Chapter 71: A Nationwide Proclamation! (Part One)

Putting down his phone, Qin Ye had lost all desire to joke. Thirty million units of yin energy? Was this some kind of joke!

“Impossible… That level of yin energy is already at the Yan Luo tier. If there were a ghost that powerful, what would Bao’an City do? Just sit and wait?” Arthas spoke in a low voice. “And he said the top authorities already know. If they know and haven’t announced it publicly? Back then, the first thing we did upon detecting that level of yin energy was evacuate the whole city. Now that technology has advanced so far, why aren’t they using it?”

Qin Ye toyed with his phone, thoughtful. “Not only that, but did you notice S2328’s attitude?”

“What do you mean?”

“He was even talking about future teaching duties… If there really is a thirty million yin energy index, that’s an extinction-level threat for the entire country, yet he’s still talking about missions and partners?”

Arthas nodded. “You’ve got a clue?”

“There’s only one truth.” Qin Ye pushed up imaginary glasses. “Bao’an City… There may be issues only the highest levels know about. Maybe there really was a sudden burst of thirty million units of yin energy, but… that yin energy itself is problematic. It’s not pure spiritual energy—it’s either dormant, sealed, or something else. In any case, it’s not alive.”

Arthas concurred. “That’s what I think too. I have a guess… but I’ll wait until I see for myself.”

Qin Ye nodded and lay idly on the bed. Suddenly he said, “There’s nothing much happening these three days. Since I’ve agreed to take up a post at Cultivation University, I’ll probably be busy soon. How about… you take me to the Underworld first? Let me get a psychological preview of my future workload?”

Arthas paused. “You might be misunderstanding what your future job entails…”

“What do you mean?” Qin Ye flipped over and sat up straight. Was the difficulty about to increase?

Arthas spoke blandly, “The Underworld, the Underworld… First, you need land before you have a palace. Where are you planning to build your new Underworld? Old Fengdu City? Are you joking?”

“First, you have to find a suitable location—one that’s extremely hard for others to discover—which will serve as the entrance. Second, it must be saturated with yin energy. Such places are rare and elusive, and honestly, right now, it’s just a dream… Why do you suddenly look so relieved?”

“...I don’t. You’re seeing things… ahaha…”

Time passed quickly. The next day arrived in the blink of an eye. Qin Ye keenly noticed that the military patrols circled around every few hours, all heavily armed. Several bizarre statues had been moved to the boundary of the main city, bound with countless talismans using pitch-black ropes.

Bao’an City… was under total lockdown.

Yet there was no mass evacuation.

Qin Ye was now certain of his judgment.

Bao’an City remained safe—perhaps even one of the safest places in the country.

That night at six o’clock, the city’s supernatural broadcast sounded again, but the content was completely different.

“All citizens of Bao’an City, and those who have arrived recently, please pay attention.”

“At six o’clock tomorrow morning, the Bao’an City General Assembly will convene as scheduled. The main venue is Bao’an Square in the city center. Six to nine, guests arrive. The official start is at nine ten. This assembly concerns the future of Bao’an City and will be broadcast live to all neighborhoods, shopping malls, channels, and networks.”

“Last reminder: Anyone within the boundaries of Bao’an City must watch the General Assembly tomorrow. The broadcast will be available immediately after the assembly ends. At eighteen hundred hours, the city expansion order will commence. If you did not watch the live or recorded broadcast, you bear all consequences.”

The local forum exploded. Countless people speculated about what would happen tomorrow. No matter how wild their guesses—some of which would have been instantly deleted before—none were censored now.

Qin Ye shut down his computer.

Bao’an City was administering its final precaution. What would be announced tomorrow… would surely shock the world!

---

The information from the Zhan app was vague, but he understood that the government might be planning to build a giant cultivation city here—the first cultivation sanctuary in history.

But that single sentence contained too much. So much that he dared not imagine how determined the authorities were, or to what lengths they would go.

Time passed swiftly, and he rested well that night. On the third morning, at six o’clock, the sky was still gloomy when he opened his eyes.

He hadn’t woken naturally.

“True energy…” Arthas solemnly spoke, “Such powerful true energy…”

Qin Ye took a deep breath. In his sleep, his breathing was labored, as if a boulder pressed down on him. Upon getting up, he felt the overwhelming true energy suffocating him.

Swish… His eyes flickered between black and white, and when he looked again, the whole of Bao’an City was shrouded in a vast white mist.

