ATPnovel Chapter 168 The Old Case of Flower Fruit Mountain
Chapter 168 The Old Case of Flower Fruit Mountain
The eyes in the mirror wall lit up, and the entire reflection of Flower Fruit Mountain trembled.
It's not a feint.
The image behind the mountain shadow truly resembles an old mountain.
Cracks spread out one by one, and stone chips fell down, turning into gray characters in mid-air.
Si Mo raised his hand and sealed it.
"Don't touch it!"
"That's not a door, it's the entrance to an old case."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the black hook had already burrowed inside.
A strange noise came from inside the mirror wall, like someone scraping stone with an iron nail, making one's teeth ache.
The monkey took a step forward, its eyes fixed on the mountain shadow.
next moment.
A crack appeared in the middle of the mountain's shadow.
A page of the stone book was slowly pushed out from within.
不是纸。
It's like peeling off a whole piece of mountain bark, with charred lines still visible on the back.
The top four characters, crooked and slanted, were so imposing that no one in the room dared to breathe.
The old case of Huaguo Mountain.
Pigsy felt a chill run down his spine.
"Can old cases just resurface on their own?"
Tang Sanzang still had blood at the corner of his mouth, but his eyes had turned cold.
"It didn't just pop up."
"Someone has been holding onto it for too long."
Si Mo's face turned pale, and his fingers were trembling.
"A criminal record from Huaguo Mountain shouldn't be opened in the Seventh Parking Area."
"Unless... something from the First Experimental Site comes to claim responsibility."
Upon hearing this, even the seventh registrar's legs went weak.
First experimental field.
These words would make anyone in the old port shrink back in fear.
That was one of the earliest black ring test sites.
Few people go in, and even fewer come out.
Those cases that have been recorded are generally things that cannot be explained in plain language.
The ash mark in Chen Fan's hand burned again.
The stone book turned the pages by itself.
The first page is blank.
The second page is blank.
I turned to the third page and then stopped abruptly.
There is no name on it.
There is only one line of old text.
[Source sample unlinked record, first self-generated entity, hereinafter referred to as: Sun Wukong.]
The entire room fell silent for a moment.
The next moment, Pigsy's eyeballs almost popped out.
"What the heck?"
"Wasn't the Monkey King born from a magic stone?"
Even Tang Sanzang stared at that line of text, his breath catching in his throat.
The monkey didn't say anything.
He stood in front of the mirror, his shoulders taut, like a fully drawn string.
The seventh registrar was stunned at first, then his face turned pale, and he took three steps back.
"It's fake, it must be fake!"
"The birth of the stone monkey was recorded by Heaven, commented upon by Buddha, and—"
Before he could finish speaking, a second line of text appeared on the stone book.
[Original deployment location: First experimental field.]
[Original purpose: To test whether the self-generated combat unit possesses destructive capabilities after being decoupled from the chain.]
[Judgment: Out of control.]
[Process: Erase previous records and rewrite the origin.]
When the last four words appeared, the surrounding area exploded.
"Rewrite your background?"
"Did someone alter the route the Great Sage came from?"
"Who dares to change something like this?"
The old port laborers surrounding the box counter all changed their gazes when they looked at the monkey.
It's not respect, nor is it fear.
It's the kind of horror that comes from seeing a live old case.
Chen Fan's heart skipped a beat.
That makes sense.
Huaguo Mountain is not simply a natural place.
Wukong is not as simple as the "naturally born stone monkey" that everyone talks about.
He was the result of a source sample in the first experimental field that grew out of the chain on its own after it was decoupled.
It's not reincarnation.
It wasn't arranged.
It is a self-generated entity that crawled out after going out of control.
No wonder the black ring kept staring at him.
No wonder the Five Finger Mountain pressed down for a full five hundred years.
It's not for suppressing demons.
It's a closed file.
The monkey stared at the few lines of text and suddenly smiled.
His smile was a bit cold.
"It turns out that there have been people who disliked Old Sun since he was a child."
The seventh registrar forced himself to shout.
"Even if it's true, so what!"
"Old cases are old cases, you're still the same monkey demon from Flower Fruit Mountain, you—"
With a "thud," the golden cudgel struck half an inch in front of his feet.
The ground cracked open on the spot.
The seventh registrar's legs went weak, and he almost collapsed.
The monkey tilted its head.
Say it again.
The clerk's lips twitched a few times, but he didn't dare to utter a second word.
Cool.
Pigsy watched from the side, grinning from ear to ear.
One second he was shouting "monkey demon," and the next second he couldn't even stand up straight.
That was a slap in the face, even more powerful than a direct slap.
But the story doesn't end there.
The black hook that had burrowed into the mirror wall suddenly pulled out a black chain from the depths of the mountain shadows.
At the end of the chain was tied a gray stone heart.
Seven thin needles were inserted into the stone core.
Each needle has a small character engraved on its end.
delete.
Upon seeing the seven needles, Si Mo was speechless.
"Name-deleting needle!"
"Who nailed it to the old heart of Flower and Fruit Mountain?"
The gray characters on the stone tablet jumped up again.
[Combat Instinct was revised seven times.]
Retention rate: 30%.
[A section of the testimony may be returned.]
The monkey's eyes darkened.
Chen Fan had already realized what was happening and pointed to the page in the stone book.
Where is the testimony?
The words had barely left his mouth when the eyes in the mirror suddenly blinked.
Then, a low, hoarse voice came from deep within the mountain shadows.
"The testimony is on my part."
"I watched him escape."
The sound was like sand being ground; it was terribly unpleasant.
But everyone heard it clearly.
A stone figure slowly emerged from the crack in the mountain shadow.
My chest feels empty.
A piece of his head was missing.
It looks like it was carved out of some abandoned mountain.
With each step he took, dust fell from his feet.
The seventh clerk turned deathly pale upon seeing him.
"Mountain prison?"
"Didn't you already break?"
The stone man didn't look at him, but only bowed his head to the monkey.
"On the day you hatched, I was guarding the gate outside the First Experimental Field."
"They want to put the first link in your chain."
"You bit it off."
"They want to cram rules into your head."
"You've conquered two out of the three testing venues."
"Later they sealed your past battle records, changed your origins, and threw you to Flower Fruit Mountain to grow up on your own."
His words would silence the surroundings for a moment.
By the end, Pigsy was completely dumbfounded.
"Is Monkey King already this powerful right after he appeared?"
Tang Sanzang stared at the gray stone heart, his voice very low.
"Not fierce."
"They were using him as a weapon from the start."
That's even harsher.
Use Sun Wukong to test the black ring.
It worked, and I couldn't stop.
Let's just wipe the curtains clean, put it another way, and let it grow wild in the human world.
That's a really shady scheme.
The monkey suddenly reached out its hand.
"Bring me the testimony."
Without saying a word, the stone man raised his hand and tore open the hole in his chest.
It's not stone inside.
It was a sealed golden light.
