24: Chapter 24 If reasoning doesn't work, then let it become the truth.

"Boom—!"

That golden pillar of light, named 'Spring and Autumn Pen Rebuke,' was not light; it was a punishment descending from the heavens.

It carried the unquestionable will of the Confucian Saint, locking down every inch of space within the Scripture Pavilion, defining this place as a 'heresy' that must be erased.

In the face of this power at the level of fundamental rules, the air solidified, and light and shadow twisted.

Even a veteran Sword Cultivator as formidable as Dugu Yun was completely suppressed, making even twitching a finger an extravagant hope.

This was the manifestation of speech becoming Law.

This was a dimensional strike.

"It's over..."

Ye Gucheng's face turned ashen. He could feel that this pillar of light was not only going to destroy the Scripture Pavilion but also erase the 'Sword Principle' of the Heavenly River Sword Sect from the very thread of Karma.

In the deepest recesses of the Scripture Pavilion, in that corner filled with taboo items and junk.

Li Mo was drenched in sweat, his entire body plastered against that broken black stone tablet.

The tablet was rough, utterly lifeless, devoid of any Spiritual Qi. Only the scratch mark in the center, like a child's casual doodle, exuded a brute force that pushed the System to the brink of collapse.

"System! Read it for me! Full power!"

Li Mo's eyes were bloodshot. He squeezed out the last shred of Mental Energy and fiercely poured it into the stone tablet.

[Warning! Residual 'Primordial Sword Intent' detected!]

[This content contains no logic, no compassion, no reason—only pure negation!]

[Forcible reading risks the collapse of the host's Divine Soul! Continue?]

"Nonsense! My home is about to be demolished, who has time to reason with you!"

Li Mo roared, using all his strength to press his forehead tightly against the sword mark.

Boom!

In an instant, Li Mo's world collapsed.

There was no Scripture Pavilion, no golden pillar of light, only a dead, silent Chaos void.

In the void stood a figure whose face could not be discerned.

That figure faced the great Dao Laws manifested by the myriad Gods and Buddhas, merely flicking his ear with impatience.

Then, with a casual wave.

That sword had no name.

If one absolutely had to describe it, only two words could summarize it.

Be quiet.

No matter your Heavenly Dao's resounding voice, no matter the cycle of Karma—if I don't want to listen, you just shut up.

[Ding! Reading successful (Temporary Burst State)]

[Concept Term Extracted: Absolute Negation (One-time Experience Version)]

[Term Effect: Negate all current rules. I will not listen to your reasoning.]

Outside world.

The moment the golden pillar of light was about to touch the eaves of the Scripture Pavilion.

The entire Scripture Pavilion, without any warning, 'came alive'.

An indescribable will, utterly savage to the extreme, erupted from within the pavilion!

It possessed none of the grandeur of Vast Righteous Qi, nor the venom of Demonic Path Cultivation Techniques.

It held only one thing, pure to the extreme—Rejection.

"Crack!"

A light sound.

That was not a physical sound, but the mournful cry of some 'rule' being forcibly broken.

Under the horrified gaze of everyone from the Heavenly River Sword Sect, the golden pillar of light, which represented the Saint's judgment, abruptly halted three feet above the Scripture Pavilion.

It snapped.

The break was as smooth as a mirror surface, as if it should never have existed there in the first place.

Immediately following, an invisible wave flowed backward, following the trajectory of the light pillar, and fiercely slammed into the black sphere in the Nine Heavens above, and the phantom of Sima Changfeng within that sphere.

"This is impossible—!"

Sima Changfeng's projection let out a tearing scream.

He read information from that will that made his Divine Soul shatter—this was not a clash of power; this was a complete negation of what he believed in, of the entire Confucian 'Saintly Way'!

"How dare you—Pfft!"

Before the words were finished.

That savage will had already rushed before him.

There was no explosion, no light and shadow.

Sima Changfeng's projection, along with the black sphere that compressed the essence of the Divine Mechanism Bird, was cleanly 'erased' from this world, like discarded rough drafts deleted by the Author.

The 'logic' of their existence had been negated.

"Clang."

A piece of scorched scrap metal fell from the sky, smashing a large pit in front of the Scripture Pavilion's entrance.

Then, heaven and earth returned to silence.

The clouds parted, the mist dissipated.

The Saint's oppressive might that had silenced all things vanished without a trace, as if it had never appeared.

Only the Scripture Pavilion stood quietly, not a single tile out of place.

"...It's over?"

After a long time, Dugu Yun finally found his voice. He stiffly turned his head to look at the tightly shut main door of the Scripture Pavilion, the shock in his eyes almost overflowing.

What was that just now?

As a Sword Cultivator, in that instant, he actually felt the urge to kneel and worship.

The Concept of that sword had already surpassed his entire understanding of the 'Sword'.

"Junior—Junior Martial Uncle..." Ye Gucheng's throat was dry as he struggled to swallow his saliva. "Does our Sect... truly hide a... Sword Immortal?"

Dugu Yun did not answer.

Creeeak—

The main door of the Scripture Pavilion opened.

Everyone's gaze instantly focused on the gap.

The next second, that familiar figure rushed out, covered in dust and grime.

The Servant, Li Mo.

