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The parents held hands, tears welling in the mother's eyes as she quietly watched her child leave.

Xie Bi'an turned his head, quickened his pace, and put on a smile.

After traveling for some time, the four of them were finally approaching the capital.

Along the way, Xie Bi'an and Lü Peilin witnessed the fighting prowess of Lin Zhengying and Zhao Li. No matter how terrifying the demons were, they could not withstand more than three moves from these two.

However, this only confused Xie Bi'an. Why did they want to bring him along? Did they think the trip wasn't challenging enough and wanted someone to hold them back?

Compared to them, I'm so ordinary...

Xie Bi'an glanced at Lü Peilin, who was gazing at the sunset, and sighed. Even Shi Fang is stronger than me, sigh...

This young monk, Shifang, who had returned to secular life, would gaze at the sun every day and contemplate things. His unique aura grew stronger and stronger, though he himself didn't realize it. But Xie Bi'an, as an observer, saw it clearly. Xie Bi'an felt that Shifang's aura was becoming more and more like that of the Zen Master Baiyun when he finally found peace.

As the sun was about to completely disappear below the horizon, Lin Zhengying and his men entered the capital city just before it was too late, because the city gates would be closed at night.

Moreover, perhaps it was because of the battle spirit Xie Bi'an displayed, or perhaps it was because of the extra toll they received, that the guard reminded them of something.

Once inside the city, quickly find a market town where you can receive guests, because there is a curfew outside the market town at night, and you are not allowed to stay there.

This regulation was enforced not long ago because Fu Tianchou's execution date was fast approaching.

Normally, executions through formal procedures are carried out after the autumn harvest, which is the origin of the term "autumn execution".

However, Fu Tianchou's serious crime—assassinating the emperor—directly led to a significant reduction in the timeframe for his execution.

Moreover, presumably to deter villains, Fu Tianchou's execution was a standard public execution, the kind that allowed onlookers to watch.

After moving into the market, Lin Zhengying discovered that the whole capital seemed to be talking about this matter.

At the inn where they were staying, nine out of ten tables in the lobby were discussing the execution scheduled for the day after tomorrow, while the remaining table, occupied by people like Lin Zhengying and his group who had just arrived in the capital, were listening quietly.

"I think there's definitely something wrong here! How could General Tianlang possibly attempt an assassination? Someone must have set this up!"

"Assassinating the emperor? If it were a setup, only the emperor could pull it off. How could that be possible?"

"So, the matter of General Tianlang is possible? And logical?"

"this..."

The guest was stumped. Indeed, it didn't seem right. What benefit would assassinating the emperor bring to Fu Tianchou? There was absolutely no way. And if it was a crime of passion, that was impossible too. General Tianlang, would someone like that commit a crime of passion for no reason? Especially in a meeting room where only he and the emperor were present?

"Sigh~ I heard someone issued an order forbidding people from discussing this matter casually, but it seems to have no effect at all?"

“That’s normal. Those soldiers are talking about it even more enthusiastically than we are. Are they going to arrest themselves? It’s just that the Tianlang Army has been fighting outside. If it were near the capital, it’s hard to say whether the execution would be carried out in time.”

"The emperor's battle spirit is the soul of the Son of Heaven, shining with golden light; that possibility is impossible."

Listening to the information revealed from each table, Lin Zhengying and Zhao Li exchanged a glance. This Fu Tianchou seemed to be a very famous and highly prestigious figure.

“I also think there’s some misunderstanding here,” Wu Peilin muttered. Before he went up the mountain, his hometown had also suffered a large-scale demon attack. At that time, it was Fu Tianchou, who was young at the time, who led people to protect his family.

"You seem to know this person very well?" Zhao Li asked Wu Peilin.

“This is Fu Tianchou, General Tianlang. Who wouldn’t be familiar with him?” Wu Peilin became interested. “I heard from others that General Tianlang used to be a civil official, but he was also among the first group of people to awaken their battle spirit thirty years ago. After serving as a civil official for a few more years, Lord Fu Tianchou switched from civil to military and single-handedly established the current Tianlang Army.”

