I Won't Have to Take the Blame

The sounds of Chu Tianshu and his group engaged in a fierce battle here.

To the residents down the mountain, it was hard not to suspect it was a bomb.

There are only so many houses halfway up the mountain. If it were a gas explosion, there couldn't be so many explosions, one after another, intermittently.

However, after many people called to report it, the news was immediately forwarded to the Environmental Countermeasures Office.

After all, this hillside villa belongs to the One-Character Spiritual Cultivation Society.

As for the nature of the One-Character Spiritual Cultivation Society, those who understand will understand, and those who don't are better off remaining ignorant.

The Environmental Countermeasures Office is also mainly responsible for investigating special cases, but due to different national conditions, they do not have a relatively independent and complete system like the Special Investigation Bureau.

Upon receiving this case, their first reaction was to consider the attitudes of many people who are friendly to the Spiritual Cultivation Society.

However, after they investigated the surveillance footage from several intersections near the foot of the mountain, the incident was immediately escalated to the point where it had to be investigated.

The license plates displayed on those surveillance cameras looked very familiar; they clearly belonged to vehicles from "influential religious groups."

With so many evil sect leaders mixed together, if something really happens, it will definitely be a big deal.

But what should be done about this major issue? That raises another question.

If troops were directly deployed there, given the status and inclinations of these evil faction leaders, if they created a large Overflow Zone, the South Korea soldiers would simply be throwing their lives away.

Gather all the skilled fighters who can get here from Busan and surrounding cities, and go investigate together?

The Environmental Countermeasures Office simply doesn't have that much power.

In South Korea, highly skilled practitioners were mostly bodyguards or tutors for prominent Lineage and political figures.

The Environmental Countermeasures Office not only cannot urgently summon them, but also has to consider the opinions of the employers of these highly skilled practitioners.

After all, many of those employers have connections with the sect leader involved in today's incident, and they are currently taking a wait-and-see approach.

These kinds of employers might also want to see if those sect leaders could actually benefit from any ritual they put on.

If any of their subordinates intervene and cause trouble for Takagi and his group, they might face further difficulties and suppression afterward.

In the end, only a small team from the Busan local Countermeasures Office came out to investigate.

Their expertise is relevant, so if someone in higher-ups wants to investigate further, sending them out would be the right decision. And if someone wants to settle scores later, they'll be the ones to take the blame.

On the way here with the team, Shen Yan had already cursed his boss and his entire family a hundred and eighty times in his mind.

He was standing in the parking lot, his pupils trembling as he looked into the doorway.

"... Please cooperate!"

Only after uttering those words did he realize that the courtyard inside the gate was filled with corpses.

"Finally, someone's here. You guys were way too slow."

Chu Tianshu stepped out of the living room and stretched out his right hand.

"I want to report this. I came here as a tourist because I trusted Busan's safety, but I accidentally stumbled upon an evil ritual being performed here, and a large group of people trying to kill me and my friend to silence us."

"We had no choice but to fight back..."

Shen Yan's subordinates, who had been stunned by Chu Tianshu's oppressive aura, looked at each other in bewilderment.

Shen Yan's strength was decent, but he barely heard what the translator was saying; he just stared blankly at Chu Tianshu's face.

Having fought with all his might, Chu Tianshu has regained his appearance.

Shen Yan had seen a photo of this face in person and listened to an entire, extremely serious research report when he went to Seoul for a conference.

Later, he searched on the dark web and found that many cults had given this person codenames.

The Azure Demon of the Secret Grotto, the Devil of Tianshan!

"You are, Mr. Chu Tianshu?"

As soon as Shen Yan spoke, he realized his voice was unusually dry, and he quickly pursed his lips.

Chu Tianshu's gaze fell on him. "You know me?"

"Yes, of course I know him."

Shen Yan strode forward, nodding repeatedly, "There are only a handful of humans worldwide who are highly suspected of being Taboo beings."

"Mr. Chu is the most famous person recently. I never expected that such an important figure would be active in Busan."

He walked to the door and bowed deeply.

"It was our oversight that we didn't greet you promptly."

Chu Tianshu raised an eyebrow, surprised that he actually had such a great reputation.

The reason is that he didn't know enough about the people he killed in the Tianshan.

As a lifetime honorary scholar of the Rose Society, Qiao has demonstrated her exceptional abilities at numerous exchange meetings in South Korea.

When Xu Ziqian escaped from the Mystic Kingdom, he stayed in the religious stronghold of South Korea for several years before being invited to go overseas again to expand his business.

At the time, the local religious sects were impolite and very resistant to Xu Ziqian's arrival, which triggered a series of disputes and involved many high-level forces.

The mere fact that Chu Tianshu was able to kill Xu Ziqian was enough to terrify many people in South Korea.

Shen Yan straightened up, feeling an indescribable sensation as he drew closer to Chu Tianshu, and couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Chu, have you truly...?"

Chu Tianshu happened to glance at him, and he immediately became alert and stopped talking.

It's not just me.

Chu Tianshu thought to himself, "There were eight Taboo masters active in Busan not long ago."

Although there are only six left now.

That said, why does this Goryeo man seem so happy to see me?

Chu Tianshu was a little suspicious.

Little did he know, Shen Yan was already laughing hysterically inside.

