Chapter 223: Culprit's Identity

Republic of China Era: Tales of Extraordinary People

In Huyang City, within the City Lord's Mansion, atop a pavilion, Luo Feng sat alone, drinking wine. "Three Lords of the Food Nation have suddenly died, particularly a powerhouse of Heavenly Kun Lord's caliber," he mused. "The two ancient nations will surely investigate thoroughly! What happens next depends on their capabilities." He added, "The results of their investigation will also determine my counter-strategy."

"What?" "All three of them are dead?"The Food Nation originally had five God Kings. Now, the surviving God Kings, Liu Yu and Skull Peak, could confirm through karmic sensing that the three most powerful Lords of the Food Nation were all dead. This left them utterly bewildered! Three died instantly, yet the two weaker God Kings remained alive.

"Regardless of whether Heavenly Kun Lord reincarnated, to kill him so silently, it must have been a Celestial Emperor or Monarch-level being," God King Liu Yu thought, startled. Given the formidable strength of Heavenly Kun Lord's Primordial Bloodline, even if a Void Emperor-level being had attacked, it would likely have caused immense devastation and massive commotion, yet Heavenly Kun Lord could still have resisted for a considerable time. For instance, when Heavenly Kun Lord and several of his companions previously joined forces against Lord Yu Shui, it took them ages with no conclusive result. This shows that killing a being of Heavenly Kun Lord's caliber, even forcing them into reincarnation, is an extremely difficult feat.

"What should I do?" God King Liu Yu felt uneasy. She had only one true body; her entire nation had pledged allegiance to the Food Nation, and her clan flourished within its borders."The investigation into the deaths of the three Lords will likely lead to me," God King Skull Peak said, acting swiftly. "Those who can migrate, do so quickly." God King Skull Peak had numerous avatars, naturally akin to a cunning rabbit with three burrows, and controlled multiple cities in the Heavenly Ice Plains. When invited to join the Food Nation, he had only brought a portion of his kin. Now, he quickly began the migration.They were all in a state of panic. They sensed the hidden danger behind the deaths of the three Lords of the Food Nation; if it affected them, they would be utterly defenseless.

The Food Nation's Royal Capital.A figure of white light appeared in the Food Nation's Royal Capital. His entire body was composed of white light, and he expressionlessly looked down upon the city. At this moment, the entire city had turned dim, and countless beings stood motionless. The entire world seemed to have paused.The white light figure walked through the paused Royal Capital of the Food Nation, entering the imperial palace and then the grand hall. Heavenly Kun Lord was sitting there, as Great Sage Yi Xiu respectfully presented a 'Food Bottle'."Hmm?"The white light figure watched this scene. With a thought, a faint image of vast flowing quicksand slowly appeared behind him, and the surrounding scene began to move again.

Heavenly Kun Lord reached for the 'Food Bottle', and suddenly—the eyes of both Heavenly Kun Lord and Great Sage Yi Xiu instantly dimmed."Instant annihilation, no ability to resist. Heavenly Kun likely didn't even have time to reincarnate," the white light figure observed. "Is it a will-based secret art? Or an attack targeting the soul? The supreme rules of the Origin Continent impose limits on all power. Whether it's energy-based, material-based, karma-based, or will-based power, there's an upper limit. Within that power limit, there are no more than ten beings in the entire Origin Continent capable of achieving this." The white light figure pondered."Heavenly Kun Lord has always been very cautious. Although he was domineering towards neighboring nations, he never dared to offend truly powerful beings. Who killed him? And, furthermore, simultaneously killed three Lords of the Food Nation? Did the killer have grudges with all three Lords?" The white light figure mused.

