Chapter 43 The Purification of Karma, Top Secret Plan

[Under the gaze of Grandmaster Zhao Zongtian and Cold Kite, you remained silent for a long time.]

[At this moment, although you forced yourself to appear calm on the surface, keeping your head lowered and silent, your heart was already churning like a storm.]

[Before deciding to go into hiding in the Cangwu Mountain Range, you had indeed imagined that your location might be exposed.]

[You had also simulated response plans for being captured by the authorities.]

[In your plan, alarming a Grandmaster of the "Mountain-Sea Realm" to come and capture you would have been the absolute limit.]

[That was the edge of your imagination.]

[But you never expected that the person standing before you would actually be a legendary—Shentong Realm!]

[That is a terrifying existence standing at the peak of the Federation's pyramid, capable of modifying rules and interfering with Karma.]

[Before him, even a slight change in heart rate could be interpreted as countless pieces of information.]

[Lying in front of a "God" was a first for you across two lifetimes.]

["I have to go for it... this is the ultimate test of my acting skills."]

[You gritted your teeth and told yourself in your heart.]

["Little friend, I know what you are worried about."]

[Grandmaster Zhao Zongtian saw through your hesitation.]

[The smile on his face gradually faded, and the kind, Old Grandfather-like aura he initially projected vanished.]

[You felt it—the desolation that comes after experiencing a lifetime of vicissitudes.]

["I have fought against evil cults like the Heart-Eroding Cult for sixty years."]

["Forty-five years ago, my wife blew herself up within a cult's encirclement to cover my retreat."]

["Ten years ago, my eldest son's identity was exposed during an undercover mission."]

["They skinned him alive and turned him into a human-skin lantern to hang on their altar..."]

[The old man's voice was calm, but the surrounding air trembled slightly due to the fluctuations in his emotions.]

[Even the wind in the mountains seemed to carry the scent of blood.]

["Who among those in our Investigation Bureau doesn't carry a blood feud as deep as the sea?"]

[Grandmaster Zhao Zongtian looked directly into your eyes and said word by word, "If you don't trust this uniform,"]

["at least... you can trust me, this lonely old man."]

["As long as you are innocent and your heart is with the Human Race, I will be your greatest support."]

[These words struck your heart like a heavy hammer.]

[You felt the immense weight in the Great Grandmaster's words.]

[This was not acting; this was an oath forged in blood and tears.]

[You could also see that he was a resolute protector of the Human Race, firmly anti-cult, anti-alien, and anti-surrender.]

["Whew..."]

[You took a deep breath, your expression becoming solemn, and bowed deeply to Grandmaster Zhao Zongtian, bending ninety degrees at the waist.]

["A Great Grandmaster whose entire family is loyal and martyred, hacking through thorns for the Human Race—please accept this bow from Junior Li Ang!"]

["Junior had no intention of questioning the Great Grandmaster's stance; it is just that Junior is too young."]

["I haven't seen much of the world, and I was truly scared witless by the aura of you two just now."]

[This bow was both out of genuine respect for a hero and—a delaying tactic.]

[You needed these few seconds to brew your emotions and weave a "perfect lie" sufficient to deceive a Shentong Realm powerhouse.]

[After standing up, your eyes became "determined," as if you had finally made up your mind.]

["Seniors, this is a long story."]

[You began your performance.]

["It started one day six months ago. At that time, I was only at the Sixth Stage of Qi and Blood, and I was frustrated with my martial arts practice."]

["Distressed by the lack of progress, I was walking alone along the banks of the Long River to clear my head..."]

[You slowed your pace, even describing the evening breeze and the moonlight of that day, attempting to increase the story's realism.]

[On the side, Cold Kite's brow twitched, and her face darkened.]

[She was a woman of swift action and hated this kind of rambling narrative most of all.]

["Stop!" She wanted to interrupt, thinking, why don't you start from the day you were born?]

[This is an interrogation, not a place for you to write your memoirs!]

[But just as she opened her mouth, Grandmaster Zhao Zongtian raised his hand and gently stopped her.]

["Let him speak, don't interrupt the boy's train of thought." The old man looked at you gently.]

["Speak slowly, the more details the better."]

[You gave Old Zhao a grateful look and continued:]

["That night, as I was walking, I suddenly saw a strange, faint blue light flickering in the reed beds by the Long River."]

["I was consumed by curiosity. Although I was a bit scared, I couldn't help but jog over to check it out..."]

["In the end, I saw a crystal-clear blue flower floating on the water's surface."]

["As soon as I reached out to touch it, the flower suddenly shattered with a 'bang,' turning into a streak of blue mist that drilled directly into my body!"]

[At this point, you deliberately paused, even making your body tremble slightly.]

["Immediately after, I lost consciousness."]

["When I woke up, not only had my cultivation inexplicably surged to the Sixth Stage of Qi and Blood, but I had also awakened a Water-elemental Ability."]

["What's even more terrifying is..."]

[Your pupils constricted sharply, and your tone became hurried and filled with terror.]

["A memory that doesn't belong to me appeared in my mind!"]

["It's like a prophecy about the future, or a plan that someone forcibly stuffed in there!"]

["The memory is full of terrifying terms!"]

[You began to throw out keywords that were enough to shake the entire Federation.]

["Heart-Eroding Cult... Ten Thousand Gods Heavenly Heart Sacred Protection Cult..."]

["And a terrifying ritual called 'Blood Shadow Life Replacement'!"]

["In that memory fragment, I saw two blood-red crystals."]

["That voice called them—'Two-Life Blood Soul Demon'!"]

