Chapter 442 – Slaying Evil, Professional Match

Within White River Town, Rakshasa quickly located his target by following the thick black smoke.

It was a young man wearing exquisite armor.

Around the youth were two squads totaling over twenty soldiers.

“Could he be the Monster Overlord’s spy?”

Rakshasa pondered.

He couldn’t be certain – having thick evil karma didn’t necessarily mean one was a spy for the monster faction.

But he could confirm this person had problems, serious problems.

Should he take action and slay this evil?

“When uncertain, proceed with caution.”

He recalled the Lord’s words.

With this person’s identity unconfirmed, he couldn’t act recklessly. After all, this was inside the Great Warzone, and he represented Tianyuan Territory.

So…

Rakshasa found the local patrol corps. The patrol corps was responsible for the entire region’s security, including matters related to monster spies.

Moreover, the patrol corps possessed methods to detect whether someone was disguised by the Thousand-Faced One, though such methods couldn’t be used on a large scale.

…

At the patrol corps headquarters, in the core restricted area inaccessible to outsiders, various advanced equipment and Miracle Buildings were available.

Through multiple methods including blood extraction, soul verification, and purification light, they could identify whether someone was disguised.

Soon, the test results came out.

“Commander, this person isn’t the Thousand-Faced One.”

The patrol corps commander, Legendary Realm pioneer ‘Wan Qitang’, wasn’t surprised by this result.

If the Thousand-Faced One could be uncovered so easily, their patrol corps wouldn’t be suffering headaches, or even fear, over this matter.

Even as a Legendary Realm expert, he sometimes wondered if someone in his patrol corps had been replaced by the Thousand-Faced One, if the Thousand-Faced One might be hiding right beside him.

Lately, he hadn’t dared to sleep or engage in deep cultivation, fearing unexpected incidents.

If they were like this, how could a ‘new recruit’ who just arrived at White River Town hours ago possibly uncover the Thousand-Faced One?

“I just hope these new recruits won’t cause us trouble. Even if some are Legendary Realm, but…”

But they were all newly advanced Legends with little experience in commanding troops or handling cases. Having them assist with Thousand-Faced One matters would only create chaos!

The patrol commander didn’t understand why higher-ups would issue such a confused order.

Had they forgotten the havoc the Thousand-Faced One caused in the past?

“Anyway, keep close watch on these new recruits. Don’t let them cause trouble. Accommodate their requests as long as they’re not too unreasonable. I’ll contact someone to see if the Warzone can send some reliable reinforcements.”

After speaking, the patrol commander asked his deputy, “By the way, who was the new recruit who brought that person for inspection? Which territory is he from?”

The deputy replied, “The recruit is called ‘Rakshasa’. He has no public battle records, but performed excellently in the previous training camp assessments. He’s reportedly one of the top few Legendary Realm experts from this training camp.”

“However, this Rakshasa isn’t from a top-tier territory. He comes from Tianyuan Territory.”

“Tianyuan Territory?”

The patrol commander pondered briefly, “Besides the Thousand-Faced One inspection, put that young man through the standard interrogation process for suspects.”

After all, he was one of the training camp’s top recruits, and from Tianyuan Territory at that.It might not be long before this Rakshasa legend’s status in the warzone would be no less than his own.

The patrol captain didn’t think such an interrogation would yield any results, but after going through the complete procedure, he presumed the Rakshasa legend wouldn’t make any more unreasonable demands.

The deputy quickly carried out the orders.

The patrol captain continued his duties—guarding, patrolling, and pondering the matter of the Thousand-Faced One.

Before long, the deputy approached him. “Boss, we’ve finished interrogating the young man.”

“The young man? What young man?”

It took the captain half a second to recall—it was the young man the Rakshasa legend had demanded be interrogated.

So the interrogation was done—why would the deputy make a special trip for such a trivial matter?

Unless…

As if struck by a thought, the patrol captain’s expression turned subtly strange. “Is there something wrong with that young man?”

The deputy replied, “It’s a big problem. That man is actually a spy for the Divine Radiance Empire. Our investigation revealed that at least three incidents of supply convoy ambushes are linked to this Divine Radiance spy. In reality, there might be more. We can’t handle this on our own; we need to report it to the base.”

The patrol captain fell silent.

To think… there really was a problem.

A deeply embedded Divine Radiance intelligence operative.

The harm caused by this Divine Radiance spy was no less severe than that of a Thousand-Faced One!

“How on earth did he manage to uncover this spy?”

The patrol captain was utterly baffled. He shook his head and said, “Inform the Rakshasa legend of the results.”

…

Upon learning the outcome, Rakshasa showed neither joy nor sorrow.

The deputy said, “Your Excellency Rakshasa, I shall return to report now. If you have any further needs, you may contact me at any time.”

Rakshasa replied, “Then help me investigate the second suspect.”

The deputy: “???”

What did you say?