Time continued to flow. The bodies of Heavenly Kun Lord and Great Sage Yi Xiu, along with countless beings inside the 'Food Bottle', all disappeared."He must have been nearby when he used soul or will-based methods," the white light figure mused as he flew above the entire Royal Capital, beginning to meticulously examine all living beings within the vicinity of the capital during that specific time period."Hmm?" The white light figure's eyes brightened. Fully activating a treasure bestowed by an ancestor, the vast quicksand phantom behind him rapidly expanded and spread, covering the entire Royal Capital in the blink of an eye.Two figures, originally difficult to discern, became visible under the shroud of the quicksand phantom. One was a long-haired man in a black robe, wearing a golden mask, standing above the Royal Capital, coldly gazing down towards the palace. Beside him was an old man with no life aura whatsoever, easily identifiable as a puppet.

"Hmm?" The white light figure was startled. He carefully observed the figure of the black-robed man with the golden mask. Even by observing traces left in the past, the white light figure sensed that the black-robed man's aura was profound and unfathomable, accompanied by a faint, eerie, and terrifying presence! It made him feel uneasy!"Such an appearance, such an aura, I've never seen before." The white light figure was secretly alarmed. "From where in the Origin Continent did such a terrifying being emerge?" As 'Monarch Tianguang', one of the nine monarchs of the Thunder Ancient Nation, there were very few powerhouses he didn't know. Previously, only the mysterious powerhouse from the Shadow Heavens Realm possessed Celestial Emperor-level combat power, and no one knew his identity. And now, another one had appeared.

"He took that bottle, which contained countless beings. I can trace the karma of those beings; perhaps there's a clue." The white light figure attempted to trace them. He observed the 'Food Bottle' and saw some of the beings within, which naturally created a karmic link. Weak cultivators cannot conceal their karma, so tracing via karma should reveal something."Hmm?" "All these weak cultivators were released into the wild and regained their freedom?" The white light figure was somewhat surprised. "It seems this mysterious powerhouse is rather compassionate towards the weak." The white light figure gently shook his head. Having traced this far, it was difficult to investigate further."This mysterious powerhouse also has a puppet servant." The white light figure observed the old man beside the black-robed man with the golden mask. The old man was a transformed puppet, leaving no traces. "It's strange to bring a servant to do such deeds." The white light figure smiled faintly, then took a step and departed.

Across the entire Origin Continent, order was jointly established by the two ancient nations! They would thoroughly investigate anything that might threaten this 'order'. Currently, their primary focus was on the three hidden alien powerhouses, as well as five other formidable beings, including Empress Fengdu and the Lord of the Mother River. Today, however, they discovered yet another mysterious powerhouse demanding their attention.

"Imperial Husband," Di Jiufeng said, displaying the scene he had investigated, "I went to the past timeline, and the culprit appears to be this black-robed man with the golden mask."Imperial Husband watched."He was also accompanied by a puppet servant," Di Jiufeng continued. "It's certain he isn't an Ultimate Realm master, nor does he possess an extremely powerful space-time secret treasure, which is why I was able to observe him. However, his strength should be terrifying.""He is indeed extraordinary," Imperial Husband said, gazing at the black-robed figure with the golden mask. That faint, terrifying aura would alarm even Celestial Emperors and Monarchs."I don't know where this powerhouse emerged from," Di Jiufeng shook his head. "He feels even more formidable than God King Dadi and the other five."

Imperial Husband nodded. "There are quite a few beings in the Origin Continent who have reached the peak of God King's Second Stage. They merely lack resources. Perhaps one of them acquired resources and thus took that decisive step.""From his killing of Heavenly Kun Lord, he likely excels in soul-based or will-based techniques," Di Jiufeng said. "This means he can probably instantly annihilate anyone below the Celestial Emperor or Monarch level. He is far more terrifying than God King Dadi and the other five.""Indeed," Imperial Husband nodded. "He's operating covertly, so he probably doesn't wish to openly contend with the two ancient nations yet."

"Imperial Husband, can you divine his identity?" Di Jiufeng asked."I cannot," Imperial Husband shook his head. "Divining heavenly secrets also requires sufficient information. This mysterious powerhouse has too little information available."Di Jiufeng nodded slightly."My Blazing Wind Ancient Nation has tried every method, yet we cannot kill the Lord of the Mother River. I feel this mysterious powerhouse will be even more difficult to deal with than the Lord of the Mother River. Even the two ancient nations might not be able to overcome him," Imperial Husband chuckled. "Perhaps not being able to determine his identity is a good thing.""Just because the Lord of the Mother River can escape doesn't mean this one can too," Di Jiufeng countered.Di Tian said no more. Di Jiufeng then departed immediately.

