Chapter 636 A Bolt From the Blue

The Xie Family.

Xie Lingxi, having heard the terrible news from her mother, hastily threw a pink sweatshirt over her nightgown, slipped into sandals, and ran all the way to the courtyard where the Old Ancestor lived in seclusion. Between sobs, she begged the Old Ancestor to save her Yuanshi brother.

But the Old Ancestor ignored her.

Xie Lingxi cried for almost an hour before the Old Ancestor's impatient voice came from the courtyard:

"The old man hates women crying and sniveling the most, even young girls. Get lost!"

Xie Lingxi wiped her tears. "Old Ancestor, please save him! He's a genius who can become a demigod. He's worth saving! I... I've been watching him for so long, I can't just let him die like this."

The Xie family's Old Ancestor, a crude man, had no patience for tender feelings, even for his direct descendant. He said angrily:

"Save my ass! I gave him a choice. The brat knew it was a death tribulation and still charged in recklessly. One would think he was a Fire Master. Let me tell you, the only ones who can kill an official Ruler and get away with it are demigods. There's no other possibility.

"You want me to fight the official laws for him? I'm not afraid, but I can't do it. The Five Elements Alliance has five demigods, and our Xie family only has me."

Xie Lingxi burst into tears, crying like a pear blossom in the rain.

........

The harsh ringing of his phone woke Zhao Cheng隍 from his dream. He picked up the phone from the bedside table, the fluorescent blue light illuminating his stern face.

The caller was Sun Miaomiao.

The time was six in the morning, the sun had just peeked its head out, and he had only just fallen asleep.

Zhao Cheng隍 frowned, a little strange. Although he and Sun Miaomiao had grown up in the same neighborhood and were considered childhood sweethearts, they rarely contacted each other unless something was up.

For her to call him at this hour meant something was wrong.

When Zhao Cheng隍 answered the phone, his tone was particularly grave: "What happened?"

Sun Miaomiao's voice trembled. "Yuanshi... Yuanshi is in trouble. He killed an elder of the Five Elements Alliance."

Zhao Cheng隍 immediately jolted awake, almost leaping out of bed, his brow twitching. "Killed an elder?! What nonsense are you talking about!"

"Look at the Five Elements Alliance forum."

Zhao Cheng隍 didn't even put on his shoes, rushing out of the bedroom and into the study. He opened his work laptop, logged in, and accessed the Five Elements Alliance forum.

Sure enough, he saw a pinned post in bright red.

#Yuanshi Tianzun Colludes with Evil Professions, Obstructs Law Enforcement, and Murders an Elder#

"Yesterday at dawn, Elder Wrathwave Unfeeling led a team to eradicate a group of evil professions when they were attacked by Yuanshi Tianzun. He unfortunately returned to the Lingjing Xingzhe. The headquarters expresses its deep condolences and promises to severely punish the murderer and uphold the law..."

The announcement content, several hundred words long, described the course of events, focusing on the righteous and tragic actions of "Wrathwave Unfeeling," a diligent elder who eliminated evil professions only to die such a wrongful death.

It emphasized Yuanshi Tianzun's arrogance and unruliness. Relying on his genius status, he acted presumptuously, not only colluding with evil professions but also killing an official elder.

In addition to the text description, the post also uploaded several sets of drone photos. One set of photos showed a high-definition image of Yuanshi Tianzun holding a mummified corpse by the neck.

There were also snapshots of more than a dozen elders arriving at the scene and witnessing the event firsthand.

Zhao Cheng隍 leaned weakly against the back of his chair. He didn't dare to look at the comments.

Stunned for a moment, Zhao Cheng隍 took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth: "To provoke Yuanshi Tianzun to this extent means the headquarters took action against Xiaoyuan and the others. Elder Cai's move is too vicious. It's not something an elder should do."

He knew Yuanshi Tianzun's personality well. He wouldn't kill an elder unless his bottom line had been crossed.

Sun Miaomiao said with a sob: "I told him a long time ago not to associate with evil professions, not to associate with her, but he wouldn't listen!"

Zhao Cheng隍 paused slightly. He was finally sure of one thing: Sun Miaomiao liked Yuanshi Tianzun.

Before, it was just suspicion, now it was confirmed.

"Killing an elder is a capital crime. Yuanshi Tianzun can't escape this." Zhao Cheng隍 rubbed his face, forcing himself to calm down. He said in a deep voice: "There's no way to get him off the hook. The only way is to bail him out and get him to defect from the official side."

Sun Miaomiao sobbed twice and said, "I begged my grandfather, but he refused to help. Can you beg Elder Zhao?"

