I became a god through frontier slaughter, and I crushed the academy's prodigies!

After killing Lin Hai, the effect of [Abyss Observer] will be automatically triggered.

A moment later, a new memory about Lin Hai appeared on the panel.

Shen Tian quickly reviewed the information, discarding the useless fragments, and swiftly focused on the parts he was most interested in.

Who exactly is behind Lin Hai?

Soon, the image of a man appeared in Shen Tian's mind.

The man was wearing a very simple gray long gown, with gray hair and a thin face, looking like a retired old schoolteacher.

But his eyes—

The pupils were extremely pale, almost transparent.

Like two pieces of ice polished for a thousand years, they were eyes that had seen life and death countless times.

Three minutes later, Shen Tian turned off the panel.

Oh, it was him.

Zhou Xuan happened to be walking over carrying the metal box containing Lin Hai's head when he saw Shen Tian standing still and keenly sensed something.

"Shen Qinwei?"

Shen Tian turned his head and glanced at him.

"Who do you think is behind Lin Hai?"

Zhou Xuan was taken aback.

He didn't expect Shen Tian to ask this question suddenly.

"Lin Hai is a seventh-grade weapon forger. For him to be willing to act as a guide, either he was offered an enormous benefit, or... he simply didn't dare to refuse."

Zhou Xuan paused, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes.

"I served as an inspector in Tianyun Prefecture for over a decade, and I've gotten to know a bit about the connections of those powerful families in Longjing. There aren't many people in the entire Long Kingdom who would dare to extend their reach into Tianyun Prefecture and openly send in foreign tribes."

Shen Tian didn't reply, but just looked at him quietly.

Zhou Xuan took a deep breath.

"If you ask me... this matter is probably beyond the scope of what a powerful family could handle."

Shen Tian's lips twitched slightly.

"Xu Daozhen".

The three words landed.

Zhou Xuan's pupils looked as if they had experienced an 8-magnitude earthquake!

The metal box almost slipped from his hands.

He really wanted to tell Shen Tian that the joke wasn't funny at all.

But looking at Shen Tian's serious expression, he knew that what Shen Tian said was probably true!

Xu Daozhen is a figure who stands at the pinnacle of power in the Dragon Kingdom's Heavenly Pivot Bureau.

Every time Zhou Xuan heard this person's name, he couldn't help but feel a chill.

This was a matter of great importance, and to ensure that he had not misunderstood Shen Tian's meaning, Zhou Xuan asked again.

To ensure he hadn't misunderstood Shen Tian

"Is Shen Qinwei referring to Xu Daozhen, one of the Three Pillars of the Tian Shu Bureau?"

Shen Tian nodded, his face revealing no emotion.

In Zhou Xuan's eyes, Shen Tian had always been like this, indifferent.

Even after learning who was behind Lin Hai and who he had offended, Shen Tian's face remained expressionless.

But Zhou Xuan was different; just hearing the news terrified him.

This is news that could cost you your head!

Zhou Xuan's Adam's apple bobbed twice, but he didn't ask Shen Tian how he knew.

Because asking is pointless.

Shen Tian said yes, that's it.

But it was precisely because he knew Shen Tian wouldn't be wrong that his fear felt all the more real.

"One of the few ninth-tier powerhouses in the Dragon Kingdom..."

Zhou Xuan murmured, his voice hesitant and strained, as if he had a piece of red-hot iron in his mouth.

Shen Tian remained silent, waiting for him to process the information.

Zhou Xuan's hands were trembling slightly. He took several deep breaths and forcefully suppressed the chill.

When he spoke, his voice had mostly returned to normal.

Zhou Xuan gave a bitter laugh. He felt it was necessary to educate Shen Tian about the status of ninth-level martial artists in the Dragon Kingdom.

This was to prepare Shen Tian mentally, making him understand the enormous behemoth he was facing.

"In the entire Dragon Kingdom, there are no more than five ninth-tier experts."

