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Chapter 549: Chapter 545 The Creator’s Descent
"He’s here, he’s here."
"Mr. Gu has arrived, and our Jiaoyang City now has a clear sky."
"Mr. Gu, we’ve finally waited for you. Thankfully, I didn’t give up."
Cheers were unending inside and outside Jiaoyang City as the warship carrying Gu Jinlai descended.
Gu Jinlai looked at this scene, his expression filled with emotion.
This was already the twenty-ninth city he had swept through.
In the beginning, it was somewhat better, as the people felt nothing special about his arrival.
But as he publicly judged those with a history of crimes time after time, and as Liu Feiyun kept spreading the word, coupled with his brilliant battle achievements of slaying eleven Demon Emperors and one Demon God, the mood of the populace in other cities suddenly heated up.
A large number of accusations against local bureaucrats, even solid evidence, fluttered into Gu Jinlai’s hands like snowflakes.
As these local bureaucrats were rigorously investigated and judged one after another, and many evil-doers were executed, the people in other cities became not only receptive to his arrival, but filled with expectation and hope.
Especially in the latest few cities, every time he arrived, it was accompanied by citywide cheers.
Citizens took to the streets spontaneously, welcoming his coming, the liveliness of which was almost akin to a festival.
Of course, there were some powerful individuals who obstructed him in secret.
Some claimed Gu Jinlai committed all kinds of evil deeds, while others added seemingly plausible but dubious accusations to increase the difficulty of his judgements.
What they didn’t know, however, was that Gu Jinlai’s judgements were never reliant on evidence.
The moment he set eyes on the accusers, he could discern their true nature.
Having the outcome and then looking into the process greatly reduced the difficulty. 𝔫𝖔𝖛𝖕𝔲𝔟.𝔠𝖔𝖒
As for the slandering of Gu Jinlai’s identity...
Gu Jinlai could tolerate it, but the Holy Dynasty could not.
If a True Immortal so powerful as to be on equal footing with the Holy Dynasty and carrying an imperial appointment as Inspector were slandered, what would happen if it incurred Gu Jinlai’s wrath?
What if Gu Jinlai mistakenly believed that the Imperial Family was supporting such actions behind his back, causing him to grow discontented with them and decide to govern independently?
Therefore, it wasn’t necessary for Gu Jinlai to act; these people were naturally dealt with by the Holy Dynasty Royal Family.
In terms of public opinion, how could the credibility of a city or a region compare to the Holy Dynasty?
After all, before the Holy Dynasty was demoralized and had their fighting spirit destroyed by the devils a decade ago, they had accomplished quite a few concrete things.
A decade of corruption, that too with a fig leaf, wasn’t enough to completely ruin the reputation of the Holy Dynasty.
"Supreme Elder."
"Ancient True Immortal."
As Gu Jinlai arrived aboard the Blue Sky, Qi Sheng, as well as a new Saint who had recently pledged allegiance to Gu Jinlai, Su Yu, immediately soared into the air to greet him.
Qi Sheng, being a native of the Li Yang Cave Heaven, had seen his combat prowess match top Saints with the help of a Divine Weapon, was not to be mentioned.
The key was Su Yu.
She was a good friend Chao Jiuyin had made in this world, and he admired many of her insights.
Over the years, as Chao Jiuyin was kept under house arrest, she had actually been tirelessly trying to find ways to rescue her.
But with limited power, she had achieved nothing over the years.
Upon learning that Chao Jiuyin had been rescued by Gu Jinlai, she thoroughly investigated his character.
After learning of his acts of Justice in Wind and Rain City and Liuhuo City, she decisively pledged herself to Gu Jinlai.
And Gu Jinlai, seeing her astonishing "yellow" Level 1 Karma, did not hesitate to entrust her with a heavy responsibility, granting her a Divine Weapon to help her acknowledge its master.
Already a top Saint, she now wielded the might of a Divine Weapon; her combat strength was not inferior to a high-level Void Immortal, making her the strongest under Gu Jinlai’s command.
Especially during this time as she diligently helped Gu Jinlai purge each city, the "yellow" light on her body was faintly trending towards "pale purple," a sign of transformation.
"These are the definitive pieces of evidence we have."
Qi Sheng handed over a thick stack of documents.
Gu Jinlai nodded in acknowledgment, yet did not reply immediately.
"Supreme Elder?"
Liu Feiyun, who had been following him to handle trivial matters, asked with puzzlement.
"Proceed as we usually do," Gu Jinlai said, returning to his senses, then followed up with a question, "Is there anything unusual about Jiaoyang City?"
He had felt something odd yesterday, and now, stepping into Jiaoyang City, the oddity had become clearer, manifesting as a sense of unease.
It seemed...
A colossal disaster was about to descend.
"Unusual..."
Qi Sheng and Su Yu exchanged glances and shook their heads, "Nothing."
After a moment, Qi Sheng added, "The only abnormality is that many people have fled for various reasons, leaving Jiaoyang City much quieter than usual."
"Is that so."
Gu Jinlai responded.
"Supreme Elder, do you sense anything?"
Liu Feiyun inquired, "Could it be that those people plan to unite in rebellion?"
"Their union is meaningless."
Gu Jinlai shook his head.
He had already reached a consensus with the Six Great Cave Heavens.
Upon seeing the hope of fighting their way out and breaking the devil’s siege in him, the Six Great Cave Heavens had been actively preparing for war and assembling their forces in recent times.
As a great battle was about to erupt, Gu Jinlai was willing to play the villain, going through the Holy Dynasty from top to bottom, and the Six Great Cave Heavens were indeed happy to see this happen.
