188: Kuroshio

Chu Yuan's heart jolted; his Divine Sense swept out to investigate, but he withdrew it instantly in the next moment, his expression grim!

Within this Black Tide, there seemed to be a substance targeting the Soul; although it wasn't lethal, it made his Divine Sense extremely uncomfortable;

Probing into it felt like sticking one's tongue into a cesspool... the sensation was revolting... Having suffered such an unexpected setback, Chu Yuan felt a surge of irritation;

Forcing back the urge to gag, he asked, "Old Feng! What on earth is this thing?"

Feng Zhao finally reached him, gasping for breath as he said, "It's complicated... Don't kill those few for now; they might be useful!"

Chu Yuan was noncommittal. "If it's complicated, then give me the short version!"

"The people from Nightmare Pupils cooked this up in the Desolate Demon Secret Realm! That Black Tide is the Desolate Demon Secret Realm itself..."

"Nightmare Pupils?" Chu Yuan was taken aback. "You actually found something? Weren't you sent away on purpose?"

"..." Feng Zhao's expression darkened; in truth, he knew everything, or at least he could guess;

But he was willing to give his team members a chance.

It's just that... it seemed he had been overestimating his own importance... "Anyway, the Nightmare Pupils are behind this..."

"What is their goal?" Chu Yuan was genuinely puzzled. Logically, no one should dare to provoke him during an inspection, right?

Although there were many organizations in the Western Continent, they were, after all, intimidated by the Zhenwu Bureau. They usually didn't dare to be too ostentatious, fearing a purge by powerful experts... let alone during an inspection.

Because of this, it had never occurred to Chu Yuan that anyone would take the initiative to attack him;

No one would be so foolish as to provoke him at a time like this.

Opposing the Zhenwu Bureau in normal times—even targeting Feng Zhao and his team—was considered part of the usual routine, a contest of whose methods were superior;

But once an Inspector was targeted during an inspection, the Bureau would have to strike back with full force... His second mission was to discipline those organizations; he had originally thought the biggest challenge would be finding them;

Who would have thought there would actually be someone sticking their neck out?

"Their goal... uh... I haven't figured it out yet." Feng Zhao spoke to Chu Yuan as if he hadn't even noticed Li Wei and the other two.

Chu Yuan hadn't been idle while they talked; ink shadow was already hurtling toward the Black Tide at high speed!

Under the effect of Wind Chant, the entire blade was enveloped in a storm, trailing a tornado wake several miles long;

Looking up from below, it looked like a natural disaster!

When it collided with the Black Tide, an earth-shattering explosion rang out!

Countless wind blades and black mist eroded and annihilated each other, sending even more violent gales toward Mosa City... "It's not working..." Chu Yuan frowned. He could only delay it, but not stop it completely; the power of the Black Tide seemed infinite.

"I've tried; it can't be stopped!

This Black Tide isn't the manifestation of an individual's power; it's the power of the Desolate Demon Secret Realm itself!" Feng Zhao explained. "Either we go deep inside, find the controller, and kill them!

Or... we avoid its brunt for now, though the losses would be immense..."

Mosa City was one of the Zhenwu Bureau's four major outposts on the Western Continent. If it were swallowed by the Black Tide, the outcome was obvious;

This wasn't just a blow to the Zhenwu Bureau's prestige; there would also be many practical losses.

For instance, such a massive outpost naturally didn't just consist of Feng Zhao and his immediate team; there was an enormous organization beneath them;

And then there were the resource Secret Realms surrounding Mosa City that had already been fully brought under control... Chu Yuan was noncommittal. "Me, avoid its brunt? Someone, come here!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Guo Ming sighed inwardly and stepped forward with his spear. "I'll go."

He had already consumed the forbidden medicine, and there was no taking it back now... He had originally intended to fight for his life against Chu Yuan, but who would have thought this would suddenly happen?

It made Guo Ming wonder if Chu Yuan and Feng Zhao were putting on an act together to play him.

Guo Ming's figure charged into the Black Tide, yet none of the people present felt anything was amiss, acting as if it were only natural;

One moment they were fighting to the death, wishing for nothing more than to eliminate each other, and the next, he was following orders and venturing into danger alone... But this was one of the operating rules of the Zhenwu Bureau!

Among those within the system, it didn't matter how much they opposed each other; everyone relied on their own abilities;

Even if it were a certain death, I would die as a member of the Zhenwu Bureau... Even when Chu Yuan was about to kill them just now, he hadn't said anything about stripping them of their status in the Bureau.

But if an outsider intervened, all internal disputes would be temporarily set aside until the enemy was killed!

Not just the Zhenwu Bureau, but also the Military Department, and even the entire Great Qin... they all operated under this logic;

During turbulent times, it was for the sake of the greater good;

Later on, it became a dual constraint of both the greater good and the rules

Of course, there were defectors, but compared to the majority, they were a small minority... There was no movement from the Black Tide for the time being, and Chu Yuan and the others waited quietly outside;

After a moment, Feng Zhao suddenly said, "I'll go notify our people to evacuate."

At this level, those low-realm Martial Artists, including Feng Zhao's own team members, couldn't really help with anything.

If the worst-case scenario truly occurred, it would be better to minimize unnecessary sacrifices... Chu Yuan nodded; he was busy holding back the Black Tide and couldn't pull away for the moment.

Li Wei and Sun Meng were both healing... Li Wei's injuries were slightly better; after picking up his limbs and reattaching them, he could move as before once his Qi and blood began to circulate;

Sun Meng's situation was a bit more troublesome... The annihilation from the Life Extinguishing Finger occurred at the level of Law; even Chu Yuan couldn't restore the part of Sun Meng's body that had been annihilated.

With a large hole in her chest, she looked quite horrific... Chu Yuan tossed a few Blood Pills and spirit nurturing pills to the two of them. "Use these."

Li Wei held a Blood Pill in his hand, momentarily stunned, before a hint of mockery appeared at the corners of his mouth;

You spoke so righteously before, yet isn't this also a product of the Blood Sacrifice Grand Array?

None of us are good people, so why pretend to be compassionate... But considering the current situation, he ultimately said nothing and silently swallowed the pill to heal.

Chu Yuan had also considered whether to set up the Blood Sea Soul Locking Formation, but he ultimately abandoned the idea;

The power source for the Blood Sea Soul Locking Formation didn't appear out of thin air; it needed something to feed on, and the only energy source Mosa City could provide was its millions of residents... To prevent you from dying at the hands of the enemy, I'll kill you first?

That was a bit too hellish... He hadn't spent much time comprehending the "Detailed Explanation of Basic Formations," and although he had mastered some other Formations, they weren't sufficient for the current situation.

The Black Tide was like a spring compressed to its limit, gradually beginning to push back;

Pushing the storm front constructed by ink shadow slowly toward Mosa City...