60: Chapter 60: The First "Audit Gag Order"

Early in the morning, Hengchuan Peak was plastered tightly with glaring "Gag Talismans."

The Law Enforcement Hall's efficiency was astonishing. Overnight, the perimeter of the once-bustling Scrapyard was sealed off like a sack with its mouth tied shut; not even a breeze could get through.

The "Public Lecture" projection Formations that Su Ciyao had meticulously arranged bore the brunt of it.

Several Disciples from the Law Enforcement Hall expressionlessly pasted strips marked [Sealed] onto the core Spirit Stones of the Formations.

Immediately after, every bulletin board, cafeteria, and even the pavilions where Disciples often gathered on Hengchuan Peak were plastered with notices featuring red backgrounds and black text.

[Law Enforcement Hall · Special Gag Order]

Effective immediately, the entire Hengchuan Peak is under information control:

Prohibited from disseminating details of the Munitions Line: Including but not limited to "assembly line techniques," "standard parts lists," and "armor assembly methods."

Prohibited from broadcasting live combat drills via Formation: All videos involving "low-casualty tactics" must be destroyed or surrendered immediately.

Prohibited from private discussion: Any discussion regarding "abnormal survival" or "Karma misappropriation" will be treated as inciting unrest within the Sect.

[Penalty for violation: Treated as "unauthorized alteration of Karma flow," stripping of Cultivation qualifications, and immediate sentencing to indefinite hard labor in the mines.]

Law Enforcement Elder Lu Guhuai stood in the center of the square, toying with a token in his hand, a cold sneer on his lips as he watched the Disciples who dared to be angry but dared not speak.

"Shen Xingzhou, keep your people in check."

He turned to look at Shen Xingzhou, who had just arrived, his gaze like that of someone looking at a toothless rat. "There are some things in this world that can be done, but cannot be spoken of. And certainly not flaunted with such fanfare."

"That so-called 'new model' of yours disrupts the balance of the Heavenly Dao Karma distribution. If it continues to spread, it will become a heretical cult."

"Unauthorized alteration of Karma flow..."

Shen Xingzhou looked at this accusation, heavy enough to crush a person, and sneered inwardly.

This wasn't a gag order; this was an attempt to silence them permanently.

Once the details of the "Munitions Line" were forbidden from being spread, in time, no one would know how Hengchuan Peak had survived. When that happened, if they died, it would be "in accordance with the Heavenly Dao"; if they lived, it would be "defying the heavens and changing fate."

As long as no one remembered the truth, Law Enforcement Elder Lu Guhuai could fabricate any story he wanted.

"This Disciple will obey."

Shen Xingzhou lowered his head, his tone respectful.

... ~

Back in his Immortal Cave, the respect on Shen Xingzhou's face vanished instantly.

He sat in the darkness, staring at the System interface. There, a red warning was flashing.

[Ban Risk Assessment]

[Option A: Fully comply with the Gag Order]

Consequences:

External reputation of Hengchuan Peak: Plummeting (becoming a silent, isolated island).

Public influence: Reset to zero (no one will know what you are doing).

Risk of being labeled as "incitement": ↓ (Temporarily safe).

Long-term hidden danger: History will be rewritten. If you want to clear your name in the future, there will be no evidence to present.

[Option B: Secretly retain data (Encryption)]

Benefits: Can serve as the most critical "chain of evidence" during future trials, proving the rationality of low-casualty tactics.

Risks: Once "disobedience of orders" is discovered, it will be classified as "deliberate evidence retention" and "ulterior motives," adding to the severity of the crime.

Shen Xingzhou's fingers tapped lightly on the table.

He remembered Peak Master Luo Qingyi's erased service record, the anonymous barrage comment, and the swathes of red "Access Restricted" in the System.

In this world of Cultivation, history is written by the victors and erased by those in power.

If they didn't keep a record, the miracle that the people of Hengchuan Peak had fought so hard to achieve would sooner or later be written off as a coincidence or a scandal.

"Backup."

A flash of ruthlessness crossed Shen Xingzhou's eyes. "Even if I die, I must leave a will to tell the world that I didn't die unjustly."

He took a deep breath and clicked [Yes] between the two options on the System interface.

[Instruction confirmed: Enable "Encrypted Evidence Retention Mode"]

[Executing...]

[Operation details:]

Data packaging: All blueprints for the Munitions Line, combat reports, replays of Su Ciyao's broadcasts, and performance records of the Disciples are being compressed.

Local storage: Encrypted and stored in the "Dark Vault" deep within the earth veins of this peak (non-System space, physical archive).

