456: Chapter 391: The plan takes effect, the lord becomes suspicious and kills his trusted minister.

Seven days after the ceasefire in the Abyss civil War, a suffocating oppression permeated the King of Deception's castle.

Inside the throne room, the King of Deception sat high atop his obsidian throne, clutching a new "secret report." This report differed from Marbas's previous letter—it had been "intercepted" from within the castle, a message sent outward by a "traitor" lurking in the treasury. Naturally, this secret report was also the handiwork of Chen Xuan.

[Forged Secret Report · Content]

- Sender: Morpheus, Third Supervisor of the Treasury

- Recipient: Captain of Marbas's Personal Guard

- Content: "The Fire has been moved to the secret room in the King's bedchamber. In three days, the King will attend the Abyss Council, and the defenses will be empty then. Take the opportunity to infiltrate."

- Attachment: Morpheus's Abyssal Devilish Qi imprint (extracted from equipment residue seized during the battle on the 777th floor)

The King of Deception read the secret report three times over, the fury in his eyes growing more intense. His fingers tapped the armrest of his throne, each tap making the air in the throne room grow heavier.

"Morpheus..." His voice was low, like muffled thunder from underground. "I have not treated him poorly. Third Supervisor of the Treasury, a salary of a hundred thousand Abyss Crystals a year, and a small fiefdom. He actually dares to betray me and side with Marbas?"

"Your Majesty, this matter still requires investigation," the Black-Armored General standing below the throne said cautiously. "Supervisor Morpheus has served in the treasury for three hundred years and has never shown disloyalty. This secret report might be a forgery."

"A forgery?" The King of Deception sneered. "Who could forge Morpheus's Devilish Qi imprint? In the Abyss, those capable of mimicking another's aura can be counted on one hand. And those people are all under contract with me; they wouldn't dare betray me."

The Black-Armored General fell silent.

"Summon Morpheus," the King ordered.

When Morpheus was brought to the throne room, his face was deathly pale. He was a devil of medium build, wearing the black uniform of a treasury supervisor, with medals on his chest signifying three hundred years of loyal service. His eyes were full of terror and confusion.

"Your Majesty, this servant has been wronged!" Morpheus knelt on the ground. "I have never communicated with Marbas! That secret report must be a fake!"

"A fake?" The King of Deception threw the secret report in front of him. "This is your Devilish Qi imprint. Do you think I wouldn't recognize it?"

Morpheus picked up the secret report and examined it closely. His pupils suddenly constricted—the imprint was indeed his own, but he had never written this letter.

"Your Majesty... someone stole my imprint! My storage ring went missing once three days ago. Although it was recovered quickly, someone might have stolen an aura sample then!"

"Storage ring?" The King narrowed his eyes. "Are you certain?"

"Certain!" Morpheus kowtowed repeatedly. "I am willing to swear upon my Soul!"

The King of Deception fell silent for a moment, then slowly stood up and walked over to Morpheus.

"Swearing upon your Soul... Fine, I believe you."

Morpheus breathed a sigh of relief.

But in the next instant, the King of Deception's scepter slammed heavily onto his head.

[King of Deception · Skill — Soul Judgment]

- Effect: Reads the target's Soul memories to determine if they are lying.

- Target: Morpheus

- Judgment Result: Not lying (He indeed did not betray).

- Side Effect: The judged's Soul is damaged; godhead integrity -30%.

Morpheus screamed and collapsed to the ground. His Soul was forcibly pried open by the scepter's power, and memory fragments flickered in the void—he saw his three hundred years of loyalty, every battle defending the treasury, and the moment his storage ring was lost three days ago. There was no betrayal.

The King of Deception's expression grew even gloomier.

"You did not betray me, but your imprint was used. This means someone infiltrated my castle, stole your aura sample, and forged this secret report."

He turned and looked at the Black-Armored General.

"Pass down the Order: the entire city is under martial Law. Every treasury supervisor, demon general, and guard captain will undergo Soul Judgment!"

"Your Majesty, Soul Judgment for the entire army will take three days, and it will cause permanent damage to those being judged..." the Black-Armored General hesitated.

"Then it shall take three days!" the King roared. "I would rather kill by mistake than let a single one escape!"

[King of Deception · Status]

- Suspicion Index: 100% (Max)

- Trust Level: 0

- Behavioral Tendency: Rather kill a thousand by mistake than let one go.

