Reverse flow of the Yellow Springs

Judging from the angle of the laceration, the Supreme Master of the Furnace was attacked from behind.

He launched a counterattack immediately.

This gave the scars on his back a strange, crescent-shaped black pattern. Though they were lacerations, they seemed to be branded with some kind of sinister symbol.

Even the supreme divinity could not suppress this entrenched power. The holy healing potion, hailed as a divine medicine, was also powerless against it.

The last time Li Yelai witnessed a similar situation was on the thigh of Hong Lan, the head of the Hong family.

That was divine pollution from the Blood Rider civilization, which almost paralyzed Hong Lan's legs.

The wounds on the Supreme Furnace are somewhat similar in shape, but their colors are completely different.

Li Yelai looked at the wound, his mind racing. The furnace core had indeed been attacked.

If all of this wasn't staged by him, then he certainly wasn't a rat.

But it's also possible that this was a wound deliberately left to cover up the consequences of being controlled by cause and effect.

If it is the latter, then Li Yelai treating him would be tantamount to revealing his trump card as a divine calamity.

"Even you failed to detect the assassin?" Li Yelai asked.

“Yes,” the Supreme Lord of the Furnace sighed, “No one would have expected to be attacked in the heart of the giant city. It happened so suddenly. I fought back after being injured, but I was still unable to capture the assassin.”

"Did you see what the assassin looked like?" Li Yelai asked again.

"I saw a fleeting shadow." The Furnace Heart Supreme, who had his back to Li Yelai, turned his head to look at Li Yelai: "It seems to be a woman."

Is this why Border City No. 1 suspects Little Mad King?

A woman, a powerful assassin, and the curse of the Little Mad King—is this a deliberate scheme by the Heavenly Evolution Walker?

"That's not necessarily true. There are countless treasures and forbidden items in the world. Many can even change form or gender, so we can't be sure it's definitely female," Li Yelai cautioned.

For example, the Reversal Mirror in Li Yelai's storage space can reverse physical strength and spiritual energy intensity.

A powerful individual like Captain Yang Chen, with a health bar three miles long, would likely have his spiritual energy strength stacked up to the Supreme level once he used it.

The price of the Reversal Mirror is a change of gender.

Therefore, this assassin was probably not a woman either.

“I know. But doubt is inevitable. Especially for the adjudication team.” The Heart of the Furnace nodded and turned back: “Now, I beg you.”

Li Yelai nodded, unlocked the mask, and revealed his double pupils!

Then, the Divine Demon Monument was reversed.

As Li Yelai's curse was strengthened, an ominous power spread.

The Supreme Being of the Furnace's expression shifted slightly: "My divinity has been shackled. Is this divine abomination? This kind of information cannot be known to the outside world."

Li Yelai nodded and placed his palm on the wound of the Furnace Heart Supreme.

The moment the fingertip touched it, the black lines on the wound suddenly twisted wildly, and the vicious power contained within surged and shrieked like a living creature.

The originally clear, jet-black patterns became blurred and distorted, like the surface of water after a stone has been thrown in.

Finally, after a piercing scream, the patterns completely collapsed and disappeared.

As the sinister patterns disappeared, the Supreme Furnace's boundless blood and energy surged forth without hindrance, and the wound began to heal at a visible speed.

The complexion of the Supreme One at the Furnace Center also improved rapidly.

"Thank you very much, Champion." The Supreme Master of the Furnace put on his clothes and said in a deep voice, "You have been a great help."

He continued, "I will give you an explanation regarding the Tribunal. And I will give that strongest assassin the best proof of my trust."

Li Yelai carefully sensed the complexion and spiritual energy fluctuations of the Furnace Heart Supreme. Although he had not fully recovered, he was indeed fine and did not seem to have suffered any karmic backlash.

He nodded in response: "You flatter me, Lord Hearth. But what, then, is this so-called proof of trust?"

"We'll know once we get out," the Supreme Lord of the Furnace replied. "Rest assured, if everything goes smoothly, she will not only be fine, but will even become one of our most trusted comrades."

"So, in the end, you still don't trust us," Li Yelai said in a deep voice. "During that time, we were trapped in the Ghost Realm. It was hundreds of kilometers away from Border City No. 1, or even further."

"But as the strongest assassin, if she had left halfway through your encounter with the Returners, you probably wouldn't have noticed, would you?" the Furnace Supreme asked. "That's a possibility, isn't it?"

"You suspect that while she was fighting alongside us, she broke away from the Ghost Realm and then rushed to the First Border City, a hundred kilometers away?"