It's very small, like a spark.
But as soon as the spark appeared, a series of muffled thuds exploded in the monkey's ears.
Like a war drum.
Like a mountain collapsing.
It's like someone, a long time ago, slammed a stick into a group of dark figures.
The stone man handed over the ball of golden light.
"This is the third paragraph you deleted."
"Leave only the tactics, not the strategies."
"If you dare to take it, I dare to return it."
The seventh clerk screamed.
"No!"
"Reverting deleted data will violate the rules—"
He rushed forward to try and snatch it.
Chen Fan slapped him across the face, knocking him to the ground.
"Get out of here."
The seventh registrar covered his face, completely dumbfounded.
The people around were also stunned.
This is the registrar of the seventh district.
Chen Fan smoked whenever he wanted.
But no one thought he was impulsive.
Because that line of old text was too frightening.
Everyone knows that anyone who tries to stop the monkey at this moment is asking for death.
The monkey clenched its five fingers and pressed the ball of golden light directly into its brow.
boom!
The mirror wall suddenly shook.
The ground beneath his feet sank by half a foot.
The fierce aura wasn't exploding outwards, but rather shrinking inwards.
They all curled up into the monkey's body.
The golden light that had been in his eyes flickered on and off.
The next moment, it was completely lit.
It's not as bright as a wildfire as before.
This time, it was like a knife cutting open.
It was cold and fast.
The monkey stood still, gently turning the golden cudgel in his hand.
The movements were very small.
Three zhang ahead, an invisible black ring snapped with a crack.
Everyone heard it.
Si Mo gasped.
"Is it really over?"
"These are the inner rule lines of the black ring!"
The monkey looked down at its hands, and a small grin spread across its face.
"Old Sun has remembered a little bit."
"So this thing isn't something you can't smash after all."
As soon as those words were spoken, the remaining people in District Seven were completely stunned.
They live within the bounds of rules every day.
Whoever breaks the rules dies.
The monkey just spun the stick once, and the black ring broke.
This isn't called being slapped in the face.
This is called trampling on old rules to the death.
Pigsy was so excited that he kept patting his belly.
"Okay! Okay!"
"Monkey King, you've really cheated this time!"
Tang Sanzang also stared at the monkey, his eyes revealing a strange, barely suppressed glint for the first time.
He knew what this meant.
By regaining a deleted piece of his fighting instincts, Sun Wukong will be able to avoid being affected by the Black Ring's tactics for a short period of time.
Others entering here must follow the rules.
The monkey can now directly break the rules.
This is the most reliable pass.
It is also the most ruthless killing move.
Just as Chen Fan was about to speak, the black ledger in his hand suddenly opened by itself.
It's not about turning the pages one by one.
It flipped directly to the last blank page with a "whoosh".
Then, a line of black text appeared on its own.
[In the first testing ground, a reversal of the verdict is possible.]
Immediately afterwards, the second line of text also appeared.
Those holding the gray stamp can retrieve their old certificates on their behalf.
[Limited Time Offer: One stick of incense.]
Chen Fan's eyelids twitched.
A reversal of the verdict is possible.
These four words are more valuable than all the testimonies just given.
This means that the first experimental field is not a dead zone.
It's a place you can go, you can turn over, and you can dig things out of it.
Once it's rewritten, the old case of Flower Fruit Mountain will be more than just adding an instinct to Wukong.
It can also bring up the earliest dirty secrets of the Black Ring.
Si Mo saw it too, and his breathing quickened.
"We can't delay."
"The fact that the ledger gave us a chance means that someone arrived at the first experimental field before us."
The seventh clerk had just gotten up from the ground when he heard this, and his face turned pale.
"First to arrive?"
"Who dares to get there first?"
He had barely finished speaking.
A loud bang suddenly came from behind the mirror wall.
It's not a crack in the rock.
Like an old iron gate, suddenly slammed shut from the inside.
boom!
Deep within the mountain shadows, a row of small, blood-red characters immediately lit up.
[Test Gate No. 1 is now closed.]
The proposer has entered the room.
[Old certificates have begun to be destroyed.]
The monkey looked up, and the newly bright golden glint in its eyes suddenly narrowed into a thin line.
He hoisted the golden cudgel onto his shoulder.
"Who dares to touch upon Old Sun's old scores?"
"Old Sun will sabotage his performance first."
Before he could finish speaking...
Suddenly, a hand reached out from the crack in the mirror.
That hand was slender and white, with half a familiar black ring on its wrist.
There was something else held between her fingers.
It has a tuft of golden hair.
Monkey's.
Chapter 546 Third Experimental Field Reincarnation Record
The hand holding the monkey hair slowly reached out.
The monkey lowered its eyelids and swung the stick directly at the monkey.
"Who are you trying to scare with Old Sun's hair!"
boom!
The hole in the mirror wall exploded on the spot.
The white-handed man didn't dodge; the half-black ring on his wrist flashed first. The blow hit him, but it felt like hitting a soft membrane, and he deflected it by half an inch.
The next moment, the tuft of golden hair suddenly burned on its own.
It's not fire.
Like old debts being crossed out, Maojian turns to ash inch by inch.
The monkey's face immediately turned cold.
"Are you trying to recapture my past?"
Si Mo's expression also changed: "It's not a person, it's a single hand."
"What do you mean, 'one hand'?" Pigsy cursed as he retreated. "Why does everything grow out of this lousy place?"
The seventh clerk's throat was dry and his voice was weak.
"There's an old rule at the Third Experimental Field. Every reincarnation certificate has to be approved: first, the hair is taken, then the seal is checked, and finally the soul trace is returned. It took Monkey King's hair, not because it was meant for Monkey King."
At this point, he suddenly looked up at Tang Sanzang.
"It's looking for a replacement."
All eyes immediately fell on Tang Sanzang.
Tang Sanzang stood at the front, his sleeves still stained with the dust from the cleansing seal he had just received. The old scroll of prayer in his arms, which had been lying quietly, now swelled up as if it contained something alive.
Chen Fan's eyes darkened.
"Baldy, stop hiding. It's looking for you."
Tang Sanzang did not reply.
He lowered his head and reached into his robes. The moment his fingertips touched the recitation scroll, it snapped open on its own.
A second paragraph of text emerged from the old cloth.
It's not a complete line.
Only half of the sentence was displayed.
"...holding the old key, examining three sessions, reincarnated into..."
It stopped there.
It's like someone took a knife and ruthlessly sliced away the most important half of the sentence.
Bajie blinked.
"The Third School? Isn't that the three old gates under the stage?"
Si Mo stared at that half-sentence, his breathing tightening.
"Reincarnation".
"Tang Sanzang is not just a shell for the pilgrimage. He is also a reincarnation left behind by the old Taoist sect, specifically to take on the role of the interrogation chain."
This time, the female judge did not refute.
Her face looked terrible, as if she had remembered something dirty.
