Soul Return Town, a small alleyway on the Third Ring Town.
"Run! Tang Sirui, they're catching up!"
On the dark streets, Clown disguised as Tang Sirui scurries between rooftops and alleyways.
Behind him, six ghost messengers wielding horse-slaying swords were in full pursuit.
"Grandma! I told you to steal that blind paper doll's purse, and why did you pull out its tongue?!"
The Clown dodged the gusts of wind slashing from behind while roaring in exasperation.
"I... this is my first time doing this, I got nervous and grabbed the wrong thing!"
On a rooftop not far away, Liu Ruyan, the instigator, was flying on her sword, watching the Clown below who had drawn all the firepower for her.
There was a hint of embarrassment in her eyes, but she quickly shouted back with conviction.
"And putting aside the facts, aren't you entirely without fault?"
You promised to teach me, but you didn't even demonstrate it for me.
Practice makes perfect! I'm sure I'll succeed next time!
The Clown's face flushed bright red, a deep, warm red.
He glanced at his own battered and bruised body, then at Liu Ruyan flying in the sky.
"So, it's my fault for co-authoring it!"
"You're talking big without any sense of responsibility, but I'm the one who gets beaten up!"
But there's nothing we can do.
For the sake of the bigger picture, he, the Clown, endured it!
So ten minutes later...
"Zheng!"
The two finally escaped the pursuit of the ghost messengers.
The Clown was covered in knife wounds, and his already tattered beggar clothes were completely torn apart.
Liu Ruyan, on the other hand, was unharmed and successfully stole her first pot of gold with his help.
"Hahaha! I did it! I really am a genius!"
Suddenly, Liu Ruyan's loud laughter came from above.
She was clutching a heavy purse in her hand, her face flushed with excitement.
"Fifteen taels! That's enough for today's sales! This Sword Emperor won't be stumped by such a ridiculous rule!"
Liu Ruyan, carried away with her pride, tossed her money pouch around, not even glancing at the Clown below.
It turned and flew towards the Job Assignment Office, leaving only a single sentence in the distance.
"I'm off to report! You can have fun!"
Not even a thank you.
In the dark alley, the Clown stood alone.
The night wind blew through his tattered clothes.
He lowered his head, clenched his fists, and his expression twitched.
"Hold on... I am the sixth seat of the Desolate God Society..."
"I am the greatest actor in the world... I am acting..."
"Don't bother arguing with a big-breasted, brainless idiot..."
He took three deep breaths before he could barely suppress the urge to cut that woman into pieces.
"Business is more important; we need to go back and report on these people."
The Clown's figure disappeared into the darkness, speeding towards the Great Xia Inn.
He was going to see the Sage and the Dusk to discuss tomorrow's strategy.
Not long after...
Great Xia Inn.
The Clown silently climbed onto the windowsill.
However, when he opened the window and was about to greet them, his expression froze.
The room was a complete mess.
Tables and chairs were broken, teacups were overturned, and there were even traces of battle left on the walls.
As for [the Sage] and [Dusk], they have long since disappeared without a trace.
Something's not right!
The Clown's intuition made him react instantly.
Whoosh!
A whooshing sound came from behind!
The Clown instinctively bent over backward.
"Boom!"
A three-section staff burning with dark red Gang Qi whistled past his nose!
It crashed into the wall behind where he had just been standing.
Blue brick walls, rubble flying everywhere!
The Clown rolled on the ground, bracing himself with one hand, his eyes fixed on the shadows.
Yes...
That man!
A top-tier expert wearing a red mask.
Yue Tian, the elder Interrogator of China!
He was putting away his nunchucks, his eyes fixed on the Clown.
What are you doing here?!
When was it exposed?!
The Clown was terrified, thinking that his disguise had made a fatal mistake.
He didn't dare to linger for a moment; with a backflip, he flipped himself out of the window and out of the house.
It landed on the roof tiles of the inn.
Immediately afterwards, Yue Tian also emerged from the hole, carrying a three-section staff.
"Surprised, Tang Sirui..."
"Oh no, I should say the guy who impersonated him."
Are you... surprised?
Yue Tian spoke.
A bead of cold sweat slid down the Clown's forehead.
He quietly checked the [Soul Ward Membrane] on his eyeball; it was completely intact.
