Chapter 331: Can't Suppress It Anymore!

"So... what exactly is the origin of these things?!"

Su Ming took a deep breath and still shook out the doubts in his heart.

"Everyone, sit down first."

Chen Rang waved his hand, and a hint of complexity flashed across his gaunt old face.

What can we do?!

Powerless!

"These colorful… on our bodies…"

"... are the price."

Buzz—!

And that was at this very moment.

The world in Su Ming's eyes changed.

【Eye of Truth】 was like a shark smelling blood, finally gave a response!

Lines of text, as if built from blood, flooded his retina wildly, shocking to the eye!

【Target】: Chen Rang

【Status】: Severe Alteration

【Karma Overview】: He is Dragon Country's 【Living Shackles】! His mortal body is a shura field where the nation's destiny golden dragon battles the abyss's turbid Qi! Every altered scale is a rule intrusion intercepted by his flesh; every drop of black oil is the misfortune he swallows for this nation!

【Note】: He is turning into a 【Sinful Dragon】 that does not belong to this world, only to prevent the 【True Dragon】 above his head from falling!

…

【Name】: Zhao Qian

【Status】: Severe Alteration

【Karma Overview】: He is Dragon Country's 【Scales】! With a flesh-and-blood body, he forcibly anchors the monetary value of the altar era! What turns is not gold coins, but the materialized curse of greed!

【Note】: The moment the abacus stops turning, he will become a heap of lifeless golden statues!

…

【Target】: Li Wuchang

【Status】: Severe Alteration

【Karma Overview】: He is Dragon Country's 【Absolute Bulwark】! What the bone‑piercing nails pin is not an arm, but tens of thousands of malicious cracks trying to seep through the border line! He uses his own bone and blood as the array eye, violently suturing the nation's 【Gate】 on a physical level!

【Note】: Does it hurt? Of course it hurts. But he cannot move; if he moves, the 【Gate】 opens!

…

Boom!

Su Ming felt as if a thunderbolt exploded in his brain, his scalp tingling.

Good fellow!

These old men can actually have their panels directly parsed by 【Eye of Truth】!

What's going on?!

【Alteration】…

What another bizarre state is this?!

He originally thought.

The so‑called higher‑ups are nothing but sitting at the rear, drinking tea, reading newspapers, and strategizing.

But now it seems…

It doesn't seem to be as he imagined!

The scope is small.

Take the three old men before us, for example…

Where is this enjoying bliss?

This is clearly being punished!

They are using their lives to fill that bottomless hole!

"Hmm, you seem... to have grasped something?"

Chen Rang seemed to sense Su Ming's emotional fluctuation and spoke softly.

The hand covered in scales and black oil tapped lightly on the stone table, producing a dull sound.

"Consultant Su."

"Do you have a feeling..."

"Is it that our Dragon Country's luck is absurdly good?"

"Over in Sakura Country, the Hundred Demons Night Parade, demons run rampant, some Yellow Spring dungeon emerged, and living beings are being torched!"

"The outside world is also unrestful; Black Light is everywhere, chaos like a pot of porridge."

"Only our Dragon Country..."

Chen Rang lifted his head, his murky eyes fixed on Su Ming.

"With such a huge population base, the incidence rate of the Black Light Incident is pitifully low."

"Most common folk can still go to work, go to work, and eat soy milk and fried dough sticks, eat soy milk and fried dough sticks."

"Do you sometimes wonder..."

"Is it because the feng shui of our land is good, and the ancestors manifest?"

"Or is it that the heavens truly bless our Dragon Country?!"

Su Ming said nothing.

My throat is a bit dry, as if I swallowed a handful of sand.

He seems…

He understood a bit.

"Ah…"

Chen Rang sighed and continued.

"Threshold."

He uttered two words, heavy as a thousand pounds.

"Every nation, every piece of land, has a limit threshold for bearing the arrival of Calamity."

"You can think of it as a high‑pressure pot."

"All the events of the current altar era are wildly increasing the pressure inside it."

"The reason Sakura Country exploded and that so‑called copy appeared isn't bad luck, isn't random…"

At that, the wind in the courtyard seemed to stop.

The whole courtyard fell silent.

"It's because the pressure overflowed and the valve broke!"

"The pot exploded, and people naturally perished."

Su Ming took a deep breath.

The metaphor is crystal clear!

"And us…"

Chen Rang pointed to his own arm that was neither fully human nor fully ghost.

He also pointed at Zhao Lao, whose chest bore an abacus, and Li Lao, whose arm was nailed.

"In fact, we are the vent valve on Dragon Country's high‑pressure pot…"

"Those pressures and pollutants that could blow the pot have been forcibly redirected here by us."

"Redirected…"

He patted his own chest.

"Inside this stinking shell."

"As long as we haven't died, as long as this body hasn't completely rotted into mud…"

"Dragon Country's sky won't collapse!"

His words were light as clouds and breeze.

Yet Su Ming fell silent upon hearing them.

He looked at the three elders.

One was gaunt as firewood, his body housing a vicious dragon.

One was open‑cavited, his heart nurturing an abacus.

One had a severed arm that anchored souls, his body a formation eye.

What is this?

A mortal's body, on par with a god?

No.

This is far harsher than a god.

Gods act for faith, for incense; that is a transaction.

And they… what do they seek?

Seeking a cool breeze in this courtyard?

Or seeking this cup of dragon‑spine tea so bitter it crumbles?

This damn thing is just burning itself, becoming a human firewall for this land!

"Huh…"

Su Ming exhaled a long puff of foul air and took out a cigarette.

Clack.

He lit it.

The flame flickered, illuminating his slightly complex face.

He inhaled deeply, the spicy smoke entering his lungs.

It steadied his slightly trembling heart a little.

"Alright."

"Don't get sentimental; I'm vulgar, I can't stand that, it gives me goosebumps."

Su Ming flicked off the ash, regaining his carefree demeanor.

But this time.

He silently lowered his crossed legs and straightened his posture a bit.

It's the least respect one can give to a ruthless person.

"Let's get straight to the matter."

Through the smoke, Su Ming's eyes were sharp.

"Director Chen, you've exerted such effort, even daring to expose your own scars, showing me the deepest secret."

"You can't possibly be doing this just so I go back and write a thousand‑word commendation for you, can you?"

Since we now know that behind this, the nation's destiny is shouldering the burden.

That then means…

This thing has its limits!

Summoning him here is definitely not as simple as having tea and chatting.

"Good!"

Chen Rang's eyes flashed with a hint of admiration.

He slowly reined in his smile, his face turning more solemn than ever before.

The scale‑covered hand slowly rose, pointing at the seemingly calm night sky above.

"Consultant Su."

"Do you know?"

"My body… is reaching its limit."

He paused, his voice hoarse.

"That dragon…"

"I can't keep it suppressed any longer!"