dmims Page 171
Page 171
"Ma Xianhong is like a child playing with fire next to a powder keg, and that mysterious force is the fuse that has already been lit."
We must dispose of this powder keg at all costs before it explodes.
"As for that senior..."
A bitter smile appeared on Zhao Fangxu's face. "We can't control him, nor can we command him."
All we can do is go with the flow and guide this destructive power of his in the direction we desire.
He paused, then added, half-jokingly and half-seriously.
"Besides, who among you has the guts to go and tell him, 'Senior, please don't worry about this, we'll handle it ourselves'?"
"Old Bi, you're the most straightforward one, why don't you give it a try?"
The screen fell silent once again.
Those directors who usually had the final say looked at each other, their faces showing an expression even more unsightly than tears.
Go say "no" to that being who can kill someone who surpasses even the most powerful superhumans with a single palm strike?
They haven't lived enough.
"Alright, it's settled then."
Zhao Fangxu made the final decision: "Convene a meeting of heads of all major regions. From now on, the Southwest Region will fully cooperate to seal off all areas surrounding Biyou Village, evacuate residents, and minimize the impact."
In the remaining major regions, the movements of the remaining Quanxing forces and various sects will be closely monitored to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the chaos.
"Our task is not to interfere, much less to help."
He looked at the solemn faces on the screen and said, word by word:
"It's to clear obstacles and handle the aftermath for that senior."
The meeting ended, and the office returned to silence.
Zhao Fangxu leaned back wearily in his chair, looking out at the clear blue sky and silently praying.
I hope that this time, I won't make a mistake by taking this risky move.
Chapter 204 The Hidden Dragon Enters the Abyss, at the Entrance of Biyou Village
The hustle and bustle of the capital was left far behind.
An unassuming jeep bumped along the winding mountain roads for several days before finally stopping at a deserted crossroads on the border of Guizhou and Guizhou.
Zhang Yunyuan got out of the car and casually waved to the driver from NaDuTong who had come to take him. The driver, as if granted a pardon, stepped on the gas, and the car disappeared at the end of the mountain road without looking back.
The air was filled with the scent of damp earth and the fragrance of grass and trees, and the mountain breeze was crisp and cool, carrying a hint of wildness.
He didn't rush on his way. Instead, he found a clean rock to sit on, took out the file marked "Top Secret" from his pocket, and began to read it again.
The files were frighteningly detailed, containing everything from the geographical location and population composition of Biyou Village to Ma Xianhong's life story and even the specific details of his several conflicts with company agents.
It even included several blurry aerial photos of the village taken by high-altitude drones at great risk.
"Utopia..."
Zhang Yunyuan's fingertips lightly traced the four characters "education for all," a cold sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.
He had lived too long and had seen too many so-called "idealists" who used lofty ideals to do despicable things.
Wasn't Wugensheng the same way back then?
They gathered extraordinary individuals from all over the world, regardless of their origins or whether they were righteous or evil, in an attempt to establish an absolutely free "Quanxing".
When he died, the lights went out, and the "ideal state" he created eventually became a filthy, inhumane asylum that everyone hated.
Ma Xianhong, this young successor of the Divine Machine Hundred Refinements, is ultimately still too inexperienced.
He thought he had seen through human nature and wanted to use technology to bridge the gap between the extraordinary and the ordinary, but little did he know that what he was facing was something more complex and uncontrollable than any technology... the human heart.
After carefully putting away the file, he didn't linger any longer. With a swift movement, he transformed into a wisp of green smoke and, following the direction marked on the map, stealthily made his way towards the forbidden area deep in the mountains.
Half a day later, he stopped.
Ahead, the mountain range suddenly opened up, revealing a huge basin surrounded by mountains.
In the center of the basin, wisps of smoke rise from chimneys, and houses stand neatly arranged, creating a scene reminiscent of a secluded paradise.
But Zhang Yunyuan's gaze did not fall on that seemingly peaceful village.
His primordial Dao Qi had already spread out, like an invisible giant net, meticulously sensing every flow of energy in this place.
"interesting."
His eyes were slightly closed, and a playful smile curved his lips.
In his perception, the entire Biyou Village was shrouded in an extremely unique Qi formation.
The structure of this Qi formation was something he had never heard of or seen before.
It acts like a giant, one-way filtering sieve, capable of isolating and distorting all malicious spying and probing from the outside world, making the entire village appear as an ordinary primeval forest in the perception of satellites and ordinary supernatural abilities.
At the same time, it is like a precisely operating "spirit-gathering array", continuously drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth from the surrounding hundreds of miles of mountains and gathering it in the center of the village, making the concentration of spiritual energy in the village even more concentrated than that of the blessed land of Longhu Mountain.
Isolation and convergence, two diametrically opposed attributes, have been perfectly integrated to form a self-sufficient and ever-renewing energy cycle.
