Xiaoxiao.

Chapter 188 Temporary Calm

The carnage that night continued until the break of dawn. As the first rays of golden sunlight gently fell upon the magnificent and enormous Zhu Guo Palace, the spacious square, though swept spotless by countless servants and guards, remained untouched.

However, upon closer inspection, some clues can still be found—at the top of the canopy of some tall trees, one can vaguely see the remains of wild beasts' bodies, hanging on branches or scattered among them, all remnants of last night's bloody "feast".

Moreover, despite the waiters' best efforts, the entire Noguchi Pass was still shrouded in a thick, heavy smell of blood.

The pungent smell lingered in the air, refusing to dissipate, still recounting the horrific massacre of the previous night.

Apart from the newly renovated and spotless square, the entire Noguchi Pass looks exactly the same as usual, as if nothing had ever happened.

But with a little attention, one can notice the difference: the once bustling streets are now deserted, the flow of people has decreased dramatically, and the emptiness is hard to hide.

After that night, the number of wild beasts in the entire Wild Mouth Ridge decreased sharply, with a rough estimate that about 30% had been affected, among which Guoling suffered the most severe blow.

Although this brutal massacre has not yet led to the complete extinction of the Zhu Guo clan, it has undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to the clan, severely damaging its vitality and crippling it.

It will take them a long time to slowly recover from this catastrophe.

Although the crowd was almost completely wiped out last night, the remaining people did not choose to give in!

Silence is not out of fear of power, but rather a way to accumulate strength for the next act of resistance.

Everyone believes there will be a next time, and it will come soon.

The core beast of the 600,000-strong Wild Mouth Ridge was killed, and Zhu Xian still made no comment or even showed his face.

Six hundred thousand!

I heard that when the messengers cleared the area, the entire square was piled with scraps of flesh that were more than a meter high.

They cleared it away with a few shovelfuls and a few shakes, leaving no trace of the wild beasts they once were.

At this moment, Ling Sheng gained a clearer understanding of the ancestor's ruthlessness.

In his view, these people were guilty, but not guilty enough to warrant death.

In reality, everyone just wanted an explanation from the lord. If the patriarch had just given an explanation last night, everyone would have quietly left.

In this way, all the bloodshed and sacrifice can be avoided.

However, the ancestor directly issued the order to clear the area, which made Ling Sheng very uneasy.

These people are all die-hard fans of Noguchi Pass!

Among them were acquaintances and even companions.

However, faced with so many compatriots, the ancestor did not consider even the slightest bit of sentiment and issued a horrific order to massacre them without hesitation.

In that instant, Ling Sheng couldn't help but feel a moment of hesitation.

He began to ask himself whether his unwavering loyalty to the person before him was the right choice or a colossal mistake...

Watching Ling Sheng's figure gradually fade into the distance and become increasingly indistinct, and listening to the detailed reports coming from the assassins, Zhu Xian involuntarily narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze flashing with an unfathomable light.

"So, it seems we still can't find out who played a decisive role in this rebellion. Even Ling Yi and the others were just fueling the flames?" Zhu Xian asked.

"It's pretty much true. As far as I know, these seven men spouted nonsense last night, even mocking us, saying, 'So many people and they can't even conquer a city? They're just a bunch of useless trash!'" The person who answered the question had an unusually hoarse voice, like the hooting of a night owl, which would send chills down one's spine just by hearing it.

"Oh? Hehe... This is really interesting."

In my opinion, those old guys, Lingyi and his group, are probably tired of living.

"Zhu Yi, you must keep a close eye on these seven people. Although this incident has nothing to do with them, they have never given up on returning to their former lives, so we cannot let our guard down against them!" Zhu Xian ordered expressionlessly.

"Yes, sir!" Upon receiving the order, the assassin called Zhu Yi immediately and silently disappeared into the boundless darkness, as if he had never been there at all.

The hall was deathly silent, as if time itself had frozen.

Although both the overt and covert clues indicated that Ling Qi and the others were not acting strangely, Zhu Xian still harbored an inexplicable doubt in her heart.

The events of last night kept flashing through his mind, every detail as clearly as if magnified by a magnifying glass.

Zhu Xian frowned, his gaze deep and solemn.

He knew all too well that in a world of power struggles and conspiracies, what appeared on the surface was often just the tip of the iceberg.

Although no conclusive evidence has yet been found pointing to Elder Ling Qi and the others, his intuition, like a ray of dawn in the darkness, guides him to explore the depths of the truth.

Recalling everything that had happened during this period, Zhu Xian couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

From their initial encounter to a series of seemingly coincidental events, and now to the many mysteries surrounding them...

Is there some unknown connection between them?

What role do Ling Qi and the others play in this game?

Are they innocent bystanders, or pawns of the mastermind behind the scenes?

Or is it a deeply hidden manipulator?

Even now, he still believed that the mysterious mastermind must be a native of Noguchi Ridge. Although it might not be one of those who held high positions, it must have a very detailed understanding of the internal situation of Noguchi Ridge.

Based on this judgment, even if the mastermind behind this is not a former core figure, they definitely have a very deep connection with this circle.

Even if they are outsiders, they are outsiders who are deeply involved with these people.

Countless questions flooded Zhu Xian's mind, making her feel dizzy.

However, the more this was the case, the more convinced Zhu Xian became that his intuition was correct.

He decided to leave no stone unturned and continue the investigation to uncover the mystery and reveal the truth.

This time, I was able to escape unscathed by using the power of a scapegoat, but what about next time?

This is Noguchi Pass, the core area where he has always been confident that everyone is under his control.

But now an unseen and intangible mysterious adversary has infiltrated him, which is something he absolutely cannot tolerate.

Because as long as the mastermind behind this remains at large, he will always be in danger.

Yes, it's dangerous.

This was a word he had almost forgotten, but now it had reappeared in his mind, and it was so clear and profound!

As he predicted, Kuang Zheng's next scheme against him had already begun...