Chapter 454 312: Expansion (Part 2)
Qiu Qing considered this for a moment before speaking.
"This is the only way."
The group sighed in resignation. While the people involved and the victims of this incident weren't particularly strong, its bizarre nature exceeded that of most Evil Spirits incidents they had ever known.
At Qiu Qing's direction, everyone set about their assigned tasks.
What they didn't know, however, was that the incident's impact wasn't limited to Guming County.
Miaoyin Hall, the Five Elements Gang, the Yin Mountain Sect, the Rebirth Palace... even other counties under the Red Heart Sect's jurisdiction had experienced similar incidents.
Relevant intelligence was quickly compiled and reported by the various Schools and Government Offices. Soon, all these cases were classified as a single, large-scale incident.
Overnight, the number of victims across Heqing Dao surpassed a thousand. While most were ordinary civilians or low-level Martial Artists in the Blood Strengthening realm, the sheer number and the scope of its influence were horrifying.
Most importantly, other Schools and county towns were protected by their own City Gods, yet these incidents still erupted, causing chaos and turmoil related to Evil Spirits within the city walls.
Evading a City God's surveillance and purification was an extremely rare feat.
As a result, the incident quickly drew the attention of the higher-ups in Heqing Dao's various Schools and Government Offices.
「Heqing Dao, South Mansion.」
This was the prefectural capital of Heqing Dao, its most prosperous city.
The Heqing Dao branch of the Celestial Net Department was situated in this massive city, home to over a million people.
"It originated in Guming County? Spread across all of Heqing Dao in a week? The targets are mostly commoners or Martial Artists in the Blood Strengthening realm, with over a thousand deaths in that short time? It can bypass the City Gods' surveillance to spread within cities, and even Innate Experts can't detect its source on the victims? And the survivors' memories are sealed, with no known way to restore them?"
A tall man sat behind a large desk, dressed in the black uniform of the Celestial Net Department, which was embroidered with a green xiezhi motif. He frowned slightly as he reviewed the case file his subordinate had just presented.
"Correct. Over a thousand dead, yet we haven't found any useful clues. Right now, we only suspect it's dream-related and likely connected to the previous Evil Cultivation incident in Guming County."
"This incident is spreading incredibly fast. Although the level of those affected isn't high, its ability to bypass the City Gods is no simple matter. If we let it continue, the situation could become dire. We've locked down the news, but panic is already starting to spread among the populace in the cities," a subordinate wearing a Xiezhi Robe with green patterns spoke up.
The tall man nodded, his eyes pensive. "This is indeed a peculiar case," he said after a moment. "The more bizarre an incident, the more crucial it is that we don't allow it to fester, or the consequences will be endless. Since people from all the Schools are involved, use the Celestial Net Order. Mobilize the forces of all the Schools in Heqing Dao and convene a meeting to resolve this as soon as possible. We can't afford to let this problem grow."
The Celestial Net Order was a Magical Treasure the Celestial Net Department used to communicate with the various Schools. It enabled long-distance communication, but it required an Innate Expert or higher to operate, and each use came at a considerable cost.
Consequently, the Celestial Net Order was only used in critical situations to coordinate joint operations among the Schools.
The last time the Celestial Net Order had been used was for the Evil Cultivation incident in Guming County. Using it again now showed just how seriously the man was taking this new event.
After all, an incident that could bypass the City Gods, spread across the entire Heqing Dao, and operated on some bizarre, unknown mechanism was more than deserving of such measures, even if it had yet to affect high-level individuals.
"Yes, I understand. During the last Evil Cultivation incident in Guming County, the other four Schools were not very proactive because it didn't affect their territories. But this is different. Low-level Martial Artists may be weak, but they are the foundation and future of every School. I'm certain they won't try to pass the buck this time," the subordinate said in a low voice.
"Let's hope so," the tall man said. "By the way, have you heard anything from the team headquarters sent to Guming County? They were investigating the source of the anomaly detected by the Celestial Observation Mirror."
"Nothing yet. For the time being, this incident is likely the biggest anomaly in Guming County," the subordinate replied.
