https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-370-Where-is-the-Nightmare-Demon-Two-in-One-/12980542/
Chapter 369: The Enormous Sin (Part 2)
Chapter 369: The Enormous Sin (Part 2)
Leniency? Why? If they obey, then they can be utilized when needed; if they don't, beat them to death.
The Starlight Commander's differential treatment made Zheng Yunqi, Zhao Wushang, and the others feel even more privileged.
Naturally, they felt increasingly satisfied, and with that satisfaction came unwavering loyalty to the Starlight Commander.
"We must train these people well for the Commander before we leave! Otherwise, I won't be at ease."
Zheng Yunqi solemnly warned everyone.
"That's a must!"
Wu Lianlian was training the One Heart Sect's female accountants, while Zhou Meier started disciplining the receptionists.
The two women were unusually strict, exuding an aura of witch-like authority.
The biggest motivation for the group of 160 people was: "When the new batch arrives, you'll also be involved in the training."
"Only by training ourselves can we better understand and implement the teachings."
The group didn't take this to heart, but the key was that they could now beat people up.
After personally experiencing these days of torture, they had tried almost all the instruments of punishment; if nothing else, they had definitely learned how to use them!
"No matter what, we must intensify the punishment on those bastards! My suffering must not be in vain! They must suffer more than I did!"
This became their greatest motivation and obsession.
On the third day, the Starlight Commander didn't show up for some unknown reason, but Zheng Yunqi and the others still strictly followed his rules, conducting a rigorous inspection of the past three days' work, even stricter than when the Commander was present.
Doubts arose as to the Commander's whereabouts. Why hadn't he come for such an important matter?
At this moment, Director Fang was in the Guardian Palace, almost overwhelmed with work.
The White Cloud Continent was in trouble.
And the troubles kept coming, one after the other.
The day before, 32 people in the Southern District suddenly died mysteriously in a residential area.
32 people from 8 families, all dead without a trace.
Fang Che immediately realized something was amiss and sent people to investigate. During the investigation, news came from the Western District that over 200 civilian bodies had been discovered.
Messages kept pouring in from all directions—South, East, West, North, and Central.
Numerous civilians had died without any apparent reason.
Fang Che worked through the night, busy with investigations and searches.
By the second day at dawn, over 3,000 people had fallen victim.
And this number continued to rise.
After two days and nights, the death toll had reached around 8,000.
The entire White Cloud Continent was in shock!
The city was under lockdown, and a massive square was sealed off, with bodies continuously transported there.
The cause had to be found.
The Guardian Palace mortician and the White Cloud Continent's City Guard mortician worked together to examine the bodies.
Led by Deputy Hall Master Fang, the people from the Guardian Palace inspected each corpse.
The cause of death had to be determined.
Fang Che's face turned grim as he examined each body, feeling an explosive pressure in his heart.
These were civilians, without any martial power. Among them, the most powerful might be a Martial Apprentice Samurai, but they were virtually harmless.
Especially for the Only Righteous Sect, they posed no threat at all.
Yet, they had died mysteriously. No one would believe that over 8,000 people had suddenly died from the same illness! The victims' faces were peaceful, without any signs of fear.
It was as if they were asleep.
Most of them were families of three or five, as if they had fallen into a deep slumber.
"When the bodies were discovered, were they in the room, on the bed, or outside?"
"Most were on the bed."
"It's not poisoning. It looks like natural death."
"But how can so many people die naturally at the same time?"
"There are no wounds on the bodies."
"..."
Fang Che turned and gave an order: "Notify the City Guard. Every household in the city must be inspected to determine the total death toll!"
"We're already checking. All the discovered bodies will be brought here one after another."
Zhao Ying'er trembled as she watched, tears streaming down her face. Seeing nearly 10,000 dead people at once was a visual shock that could make anyone's emotions explode and their heart shatter.
"Who did this... so cruel! So cruel!" she wept.
Fang Che's face turned cold. "Investigate. Look into the past misdeeds and massacres of the Only Righteous Sect's southeast branches. Also, send messages to the other continents to see if they have similar situations.
