Chapter 481: Map Cannon, Activate

The words of Lan Canghai rang out across the not-so-spacious high platform, spreading to every corner, and everyone's pupils shrank violently.

"You think I would believe that?"

A cold light flared in Xiao Han's eyes, and the hand gripping the other's neck continued to exert force.

"You have already believed it, haven't you?"

Lan Canghai's smile did not fade, his tone filled with indifference.

"Liu Qingyang and Tianlan Hall have been lukewarm all these years, revealing not a hint of wind, yet now they have acted contrary to their nature, being quite high-profile, and have convened this assembly with an extremely tough attitude."

"How could I not have left some contingency plans?"

"Since I dared to come to the assembly, I had made full preparations."

"Zhengyuan Sect has run academies on the continent for many years, cultivating countless Disciples and followers; everyone, take a guess at just how many of them have been planted with the Saint Race's Demon Seed?"

"Heh~"

Lan Canghai's mocking tone was like heavy hammers, smashing fiercely into the hearts of all the sect leaders and the crowd of experts, who could not help but shout in anger.

"You scoundrel!"

"Traitor!"

Even Yang Jiuxiao, who possessed the deepest cultivation of composure, had his body stiffen, his palm unintentionally crushing the armrest of the stone chair beside him, his turbid gaze revealing undisguised killing intent.

The so-called Demon Seed is the means by which the Saint Race outside the Tianlan Continent controls those who defect to them.

Whether intentional or unintentional, once a Demon Seed is planted, one will completely degenerate into a Puppet of the Saint Race, effectively becoming a walking, invisible bomb.

What is more terrifying is that these beings planted with Demon Seeds are almost indistinguishable from ordinary people when they have not been exposed, making even advance prevention a pipe dream.

Furthermore, Zhengyuan Sect has opened thousands of academies across the Tianlan Continent, involving more than a billion students; trying to screen them out is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

They seemed to see the apocalyptic future of the Tianlan Continent.

"Haha, everyone is very clear about this, aren't you?"

Hearing the desperate and angry voices of the crowd, Lan Canghai's laughter was full of pleasure, and then he continued to drop a bombshell.

"And that's not all..."

"Why don't you all guess again, how many lackeys of the Saint Race and my Zhengyuan Sect might there be in the major sects?"

He specifically bit down harder on the two words "lackey."

Dead silence!

A strong sense of crisis enveloped everyone; if the first piece of news allowed them to deceive themselves into thinking they could stay out of it, the second piece of news completely shattered everyone's psychological defenses.

One might ask, when fellow sect members you have met, or even see every day, have the potential to stab you in the back at any moment, how much room is left in this world for one to survive?

Once the news spreads, all forces will fall into a state of everyone fearing for themselves; turmoil, slaughter, destruction, and purges will be inevitable.

"I should have killed you and that bunch of disasters from Zhengyuan Sect with my own hands back then!"

An aged, hoarse voice, clearly suppressing anger, rang out coldly.

"That would truly be a pity!"

Lan Canghai knew where the voice came from without needing to turn his head.

"So, this Lord Ice Saint, what is your choice?"

Finally, he guided the topic back to Xiao Han once again.

"Is it this nameless Soldier?"

"Or..."

"The safety of the common people of the Tianlan Continent?"

He believed the other would give him a satisfactory answer.

Lan Canghai looked straight at the figure opposite him, who had been incomparably indifferent from beginning to end, his heart filled with mockery and triumph.

Even if one has powerful strength and can control one's own life and death, so what? Isn't one still to be calculated and coerced by him?

The others also suddenly came to their senses, their gazes fixed on the target who held the power of decision, their hearts filled with anxiety.

Xiao Han had witnessed the entire performance of Lan Canghai laying out his contingency plans as if showing off treasures, and now the latter was even provoking him with impunity.

If it were any other day, he might have had the leisure to accompany the other in a wonderful performance, but now he...

Was very busy!

"You are quite good."

To Lan Canghai's surprise, the expert before him only smiled slightly, a smile that made a strong sense of unease rise from the bottom of his heart.

