Chapter 114 Famous Reasoning

Half past twelve at night, park.

The creations of the magic scholars were renowned for their durability; even a recent cold snap wouldn't prevent them from glowing and heating. The dark lampposts held a steady light, illuminating the shadow knights' armor to a gleaming shine.

The knights' backs retreated from the light. This park was devoid of enemies, and there was no need to draw swords. And as they departed, the darkness above the streetlights rippled like water. Like a painting crafted from the night being peeled off, a slender figure silently emerged.

This was the Shadow Robe Technique, a technique for concealing one's form in the darkness. Even this basic technique could deceive the Shadow Knight's perception. This Zanxin's profound understanding of the technique was truly remarkable. She was none other than the genius Zanxin, Guang Shi Qing Ye!

(That was a close call… If I move, I’ll be discovered. Stealth won’t work.) Qing Ye covered her mouth and nose with a scarf to reduce the noise. (I’ll just have to think for a while. What’s going on in this city…)

A succession of powerful enemies, inexplicable battles, and finally, a mysterious gray creature—all of this plunged Qingye into complete chaos. Confusion is a cardinal sin for those with a broken heart; a rookie who loses track of the way forward deserves to become a glowing corpse. According to the lessons Qingye had been taught, untangling chaos requires unraveling the root cause, and the source of all action is "motivation."

She, the Remnant Heart Light Time Qingye, had come to this Dust Island on a whim. She disembarked midway because she sensed a strong presence of a foreigner in Golden Leaf City. Her reaction was particularly intense, suggesting that the foreigner was likely a natural disaster.

When a cruel person encounters a natural disaster, all he can do is kill. Even the head of the family will smile because of this judgment.

But things had been strange since arriving on the island. That Teardrop... Iceman Sethron... while dangerous, he wasn't quite the Scourge. He was most likely just a pitiful individual, overwhelmed by emotion and losing himself. In a real fight, he wouldn't be a formidable opponent.

The reason why Sethron was wandering around the city was probably to find a trace of himself. And the others...

Qingye thought of the rumors she'd heard when she first arrived on the island: a rare species had arrived in Jinye City. So the Talisman Master, the Light Hammer Woman, and the Tentacle Man were probably treasure hunters—poachers. The sniper was someone behind the scenes, hoping to reap the spoils. Dan couldn't figure it out, and didn't want to think about it, so she skipped over it. The unidentified gray object was probably some kind of local curse. As for the aura she sensed...

——There is a very powerful natural disaster lurking on the island, and everyone is dancing in the hands of that powerful heretic?

This conjecture sent a chill down Qingye's spine. If this were true, she would have to gather as many troops as possible to defeat the Scourge. However, her intuition as a Zanxin questioned this. While reasonable, this conjecture was a bit forced, and there were still many inconsistencies.

(Miss Qingye, stay calm! Don't let wishful thinking blind you. It's especially important to stay calm at times like this!)

Qingye encouraged himself and turned his attention back to those inexplicable contradictions.

The first to bear the brunt of the attack was naturally the tentacle-wielding outsider. His aura was extremely strange, resembling both a demon and a real weapon. Even the headmaster's class had never seen this kind of outsider. However, his martial arts were well-developed, his spirit sharp but not evil, powerful but not violent, and he acted as if he wasn't a outsider.

No, not as if, he completely considered himself a normal person. There was a major cognitive confusion, a paradox between existence and self. This...

This is clearly a sign of a psychic attack! He's been hypnotized!

Qing Ye tapped his palms, feeling a sudden enlightenment. This time, he was on the right track! Only someone under hypnosis would exhibit such contradictory behavior. Perhaps, that man was once a normal martial artist, but he was hypnotized without his knowledge, forcibly transformed into this bizarre appearance, becoming a test subject for the mastermind behind the scenes!

The blond figure was probably also a victim of a mental attack; they were all controlled by the mastermind. And Iceman Sethron was a fragile being, so his rampage was probably fueled by the mastermind.

Qingye felt a slight fear, and she told herself not to be frightened by the outsider's tricks. Thinking about it more carefully, the next contradiction was the smooth egg. The monster's defining features were undoubtedly its elusiveness and exceptionally high defense. It was adept at hiding itself, remaining unscathed even after taking several direct hits from the turbid tears. It also constantly moved underground, like a moving seed.

Seeds…stones…stone seeds…?

So that's how it is. That incredibly high defense is proof of its identity. Bald Egg's true form is a Stone Seed from the Divine Tree Clan! Qing Ye couldn't help but secretly admire it. Normal people would think a seed is a small thing, but no one would realize that a Stone Seed is a four-meter-tall behemoth. And the reason it came to Jinye City...

A fragment of memory flashed through Qingye's mind. This morning, a group of pirates were searching for a giant egg. This made sense. It was looted by pirates, and the stone species actively participated in the battle in search of a strong person who could help it defeat the pirates.

So... the leader of the pirates this morning was probably a formidable foe no less powerful than Particle 3!