Listening to Wu Peilin's introduction, Lin Zhengying nodded and wrote it down word by word.

After dinner, in the guest room, Lin Zhengying looked at Zhao Li, waiting for him to remotely receive data from the observation equipment in Xiejia Village.

Seeing Zhao Li's increasingly grim expression, Lin Zhengying didn't need to ask any further questions. He guessed that, just like his previous observations, the situation was getting worse.

“0.17 per ten thousand,” Zhao Li stated a number. “Since we first arrived on this planet, the star’s energy output has decreased by this much. Time is of the essence; we must find the culprit as soon as possible!”

"Do you think... Fu Tianchou might be related to this matter?" Lin Zhengying said after thinking for a moment.

“I don’t know, but it’s worth a try. Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll go to the prison here tonight and take a look. You can continue with the original plan. This place is where the entire planet’s population gathers. The answer we’re looking for must be related to this place in some way!” Zhao Li said with great certainty.

“I understand, but what about Master Taixu and Xie Bi’an? They are still quite far behind in this world. Master Taixu has made some progress, but Xie Bi’an hasn’t made any moves yet.” Lin Zhengying felt a bit of a headache. There weren’t enough people. There were only the two of them, the members of the Human Alliance who came here. If they were divided up, there would be no manpower left.

"...Let's leave them aside for now. They're not the kind of people who need constant protection to grow up," Zhao Li said after thinking for a while.

Lin Zhengying nodded. Zhao Li's words made sense, and this was the only way to do it now.

Chapter 396 They're all rats

The next morning, as the sun rose above the horizon, another busy day began as usual. The uproar caused by Fu Tianchou's incident was at most just something to talk about among ordinary people. After all, nothing is more important than survival, and besides, the matter had been going on for so long that the hype had died down considerably.

When Zhao Li returned to the inn, Lin Zhengying had already been resting in his room for some time.

"How is it? Is there any problem with Fu Tianchou?" Lin Zhengying asked directly, since they were family, there was no need for any beating around the bush.

Zhao Li shook his head. "I didn't find anything particularly wrong with him, but this person must have something on his mind."

"How to say?"

“That prison can’t hold him at all. His battle spirit is strong, and he can resonate with the traces left by the Fighting God and Buddha on his own. There are only a hundred or so soldiers around the prison. If he wants to leave, he only needs to charge once.”

"Hmm, it seems the assassination was a ruse, but the real purpose was to set up a trap. I just don't know who this trap is for."

Before his mission to Asgard, Lin Zhengying had spent some time studying strategies. Fu Tianchou's current behavior seemed like he was fishing, but it was still unclear which side he was trying to catch. If the emperor himself was involved, then he might be fishing for someone who wanted to take advantage of the chaos. But if not, then things were more complicated.

"Let's not talk about him for now. How are things on your end? Have you met any cultivators in the capital?" Zhao Li asked as he sat down.

“I saw them, but not completely.” Lin Zhengying spoke like a riddle teller. “During this investigation, it seems that the cultivators in the capital are a mixed bag, with many charlatans just filling in the numbers.”

At this point, Lin Zhengying got up and walked to the window. "A Taoist who isn't even a beginner has set up an array full of errors. If you bring in a graduate from a school and give them some time, they might make fewer mistakes than him."

"He's a cultivator who can barely be considered a swordsman, but upon closer inspection, you can see traces of Daoist techniques, and even a hint of Buddhist cultivation. He's a mixed bag. Putting aside his combat strength, his master should be sent back for retraining."

"The only one we need to be a little careful about is the slovenly Taoist priest who looks like a fortune teller but actually possesses a battle spirit. In addition, this person has traces of humanity from this world on him, which conceals his true nature. It's hard to say whether he really acts like that. Also, when we investigated last night, he seemed to have discovered something. In short, it's hard to say."

Zhao Li was getting a little annoyed. No matter how incompetent or powerful these three people were, they seemed to be just natives of this world.