Soon, the bewildered deputy led his team to escort away the second suspect.

They repeated the previous procedure: activating the barrier and checking whether the suspect was a disguised Thousand-Faced One.

The results came quickly—again, it was not.

The deputy then followed the standard procedure, interrogating and testing the suspect’s conscience. The outcome…

“Another problem?!”

Upon hearing the results, the deputy widened his eyes in shock. “This person embezzled a large amount of public funds, even causing a defense camp to be overrun by a monster horde? Damn it, how dare he! He truly deserves to die!”

Not long after, the patrol captain received the news and reacted with the same wide-eyed astonishment.

“However…”

“How did the Rakshasa legend manage to identify two suspects in such a short time? Could there be a third? A fourth?”

With so many problematic individuals emerging, he, as the patrol captain, bore significant responsibility.

Fortunately, the patrol captain’s fears did not materialize.

Outside White River Town, Rakshasa glanced around.

In his eyes, the black smoke symbolizing evil karma was still abundant. Wisps of dark smoke rose from certain individuals, lingering and unceasing.

However, the amount of this black smoke was far less than that of the previous two.

If he were to use this standard to identify suspects, the number would be considerable.

After some thought, Rakshasa decided to leave White River Town and search for clues in other areas.

…

At the same time.

Divine Martial Guard Rick was growing increasingly frustrated. He had no leads whatsoever, not even a clue about where to begin.

…Dragonblood Knight Ironhand paced back and forth, “No clues, not a single clue. My reasoning was clearly correct… but the Thousand-Faced One’s concealment and disguise abilities are too formidable. Can I truly complete this mission relying solely on myself?”

He couldn’t help but fall into deep contemplation.

…

Holy Light Sage Xi frowned deeply, “If I focus my purification power on a single individual, I might detect some traces, but… while there seem to be numerous signs throughout the area, they don’t coalesce into any coherent clues.”

“The Thousand-Faced One, the Faceless…”

They too began to grow increasingly anxious.

Around the same time, in a narrow alley of Deerwater Town.

The Behemoth Lord knelt on one knee, his face contorted into a grimace, cold sweat beading on his forehead. Faint tendrils of black-red mist could be seen emerging from his pupils.

After a few seconds, the Behemoth Lord stood up, wiped away his sweat, and appeared to have returned to normal as he walked outward.

He continued searching for traces of the Thousand-Faced One.

He had already found crucial clues.

Not long before.

…

Half an hour later.

Rakshasa, who had arrived at Deerwater Town, opened his eyes. The concept of malevolence gradually clarified within his pupils.

He abruptly looked toward a certain location.

Black smoke billowed outward like a pillar.

“This is…”

Concealing his tracks, Rakshasa made his way to the source of the black smoke and focused his gaze. Even he couldn’t prevent slight ripples from appearing in his eyes.

He recognized this person.

It was one of the recruits from the training camp – the Behemoth Lord!

The thick black smoke clinging to the Behemoth Lord resembled a colossal shadow attached to him.

Rakshasa furrowed his brow.

“How should I handle this situation?”

The Behemoth Lord was, like him, a recruit in the training camp. The standard investigation procedures that worked on ordinary suspects likely wouldn’t be as effective on the Behemoth Lord.

Moreover…

As Rakshasa wrestled with his dilemma, he faintly detected a different aura approaching from afar.

The Icefist Head Instructor and Gale Instructor had distantly locked onto the Behemoth Lord.

“The fish has taken the bait. I just didn’t expect the Thousand-Faced One to directly invade the Behemoth.”

“The erosion and transformation aren’t complete yet. The Behemoth can still be saved. We need to act quickly.”

“Indeed, the peripheral arrangements are nearly complete. This time, the Thousand-Faced One won’t escape… Wait, hold on.”

The Icefist Head Instructor started in surprise, his gaze turning toward a distant, seemingly empty location.

The corners of his mouth curled upward, “Well, well. Someone else has noticed the Behemoth’s abnormality, and it’s none other than one of the candidates undergoing the mission assessment – Rakshasa from the Tianyuan Territory.”

Gale was astonished.

He followed Icefist’s line of sight and stared intently – for a moment, then longer, and longer still.

Gale fell silent.

Is this recruit a monster?

Seeing that the Icefist Head Instructor had personally arrived, Rakshasa no longer felt urgent. He waited quietly until both Icefist and Gale revealed themselves before transitioning from his Malevolent Aspect to his conventional form, emerging from the shadows.

The three of them surrounded the Behemoth Lord’s squad from different directions.

“Head Instructor, Your Excel…”

Before the Behemoth could finish speaking, Icefist immediately took action.

In an instant, the world transformed into frozen earth as an icy wind swept through. The Behemoth and all his subordinate troops became encased within crystals of ice.

Instructor Icefist stepped forward and produced a sigil shimmering with holy, purifying radiance, preparing to affix it to the Behemoth’s forehead.