"Before the old Taoist sect collapsed, all the forms from the experimental fields had to go through a review chain. The review chain did not recognize living people or priests, but only reincarnated beings. This was because reincarnated beings could change their bodies life after life, and the chain would not break."
Bajie was confused: "Speak human language."
Chen Fan took over.
"He's a living key."
"The old sect, fearing its own extinction, left behind a key that can reincarnate on its own. Whoever holds it can reconnect with the old accounts."
The monkey stared at Tang Sanzang, its golden light in its eyes reduced to a thin line.
"That explains the monk's strange reactions along the way."
From the Pure Seal, to the Old Pagoda, and then to that incomplete incantation from just now.
He recognized her by chance.
It was something that was already ingrained in his body.
The prayer scroll in Tang Sanzang's hand was still warm.
His palms turned red from the heat.
He stared at that half-sentence, a vein throbbing on his forehead, as if something was forcefully ramming into his brain.
"Not a living key."
"It's the person who made the mistake."
Chen Fan looked at him.
Tang Sanzang took a breath, his voice hoarse: "I remember a little. Not all of it, but... it's like someone soaked old paper in water and then shook out half a page."
"The third experimental field doesn't perform ordinary reincarnation. It performs erroneous reincarnation."
"Forcing things that shouldn't be in this life into this world. Then stamping them with a chain of approvals over and over again. If it passes the test, then it's done."
The seventh clerk's legs went weak and he almost sat down on the ground.
"Mistaken transformation? That's a forbidden technique."
"No wonder they shut out all three games." Si Mo gritted his teeth. "This isn't nurturing talent, it's stealing their shells."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the white hand suddenly thrust forward.
Its palm is open.
Inside lay a thin, gray-black sheet.
It looks like paper, and also like human skin.
The thin sheet was printed with a dense row of words.
Chen Fan recognized the five old characters at the top at a glance.
Third Experimental Field Rebirth Record.
Bajie gasped.
"Did you really send out the order?"
"Deliver my ass." The monkey flicked the tip of its stick, not touching the order. "It needs someone to take the order."
Bai Shou seemed to understand.
It clasped its five fingers together and beckoned to Tang Sanzang.
Tang Sanzang did not move.
The thin piece flew up on its own and flew straight at his face.
Chen Fan reached out first and covered the gray mark with his hand.
Snapped!
The gray mark and the reincarnation slip collided, and a series of rapid sounds immediately came from under the platform, as if dozens of locks had sprung open at once. The entire platform shook twice, and dust fell down in a flurry.
The reincarnation order was not broken.
Instead, it was turned over.
The first page is blank.
The words appear on the second page.
It wasn't written on the spot.
Like ink seeping back into the earth, it seeps out little by little.
[Subject: The Nine-Turned Cicada Shell.]
[Review Link: Last Section.]
[Old Taoist Gate Key Deposit: Unopened.]
[Activation conditions: Both sections of the chant are complete, and the well passage is open.]
Chen Fan stared at the last two lines, his eyes lighting up.
"The remaining key."
"The old Taoist sect really did leave a key."
The female judge raised her voice: "That's no ordinary key. The one that can be listed on the reincarnation list is at least at the Master Treasury level. If we get it, Zone 7, Area 3 will no longer be a dead end."
"And there's the well shaft." Si Mo immediately looked at the platform with its array of boxes. "The incantation refers to the area below the platform."
Suddenly, Tang Sanzang raised his hand to press his temple and took half a step back.
The second paragraph on the reading slip lit up again.
There are a few more words this time.
"...holding the old key, examining three sessions, reincarnated into the well, the box platform..."
It still ends.
It's still missing half a sentence.
But the direction is clear enough.
Pigsy stomped his foot: "Don't read it in half! I hate this kind of thing the most!"
The monkey sneered, "Someone deliberately cut it off. They were afraid this monk would want it all."
Chen Fan squatted down and pressed his palm against the crack in the box stand.
There's wind coming through the crack.
Not big.
It's very cold.
It didn't come in from the outside; it just rose up from below on its own.
"The audience is empty."
Si Mo immediately waved his sleeve, and the ink line plunged into the crack.
The thread went down three feet and suddenly loosened.
"It's not an empty cavity. It's a well."
"Very deep."
The seventh registrar's lips trembled.
"How could there be a well under the storage box? It is extremely taboo to have a live well under the storeroom; even the lowest-ranking official knows this rule."
The female judge stared at him and coldly uttered a sentence.
"Unless something is hidden below, in which case a well seal is needed."
The room fell silent after those words were spoken.
The scroll in Tang Sanzang's hand began to curl outwards again.
When the old cloth was rolled to its end, a small piece of hard material fell out.
pat.
fall to the ground.
Like an old domino.
Chen Fan picked it up and examined it. It wasn't bone or wood, but a piece of smoothed bronze buckle. It only had half a seal mark on it, like a door latch.
The female judge's eyes widened immediately.
"This is just a piece of the broken key."
"The old gatekeeper has opened the key. One corner is on the slip, one corner is in the recitation strip, and the remaining corner is most likely in the well."
Pigsy was delighted.
"Isn't that simple? Just go down and fish it out."
"You try catching one."
As soon as Si Mo finished speaking, the crack in the middle of the box platform suddenly split open to both sides.
It didn't crack naturally.
It was like two heavy doors that were being pushed open from the inside.
A cloud of gray smoke suddenly burst out.
The air was filled with tiny, fragmented words.
Those words didn't float, they crawled.
Along the edge of the stage, along the ground, they crowded densely towards the feet of the crowd.
Bajie looked down and his face turned green.
"Damn it, it's all just fragments of names on the register."
Wherever those words climbed, the ground turned black.
One of the junior officials who had followed him back half a step, and the tip of his shoe just touched the black characters when he was suddenly pulled down to his knees as if something had ripped him from the soles of his feet.
He opened his mouth to shout, but first he spat out a string of old names.
It's not his name.
There were dozens of unfamiliar names.
By the seventh person, the man had deflated.
Only a thin sheet of skin remained, stuck to the ground.
Pigsy's scalp tingled: "This well eats up its name!"
The monkey took a step forward, and with a sweep of its golden cudgel, smashed all the black characters that were crawling towards it.
"Everyone, step back."
"Monk, recite the half-sentence you can recite."
Tang Sanzang stared at the well opening, his breathing growing heavier and heavier.
It felt like someone was pulling him up from the bottom of a well, up his chest.
He bit his tongue, spitting blood onto the recitation stick, his voice low and urgent.
"Holding the old key, examining three sessions, reincarnated into the well, returning to the box and platform..."
The word "return" was uttered.
The entire platform shook violently.
The sound of chains dragging on the ground came from the well.
bang.
bang.
bang.
Each sound struck the eardrums of the crowd.
On the third page of the reincarnation record, a new line of text slowly appeared.
The missing formula has been completed by the mine.
Please accept personal experience.
next moment.