Three days later.

On the castle square, a massive Abyss Altar had been erected. Floating above the altar was a dark red Soul crystal—this was the King of Deception's "Soul Judgment Device." It could read the memories of targets on a large scale, but the judged would suffer permanent Soul damage, ranging from a drop in Godhead Rank to becoming a walking corpse.

[Soul Judgment Device · Data]

- Consumables: 10,000 Abyss Crystals

- Range: 100 meters in diameter

- Effect: Simultaneously judges a hundred people, reading the last seven days of memories.

- Side Effect: The judged's godhead integrity -20% to -50%.

The first batch brought to the altar consisted of the three treasury supervisors and twelve core demon generals.

The three supervisors were—

- First Supervisor: Azazel (LV600), responsible for the treasury's overall defense, five hundred years of service.

- Second Supervisor: Belial (LV580), responsible for magic trap maintenance, four hundred years of service.

- Third Supervisor: Morpheus (LV550), responsible for item entry and exit registration, three hundred years of service.

The twelve core demon generals each led ten thousand elite devils and were the military forces most trusted by the King of Deception.

"Your Majesty, we have been wronged!" Azazel knelt on the altar, his voice trembling.

"Wronged? Then accept the judgment. To the innocent, I shall restore their innocence. To the guilty, death." The King of Deception stood before the altar, his scepter pointing at the Soul crystal.

The crystal glowed, and a dark red light enveloped the fifteen individuals.

[Soul Judgment · In Progress]

- Number of Judged: 15

- Memory Reading Range: Last seven days

- Progress: 10%... 20%... 30%...

Morpheus's memories were pried open once again. This time, the judgment device not only read the last seven days of memories but also traced back to thirty days ago. At the moment his storage ring was lost in the throne room, he saw a blurry figure—it wasn't Lin Zhou, but an Abyssal aura disguised by Chen Xuan using the School of Names' "Conceptual Confusion." That figure flashed by, but it was enough for the King of Deception to see.

"As expected, someone stole your imprint." The King's voice was icy. "But who was the thief? You couldn't see clearly."

Morpheus shook his head in pain: "I... I couldn't see clearly..."

The judgment continued.

In the memories of the First Supervisor, Azazel, a suspicious scene appeared—seven days ago, he had spoken with a black-robed person at the treasury entrance for three minutes. The black-robed person's face was hidden by a cloak, but their aura was extremely similar to that of the captain of Marbas's personal guard.

[Azazel · Memory Fragment]

- Time: Seven days ago

- Location: Treasury entrance

- Persons: Azazel + Black-robed person (Aura suspected to be Marbas's Guard Captain)

- Dialogue Content: "Location of the Fire?" "Secret room in the bedchamber." "Guard shift times?" "Midnight." "Once it's done, your fiefdom will be doubled."

Azazel's face turned deathly pale: "Your Majesty, that was my informant! I thought he was there to report intelligence; I didn't know he was one of Marbas's men!"

"You didn't know?" The King sneered. "Your own informant, and you didn't know who he was?"

He raised his scepter, and a beam of dark red light shot toward Azazel.

[King of Deception · Skill — Soul Scorch]

- Target: Azazel

- Effect: Forcibly strips memory fragments.

- Damage: godhead integrity -50%.

Azazel screamed as black blood flowed from his seven orifices. His memory fragments condensed in the air into a scene—the black-robed person handing him a storage ring containing ten thousand Abyss Crystals.

"The reward Marbas gave you." The King's voice sounded as if it came from Hell.

"I... I didn't know that was Marbas..." Azazel's voice grew weaker and weaker.

"You didn't know?" The King waved his hand. "Kill him."

The Black-Armored General drew his longsword and severed Azazel's head with a single stroke.

[First Supervisor of the Treasury · Azazel — Executed!]

In the memories of the Second Supervisor, Belial, an even more direct scene appeared—he had personally left a "backdoor" in the magic traps, allowing specific people to pass through without triggering the alarm.

[Belial · Memory Fragment]

- Time: Ten days ago

- Location: Treasury Magic Trap Control Room

- Action: Carving a hidden "Exemption Rune" onto the trap's core rune.

- Immunity Target: Special frequencies mixed within the Abyss Devilish Qi (identical to the Qi frequency of Marbas's personal guard).

