Chapter 34: The Dream of the Extraterrestrial Demon

At this moment, the eastern slope of Mount Peter had been reduced to a desolate, scorched wasteland. The once-lush forests and dense grasses had been utterly obliterated, leaving behind only charred, twisted remains and the carbonized husks of animals scattered about.

Caesar slowly raised his head. As far as the eye could see, only the area where Bai Yujing stood remained vibrant and full of life. The tree that bore the Saint was lush and verdant, its branches and leaves unfurled as if the fire that had just seared the mountains and boiled the seas had never existed.

Life and death, the Saint and the ant. The boundary between them at this moment was shockingly clear and absolute.

The figure standing upon the treetop, hands clasped behind his back, his imperial robes fluttering gently in the breeze, resembled a god looking down upon all living beings from above the clouds. The calm gaze cast from that high vantage point, however, brought a suffocating weight upon Caesar—a weight so heavy it felt as though it would crush his spine, making it impossible for even a spark of rebellion to ignite in his heart.

He gave up struggling, sitting cross-legged on the scorching earth. A bitter, self-deprecating smile touched his lips: "To me... the Nine Tripods... are too heavy."

Yet, this bitterness was quickly replaced by a near-manic confidence. He snapped his head up, his mouth curling into a provocative smirk: "But no matter how heavy the Nine Tripods are, they are ultimately objects of mortal emperors, incomparable to the True God who is about to descend."

"It is no god; it is merely a celestial demon from beyond the realm," Bai Yujing said calmly. "Who transformed you into a demon-man?"

Caesar’s pupils contracted sharply. The Saint seemed to know of Its arrival? This realization made him feel like a clown on a stage. He reflexively scratched his head, looking somewhat dazed: "I don't know. It was just that night, March 14th, when I had a dream. In the dream, I saw the God descend upon this world. It chose me as its agent for the descent and granted me immortality. It promised that when the future arrival came, it would share vast territories with me and make me a new Saint!"

"What did It demand in return?"

"It said... I only needed to act according to my own will," Caesar confessed truthfully. He was no fool; he knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. But the transformation into an immortal being was a reality, and rather than dwelling on the schemes involved, he preferred to seize this unique chance to touch the throne of a Saint. After all, through normal channels, that was nothing but a fool's dream. Yet, this dream, which had seemed within reach, had already been proven to be nothing more than a fragile mirage.

"I see."

Bai Yujing understood. He turned his gaze toward Li Qingwan, whose cheek was still red and swollen. "Take him into custody and interrogate him thoroughly to see if anything was missed."

"Yes!" Li Qingwan responded firmly, her eyes sharp.

Bai Yujing moved slightly, appearing behind Caesar as if by teleportation. With a precise and swift hand strike, he gently tapped the back of Caesar’s neck. The world in Caesar’s eyes was instantly swallowed by darkness, and his body slumped limply onto the scorched earth.

*Whoosh!*

Bai Yujing shot into the sky. The gale roared in his ears, and beneath him, the charred mountain forests, winding rivers, and bustling cities retreated and shrank rapidly from his field of vision. In the blink of an eye, he had pierced through the thick clouds, like a bolt of lightning tearing through the firmament, and landed precisely in the open corridor before the main hall of the Saint Palace.

He raised his hand and silently pushed open the massive palace doors. Bright light spilled out from within. On the giant main screen, divided into countless small squares, were real-time feeds of the operations across the Empire to capture suspected demon-men.

Nangong Lin stood before the screen. Hearing the movement, she glanced toward the door and asked softly, "Did you find anything out?"

"Yes." Bai Yujing walked to her side and concisely repeated Caesar’s confession.

Nangong Lin’s delicate brows furrowed as she mused, "There are two possibilities. Either the celestial demon has some unknown means to directly intrude upon dreams and exert influence, or someone used an extremely covert method to indirectly guide him into having that dream without him realizing it. I suggest checking all his travel details from the night of March 14th, pulling every available surveillance record from the surroundings, and looking for any anomalies."

Gao Jinzhong, standing to the side, did not move immediately. Bai Yujing nodded and ordered, "Do as Nangong says."

"As you command!" Only then did Gao Jinzhong bow, walk to a corner, pull out an encrypted phone, and whisper orders to his subordinates: conduct a thorough investigation into all materials and surveillance records related to Caesar in Vina City on March 14th.

The orders were passed down layer by layer, but the results would clearly take time. Bai Yujing and Nangong Lin turned their gaze back to the main screen.

Most of the capture operations were proceeding smoothly without any incidents exceeding the contingency plans. Among the 132 suspects, 89 were confirmed to be normal humans, showing no signs of rapid regeneration after being injured.

The remaining 43 were confirmed to be demon-men: nine at the Legendary Realm, eleven at the Transcendent Realm, and twenty-three at the Control Realm.

This ratio caused a trace of doubt to cross Bai Yujing's mind. If the celestial demon prioritized strength when choosing hosts, those at the Legendary and Transcendent Realms would undoubtedly be more cost-effective choices. Even with the augmentation of a demon seed, the ceiling for those at the Control Realm was far below the others. Yet, they were the most numerous.

"Does the celestial demon not consider strength when transforming?"

"Investigate the backgrounds of these demon-men; we might find useful information there," Nangong Lin suggested.

Just then, Gao Jinzhong’s phone rang. He walked to the corner to answer it, spoke in low tones for a few moments, and then hurried back, bowing to report, "Saint, the preliminary investigation into Caesar’s itinerary and surveillance on March 14th has yielded results. According to statements from his subordinates, his itinerary that day was routine: he met with petitioners from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM, followed by meetings with local merchants and officials. Here is the detailed list and information of everyone who came into contact with him."

Gao Jinzhong operated his phone, projecting a long list and personnel files onto the northwest corner of the main screen for Bai Yujing to review. Beyond merchants, the list notably included high-ranking government officials such as the Mayor of Vina City, the President of the City Council, and the Chief of the Police Department.

Bai Yujing’s brow furrowed. The Great Han Empire’s governance at the grassroots level was clearly still insufficient, allowing "godfathers" like Caesar to seize power. He made a decision: the governor of the 15th Administrative District was failing in his duties and must be replaced, and every official in Vina City with ties to Caesar would be purged.

As his thoughts flowed, he finished reviewing the data. The footage then switched to surveillance from various locations in Vina City that day, playing at several times the speed.

Suddenly, Bai Yujing’s gaze fixed, and he said in a deep voice, "Stop!"

Gao Jinzhong reacted quickly, instantly pressing the pause button. The image froze on a street scene outside a large supermarket. Caesar’s prominent black sedan was driving down the road. On the road to the right of the sedan, the profile of a man wearing a blue-based cloak adorned with white auspicious cloud patterns was perfectly captured by the camera.

This attire was identical to that of the mysterious "Prophet."