A bronze cage rose from the well.
The cage isn't very big.
There was a person sitting cross-legged inside.
Wearing monk's robes.
Head down.
He had half an old road sign hanging around his neck.
When Bajie saw the face clearly, he let out a strange howl and jumped back three steps.
"Tang Sanzang?!"
The person in the cage slowly raised their head.
The same face.
Same eyebrows and eyes.
Even the old scar on the corner of his mouth was exactly the same.
However, he had a thin, long black nail driven into his forehead, and his smile was more chilling than a cry.
"The physical shell has finally arrived."
"This humble monk has been waiting for you for a long time."
Chapter 547 Second Experimental Field Escape Sample List
"The physical shell has finally arrived."
The "Tang Monk" in the cage raised his head, his lips twitching upwards.
The black nail in his forehead was still trembling slightly.
It looks alive.
The real Tang Monk stood by the well, his face extremely grim.
He didn't reply, but looked at the half of the old road sign first.
There is a notch on the edge of the card.
It was the same as what he had seen in the Pure Land back then.
The monkey has already raised his golden cudgel.
"Playing tricks."
"Smash it first, then we'll talk."
"Don't smash it!"
Si Mo suddenly shouted.
She took two steps forward and pressed the gray mark in her hand onto the edge of the well.
A layer of black characters immediately appeared on the outer wall of the bronze cage.
It is not scripture.
It's an old file.
Lines of them are popping out.
[Second Experimental Field Escape Slip]
Escape sample count: seven
[Number of recoveries: six]
[Not recovered: 1]
[Export point: Old warehouse inside the harbor]
[The mover]
The last three characters haven't been fully displayed yet.
The fake Tang Sanzang in the cage had already burst out laughing.
He stared at Pigsy, speaking slowly and deliberately.
"What, you're denying it now?"
"You weren't this fat back when you dragged that batch of stuff down the abandoned box road."
Pigsy froze.
The rake handle slipped from his hand and crashed to the ground with a thud.
The monkey tilted its head to look at him.
"fool?"
Pigsy's Adam's apple bobbed, and his face twitched violently.
"Nonsense, utter nonsense."
"Back when Old Pig was a marshal in Tianhe, there was no such thing as a port or a road."
"If you keep making this up, I'll rip your tongue out."
The fake Tang Monk in the cage laughed even more chillingly.
"Of course you want to forget."
"That night you were so drunk you were practically staggering. You received orders to escort a fugitive to Hong Kong."
"Since you couldn't get through the checkpoint by taking the right path, you took the abandoned box path."
"The box is folded three times below the platform, the copper rail is deviated to the left, the broken box is six yards long, and it is falling down from the breach."
"Does this phrase sound familiar to you?"
As soon as he finished speaking...
Bajie's eyelids twitched suddenly.
It felt like a needle was piercing his brain.
The next instant, he seemed to hear the sound of chains dragging on the ground.
Black water crashes against the shore.
The night breeze from the old port filled my ears.
Someone slapped a black card into his arms.
"Tianpeng, the goods will be inspected at the main entrance, but go downstairs."
"You're one of us, just remember the way."
Pigsy's breathing suddenly became heavy.
He suddenly looked up at the old crates stacked at the bottom of the crate platform.
His eyes changed.
He was no longer the same reckless person he usually was.
Chen Fan kept staring at him.
At this moment, he saw it most clearly.
It's not that Pigsy can't remember.
He kept pretending he hadn't remembered.
"Old pig."
Chen Fan spoke quickly.
"You walked by, didn't you?"
Bajie's lips moved, but it took him a long time to finally utter a curse.
"Damn it."
"I've actually been there."
A single sentence was enough.
The people around the well fell silent.
Even the fake Tang Sanzang in the cage stopped laughing.
The monkey squinted.
"You're hiding this from Lao Sun?"
Pigsy didn't look at him.
He stared at the line "Escape Sample List," his voice muffled.
"It's not a lie."
"That part, it seems like someone erased it later."
"Old Pig only remembers drinking, taking a job, and carrying a black box to the harbor."
"The box isn't big."
"It's too light."
"It moves inside."
Tang Sanzang's fingers slowly tightened.
"people?"
"Like a human being."
Pigsy gritted his teeth.
"It might not be."
"That night, three checkpoints were blocked off. The first two were for checking license plates, and the third was for taking people in directly. Old Pig found it too troublesome and took a derelict road instead."
"That path is below the platform of crates. It's not for people to walk on; it's for abandoned crates to fall down."
"If you step on the wrong square, you'll fall into the broken well."
Si Mo immediately asked, "Where is the exit?"
Pigsy raised his hand and pointed.
"Not above."
"You've been focusing on the surface, but you're wrong."
"The opening is in the seventh box below."
"The door is a fake door. Once the third rivet from the right is pressed in, the entire base plate will flip over."
The fake Tang Monk in the cage suddenly laughed.
"So what if I remember?"
"The road ahead is already blocked."
"Outside the port gates, there are only soldiers rushing in. If you dare to go down, you're just walking into a trap."
Chen Fan turned to look at him.
"You talk too much."
Monkeys are more direct.
"Then I'll smash your mouth until it's crooked."
The golden cudgel had just been raised.
Suddenly, Tang Sanzang flicked his sleeve, and a cracked seal flew out.
With a snap, it hit the black nail.
The black nail flickered.
The smile on the fake Tang Monk's face immediately cracked.
It's like a layer of skin collapsing downwards.
Half of his blackened face was visible.
"Let's do it!"
Chen Fan shouted.
Bajie was the first to charge this time.
He wasn't being sarcastic.
He grabbed the nine-toothed rake and hooked it at the side beam of the bronze cage.
There was a "click" sound.
He bent the entire cage fence.
The fake Tang Monk tried to raise his hand again.
Pigsy's second rake has arrived.
boom!
The man, along with the black nail, was smashed into the well wall.
Stone chips flew everywhere.
The well shook three times.
Even the monkeys were amused.
"You idiot."
"I usually keep my hands hidden."
Pigsy was panting heavily, his eyes bloodshot.
"Over the years, what I hate most is people using old grievances to pressure me."
"Every time I'm pressed down, I want to go all out."
The fake Tang Monk had half his face embedded in the wall, and he was still smiling.
"You're too late."
"Once the sample order is released, the port owner will know."
"The thing you gave away back then will come back to find you today."
He didn't finish his sentence.
The monkey smashed it down on the head with a stick.
boom!
The black nail was broken in half.
The fake Tang Monk tilted his head to the side and finally fell silent.
Si Mo had already crouched down under the group box platform.
She ran her finger along the right side of the seventh box and sure enough, she felt three old rivets that had sunk in.
"Found it."
"Who will press the button?"
"I'll do it."
Pigsy stepped forward.
When his palm pressed down on the rivet, the back of his hand visibly trembled.
It felt like encountering myself from many years ago.
next moment.
Click.
