Psychics don't die from gunfire

Chapter 922: Shattered Mountains and Rivers
"The moon shines on the watchtower's fire at midnight, frost congeals on the iron armor amidst the clouds of the nine regions—"

The powerful and resounding chants echoed through the dusty city.

On the giant screens of skyscrapers, the latest recruitment propaganda video plays 24 hours a day. The edited clips and carefully designed shots, compared to the previous episode which highlighted the cruelty of the invaders, this episode focuses on loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, and unwavering commitment.

"Blood was offered to Xuanyuan to preserve his noble spirit; his body was sacrificed to protect the people—"

The deep, powerful voice rang out from the sky, spreading in all directions, until it finally reached the much emptier streets.

"Loyal souls have guarded this land through generations; their unwavering loyalty shines through the ages."

Even before the outbreak of the Second Seven Earth War, the Eastern Continent Republic had already formulated a military expansion plan. After three consecutive rounds of expansion, some areas have almost completely wiped out their able-bodied men.

Fortunately, at the end of the First Seven Earth War, the leaders of that generation, with their far-sighted vision, established a birth incentive plan that would benefit the nation for decades. Today, the Eastern Continent Republic remains confident in its military reserves and is prepared for a protracted war.

One generation plants the trees, another enjoys the shade; it's nothing more than that.

As Yan Zhishui drove through the quiet streets, the deserted environment made his driving experience extremely smooth, like scooping up a spoonful of milk custard and letting it slide down his throat in one gulp.

Even if it's not deserted, he still gets by smoothly—as a registered third-class citizen, it might be a bit of an exaggeration to say that he can open up mountains and build bridges over rivers, but his daily right of way is completely unstoppable. Even if he suddenly decides to play with his crazy bumper cars and run over everyone, he will at most pay a fine.

He was also severely reprimanded, told that water can carry a boat but it can also capsize it, and how could he be so careless with the people's strength?

Yan Zhishui didn't do it. Not a single one.

With hands on the steering wheel, the car silently drove through the city. All the checkpoints and inspections that should theoretically exist along the way were given the green light, and the eyes cast at the car were almost entirely filled with envy.

Gradually, the classical and elegant high-rise buildings were transformed into modern skyscrapers, and then they shrunk down, becoming jagged and impoverished shantytowns, like moss parasitizing the jade steps and sucking blood.

Then, the moss was also forgotten.

Three hours, maybe four hours. Yan Zhishui stopped the car and got out. He would walk the rest of the way because of the other party's fondness for antiques, which also became a sign of his respect for the former.

Snow-capped mountain peaks.

The wind that brushed against my face wasn't cold, but it was chilly; the snowflakes that fell on my body weren't sharp, but they felt heavy and substantial under my feet.

From a distance, only a small black dot can be seen winding its way up the mountain road, as if it might be swallowed up at any moment.

After a long while, the unchanging view suddenly gave way to the mountain gate. Thick snow covered it, and only the three characters "Wanxiangsi" (meaning "Myriad Manifestations Bureau") could be vaguely seen.

For most citizens of the Eastern Continent Republic, this is an unfamiliar name. It is not as well-known as those illustrious families with glorious histories, nor as fearsome as the Department of Homeland Defense. However, among the few who know it, this name is worth paying attention to.

It represents a portion of the once-prosperous Eastern Continent [Revelation], including those exceptionally talented individuals and bizarre schools of thought that have survived to this day.

Yan Zhishui stood outside the mountain gate and bowed.

The next second, his vision blurred, and when he regained his senses, he was standing in a serene courtyard.

An old plum tree leaned against the corner of the wall, its crisp, delicate fragrance floating like wisps of smoke in the air. Looking through the sparse plum branches, I saw a figure sitting quietly on a jade platform, dressed in white that was even whiter than snow, her black hair held together by a single wooden hairpin. She seemed completely unaware of who had come, gazing at the distant snow-covered mountains.

