Chapter 705: Catching the Wind (Merry Christmas!)

"Stop struggling in vain, Wind-Catching Sword."

Tang Zhao spoke the opponent's identity in one breath; the man's expression shifted slightly, but he did not lose his composure.

That face was truly plain, his build was also plain, and coupled with the Land Inspection Division uniform, he would be impossible to find in a crowd; yet when he was dragged out and scrutinized, one could still see he did not quite match this uniform.

At this moment, one person walked out from each side; they were the two Town Guardians, Che Lin and Chi Qianli.

Che Lin looked at the man, then looked at Chi Qianli. Chi Qianli also looked at him, then followed by looking at Che Lin.

Both had the same thought, asking each other with their eyes:

"Is he really not from the Land Inspection Division?"

Yes, the facts were all there; Tang Zhao had already called out the identity, indicating this was indeed the Wind-Catching Sword, and the man with the completely unfamiliar face was right before them, yet the two still found it somewhat hard to believe:

Was it really the Wind-Catching Sword impersonating the Land Inspection Division? Could it be someone new, whom they themselves did not recognize?

Could it be that Tang Commander... had made a mistake?

It was as if it were the ruthless Dao, high and aloof.

When the light rose, it was already the moment before the strike; the next instant would be the eruption!

There was only a momentary precursor; that he could react in this amount of time was truly remarkable, but it was only enough to react!

So he asked: "But wasn't it said that the Wind-Catching Sword is a Helmsman? A Sword Hero of the Demon Sect must at least be a Hall Master."

This was Tang Zhao's voice, yet it was not the Tang Zhao's voice that Chi Qianli was familiar with.

Tang Zhao said: "That was likely also Alie put out to make people unable to guess his identity. Sword Guests can sense each other, but Sword Guests cannot sense Sword Heroes, so you could not sense his abnormality, nor would you think otherwise. Truth and falsehood, the virtual and the real—who knows how many lies he has woven?"

Everything was exactly the same as when he had just devoured that Douya Tianmo. Even the world where his shadow remained was shorter than that of the vegetable demon!

Not far away, Chi Qianli only felt a whiteness before his eyes and a scorching sensation on his body; he did not feel it was very hot, but he believed that not far away, it must be as hot as hell.

The next moment, the light enveloped him. If someone had good enough eyesight, they could see that in the instant before the light enveloped him, the cyan tornado was melted into heat by the powerful radiance, and the black rift tore his shadow to shreds.

Before Chi Qianli's eyes had even recovered, he heard Tang Zhao say indifferently: "Really? I don't believe it."

Chi Qianli and Che Lin were momentarily struck with awe; if this were truly the case, the consequences would be unimaginable.

But that man had reacted!

Che Lin gasped and said involuntarily: "Tang Commander, he said he was—"

But Tang Zhao happened to restrain this.

Hearing it in his ears, Chi Qianli suddenly felt a bit dazed.

"So this matter is a scheme from beginning to end? Is it a strategy of feinting to the east while attacking in the west?"

Here, Che Lin was about to have a headache; he could not imagine what there was in Kuan Cheng that would lure a Sword Hero-level villain here.

It was the same old saying: there are not many Sword Heroes in Youzhou, and even the Inspection Envoys might not necessarily need to use Sword Heroes! Kuan Cheng had not seen a Sword Hero in decades; was there anything worth stealing that a Sword Hero would need? Could he not just seize it openly?

A hell lasting for the duration of one breath.

So the follow-up is still operating in Youzhou, then.

Chi Qianli rejoiced for a moment, gathered his thoughts, and continued to analyze: "Could it be that the thief took the opportunity to sneak in not to plot something in the short term, but because of a long-term goal? If his sword is particularly suited for forging identities, he can quickly integrate into the Land Inspection Division and manipulate the direction of events, making him extremely suitable to act as a dark pawn, using Kuan Cheng as a springboard to go to higher places. Perhaps he is just relatively weak among Sword Heroes; although his Sword Technique is marvelous, he is not yet qualified to act brazenly..."

It was just a matter of one sword strike.

This ball of light appeared so rapidly that neither Che Lin nor Chi Qianli had reacted.

At this time, he had already determined in his heart that it was a wicked thief.

At this time, Che Lin shook his head and said: "No, it hasn't reached the point of reversing truth and falsehood in reality; I think it looks like it's easy to make people believe the lies he weaves."

Perhaps not weak either.

Tang Zhao nodded in agreement: "Indeed, not strong."