"Tell them to put that investigation on hold for now. Our priority is to resolve this current incident. I can't shake the feeling that there's something deeply strange about all this," the tall man said.
"Understood."
The subordinate bowed and retreated.
Soon, with the deployment of the Celestial Net Order, the Ghost City incident officially landed on the radar of all the higher-ups in Heqing Dao.
Just as the two cloaked figures had predicted, it drew exactly the amount of attention they had hoped for.
The safety of their own territories and their younger generations was at stake. Regardless of how displeased the various Schools were that the Red Heart Sect's Evil Cultivation incident had led to such a huge mess, they had no choice but to cooperate fully with the investigation.
However, a full day passed with little to show for it. Due to the Ghost City's unique mechanics, the intelligence they gathered was extremely limited, leaving the various Schools at an impasse.
「Meanwhile, in Guming County.」
"So Senior Brother Chen was dragged into this incident too? And it's spread across all of Heqing Dao? All the Schools have launched a joint operation, but they haven't made any real progress yet?"
His leave of absence over, Zhao Xuanqi had returned to the Removal Squad and was gathering intelligence on the situation.
Shen Hong shot Zhao Xuanqi a look but said nothing. In fact, he hadn't spoken a single word to Zhao Xuanqi since his return, apparently disdainful of him for taking leave and escaping the danger.
"That's right. Senior Brother Chen isn't going out on missions anymore; he's being protected by the sect's Elders. We need to be extra careful on our missions too. If you see anything strange, don't try to be a hero," Peng Lin said in a low voice.
Zhao Xuanqi nodded slightly. 'Looks like this Ghost City incident is truly a tough one,' he thought. 'None of the Schools can find the source, and they can't even gather much specific intelligence about these Evil Spirits.'
'I have to find a way to get the information I have out there.'
Zhao Xuanqi made his decision.
The day passed uneventfully. Since Chen Zhanyun was caught up in the Ghost City incident, he was no longer assigned to regular missions. Another senior brother was appointed as their team leader. Their mission for the day went by without any trouble.
After nightfall, Zhao Xuanqi stared at a scrap of cloth on his desk—something he had casually torn off while on his mission earlier that day.
The cloth was now covered in tiny, distorted characters, detailing all the information he possessed about the Ghost City. The handwriting was so warped it was impossible to tell who wrote it.
He crumpled the cloth into a ball, pierced it with a chopstick, and then bound it tightly with a piece of thread.
After double-checking that everything was in order, Zhao Xuanqi changed into a set of dark clothes. He quietly left his room, suppressed his aura, and slipped out of the residential compound, melting into the city streets.
The entire city was under curfew at night. Patrol teams, formed by men from the Government Office and disciples of the Red Heart Sect, made constant rounds to prevent any incidents.
Hiding in the shadows, Zhao Xuanqi observed the patrols, assessing the strength and threat level of each member to pick the most suitable target.
He pulled out the crumpled cloth he had prepared, readied a chopstick, and skewered the bundle. Then, with a sharp flick of his wrist, he sent it flying toward the patrol team.
WHOOSH!!
The chopstick, carrying the cloth bundle, was propelled by a skillful application of Zhao Xuanqi's Force, shooting toward the patrol.
"Who's there!"
Zhao Xuanqi hadn't used his full power, but the patrol members were far from weak and immediately noticed the disturbance.
The patrol members dodged the chopstick. With their expressions shifting, they immediately gave chase in the direction it came from, but Zhao Xuanqi had already vanished without a trace.
After searching the area for several minutes, the confused patrol members returned to the street, wondering what had just happened.
"Hold on."
The patrol captain, an expert at the Refining the Internal Organs realm, had an uncertain look on his face. His gaze fell upon the object they had all dodged, which now lay on the ground nearby.
'A chopstick with a cloth bundle wrapped around it?'
He hesitated for a moment, then walked over and picked it up. He untied the thread binding the cloth, unfolded the bundle, and was surprised to find it covered in text.
The handwriting was distorted, but it was still legible.
As he read the contents, the captain's expression turned grave.
"You all continue the patrol. I'm going to see Elder Qiu."