"A masterpiece of divine craftsmanship... truly a work of art beyond compare."
Zhang Yunyuan secretly praised him.
The person who could set up such a miraculous setup must have already surpassed all known schools of thought in weapon crafting and formations.
However, although this Qi formation was exquisite, it was still full of flaws in the face of his Primordial Dao Qi, which had already reduced all laws to chaos.
He didn't choose to force his way in, as that would alert the enemy.
What he needs to do is to become a part of this "utopia" quietly, like a drop of water merging into the ocean.
He found a secluded cave and sat cross-legged.
The next moment, the Primordial Qi within his body began to circulate rapidly.
On his handsome face, the muscles and bones beneath began to undergo incredible changes in an extremely subtle way.
Her cheekbones gradually rose, her eye sockets deepened, her jawline became more rugged, and her skin lost its original luster, becoming rough and dull.
Several crisscrossing, hideous scars, as if scorched by fire, have even appeared out of nowhere.
In the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the refined and otherworldly young master of Longhu Mountain had completely disappeared.
Instead, there was a down-on-his-luck middle-aged man who looked to be around forty years old, with a weathered face, a sinister look in his eyes, and an aura of "keep away."
With a thought, Zhang Yunyuan's primordial Dao Qi under his body underwent another change.
The originally pure and vast Qi began to become impure, chaotic, and cold on its own.
He simulated the auras of several completely different, even conflicting, evil cultivation techniques, causing them to collide and intertwine wildly on his body, forming an extremely unstable yet incredibly real sign of "going into a demonic state."
At this moment, both in appearance and aura, he looked exactly like a rogue cultivator from an evil sect who had been driven to desperation by practicing evil arts and was eventually hunted down by his enemies, forced to flee for his life.
This appearance and this aura perfectly match the standards of Biyou Village's "education for all" and its commitment to accommodating marginalized people from all walks of life.
He gave himself a new name.
After doing all this, Zhang Yunyuan, or rather "Li Fei," emerged from the cave and staggered towards the village entrance, step by step.
He walked very slowly, each step seemingly exhausting all his strength. His scarred face was etched with weariness, vigilance, and a barely perceptible sense of bewilderment about the future.
Before he even got close to the village entrance, two figures emerged from the woods beside the road and blocked his way.
They were two young men dressed in the uniform of Biyou Village. They were not weak, at least at the level of second-rate experts, and their eyes were sharp, scrutinizing and wary.
"Stop! Who is it?!"
The leader shouted sharply, and a strangely shaped crossbow made of metal and wood appeared in his hand, with a ghostly blue electric light flashing on the crossbow bolts.
Startled by his shout, Li Fei shuddered and instinctively took a half-step back, a flicker of panic in his eyes. He quickly regained his composure, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards the two men, and spoke in a hoarse voice like a broken gong.
"Hey...hey guys, could you do me a favor?"
"My name is Li Fei, a wandering scholar without any sect or affiliation. I offended some people I shouldn't have in my early years and was hunted down by my enemies. I fled all the way to this place, and I'm now at my wit's end..."
"I've heard... I've heard that Chief Ma of Biyou Village is kind-hearted, teaches without discrimination, and is willing to take in us destitute people who have nowhere else to turn..."
"I...I'm looking for a place to settle down and make a living. I hope you two gentlemen...can be lenient with me."
He spoke with great emotion, and his portrayal of destitution and humility was incredibly vivid.
The two guards exchanged a glance, their vigilance undiminished.
"You can enter the village."
The leader said coldly, "But we have to follow our rules."
He pointed to a peculiar, half-person-high, jet-black stone next to the village entrance.
"Put your hand on it."
"A heart-testing stone?"
Li Fei understood, but his face subtly revealed a hint of doubt and nervousness.
"Stop talking nonsense! Put it up!"
Another guard urged impatiently.
Li Fei hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth, slowly stepped forward, and placed his calloused hand, trembling, on the cold stone.
On the surface of the stone, countless fine runes lit up instantly, emitting a low hum.
A soft light emanated from the stone, completely enveloping Li Fei's body.
The two guards stared intently at the changes on the surface of the stone.
On the smooth stone surface, blurry images composed of light and shadow began to appear, as if a movie were playing.
In the scene, a young rogue cultivator, by chance, obtains a fragmented evil sect's cultivation manual, and, overjoyed, begins to cultivate it.
As his skill level increased, his temperament was gradually influenced by the cultivation method, becoming cruel and bloodthirsty. In order to compete for cultivation resources, he did not hesitate to turn against his fellow practitioners, ultimately committing numerous bloody crimes.
After that, he was chased and killed by his enemies, hiding here and there, fleeing in a sorry state like a stray dog.
The entire scene was exactly the same as what "Li Fei" had just said.