Tianjin, starting with unorthodox methods to achieve immortality

"Aren't you wondering why the Zhenyi Division, or Inspector Yue, would allow the Baiyue Sect to drain the life force of many people in the three counties of Linhe and set up this evil Jiyuan Life-Sacrificing Array, and even wait until the array was in operation before taking action?"

Chen Mo paused for a moment, not answering directly, but Yue Shan clearly saw through the doubt in his eyes.

Yue Shan took a deep breath, gazing at the increasingly ferocious blood moon in the distance, his voice filled with an unprecedented weariness: "Because we have no other choice."

Do you think the world today is still like it was a hundred years ago before the red moon arrived?

"Do you think the United Government is still that behemoth that can suppress all directions and rule the eight wastelands?" Yue Shan turned his head, his eyes blazing as he looked at Chen Mo. "Let me tell you, the United Government is now a dilapidated house leaking from all sides, barely held together by a single pillar to prevent it from collapsing completely!"

"This pillar of support is the government's only Martial Saint, Xiao Pojun!" Yue Shan's voice trembled noticeably, "but his lifespan is nearing its end."

Chen Mo's pupils suddenly contracted!

Martial Saint!

His lifespan is nearing its end!

"The Martial Saint sits in the central government, his power suppressing the world, which is why those demons and monsters dare not be too presumptuous, and why the wolves and tigers from overseas are wary. But once the Martial Saint falls..." Yue Shan didn't finish his sentence, but the lingering chill made Chen Mo feel a chill run down his spine.

"Do you know what the situation is like outside?" Yue Shan sneered, beginning to recount, "The three northeastern provinces, the white mountains and black waters, are no longer a human habitation!"

"After the death of a highly accomplished Weasel spirit, its resentment lingered. Combined with the earth's yin energy, it transformed into a calamity-level monster. Within a thousand miles, all living beings vanished. Even our experts from the Suppressing Strange Things Division faced a near-certain death if they ventured in!"

"In the heart of the Central Plains, there is a statue that calls itself the Thousand-Handed Blood Guanyin. It occupies an ancient city and suppresses the incense offerings. Anyone who enters the city must offer blood food, or else their life essence will be drained and they will turn into a dried corpse!"

"The government has launched several crackdowns, suffering heavy losses, but to no avail. They have been forced to temporarily demarcate territory and tacitly allow its existence!"

"In the southwestern border region, there is also the Tianwang Temple. They practice evil Buddhist techniques and attempt to establish a Buddhist kingdom on earth! They have long coveted the fertile lands of the Central Plains, but have remained inactive due to their fear of the Martial Saint's power."

"And overseas!" Yue Shan's tone grew even colder. "The Truth Society, the Sun Church, and many other churches practice extreme purification, viewing all non-believers as filth that must be burned with holy fire! Their tentacles have already reached in!"

"Beset by internal and external troubles, surrounded by powerful enemies!"

Yue Shan's voice was resolute: "In this situation, if we can use the lifeblood of the people of the three counties to give the Martial Saint a chance to survive and stabilize the overall situation, then it is worth it!"

"This is the intention of Inspector Yue, and even higher-ups!"

He looked at Chen Mo, his eyes filled with a kind of cruel clarity.

"Even if it only extends his life by three to five years, it will buy the coalition government valuable breathing space!"

Yue Shan patted Chen Mo on the shoulder with a heavy thud: "I know this is cruel and inhumane, but this is reality."

"In the Town of Strange Things, you must learn to look at problems from a holistic perspective. Your personal sense of good and evil and morality must sometimes give way to the greater cause of the survival of the race."

Chen Mo remained silent for a moment before nodding. "You only need a small portion of their life force? Not the entire blood sacrifice?"

Yue Shan turned his head abruptly, a look of astonishment on his face for the first time. "Where did you get this idea from?"

He was both amused and exasperated. No wonder the kid immediately took his whole family to run away the next day; it turned out he was afraid of being taken away to fill the gaps in the formation.

"No matter how ruthless the Zhenyi Division is, it's impossible for them to have sacrificed hundreds of thousands of people in the three counties of Linhe."

He shook his head, his tone softening, "The formation set up by the Moon Worship Cult isn't actually that powerful; its strength lies only in its concealment."

"Those who contract the virus will become weak, sickly, and even die young, but they will not die suddenly."

"As long as we wait until the Life Cauldron gathers enough life force before breaking the formation, the impact will not be significant."

"Any clear-headed executive, unless completely insane or a demon in his own right, would never do such a thing on his own base; that would be digging his own grave."

Yue Shan pointed in the direction of the mass grave: "The Zhenyi Division's tacit approval is cruel, but at least it ensures that the vast majority of people can survive."

"Once we seize the Life Cauldron, if we can successfully extend the life of the Martial Saint and stabilize the overall situation, we may be able to find a way to make up for the losses of these people or provide compensation in other ways."

Chen Mo was speechless after Yue Shan's comparison, and realized that his previous question did indeed seem a bit amateurish.

Damn it, it's all because I read too many fantasy novels in my past life. They always talk about slaughtering villages and destroying cities. It made me worry for days.

"It's almost time. Get ready. Release your paper puppets and keep a close eye on the mass grave."

"yes!"

Chen Mo said no more, took out the two specially made paper puppets that he had prepared beforehand, infused them with a wisp of pure Yin energy, and then gently blew on them.

The paper puppet, like ashes blown by the wind, rose silently and drifted towards the outer edge of the earthen mound where Zhao Tie had set up his formation, under the cover of night.

. . . . . .

Deep within the mass grave, on a circular open space with a diameter of over a hundred feet, a dozen men in black robes were using pale white bone powder mixed with some kind of blood-red mineral to outline a huge array pattern on the ground.

The patterns are nested in layers, and at the very center, there is a three-foot-tall, dark gold, three-legged round cauldron!

The surface of the cauldron is covered with ancient and mysterious cloud patterns and animal face reliefs, from which pale gold and light mist rise, radiating a powerful vitality.

This cauldron is the Life Force Cauldron that Yue Changkong is determined to obtain!

Outside the formation, in specific locations, stood forty-nine pitch-black stone pillars, each topped with a fist-sized, dark green crystal.

Between the stone pillars, grayish-white light, like a spider web, connects all the stone pillars to the central array core.

Ten Moon Worshipers, dressed in dark red robes, stood like stone statues at key points of the formation, their hands forming strange hand seals and chanting incantations.

The chanting blended into a wave of sound, resonating with the faint light emanating from the array patterns.

At the very front of the formation stood a man in black with a deep aura, his hands behind his back—it was Master Liu.

He had now removed his mask, revealing a face with high cheekbones, his eyes fixed on the life-giving cauldron in the center with a fanatical gaze.

At midnight, the blood moon hung high in the sky.

The dark red moon suddenly became incredibly bright, as if it were about to drip blood!

"The Crimson Moon bestows its blessings, all spirits return to their origin! The formation begins—!"

Master Liu raised both hands high above his head, his voice excited!

"boom--!!!"