E0 District.

The cleanup outside the city was mostly complete. Most of the Source Tower enforcers had returned… their hands stained with blood. Many who were slow to flee were caught and cut down.

Lord Suzaku had said that anyone not involved in the Cloud Mirror mission should be killed.

Du Hu stood on the city wall, his hands tucked into his wide sleeves, respectfully awaiting the arrival of the other three Divine Envoys. In the downpour, lightning flashed and thunder roared. A bolt of lightning struck, tearing the darkness into daylight. The next moment, three figures appeared on the high wall of E0 District.

"Where is Suzaku?"

Yun Hu narrowed his eyes and asked.

"Lord Suzaku has gone out of the city to hunt down the culprit…" Du Hu replied, bowing.

Yun Hu asked again, "The person?"

The person he was referring to was naturally no longer Suzaku, but the girl targeted by the Cloud Mirror mission.

"…"

Du Hu looked troubled. The enforcers had searched the northern city area, killing many rioters, but they couldn't find the girl.

"Lost her?" Yun Hu questioned coldly.

If he had to give an answer…

Then Du Hu could only honestly reply, "Lord, it seems we have lost her."

Then, he recounted the events that had occurred in E0 District, telling the whole story.

The three Divine Envoys went from calm to increasingly gloomy and unsightly expressions.

"Light City incited a riot…"

This Cloud Mirror mission failure actually brought a bit of schadenfreude to Yun Hu. Suzaku messing things up was good news for him. However, Light City daring to stir up trouble in the Central Continent was intolerable.

Riots could occur in Suzaku's territory.

His own territory… would not be an exception.

"This is the 'evidence' that Lord Suzaku found…"

Du Hu carefully presented the scrap of clothing.

Hong Long reached out and took it.

"It is indeed an item left behind by Light City…"

Xuan Gui slowly said, "I can sense a distinct 'aura of light' on it. Other things can be faked, but the aura of light is difficult…"

"Lord, E0 District has been sealed off again."

Du Hu asked earnestly, "Is it possible that the thief is deliberately mystifying things, and the girl targeted by the Cloud Mirror is still in the district? I am prepared to lead people to search again…"

"No need."

Hong Long flipped his hand, taking the scrap of clothing. He said calmly, "No need to search the city. Send people to search outside the southern city area."

"Southern city area?"

Du Hu was taken aback.

"Yun Hu, Xuan Gui, each of you deploy twenty." Hong Long said quietly, "If it's just one person, they might not have run far. If that girl is still in the wild, there might still be a chance to stop her. This matter is of utmost importance. Whoever captures her will have made a great contribution."

He did not explain the reason, nor did he need to.

For this mission south…

Hong Long could communicate with Tian Shui-xiansheng at any time, while the Source Tower borrowed Yan-xiansheng’s "divination" to provide clues at any time.

Things that Hong Long did not explain could be considered "orders" or the result of "divination."

Yun Hu and Xuan Gui did not hesitate and immediately sent messages to make arrangements… They were too lazy to ask more about such matters. Whether it was an "order" or the result of "divination," they only needed to execute it. As long as they didn't ask, Hong Long would bear the responsibility even if something went wrong.

Du Hu also accepted the order and led the enforcers he had brought south in a mighty procession.

After these enforcers left, the high wall became deserted.

Yun Hu was the first to ask, "Hong Long, the riot in E0 District cannot end like this… When are you planning to call a meeting with Light City?"

"I am not planning to call a meeting."

Hong Long said indifferently.

Xuan Gui raised an eyebrow. "Although I unconditionally cooperate with all your instructions… I would like to ask why you are doing this?"

"Calling a meeting is meaningless."

Hong Long said, "Even if tonight's events were done by Su Ye, he would not admit it."

"Even if…" Yun Hu realized something was wrong.

"Light City is very cunning, more so than most people imagine." Hong Long said slowly, "If they incited tonight's riot… they would have done it more cleanly. For example, they would have added a 'lightning' attribute to the sword that killed He Chan. With the strength of the Saint Arbiters, erasing traces is not difficult."

Yun Hu reacted. "You mean… Light City didn't do it tonight?"

"Perhaps, whether Light City did it or not is not important."

"We can only settle this score with Light City, and we must settle it. Calling a meeting in advance will only make Su Ye wary."

Hong Long looked at the distant mountains outside the wall and said leisurely, "Suzaku guessed correctly. Light City does have hidden agents, and some of them are buried within the Source Tower… Tian Shui-xiansheng gave me a list. One of my main tasks in this 'mission south' is to make Light City reveal their hidden network and take the opportunity to wipe out all their hidden agents in one fell swoop."

"???"

Yun Hu and Xuan Gui were somewhat horrified to hear this.