Clearly, Yue Tian did not use his Interrogator Supernatural Ability to forcibly break through this defense.
Since it wasn't that I was See Through, the only explanation is...
The Clown's eyelids twitched, and then he suddenly burst out laughing.
"Heh, so instead of becoming Jailer, you searched the entire Third Ring Town?"
Yue Tian snapped his fingers, "Correct."
"I did not perform that so-called work."
Instead, he used that time to thoroughly investigate all the inns and hidden outposts along the Third Ring Town.
"Just now, I casually greeted your two companions, and the old man called you an idiot before he left."
He slung the nunchuck over his shoulder, his tone resolute.
"Now, reveal your true form."
"The sixth seat of the Desolate God Society, the Clown."
Upon hearing this, the Clown paused for a moment, then chuckled softly.
"So that's how it is... You tricked him out of his Sage, didn't you?"
"As expected of the head of the Huaxia Intelligence Department, his methods for extracting intelligence are truly first-rate."
Even that old fox, the Sage, fell for your tricks.
The Clown bent down and bowed.
"Since that's the case, I won't make a fool of myself."
Besides... I don't want to be this pathetic Tang Sirui anymore; I just got a real beating.
As soon as he finished speaking, the Clown revealed his true colors.
"Now, it's my turn to ask."
The Clown raised his head and looked at Yue Tian.
"Your Interrogator..."
How did you know in the first place that I, Tang Sirui, was an imposter?
"Otherwise, you wouldn't have come up with the plan to search the house, would you?"
Yue Tian's lips curled into a smile.
"Of course it was... you admitted it yourself."
The Clown's smile didn't disappear after hearing this.
Instead, it shifted to Yue Tian's face.
Did I admit it myself?
He just now...
Are you kidding me?!
The Clown realized a fact.
The Sage was not tricked into revealing his identity at all.
Yue Tian deliberately threw out a bait. "I know you are the sixth seat."
And yet, I actually went along with it and willingly dropped my pretense!
Looking at the Clown's expression, Yue Tian casually swung his three-section staff.
"At first, I was just skeptical."
"After all, the identity you're pretending to have is suspicious in every way."
"Bamboo stick... ring..."
"And that tombstone in the mass grave."
"Although my Interrogator told me that your identity is Tang Sirui, that doesn't mean I'll blindly believe it."
Yue Tian stepped forward, exuding his full aura.
"Because the world is so vast, there are always ways to resist or even deceive the rules."
"And not long ago, I encountered a powerful individual who could ignore my interrogation."
After hearing this, the Clown helplessly spread his hands and let out a sigh.
"What a pity, such a perfect performance."
"If it weren't for that damned rabbit interfering, I wouldn't have had so much leverage over me..."
"We could have spent more time together."
He raised his head, his gaze turning cold. "But I'm curious, how did you become so certain that I am the Clown?"
"My Supernatural Ability doesn't involve transformation~"
Yue Tian's eyes were sharp. "It's very simple."
"In the Desolate God Society, you previously claimed to be the Thousand-Faced Devil Lord who possesses others using a mask."
"We did believe it at first."
"But, the biggest mistake you made was letting Nightmare use his domain."
"I'll help you forcibly retain the memory of having Dual Supernatural Ability on the battlefield of the Polar Icefield."
"A hastily added setting ultimately cannot withstand scrutiny."
"Especially this method of forcibly patching up memories will only leave more flaws."
"Therefore, the Huaxia Intelligence Department has made a bold conjecture."
"Your Supernatural Ability isn't some Thousand-Faced Devil Lord at all."
"It's not like I just gained a Savage Battle Body and Dual Supernatural Ability."
"It exists in the first 20 sequences that have not yet been found!"
"Furthermore, this sequence is closely related to [other people's memories] and [other people's impressions of you]."
"The core is... playing a role."
At this point, Yue Tian suddenly stopped, put the three-section staff back to his waist, and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Finally, after hearing my analysis, you'll realize you can't defeat me head-on, and you'll choose to run away."
"And before you run away, you'll definitely utter a boastful and arrogant statement."
Yue Tian gestured for him to proceed.
"Now... please begin your performance."
The Clown stood frozen on the roof for a full five seconds.
Then he raised his hands and began to clap.
"Slap! Slap! Slap!"
"Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic!"
"As expected of the head of the Huaxia Intelligence Department!"
"Old ginger is spicier; I, a young person, truly admire that!"
After he finished speaking, the Clown stopped clapping, then tilted his head and smiled.
"Since the Interrogator has already written the script, then I'll grant your wish and leave you with this harsh statement."
His body began to lean backward, and he looked like he was about to fall out of the building.
"Yue Tian, you have no chance to smuggle this intelligence out."
"Because... in this place called the Soul Return Town, it's not just people and ghosts that return..."
"And... creatures you absolutely cannot resist..."
"She will return soon, to demand her due blood debt from you, and to become the sole Protagonist of this grand performance..."
"And I... will be the driving force behind all of this!"
The Clown leaned back and jumped off the building.
"Prepare for catastrophe..."
"My rivals!"
I hope you can still be as composed as you are when we meet again, hahaha!
The sound echoed.
Yue Tian stood on the eaves, watching the Clown's figure disappear at the end of the dark alley.
He didn't say anything more until he was sure the other person's presence was completely out of his perception range.
His back bent slightly.
Yue Tian turned around and went back into the messy Tianzi Inn.
"Call..."
As soon as he landed, he staggered two steps, barely managing to grab onto the broken wall before sliding down to the ground.
He clutched his chest, his breathing becoming rapid.
"It seems... the Desolate God Society isn't a monolithic entity after all."
Yue Tian sneered, enduring the excruciating pain, and lifted his shirt.
By the moonlight shining through the broken window.
A black handprint was clearly visible on his left chest, right where his heart was!
Those were injuries inflicted on him when [The Sage] fled during his raid on the top-tier room.
Yue Tian could feel a strange power eroding his internal organs along the black handprint.
They're trying to alter his genes and bloodline!
This feeling...
He knows it all too well!
"It's just like the curse that Shadow carry!"
Yue Tian gritted his teeth.
The white-haired old man with a gray cloth covering his eyes...
Who exactly is this person?
How could a mere member of the Desolate God Society possess the power within the mist?
And there's the third seat, Dusk...
He's turned into an idiot!
What conspiracy do they have in coming to Soul Return Town?
But now is clearly not the time to delve into this.
He had to leave.
Fortunately, the Desolate God Society is actually a makeshift organization.
There is a lack of understanding and trust among the members.
The confrontation with the Clown just now was entirely an Empty Fort Strategy by him based on his psychological fortitude and lack of intelligence.
If the Clown knew the Sage's true strength.
Or they might realize their mistake halfway through and return.
Given Yue Tian's state of being corrupted by the curse, he is definitely no match for the Savage Battle Body.
This is also the fundamental reason why he let the Clown leave earlier and did not press his advantage.
After resting briefly against the wall, Yue Tian stood up, leaning against the wall, ready to leave this place of trouble.
But the moment he stepped out of the inn room...
Call!
Two gusts of cold wind suddenly rose from the ground, and the ghost messengers blocked his path.
"Jailer Yue Tian"
The ghost messenger on the left unfolded a notice in his hand, on which the judgment was written in red characters.
"Failure to complete assigned tasks on time, or abandonment of duty!"
"Hereinafter sentenced! Forced to work in a [Ox-Horse Factory] for twelve hours of high-intensity labor as a warning to others!"
Seeing the punishment judgment in front of him, Yue Tian's tense body relaxed.
He did not pull out the three-section staff, nor did he put up any resistance.
"Twelve hours? That's fine."
Yue Tian was worried about not knowing how to find the Ox-Horse Factory and investigate its details.
This punishment was like a pillow being delivered to someone who was about to fall asleep.
Moreover, after this battle, the Sage was seriously injured and fled, the Clown was filled with doubt and uncertainty, and the Desolate God Society...
They probably won't cause any trouble in the short term, and won't dare to show their faces again.
"Lead the way."
Yue Tian calmly extended his hands.
Two ghostly guards, one on each side, escorted him into the darkness, heading towards the Ox-Horse Factory.
Shortly after Yue Tian was taken away.
Suddenly, joyful music drifted from afar!
The deafening gongs and drums filled the air, and the suona horns blared shrilly!
The wedding procession of the Confucian Scholar Dojo...
The culprit who turned Dusk into a fool.
Arrive!