Ling Ping'an brought He Qi along and followed the sound as they walked towards the factory that seemed to have been abandoned and collapsed.

On the way, Ling Ping'an saw countless collapsed buildings.

Huge cast iron pieces were planted in the wild grass.

The rusted machine tool was buried by pieces of concrete and it was already covered with weeds.

There were countless collapsed and abandoned factories in the distance.

Ling Ping'an even saw a huge parking lot in the ruins.

Inside, there were bicycles that had been eroded and weathered, leaving only the wreckage.

One could imagine how prosperous this place was in the past!

It was estimated that at least tens of thousands of people worked here.

That was more than a hundred years ago.

An industrial park with tens of thousands of workers!

It was abandoned just like that?

How much determination did the cabinet at that time have to make?

What exactly happened here?

Ling Ping'an couldn't help but think.

"Could it be..."

"There was a pollution leak here?"

This could only be the explanation.

More than a hundred years ago, if one were to describe the industry of the Federal Empire in four words, it would be 'completely devoid of conscience'.

At that time, science and technology were far less advanced than they were today.

Now, various carcinogens that were publicly recognized as toxic could be openly added to food as additives at that time.

At that time, there was no concept of protection.

There was also a lack of safety measures.

Therefore, it was possible that there was once a serious toxic spill here.

Thinking of this, Ling Ping'an was relieved of many things.

The legend of the fierce land of the Cross Slope.

Perhaps, it was a legend deliberately created by the authorities over the past hundred years.

Because, if the authorities told the people: There is poison here, don't come over!

It might be effective at first.

But soon, with the passage of time, the common people, driven by curiosity, might keep pouring in.

If this place was painted as a dangerous place with ghosts, under the deterrence of fear, it could greatly reduce the problem of outsiders entering at will.

After all, compared to the real danger, most people will be more afraid of ghosts and demons and things like that.

Moreover, as long as this legend was maintained, quantitative change produced qualitative change over time.

This place would cast fear in everyone's hearts.

After a hundred years, the fake would become real.

Ling Ping'an looked at the fireflies that had been circling around him.

"Perhaps these little things are the victims of the poisonous substances here..."

"A mutated firefly-like..."

With this thought, he sorted out all the logic and relationships.

More than a hundred years ago, there was a major pollution leak in the Cross Slope industrial park.

The imperial cabinet held an emergency meeting and decided to immediately close the entire industrial park and establish a blockade.

At the same time, they sent experts into the industrial park to investigate.

After the investigation, the experts submitted a professional report.

The report might point out that the harmful substances leaked here would exist in the groundwater and soil for a long time.

The half-life of this substance might be extremely long.

Therefore, after the cabinet's research, they came up with a plan for the 'Legend of the Badlands'.

Borrowing the people's fear of ghosts, they built the Cross Slope into an urban legend of the imperial city.

They also used administrative strength to deliberately build the surroundings of the Cross Slope into a 'funeral industry center'.

Then, they also deliberately indulged the surrounding infrastructure.

They let the street lights, signals and so on be interfered with.

In this way, people would naturally stay away from this place.

The officials did not fight with blood. They solved the problem of toxic pollution at a very low cost.

At the same time, they also created a brand new business card for the imperial city.

In this day and age, if there wasn't a famous dangerous place or a city with a haunted house, one would be embarrassed to call themselves an international metropolis!

Ling Ping'an, who was immersed in his own reasoning, didn't care about anything in the outside world.

Or rather, he didn't care about anything here.

Until...

"Help..." He Qi's scream sounded.

This member of the poaching group turned his head and hid behind Ling Ping'an.

He seemed to treat Ling Ping'an as a meat shield.

Ling Ping'an frowned.

He didn't like this kind of person but he didn't have time to care about this now because, in front of him, a black-robed man was swinging his fist at him.

"Go to hell!" The other party shouted.

Ling Ping'an frowned slightly, "Are the poachers these days so bold?"

"You still dare to punch in front of me?!"

He raised his eyebrows.

Then, he reached out his hand and grabbed lightly.

Ling Ping'an's fist was grabbed by him. Then, he used his strength to throw it over his shoulder.

This was a fighting technique that Ling Ping'an had learned from an instructor during military training when he was still in university.

Ling Ping'an was also born with godly strength.

In all these years, he had never encountered something that he could not move.

Be it a box or a sack, he would not have any trouble carrying it.

Although he had not tested how much strength he had, it was naturally effortless for him to deal with a mere insect thief.

The truth was the same.

Thud.

Ling Ping'an threw him lightly onto the ground.

Bang!

His brains smashed into the hard ground, causing the cement to crack.

Ling Ping'an vaguely heard the sound of bones breaking.

"It seems like I used too much strength!" He scratched his head, feeling a little regretful.

He looked at the guy who had been thrown to the ground.

Ling Ping'an raised his head and looked in front of him.

There were more than ten black-robed men there.

They should be together.

Therefore, he asked, "Well, where's your Elder Ancestor?"

"Call him out!"

Ling Ping'an felt that he could fight ten of them now.

Therefore, if that Elder Ancestor still wanted to put up a resistance, he didn't mind falling down.