"Do you think those guys really sent people into this world? We've been here for so long and haven't found a single trace. Are they all rats? They're so good at hiding!"

"They've definitely come. Both the Heavenly Court and the Clock Tower have detected unusual interference in this world. Plus, the Victorious Fighting Buddha hasn't woken up yet. It would be a big problem if no one was causing trouble."

Lin Zhengying paused here, squeezing a jade pendant in his hand, "Do you think, if we can't find it in the human world, could it be in the underworld?"

"I don't know. The path to the underworld here is too strange. I almost got lost and couldn't find my way out last time I went there," Zhao Li said after thinking for a moment.

This underworld path that could confuse him is truly outrageous. Before Zhao Li was abolished in the underworld, he had been a ferryman in the underworld for hundreds of years. He had walked similar paths countless times, and he might have been able to find his way out even if his senses were clouded.

It's not that the design of the treacherous paths here is particularly good, but rather that they are simply chaotic. As you walk around, you find yourself in a maze of meaningless dead ends and backtracking paths that are pure waste of time.

“Indeed, I sent a letter, but I haven’t received a response yet. If I couldn’t still feel that the underworld of this world is functioning normally, I would have thought that it had been wiped out. I wonder what those underworld soldiers and officials are doing.” Lin Zhengying frowned, looking like he was about to burst into a tirade.

After arriving in this world and examining some of its Taoist texts, Lin Zhengying forged a second-level Taoist document and submitted it to the underworld through Taoist magic. On Earth, a document of this level would receive a response within a day when things were still normal in the underworld, even if the final response was a rejection.

This is equivalent to two forces that have established diplomatic relations and have close ties. The number two figure of one side sends a letter of inquiry, but the other side acts as if it didn't see it at all. It's like they've seen a ghost.

"How about... we find an opportunity to go in and take a look?" Zhao Li suggested.

Lin Zhengying thought for a while, but still rejected it. "It's not suitable. Humanity is concentrated in the human world. It's hard to say what the underworld is like now. If we go in, we'll be surrounded by enemies, and it will be difficult to get out. Even if we really have to go in, it can't be just the two of us. We have to find a local."

“Then we can only wait. Tomorrow, Fu Tianchou will be on the execution ground. No matter what kind of fish he caught, he has to pull the hook. I actually hope there’s some local ghost king. That way, we can also find someone to go to the underworld.” Zhao Li said, crossing his legs. In addition, he was also thinking about whether to forcibly take over the job of the underworld in this world.

If Fu Tianchou is indeed beheaded normally tomorrow, and his ghost wants to go to the underworld, he, as the former ferryman, has a way to stop Fu Tianchou. Of course, the premise is that there are no high-level underworld soldiers to guide him. If he fights with such a guy, Zhao Li will definitely be exposed to the underworld.

However, the fact that the ghostly soldiers were there to guide them was not because Zhao Li looked down on this place; it was truly absurd that even the underworld, which hadn't responded to messages for months, could have ghostly soldiers to guide them.

Lin Zhengying didn't reply. He stretched out his right hand and opened it. Two copper coins landed on the window. The coins spun and collided continuously for a long time without stopping.

After waiting for a minute or two, Lin Zhengying took the copper coins back. The divination had been going on for so long without a result. The obscured secrets of heaven were only one of the reasons. There was a high probability that someone was interfering behind the scenes. There was no need to wait for the result, as it would be completely unreliable.

Just like if Lam Ching-ying wanted to target a novice fortune teller, he could make the fortune teller whatever he wanted the result to be, or whatever it might be, but not what the other person wanted.

"You stay in your room. I'm going to take a walk around the execution ground area. I can't sleep without a safe place to stand," Lin Zhengying said to Zhao Li.

Zhao Li nodded. He understood that for Taoists like Lin Zhengying, encounter combat was always their weakness. Preparing in advance, setting up an altar that could be used at any time, or hiding a few formations that were not easy to find was a habit. Without this, they really had no sense of security.