Then, they sneaked into the heavily guarded headquarters building and assassinated you without alerting anyone, including you, the supreme leader.

And you evaded your counterattack unscathed, ran over a hundred kilometers, and returned to us?

Li Yelai shook his head helplessly. Even the Little Mad King couldn't do that.

He could somewhat understand Little Mad King's usual situation; that damned curse made her the scapegoat for all the terrible things that happened.

Even the slightest possibility will make them suspicious.

"To slander a human hero as a traitor. That is true blasphemy!" Li Yelai said. "Even if the entire champion team testifies, can't you trust her?"

"You've misunderstood, Ninth Champion." The Supreme Lord of the Furnace looked at Li Yelai: "I have never doubted the Champion. I merely gave her an opportunity—an opportunity sufficient to prove herself. Prove herself! If everything goes smoothly, she will never be doubted again. She will become a powerful figure on our First Border City's permanent trust list! Even with the curse influencing her, we will choose to trust her!"

"Of course, if she is unwilling, we have nothing to say."

The two then returned to the headquarters lobby.

The atmosphere in the hall, however, was somewhat subtle.

Yang Chen, who was originally sitting on the sofa, for some reason moved a stool over and sat down in front of Zhou Tian Overlord and Qingxu Supreme. The three chatted about random things. Yang Chen subtly blocked their view.

The doll sat down next to Little Mad King, with the advertising board in its hand placed in front of Little Mad King.

The Little Mad King remained expressionless.

Upon seeing the return of the Furnace Heart Supreme, the Azure Void Supreme and the Zhou Tian Overlord immediately asked, "How are your injuries?"

"Alright, I've almost recovered. The Ninth Champion helped me erase that damned divine corruption." The Furnace Supreme smiled at Yang Chen, "Eighth Generation, your judgment is indeed excellent. A truly formidable young man."

"Don't be so 'you're too young to be feared.' You've been talking about the ninth generation of champions all the way from the fourth generation," Qingxu Supreme retorted.

"Haha." The Supreme Furnace looked at the Little Mad King and said, "I have a plan that can help you clear yourself of all suspicion, but if you really have any ulterior motives, it will be fatally dangerous for you. Are you willing to try?"

“Deadly danger?” Li Yelai frowned, while Yang Chen’s expression shifted slightly. “What kind of method is it?” “Please rest assured, we have no ill intentions,” the Furnace Heart Supreme said. “We recently acquired a new forbidden item. It’s a sword case discovered by a merchant ship that ran aground on a certain reef.”

"A Class B forbidden item, the Sword of Inquiry."

"After offering enough sacrifices and supplies, you can open the sword box and conduct a heart-searching test. You can think of it as the most accurate lie detector. If it encounters a lie, it will go out of control on the spot and kill the person seeking the heart-searching test. But if the heart-searching test is successful, you will receive different levels of blessings depending on the content of the heart-searching test."

"For example, if you ask yourself whether you stole anything yesterday, even if you succeed in asking yourself honestly, the blessings you receive will be minimal."

"The Sword of Inquiry can only be used once per person. Therefore, we designed a content for the Sword of Inquiry that can clear her of all doubts."

The Supreme Being of the Furnace explained, "We will provide the offerings and supplies; she only needs to undergo one self-examination. If successful, no one will doubt her afterward. What do you say?"

After thinking for a moment, Yang Chen nodded and said, "It is indeed a good thing. I request that all members of our champion team use it. We will pay for the supplies ourselves."

"Yes." The Supreme Being of the Furnace nodded.

Li Yelai cautiously asked, "Has the entire interior of Border City No. 1 been tested through the sword's inquiries?"

"It's not all done yet. If you have any doubts, we can begin immediately," the Supreme Lord of the Furnace replied, his gaze returning to the Little Mad King. "This is not mandatory. Are you willing?"

Without the slightest hesitation, the Little Mad King decisively replied, "Yes."

“Alright.” The Supreme Furnace Master nodded, but still warned, “However, I must remind you again that if you fail to question your heart, you will surely die. The power contained in that sword box makes even me feel uneasy.”

The Little Mad King nodded firmly. What she had sought all her life was the trust of the world and the opportunity to prove herself, and she would naturally not back down now.

This is also the origin of her concept of 'task priority'; only by completing the task can she gain the trust of her companions.

This made her willing to pay any price for the mission.

Li Yelai and Yang Chen exchanged a glance and sighed softly.

Afterwards, the group arrived at the Black Prison beneath the headquarters.

And in the dark prison, they saw an ancient sword box heavily bound by dozens of thick chains covered with dark red rust.