"Third, check the sacrificial rituals of the southeast branches.
"Fourth..."
Before he could finish, his face grew even graver, and he looked towards the other side of the square.
Over there, a team of horse-drawn carriages was approaching, each covered with a large white cloth, concealing their contents.
But everyone knew what was under the cloth—the carriages were piled high with bodies, each one carrying dozens of corpses at the very least.
These carriages were lined up at all four entrances.
Angry voices echoed among the Guardians.
Their eyes turned red with rage.
"Only Righteous Sect! Only Righteous Sect! Damn them! Damn them!"
An attendant punched himself in the head, his voice filled with pain. "How could anyone do something so inhumane?"
How could this have happened? How dare they..."
After a thorough investigation, there were no signs or clues.
Everyone's gaze fell upon Fang Che.
Fang Che clenched his teeth, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword, and strode forward.
"What are you doing?" Zhao Ying'er exclaimed in shock.
"I need to dissect the bodies," Fang Che replied, his face cold and determined. "I won't rest until I find the cause."
"But...they're already dead," Zhao Ying'er said with concern. "Let the mortician handle it."
"The mortician won't be able to observe like I can, and certainly not as quickly," Fang Che stated.
With a faint smile, Fang Che added, "If there's any wrongdoing, I'll take responsibility."
Ignoring the crowd's attempts to dissuade him, Fang Che strode towards the bodies, his steps resolute.
He bowed deeply, addressing the onlookers, "Please forgive me, fellow townsfolk. I must uncover the cause of your deaths. If I offend your remains in any way, I ask for your understanding."
Under the sunlight, Fang Che drew his sword with a sharp ring, swiftly slicing open the body of a deceased man in front of him.
He carefully examined the body, searching for any anomalies.
Surrounding him, a group of priests stood in a solemn formation, creating a human wall as they watched Fang Che's autopsy.
He found nothing in the abdomen, muscles, thighs, or neck.
Fang Che seemed unaffected by the pungent smell of blood that usually accompanied such acts.
Without hesitation, he swung his sword, and with a crisp crack, split open the skull of the deceased.
As he cleaved the skull, something seemed to fly out, invisible and intangible, causing a subtle disturbance in the air.
Fang Che let out a loud shout, his hands channeling the Boundless Dharma Scripture, and with lightning speed, he made a grab.
He seemed to have caught something, yet nothing tangible remained in his grasp.
The captured object, upon being caught, instantly dissolved into thin air within his palm.
Looking at the split skull, he noticed that there was no flow of blood or brain matter, as if he had sliced through a jelly, both sides trembling but without any liquid oozing out.
The brain matter seemed to have been frozen solid.
"What is this thing?" Fang Che wondered aloud.
The crowd responded with urgent curiosity.
"I don't know, but it seems to be a living creature, blending perfectly with the air, making it indistinguishable. The moment I grabbed it, it melted away, leaving no trace," Fang Che explained.
With a furrowed brow, Fang Che carefully sensed the air, "It's truly gone now."
He raised his sword, and with three quick slashes...
Three consecutive skulls of the deceased were split open.
Indeed, they all exhibited the same phenomenon.
The moment the skulls were cleaved, an invisible and intangible object flew out, and Fang Che managed to catch one, only for it to melt away again. He focused his divine aura on the other two, but they too vanished silently into the air.
It was as if something had melted away, disappearing into the distance, yet it remained completely untraceable.
"Little Jiao!" Fang Che called out.
Golden Horned Serpent appeared, also seemingly out of thin air.
"Track it and see if you can catch it," Fang Che instructed.
Golden Horned Serpent nodded vigorously.
Fang Che sliced open another skull.
Golden Horned Serpent immediately took action but could only follow the trail for a few dozen meters before returning in disappointment.
"You couldn't catch it?" Fang Che asked.
"This damn..." Fang Che furrowed his brows, deep in thought.
"Yun Jianqiu, go to the White Cloud Martial Arts Academy and find Divine Mind Profound. Tell him I need his help, or if Mountain Head or Lotus Dream Lady is available, they can come too."
