What do you mean by saying that the corpses I sew are all ominous creatures?

I stared at the corpse of the masked actor, but my brow remained furrowed.

I still have a feeling that things aren't that simple.

"Lu Yan, you take care of the aftermath first. I'm going to take a walk around."

I pointed to the corpses on the ground, reminding her to clean up the battlefield first.

Lu Yan wiped the rain off her face, nodded, and turned to take charge of the overall situation.

She clearly knew this wasn't the time to talk.

After Lu Yan left, I propped myself up on my knees and turned to walk towards the pile of bronze cauldron remains.

That attack was really brutal.

The bronze cauldron had now been reduced to a pile of twisted scrap metal.

The dark red rust mixed with black bloodstains was particularly glaring under the strong light of the searchlight.

I crouched down, enduring the lingering heat, and began searching under a large fragment of the cauldron's wall.

"really……"

When I saw what was mixed in with the ashes, I nodded to myself.

Soul-stabilizing Pearl.

To be precise, they were fragments of the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl that had shattered and lost their luster.

I picked up one that was relatively intact; it was only about the size of a fingernail and its surface was covered with cracks.

The Soul-Stabilizing Pearl, which was originally smooth and warm, has now become extremely rough.

After a casual glance, I discovered that the number of Soul-Stabilizing Pearls here was astonishing.

There are at least hundreds of fragments of the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl just from the residue exposed on the surface.

This is just the tip of the iceberg; who knows how many more are buried beneath that thick layer of ashes.

Jin Wanliang's information was correct; the large number of Soul-Stabilizing Pearls on the black market had indeed been bought up by the Guardian of the Cauldron.

but……

I held that broken bead in my hand, my fingers unconsciously stroking it, but the sense of unease in my heart grew stronger and stronger.

Something's not right.

I muttered to myself.

I don't know the secret methods of the guardians of the cauldron. They may need to use a large number of Soul-Stabilizing Pearls to refine Soul Pills, which is logically plausible.

But that's not what bothers me.

I turned my head and glanced at the corpse of the masked actor, which was already wrapped in a body bag not far away.

Although this guy is powerful, and he was able to hold his own against Lu Yan and me for so long even after being poisoned by evil magic, the sense of oppression he gave me was far less than that of the middle-aged man who appeared in the underground palace.

She was even a step below that old Miao woman who appeared on the hill behind my house.

However, the underground palace incident has not been over for long, and it can be said that the Bureau of Folklore is still keeping a close eye on Jiangcheng.

The guardian of the cauldron risked being watched by the General Administration's forces, just to refine the Soul Pill and then help him break through?

Or was it to help him forge a magical artifact?

The guardian of the tripod, a colossal entity capable of passing down its legacy for millennia, must be shrewd, profit-driven, and extremely cautious in its actions.

They made such a big show of things in Jiangcheng, even risking exposing their whereabouts and going so far as to involve the Shadow Sect, a shady assassin organization...

The human, material, and financial resources invested are all at a loss no matter how you calculate it.

Just to create a masked actor?

He doesn't deserve it.

"unless……"

An idea popped into my head.

Unless this cauldron, along with this ghost mask, and even the news of buying up the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl on the black market, tonight's massacre-like sacrifice is just a facade.

It's still the same old trick of sacrificing a pawn to protect the throne.

But if this is a sacrifice, then where is the real game?

Just then, the black bone needle in my chest suddenly twitched without warning.

Om-!

The next moment, a massive wave emanated from the distant night sky.

I suddenly looked up and stared intently in the direction of Jiangcheng city.

That's... southeast?

Old town?

But this fluctuation came quickly and went even faster.

Before I could pinpoint the exact location, the fluctuation disappeared at its source.

In the blink of an eye, it was as if an invisible hand had forcefully pushed them back down.

Something's happened.

I stood up, ignoring the soreness in my body, and quickly walked towards Lu Yan.

We must tell her immediately that Jiangcheng might be the real main battlefield, and have her immediately activate the reserve team that was prepared beforehand and head to the old city.

However, before I could get close, I heard one of Lu Yan's communication devices suddenly ring.

Lu Yan was clearly startled by the sudden ringing of the bell.

She glanced at the caller ID, and her previously relaxed expression instantly changed; she instinctively straightened her back.

"Yes! I am Lu Yan."

"……clear!"

"But Chief, we just finished a battle here, and there have been casualties..."

"...Yes! Mission accomplished! Depart immediately!"

In the short call that lasted less than half a minute, Lu Yan only said these few sentences.

But when she put down the phone and turned around, I saw that her eyes were filled with shock, and even a hint of unconcealed bewilderment.

"What's wrong?"

I walked up to her and asked in a low voice, "Has something happened in the city?"

Lu Yan looked at me, her lips moved, as if she was hesitating whether or not to speak.

But after glancing at the busy team members around her, she finally sighed and pulled me to the back of an off-road vehicle.

"Chen Yang, did you feel that just now?"

Instead of answering directly, she asked a question in return.

"Yes, there's a very strong fluctuation coming from the southeast."

I nodded. "If I'm not mistaken, that's the direction of the old town, right?"

Lu Yan gave a wry smile and scratched her hair in frustration.

"It was a call from above. Not from the provincial bureau, but from the Beijing headquarters."

Her voice was a little hoarse: "The order is simple: leave only the minimum number of people to clean up the mess here."

All remaining combat personnel, armed with their gear, rushed to the City God Temple area in the old city.

"City God Temple?"

I froze for a moment.

That place is an old landmark in Jiangcheng. It is usually quite popular with worshippers, and the surrounding area is full of small vendors doing wholesale business.

How could a bustling downtown area become a battlefield?

"What are the mission requirements?" I pressed.

Lu Yan raised her head, looked at me with a complicated expression, and slowly uttered two words:

"Cleaning the floor."

Wash the floor.

This is jargon.

It means the battle is over, and the task is to seal off the scene, cover up the evidence, dispose of the bodies, and eliminate any social impact.

Just as I guessed, this is still a maze set up by the guardian of the cauldron.

The real showdown will take place at the City God Temple.

Judging from this, Lu Yan and I won't need our arrangements; the battle over there seems to be quite large.

At the city-level branch level, combat personnel can only be used for logistical support.

"Who...is making a move over there?"

I couldn't help but ask.

To be able to create such a commotion over there, to end the battle so quickly, and even to have the General Administration directly order a blockade, is something that ordinary people could never do.

Lu Yan shook her head: "I don't know, they didn't say on the phone. But judging from the director's tone... it should be a joint operation by top experts from headquarters."

At this point, she rearranged her equipment and resumed her decisive and efficient demeanor.

"No matter what, an order is an order. Chen Yang, you..."