Unlike himself, Zhao Li, who hadn't used formations for many years, could still recognize them when he saw them, but setting them up was another story. Even if he managed to set one up, it might not be as good as the half-baked Taoist priest Lin Zhengying had seen yesterday, in Lin Zhengying's opinion.

Chapter 397 The Storm Is Brewing

Shortly after Lin Zhengying left, Wu Peilin knocked on Zhao Li's door.

"What is it?" Zhao Li asked with a forced smile. He was in a bad mood and wasn't a very cheerful person to begin with, so in Wu Peilin's eyes, his smile looked strange and malicious.

Wu Peilin blinked, banishing the distracting thoughts from his mind. How could he think like that when the other person had taken such good care of him all the way?

“Mr. Zhao Li, I’ve come to say goodbye. I’m going to find the people my master mentioned,” Wu Peilin said softly.

"Okay, I understand. Go ahead, and come back to me if anything happens." Zhao Li said, closing the door behind him, leaving Wu Peilin alone outside, feeling a little lost, wondering if he had done something wrong.

Inside the room, Zhao Li's heart was pounding. They had only been apart for one night, and now that they were meeting again, he felt that humanity had placed a seed on Wu Peilin. He was reducing their contact time because he didn't want to attract attention from humanity for the time being.

Furthermore, how could the collective consciousness of intelligent life in a world become so active?

This situation generally only occurs in two situations: one is when the world's civilization is about to make a great leap forward, and humanity, as a spiritual manifestation of civilization, will become somewhat active at this time; the other is when the world's civilization is about to disappear, and humanity is making a final effort to try to salvage everything.

As for what the current situation might be, is that even a question?

To verify this, Zhao Li also paid attention to Xie Bi'an's situation. He didn't know if it was because the time was not right or the environment in the human world was not suitable, but Xie Bi'an's improvement along the way was very small. He was only slightly better than the average person. His improvement was all accumulated over time and there was no explosive growth.

However, this time, Zhao Li actually sensed traces of humanity in Xie Bi'an.

Goodness, this is like trying anything as a last resort, regardless of the consequences, as long as there's even the slightest possibility.

Of course, it's not that Xie Bi'an is bad; the name itself sometimes proves something. However, as a humanitarian, it's astonishing that someone would act completely differently based solely on the difference between entering the capital and not entering it, without knowing the meaning behind Xie Bi'an's name.

At the same time, this also shows that there is definitely a problem in the capital, and that a problem will arise soon.

Otherwise, humanitarian efforts wouldn't be in such a hurry.

Just after noon, Lam Ching-ying returned, but judging from his expression, the arrangements he had secretly made were probably not as successful as he had hoped.

"What's wrong? Are there too many soldiers near the execution ground?"

"It's not just that there are too many soldiers, it's that there are too many powerful forces."

Lin Zhengying was overwhelmed by the power he had encountered that morning.

Soldiers and some generals who belong to the current dynasty need not be mentioned, nor should those forces connected to Fu Tianchou through karmic connections. Most likely, one is maintaining the execution ground, and the other is preparing to storm the execution ground.

Besides these two, Lin Zhengying also saw foreigners. This group of foreigners had gone to great lengths to bring in all their equipment, and it seemed as if they were preparing to directly get involved in this mess, but their numbers were quite worrying.

Furthermore, the cultivators that Lin Zhengying discovered had also gotten involved. That third-rate Taoist priest, who seemed to be named Zhi Qiu Yi Ye, was also secretly setting up formations, which were not only an eyesore but also caused great obstacles for Lin Zhengying.

In addition, there were remnants of ghostly and demonic energy around the execution ground, which most likely means that demons had scouted the area before Lin Zhengying went there. It's just unknown what they wanted to do, whether they wanted to take action or simply wanted to see their great enemy die in the infighting among humans.

“It’s normal. The execution is tomorrow. At this time, anyone with ulterior motives will gather there. It’s not surprising that anyone will show up. After all, we two are planning to go there too, aren’t we?” Zhao Li said it as if it were easy, but the action of wiping his gun showed that he was just offering hindsight advice.