, suppress them immediately."

Baili Feihong suddenly turned stern.

"Understood."

The Town-Envoys immediately acknowledged the order and left the Town-Demon Building.

"Watch the home well. I will deliver this stele into the Devil's Sea to avoid prolonged nights leading to dreams."

With that, he lifted the hundred-ton stele with one hand, flew leisurely out of Feiyuan Island, and headed toward the Devil's Sea.

Leaving Feiyuan Island behind, Baili Feihong no longer concealed the aura of the stele, carrying it all the way as he entered the Devil's Sea.

He could sense quite a few divine senses watching him.

All of them were existences at the level of divine ability masters.

Yet none of them dared to make a move to seize the Black Heaven Cult treasure in his hands.

Baili Feihong had confronted the Black Archprelate, and the confrontation had ended with the Black Archprelate's retreat.

This Black Archprelate had once been the founding patriarch of the Black Evil Cult and had attained the Dharma Form realm after joining the Black Heaven Cult.

The moment he made a move, he had completely slaughtered over a dozen countries along the shores of the Devil's Sea Strait, offering them as a sacrifice to the Black Heaven Demonic God.

Yet this ruthless individual had taken the initiative to retreat when facing Baili Feihong.

This was a testament to Baili Feihong's formidable strength.

Two days ago, that terrifying cauldron had risen into the sky over Feiyuan Island, leading some to speculate that it might be Baili Feihong's Dharma Form.

Reaching to the heavens and encompassing the earth, terrifying to the extreme, suppressing the void, and confining the vital energy of a region.

To contend with such a person was to suffer defeat before the battle even began.

"The Black Heaven Stele has appeared. Return and report to the Archprelate. Baili Feihong did not send the Black Heaven Stele to the capital, but has instead thrown it deep into the Devil's Sea—our troubles have begun."

How terrifying the Devil's Sea was.

The upper echelons of the Black Heaven Cult had once ventured deep into the Devil's Sea, suffering heavy casualties.

They had even learned of the existence of a demonic god's phantom within the Devil's Sea.

After entering the Devil's Sea, Baili Feihong sealed the stele and traveled at top speed to the location of the Demonic God's head, concealing it there.

Given the special environment of the Demonic God's head, it would not take long for his sealing art to fail, and the counterfeit Black Heaven Stele would be exposed within the Devil's Sea.

By then, it might even draw the gaze of the demonic god's phantom.

A counterfeit it might be, but it truly harbored a trace of the original Black Heaven Stele's source aura.

That was enough to attract the attention of the demonic god's phantom.

Having completed all this, Baili Feihong employed the Kunpeng Escape Technique and left the Devil's Sea.

"I have called you all here because I will soon return to Dongbin City. With my current strength, I am fully qualified to participate in the Town-Demon Department's assessment and become a Garrison Commander-in-Chief."

Baili Feihong looked at the people below.

"Before leaving, I will recommend Chen Xingyan as the Right Town-Envoy."

"And Qin Tiesheng as the Left Town-Envoy."

"You must cooperate well with their work."

Baili Feihong said in a deep voice.

"As for the candidate for the new Garrison Commander, I expect to hold the concurrent post for another year. During this year, all of you have a chance."

Baili Feihong's words instantly caused a stir.

By now, all the Town-Envoys were fully assembled.

Even Feng Yushi, the garrison commander of a lower-tier city, had arrived.

He did not contend for position, choosing instead to handle his duties properly.

Within his mind, however, he was thinking of transferring away from Feiyuan Island as soon as possible.

He could see that Chen Xingyan was destined to become the true garrison commander.

The other party was Baili Feihong's disciple.

Although Shangguan Zhen was the only publicly acknowledged disciple.

Anyone with discerning eyes could see that Chen Xingyan and Qin Suqing were the disciples truly valued by Baili Feihong.

Even without a formal public apprenticeship, it was a universally acknowledged fact.

Added to them were Yang Chengfei and Zhou Xiaoqing.

These five individuals would control the Feiyuan Town-Demon Department in the future.

One department head garrison commander, two left and right town-envoys, and two city garrison commanders.

