Chapter 974. Trouble Under the Surface

While everything appeared to proceed normally in Liudhard City, everyone knew it was not the case. An unseen tension hung in the air. The incident in Ceollach City had ripples more than anyone expected.

The devotee caste always had a gaze as if their eyes were hollow, as if they no longer had the will to live, as if they were going through the motions. It was different now. Their eyes looked more alive. They seemed to radiate hope.

The trader and warrior castes were more active. They weren’t used to speaking to each other much unless with those they were doing business with. They were so used to the alienating rule that it was almost natural. Now, they tried to get to know more people outside their close circles, and even outside their castes.

Holy Temple members always carried an air of superiority over them, as if nothing could touch them. They were now more alert. They gave everyone outside their order suspicious glances.

Incidents where people violated the Holy Temple’s rules became more frequent. The rumors of a resistance movement also grew. Confrontations between Holy Temple members and commoners occurred more frequently. Many such confrontations ended with the commoners being executed on the spot. If it were before, such incidents would have instilled fear in everyone. Now, it caused discontent among the populace.

The situation was like a powder keg. It could erupt at any moment, which was what Amon was shooting for.

Amon got a list of names from Gui Chang. These were the people in Liudhard City involved in the resistance movement. He organized a meet-up with these people while the caravan restocked and acquired its next delivery mission. With help from the mind practitioners, he had no trouble determining who he could and could not trust to join the meeting. All they had to pay attention to was that an inquisitor was not around when they did the mind-poking.

Unlike in Ceollach City, Liudhard City had more inquisitors present. There were four of them. Thankfully, they all wore unique attire, so they were easy to identify.

Amon did the same when it was time for the caravan to leave the city. He stayed behind while Lin Li impersonated him. This time, however, he didn’t target high-profile personnel like a cardinal or the person in charge of the city. Instead, he assassinated two priests and one inquisitor. He announced the assassination like he did in Ceollach City and fled before other Holy Temple Members could catch him.

He repeated this in other cities. Sometimes in towns close to the route Peng Chi’s caravan passed by. He tried not to keep a fixed pattern to complicate the job of those investigating his crimes. He knew it was only a matter of time before a perceptive investigator caught his scent, but it should not be any time soon. The reason was that the Inquisition conducted most of the investigations in the upper world. Currently, most of them were in the surface world, preparing to invade the lower world.

Amon’s reign of terror and mayhem made the Demon Savior the most wanted fugitive in the upper world. All the Holy Temple members were looking for him, so much so that the Holy Temple headquarters in Gaius City issued a command for Lord Inquisitor Zheng Chun to return.

*

In the surface world, the encampment around the lower world portal had grown. All the buildings were temporary, but the activities in the camp still made it appear as if it was a small town.

It had been a year since the Inquisition laid siege to this portal. The researchers worked tirelessly to achieve their goal of breaching the portal. The result had been encouraging. They expected to get a positive result soon.

While everything seemed to proceed smoothly, Zheng Chun’s face showed agitation. He had just read a message talisman. It was a command for him to return with his inquisitors.

"Why does headquarters call us back?" A female inquisitor next to Zheng Chun asked. Her name was Xun Yan. She was Zheng Chun’s second-in-command in the Inquisition, and her cultivation level was at the Beginning Heavenly God stage. She came to the surface world after Zheng Chun called for reinforcements to prepare for the imminent invasion into the lower world.

Zheng Chun crumpled the message talisman in his hand. "There has been an increase in transgressions among the lower castes in the upper world... All because of an inciter called the Demon Savior."

"The Demon Savior...? Is that a nickname or is it meant literally?" Xun Yan asked.

"The perpetrator is an infernal cultivator who uses the darkness elements."

"A true demon then? How did it breach into the upper world? The portal to our world is always guarded."

Zheng Chun shook his head. "He must have used another means. We will investigate that later. What’s important is to catch him before he causes more trouble."

"To cause the headquarters to call us back, this demon must be very strong. What is his cultivation level?"

"The reports say that he has the cultivation level of the Peak Mammoth Stage."

"Peak Mammoth Stage? That’s not very strong. Even a bishop can deal with such a cultivator. Why do they need us for?"

"The reports also say that this Demon Savior exhibits power way above his cultivation level, but the most troubling issue is that a noble dragon aided him."

"A noble dragon?! That is a Mid Deity beast!" Xun Yan exclaimed. If it was true, she understood why they were called back to deal with the matter. "Why does a noble dragon aid a demon? It can’t be the demon’s tamed beast, can it? I have never heard of anyone successfully taming a noble dragon. Even..."

Xun Yan stopped herself. She was about to say that even the Divine cannot tame a noble dragon. If she had blurted it out, she would have to flog herself for redemption. Insinuating that a mortal achieving a feat the Divine could not was heresy.

"Should we return...?" She asked.

Zheng Chun was quiet for a while. He answered, "Wait here. I will speak with the Hierophant first."

He went inside his private tent. He removed a device with a contraption holding a tall oval-shaped glass. He placed a talisman at the base of the device. The talisman shone before turning into dust. The glow from the talisman remained. It spread around the device, illuminating the words of power along its surface. The large oval glass above shone.

Not long after, the glass showed an image of a different place. A hall filled with majestic pillars and walls made of reflective materials. Hanging from the ceiling were glowing chandeliers with fancy shapes.

Zheng Chun stood there for some time until someone showed up in the image: a tall, middle-aged woman with long, silver hair. She wore a silver robe that matched her hair. Her robe had many golden adornments. Her countenance showed tenderness and compassion.

"Inquisitor Zheng Chun, I’m surprised you called. Glory to the Divine! You should know that using this instant long-range communication device demands tremendous energy. Is something the matter?"

"Glory to the Divine. I am pleased to see you are well, Hierophant Shen Yi," Zheng Chun returned the greetings. "I called because of the command asking me to return. Only you have the authority for that. You do understand the severity of my current situation, don’t you? The Aether Absorption Machine has been stolen, and the demons from the lower world are the culprits. They must be punished. There is no matter more urgent than this!"

Shen Yi nodded her head in understanding. "I should have expected your objection... Of course, the Aether Absorption Machine is crucial. We must get it back, but if we ignore the current predicament in the upper world, I’m afraid it will spiral into a disaster outside our control. We can delay a few more years in recovering the Aether Absorption Machine, but I’m afraid we can’t afford to let this Demon Savior cause more havoc to our world."

"Is it that bad...?" Zheng Chun asked. Though Shen Yi seemed tranquil, she was a woman with keen wisdom. If something worried her to this extent, it was wise not to dismiss it.

"Things might not appear too bad at the moment, but I’m afraid it is only on the surface," Shen Yi explained. "With this Demon Savior running rampant, the common folks are losing confidence every day this demon is not captured. Without confidence, it is a matter of time before we lose control of the populace. I don’t want to resort to violence to regain that control. Many lives will be lost if it goes that far. I wish to avoid that as much as possible."

Zheng Chun pondered the matter for a few seconds before saying, "What are the Divine’s thoughts about this?"

"... I haven’t brought this matter to him," Shen Yi replied. "He... It is better if we don’t trouble him with such delicate matters."

"It’s not getting any better...?" Zheng Chun asked.

Shen Yi shook her head. There was genuine sadness in her face.

After a few more seconds of pondering, Zheng Chun said, "I can’t leave this post, but I will spare my best inquisitor on the job."

"Xun Yan?" Shen Yi asked.

Zheng Chun nodded. "She will lead a battalion of inquisitors back to the surface world. I’m confident they will find this Demon Savior and vanquish him!"