Zhao Cheng隍 gave a wry smile. "Do you think he'll agree?"

Sun Miaomiao fell silent.

At this moment, the phone "dinged" with a message.

Zhao Cheng隍 looked at it and said in a rare gentle voice, comforting her: "Someone's talking in the small group. We can discuss it with them. Don't worry, there's no use in worrying."

Sun Miaomiao hung up the phone.

[Red Rooster Bro: Holy crap, what's going on? How did Yuanshi Tianzun get into a fight with an official elder? I remember that killing an elder in the Five Elements Alliance is punishable by death.]

[Fire Under Heaven: It's a death sentence in any organization. Yuanshi Tianzun is in big trouble.]

[Zhao Cheng隍: Everyone, is there any way to help?]

[Red Rooster Bro: I heard from my dad that Yuanshi Tianzun was arrested and taken to headquarters. Let's go and snatch him from the execution ground.]

[Xiahou Aotian: What a lousy idea! What level are you at to even think about snatching someone from the execution ground? One would think you were a demigod.]

[Red Rooster Bro: I've already bought the plane ticket. Where should we meet in the capital?]

[Xiahou Aotian: Don't be impulsive. I plan to use my shares in the Mechanical Company to talk to the Old Ancestor.]

[Asano Ryo: Ah, what should we do, what should we do.......]

Sun Miaomiao didn't want to listen to their nonsense and directly @Fire Under Heaven: [Do you have any ideas?]

Fire Under Heaven sent a "bitter smile" emoji:

[Killing an official elder is a capital crime that no one can save him from. Yuanshi is now imprisoned. Next, the headquarters will probably try him, and he'll be dead. Have you guys seen the forum? Right now, my colleagues on the official side are still in a state of disbelief. In a day or two, the people pushing things from behind will stir up the rhythm. Even Yuanshi Tianzun's die-hard fans will probably find it hard to support him with a clear conscience.]

[Fire Under Heaven: By then, the trend will be set, and the whole world will want him dead. If the Alliance Leader insists on protecting him, then he'll be trampling the laws and regulations of the Five Elements Alliance under his feet in front of all the official practitioners, in front of all the Lingjing Xingzhe in the world. The Alliance Leaders won't do that, because they are the true guardians of order.]

[Fire Under Heaven: Back then, the five Alliance Leaders signed a contract not to interfere in official affairs in order to better integrate the Five Elements Alliance. This act of decentralization was precisely because they valued order.]

Demigods were like emperors, possessing absolute power, and the most taboo thing in a stable organization was for power to be held in the hands of a few people.

Although the power of the Five Elements Alliance was currently severely consolidated, there was still a knife hanging over the heads of the Ten Elders, and their power was more dispersed than if the Alliance Leaders were in charge.

[Xiahou Aotian: So, snatching him from the execution ground is actually the right idea.]

[Fire Under Heaven: No, it's an extremely stupid idea. How big is this incident, how much attention is it getting? Don't even mention us, even Rulers would be going to their deaths.]

The group fell silent.

Between the lines, Fire Under Heaven was saying four words: It's hopeless!

This wasn't something that Lingjing Xingzhe at their level could interfere with. They couldn't change anything.

.........

Fu Family Bay.

In the living room, the Queen sat on the sofa with red eyes, having just cried her heart out. Guan Ya, on the other hand, was expressionless, constantly scrolling through her phone, browsing forums, chat groups, and her address book...

As if it had nothing to do with her.

Fu Xue angrily slapped her daughter's phone away, her willow eyebrows standing on end:

"What time is it? Your man is in so much trouble, and you have the leisure to play on your phone?"

The phone flew out, crashing to the ground and sliding to the corner of the table. The cracked screen froze on Fire Under Heaven's last sentence.

Her mother-in-law was extremely anxious. She had bet everything on her good son. Yuanshi was the hope for her second half of her life.

How could such a high-quality stock fall to its limit? More magical than the A-shares.

From the moment she received the news at three o'clock last night until now, Fu Xue had been restless, pacing around anxiously.

She had tried to contact Fu Qingxuan, but the phone didn't go through. She called his secretary, and learned that Fu Qingxuan had gone into a dungeon to play a few days ago. The siblings had to go into a dungeon at this time.

The unwilling mother-in-law then called the Fu family's council of elders. Unsurprisingly, she was turned away. It wasn't that the Fu family didn't want to help. Yuanshi Tianzun was, after all, the Fu family's son-in-law. They were just powerless.

How big of a deal was killing an elder?

If Fu Qingyang did something like that, even if he had a legitimate reason, he would still have to shed a layer of skin. And Yuanshi Tianzun, he had colluded with evil professions, obstructed law enforcement, and murdered an elder. The nature of the crime was too heinous.