Cloud mirroring: Attempting to synchronize to [Yellow Springs side database (delayed write)].

[Risk warning:]

"Yellow Springs side" is a secret data layer independent of the Heavenly Dao.

Once this port is discovered by higher-level inspectors, the existence of this System will be directly exposed.

Continue?

"Yellow Springs side..."

Shen Xingzhou was stunned for a moment. He hadn't expected the System to have such channels. As the name implied, it was a place of shadow that even the Heavenly Dao might not be able to reach.

"Continue."

He gritted his teeth. "The barefooted aren't afraid of those wearing shoes. If the Heavenly Dao wants to kill me, I'll hide the evidence in the Yellow Springs."

... ~

On the surface, Hengchuan Peak presented a picture of complete "cooperation."

Outside the Scrapyard, Su Ciyao was leading a group of Disciples, acting enthusiastically in front of the massive projection Formation.

"Oh my, tear it down, tear it all down!"

Su Ciyao directed the operation while winking at the Law Enforcement Disciples observing from the shadows. "This is just a broken projection Formation; it doesn't do anything except play some promotional videos. We will strictly adhere to the Gag Order and absolutely will not broadcast those messy things again."

She skillfully pulled out the complex-looking Spirit power transmission lines one by one, dismantled the core Formation Plate, and threw it into a box.

The scene looked a mess, as if the "compliant variety show" that had once amazed the entire Sect had never existed.

However, just when everyone thought the Formation was destroyed.

Wen Xi crouched in a blind spot of the Formation, her fingers hidden in her sleeves, and lightly flicked out a Formation Flag the size of a grain of rice.

The Formation Flag sank into the soil and vanished instantly.

[Stealth device: Low-frequency Evidence Retention Formation (Micro version)]

[Function:]

No longer performing large-scale live broadcasts, but continuously recording the true state of Hengchuan Peak through "low-frequency pulses."

Receiving end: Requires a specific key to decode.

Camouflage: On the surface, it looks like a piece of ordinary scrap metal.

"As long as this Formation is still here, the eyes of Hengchuan Peak won't be blinded."

Wen Xi brushed the dirt off her hands, stood up as if nothing had happened, and blended into the busy crowd dismantling the equipment.

... ~

Night fell.

The lights on Hengchuan Peak went out one by one, making it exceptionally quiet.

This silence was forced; it was crushed down by that Gag Order.

Shen Xingzhou stood by the window of his Immortal Cave, looking at the darkness outside, feeling a sense of oppression like the calm before a storm.

Just then, the System interface suddenly popped up a new window without any warning.

This was no longer a red warning, but a deep, ghostly blue that represented a "remote connection."

[External access record]

[Source: Central Continent Rating Bureau · An Audit port]

[Content accessed:]

Hengchuan Peak's task reports for the last three months

Detailed combat loss data

Frequency of mentions related to the Munitions Line (keywords)

[Permission comparison:]

Requester's permission: S+ (Directly under the Heavenly Court / Core management)

Sect Law Enforcement Hall's permission: A (Local execution)

Conclusion: The other party's level is far higher than this Sect's Law Enforcement Hall, and they possess "veto power."

Shen Xingzhou's pupils contracted sharply.

Central Continent Rating Bureau.

That wasn't an entity that a remote Sect like the Qingheng Sect could come into contact with; it was the core institution that governed the rule-making of the entire world of Cultivation.

Why would they want to look at the data of a broken peak?

Before he could figure it out, a line of text, as if carved into his bones, slowly emerged in the bottom right corner of the System interface.

This time, even the System's tone became cautious and full of vigilance.

[Local System status update]

[Warning: Host, your "System" itself has aroused suspicion.]

[Marked:]

This Audit node (Shen Xingzhou · Hengchuan Peak) has been marked by higher authorities as a [Suspicious Audit Node]**.

[Suspected reason:]

Data fluctuations are too smooth, operating logic is too "industrialized," and it does not conform to the Chaos characteristics of conventional Cultivators.

[Consequences:]

Next, not only the Sect's internal Law Enforcement Hall but even higher-level forces in the Central Continent will begin to pay attention to Hengchuan Peak.

They aren't just here to investigate...

They are here to place bets.

Shen Xingzhou looked at the line [Suspicious Audit Node], feeling a chill rise up his spine.

He had originally thought he was a game player empowered by a cheat code.

Now he understood that when he used the cheat code too smoothly, he became the "Bug" that would be targeted for a ban by the game administrator.

And those big figures in the Central Continent were, from across mountains and rivers, staring at this tiny Bug with cold eyes, considering whether to fix it, or... utilize it.