Her thoughts gradually became clearer, and she felt she was getting closer to the truth. Now, she had a complete understanding of the group, like an autopsy. The only thing she hadn't figured out was the dark-faced talisman master. Qingye's intuition told her that the talisman master wasn't simple; he had a faintly sinister aura about him.

He was just a poacher? No, it wasn't that simple. Think carefully about what the Talisman Master had done. He was the one who had lured Sethron, who had fought the blonde mid-fight, who had attacked the Stoneseed, and who had led the Ice Bald Monster around, forcing Qingye to join the fight.

All the battles that took place today were caused by the Talisman Master! This whole brawl was orchestrated by him!

Qing Ye broke out in a cold sweat. The Talisman Master had provoked the brawl but presented himself as the victim. He was so scheming, his actions must have been ulterior. Yet, in today's battle, he had avoided direct contact with the Tentacle Man.

Why was he hiding from the tentacle man? If he just wanted to cause trouble, wouldn't the more people involved, the better? Thinking of this, the answer was already clear.

——The Talisman Master is the mastermind behind the transformation of the Tentacle Man.

He caused today's commotion because he wanted to take advantage of the chaos to kill the tentacle man... the disobedient experimental subject!

Bit by bit, the chaotic surface was cleared up by seamless "logic," and Qing Ye gradually came to understand the terrifying secrets beneath the chaos. She realized that the talisman master's plan was far more than just this, because during the fight with the tentacle man, she faintly heard several complaints, as if he was using some precious talisman...

That's right, she saw that scene from afar. The talisman master slapped the talisman on Shi Zhong, and what he said at that time was—

Fu Kai……ji……yue…….

Fukai...sacrifice...yue?

A talisman for offering sacrifice to the moon?!

Wait, wait, wait, don't scare yourself. That talisman master looked normal from every angle. He might have a bad temper, but the only abnormality he had was his skin turning black during battle...

During battle... the skin... turns dark?!

Black blood activation? !

"Oh my god...he is...!"

At that moment, a flash of light flashed through Qingye's mind. Everything connected. There was only one outsider who was skilled in both physical transformation and mental manipulation, possessed a deep mind and a deep understanding, and was skilled at concealing his existence.

——The fallen who believe in the First Abyss!

——The true identity of the talisman master Wu He is a heretic blessed by the Cradle of Forgetfulness!

The deepest truth was revealed, revealing a meticulous and maddening plan. Perhaps Wu He initially came simply to pursue his plaything, but upon arriving in Jinye City, he learned the secrets of this Dust Island... the "undead phenomenon" that prevented the battle, and intelligence on the Stone Seed's escapades. Thus began a new plan.

It's well known that the Senluo Divine Tree clan possesses a spiritual network that soothes the spirits. Given enough time, the stone seed should be able to liberate the souls beneath this city. Wu He precisely targeted this opportunity, intending to contaminate the stone seed and then reverse engineer the network, absorbing all the souls within the seed. This way, he would gain immense energy and a uniquely gifted body. Such abundant resources would be more than enough to enable him to take such a risk and achieve the Fallen One's ultimate goal.

——Launch a city-wide sacrifice, connect to the Black Moon, and summon the evil spirit!

In fact, his plan was nearly successful today! The Stone Seed had already been stricken, and the spirits had ascended to the surface. He could activate his plan at any moment. Iceman Sethron was the detonator prepared for this very moment. If the Iceman detonated himself, freezing the entire city, the people who stood in his way would be unable to stop Wu He's sacrifice. The city would plunge into the abyss.

It was that final bullet that shattered this perfectly planned plan. She had misunderstood. The sniper wasn't a sly, reaping the benefits, but a warrior secretly protecting the city. Perhaps only the sniper had grasped the truth before everyone else. His weapons, bullets and guns, could only have come from Shura Island or the Dustless Land. Given the history of this small town, its origin was self-evident.

——The sniper’s true identity is the magical scholar who built this small town, Mayor Jin Ye!

Completely understood.

I understand it completely.

At this point, the fog shrouding Jinye City has been lifted, and the motives and origins of every faction are now clear. If it weren't for Guang Shi Qingye's ingenious planning, this catastrophe involving the entire city would have remained unknown to this day.

Looking up at the night sky, there were no stars or moon in the night sky of Jinye City, everything showed the ordinariness of this small town. But who could have imagined that the dark moon would appear in the sky soon?

(The Fallen Talisman Master... You are so cruel, it is unforgivable. I will definitely kill you!)

The patriarch was absolutely right. The heretics were always more terrifying than you imagined, and more insidious than you anticipated. Perhaps the talisman master had other tricks up his sleeve that she was unaware of, and time was running out for further delay.

Qingye left the streetlights, using the Shadow Robe technique to disappear into the night. His plan was set: once the undead had dispersed, he would contact the golden leaf and then try to unite with other ascenders.

We must save this city from the evil hands of the Cradle of Oblivion!

(End of this chapter)