Unified, harmonious. Ordinary people would not notice, but cultivators and spirits could sense it.

“This is the aura of a single person…” Arthas’s voice grew grave. “It surpasses the city, subdued yet potent… This is… a Judge!”

“Last night, a Judge-level cultivator arrived in Bao’an City. Now the whole city is under his gaze. Any cultivator or spirit who makes the slightest move will face an apocalypse-level strike.”

City-wide cultivator surveillance!

“Brother Qin, come look!” At that moment, a voice sounded. Wang Chenghao was already at the windowsill, excitedly peering through binoculars.

Qin Ye hurried over. The street, empty last night, was now guarded every three steps. Soldiers stood at every corner, weapons ready, tall and upright.

He took a deep breath and raised the binoculars.

Bao’an City’s buildings weren’t tall.

The view was wide.

Every street he could see, bathed in dawn’s dim light, had soldiers every ten meters, covering the city!

“A Judge personally suppresses all cultivators and spirits, and with the military controlling ordinary citizens… Today, anyone who dares break the rules stands no chance of survival…” Qin Ye breathed deeply. “I suspect all entrances are sealed. No one can get in, and leaving is out of the question…”

What shocked him wasn’t the atmosphere of severity.

It was that the government had laid out such a formation, telling everyone… All decisions today are already set in stone. Everything they hear today will defy all common sense.

So, please remain calm.

Meanwhile, at every entry and exit point in Bao’an City, military vehicles blocked roads for tens of meters, and each exit had thousands of soldiers, maintaining tight firing formations. In the sky above, a dozen armed helicopters thundered, monitoring the whole city.

The highest level of city lockdown!

“Beep beep…” Just then, a horn sounded downstairs. The car that had brought him back from the Special Investigation Department was parked below.

“Mr. Qin, it’s time to enter. Please board the car,” the driver said respectfully.

He got in, and the car headed for the central square. Soldiers lined the road, upright as pines, creating an atmosphere of gravity. Qin Ye’s eyes flickered, and the driver spoke: “Sir, your seat is in the third row. The Inspector-General asked me to remind you: this is your first time at a meeting of this scale, so speak little and observe much. Today… if you slip up, no one can save you.”

Qin Ye silently nodded. Twenty minutes later, he arrived at Bao’an Square.

It was December, winter.

---

The morning air was still moist, and the gardens around the central square were covered in dew. Trees hung with droplets, and a gentle shake sent crystal sprays flying.

Despite the biting cold, many had already arrived. The entire Bao’an Square was packed, and every attendee bore the scent of true energy!

All cultivators native to Bao’an City, along with visitors, gathered here!

A massive platform had been erected on the square, about thirty meters long. Red cloth covered the tables, with teacups and nameplates arranged atop. Behind, a national flag of equal size stood.

Silent, stone-faced bodyguards in suits stood below, occasionally murmuring. Waves of true energy swept across the venue every thirty seconds.

Only a few sat in the first three rows; nearly two hundred cultivators filled the back, all discussing nervously and excitedly. Qin Ye took his seat in the third row. No one sat beside him.

Liu Qing was seven seats away. Sensing his gaze, she turned, smiled faintly, and nodded, before closing her eyes again.

Wang Chenghai was off in the corner. The three exchanged nods. Qin Ye understood: this row was reserved for Soul Wardens.

He was truly a husky among wolves…

The Soul Warden hierarchy was too high; countless envious eyes swept over Qin Ye, but none dared approach him. He also closed his eyes to rest. He didn’t know how much time passed before a voice suddenly woke him.

“You fell asleep.” Arthas’s tone was grave.

Qin Ye nodded. “A bit bored.”

“No.” Arthas took a deep breath. “I… also fell asleep.”

“Silence!” Qin Ye’s eyes flashed, and before he could speak, the other said, “Careful… Bao’an City… really does have something strange.”

“If there’s a problem… it must be above Judge-level!”

No more words were exchanged. Qin Ye checked his phone; it was now 8:30 a.m.

He’d slept for over an hour?

“Was I like this the whole time?”

“Not just you…” Arthas sneered. “Everyone here—without exception! Even I lost about ten seconds of memory!”

“I’m sure something happened in that hour, but I can’t see it.”

Qin Ye lowered his gaze, tightening his interlaced fingers on his lap.

Thirty million units of yin energy…

Does it really exist?

That unknown entity… like a heavenly eye, silently watching everything in Bao’an City?