They occupied precisely the most crucial positions within the Town-Demon Department.

As for Qin Tiesheng, he was a veteran and would serve as the middle town-envoy in the future, overseeing the others.

Even if Baili Feihong left, Feiyuan Island would still remain under his control.

Since he was not part of Baili Feihong's inner circle, his position was awkward; continuing to stay on Feiyuan Island meant that if he died one day, there might not even be anyone to collect his corpse.

"Something is wrong. Blood-sucking and murder are definitely not the work of ordinary demons."

Gongyang Yan stood once again at the crime scene.

This time, the killer had begun striking at the major families within the city.

For ten consecutive days, Dongbin City had remained in a state of panic.

Many families had already packed up and left Dongbin City.

Those who fled in the greatest numbers were martial artists.

Three consecutive days of hunting down martial artists had already driven the surviving martial artists in the city to flee Dongbin City.

"My Lord, if the demons... if the killer requires powerful blood, why haven't they targeted our Town-Demon Department?"

Ding Bo suddenly raised this question.

Instantly, the hearts of the surrounding Town-Envoys tightened, their expressions turning tense.

"The killer is far too cunning. I do not know what it is. But I can be certain that the killer is in a critical recovery phase."

The blood of the people in the Town-Demon Department differed from that of other martial artists.

They had all successfully refined their blood.

Would consuming the blood of martial practitioners cause harm to the killer?

Gongyang Yan could not be certain.

"This means the killer is extremely cautious. Until they are confident they can deal with us, they will not make a move against us. Now, among the major families remaining in the city, only this one is left. If something happens to them, it means the killer will turn their sights onto ordinary civilians."

Ding Bo sighed.

That was the fatal part.

With millions of people in Dongbin City, it counted as a major city even within the Great Yuan Empire.

If the mysterious killer turned their gaze toward the common folk, given the killer's ability to come and go without a trace, tracking them down would become infinitely more difficult.

"Where is Zheng Yishan?"

Gongyang Yan raised her head and looked around.

Yet Zheng Yishan was nowhere to be seen.

"My Lord, Lord Zheng is feeling somewhat unwell and has gone home to rest for a moment."

Ding Bo did not think much of it; Zheng Yishan had fitted a rune prosthetic limb and would go through a period of adaptation.

The first three days were fine, but after three days, his body would begin to show rejection symptoms.

As long as he endured the adaptation period, the rune prosthetic limb would truly come under Zheng Yishan's control.

"I heard our Lord Zheng purchased a rune prosthetic limb from the black market and attached it to his severed arm."

Gongyang Yan suddenly asked.

"It was recommended by this subordinate to Lord Zheng, procured through the channels of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion and equipped by the sorcerers of the Divine Oversight Bureau. This period happens to be Lord Zheng's adaptation phase, which is why he hasn't participated in the night patrols."

Ding Bo explained.

"The sorcerers of the Divine Oversight Bureau certainly possess some skills. If we truly cannot investigate this out, I am prepared to ask the Divine Oversight Bureau to send someone to investigate this matter."

As soon as Gongyang Yan said this,

Ding Bo's face drained of color: "My Lord, you must not."

"Why must I not?"

"It has never been the custom for the Town-Demon Department to ask sorcerers from the Divine Oversight Bureau to coordinate investigations. If My Lord brings in people from the Divine Oversight Bureau, you will inevitably be censured by the High Command."

Ding Bo explained hurriedly.

He did not want to watch his lord commit a foolish act at this moment.

Currently, the political situation of the Great Yuan Empire was delicate. If the Garrison Commander failed to solve a case she was investigating and entrusted it to people from the Divine Oversight Bureau to handle, once word got out...

He dared not imagine it; the lords at the High Command would surely want nothing more than to kill her.

Gongyang Yan glanced around; the other Town-Envoys wore expressions identical to Ding Bo's.

"After tonight, if we still cannot find the killer's trail, then we shall invite the sorcerers of the Divine Oversight Bureau."

Gongyang Yan shook her head. She grew increasingly certain that this case was the herald of the prophecy.