Belial collapsed to the ground: "Your Majesty, I... I was coerced! They took my family!"

"Family?" The King sneered, "Do you have a family? You are a pure-blooded devil born from the Abyss; you have no family."

Belial was at a loss for words.

"Kill."

The second head fell to the ground.

[Second Treasury Supervisor · Belial — Executed!]

As for the Third Supervisor, Morpheus, although there was no direct evidence of betrayal, his mark had been exploited, leading to the leak of secret reports. According to the Abyss Law, he was guilty of 'Dereliction of Duty'.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to accept punishment! But please spare my life, I am willing to track down the true culprit for Your Majesty!" Morpheus kowtowed like a pounding pestle.

The King of Deception looked at him and remained silent for a moment.

"The crime of dereliction of duty is punishable by death according to the Abyss Law. However, you have served for three hundred years, so I will give you a chance—sever one arm yourself, be stripped of your noble title, and be demoted to a slave."

Morpheus gritted his teeth, pulled out the dagger at his waist, and severed his own left arm.

[Morpheus · Status]

- Left Arm: Severed

- Noble Title: Stripped

- Identity: Slave

- Divinity Integrity: 70% → 40%

"Begone." The King waved his hand.

Morpheus clutched his severed arm and stumbled away from the altar.

Next were the twelve Demon Generals.

The Soul Judgment showed that three of the Demon Generals had been in contact with Marbas's subordinates within the last seven days—some traded intelligence, some accepted bribes, and some formed private alliances.

[Demon Generals · Guilty List]

- Demon General Cassius (LV700): Accepted 100,000 Abyss Crystals from Marbas's personal guard, promising to "fight passively" in the War.

- Demon General Dragon (LV680): Leaked the castle's defensive deployment to Marbas.

- Demon General Phar (LV650): Secretly released a spy sent by Marbas.

"Kill. Kill. Kill."

Three heads fell to the ground.

Although the remaining nine Demon Generals were innocent, the Soul Judgment caused their Divinity Integrity to drop by 20% to 30%, greatly reducing their combat power in the short term.

[Demon Generals · Status (After Judgment)]

- Divinity Integrity: Average 65% (Originally 90%)

- Morale: Low

- Loyalty: Shaken (Some Demon Generals feel fear toward the King's brutality)

"Pass down the Order: all soldiers of the entire army shall undergo Soul Judgment tomorrow!" The King of Deception's voice echoed across the square.

The Black-Armored General's expression changed: "Your Majesty, an army-wide judgment will lead to a drastic drop in combat power. Guixu is still watching greedily from the sidelines; if at this time..."

"Are you questioning me?" The King turned his head and looked at him coldly.

The Black-Armored General knelt on one knee: "I would not dare."

"Then execute it."

"Yes..."

[Castle Defense · Status]

- Treasury Supervisors: 3 → 0 (All executed or demoted)

- Core Demon Generals: 12 → 9 (3 executed, 9 with greatly reduced combat power)

- Devil Elites: Morale is low, some desertions occurring

- Magic Traps: Due to Belial's Execution, trap maintenance has been interrupted; 30% of traps are offline

- Treasury Guards: Most have been redeployed (to maintain Order in the square), leaving the treasury defense empty

The news reached the New Universe.

On the Watchtower, Lin Zhou looked at the intelligence sent by Chen Xuan, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

"The plan worked."

"What's the situation?" Qin Qing asked.

"The King of Deception executed three treasury supervisors and three core demon generals, and the remaining demon generals were weakened by the Soul Judgment. Most of the treasury guards have been redeployed, and thirty percent of the magic traps are offline. Now is the best time to infiltrate."

"Are we going back?"

"No." Lin Zhou shook his head, "This time, we aren't taking the fire seed. The fire seed has already been taken. What we want to take is—the heart of the abyss."

"heart of the abyss?"

Lin Zhou raised his hand, and a dark red crystal phantom appeared in his palm.

In Marbas's secret room, he had not only retrieved the Ancient Fire Seed but also discovered an ancient map deep within. The map marked the true core of the Abyss—not the Abyss Will on the 888th floor, but the 'heart of the abyss' located beneath the King of Deception's castle on the 666th floor. It was a crystal condensed from the Abyss Will, containing the rule Origin of the entire Abyss. If it were taken, the Abyss's erosion would be greatly weakened, and Guixu would lose an important anchor.