When large quantities of fresh flesh and blood were respectfully offered, the cold chains seemed to come alive instantly, writhing and stretching like the tentacles of a hungry deep-sea octopus, greedily devouring the flesh and blood.

As the chains loosened and tightened, the silent sword case emitted a low hum, and the lid slowly opened.

In an instant, a dark, massive sword several meters long silently rose from it and hovered in mid-air!

A terrifying aura that sent shivers down one's spine suddenly spread out, as if the sword itself were a weapon that could cleave through time and space!
The first to step into it was the Zhou Tian Overlord.

This young overlord, in his forties, is the captain of the adjudication team and also the one who most suspects the Little Mad King.

To set an example, he was the first to use the Sword of Inquiry.

"I have never betrayed humanity. Everything I have done has been for humanity!"

Li Yelai's expression shifted slightly. Was this the content of the inquiry into the heart?

That makes sense. For the sake of humanity, they will not assassinate the supreme human being, nor will they harm human interests.

However, if Li Ye were to say, "I am not the Chosen One of Chaos," that sword would probably fall down. Because he truly is the Chosen One of Chaos.
As Zhou Tian made his vow, the giant sword trembled slightly.

A ball of light appeared on the tip of the sword and floated down to Zhou Tian Bazhu's chest, disappearing into it.

This signifies that he has succeeded in questioning his conscience and has received the blessing of the Sword of Questioning the Heart.

"Please!" Zhou Tianbazhu stepped out of the containment chamber and gestured for Little Mad King to enter.

Without hesitation, Little Mad King stepped into the containment chamber.

He said the same thing to the Heart-Questioning Sword that had been revived.

At that moment, the furnace core, the Azure Void Supreme, and even the many powerful figures guarding the Black Prison all held their breath.

Even now, they still 'doubt' Little Mad King.

And began to wonder, if Little Mad King failed his heart-questioning, how would the champion team and Old Mad King react?
Especially the ninth-generation champion, there are rumors that the two have a close relationship and are suspected to be partners. The comrades who were monitoring them last night confirmed that they stayed together last night.

If a partner is killed by a forbidden object here, will the Ninth Champion...
Theoretically speaking, no, how could a champion possibly be for a traitor or hostile comrade?
But Zhou Tian and the others eventually became wary.

Zhou Tianba glanced at Li Yelai out of the corner of his eye, only to find that Li Yelai's expression was calm. As an individual unaffected by the curse, Li Yelai had complete trust in Little Mad King!
As a ball of light appeared and entered Little Mad King's body, the others slowly exhaled.

“That’s good.” The Furnace Heart Supreme said, “I apologize for my previous doubts. You will be our most trusted partner and comrade-in-arms in Border City No. 1.”

Zhou Tianbazhu also clasped his hands and said in a deep voice, "I'm sorry, we will do our best to make up for the previous misunderstanding."

Little Mad King nodded slightly and stepped back to Li Yelai's side.

Then came the questioning of Li Yelai and the others.

As for resources, the champion team, having survived the Wanlong Lake and the Disaster Fog, now has extremely abundant supplies, so there's no need to worry.

As expected, all of them successfully completed their self-examination.

Therefore, Li Yelai also received a blessing from the Heart-Questioning Sword.

[Blessing of the Overlord: When facing multiple enemies alone, damage is increased by 5% and defense by 5%. For every three additional enemies, the increase is 5%, up to a maximum of 30%.]
The more enemies there are, the more ferocious our power becomes!
Similar to the mimicry anomaly of the fifth-generation champion, both are triggered when surrounded.

However, the fifth generation has a higher bonus, while the Overlord's Barrier bonus is a bit low, only 30% at the limit, which is too far from the fifth generation champion's anomaly.

Moreover, the limit can only be triggered when surrounded by eighteen enemies.

It's easy to deal with regular enemies, but if it's an enemy of the same or higher rank, that's a bit too demanding, and triggering the limit is quite difficult.

I don't know if summoning a heroic spirit counts as facing an enemy alone.

'But getting a blessing for free isn't a bad deal,' Li Yelai thought to himself.

However, Little Mad King dispelled his doubts, but the First Border City itself produced a failed case.

That was Zhou Tianbazhu's subordinate, a sixth-sense great spiritual energy user, a captain-level powerhouse.

During the self-examination, it seemed as if some memory was suddenly and forcibly awakened.

He tried to escape in terror, shouting, "Blood sacrifice to the Blood God, skull offered to the throne!" Then, he was cut in two by the Heart-Questioning Sword.

This made Zhou Tian and the others look grim.

The people they suspected were normal, yet a Chaos believer emerged from among their own ranks. (End of Chapter)