Tang Zhao continued: "I actually feel that this Demon Cave induction might not be entirely a diversion. Perhaps the Demon that came down this time is not strong, but it could be some kind of primer, or some kind of experiment? To prove with facts that this method of concealing heavenly secrets is feasible? This time it was just an ordinary Demon, but next time it might be a real Great Heavenly Demon, right?"

Chi Qianli accepted it faster; Tang Zhao, after all... how could he not be terrifyingly abnormal? If one was shocked, it was because one had seen Tang Zhao too few times; he himself did not feel... shocked...

Actually, whether it is strong or weak has no meaning to Tang Zhao. As long as it is at the Sword Hero level, ninety-nine percent of them are treated the same in his eyes.

Such a Sword Hero, how could he be considered strong?

Chi Qianli accepted that Tang Zhao was powerful and could kill certain Sword Heroes in seconds, but that must be the relatively weak ones among Sword Heroes, right? It couldn't be that he ignores strength and kills everyone in seconds, right? Then the three words "same realm" would be too worthless.

"This doesn't mean it's impossible, but isn't it making a mountain out of a molehill? Concealing a large Demon Cave and going to such great lengths, only to end up with such a small matter—is it worth it?"

Che Lin and Chi Qianli were dumbfounded. Che Lin said: "But... but..."

For example, fabricating an identity from nothing, forcing everyone to believe that such a person had always existed.

His expression changed violently, and he reached out to draw his sword; the blade was shrouded in a cyan tornado, and the next moment it was about to whip up a wild gale!

However, it was too late!

One thing can be confirmed: the Demon Sect is clearly trying to infiltrate the Youzhou Land Inspection Division. Their plotting against Che Lin is evidence, and most importantly—that guy was wearing the uniform of the Youzhou Land Inspection Division!

The uniforms of the Land Inspection Division are different in every province; an insider can tell at a glance.

"They concealed a Yin Calamity Demon Cave, seemingly for the sake of the Demon, putting on such a big show, gathering and inducing. But actually, what is important is not covering for the Demon, but concealing the Wind-Catching Sword, letting him quietly infiltrate the Land Inspection Division amidst the chaos? For some great conspiracy to follow?"

Then he saw Tang Zhao.

This also made Chi Qianli heave a sigh of relief and feel fortunate: it was a good thing it wasn't his own! He certainly wouldn't go so far as to shift the disaster onto his neighbors, but there were already too many things in Yunzhou; how could they add this wave of the Demon Sect? Better to avoid extra trouble.

Holy crap.

In an instant, Chi Qianli also felt a sense of realization.

It's not like he has experienced successive great battles, faced life and death several times, encountered many strange opportunities, and obtained the gift of an existence like the Jinwu Sword, being valued by the Solar Court and favored by the Sword Saint... that upon his return, he still has to fight three hundred rounds with every single Sword Hero, right?

The "wind-catching" from "catching the wind and grasping at shadows."

Tang Zhao was the same as before, looking at him, revealing a faint smile, and said: "Are your eyes okay? Actually, you can try to strip away the light in the future; sometimes increasing power doesn't require such strong light, does it?"

From appearance to exit, there was only one encounter, one sentence spoken, and then the person was gone.

Could it be that the Demon Sect is plotting for power above the level of an Inspection Envoy?

Is this a human voice?

That did not just sound unlike Tang Zhao, it sounded unlike any living person, nor was it cold or arrogant in any way, nor did it have any eerie deathly aura; it was simply extremely pure, extremely calm, without a single trace of emotion.

Only then did Chi Qianli remember to look at that villain who had been impersonating the Land Inspection Division—

Che Lin accepted the facts and began to review the matter; he felt he understood a little, but was also a little confused.

Even if it was a very absurd lie.

In this way, even at the end, he could not say whether this Demon Cult hall master was strong or weak as a Sword Hero.

The offensive and defensive struggle between the Human World and the Heavenly Demons might be entering a new phase.

The disbelief, suspicion, and intimacy from just a moment ago were completely gone; he even felt that his own thoughts from just a moment ago were absurd. He could be one hundred percent certain: wasn't this just a villain impersonating the Land Inspection Division, attempting to cause trouble and confuse the public?

The next moment, the scorching heat dissipated, and there seemed to be no more movement over there.

Tang Zhao pondered, "He should have been a bit stronger. After all, he was a Sword Hero."

In an instant, that emotionless voice from the heavens just now had vanished, as if it had never been there at all.