The next moment,

A faint, illusory shadow emerged from the Behemoth’s body. Dimly visible within were dozens of faces that rapidly shifted and changed.He glanced at Ice Fist, Gale, and Rakshasa before vanishing with a “pop” like a bursting bubble.

Ice Fist’s Domain swept through the surroundings but found nothing.

He then took out a communication device. “Squads One, Two, and Three, intercept the enemy.”

But he only received reports that the barrier showed no fluctuations and no enemy presence was detected.

Ice Fist frowned, feeling for the first time that things were slipping beyond his expectations.

“Has the Thousand-Faced One’s ability… evolved again?”

“Could he be controlling multiple bodies simultaneously and transferring between them?”

He found this speculation highly plausible, but…

How to track him down?

He had spent so long laying traps just to pinpoint the Thousand-Faced One’s location. Repeating the process was no longer feasible.

Damn it!

A burly figure suddenly dashed past from the side, heading straight into the distance.

It was Rakshasa!

Rakshasa soared through the air, leaving Deerwater Town in an instant.

Seeing this, Ice Fist said, “Gale, continue the investigation here. I’ll be right back.”

He transformed into a streak of icy light and shot toward the horizon.

Soon, a guard camp came into view.

Rakshasa was in the distance. He descended from the sky, and wisps of brown smoke gathered, gradually forming a spear in his grasp.

His spear thrust out like a heavenly dragon, aimed at an unremarkable guard squad leader.

One thrust, piercing the throat.

But it only pierced an afterimage.

A trail of flame burning with evil karma arced through the air, scattering embers.

Not far away, the squad leader who had dodged Rakshasa’s attack wore a flickering, shifting expression, his voice overlapping like dozens of echoes.

“I… remember you.”

The Thousand-Faced One glanced at Rakshasa and Ice Fist, who had arrived right after, before another phantom appeared and shattered like an illusion, leaving only a faceless body collapsing stiffly to the ground.

Rakshasa looked up at the sky, transformed into smoke, and sped off in a certain direction.

The Icefist Head Instructor caught up, glanced around, and wordlessly pursued.

At the same time, in White River Town.

Holy Light Sage Xi, who had just arrived in the town, suddenly caught a faint whiff of Filth.

“Where? There!”

Without hesitation, they summoned the Holy Light, enveloping the entire outpost in a vast, absolute radiance barrier.

Perhaps because the Thousand-Faced One had just switched bodies, under the Holy Light’s glow, the bearded captain’s face in the outpost suddenly shifted, as if erased by a rubber and hastily redrawn.

Xi Minrui noticed this.

They swung their massive hammer toward the distance, the weapon gleaming with Holy Light and thunder.

The Thousand-Faced One’s expression changed.

“What rotten luck!”

“But…”

Ice Fist was one thing, but how dare these petty Legendary Realm ants provoke the great Thousand-Faced One!

Dozens of illusory faces materialized, roaring at the sky.

The outpost shattered.

The Holy Light Sage knelt on one knee, the immense absolute radiance barrier flickering unsteadily before finally cracking and collapsing.

By this time, Rakshasa, still in his smoke form, had yet to reach White River Town.

Witnessing the scene, he directly entered ‘Fiendish Sea’ mode. A massive cloud of fiendish smoke surged high in the sky like raging waves and gales. Rakshasa’s speed skyrocketed, transforming into lightning, into light.

The icy streak’s speed also surged, but…

It was mercilessly left behind.Icefist Head Instructor: “…” Though he truly had no flying-type skills, being outperformed by a rookie Legend—wasn’t this somewhat absurd?

This Thousand-Faced One was peculiar and absolutely not to be underestimated!

He could only sprint with all his might.

In the distance,

The Thousand-Faced One, with faces constantly shifting, glanced at Rakshasa and the much farther Ice Fist, then made his move.

Dozens upon hundreds of faces roared once more.

Not far away, Holy Light Sage Xi, kneeling on one knee, had bizarre faces emerging on her exposed arms. Her own expression kept shifting between joy and sorrow.

Rakshasa…

The malevolent miasma surged violently, visibly shrinking by a noticeable margin.

But Rakshasa’s aura remained entirely undiminished, completely unaffected.

The malevolent miasma enveloped the area.

Within it, roars echoed incessantly, and ghostly shadows multiplied.

The brown malevolent mist grew somewhat thinner.

However,

as the mist began to dissipate, three figures emerged on the scene.

One blue-faced with fangs and dark-skinned Rakshasa;

One muscular Rakshasa holding a spear;

One piercing through the Thousand-Faced One from front and back.

Simultaneously piercing through the viscous evil karma, visible only to Rakshasa himself.

At this moment, Icefist Head Instructor finally arrived at the battlefield.

He couldn’t help but fall into deep thought, “What role did I play in this mission…?”

(End of Chapter)