The rivet has fallen in.
The entire iron base plate suddenly flipped inward.
A gust of musty, cold wind rushed out.
The area below is not ground.
It is a dark track that slopes downwards.
The tracks were jammed with waste containers.
The old serial number is still on the box.
Some of the serial numbers are so badly damaged that they are illegible.
Only a few scattered words remain.
"Abandon", "Transfer", "Send down".
Chen Fan glanced down.
The road is very narrow.
If pursuers come head-on, it will indeed be difficult to stop them.
How far can it go?
"It can be directly accessed from the back of the source warehouse."
Bajie squatted down and touched the edge of the track.
There are three forks in the road here.
"Don't go into the first place; it leads to the Broken Granary Well."
"The second place has a half-collapsed door, and beyond that is the back of the box stand."
"The third spot is the most secluded; once you step out, you'll reach the abandoned bridge in the old port."
"In the past, when we made samples, they were always transferred from the second place."
Si Mo looked up: "The main gate of Yuancang is blocked. If the back entrance is open, we can bypass the front."
Chen Fan nodded without hesitation.
"Let's go to the second location."
The monkey, carrying a stick, had already stood at the entrance.
"Lead the way."
Bajie glanced at the dark tracks below, then at the escape sample form still showing characters.
The bottom line was finally completed.
[Transporter: Tianpeng Old Office]
[Identification: Pigsy]
Even his name when he descended to the mortal realm is on it.
Bajie's eye twitched, and he raised his hand to wipe away the black characters.
"What the hell are you looking at?"
"The road was walked by the old pig."
"Old Pig will have to take you guys out today too."
After he finished speaking, he was the first to jump.
The rails rattled loudly.
The entire downhill lane seemed to be awakened, and three small lights lit up in the distance.
A red lamp.
A cup of white wine.
A cup of green tea.
Bajie looked at the three lamps, and his expression suddenly changed again.
"wrong."
"There used to be only red lights."
"A white light is for inspection."
"The green lamp is—"
That was the beginning of the sentence.
A loud, clear sound of a copper bell suddenly rang out from outside the warehouse.
One sound after another.
The vibrations made the metal roof rattle.
Immediately afterwards, someone shouted in an old Hong Kong bureaucratic tone:
"Open the outer seal!"
"Qingbeidao!"
"The port owner himself is here—"
The last four words, like a knife, cleaved straight into the source warehouse.
Bajie stood at the entrance to the downhill section, his hand gripping the rake tightly.
He stared at the third green lamp, his voice deep.
"Oh no!"
"This is not a person search."
"These are the lights of Guangang."
Chapter 548 Everyone regains a real name
The copper bell is still ringing.
Each sound grew more urgent than the last.
The sheet metal on the top of the warehouse trembled, and layers of dust fell down.
Footsteps were already approaching from outside the downhill crossing.
"Open the outer seal!"
"Block the back passage!"
"The port master has arrived—"
Pigsy held his nine-toothed rake horizontally, his fat face tightening.
"Damn it, that bastard came in person."
The monkey raised a hand to wipe the corner of its mouth and stared at the three lamps.
"You've come at the perfect time."
"Old Sun was just thinking of tearing down a big one."
Chen Fan did not respond.
He stared at the seven old pagoda patterns on the wall.
When the blue lamps lit up together, the seven pagoda patterns also emitted a cold light for a moment.
This is not a warning.
It's like recognizing someone.
next moment.
From the deepest part of the source warehouse, a muffled boom resounded.
The old well trembled first, and the copper nails along its edge bounced out one by one.
Immediately afterwards, seven thin, grayish-white rays of light shot up from the bottom of the well, splitting into seven lines that plunged straight into the pagoda pattern.
hum-
The entire source warehouse went off.
It's like someone is whispering old grievances behind every single brick.
Tang Sanzang's expression changed first.
"This is not a Hong Kong closure order."
"It's a transmission from the Seven Towers."
Chen Fan's heart skipped a beat.
Return?
The monkey had already cursed aloud: "Go back to your ancestors—"
Before he could finish speaking, the first gray light suddenly veered towards him.
boom!
It struck directly between his eyebrows.
The monkey shuddered, and half a circle of the stone slab beneath its feet cracked. The golden light in its eyes suddenly exploded, like sparks flying from the tip of a knife.
"Damn it, who—"
Before the second word was even uttered, the monkey suddenly shut up.
He seemed to have heard something.
There was an extremely old voice in my ear, speaking slowly and deliberately, as stiffly as if it were carving a monument.
"The old system is recognized."
"Add one word."
"stone."
The monkey froze.
When the word "stone" was written, the black ring mark on his chest actually started to smoke, like a branding iron being pressed into cold water, making a sizzling sound.
The black chain pressing in from outside the door also slowed down by half a beat.
The monkey looked down at its hands, clenched its five fingers, and cracked them.
"I see."
"They remember where Old Sun came from."
He looked up and grinned.
"Shisheng's matter is not under the jurisdiction of your lousy booklet."
A cold snort came crashing in from outside the door.
"nonsense!"
The outer door was suddenly pushed open.
A group of Hong Kong soldiers in black rushed in, parting to the sides, and a tall, thin man walked out from the middle, wearing a San Francisco-style Hong Kong crown and carrying a bronze short cane.
His face was pale to the point of being bluish, his eyes were narrow at the corners, and his lips were thin.
Upon entering, he first glanced at the monkey, then at Tang Sanzang, and finally fixed his gaze on Chen Fan.
"Chen Fan".
"You're more of a troublemaker than the case file suggests."
Chen Fan was amused.
"You're the port owner?"
"He looks like a corpse collector's accountant."
The faces of the Hong Kong soldiers around them changed.
The port owner laughed, but it was a cold laugh.
"I've seen plenty of stubborn people."
"When the monitoring chain is put on later, you'll have to sign up yourself."
He finished speaking and raised his cane.
Seven black chains shot in from outside the door, lunging at the group like live snakes.
"Name suppressed!"
Tang Sanzang's eyelids twitched.
The second gray light fell at that moment.
It struck him squarely in the forehead.
Tang Sanzang grunted, and the old seal from his sleeve flew out on its own, hovering and spinning in front of his chest.
The old voice rang out again.
"The old system is recognized."
"Add one word."
"net."
Tang Sanzang's throat tightened, and blood immediately appeared at the corner of his mouth.
The blood didn't flow down; instead, it receded from the corner of the mouth and finally dripped into the old cleansing mark.
The pure seal shone brightly.
Before the three black chains could even touch him, they shattered as if they had hit an invisible wall.
The port master's pupils contracted.
"Is the character '净' still there?"
Tang Sanzang looked up at him, his gaze much colder than before.
"This humble monk has been searching."
"It's been found now."
He raised his hand and slapped it.
The pure seal flies horizontally.
Snapped!
It hit a Hong Kong soldier squarely in the mouth. The man was reciting a prayer when half of his tooth was knocked out, and he rolled away, his back breaking a pillar.