[Hearing those five words, Grandmaster Zhao Zongtian's eyelids twitched violently, and his hand, which had been playing with the crystal bottle, instantly tightened.]

[You didn't stop and continued to output information:]

["The memory said that the Heart-Eroding Cult used a special secret technique to give Liu Xiyue, the Genius of the Liu Family of Haicheng, a Mental Suggestion!"]

["They set up a plot in Longnan, making Liu Xiyue go to Changlin Park in Longnan to 'retrieve a treasure' in the winter before the College Entrance Examination, on December 13th of the New Martial Calendar Year 126."]

["That wasn't an Opportunity at all; it was a trap! Inside that ice lotus born of an anomaly, the eggs of the Two-Life Blood Soul Demon were hidden! Once consumed, one would be parasitized and replaced!"]

["There's also a black-robed man wearing a ghost mask... his aura was too terrifying."]

["Countless times stronger than the Origin Opening Realm, the memory says he is an Adjudicator of the Soaring Realm!"]

["Also... the breakthrough point of their plan is in Wuyue City! A female coach named Liu Qing!"]

[You finished in one breath, your face pale and gasping for air, as if recalling these images had exhausted your Mental Energy.]

["This information... is all true."]

["I really did come into contact with a blue flower, and I really do have this information in my head."]

["The reason I came to Wuyue City to investigate Liu Qing was to verify if the information in my head was real!"]

[The cave fell into a deathly silence.]

[Cold Kite went silent.]

[As a Soaring Realm expert with powerful Mental Energy, she had been sensing your emotional fluctuations the entire time.]

[She could clearly distinguish that when you told the story of "finding treasure by the river,"]

[your emotions were somewhat erratic and nervous, and your heart rate had subtle inconsistencies.]

[However, when you mentioned specific details like "Blood Shadow Life Replacement," "Two-Life Blood Soul Demon," and the "Masked Man,"]

[your fear, anger, and anxiety were incredibly real, even to the point where your Soul was trembling.]

["This kind of testimony, half-true and half-false... is actually the hardest to completely deny."]

[The most brilliant lie consists of nine parts truth and one part falsehood.]

[Cold Kite judged in her heart, "Because that kind of fear toward the evil cult cannot be faked."]

[As for Grandmaster Zhao Zongtian, his expression had become extremely grim.]

[From the moment he heard "Two-Life Blood Soul Demon" and "Soaring Realm Masked Man," this old man, who usually appeared kind,]

[felt the aura around his body begin to surge violently.]

["Two-Life Blood Soul Demon... what a massive undertaking!"]

["That is a foul thing that has been nearly extinct since ancient times, specifically used to steal the Luck of the Human Race."]

["I didn't expect them to actually produce it, and two of them at once!"]

["What audacity! These cultist demons actually want to reach into our highest institutions and snap the spine of our Human Race from the roots?!"]

["Boom!"]

[Grandmaster Zhao Zongtian could no longer suppress the rage in his heart, and a roar escaped his lips.]

[That sound was like a thunderclap from the Nine Heavens, containing the supreme will of a Shentong Realm powerhouse.]

[Logically, this roar should have been enough to shatter the cave and echo throughout the entire Cangwu Mountain Range.]

[But—]

[You were surprised to find that the roar did not travel outside.]

[Not even a single blade of grass at the cave entrance was moved.]

[Without you noticing, the entire interior of the cave had been completely enveloped by a faint golden light screen.]

[The sound of the wind and birds outside all vanished, as if this space had been temporarily "erased" from the world.]

[That was one of Grandmaster Zhao Zongtian's Divine Abilities—[Karma Cleansing Domain].]

[The moment you began revealing the information, he had already activated the Divine Ability.]

[He had severed all karmic connections between this place and the outside world.]

["Whew..."]

[Grandmaster Zhao Zongtian let out a long breath, forcibly suppressing his anger.]

[He turned his head and gave you a deep look.]

[In that gaze, the previous scrutiny was gone.]

[Instead, there was an added measure of approval from an elder to a Junior, and a trace of indiscernible emotion.]

[He naturally knew that there was some fluff in your words just now.]

[But so what?]

[To a Great Grandmaster who cared for the Human Race, as long as your heart was in the right place,]

[and as long as the information you brought was true, he was willing to overlook the minor details and cover for you.]

["Li Ang, my boy."]

[Grandmaster Zhao Zongtian stepped forward, patted your shoulder, and said in a gentle yet solemn tone.]

["You are very brave."]

["I know you have secrets."]

["I also know it wasn't easy for a child like you to carry such great fear and speak these words."]

["But you did the right thing."]

["Thanks to you, otherwise we would still be kept in the dark."]

["If they really managed to drive their nails into the 'Twin Stars,' the consequences would be unimaginable."]

["Old Zhao, what do we do now?" Cold Kite asked in a heavy voice, "Should we immediately mobilize the General Bureau's forces to set up control in Longnan?"]

["No, we can't rush."]

[Grandmaster Zhao Zongtian shook his head, his eyes gleaming with the cunning of an old hunter.]

["Since they want to act, we'll play along with them until the end."]

[He turned to look at you, his tone becoming incredibly solemn.]

["Li Ang, listen carefully."]

["From today on, I am personally taking over this case, and it is classified as S-rank top-secret."]

["For the coming period, I will accompany you throughout, acting as the shadow behind you."]

["Cold Kite, you must follow as well, providing close protection."]

["We will act without showing our hand, without alerting the enemy."]

["Until the day December 13th arrives..."]

[A trace of cold killing intent flashed in the old man's eyes, an authority forged in a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.]

["We set off immediately for Longnan."]

["I want to give them a grand gift at the very moment they think their plan is about to succeed!"]