"Who are you?" Imperial Husband looked at the black-robed figure with the golden mask before him, quite curious. "Is it Puxin? Is it Luo He? Or is it Di Ming?"While traces of this mysterious powerhouse were indeed scarce, there weren't many in the Origin Continent who could achieve this level in soul or will-based methods. Based on various deductions, Imperial Husband indeed had three suspects.Puxin, a mysterious and low-profile God King of the Second Stage, rarely participated in conflicts, only occasionally taking disciples in illusions. Two of his disciples were God Kings of the Second Stage, one of whom was God King Wuxin.Luo He, whose will had already reached the Ultimate God King Realm even during the Chaos Realm stage, had been under Imperial Husband's observation.Di Ming, as the highest achiever in will power in the Origin Continent, his will power had long reached the upper limit set by the supreme rules. Furthermore, he had inherited legacies left by Yuan, and he had always been obsessed with studying 'Calamity Beasts', also researching images of certain Primordial Beings. He could easily mimic some of the terrifying presence of Primordial Beings.

"Who could it be?" Di Tian was very curious. "Puxin, have you truly decided to make your move after so long in hiding? Or is it the terrifyingly potential Luo He? Or perhaps the great terror 'Di Ming', whom I can barely predict?"No matter what Di Ming did, Imperial Husband wouldn't be surprised. Even if Di Ming were to completely kill seven or eight Celestial Emperors, unleashing a reign of terror across the entire Origin Continent, Imperial Husband would find it normal. Because this would be entirely consistent with Di Ming's nature. Di Ming is very much like a Calamity Beast! Once he turns hostile, he'll eliminate all companions around him!

Huyang City, City Lord's Mansion.Luo Feng had long subscribed to detailed intelligence on 'Heavenly Kun Lord' from the Blazing Wind Pavilion. He now received the information, though this particular piece was relatively expensive."The Blazing Wind Pavilion found the killer of Heavenly Kun Lord?" Luo Feng carefully examined the intelligence. It included footage: a long-haired man in a black robe with a golden mask, and an old puppet."An unknown mysterious powerhouse? Accompanied by a puppet?" Luo Feng smiled. Formless and traceless transformations were indeed difficult to decipher within the limits of the supreme rules."Detailed cause of Heavenly Kun Lord's death requires an additional one billion cosmic sands?" Luo Feng didn't purchase it. He knew very well that since they could find his image, they must also know Heavenly Kun Lord's body was intact. It could be inferred that the attack targeted the soul or mind."Luo He, Luo He!" Lord Yu Shui sent a message. "You know about Heavenly Kun Lord's death, right?""Of course," Luo Feng replied."The Blazing Wind Pavilion and Thunder Merchant Guild are openly selling intelligence stating that Heavenly Kun Lord was annihilated by a soul-based or will-based attack, likely without even having the chance to reincarnate," Lord Yu Shui excitedly messaged. "This mysterious powerhouse can probably instantly kill anyone below the Celestial Emperor or Monarch level.""Brother Yu Shui, you sound a bit gleeful," Luo Feng remarked."There are already quite a few beings in the Origin Continent who can instantly annihilate us: the two nation's Ancestors, the Eastern Extreme Domain Ancestor, Di Qing, Lord of Myriad Realms, Realm Beasts, and Di Ming. One more doesn't change much," Lord Yu Shui chuckled. "I'm happy because Heavenly Kun is truly dead, and likely couldn't even reincarnate. It's truly satisfying!"The Food Nation and Yu Nation were adjacent, and Heavenly Kun Lord and Lord Yu Shui had been feuding for too long."Luo He, your territory borders the Food Nation, and since the Food Nation is now leaderless, you could seize the entire nation!" Lord Yu Shui transmitted. "I will definitely give you my full support!"

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