Pigsy yelled, "Good heavens, Master's really something today!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the third beam of gray light struck him on the head.
Pigsy tilted his head to the side, as if he almost fell over, and he was panting heavily through his nose.
"What should I supplement?"
Don't add the word "poor" to the old pig's name—
The old voice faded away.
"The old system is recognized."
"Add one word."
"Peng".
Bajie was stunned at first, then his eyes bulged out.
"The 'peng' in 'tianpeng'?"
The faint black ring around his neck suddenly parted, as if someone had chopped it in half with a knife. The two surveillance chains that were supposed to be on his shoulders failed to fasten and instead slipped off on their own.
Pigsy immediately grinned, straightened his back, and his entire demeanor changed.
"Hahaha, I knew it!"
"No matter how much you try to control him, Old Pig isn't someone you bunch of Hong Kong punks can hold onto!"
He raised his rake and smashed it down on the nearest chain.
Click!
The black chain broke into seven or eight pieces.
The Hong Kong soldiers retreated in unison, their expressions of looking down on the dead vanishing instantly.
Someone exclaimed in disbelief, "Has the chain of oversight broken?"
"That's impossible!"
"That's an old chain from Hong Kong!"
The host's face finally darkened.
He stared at Pigsy, his eyes looking as if he wanted to skin him alive.
"waste."
"The seven recitations above."
"I'd like to see how many rounds you can hold out."
The seven Hong Kong soldiers immediately looked up and began to recite in unison.
As soon as the sound came out, the air in the warehouse tightened.
Chen Fan's eardrums throbbed, and his chest felt like it was being crushed by a piece of iron.
He's learned his lesson the hard way.
It's not about hitting the physical body.
It's like nailing it directly onto the name.
Whoever has the weakest name will be the first to kneel.
Just as he was about to speak, the seventh tower pattern suddenly lit up.
Not to him.
It faces outwards from the door.
A colder gray light pierced through the air, passing through two layers of walls and striking a person squarely between the eyebrows.
A muffled groan came from outside the door.
The next instant, that person stepped into the source warehouse.
Black robe, silver armor, and a divine mark on his forehead.
Yang Jian.
He was still clutching half a broken chain in his hand, as if he had dragged it in with all his might.
The port owner's voice changed the moment he saw him.
"What are the people from the judicial office doing here!"
Yang Jian ignored him.
After he regained his footing, a faint look of disbelief flashed in his eyes, as if he had also heard something.
"The old system is recognized."
"Add one word."
"Pour."
A single word was uttered.
The divine mark on Yang Jian's forehead suddenly cracked open, revealing a sliver of vertical light.
It's not that the third eye is fully open.
Only a small crack was opened.
This one slit is enough.
The seven recitation strips in the warehouse seemed to have struck a blade, and all of them paused.
Yang Jian raised his hand and pulled.
The surveillance chains surrounding everyone tautened completely.
Squeeze it again.
Bang bang bang!
The chains exploded one after another.
The Hong Kong soldiers were completely dumbfounded.
Some people stumbled back three steps and almost fell to the ground.
"The old name of Guankou..."
"He restored the old Guankou number..."
The cold smile on the port owner's face vanished completely.
He stared intently at Yang Jian, then looked at the Monkey King, Tang Sanzang, and Pigsy, his lips twitching slightly.
"Four."
"Seven Towers filled four old positions in one go."
"Who's moving the booklet behind the scenes?"
Chen Fan understood now.
It's not simply about increasing combat power.
The rules have been relaxed.
Wukong replaced the character "Shi" with the name, and the name was first reattached to the old category of Shi Sheng, but the black ring could not be pressed down firmly.
Tang Sanzang restored the "pure" mark, but the recitation stick slipped at the slightest touch.
Bajie replaced "Peng" with "Peng", making it difficult for the monitoring chain to hold on.
Yang Jian filled in the "Guan" (灌) position. He was already familiar with the old port system and could dismantle the old chain as soon as he touched it.
It's like the same group of people suddenly having an old protective shell on them.
The host's most ruthless tactic rendered him half useless.
The monkey stretched its neck and bared its teeth.
"What did you just say?"
"Should Old Sun sign up himself?"
The port master slammed his short cane down, remaining stubbornly defiant.
"Adding a section to the old name is not the same as completing the whole thing."
"You are still registered members."
"While we're in Hong Kong, we have to abide by the Hong Kong rules!"
"Seal the tower's eye, open the chanting well, and crush them—"
He didn't finish his sentence.
The monkeys have arrived.
too fast.
It's just like a hard rock that fell from the sky.
boom!
The first blow struck the port master's short staff.
The short staff is bent into a crescent shape.
The second batter struck him in the shoulder.
The port owner flew sideways, crashing into three rows of wooden frames before finally embedding himself in the wall. He opened his mouth and spat blood and teeth all over the ground.
The port guards were terrified, as if they had seen a ghost.
No one expected that the port chief, who was in charge of all the old rules of the port, would not even be able to withstand two blows.
The monkey walked forward carrying the stick, still laughing.
"Comply with Hong Kong regulations?"
"Preserve your teeth first."
Pigsy rushed forward and finished off the raft.
The ground was directly flipped up by one layer.
With a flick of his sleeve, Tang Sanzang immobilized the two Hong Kong soldiers who were still trying to recite the decree.
Yang Jian was even more decisive.
With a flick of his wrist, the outer seal at the entrance split open.
A group of people who were arrogant just a moment ago, acting as if they were there to take lives.
The next moment it was scattered like sand.
Chen Fan felt a sense of relief.
Cool.
That felt great.
This round of name replacements was totally worth it.
Chapter 549 The Seventh Tower Old Court Opens
Just as Chen Fan breathed a sigh of relief, the ground beneath his feet shook again.
It didn't collapse.
It was as if some old thing had turned over in a deeper place.
From the crack in the ground, strands of grayish-white light crawled out, walked up the base of the wall, and finally all disappeared into the bronze well.
A buzzing sound came from the wellhead.
The bronze cage that had previously contained "another Tang Sanzang" shrank back on its own.
The fake Tang Sanzang raised his head; the black nail on his forehead was still there, but his mouth was grinning even wider.
"It's too late."
"By restoring your real names, you have essentially completed the process of having a full panel of judges."
Chen Fan's eyelids twitched.
The person presiding over the trial?
The monkey carried the stick over and swung it at you.
"I don't care who you are, I'll smash your mouth first."
boom!
The stick didn't land on the cage.
A semi-transparent old curtain suddenly rose from the wellhead, like an old mirror. The golden cudgel smashed into it, and the mirror surface cracked in large patches, but did not shatter.
From within the crack, a row of old characters emerged.
[The old courtyard of the Seventh Tower awaits opening.]
[Lacking temporary review authority.]
[The proposal is missing.]
[Missing samples will result in further issues.]