"Why did you come back at this time?" After a long while, the other party spoke: "Hmph, do you know that the position of 'Supervisor' is something that even I, as your master, would have to go through a lot of trouble to get for you?"

This statement is half true and half false.

As the current head of the [Myriad Phenomena Division], a department in the Eastern Continent Republic specializing in "divination and divination," he is currently the strongest figure in the Eastern Continent Republic on the path of [Revelation].

She is a fourth-ring psionicist, but her position carries far more power than that of an average fourth-ring psionicist.

The position of "military supervisor" was coveted by all sides, but when she asked for it for her personal disciple, there were few people in the entire Eastern Continent Republic who could compete with her.

However, this wasn't without reason; she still had to give some favors in exchange.

"On a whim," Yan Zhishui replied.

An absurd answer. Especially the act of submitting his resignation, abandoning his position as "supervisor" of a large army, and rushing back from afar is absurd to the extreme.

Upon hearing those four words, the woman's brows relaxed, revealing a heartfelt sense of relief.

She stopped gazing at the snow-capped mountains and turned around.

The woman, holding a hand warmer, did not get up but slightly raised her chin.

"Is this... Shu Ri's report?"

A stack of paper reports suddenly appeared in front of him. Yan Zhishui picked them up, glanced at them, and immediately made a judgment about their origin.

【Shu Ri】 is also an unknown department, and even more so than 【Wan Xiang Si】. The latter is just a high-level classified unit, while the former does not exist on paper at all and is not officially recognized.

This organization, which was originally born from the black gloves of a powerful family, had long been impatient over the years and was determined to seek greater independence. Who could stand having to work hard and bear the infamy, and being constantly asked "What's your surname?"?

To some extent, the positions of the [Wanxiangsi] and [Shuri] overlap. The latter is inherently rejected and disliked by the major aristocratic families, and is always used with a heavy heart, while the former, due to the scarcity and special nature of the [Revelation] path, has always had a small number of members, and its members are often not from aristocratic families. For example, Yan Zhishui himself was initially guided by a sudden realization from the person in front of him, feeling a connection, and thus followed his inner guidance, wandering around various places. Finally, when Yan Zhishui was about to be sold into a fifth-class aristocratic family as a servant—Yan Zhishui's biological father was heavily in debt from gambling, and his wife had run away early when things were not going well, he had no choice but to sell his son in tears.

So the head of the Wanxiang Division spent a sum of money to buy Yan Zhishui from Yan Zhishui's biological father.

This is why Wanxiangsi and Shuri tacitly grew closer and closer, forming a silent alliance.

The Eastern Continent court is extremely dangerous, and it is extremely difficult to remain unscathed. Even second-class families and fourth-ring spiritualists can be destroyed if they make a single mistake. Therefore, they must support each other.

Yan Zhishui flipped through the pages one by one, then faster and faster, turning them with increasing force. Suddenly, he closed the book and looked up.

Extravagance and hedonism, decadence and debauchery, speculation and profiteering, seeking exorbitant profits from national crises, manipulating power, vying for power and profit, falsifying war achievements, deceiving superiors and subordinates, and killing innocent people to claim credit.
This wasn't the first time Yan Zhishui had seen these things.

He is the only disciple of the current head of the Myriad Manifestations Division, and has become a third-class citizen in one leap. Based on this status alone, the eldest sons of major families are willing to befriend him. He himself is absolutely worthy of the title of being personally taught by the head of the division. At the moment, he is not yet thirty years old and has already reached the middle level of the third ring of [Revelation], which is enough to be compared with the highly anticipated geniuses such as Lin Changge, Wen Xuanye, Cangye Ting, Nagihiko Chinen, and Xu Liuyuan.

He was destined to enter the highest court of the Eastern Republic in the future, standing shoulder to shoulder with the great officials.
Therefore, he could see with his own eyes everything, both the embellished and the unembellished. He had read about the incriminating information provided by [Shu Ri] before, and had also witnessed it firsthand many times in the past.