He couldn't be saved.

Guan Ya got up, silently picked up her phone, and looked at her mother. "Don't worry, the Mechanical Company belongs to Fu Qingyang. It won't affect your ability to make money whether Yuanshi is there or not."

Fu Xue scolded angrily: "You little brat, what do you mean by that!"

Guan Ya didn't answer, and went upstairs in silence.

Entering the bedroom, she sat blankly at her desk, not moving for a long time.

At this moment, her phone rang. The caller was an unfamiliar number.

Guan Ya answered the phone with empty eyes, not speaking.

The other side didn't speak either.

The two seemed to have an invisible understanding.

After about two or three minutes, a voice suppressing pain finally came from the speaker:

"I'm sorry..."

It was that woman.

Guan Ya sat there woodenly, not responding.

"I understand how you feel. Can you give me a few minutes? I want to talk to you about this..."

........

Northwest Gobi Desert.

The Fear Heavenly King, dressed in a sophisticated black suit and wearing a silver ear stud, coldly watched the approaching convoy.

The lead SUV suddenly slammed on the brakes.

Subsequent vehicles stopped one after another, almost causing a major rear-end collision.

A sunny young man with a sports headband wrapped around his forehead stepped out of the lead SUV.

He scrutinized the Fear Heavenly King, who was dressed in an elite manner and had an elegant temperament, and sneered: "Good dogs don't block the road!"

The Fear Heavenly King said indifferently: "Silver Moon called me and said you brought a group of believers to attack the capital?"

The Demon Eye Heavenly King asked in reply: "This is my freedom. Is it any of your business?"

"Going to the capital is your freedom, blocking the road is my freedom." The Fear Heavenly King's expression was cold.

The Demon Eye Heavenly King was silent for a second, then said: "I asked Shura. As long as I can bring Yuanshi Tianzun to the Northwest, he can let Yuanshi Tianzun serve as a Heavenly King in the Soldier Lord Sect."

The Fear Heavenly King sneered: "You can go back and ask Shura now to let you have the position of Leader of the Soldier Lord Sect, and he'll agree. Shura will agree to everyone's requests. He doesn't even bother to say 'no' to ants."

The Demon Eye Heavenly King suddenly flew into a rage. "Are you asking for a beating? Get lost!"

He tore off the sports headband from his forehead, revealing the vertical eye with its red socket and light gold pupils. The light gold eyeballs rolled around, filled with evil and chaos.

"Ah.......”

The bewitchment demons and mist lords in the convoy screamed, clutching their heads and wailing, their expressions frantic, showing signs of madness.

Even the Fear Heavenly King, whose combat power was comparable to a demigod, momentarily lost control of the spiritual power in his body when the golden-red beam shone on him. The evil thoughts in his heart were like a match that had been doused in gasoline, raging high and nearly overwhelming his reason.

This was the Demon Eye Heavenly King's "Bewitching Eye." In the entire Soldier Lord Sect, only he and Shura had cultivated the "Bewitchment" skill to the pinnacle, capable of weakening demigods.

"If you want to fight me, wait until you're Level 9." The Fear Heavenly King took a deep breath to calm his agitated spiritual power and took a step out, covering dozens of meters.

"Pa!"

He whipped his leg out, sending the Demon Eye Heavenly King flying and creating a deafening sonic boom.

The Demon Eye Heavenly King flew out like a cannonball. The Fear Heavenly King then disappeared. Immediately afterward, a series of thunderous booms came from the distance. The battle (beatdown) between the two Heavenly Kings was like a continuous barrage of cannon fire.

.........

A small town in the Jinshan City area, a cheap hotel.

A double bed room, Xiaoyuan stood by the window and gently put down her phone. On the bed behind her lay Kou Beiyue.

After taking the pill, the bacteria in Kou Beiyue's body gradually lost their activity. Apart from being a little weak, he was fine, but at this moment, this energetic teenager was lying there blankly, staring at the ceiling with empty eyes.

He had woken up in the second half of the night. As soon as he woke up, he had heard the terrible news of the team's demise from Xiaoyuan.

The successive blows had crushed this teenager. He had remained in this state until dawn, like a soulless puppet.

Xiaoyuan looked out the window and said in a low voice:

"Yuanshi has been arrested by the Five Elements Alliance for killing a Ruler without authorization. He... he will be sentenced to death."

The room was silent.

Then, Xiaoyuan heard a cry from behind, the heartbreaking cry of a teenager.

........

Secretary Zhou walked down the mottled stone steps and came to an underground corridor made of stone blocks.