Pigsy's eyes widened.
"Is this really a place for holding trials?"
Yang Jian took two steps closer, scanned the area with his Heavenly Eye, and spoke in a deep voice.
"It's not a fake."
"The old courtyard still displays the seventh district's ground rules."
Tang Seng wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at Chen Fan.
"You have it."
"Provisional review authority".
Chen Fan was taken aback, but immediately realized what was happening.
It was a set of permissions that had been painstakingly extracted from the old tower's broken list and the Lingang official register in the previous chapters. That thing had always been tucked away in the corner of the system panel, like a useless, broken wooden sign.
Now, it lights up on its own.
A system notification popped up.
[The old courtyard of the Seventh District has been detected.]
[Should we activate temporary review authority?]
[Note: Once the old court opens, testimonies will be presented simultaneously across Hong Kong.]
Chen Fan stared at the line of text, his heart skipped a beat.
This is the real trump card.
Previously, their overturning of cases relied entirely on breaking through barriers, demolishing structures, and catching people in the act.
Once the evidence is in hand, outsiders will only see the notice and hear the fabricated story prepared by the Hong Kong soldiers.
It's different now.
Once the old courtyard is opened, the entire sample of District 7 in the harbor can be seen.
No one can cover it up.
Nobody can change it.
The fake Tang Monk seemed to see through what he was thinking, and his smile became even more chilling.
"Do you dare to drive it?"
"Once opened, all the old accounts of the clean treasury were exposed."
"Everyone who died in District Seven, everyone who came back to life, everyone who made amends, and everyone who escaped will be brought out into the light of day."
"You lot can't escape either."
Bajie cursed.
"This bastard is trying to scare people."
The monkey was even more direct, slamming his golden cudgel into the ground.
"open."
"Old Sun just loves to see people make fools of themselves today."
Tang Sanzang didn't say anything, but simply pressed the cracked old seal into Chen Fan's hand.
The print is hot.
Like it had just been taken out of the fire.
"Come here."
"You're the one who has to take this step."
Chen Fan looked down at his palm.
The old seal, the temporary review authority, plus the real names that they just added.
Everything is here.
Without further hesitation, he raised his hand and pressed it against the old curtain at the wellhead.
"The temporary review authority of the Seventh District is hereby activated."
"Proposer: Chen Fan"
"Open the old courthouse for me."
The last word fell.
The whole well looked like it had been kicked from below.
boom!
The bronze well walls lit up inch by inch.
First, a layer of ash was blown off the sheet metal on the top of the warehouse, then all four walls rattled together, as if countless mechanisms that had been stuck for many years were being released at the same time.
The semi-transparent old curtain suddenly expanded.
First, cover the entire source warehouse.
Push it outwards again.
One zhang, ten zhang, one hundred zhang.
In the blink of an eye, we passed through the wall, through the street, and through half of the old port.
All the people in the harbor who bore the mark of the Seventh District had the same pale blue light shining on their foreheads, wrists, necks, and any other places where old marks had been left.
The old craftsman who was moving goods on the dock stopped.
The man waiting for his fate under the shed raised his head.
The old test-takers hiding in the shacks by the harbor—some licking pills, some cursing, some pretending to be dead—were all stunned.
A screen of light appeared simultaneously in front of them.
It's not a list.
It was not an official order.
It is a courtyard.
The old courtyard hangs high, with seven broken pillars, a judgment table in the middle, and half a cracked plaque hanging in front of the table.
Only two characters remain on the plaque.
Old courtyard.
The port was in an uproar.
"What is that?"
"The sample in my hand is printed on the hot plate!"
"This is not a Hong Kong chart, this is not a Hong Kong chart!"
"Who opened the old courthouse?"
Inside the source warehouse, the bronze well sank completely.
What rose from the bottom of the well was no longer a cage.
It is a black stone case.
There are three things on the table.
An old book.
A broken ruler.
A mirror that reflects the truth.
The system displayed another line of text.
The old courtyard has been opened.
[Testimony can be broadcast.]
[Sample verification, name verification, and verification of invalid certificates are all permitted.]
Chen Fan felt a chill run down his spine.
Cool.
This is so awesome!
Doesn't the Hong Kong lord like to use rules to intimidate people?
Today, let's use his old trick and slap him in the face in public.
The fake Tang Monk won't be laughing this time.
The black nail in his forehead began to tremble, as if something was trying to drill out.
Stop.
"You cannot broadcast the order from the Third Experimental Field."
Chen Fan didn't even look at him, and directly placed his hand on the old book.
"First, broadcast the reincarnation list for the third experimental field."
The old book was flipped through with a rustling sound, stopping on a blackened page.
The mirror that was used for verification trembled.
The next moment, a line of blood-red characters appeared simultaneously on all the light screens in the entire old port.
[Third Experimental Field Reincarnation Record.]
The following is not a list.
It's the visual.
One iron room after another.
Rows and rows of bronze cages.
There was one person sitting in each cage.
There are monks, Taoist boys, demons, half-demons, and children who haven't fully grown up yet.
Each person had a sign hanging around their neck.
Receiver.
A substitute for life.
Name replacement tool.
The harbor was initially quiet.
Then someone started cursing.
"That's bullshit!"
"Isn't this a clean-up and rescue order?"
"My younger brother was sent to the purification treasury back then, supposedly to replenish his life force!"
The image in the mirror continues to rotate.
Some people had black nails driven into their foreheads.
Someone had a strand of their true name taken away.
Some people were still warm, but the tag had already been given to the next cage.
Bajie gritted his teeth, almost breaking the handle of his rake.
"Damn it."
"Using people like buckets."
Tang Sanzang closed his eyes.
That face, which had managed to remain composed, could no longer conceal the chill.
The monkey was even more decisive, kicking over half of the iron fence next to it.
"Those bastards."
The port is in complete chaos.
"I recognize that child!"
"That's my husband. He was wearing this before he died!"
"The Hong Kong rankings say they've all switched to philanthropy!"
"Good for you, my ass!"
Someone rushed out of the shed.
Someone smashed the number plate in their hand.
Several former officials who had been speaking up for the port owner turned ashen-faced and tried to run away.
Chen Fan didn't give them a chance to catch their breath.
"Play the second one."
"Seventh District Escape Sample Form"
Flip through the old books again.
A series of numbers appeared directly in the verification mirror.
Each number is followed by its destination.
[Escorted to the clean vault.]
[Merged into the Black Ring.]
[Returning to the furnace after having their names erased.]
[Report losses to external parties.]
The worst one is the last column.
[Destroyed; no monument to be erected.]
Upon hearing these four words, many people in the port immediately teared up.
In District Seven, who hasn't lost a friend or family member?
Who hasn't grown up hearing phrases like "reporting damage," "lost files," and "sending to the warehouse for treatment"?
The results are now clearly visible.
What kind of treatment is that?
It's all about dismantling, reprocessing, and completely squandering everything.
