Chapter 72

When Qin Ye set down his phone once more, he was no longer in the mood for jokes.

Thirty million Yin?!

What kind of a sick joke was this?!

“It’s highly unlikely… That level of Yin energy would already be at the same level of a Yama-King. How could the City of Salvation be in the mood for fun and games with that kind of existence around?” Arthis muttered, “Furthermore, he’d mentioned that only the top bra.s.s are aware of this. But why aren’t they disclosing it? Back then, when they discovered Yin levels of such magnitude, the first thing they would do would be to evacuate the entire city. And now that an evacuation would be so much easier with the advancement of technology, why don’t they do the same?”

Qin Ye fidgeted with the phone in his hands as he responded thoughtfully, “That’s not all. Didn’t you notice the att.i.tude of the man with registration number S2328?”

“What about it?”

“He was even alluding to the prospects of teaching together in the Academy of Cultivators… If there were truly an existence with an Yin energy reading of thirty million hiding in the depths of the City of Salvation, we’re talking about the potential annihilation of the entire nation! How is he still in the mood for discussing missions and partners?”

Arthis nodded, “You have some thoughts about this?”

“There’s only one truth.” Qin Ye pretended to push up his gla.s.ses, “There’s an issue with the City of Salvation that is privy to only the top bra.s.s. Perhaps there truly was an eruption of Yin energy in the region of thirty million Yin. However… there could equally be something wrong with that Yin energy. It’s probably not pure Yin energy emanating from an active creature. This ent.i.ty may be asleep, sealed, or other similar circ.u.mstances.”

Arthis agreed, “I think so as well. I have a guess… but I think we can leave that out for now.”

Qin Ye nodded his head and lay down lazily on his bed, “There’s nothing much lined up over the next three days. Since I’ve agreed to take on a teaching position in the Academy of Cultivators, things might get busy in future. So, why don’t you bring me down to h.e.l.l to have a look around for now? This might help prepare my heart and mind for the work that is to come in future.”

Arthis paused, “I’m afraid you might have some misunderstandings about your future work…”

“What do you mean?” Qin Ye immediately sat up straight. Could the task be harder than what he had expected?

Arthis explained, “h.e.l.l is a place. And a place implies that it needs s.p.a.ce. Where exactly are you going to reestablish h.e.l.l? The old Fengdu Necropolis? Are you kidding?”

“Firstly, you’ll have to find a suitable plot of land that mortals won’t ever stumble upon. This will serve as the entrance to h.e.l.l. Secondly, the plot of land must also contain thick and dense Yin energy. The number of places that qualify are few and far between, and they are all incredibly hard to find. It’s pretty much a pipe dream for now… Why do you suddenly have such a relaxed expression on your face?”

“... Do I? I think you’re probably mistaken… Ah-hahaha…”

Time pa.s.sed by quickly, and it was soon the second day. Qin Ye was acutely aware that military patrols that were armed with live rounds were pa.s.sing by their area once every few hours. Several bizarrely-shaped sculptures had already been shifted to the borders of the city, and each of these were wrapped up tightly with dark coloured ropes and sealed with innumerable talismans.

The City of Salvation… was practically under martial law right now.

And there was no sign of the city being evacuated at all.

Qin Ye was convinced of his judgment on the situation.

The City of Salvation was still a safe place. In fact, it was arguably one of the safest places in Cathay right now.

When 6 p.m. arrived, the public broadcasts began to play in every part of the city once more. However, the contents of the message were different this time.

“Attention all citizens and visitors.”

“Tomorrow morning, at 6 a.m. sharp, the City of Salvation will commence its press conference as previously scheduled. The conference will take place at the downtown plaza. Guests are slated to arrive from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., and the actual conference will begin at 9.10 a.m. sharp. This conference will disclose the future of the City of Salvation, and the message will be broadcast live in all neighbourhoods and shopping malls, as well as on all television channels and public networks.”

“This is a final reminder. All who remain within the City of Salvation’s boundaries are reminded to tune in to the press conference tomorrow. The public broadcast will be played on repeat as soon as the actual live broadcast has concluded. The City of Salvation’s expansion order will commence in the evening, at 6 p.m. sharp. Those who fail to tune into the public broadcast tomorrow shall bear the full consequences and any losses resulting from their failure to do so.”

The local forum exploded once again with innumerable comments speculating on just what would happen tomorrow. Yet, such speculations went unchecked by the moderators, even when some contained materials that would have been immediately censored in the past.

Qin Ye switched off the laptop.

The City of Salvation was making its final preparations for the ma.s.sive revelation tomorrow. Things were bound to be completely outrageous!

The information he had obtained from the Slay app was somewhat generic. The only thing he knew was the government’s plans of constructing a ma.s.sive Academy for Cultivators here, and transforming the City of Salvation into a paradise for cultivators in future.

However, that was still far too vague. There was so much room for manoeuvre that he couldn’t even understand just how decisive the government was going to be, and how far they were going to go with this.

Time pa.s.sed by quickly, and he got a good night’s rest. On the third day at 6 a.m. sharp, he opened his eyes while the sky was still dark and gloomy.

He hadn’t awakened on his own.

“True energy…” Arthis muttered gravely, “Such strong true energy…”

Qin Ye drew a deep breath. He had still been dreaming when his breathing became ragged, almost as though a large stone were weighing heavily on his chest. When he got up, he discovered a wave of powerful, suffocating true energy engulfing his body.

Swish… His eyes toggled to the world of black-and-white and he glanced out of the window, only to be greeted by the sight of thick, white mist engulfing the entire City of Salvation.

United and harmonious. Mortals would hardly be bothered about the existence of true energy at all. This was something that only cultivators and Yin spirits could sense.

