Murderer Ah Dou

[Seeing that you were about to escape, Jinhai finally could no longer sit still.]

[With a one-handed twist through the air, he sealed the breach the Sword Master had opened.]

["None of you are getting away today!"]

[You taunted Jinhai.]

["Jinhai the Old Ghoul, has that blow Brother Monkey gave you still not healed? You're already an Immortal King—why are you still in a wheelchair?"]

[Ji Wuqing and her companions played along enthusiastically. Despite the dire situation, they deliberately laughed aloud, mocking Jinhai.]

[Jinhai snapped, his face flushing crimson with rage.]

["Shut up! You sharp-tongued human brat! Let's see whether your life is as tough as your mouth!"]

[Jagged, quivering strands of interpersonal thread extended from the bodies of Ji Wuqing and the others.]

[No matter what methods they employed, they could not break free.]

[Only you had none of those threads on you.]

[You realized someone was protecting you, though you dearly hoped that person would stay hidden.]

[Ji Baiming sighed.]

["We've fallen into his domain. Even if we find a way to neutralize his laws, we'll still be suppressed by him."]

[Jinhai's killing threads began to consume your group.]

[Besides this Immortal King, thousands more were laying siege to you.]

[The cultivators who had come with Ji Wuqing were falling one after another.]

[You unleashed the Quantum Ghost Step, appearing beside multiple people at once as you tried to tear away the threads binding them. Unfortunately, it was useless.]

[Just then, another pressure unique to an Immortal King descended!]

["Jinhai, it has been many years. You've actually reached the Domain-Mastery realm. Congratulations, congratulations."]

[In the distance, a white-haired elder clad in red robes resembling the official attire of the Song dynasty strode through the empty air toward you.]

[With every step he took, radiant lotus flowers bloomed beneath his feet. Each step carried him an immense distance, as though he could shrink the earth itself!]

[At the sound of that voice, Jinhai's movements visibly stiffened.]

[The killing threads wrapped around Ji Wuqing and the others suddenly became brittle.]

[He turned toward the old man in red, disbelief written across his face. Even his voice trembled.]

["King Zhou! You... you're still alive?"]

[King Zhou stroked his beard and smiled.]

["Not only alive, but doing quite well. Today, I would like to take these juniors away. I hope you'll grant this old man a bit of face."]

[As he spoke, King Zhou had already appeared above Haosong City.]

[With a sweep of his flowing sleeve, the cages throughout the city and the threads on Ji Wuqing and the others all vanished.]

[You also realized that the one who had been empowering you with the laws, shielding you from Jinhai's interpersonal index, was King Zhou.]

[Jinhai was clearly afraid of King Zhou.]

[The gap between every rank of an Immortal Lord was enormous, to say nothing of Immortal Kings.]

[There was simply no comparison between an Immortal King renowned for ages and a newly advanced rookie.]

[Jinhai swallowed.]

["King Zhou, even if it's you, I... I cannot let you take them away. They are all major criminals! If you resort to force, you will be making an enemy of the Peace Bureau—and of the Sacred Dragon Society!"]

[King Zhou smiled.]

["What a thing to say. When this old man was young, it wasn't as if I'd never made enemies of them before. And aren't I still alive and well?"]

["Aren't you afraid of the Heavenly Dragon Emperor?"]

【The Heavenly Dragon Emperor: the foremost authority of the entire Sacred Dragon Clan, president of the Sacred Dragon Association, honorary leader of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Races, and the only Immortal Emperor in the Tianhe Galaxy.】

【King Zhou clicked his tongue.】

【“How many times have I said it? Why do you subordinates never remind Nukang? In this universe, only the Celestial Emperor is worthy of the title ‘Emperor.’ By presumptuously claiming it, he’ll incur karmic consequences. I’m afraid he won’t meet a good end.”】

【Jinhai was left speechless, utterly unable to respond.】

【With two Immortal Kings suspended overhead, the battle within the city had lost all meaning.】

【Both sides had already ceased fighting.】

【Ji Wuqing wiped the blood of her enemies from her body and said happily,】

【“Grandpa Zhou, didn’t you say you weren’t going to show yourself?”】

【King Zhou smiled and shook his head.】

【“Little girl, could you have handled things if I hadn’t shown up?”】

【“Hmph. If I were an Immortal King, I could have!”】

【“The problem is, you aren’t.”】

【You looked at Li Lingyue. Noticing your gaze, she returned it with a polite smile.】

【In this life, the two of you had little to do with each other. All that remained between you was courteous civility.】

【“Li Lingyue, once we leave this place, I have many things I want to ask you.”】

【Li Lingyue glanced at A-Dou.】

【“It’s about him, isn’t it?”】

【“Yes. And about when we were in the Human Realm...”】

【“Pfft!!”】

【A crimson demonic claw burst out through your chest.】

【Li Lingyue, the Sword Master, Ji Wuqing, Ji Baiming, King Zhou—everyone present stared at you and A-Dou behind you in utter disbelief.】

【A-Dou still wore the same face, but one of his hands had transformed into a scaled claw, and his expression had turned vicious and feral.】

【“You’re not A-Dou...”】

【You listened for A-Dou’s inner voice.】

【There was nothing there—an utter void, as though this person had never existed at all.】

【A-Dou forcefully pulled his hand back.】

【Your wound would not close. A power was rampaging through your body, and your regeneration could not keep pace with the rate at which your body was being destroyed.】

【This was... the power of an Immortal King!】

【Li Lingyue caught your collapsing body in shock. Looking at the horrific wound on you, even her lips were trembling.】

【“Chen Yi, you... I... I didn’t know. He...”】

【“It’s not your fault... You were used by him too... It’s fine... It’s all the same...”】

【A-Dou licked the blood from his hand and sneered.】

【“Li Lingyue, thanks to you leading the way all these years, I managed to destroy quite a few bases of the Ember Society. Much appreciated.”】

【Jinhai, who had been terrified just moments ago, now wore an arrogant expression.】

【“King Zhou, the big fish, has taken the bait. It’s time for us to reel in the net!”】

【You heard Ji Wuqing crying and the unsteady footsteps of her stumbling toward you.】

【You heard the furious roars of the Sword Master, Ji Baiming, and the others, as well as the sounds of them battling the enemy.】

【Everything before your eyes gradually darkened, until all became silent and empty.】

【Beneath that boundless expanse of stars, veiled in starlight, you fell.】

【You died.】

“I never expected it to turn out like this...”

Chen Yi believed A-Dou would never betray him. The A-Dou who had killed him at the end must have been switched out for an impostor.

When had the switch taken place?

How had it been done?

He could only unravel the mystery in the next simulation.

Fake A-Dou’s success had, in truth, also involved an element of luck.

If anyone tried to ambush Chen Yi, his divine art, *Signal Light*, would warn him in advance.

But in the final scene of the simulation, they were trapped in Haosong City, surrounded by enemies. The crimson alerts had never disappeared.

At that point, with red markers everywhere, it was hard to tell who had caused any particular change.

“There’s still an aftermath. Let’s see what happened next.”