A legitimate beating.

It felt good!

However, the people in front of him were all trembling.

"Sir..."

A slightly hoarse voice said, "Elder Ancestor, it's right under your feet..."

Ling Ping'an was stunned. He looked at the guy who had fainted by his feet.

"This is the leader of this poaching group? The so-called Elder Ancestor?" He thought and recalled what he had felt just now.

The other party gave Ling Ping'an the feeling that he was like a drug addict who had taken drugs and damaged his body.

Therefore, with a gentle swing, he fell to the ground.

"That's it?"

"Have the criminals turned into funny people now?" He shrugged his shoulders and looked at those people, asking, "Do you want to be like your Elder Ancestor? Or do you want to raise your hands and surrender?"

Therefore, he saw more than ten arms raised high.

Sure enough, the criminals of today had turned into funny people!

He sighed and took out his phone in disappointment.

He dialed the 911 number that had already been set up.

A moment later, the call was picked up and a sweet voice appeared on the phone.

"Hello, Beijing Police Center..."

"En... Hello..." Ling Ping'an said, "I want to call the police. I found a criminal organization here..."

"En..."

"There's no need..."

"Because they've already been captured by me!"

"Just send someone to receive them as soon as possible..."

"What? Address? Oh... I think I'm at some Cross Slope..."

There was an exclamation on the other end of the phone.

After putting down the phone, Ling Ping'an shook his head and walked forward.

The people who were squatting with their hands raised and wearing black robes looked very obedient.

However, when he passed by, everyone seemed to be extremely afraid.

Ling Ping'an walked over and saw a few people tied up by ropes in a corner.

"Hmm?" Ling Ping'an shook his head, "There's actually kidnapping..."

He looked at those people, "You're all dead meat!"

Kidnapping was a serious crime!

According to the laws of the Federal Empire, kidnappers were not protected by any laws during the process of committing a crime.

In other words, anyone could kill them without having to bear any responsibility.

Thus, Ling Ping'an walked over and untied the few victims.

Then, he shook their bodies. "Hey... wake up..."

... .

"Hey... Wake up..." Chu Wen heard a call while he was in a deep sleep.

He slowly opened his eyes.

"Ah!" He screamed.

In his memories, he remembered that he had been captured by the Yan Sheng Sect.

And the people of the Yan Sheng Sect would never let go of anyone who fell into their hands.

Their souls would be extracted and used as raw materials for talismans or cultivation materials.

Their flesh, blood, tendons and bones would be sold to the people of the Witchcraft Gu Sect as fodder for cultivating worms.

For most people, if they fell into the hands of the Yan Sheng Sect, smart people should quickly think of ways to die.

Because if they did not die soon, the Yan Sheng Sect would let them experience the torture of the most painful magic art in the world before they died.

It was said that the Yan Sheng Sect believed that only the souls that were in extreme pain before they died were the best consumables.

"It's okay..."

A gentle voice sounded in his ear, "You're safe... I saved you!"

Only then did Chu Wen open his eyes uneasily.

Then, he was so scared that he trembled and curled up.

The scene in front of him was too terrifying.

Under the moonlight, a thick fog surrounded the surroundings, firmly surrounding a small area of about ten square meters.

A huge tiger's head poked out from the fog and hung above the small area.

On the huge tiger's head, three lantern-like eyes were shining with a terrifying color.

The ground seemed to have been hit by a missile.

Spider-web-like cracks extended into the distance.

In the center, a person's body was smashed into the hard ground.

That person was smashed into a pulp.

Blood, organs and bones were everywhere but that wasn't the most terrifying part.

The most terrifying part was...

Above the broken limb, a black tentacle-like thing tightly wrapped around a grayish-white soul.

That tentacle slowly curled up.

Its head was completely open, like a flower bud.

Drops of black viscous liquid dripped from the flower bud-like mouthpart.

Like nectar, they dripped onto the grayish-white soul body.

Every time they dripped, the soul body would ignite a colorless and lightless flame.

Within the flame, it was roasted until it howled in pain.

A human face was screaming and wailing in pain within the flame.

When the flame gradually extinguished, the soul body had already been roasted until its body became scattered and dim.

In the next instant...

A drop of golden liquid dripped from the flower bud.

When it landed on the soul body, it was like the legendary sweet rain, causing the soul body to instantly solidify.

Then, another drop of black viscous liquid dripped onto the soul body.

The flames rose.

Chu Wen watched and swallowed his saliva.

He just watched the soul body wail and scream in pain.

He couldn't help but shrink his neck.

He could imagine that it would be an extremely painful and terrifying torture.

What was even worse was that the strange tentacles had the ability to save the soul at any time.

"Giggle..." Chu Wen's teeth were chattering.

He did not dare to look in that direction anymore.

He raised his head and saw the figure in front of him.

A young man wearing glasses was holding a cat in his hand.

Under his cheap eyes were a pair of extremely dark eyes.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid..." the young man said, "The criminals have all been subdued!"

Chu Wen swallowed his saliva. He took a deep breath and calmed down.

He finally remembered why he was here?