"Any movement from the Demon God?"
Gu Jinlai asked.
"The Demon God side is also calm."
Liu Feiyun replied.
"Are there any Demon Abyss Level fissures in the Demon Realm near Jiaoyang City?"
"There’s no rift at the level of the Demon Abyss, but there is a super-large rift that opens on average once every six months and remains open for three months, and it’s currently the opening period."
Liu Feiyun said gravely, "It’s only twelve thousand miles away from Jiaoyang City."
"Send someone to see if there’s anything unusual about that rift in the Demon Realm."
Gu Jinlai instructed.
"Yes."
Liu Feiyun immediately acknowledged the order.
Having taken note of all that needed attention, Gu Jinlai pondered for a moment. Considering the four-digit number of Qingguang he had amassed after sweeping through the Twenty-Nine Cities, he couldn’t be bothered to dwell on it any further: "Then proceed with the original plan, and start the trial of these people."
Facing enemies with equal tactics; repelling water with earth!
With his current abilities, besides facing top Immortal Masters and Demon Lords, he didn’t believe there was anyone else who could pose a threat to his life.
Right then, amidst the cheers of the countless onlookers, Gu Jinlai entered the city to begin the trial of the captives one by one.
As the trial went on, a sense of unrest grew stronger and stronger in Gu Jinlai’s heart.
By the time the first day of the trial was nearly over, his unease had almost reached its peak.
"Supreme Elder?"
It wasn’t just Liu Feiyun who noticed Gu Jinlai’s abnormality; Qi Sheng, Su Yu, and others felt it too.
"Has something happened?"
Liu Feiyun asked.
Gu Jinlai waved his hand dismissively.
What could Liu Feiyun, Qi Sheng, Su Yu, and the others do about an issue that made him anxious?
"After today’s trial, we’ll take a one-day break. I need to sort out some things."
Gu Jinlai said solemnly.
"Yes."
The mood of Liu Feiyun, Qi Sheng, and Su Yu also became heavy.
If a True Immortal like Gu Jinlai felt the situation was so thorny that it disrupted his original plans, surely the matter was significant.
"Cultivators... unharmed... The Demon God is so massive it can hardly move without making a sound; the only variable near Jiaoyang City would be... the rift in the Demon Realm. I will go..."
Gu Jinlai hadn’t finished speaking when he suddenly felt something.
He looked up in shock, his gaze seemingly piercing through the void, directly perceiving the True Spirit Realm hidden beneath the surface of the real world.
And in the True Spirit Realm, a fearsome Spirit Realm Life whose spiritual fluctuations exceeded even those of a Spirit Venerable, turned its gaze in this direction as well.
"Aries Star Lord!?"
Almost as Gu Jinlai’s gaze fell upon this Spirit Realm Life, its gaze also re-fixed onto Gu Jinlai.
Vaguely...
He seemed to hear a voice resonating directly within the depths of his soul.
"I see you!"
"Hum hum!"
The soul vibrates!
Gu Jinlai’s vision filled with countless illusions, as an intimidating presence tore through the barriers between the real world and the True Spirit Realm, descending at a rapid pace.
The viciousness and fear reached straight to the soul and even triggered Gu Jinlai’s True Spirit, causing it to instinctively kick into defensive mode.
However, it was precisely because the True Spirit entered the defensive mode that Gu Jinlai was able to wake from the soul-shaking illusions.
"Why does it feel a little cold?"
Liu Feiyun, Qi Sheng, Su Yu, and the others were confused.
"Has the day finally come?"
Gu Jinlai sighed.
However, speaking of which...
It was time to settle things once and for all with the Aries Star Lord.
The Qingguang he had accumulated had reached an unprecedented sixteen hundred strands, not only enough to max out the Spirit Mechanism Technique but also to enhance the Creator’s Inheritance substantially.
While enhancing the Creator’s Inheritance, the True Spirit would inevitably be activated, drawing the Aries Star Lord’s attention; thus, even if the Aries Star Lord did not appear now, Gu Jinlai would still choose the battlefield to have the final battle with the Aries Star Lord.
"Let me see just how powerful the creator who fully transformed into a Spirit Realm Life a thousand years ago truly is."
Gu Jinlai thought to himself. Then he said to Liu Feiyun, "You and everyone else stay in Jiaoyang City for a while and don’t move rashly."
"What’s happened?"
Liu Feiyun sensed something was off.
Gu Jinlai did not explain; he only imbued a faint consciousness into a Jade Token and handed it to her: "With this Jade Token, you can ascertain my life or death. If the token remains intact, just wait for my return."
He paused before continuing, "If the token breaks, that means I’m dead... then you should lead everyone to hide in a location called ’Qiantian,’ waiting to see the outcome of the final battle between the Immortal Country and the Devils..."
"Death!?"
Liu Feiyun’s eyes widened suddenly.
Qi Sheng and Su Yu couldn’t help but exclaim in shock as well.
"Supreme Elder!?"
"Ancient True Immortal... exactly..."
"Don’t ask any more questions."
Gu Jinlai stopped them.
He waved his hand calmly, "Alright, just await news."
With that, he rose into the air and sped up violently, flying towards the direction of the Demon Realm Rift.
"Boom boom boom!"
In the heavens and the earth, it seemed as if something had been broken.
At the moment that this invisible boom resounded, almost everyone in Jiaoyang City simultaneously felt a sense of spine-chilling alarm.
Those with higher Cultivation felt it more distinctly.
Vaguely, they "saw" a vast, terrifying phantom, like a prehistoric beast, swiftly traversing the Heavenly Track, chasing in the direction Gu Jinlai had flown off towards.