Just at this moment, this person revealed an amiable smile, then turned his head to look at Che Lin, and said sincerely, "I am one of the Land Inspection Division's own. Town Guardian, do you not recognize me? It's me, little Zhang..."

At this time, Chi Qianli took over and analyzed, "Firstly, this actually doesn't count as much of a Demon Cave, and it wasn't a Great Heavenly Demon that came, so perhaps it wasn't that difficult to conceal? Secondly, whether it is worth it depends on what he intended to do next. What would a Sword Hero need to personally set out to plot? Town Guardian Che, is there a treasure hidden in Kuan Cheng?"

This... this was Tang Zhao's tone.

Especially since he had guessed the Sword Intent of the Wind-Catching Sword beforehand, Tang Zhao had entered the Celestial State, and it was an improved Celestial State that allowed him to maintain the state while attacking and performing limited actions. He also did not underestimate the enemy, did not waste words, and did not use minor moves to test what kind of enhancement effect the opponent's Changjie Sword Technique might have; he directly used powerful force to descend upon them and exterminate the opponent.

It looked even easier than slicing the Douya Tianmo with a sword, didn't it?

Is a battle at the Sword Hero level really this much of a farce?

A Sword Guest is killed by you in one strike, and a Sword Hero is also killed by you in one strike; wouldn't that mean being a Sword Hero was all for nothing?

Che Lin thought, breaking into a bit of a sweat; if this were truly the case, it would not only cause immeasurable harm, but would also make him a laughingstock through and through.

Chi Qianli also felt lingering fear and said, "If Tang Commander hadn't been here, we would all have become big fools. It's a pity he was only good at bluffing, his strength was actually quite ordinary... He wasn't as good as that Douya Tianmo, was he?"

Why does this person still look a bit familiar?

But you just sliced him with a sword a moment ago.

Perhaps a little strong?

Who knows.

He surely had a follow-up combination of lies, but those exquisite lies vanished into thin air along with his death. Although the full picture of that potentially miraculous scheme could no longer be seen.

"Wind-Catching Sword, could the Sword Intent be lying... making lies come true?"

Then wouldn't it have been better for him to just stay at home?

Relatively speaking, against those who are absolute powerhouses, one must be more careful of various rule-based "Ouroboros Sword" techniques; those are a bit unreasonable, and if one is not careful, one might fall into a trap, and even the strong can be ambushed by the weak.

When he said this, he looked at Tang Zhao as if seeking confirmation; after all, he was not qualified to evaluate the strength of a Sword Hero, he was only using a rather simple method to judge:

Didn't that guy just now get killed in one move upon appearing?

One also wonders where his limit lies; if he said he was the Town Guardian, would Che Lin and the others all believe it, and then would Che Lin give up his position to him?

Before the words had even faded, light descended from the sky!

A huge ball of light, carrying wisps of black cracks, appeared out of thin air and plummeted violently!

Chi Qianli could never have imagined that someone like Tang Zhao could speak in such a tone, and for a moment, it felt very unreal. At this time, the light had already extinguished, and he had also recovered a bit of his vision.

And it was such a crude disguise; one look and you could tell he wasn't one of our own. He hadn't even bothered to dress up as a member of the Land Inspection Division, yet he dared to impersonate one—wasn't that too arrogant?

Someone like this should be killed on sight; that would definitely be correct. How could there have been hesitation just now?

Was my heart blinded by lard?

"Just now, you were all struck by a Sword Technique, and therefore involuntarily believed the lies he fabricated," Tang Zhao explained. "This person must be the Wind-Catching Sword."

We should report this immediately.

Where should we report it to...

A place flashed through the minds of several people:

Qingtian Temple!

Reporting to the Land Inspection Division is useful, but not very useful; the ones who truly need to know this news are those at Qingtian Temple who calculate the timing of the Yin Calamity in the world. If they can crack this kind of concealment and find the truth amidst the falsehoods, only then can they turn this situation around. Otherwise, the Human World will be passive everywhere in the future.

But is Qingtian Temple still reliable now? Is there any point in reporting it? Even if they have the heart to crack it, do they still have the ability?

Tang Zhao set aside this long-term worry for now and returned to the matter at hand, saying, "I think the Wind-Catching Sword definitely had a motive. After all, their planning, even if not necessarily airtight, was link upon link, and their goal was significant. However, this person is already dead, so the trail is broken; the others must step up the interrogation. Also... I think the clue should still be with Town Guardian Che."