The lighting was provided by tungsten filament light bulbs from the 1990s, embedded in the corridor ceiling, casting an orange-yellow light that illuminated the underground prison.

The ceiling, walls, and floor of the corridor were all made of uniform square stone blocks. Dense tree roots extended from the gaps in the stone blocks, and some parts of the walls were even directly covered by large swaths of roots.

The underground prison had many rooms, but they were all empty.

Secretary Zhou's leather shoes made crisp tapping sounds as he stepped on the stone slabs.

Before long, he arrived at the prison cell at the end of the corridor and saw the young man sitting cross-legged on the bed.

The young man's body was entwined with roots, but there were no other restrictions.

But Secretary Zhou knew very well that even a demigod would find it difficult to break free from these roots.

Because these roots also came from a demigod, the president of the Hundred Flowers Society.

This was the outskirts of the capital, the underground of Linggan Temple.

In Linggan Temple, there was a hundred-year-old tree, one of the president's avatars. The president of the Hundred Flowers Society was the most mysterious of the Alliance Leaders. He had a very low profile, living in seclusion year-round, not paying attention to official affairs, and not seeing official practitioners. Even the Ten Elders had only seen him a few times.

He was the kind of demigod who wouldn't bother to show up unless it was the end of the world.

But the president was also omnipresent. When necessary, any plant or animal in the capital could be him.

"Yuanshi Tianzun, the headquarters has decided to hold a trial for you tomorrow. Do you have any thoughts?"

Secretary Zhou was a middle-aged man with a gloomy temperament, with regular features and slicked-back hair. His tall figure was more stylish than the young man's.

"Are you hoping to hear me beg for mercy, or curse?" Zhang Yuanqing looked over, a hint of mockery in his eyes. "If it's begging for mercy, shouldn't I proactively offer up the Sacrificial Heaven Set and all my props?"

Without a doubt, his death tribulation had arrived.

Zhang Yuanqing had been reflecting on two things all day.

First, why had he taken the chance to attend the Crab Feast?

If he hadn't attended the Crab Feast on October 1st and had stayed in a dungeon, he wouldn't have received Zhao Xintong's call for help and wouldn't have been dragged into this. Although he had never regretted it.

Second, he had always worried about the arrival of his death tribulation and had actively taken measures to deal with it, but he had neglected Xiaoyuan and Kou Beiyue.

Why couldn't the death tribulation be a replica of the plane ambush incident? Although he had bought houses for Xiaoyuan and the other four and changed their addresses, this wasn't absolutely safe.

--Of course, unless he directly sent Xiaoyuan and the others abroad, it would be impossible to achieve 100% safety.

Zhang Yuanqing still hadn't figured out these two questions. He suspected that he had become a pawn, but he had no evidence.

If there was someone really pushing things from behind, then it could only be said that this kind of push was almost impossible to detect in advance and impossible to avoid.

Elder Cai was a Rain Master and didn't have the corresponding ability. Was it Ling Tu? Had he attacked him in advance? Then why could Ling Tu tolerate the Devil Lord becoming a peak Ruler, approaching a demigod?

But he couldn't tolerate Yuanshi Tianzun living a few more years?

Now that he was trapped and lacked access to information, it was difficult to find out the truth about the incident.

Secretary Zhou shook his head and sighed:

"It seems you have a lot of prejudice against Elder Cai and me. Elder Cai is a fair and just leader. Even though you killed his grandson, he still tolerated you and indulged you. He would never take revenge for personal grudges. You were just too spoiled. You took the headquarters' tolerance as a license to act wantonly, touching the bottom line again and again. Now you even dare to kill an elder. Alas, heaven wants to destroy someone, it must first make them crazy. It makes sense."

"As an elder and a leader, I feel sorry for this." Secretary Zhou said sorrowfully.

"Get out after you're done talking!" Zhang Yuanqing was thinking about his own survival and didn't have the mood to talk to him.

"Don't be impatient. I have one more thing to tell you." The corners of Secretary Zhou's mouth curled up slightly:

"You may not know this, but last night, the headquarters sent out a secret action team that successfully wiped out the Past Without Trace gang scattered throughout various locations. Apart from the two you let go, everyone else was killed. In addition, Past Without Trace failed to attack demigod and has already gone mad. The official side dispatched two Alliance Leaders to deal with him. Oh, right, and the demigods of Dark Night Rose and the Southern Sect."

Everyone is dead........ At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing heard the sound of blood freezing in his veins, heard the thunder in his ears, and heard the roars and wails of someone, he didn't know who, coming from his heart.

A bolt from the blue.

........

ps: I'll update the wrong words first, then revise them later.