At this moment, these were the individuals with the highest cultivation levels he could think of.
His own divine aura was insufficient for containment, and he wondered if their venerable-level cultivation could achieve it.
Yun Jianqiu nodded and left to carry out the task.
The crowd gathered around, their faces grave with concern.
They knew the truth was about to be revealed.
However, the bizarre nature of the incident left everyone with a chilling feeling in their hearts.
Outside, carriages continuously arrived, unloading more bodies, filling the entire square.
The guardians' eyes were filled with tears, their hearts heavy with grief.
The number of corpses in the square had already surpassed ten thousand.
As the saying goes, 'When people gather in the tens of thousands, the boundaries blur.'
But what about over ten thousand corpses?
The sight of the bodies scattered across the ground weighed heavily on everyone's hearts, like a leaden burden.
Before long, Lotus Dream Lady, Qing Yu, Huang Yi Fan, and Divine Mind Profound arrived, their expressions grave.
"Fang Che, have you found the cause?" Lotus Dream Lady asked.
"Yes, but I'm not sure what it is, so..." Fang Che explained the situation in detail, emphasizing the sensation he felt when something flew out of the skulls and his subsequent attempts to capture it. "That's why I need your help to see if you can contain or track it with your divine aura."
Lotus Dream Lady's delicate face reflected her deep concern.
All four of them took a deep breath, instantly elevating their cultivation to its peak, "Let's begin."
Fang Che nodded, "One at a time, or all four of us together?"
"One at a time!"
Fang Che bowed respectfully towards the body, "Please forgive me!"
A flash of sword light.
The skull split open.
An unknown object flew out.
Simultaneously, the four of them unleashed their divine auras, concentrating their powers.
They could sense the tiny object, but only for a fleeting moment before it vanished without a trace.
None of them could track it.
Their brows furrowed in concentration.
"Try again!" Fang Che asked.
"Okay."
Though it may seem disrespectful to the deceased, it was necessary. The scale of this incident was immense, with over ten thousand lives lost in an instant.
Only Fang Che could handle such a task.
Others, including the priests, Yun Jianqiu from Han Jian Shanmen, and even Hall Master Yuan Jingjiang, found it unbearable.
Death was already tragic, but to repeatedly split open skulls...
Fang Che's expression remained cold, as if nothing could deter him.
Four more slashes.
Before each strike, they released their divine auras, sealing the space.
However, they failed to contain the mysterious small objects, and the fleeting points of disappearance were too swift to track.
"There's no other way!"
Lotus Dream Lady pondered, taking out her communication jade and infusing it with her cultivation. She began sending out soul messages.
At that moment, Director Fang Tian Tiao descended from the sky and landed in the Guardian Palace.
"In White Apple Continent and White Elephant Continent, there have been large-scale mass death incidents in the past few days, similar to what happened here, but with fewer casualties. They're also investigating the causes, but with no leads. The Southeast Headquarters has been informed. The Guardian Headquarters is already aware of this, and they want us to wait for the results. Any updates on our end?"
Fang Che briefed Director Fang on the bizarre situation.
Director Fang's expression changed, and he immediately used the communication jade to contact the Southeast Headquarters.
They were also urgently uploading information.
The crowd's faces were filled with extreme gravity.
Time ticked by slowly.
The line of carriages outside gradually diminished.
After inspecting a corpse every quarter of an hour, and with no more carriages entering, the death toll reached fourteen thousand three hundred.
Among the deceased were the old and young, men and women, children and the elderly.
Fang Che sheathed his sword and stood on the steps of the plaza, his back to the corpses scattered on the ground. His gaze was fixed on the distant void.
No one knew what he was thinking.
His face was rigid and somber.
As dusk approached, cooking smoke rose into the sky.
These people lying on the ground should have been enjoying family dinners, surrounded by their loved ones, experiencing the joy of family life.
Wives should have been busy cooking, while husbands, tired from a day's work, rested. Grandparents should have been doting on their grandchildren, their faces filled with kindness. Children should have been playful and mischievous, their voices filled with childish innocence...