Among the four Divine Envoys, Hong Long held the most transcendent position.

Hong Long also took on the most high-risk missions and traveled the most often.

However, they didn't expect… that Tian Shui-xiansheng would trust Hong Long to such an extent. He didn't even inform them about such important intelligence as the fact that Light City had hidden agents!

"Don't think too much. It's not that you have fallen out of favor."

Hong Long consoled them casually, "The reason for not telling you is to prevent being noticed by the 'hidden agents' under your command… And the reason for telling me is because I have almost no subordinates, so naturally there won't be a situation where a 'trusted person' has been turned."

Yun Hu and Xuan Gui looked even more strange after hearing this.

What did that mean?

Light City had buried hidden agents… and they were right under their command!

"Using a knife to kill, diverting disaster eastward…"

Xuan Gui said in a deep voice, "If Light City didn't do it tonight, then who could it be?"

"North Continent, East Continent…"

The entire Sangzhou Abyss was only so big.

There were not many other candidates.

"It's meaningless to guess out of thin air."

Yun Hu frowned, "According to this line of thought, the planner of tonight's riot went north out of the city to attract our attention… Then the real 'target' should be in the south."

So… Hong Long sent people south immediately!

If those enforcers could find clues about the Cloud Mirror girl and continue the investigation, the identity of the mastermind would naturally be revealed step by step…

Thinking of this, Yun Hu's eyes toward Hong Long were somewhat complicated and somewhat fearful.

Was the order just now Hong Long's idea, or Yan-xiansheng's divination?

He couldn't guess.

"Gentlemen, I am going out of the city myself to find the girl wanted by the Cloud Mirror bounty."

Hong Long asked, "Do you want to leave with me?"

Xuan Gui looked to the north of the city. The rain was pouring, and the mountains and fields were like paintings. Suzaku had disappeared into the long night. He asked with a smile, "Suzaku went out of the city to catch that 'mastermind.' He'll be alright, right?"

Yun Hu also smiled, but his laughter was filled with indifference. "I hope he dies outside the mountains."

"There is no one in this Sangzhou Abyss who can kill him."

Hong Long said lightly, "Even if Jia Wei came in person, he would have a way to escape…"

"I'm just a little worried," Yun Hu suddenly said, "Given this guy's temper, if he catches up with the target and can't take them down after a long time, will he take the 'South Departure Token'?"

The Divine Envoy Hong Long, who had turned to leave, paused slightly.

As soon as Yun Hu's words fell…

The three Divine Envoys felt a tremor from their soul seas, as if something had been pulled away with a "clang…" The three of them stood silently in the heavy rain, sensing the collapse of the huge [Empty Domain] in the distant sky.

"... Fuck."

Yun Hu cursed directly. Veins bulged on his forehead, and his fists clenched, wishing he could kill the Suzaku birdman from afar. "Really took the 'South Departure'! To kill someone, he even dismantled the [Empty Domain] barrier! Is this idiot crazy?!"

Xuan Gui also looked gloomy. "…"

The removal of the [Empty Domain] was not a big deal. As long as there was no beast tide tonight, the four of them could gather in E7 District after the battle and re-establish the barrier.

However, Suzaku acted arbitrarily, completely disregarding the barrier!

He took the South Departure Token whenever he wanted!

If something unexpected happened…

What would Suzaku take to bear the responsibility?

"This mission south, although there are no rules, I will report everything to Tian Shui-xiansheng truthfully. Suzaku letting go of the 'Cloud Mirror target' and taking the 'South Departure Token' without authorization, these things will all be reported."

Hong Long's expression was as calm as ever. "If the collapse of the [Empty Domain] barrier leads to losses in the Source Tower's plan… these consequences will be calculated one by one, all on his head. Gentlemen, I am going out of the city. Will no one come with me?"

Yun Hu and Xuan Gui both shook their heads.

Hong Long nodded, indicating his understanding, and then disappeared from the high wall.

…

…

The flames of Li fire fluttered, enveloping the area.

Within the [South Departure Purgatory], Suzaku's body was surrounded by scarlet flames. Although this quasi-S-level artifact did not contain "divine power" and could not be compared with Apostle Tokens, it provided considerable support to its user when actually used.

Divine Envoy Suzaku took a step forward.

His speed had already exceeded the speed of sound.

A punch!

Gu Shen's Blazing Fire spiritual power was even somewhat unable to capture it. He put his hands together to receive this blow head-on… The whole person was knocked backward, heavily crashing into the fire barrier wall of the South Departure Purgatory!

"Ch-ch-ch--"

The sound of hot burning rang out. The temperature of this scarlet flame penetrated the Town Moon Dharma Robe and directly reached Gu Shen's soul!

A look of pain appeared on his face.