“This is the aura of a single person…” Arthis’ grew serious, “Blanketing the entire city, yet remaining completely hidden… This is...a Judge-cla.s.s expert!”

“A Judge-cla.s.s expert arrived in the city sometime last night. Right now, the entire city is under his watchful eyes. If any cultivator or Yin spirit dares to even make a single move, they would immediately be restrained with a devastating blow.”

The entire city is under his surveillance right now!

“Brother Qin, come take a look!” Just then, a voice called out. w.a.n.g Chenghao leaned against the window, gazing into the distance with binoculars as he exclaimed.

Qin Ye immediately went over. The streets that were still empty and bare last night were now filled with soldiers armed to the teeth and stationed at every turn and corner!

He took a deep breath and looked through the binoculars into the distance.

The buildings in the City of Salvation weren’t too tall, and his field of vision was naturally broad.

Dawn was only breaking. Yet, as far as the eyes could see, soldiers could be seen in every part of the city, standing approximately ten meters apart from one another!

“A Judge-cla.s.s expert is personally suppressing all of the Yin spirits in the city, while throngs of soldiers are deployed to maintain order among the citizens… Today, anyone who violates the rules in the slightest bit won’t have a single chance of survival at all…” Qin Ye drew a deep breath, “I’m afraid that even all of the entrances to the city would be sealed tightly at this very moment. n.o.body will be allowed entry or exit to or from the city…”

And what frightened him the most was not the solemn atmosphere which hung over the city.

Rather, it was the fact that by deploying all of these measures in place, the government was essentially declaring that the decisions today were final. Furthermore, everything that the public was going to hear this morning was going to defy all measure of common sense.

That was why measures were in place to keep the city from revolting.

Meanwhile, military vehicles formed tight blockades at each and every entrance leading into the City of Salvation. There were even close to a thousand soldiers standing guard at every entrance in neat formations should the need for maintaining order arise. Dozens of helicopters armed to the teeth with guns patrolled the skies, keeping the situation down below under close scrutiny.

The security in the entire city was on the highest alert!

Beep beep… Just then, a car honked downstairs. The car that had sent Qin Ye from the Special Investigations Department to the hotel was already parked downstairs.

“Mr Qin, it’s time for our entrance. Please get into the car.” The driver bowed respectfully.

After Qin Ye boarded the car, they drove straight towards the downtown plaza, pa.s.sing by the rows of soldiers that lined both sides of the road. The entire city was shrouded with a tense atmosphere. Qin Ye’s gaze quivered slightly as the driver briefed him, “Sir, your seat is located in the third row. The esteemed inspector has especially asked me to relay a message to you, since this is the first time you’re attending an event on such a scale. Watch and learn, and refrain from speaking. If anything goes wrong today… n.o.body will be able to protect you.”

Qin Ye nodded his head silently. They arrived at the downtown plaza approximately twenty minutes later.

It was a cold, December winter morning.

The morning air was somewhat moist and damp, and the morning dew could even be seen on the trees and flowers in the garden of the downtown plaza. A gentle shake of the trees would immediately send the gleaming dew scattering about.

The harsh, icy winds sent chills to the bone, yet they didn’t hinder the gathering of people at the plaza. The entire plaza was filled to the brim, and every person present emanated varying degrees of true energy from their bodies!

The entire venue was filled with cultivators from the City of Salvation and elsewhere!

A huge thirty-meter stage had been erected in the center of the plaza. The tables on the stage were covered with a luxurious red cloth, and individual tea cups sat neatly beside name tags. A ma.s.sive flag of approximately the same size was set up just behind the stage.

Countless bodyguards wearing suits stood stoically and silently under the stage, whispering into their earpieces from time to time. Waves of true energy swept across the entire venue in precise thirty second intervals.

There were only a few people seated in the first three rows of seats even though nearly two hundred cultivators had already filled the seats behind. Everyone chattered excitedly in soft voices as they eagerly antic.i.p.ated the commencement of the revelation. Qin Ye made his way towards the third row and took his seat. The seats next to him were empty for now.

Liu Qing sat seven seats away from him. Qin Ye sensed that Liu Qing was looking at him, so he turned around and greeted him with a smile and a nod, before shutting his eyes and resting once more.

Zhang Chenghai was seated in the corner. They nodded heads to greet each other as well. It suddenly occurred to Qin Ye that his row of seats was reserved for cultivators at the Soul Hunter level.

This husky had truly blended in with the pack of wolves…

A Hunter-cla.s.s expert was highly esteemed in the organization. Countless people glanced at him and sized him up, yet n.o.body dared to come up to him to make conversation. Thus, Qin Ye shut his eyes and rested his mind. After some time, a voice jolted him out of his stupor.

“You fell asleep.” Arthis muttered gravely.

Qin Ye nodded his head, “I’m a little bored.”

“No.” Arthis drew a deep breath, “I… nodded off as well.”

“Silence!” Qin Ye’s eyes quivered abruptly. Then, before he could continue, Arthis immediately interjected, “Be careful… I’m afraid that there’s still something strange about the entire city right now.”

“If there’s a problem… this means that the problem is well above something that even a Judge-cla.s.s expert can handle!”

Without another word, Qin Ye picked up and took a look at his phone. The time now was 8.30 a.m.

I’d actually slept for over an hour?!

“I’ve been like this all this while?”

“You’re not the only one…” Arthis chuckled bitterly, “There’s not a single exception across the board! Even I fell asleep for approximately ten seconds!”

“I’m certain that something has occurred in the last hour or so. That said, I’m unable to discern it.”

Qin Ye lowered his gaze and clenched his fists tightly.

Thirty million Yin…

Does it really exist?

Has that unknown ent.i.ty just been watching the entire City of Salvation like a celestial eye all this while?