"Hahahaha, you bunch of idiots—you dogs—you're afraid of things going wrong, but you don't dare take responsibility, so Laozi make my team take the blame."

"There's a demon from Tianshan here. Do you have the guts to capture him and make him the scapegoat?"

"The fact that we didn't detect this demon entering the country is a responsibility that can't possibly fall on a small operations team Laozi."

Shen Yan's lips curled up several times, but he forced them down again.

The earpiece, which had been silent for a while after Chu Tianshu appeared, now crackled to life with real-time instructions from his superior.

"Captain Shen, regarding this matter... you'll be handling this person for now. Report his whereabouts promptly and try to keep him away from any of our departments."

We need to have a meeting to discuss this incident.

Shen Yan's face stiffened.

If you're going to hold a meeting that's not very interesting, just speak up.

However, regardless of whether Chu Tianshu's actions at the villa were in self-defense or not, given Chu Tianshu's status and attitude, he wouldn't simply wipe out their action team.

Although Chu Tianshu was unaware of Shen Yan's thoughts, he could still hear the commands from the earpiece.

"Since you're in charge of investigating this matter, then thoroughly search for evidence of the One-Character Spiritual Cultivation Society's crimes."

Chu Tianshu waved his hand casually, "An evil ritual was performed here, and the aura is still very unfriendly to the human body. You should not come in for the time being."

"Let's go up the mountain first and check Takagi's house."

He remembered something and clicked on his wristwatch.

"I have United Nations credentials and authorization documents here. You can scan the code to verify them on the corresponding website, or you can report this to your superiors to prove that I have the authority to assist in investigating and recording paranormal events in various places, even though I have been involved."

Hearing this, Shen Yan felt a pang of sadness for some reason.

That's so reasonable!

Chu Tianshu had no intention of making things difficult for these errand runners.

Seeing the change in Shen Yan's expression this time, he guessed somewhat of what had happened and reached out to pat Shen Yan on the shoulder.

Shen Yan solemnly took out his phone, scanned his wristwatch, and then looked at the evil sect leaders filling the courtyard. Finally, he had time to recall his usual annoyance and helplessness towards these guys.

"Thanks!"

He didn't explicitly state why he was thanking him, but he bowed again.

Chu Tianshu smiled.

at the same time.

Minister Han watched a video conference with the head of the Busan Countermeasures Office at home. His usual smile was nowhere to be seen.

With a cold expression, he walked away from the computer, went outside, and went into another room.

The room has a quiet and peaceful environment, with lush green potted plants.

Inside the shrine is a six-armed Mahākāla statue, about one foot tall and made of pure gold.

Beginning in the 13th century, the Mongol Yuan dynasty regarded Mahākāla as a war god.

When Kublai Khan attacked the Southern Song, many soldiers said that they saw Mahākāla leading heavenly soldiers and generals, filling the sky, defeating the Song people's guardian deity of the north, and forcing the Great Emperor Zhenwu to flee in disarray.

In the eighteenth year of the Zhiyuan era, Kublai Khan once again ordered the demolition of Zhenwu temples. Within the Quanzhen Sect, records about the God Zhenwu were also to be edited, stating that Zhenwu referred only to the primordial essence in the kidneys.

The worship of Mahākāla reached its peak, and after the fall of the Song Dynasty, Mahākāla statues were bestowed upon various vassal states.

The one in Minister Han's home is an antique from back then.

However, less than a century later, the Yuan Dynasty was destroyed by the Great Ming, Zhenwu Dharma Lineage was revived.

Minister Han 'Chuangong technique was already incomplete at that time.

By the time it was passed down to his grandfather's generation, they were already plotting to follow another school of thought, so his father began to practice unorthodox and evil arts.

However, in his later years, his father often had strange dreams, and the unorthodox magical powers within him gradually dissipated, leading to his death from illness.

By the time of Minister Han's generation, they had already accumulated considerable wealth through Lineage and were content to enjoy life. They lacked the perseverance to diligently cultivate any kind of magic.

Until he also started having strange dreams, seeing the silver-haired person in his dreams.

Minister Han picked up three incense sticks, silently chanted a mantra, and bowed to the statue of the deity.

"Master, a foreigner who appears to be Taboo has appeared in Busan."

The wisps of smoke covered the face of the deity, creating an illusion of a different appearance: high brow bones and cheekbones, and long, neatly combed hair down the back.

"You mean a modern Taboo?"

The silver-haired man's voice came through, "Is that person in a mountain? Was he left behind after the battle, and someone reported him missing?"

Minister Han asked respectfully, "Does the master know?"

"I just learned about this person myself, but I don't know any details about his background yet."

The silver-haired man said, "He will also be our opponent. Now that you know, gather all the information about him. I want to see it when I get back."

Minister Han looked surprised and said, "Since he's an opponent, should I use some methods to cause him some trouble, like a diplomatic protest...?"

"Those trivial matters are meaningless; don't alert them."

King Shouluo said leisurely, "Either do nothing, or when you do, make a significant contribution."

"Once you have prepared the materials, hide yourself well. In a few days, I will ask you to do another small thing."

"But that is the true value of your identity, and it will be the beginning of my decisive victory!"

(End of this chapter)