Chapter 1054: Return

The Arbitrators were individuals specifically chosen by the Five Great Domains to execute Jun Lou Yu of Wuji. At that time, humanity lacked demi-god level combat power; Level Eight was the highest they could deploy. Even though the Human Domain knew Lou Yu was in an unresisting state, they still provided 'insurance' for these five Arbitrators.

This 'insurance' consisted of four corresponding Divine Core Secret Treasures. Divine Core Secret Treasures are modified from the foundations of divine paths, which are typically found deep within ancient divine repositories and are extremely difficult to obtain. Consequently, these treasures are considered absolute strategic resources for the Five Great Domains. Distributing four Divine Core Secret Treasures among four of the Arbitrators was enough to allow them to rival demi-gods in the short term. Red Sleeve did not receive a Divine Core Secret Treasure because the ancient military repository was surrounded by the Forbidden Sea at the time, preventing access to the military divine path foundation. However, Red Sleeve's own combat power was exceptional, enabling her to exert demi-god level strength even without a secret treasure.

“Did the King of Silver return the Divine Core Secret Treasures to the Arbitrators…?” Ning Ruyu's expression grew solemn as he deduced what had happened. “This is troublesome.”

The King of Silver was inherently suspicious and accustomed to keeping everything that threatened him under his control. This applied to the Level Eight members of the Divine Thief Path, and it also applied to the Arbitrators' Divine Core Secret Treasures. His current decision to voluntarily return the secret treasures indicated that he had been pushed to a point where he had no choice but to fight, suggesting this might be his final counterattack. A dying beast is the most terrifying, and no one knew what the King of Silver might do at this stage.

The Butcher, gripping a boning knife, slowly rose from the ruins. He twirled the knife, blade pointing up, handle down. The next moment, the gravity affecting Ning Ruyu seemed to invert. He suddenly plummeted from the ground towards the sky, propelled by a force dozens of times stronger than Earth's gravity, vanishing from sight as quickly as a rocket launching.

“A Divine Core Secret Treasure?” When Mo Jiao saw a flash of white light mixed with a scroll suddenly drift towards the Booksman in front of him, his heart sank. He reacted swiftly, lunging hundreds of meters forward. Simultaneously with the Booksman, he reached for the scroll, seemingly intending to seize it before his opponent. However, to his surprise, the Booksman merely gestured with his hand, and the scroll deflected in mid-air, automatically drifting towards him.

Seeing this, Mo Jiao landed steadily back on the ground, his brows furrowed as he watched what was in the Booksman's hand. Grabbing the scroll, the Booksman unhesitatingly removed its casing. He forcefully unfolded it with both hands, revealing a crooked, handwritten calligraphy sheet to the air.

—"Prison."

The Booksman's Divine Core Secret Treasure: the character for "Prison."

Mo Jiao blinked, and the character "Prison" vanished, as if it had come alive, freed itself from the calligraphy sheet, and escaped into the outside world. Simultaneously, an identical "Prison" character began to appear on his forehead. Mo Jiao's body became as if confined by some power, frozen rigidly in his combat stance.

“Your ability is quite extraordinary. If I were to kill you here now, your soul would likely enter another clone… However, as long as the 'Prison' character remains, you still won’t be able to do anything.” The Booksman slowly put away the calligraphy sheet and began to walk forward. “Stay here and witness the demise of this domain and your people…” The crooked character "Prison" etched on Mo Jiao's forehead seemed to freeze both his soul and body. Though he remained conscious and able to think, he could do nothing.

*Buzzing sound* A low rumble emanated from deep underground. The earth began to throb as if it had a heartbeat, tearing apart the brick streets of the Wuji Domain. The ground beneath Mo Jiao's feet also cracked, and vibrant vines extended from deep within the earth. Mo Jiao saw this scene, and as if realizing something, he struggled to turn his eyes towards a certain direction nearby. There, a figure dressed as a farmer was ascending into the sky between numerous buildings, riding a monstrous vine beast!

Not only the ground beneath the Farmer and Mo Jiao, but half of the Wuji Domain's underground area was now overrun by vines, as if a special plant had been endowed with super-reproductive properties, posing a catastrophic threat in a short period. Deep within the vine beast beneath his feet, a figure in a painted opera mask and robe was locked away by endless vines, constantly struggling to break free, only to be overwhelmed by more vines. Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, endless silk threads covered the streets, and Luan Mei's figure was trapped, as if ensnared in a spiderweb.

These Divine Core Secret Treasures, originally intended to counter Jun Wuji, were now being activated one after another. In a short time, they enabled the Arbitrators to unleash immense power, simultaneously suppressing the master and apprentice from the ancient opera repository.

“The Divine Core Secret Treasures won’t hold these four for long,” Tian Huai stated grimly. “We need to move quickly…”

The Level Eight Booksman approached from a distance and calmly replied, “Besides these four, the other members of the Twilight Society are easy to handle. Furthermore, we have the dirty bomb… though it will take time to deploy.”

“Are we really going to use *that* thing on our own territory?” the Farmer asked, picking his ear. “Those things are an abomination. Once used, this land won’t be able to grow anything for a hundred years… What a waste.”

“This is not the time to discuss farming.” The Butcher, gripping his boning knife, descended headfirst from the sky, having already sent Ning Ruyu to an unknown location. “Only by eliminating these people can we usher in true 'peace'…”

The four Arbitrators faced the four cardinal directions, overlooking the chaotic battlefield below. Their Level Eight auras erupted explosively! Their previous adversaries were now restrained by the secret treasures. Next, they would take control of the battlefield.

*Flick* A flame flickered from a lighter, ignited a cigarette, and then clicked shut. Standing amidst the corpses of usurpers, Spade 8 seemed to sense something and looked up at the four figures in the distant sky. He took a deep drag, the orange glow quickly consuming the cigarette, and exhaled thick smoke from his mouth and nose. He said in a low voice: “How were these four released…? Did something happen with K?”

“Hold on, let me calculate.” Heart 7, Jin Fugui, squatted nearby, shaking three copper coins in a broken bowl before scattering them in front of him. He stared at the divination for a long time, muttering quietly: “These bastards are cheating; they’ve even pulled out Divine Core Secret Treasures?”

“...Do you even need to calculate that?” Diamond 10 pointed to the thick vines emerging from a crack in the ground nearby. “This kind of thing clearly came from the Ancient Yellow Dao Repository. If left unchecked, it could consume all the plants and water in an entire domain within a day.”