But no matter when, he still felt angry!
He had stopped and punished them many times, but there were also many times when he could not stop or punish them—at least not as a "personal disciple of the Master of the Myriad Manifestations Department."

The current report is even worse! Despite the fierce fighting on the front lines, with mountains collapsing, the earth cracking, and rivers of blood flowing, the rear shows no restraint whatsoever, continuing as before, and even escalating, as if it were a rare and unrestrained celebration!

"It's just scabies."

The head of the department touched the hand warmer, ignoring her disciple's expression. She slowly said, "With us here, these idiots can't cause any trouble. They were just delivered to me, and you happened to come back, so I just let you take a look at them."

Yan Zhishui's face twitched, and he was about to say something, but the Master interrupted him the next moment.

“Let’s get down to business.” She pushed the heater aside and placed her hands flat on her knees. “Lately, I have been restless and troubled by many thoughts. Even my daily divinations have been wrong one after another. I think that either my time is coming or the country is about to perish.”

She uttered those earth-shattering words in a casual, conversational tone.

"Well, at least you still have some conscience. You haven't slacked off in your cultivation, and you were willing to rush back even after receiving the warning." The Master nodded. "Yan Zhishui, I hereby declare that you have officially graduated."

"Master."

"Leave the Eastern Continent. This isn't a polite way of speaking to you; it's an order from your master." The Master thought for a moment, then pulled out the wooden hairpin from behind her head with her slender fingers and tossed it to the other person: "Get as far away as possible before I call you back."

She continued, "If you really can't make a living on your own, then go to the Silent Ones Society. Back in the day, the Eastern Continent's [Revelation] was the best in Terra, and our 'All Things' lineage was also one of the best. Our ancestors even had a fifth-ring member. The Silent Ones Society will definitely give you a way to make a living, for my sake."

"Master!"

Yan Zhishui's face was taut, and his fists were clenched, as if he were about to punch the other person in the face at any moment.

"What? You think you can scare me?"

The head of the department snorted coldly: "You've grown wings? If you want to die, just say so. I'll personally handle this."

Yan Zhishui took a deep breath and, after several seconds, asked, "Are you ready?"

"I will mobilize the [Surveillance Network] to conduct a 'Great Evolution Divination', and then I will personally go to find Feng Lian."

Yan Zhishui remained silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "I have something to say."

"—Don't say it out loud." Master Si put his index finger to his lips, making a "shh" gesture: "If you say it now, I'm afraid I won't be able to resist taking action."

"The Eastern Continent Republic is not worth it." Yan Zhishui said, emphasizing each word.

“I know,” the Master said. “You think this place is rotten here and there, and you find everything unpleasant and displeasing. Now that it’s almost over, you still want to persuade me to go with you. What a respectful and good disciple of mine.”

"Ah...you know the answer perfectly well."

The Master's lips parted in a wide grin, revealing his teeth, and he exhaled a fragrant breath: "I don't care about your back-and-forth."

"There's no need for divination or fortune-telling. Even if everything remains unchanged for now, you, as master and disciple, will inevitably have to fight each other in the future, and you understand that as well."

There was another moment of silence, then Yan Zhishui knelt down, faced the Chief Judge, and kowtowed three times forcefully.

The snow fell like a waterfall.

"Master." As he stood up and was about to leave the mountain gate, Yan Zhishui suddenly stopped. He turned around and stared straight into the courtyard. "May I ask one last question? Why?"

"Knowing it's impossible, yet still doing it; propping up a collapsing edifice, turning the tide of disaster. Think of all the brilliant talents in our Eastern Continent throughout history, yet most of them couldn't escape the words 'impossible to do.' How could your master like me be out of place?"

"Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise, and a blessing may be a misfortune in disguise; it is simply a matter of success or failure."

In the snow-covered courtyard, a subtle fragrance permeated the air. The Master, with his sharp eyebrows and heroic spirit, his eyes flashing like lightning, smiled heartily.

"I will use the destruction of this vast land to prove all that I have learned in my life!"

(End of this chapter)