Chapter 221 - 144: A Minor Trial, a Head Falls
Soon, a fissure that spanned the sky ripped open. Vein-like tendrils grew along its edges, and a chaotic substance of intermingled black and red churned within.
đ§đđđđ¤âŻđđđ°đŁâŻđ.đ¤â´đŽ
A booming sound, like a beating heart, echoed from the depths of the rift, clearly audible even from here.
Each tremor made the blood-colored sky tremble, and a few wisps of dark crimson mist seeped from the edges of the fissure, as if it were slowly bleeding.
"Is that... a Corruption Fissure?" He Kangâs expression was one of terror.
"Todayâs supposed to be the execution for that Priest..." Xiao Yingâs brow furrowed in confusion. "Why would executing a Priest of Black Tuo provoke a move from âCrimsonâ?"
As the two spoke, protective shields began to weave together and converge above the Judicial Court, each layer flowing with the halo of a different type of Energy.
The inner layer was woven from golden symbols, while the outer was encircled by a dark purple defensive matrix, constructing a three-dimensional defensive network along spherical coordinates.
"I donât know. Something bad is about to happen. Letâs go." He Kangâs expression was grave as he consciously shouldered the duties of a Judge.
"Itâs not a big deal. Itâs just one Corruption Fissure. The Chief Judge can definitely handle it. Iâm going to go talk to that Judge upstairs again." Xiao Yingâs expression flickered.
With He Kang around just now, it was difficult to discuss certain things.
"You..." He Kang shot him a cold glance. âEven at a time like this, heâs still thinking about his dirty business.â
He couldnât be bothered to say more and shot off. Many other Judges had already started moving, heading out of the Judicial Court.
...
"Whatâs with all this commotion? Just to save one Priest Black Tuo? Is it worth it?"
Su Chen stepped out of his residence and looked toward the enormous crimson fissure in the distant sky. Crimson lightning fell from it, looking as if it would swallow the earth.
It was just a trick of perspective. The place where the Priest Black Tuo was being executed was actually almost outside the city.
âAnd it seems itâs not just the Black Tuo Followers trying to save him. Theyâve really hooked a big fish.â
The scene before him reminded him of the winged creature he had seen during his first Delirious Words Trial.
Blue-red flames rose from the ground, sweeping toward the sky before transforming into chains that wrapped around both sides of the fissure, forcefully halting its expansion.
The sky looked like an unfurling, flowing scroll painting. Above was the churning, blood-colored chaos, and below was a rising pure land of frost and fire.
âChong Jingtian...â Su Chen understood the moment he saw this. This was the Tier Seven Middle class, [World-Purifying Flame Spirit].
âLooks like it shouldnât be a huge problem. Ying Feng has four other people as badass as Old Chong,â Su Chen thought.
Suddenly, a resonant female voice rang in his ears, "All Senior Judges without urgent tasks, follow me to the execution site."
A streak of light shot across the sky above the Judicial Court. It was Chief Judge You Shan, leading people to provide support. This scene had clearly exceeded her expectations.
âHm?â Su Chenâs heart suddenly skipped a beat. âWith Chong Jingtian and You Shan gone, and Jiang Shu Mo also absent, that only leaves Lei Tieyan in the Judicial Court.â
âMaybe he went too. But even if he didnât, the Judgment Department is a long way from the medical wing.â
âThis might be the perfect opportunity.â
Realizing this, Su Chen couldnât help but feel a surge of excitement, but he quickly suppressed it. âNo, Wei Yinsuo still has guards. I canât even handle Xue Fei alone.â
âBut it might be worth a try. If Iâm not mistaken...â
The clamor outside his door was incessant. Su Chen could clearly sense powerful life forms passing by one after another.
The sky was crimson, dyeing the ground in the same scarlet hue. The world boomed and trembled.
Su Chen took a black cloak from his Storage Space.
[Hermitâs Cloak - Tier Three: Made from the pressed hide of a Dark Night Fox Mongoose. It can collect environmental information to create camouflage.]
He shook the cloak out and draped it over his shoulders. A watery distortion rippled along the fabricâs edge, and his silhouette began to create visual artifacts.
When he moved, the cloak would form a dynamic visual camouflage. This was one of the items Tieyan had sent him specifically for Concealment.
The other item was a silver Metal Mask that he fastened to his face, its surface covered with gray markings.
[Shadow Steel Mask - Tier Four: Forged from a special alloy. Can interfere with Spiritual Power.]
This was a Tier Four item, and it wasnât cheapânearly ten million gold. It was powered by Spiritual Power, and if not for the fact that his system was newly established and could withstand the drain, he really wouldnât have dared to use it.
Su Chen vanished completely from sight, leaving only the sound of the wind.
...
"...What a commotion." Wei Yinsuo looked out the window and couldnât help but say, "Arenât they just executing a Believer of Black Tuo? Why would the Believers of Crimson get involved?"
"What in the world are Ying Fengâs various factions of Believers trying to do?"
The voice at his ear also carried a hint of surprised suspicion. The Believers who remained in Ying Feng were mostly there to gather intelligence and cover their tracks, only occasionally carrying out important missions.
It wasnât that they didnât take Ying Feng seriously, but that years of confrontation had allowed Ying Feng to master basic screening methods, making it difficult for their people to stay hidden.
Suddenly, Wei Yinsuoâs expression hardened. He turned his head and saw Xiao Ying, who had been led back in by Xue Fei.
"Why are you back again?" Wei Yinsuo frowned, looking at Xue Fei with displeasure.
"Uncle, he said he has important information." Xue Fei feigned helplessness, gave a wry smile, and left, closing the door behind him.
"Judge Wei..." This time, Xiao Ying got straight to the point. "Thereâs no one else here, so Iâll be blunt. Are you really going to sit back and watch Xia Hanshiâs student become the Chief Judge?"
"Do I even need to mention the friction between you two? Letâs just talk about the little tricks you pulled behind the scenes during Su Chenâs assessment. Itâs not like nobody knows about them."
"Now that Zhu Xuan is dead, who among your students can carry the weight? Are you pinning your hopes on Xue Fei?"
"Two of your three sons are already dead, and the last one only has a Silver Talent. None of your grandsons are capable of achieving anything great either."