Looking at the young man in front of him, he also remembered that he was here to look for him!

"You..." Chu Wen swallowed a mouthful of saliva, "You really came to the Cross Slope?"

The other party gasped, "You know me?"

Chu Wen lowered his head, "Young master..."

"Wasn't it me who suggested coming to the Cross Slope at the Yan Lou today?"

The other party was extremely surprised, "Then why did you?"

"I was worried that you would be in danger..." Chu Wen sighed, "Who would have thought that I was blind to not recognize you!"

At this moment, Chu Wen's heart was already bright.

Everything had been linked together.

Why did he meet this person in the Yan Lou today and directly rule out the possibility that he was Young Master X?

At that time, he didn't know anything.

But at this moment, looking at the scene in front of him, he understood.

It was this Young Master X!

He seemed to have some incomprehensible domain or divine ability.

It directly interfered with people's judgment, causing people to ignore his abnormality and lead it to another level.

In other words, if he didn't want people to know his identity, then, even if he carried all the legendary characteristics or showed his picture to him in advance, he probably wouldn't even recognize it in person!

This kind of divine ability that was directly based on the psychological level and spiritual logic was unsolvable.

Therefore...

Chu Wen immediately stopped thinking about destiny.

In front of such a person, he wanted to rely on the simple act of kowtowing to curry favor with him?

This was simply a joke!

Only if he was willing to give would there be destiny.

Otherwise, even if he stood in front of him, his perception would be distorted by his divine ability and magic art, and his thoughts would be tampered with.

Moreover, he would directly start from the bottom of the mind.

To be honest, Chu Wen felt that the fact that he was able to survive this time probably had something to do with his choice to come here.

Otherwise...

He glanced at everything in front of him from the corner of his eye.

A huge tiger's head poked out from the thick fog.

Those three divine eyes were staring intently at the Yan Sheng Sect's people.

If there were any unusual movements, the tiger's head would probably bite down on them.

It would chew up all these people.

And on the body of the person who had been smashed to pieces, even his flesh and internal organs mixed together, Chu Wen could faintly feel a powerful psionic power.

General!

A general had been smashed to death by this Young Master X!

Not only had the person been smashed to death, even his soul had been captured.

An unimaginable and terrifying punishment had been imposed!

So...

Chu Wen knew that if he had not come to the Cross Slope, then, he would probably be the same as that general.

After his body was crushed to death, his soul was extracted, he was tortured again and again, healed, and tortured again.

Compared to this person's cruelty and terror, the so-called torture of the Yan Sheng Sect was as simple and laughable as a game played by primary school students.

Thinking of this, Chu Wen lowered his head and said, "Thank you, young master..."

At this moment, the few people beside him also woke up.

They also saw the scene in front of them and were all scared silly.

In the distance, the sound of a police car could be heard.

Drip, drip, drip...

For some reason, Chu Wen, who had previously hated and disliked the interference of the Blackguard, suddenly looked forward to the arrival of the Blackguard.

The image of the Blackguard in his heart had also undergone a 180-degree change.

He was beginning to understand the various policies of the Blackguard.

Could it be that the Blackguard was only protecting the commoners?

No!

They were also protecting all the extraordinaires and foreign species!

If they really did things according to the thoughts of the extraordinaires...

Then...

A low-level transcendent being like him would probably become the consumable of a lunatic organization like the Yan Sheng Sect.

Or perhaps, he would be captured and used as a humanoid battery and tool.

Thus, the fate of a person like him would probably be even worse than a commoner!

"If there are no restrictions on the use of strength... It will definitely lead to the exploitation of the weak by the strong..."

He thought of the inscription that Emperor Gao Zong had left at the headquarters of the Blackguard.

In the past, he had always thought that he was a strong person, but now, he realized that he was actually the weak one.

In front of the strong one, he was like a green leek, an energetic battery, and a human-shaped consumable that walked on its own.

So...

"Tomorrow, I'll go to the Blackguard to sign up... to be a non-staff member..." he thought.

...

Drizzle...

Sitting in the police car, Ning Qinghong looked at the thick fog on both sides.

Her psionic power could clearly sense that danger lurked everywhere in the thick fog.

Those without permission could be mercilessly killed as long as they stepped into the area of the fog.

But now, she and her police car were unimpeded.

She lowered her head and looked at the documents she had prepared. She memorized the materials she had just prepared and practiced them.

"Hello... I'm Ning Qinghong, grade B police chief of the capital police station, Northern Road Branch..."

"Thank you, Young Master, for your contribution to the security of the capital!"

After practicing for a few times, she finally felt at ease.

Now, the Blackguard had some sufficient knowledge of that person.

So, although she had never met him before, Ning Qinghong had already sketched out the outline of that person in her heart.

He was a high-ranking existence with a mysterious origin.

There were always countless unimaginable servants and guards around him, carefully cleaning up the traces around him at all times.

And he himself had a terrifying strength that could not be understood!

At the same time, he also held unimaginable knowledge and secrets.

He would do something, intentionally or unintentionally, to reward or punish those who came into contact with him.

So...

"What will I get from this contact?"

"Reward or punishment?" Ning Qinghong thought.