That's how it should have been!
They hadn't offended or harmed anyone.
Nor had they done anything wrong.
They had lived hard-working lives, hoping and expecting a better future.
Yet, now, they all lay here, not a single family member left, not even a trace of their lineage!
Even the Guardians didn't know the cause!
Fang Che stared into the distance, his mind racing. Over fourteen thousand people had died, and the houses that once belonged to them would now be empty, gradually falling into disrepair.
Their dreams, aspirations, and happiness... all turned to ashes!
As he thought, a surge of killing intent erupted from within him.
With a roar that shook the mountains and split the earth, he shouted, "Kill!"
The crowd turned in shock.
There, at the headquarters, stood a lone figure, gazing into the distance, his voice like thunder and lightning, "Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The gnashing of teeth, the seething hatred, the surging killing intent!
It was a cry of anguish that pierced the heavens!
Infected by this intense killing intent, the crowd erupted in unison, "Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Angry killing intent rose, and the winds in the sky howled mournfully.
Lotus Dream Lady and Director Fang received messages simultaneously.
"The Nightmare Demon of the Only Righteous Sect! It's the Nightmare Soul!"
"The Nightmare Demon is devouring people's dream spirits."
"The Ninth Lord has ordered that all corpses must be immediately cremated and not kept overnight. Otherwise, at midnight, the dream spirits of the deceased will fly away and become nourishment for the Nightmare Demon."
"Issue a Plague Decree to the public, stating that the deaths are due to a plague. The matter of the Nightmare Demon is to be kept within the Guardian Palace."
"All personnel in the Guardian Palace, prepare for life-and-death readiness."
With the orders given, everyone was shocked.
The Nightmare Demon!
It was the Nightmare Demon that hadn't appeared in thousands of years.
As for the 'plague' explanation, everyone understood. Some matters simply couldn't be disclosed to the public. If the truth about the Nightmare Demon were to spread, one could only imagine the chaos that would ensue.
Human hearts were unpredictable.
It was better to attribute it to a natural disaster, a permanent solution.
That night, on White Cloud Continent, a massive bonfire blazed into the sky.
Over ten thousand corpses were gathered in the plaza for cremation.
All around, countless incense candles were lit.
Director Fang sent people to purchase incense from every shop in the city, nearly emptying the entire stock! The bonfire roared into the sky.
"May your journey be peaceful. May you find a world without the Only Righteous Sect. If you still have attachments to this world, then wait a few more years before returning..."
Director Fang stood solemnly before the fire, reciting silently, "...I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, and I apologize that we can't guarantee when you'll be able to reincarnate and return to peace."
He raised his voice to the blazing flames, "May your next life be in a peaceful world!"
Countless Guardians felt their eyes well up, and they echoed his wish, "May your next life be in a peaceful world!"
...
Even after returning to the Guardian Palace, Director Fang's heart remained unsettled.
It felt as if a colossal boulder weighed down his chest.
Fourteen thousand lives!
Fourteen thousand!
The entire plaza was covered with corpses, stretching as far as the eye could see. All of them had been alive just a day ago.
"Two Hall Priests, divide into two shifts and take turns on duty, ready to embark on missions at any time. The shift will last for a day and a night. Those not on duty, go home and rest immediately, no exceptions! In this battle against the Nightmare Demon, we cannot guarantee survival. Make sure to inform your families!"
Director Fang looked at his over three hundred priests, their eyes fixed on him, standing tall and straight.
In times of peace, they might have been lax or sought comfort, but with this crisis looming and the Nightmare Demon's shadow engulfing the city, every gaze was filled with anger, and no one showed any sign of retreat.
Director Fang's face was solemn as he scanned the crowd, and he spoke softly, "Brothers and sisters..."
He paused, wanting to say something heartfelt, but looking at these ordinary-looking people, calm and ready to face life and death...
In the end, Director Fang refrained from saying anything sentimental. Instead, he spoke with a heavy voice, "Peace..."
(End of Chapter)
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