Chapter 123: 宗罪判决

## Chapter 123: Judgment of Cardinal Sins

"Meng Ge has advanced?"

Feeling the intense aura emanating from Han Meng, Xi Renjie's eyes were filled with pleasant surprise. Previously, seeing the Shadow Centipedes attack the district, Xi Renjie had thought Han Meng had died in battle. He never expected Han Meng to not only be alive but also to have advanced to the Fifth Tier of the Judgment Path. Now, Han Meng was likely the first law enforcement officer to reach the Fifth Tier, not just in District Three, but possibly across all seven major districts.

Chen Ling stood in the crowd, watching the scene with great interest. He was also very curious: what exactly was the Fifth Tier skill of the Judgment Path?

As Han Meng raised his gun, even the sunlight in the mist seemed to dim slightly. Before the raging flames, his fluttering black trench coat suddenly exuded an irresistible majesty, like an absolute master within striking range, or a judgment gun gazing into the abyss.

"Judgment of Cardinal Sins, court is now in session." The moment Han Meng's voice fell, intricate patterns spread wildly beneath his feet, instantly covering the ground within the Judgment Court's range.

The surging waves of shadows abruptly halted. The next moment, the rocks and soil beneath them were deconstructed and reassembled, transforming into chains that simultaneously bound them, forcing them to prostrate themselves in place! Even the mother entity, also a Fifth Tier being, was not spared. Over a dozen extremely thick chains coiled around its body like snakes. Although it was sprinting forward with all its might, its speed was gradually slowed, until it was finally restrained on the ground a hundred meters in front of Han Meng.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the entire Shadow Centipede group lay prostrate on the ground before the raging flames, like countless "defendants" awaiting judgment, locked in prisoner's chairs.

At this moment, the intense flames illuminated half of Han Meng's face, casting a blade-like shadow. He was the judge of this court, and the only being capable of free movement within this domain.

At some point, a dark red hue had appeared in his pupils. Those eyes, as if able to see through everything, gazed at the entire prostrate group. After a long silence, a deep voice, like an undeniable oracle, echoed above the kneeling horde.

"Before this court, from the Ghost Mockery Abyss, offspring of the Eighth Insect Lord of the Centipede clan... For invading this realm, slaughtering civilians, and devouring human flesh; Judgment of Cardinal Sins... Guilty. The punishment: death by immolation."

As his words fell, Han Meng calmly pulled the trigger. Click— A soft sound emanated from the gun barrel, yet no bullet flew out. Simultaneously, the raging flames behind Han Meng seemed to come alive. A blazing column of fire, dozens of meters thick, erupted, like a furious god of fire swinging a fiery sword of judgment towards the mortal realm, crashing down upon the prostrate waves of shadows!

Boom—!!! The surging flames instantly engulfed hundreds of Shadow Centipedes. Their agonizing screams overlapped, nearly tearing eardrums. The black shadows thrashed wildly within the dancing flames, like shackled prisoners dancing. Everyone outside the sea of fire stared blankly at the scene, their minds reeling in shock! Hundreds of Shadow Centipedes had nearly wiped out half of District Three, yet Han Meng, with a single pull of the trigger, eradicated them all in a sea of fire. This was the first time they had witnessed a Fifth Tier expert act, and the first time they had so viscerally experienced the terror of the Judgment Path.

"Chen Ling, what's wrong?" Hearing repeated gulps from beside him, Xi Renjie turned his head in confusion.

"...No, nothing." Chen Ling closed his eyes to hide the longing in his pupils. He clutched his head and said hoarsely, "I'm feeling a bit unwell... I'll step away for a moment." With his words, before Xi Renjie could say anything more, he swiftly moved away from the battlefield. Chen Ling found a secluded spot and frantically stuffed dirt into his nose to block out the fragrant smell of roasted chicken. Only then did he slightly relax. Recalling the recent scene, Chen Ling suddenly felt that choosing to replicate a Judgment Path was an incredibly correct decision.

The sea of fire continued to burn, vast numbers of Shadow Centipedes perishing within it. The prostrate mother entity roared in fury, its massive body suddenly twisting, violently shattering the chains binding it, and charging wildly towards Han Meng! Han Meng's shot had sentenced all the offspring present, but as a Fifth-Tier Calamity, the mother entity naturally couldn't be burned to death so easily.

Its body whipped up a furious wind, briefly tearing open a fire-free path within the inferno. Its dark red orifices spat forth dense shadows, like countless tentacles, simultaneously reaching for the black-clad figure. Han Meng's body slightly hunched, and the next moment he became an afterimage, soaring into the sky. The countless shadow tentacles missed their mark on the ground and then pursued him into the heavens.

Mid-air, Han Meng's eyes narrowed slightly, his dark red pupils looking down, locking onto the massive centipede mother entity once more. Under the fierce wind, he raised his gun again: "From the Ghost Mockery Abyss, Eighth Insect Lord of the Centipede clan... For grave crimes, you shall be annihilated."

As Han Meng pulled the trigger, the power of deconstruction descended from the sky like an invisible sword, instantly annihilating the shadow tentacles that had nearly grasped his ankle. The mother entity seemed to sense extreme danger and quickly scuttled sideways to dodge, but still had a significant portion of its body shattered by the shot.

Han Meng, having reached the Fifth Tier, had ascended to a new level of power. The range of his material deconstruction had been amplified several times. As he repeatedly pulled the trigger, massive craters, tens of meters in radius, silently appeared on the ground, as if an invisible meteor shower was falling.

"So this is the Fifth Tier..." Xi Renjie murmured, his eyes filled with longing as he watched the black-clad figure battling the mother entity. Other law enforcement officers also stared blankly at the scene, as if looking up at a deity. Meanwhile, Chen Ling was pondering something else... If a single Fifth-Tier law enforcement officer possessed such terrifying combat power, how strong would the higher-tier officers in Aurora City be?

Under Han Meng's judgment, the mother entity's body was heavily damaged. While dodging the deconstructive force, it rapidly scuttled towards the convergence point of the Gray Realm deep within the steel factory. It was afraid. By now, it was no match for Han Meng. Its only escape route was to flee back to the Gray Realm... but Han Meng wouldn't give it that chance.

As the mother entity stumbled through the sea of fire, with the deep pit growing closer, a black-clad figure descended from the sky, landing steadily before the massive crater, its dark gun barrel aimed at the dark red orifice on the mother entity's head.

"By the justice of human civilization... I sentence you to death." Bang—! The mother entity's massive head was instantly annihilated into nothingness, as if erased by an eraser, leaving behind an incredibly clean severance. Scarlet blood seeped from its shattered body, and it crashed heavily to the ground.

Flames licked at its body, gradually turning it into charcoal. Under everyone's anxious gaze, the tattered black-clad figure stumbled out.

Seeing this, everyone immediately sighed in relief and erupted in cheers. They swarmed around the slowly approaching black-clad figure, their eyes filled with admiration and reverence.

Han Meng silently walked out from the crowd. As he passed Chen Ling and Xi Renjie, he lowered his voice and said, "You two... come with me."