He carried a fire poker in his hand and a huge basket on his back. Without even glancing at the group of stunned big shots in the sky, he rushed straight toward the large pit that had just been smashed.

"Oh my heavens! My floor! My steps! Who did this!"

Li Mo wailed while jumping into the pit, his movements practiced to a heartbreaking degree, using the fire poker to clamp the still-steaming piece of scrap metal into the basket.

He also casually picked up a few scattered bronze fragments and blew the dust off them.

"Public property damage! This requires compensation! Elder Zhao, don't play dead over there, this matter isn't over today!"

The crowd: "..."

The reverence and shock that had just arisen shattered into pieces on the ground.

In the ruins in the distance, the ragged Zhao Wuji was trembling all over.

He didn't know what had just happened.

But he knew that the Great Zhou Dynasty had provoked an existence that was utterly incomprehensible this time.

That wasn't an iron plate.

That was Heaven.

"Retreat... Retreat quickly!"

Zhao Wuji didn't even care about his subordinates. With a trembling hand, he pulled out a 'Myriad Miles Divine Travel Talisman' from his robes, crushed it directly, transformed into a streak of light, and fled in panic without looking back.

Fugitive? Remnant of the previous dynasty?

To hell with that! His life was almost gone!

With their commanding officer gone, the remaining Black Armored Guards completely lost their will to fight. Supporting each other, they retreated from the mountain gate like stray dogs.

A grand inquiry ended in an almost absurd farce.

"Li Mo!"

Dugu Yun landed by the edge of the pit, looking at Li Mo, who was still clanging and banging inside, trying to pry off the Star Iron Essence from the core, his anger rising.

"What time is it! You still want that piece of junk!"

"Elder, this isn't junk."

Li Mo looked up, his face covered in black soot, only his teeth were snow-white. "This is called mental distress compensation. Besides, look at this threshold, these steps—they're all broken. How am I supposed to repair them if I don't melt this down?"

Dugu Yun looked at his money-grubbing appearance, then recalled the earth-shattering sword strike from moments ago, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He wanted to ask.

But he dared not.

Some things were better left buried deep inside.

"Alright, stop picking things up!" Dugu Yun took a deep breath and lowered his voice. "The Sect Master will be here soon. No matter what is asked, you just say... it was a contingency plan I left behind, or that the 'heaven-deceiving stone' manifested its power. Understand?"

Li Mo chuckled and made an 'OK' gesture that Dugu Yun didn't understand.

"Understood. Low profile, I know that best."

...

As night fell.

The Scripture Pavilion returned to tranquility.

Li Mo sat before the desk on the second floor, fiddling with the black core in his hand.

"System, analyze."

[Analyzing 'Great Zhou Divine Mechanism Bird Core (Damaged)'...]

[Materials Extracted: Star Iron Essence (Supreme Grade)].

[Data Extracted: Great Zhou Imperial Palace Defense Map (Partial), Jixia Academy 'Saint Forest' Coordinates, and... an unsent encrypted Divine Thought.]

"Encrypted Divine Thought?"

Li Mo raised an eyebrow. "Decrypt."

[Decryption successful.]

An old, venomous voice echoed in his mind. It was Sima Changfeng's final instruction to Zhao Wuji:

"If the Saint's Judgment fails, activate 'Extinction Protocol.' Release the madman from the lowest level of the 'Heavenly Prison'... Send him to the Cloud Break Mountain Range. I refuse to believe the Heavenly River Sword Sect can stop a living 'Demon God'!"

The voice abruptly stopped.

Li Mo's hand holding the core tightened slightly, his knuckles turning white.

"Madman? Demon God?"

He looked up at the deep night sky outside the window.

He thought that after repelling this wave, he could have a few days of peace, but he didn't expect that old dog to leave behind such a contingency.

"Squeak."

Squeak emerged from a pile of bronze fragments, happily gnawing on a piece of machinery, and upon sensing Li Mo's mood change, it let out a questioning sound.

"It's nothing."

Li Mo tossed the core to Xiao Hei beside him, who was already drooling with desire. "Extra meal. Eat it, and your cover needs an upgrade."

Xiao Hei pounced excitedly, opening its large mouth, and swallowed the incredibly hard Star Iron Essence in one gulp.

"Crunch... crunch..."

Accompanied by a teeth-grinding chewing sound, Xiao Hei's cover began to change.

The human skin texture faded, revealing a deep, star-sky-like black metallic luster.

[Ding!]

[Pet 'Abyssal Record of Sight' has successfully evolved.]

[New Form Unlocked: Starry Sky Iron Book.]

[New Skill Acquired: Physical Super-deliverance. Note: It can now not only eat but also smash. Its hardness is extraordinary, specialized in dealing with all forms of defiance.]

Li Mo nodded with satisfaction, picked up the evolved Xiao Hei, and weighed it. It felt substantial and had an excellent grip.

"Very good."

He stood up, walked over to the sleeping Chu Linger, and gently tucked the corner of her blanket.

"It seems we not only have to continue digging up the Ancestral Master's grave."

"But also prepare to welcome a... special guest."

"A Demon God?"

A cold, sharp glint flashed in Li Mo's eyes.

"If he dares to step into this Scripture Pavilion, I will make him personally experience what the true... weight of knowledge is."