The divine fire of the South Departure Suzaku could directly act on the Heart Lake…

This burn almost made Gu Shen's soul lose its guard. He gritted his teeth, his ghost mask hideous, almost exposing his identity.

At this moment, Gu Shen really wanted to unleash "Pure Land" and "Blazing Fire," using all his trump cards to fight Suzaku to the death!

But reason told him that he couldn't do that!

No matter how much he transcended his realm, he was currently only at the eighth level of the Deep Sea. Even if he unexpectedly used "Pure Land," he would not be 100% sure of killing Suzaku… But if "Pure Land" was used, it would mean his identity was exposed.

Suzaku had seen his "Domain" in Rhein City…

Once his identity was exposed, Gu Shen had to kill him.

It was just that this birdman's speed was too fast. If he made up his mind to escape, even a fourth-tier transcender might not be able to catch up.

Gu Shen wanted to kill Suzaku, so he had to set up a perfect enough trap… The main purpose of tonight's trap was to rescue the "Child of God's Favor," not to kill the Divine Envoy. Just as Suzaku had said before, he had not invited "Su Ye."

If the purpose of tonight was just to kill—

Then after Suzaku stepped into this desolate mountain, he would have seen Chen Mo and Bai Xiu, two top fourth-tiers, appear together. Then, within the 0.1 seconds that Pure Land froze him, [Time Delay] would be activated, and the [Thunder Realm Walker] would teleport to cut off his head.

Finally, Gu Shen would burn his body clean and use "Nether Fire" to drag his soul into Pure Land, ensuring that the Source Tower's divination technique could not find a trace.

Just like… killing Meng Xiao.

However, sometimes, it wasn't necessary to kill someone to destroy their heart—

"Calculate the time… it should be almost there."

Gu Shen muttered in his heart.

He reached out a hand and wiped away the blood from the corner of his lips.

Gu Shen looked up at the "South Departure Purgatory" that completely enveloped him.

The four Divine Envoys… had gathered earlier in front of E0 District and built a complete [Empty Domain].

This S-level barrier could play an extremely powerful role in the upcoming "resisting the beast tide." However, the only flaw was that the [Empty Domain] had to be suppressed by four tokens.

As long as one was missing, the [Empty Domain] could not be built.

The South Departure Purgatory, trapping him, meant that… the [Empty Domain] had been lifted.

Gu Shen's ghost mask, burning with snow-white light, suddenly revealed a hint of a smile.

This smile was seen by Suzaku.

The latter frowned, vaguely feeling that something was wrong.

…

…

The wind and rain were heavy, and the mountain road was muddy.

Xiao Man followed the young man in white, walking in the heavy rain. Thunder continued to roar, but when it landed in her ears, it was no longer majestic and frightening… These streaks of lightning that tore through the long night gave her an odd sense of security.

The little girl didn't dare to say much. She just followed Bai Xiu as she walked forward. She had long lost her way in the darkness…

Leaving E0 District, she ran south all the way.

But where was she going now?

Xiao Man's mind kept echoing the words that the man in white had said when he picked her up.

"Next, the road is long."

"We'll walk slowly."

She did walk very slowly, and the young man in white also walked very slowly.

But every few steps, the two of them would "teleport" a distance forward.

At first, the frequency was not fast, but later it gradually accelerated… She vaguely felt that something was wrong. It seemed that every time lightning struck, the surrounding scenery would change.

Xiao Man had not looked up, so she did not know.

Behind her, there was a towering and solemn Thunder General, his hands gently resting on the little girl's shoulders. Every time Bai Xiu activated the [Thunder Realm Walker] teleport, the lightning would carry the little girl along with him.

Finally, Bai Xiu said softly, "We're here."

His footsteps slowed down.

Xiao Man was not tired from walking. Not to mention losing the basket and not having to be in the rain, even if she was carrying a heavy basket and running forward in the rain, she could run for another two hours.

At this moment, she looked at the scene in front of her with a somewhat blank expression.

In the distance, there was a towering black shadow that reached the sky.

Under the sudden flash of lightning…

The tall black shadow revealed its true face to her.

It was a towering giant mountain.

The entire Sangzhou Abyss… grew around this giant mountain. This mountain was the growing heart of the Sangzhou Abyss, and also the "Eye of Destruction." If viewed from a high altitude, one would see that the cracked and sunken crater contained billions of tons of black mountain ash. The rain fell, burning out bursts of mist. The extreme temperature burned everything that entered the crater to ashes.

"This is…"

Xiao Man looked blankly at the huge mountain shadow in front of her.

She then realized what the young man in white had meant when he said earlier that "the road is long."

Bai Xiu turned around.

He looked at Xiao Man and said softly, "This is, Tanyao."