"Impossible."

"Could he really not care about the life or death of so many living beings?"

The reason Lan Canghai operated this way was because he thought he had figured out the personality of this mysterious expert; the other was definitely not the type of demon who disregarded life.

But now, he had doubts about his own judgment.

The doubt and anxiety in Lan Canghai's heart were soon answered.

"If it were a month ago, I might have indeed found it a bit difficult."

Crack!

Lan Canghai instantly felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar; before Xiao Han could utter the turning point of his words, he knew that this expert likely already possessed the ability to solve the problem.

"Thanks to your Tianlan Continent's Hall Master Liu Qingyang."

Hm?

This familiar name perked up the others, and they all focused their attention on Xiao Han's movements.

"Although the preparation time was a bit long, good things take time after all."

Casually freezing Lan Canghai into an ice sculpture that could only move its eyes, Xiao Han looked around at the people nearby and whispered,

"Let me witness the power of this array."

Boom!

Everyone felt a pressure dozens of times heavier than before descend upon them, and in an instant, they all knelt down in unison.

"Hmm?"

"I accidentally forgot about you all."

Glancing at the crowd that had suddenly shrunk in height, Xiao Han said apologetically, and then he erected a barrier.

"I don't believe it!"

The various experts of the Tianlan Continent who were silently getting back to their feet grumbled in their hearts.

However, what they were more concerned with at this moment was the giant Formation floating above Mingwang City.

"So huge!"

A young girl's exclamation suddenly rang out from the quiet crowd.

"A Formation with such a vast coverage area is truly unheard of!"

Others began to whisper and murmur among themselves.

"This person has likely far surpassed the level of the Ten Directions Realm."

Huangfu Shenghua, Yang Jiuxiao, and other knowledgeable experts looked toward the figure in white ahead, their eyes filled with awe and longing.

"World-Cleansing Evil-Slaying Formation!"

Xiao Han's thoughts returned to a short while ago, when he had asked for the name of the Formation, and Liu Qingyang had answered with great heroic spirit:

"This Formation was born to eliminate evil spirits and purify the mortal world; it is called the World-Cleansing Evil-Slaying Formation!"

"I want to see if your 'World-Cleansing Evil-Slaying' lives up to its name."

Spirit Power was poured into the center of the great Formation, and an invisible barrier rose up, expanding and spreading in all directions at a speed of tens of thousands of miles per breath.

For many people, today was still an ordinary day, but for some, it was not.

"Ah!"

In a bustling, crowded street, a passerby who had been walking suddenly froze, and then black energy surged out from within their body like a tide, with eerie purple-black patterns crawling all over them.

"What's going on?"

The sudden change left the others in the street astonished, and they instinctively moved away from this strange figure.

The next instant, an Ice Spear whistled through the air and pierced the person's body; violent cold energy dissipated, and a statue of ice was suddenly born!

"Crack!"

In less than two breaths, a breeze blew by, leaving behind only a pile of ice shards and onlookers with stunned expressions.

At a certain sect's base.

"Lin Elder!"

The old man with white hair and a youthful face smiled and greeted a Disciple, walking steadily toward his small courtyard.

Then he stopped abruptly, and amidst the Disciple's dazed gaze, he emitted thick black mist, only to be pierced through the chest by an Ice Spear and turned into ice shards scattered all over the ground.

The Disciple widened his eyes, stammered, and turned to run outside.

"It's bad, the Elder has been assassinated!"

………

Similar scenes were constantly playing out in every corner of the Tianlan Continent, while the people in Mingwang City stared blankly at the giant map of the Tianlan Continent projected above the city, watching as countless sinister tiny black dots appeared and were pierced by streaks of white thread; the black dots vanished, leaving not a single cloud behind.

One hour.

Looking at the clean map of the Tianlan Continent, Xiao Han clapped his hands.

"Solved."

"What is wrong with you all?"

Turning around, he was met only by the dazed and silent crowd.

(End of this chapter)