[heart of the abyss · Data]

- Location: Endless Abyss Floor 666, beneath the King of Deception's castle, depth approximately ten kilometers

- Form: Dark red crystal, approximately one meter in diameter

- Energy Contained: Equivalent to the full Divine Power of a high-tier divine power Peak divinity

- Effect: Grants the holder control over the rules of the Abyss

- Guardians: Civilization Projection of the Abyss Will (LV5000+), as well as the King of Deception himself

"We didn't strike before because the King of Deception was in the castle, and the Abyss Will's projection was also dormant. Now, he's busy judging traitors, and the projection has consumed part of its power in the civil War. The time has come."

Lin Zhou stood up.

"Brothers, the final battle."

"Target—heart of the abyss."

"Take it, and the threat of the Abyss will be resolved."

"Guixu will also lose its power."

"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.

The team set out once again.

This time, they no longer needed disguises—because the defenses of the 666th floor were already riddled with holes.

The infiltration team advanced toward the location of the heart of the abyss along the ancient tunnels beneath the castle.

In the tunnels, there were no guards—they had all been redeployed to the square.

Only the Abyss Will's projection remained, dormant at the core.

[Abyss Will Projection · Status]

- Integrity: 60% (Consumed due to civil War)

- Dormant: Yes

- Perception Range: Ten kilometers in diameter

Lin Zhou expanded his Civilization Projection, lowering everyone's presence to the minimum.

They silently passed through the tunnels and reached the core.

There, a massive dark red crystal floated—the heart of the abyss.

The light from the crystal illuminated the entire underground space like a sea of blood.

"Take it," Lin Zhou said.

Su Yueyao walked up to the crystal, and her Moonlight Radiance expanded, enveloping the crystal.

[Moonlight Radiance · Sealing the heart of the abyss]

- Progress: 10%... 20%... 30%...

- Consumption: 5,000 Divine Power per minute

- Estimated Completion: Ten minutes

Ten minutes later.

The crystal was sealed by the Moonlight Radiance, shrinking to the size of a fist before falling into Su Yueyao's hand.

The Abyss Will's projection suddenly snapped its eyes open.

[Abyss Will Projection · Awakening]

- Reason: heart of the abyss has been taken

- Status: Enraged

- Behavior: Attacking

Lin Zhou raised his hand, and the Fire of Civilization condensed into a sword.

"Civilization Judgment—Strike!"

A cyan-gold sword light slashed toward the projection.

The projection was heavily damaged, its integrity dropping from 60% to 20%.

But it did not die; it was still struggling.

"Go, quickly!" Lin Zhou led the team and charged toward the exit.

Behind them, the projection was in pursuit.

But they were faster.

They rushed out of the tunnel, out of the castle, and out of the 666th floor.

At the entrance of the first floor of the Endless Abyss.

Lin Zhou looked back into the depths of the Abyss.

Darkness was surging, and Guixu's erosion was accelerating.

But the heart of the abyss was in his hands.

"Let's go, back to the New Universe."

The team returned to the New Universe.

On the Watchtower, Lin Zhou placed the heart of the abyss above the Fire of Civilization.

The flames scorched the crystal, and the dark red light gradually faded, transforming into transparent Light of Order.

[heart of the abyss · Purification]

- Purification Progress: 1%... 2%... 3%...

- Estimated Total Purification: Approximately thirty days

- Post-Purification Effect: Transforms into the 'Heart of Order', which can significantly increase the rule stability of the New Universe

Lin Zhou looked at the flames and remained silent for a long time.

"Captain, is Guixu's erosion still there?" Qin Qing asked.

"It is," Lin Zhou nodded, "But the Abyss's anchor is broken. Guixu has lost an important source of power, and the erosion speed will slow down."

"By how much?"

"I don't know." Lin Zhou shook his head, "Maybe half, maybe more. But no matter how much, it is a victory."

He turned and looked toward the distance of the New Universe.

"Next, what we must do is hold this place."

"Protect the New Universe."

"Protect civilization."

Qin Qing nodded.

"We will hold it."

Lin Zhou smiled.

"Mm."

He walked down from the Watchtower.

Behind him, the Fire of Civilization burned.

It illuminated the New Universe and also illuminated the hearts of the people.