"Lord Lu is a seventh-rank official. In Tianyun Prefecture, he is the very heaven."

"But in the face of the ninth rank—"

Zhou Xuan paused for a second.

"Seventh rank is nothing."

Zhou Xuan did not look down on Lu Changming in the slightest; in his eyes, Lu Changming was a god-like being.

But what he said was also true; a ninth-tier expert was terrifying indeed!

His voice lowered.

"Each ninth-tier powerhouse represents the ultimate strategic deterrent at the national level."

"Their mere presence, without them even lifting a finger, is enough to intimidate all the alien forces on Earth."

Shen Tian leaned against the outer wall of the spaceship, arms crossed, listening quietly.

Zhou Xuan continued.

"The Tian Shu Bureau is the highest intelligence and decision-making body in the Dragon Kingdom, directly responsible to the Supreme Council. To put it bluntly, the orders of the Tian Shu Bureau are greater than those of the governor of any city or prefecture."

"The actual operation of the Tian Shu Bureau is overseen by three 'Tian Zhu' (Heavenly Pillars) on a rotating basis."

"Xu Daozhen is one of the three pillars of heaven."

Zhou Xuan's fingers gripped the edge of the metal box, his knuckles turning white.

"He is not just a ninth-level martial artist. He is one of the actual rulers of the Tian Shu Bureau. His will, to some extent, represents the will of the Dragon Kingdom."

"With a nod from him, an entire city can be wiped out."

"He shook his head, and a war could be called off."

"If he wanted to kill someone..."

Zhou Xuan raised his head and looked into Shen Tian's eyes.

"No one in this world can save themselves."

"I'm talking about the entire Blue Planet, not the Dragon Kingdom."

The wind was strong, and Shen Tian's trench coat fluttered loudly.

The silence lasted for a few seconds.

Zhou Xuan assumed that Shen Tian was processing the pressure brought by this news.

He was about to say something to ease the tension—

Shen Tian spoke.

"That's why Lin Hai was so fearless."

His tone remained flat.

It wasn't feigned calmness; it was genuine calmness.

Zhou Xuan opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He found himself making the same old mistake again.

Judge Shen Tian by the standards of an ordinary person.

The boy in front of me was a dropout in Jiangcheng just half a month ago.

Half a month later, he single-handedly fought his way through a city-destroying beast tide, killed a sixth-tier beast king, seized military power in two cities, and just slaughtered ten thousand Purple Spirit Clan members.

You can't tell someone like that "the ninth level is terrifying."

Will he be afraid?

Zhou Xuan suddenly felt that what he had just said was a bit unnecessary.

But Shen Tian's next words proved that he hadn't spoken in vain.

"Inspector Zhou."

"exist."

"I've remembered everything you just said."

Shen Tian turned his head and looked at the distant horizon.

"Ninth-tier is very strong. The Heavenly Pivot Bureau is vast. Xu Daozhen is terrifying."

"But you forgot to mention one thing."

Zhou Xuan was taken aback.

"What?"

Shen Tian turned around and walked towards the direction where the army was gathering.

The trench coat billowed behind him like a black flag.

He didn't turn around.

The voice came from the wind, not loud, but every word struck Zhou Xuan's heart.

He struck first.

Zhou Xuan stood there, clutching the metal box, watching the figure walk further and further away.

The wasteland was littered with corpses, three purple spaceships stood silently, and a forty-meter-tall steel behemoth knelt in the setting sun.

But the boy's silhouette was heavier than anything else.

Zhou Xuan suddenly laughed.

The smile was bittersweet, yet also resigned.

He looked down at the metal box in his arms.

The box contained Lin Hai's head.

Then he looked up in the direction Shen Tian had gone.

"Alright."

Zhou Xuan switched the box to his other hand and quickly followed.

Only one thought remained in my mind—

Following this man, you'll either die a glorious death or live a legendary life.

Anyway, it's better than living a cowardly and miserable life.