An old man huddled in a corner knelt down with a thud, kowtowing and weeping as he faced the light screen.
"My son didn't run away by himself."
"I knew it, his leg is broken, how could he run?"
Someone nearby had a hoarse voice.
"The Hong Kong owner has been deceiving us for decades."
"The Black Ring Army isn't there to defend the port; they're there to collect samples."
"Damn it, no wonder they always arrest people from the Seventh District."
The faces of the few Hong Kong soldiers who weren't quite dead yet in the warehouse had completely changed.
A guy with a broken tooth raised his hand to crush the waist token.
Yang Jian raised his hand, and a silver light pinned his wrist.
"Want to deliver a message?"
"It's too late."
Chen Fan turned his head and looked at the broken ruler on the black stone table.
The system notification light came on again.
[The defendant may be named.]
[The holder of Hong Kong regulations may be temporarily detained.]
Chen Fan's lips twitched.
This is even worse.
He spoke directly.
"Roll call, the current port owner."
"Roll call, the seal of the seventh district of the clean warehouse."
"Roll call, Black Ring Army Chief Registrar."
The broken ruler flew up on its own and slammed onto the table with a thud.
A dull wooden strike resounded simultaneously across the entire light screen of the old port.
[The trial was held in the old courtroom.]
The current Hong Kong Chief Executive must appear in court immediately.
Refusal to appear in court will be considered a confession.
These three sentences caused another uproar in Hong Kong.
"Rumors of a new port owner?"
"Are you crazy? Who dares to announce the port's owner's name!"
"Old court procedures are the norm, and old procedures suppress new orders!"
"If you really don't come, does that mean you're admitting defeat?"
The fake Tang Sanzang's face turned completely somber this time.
The black nail on his forehead suddenly shrank inward, as if he wanted to destroy himself.
Tang Sanzang made the first move, pressing down with his seal and shoving half of Tang Sanzang's face into the black stone table.
"Want to revoke the certificate?"
"Your shell isn't good enough."
The fake Tang Monk made strange noises, but his eyes were fixed on the outside.
"No need to send it."
"He's already here."
The voice just fell.
Outside the warehouse, the sound of the copper bell rang again.
It's more urgent than before.
More dense.
One after another, the sound of the blows made one's teeth ache.
Immediately afterwards, the sound of orderly footsteps came from the street outside.
It wasn't just a few dozen people.
It's a whole group of people stepping on the ground together.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
It felt like the whole street was trembling.
Bajie rushed to the door, lifted the half-collapsed iron plate, and looked outside. His expression changed instantly.
"Damn it."
"They are not stragglers."
"It's the reorganized Black Ring Legion."
The monkey walked over with its stick, glanced outside, and the fierce glint in its eyes slowly narrowed into a slit.
At the end of the long street outside, a dark mass of people was pressing in this direction.
Rows of black ring armor, layers of old seal shields.
At the very front was a large black wooden sedan chair.
The port owner's seal was hanging in front of the sedan chair.
Seven elderly officials carrying rings followed behind the sedan chair, each dragging a chain resembling a lock.
The chain head is empty.
Like someone specifically waiting for someone to put on a suit.
Further away, the projection of the old courtyard had already filled half of the harbor.
The large black wooden sedan chair approached all the way until it stopped at the boundary of the old court.
The next instant, the sedan curtain was lifted by a hand.
The port owner slowly walked out.
His crown was gone, and his face still bore the bloody marks left by the monkey's two blows.
But this time, he wasn't angry.
Instead, he laughed.
His laughter was even more unsettling than that fake Tang Sanzang from before.
He raised his hand, revealing a jet-black ring in his palm.
The projection on the old courtyard trembled on the spot.
The port master looked towards the source warehouse, his voice not loud, but it carried throughout all the light screens.
"The Seventh Tower Old Courtyard, who says only you can open it?"
"Bring up the Seventh Tower's True Prison Key."
Chapter 550 The First Public Reversal of the Verdict
When the True Prison Key was brought up, the entire Old Court of the Seventh Tower seemed to sink.
It was as if something had awakened from underground.
The port master stood in front of the sedan chair, the black ring in his palm affixed to the light screen.
Click.
The gray walls surrounding the old courtyard were peeled back layer by layer.
There's no wall inside.
It's a card.
One old case plaque after another.
They were densely packed, covering half of the courtyard.
Each card is engraved with a name, a number, a password for returning the card to its storage location, and a final sentence—
Deleted.
Pigsy felt a chill run down his spine and cursed under his breath.
"These bastards, they really treat people like commodities and keep accounts for them."
The monkey didn't respond.
He stared at the top card.
The words "Huaguo Mountain" are written on it.
The words had been scraped off once.
The scratches are deep.
It seems some people are afraid that these three words will resurface.
The host clapped his hands with a smile.
"Did you see it clearly?"
"This is what a traditional courtyard should look like."
"What you just opened was only the outer hall."
He raised his chin and looked at Chen Fan.
"Don't you like to dig up old grievances?"
"Come on. I'll let you investigate to your heart's content today."
"Just don't blame me for not warning you. When old grievances are brought up, what's often revealed isn't people, but filth."
The group of Hong Kong soldiers behind them immediately joined in the commotion.
"Does an outsider dare to challenge the Seventh Tower proposal?"
"A case is a case; there's no question of overturning it."
"He doesn't even recognize the threshold of the old court, so what kind of judge are you pretending to be here?"
"Do they really think that hitting the host twice will change the old rules?"
Many old samples around also shrank back.
They're used to it.
I'm used to looking at cards, used to looking down, used to someone erasing my vivid memories with a single "deleted."
Chen Fan took a step forward.
Unhappy.
Very stable.
He was still carrying the black box he had brought out from the source warehouse.
The box was never opened.
When the port owner saw it, his eyelids twitched.
That's when Chen Fan smiled.
"Are you afraid of this?"
"That's right."
The words fell.
Chen Fan raised his hand and smashed the black box directly into the center of the old courtyard.
boom!
The box lid exploded open.
Three rolls of yellowed cutting board sprang out on the spot.
Volume One: The Old Case of Huaguo Mountain.
Volume 2, Third Experimental Field Reincarnation Record.
Volume 3, Second Experimental Field Escape Slip.
When the three volumes were published, the entire courtyard's light curtain trembled.
The old plaques on top seemed to be stimulated, and began to flicker on and off.
The port master's expression finally changed.
"Stop him!"
Two officers had just rushed out.
Yang Jian glanced up and swept his eyes over.
A line of golden light cut straight through the space between his eyebrows.
The two iron pillars supporting the lock snapped into four pieces on the spot, smashing into the ground with a loud thud.
Tang Sanzang flipped his sleeve, and the Pure Seal pressed down.
The two officers didn't even have time to scream before their knees sank to the ground.
The monkey was more decisive.
With a horizontal strike of his golden cudgel, he placed it directly in front of the port master.
"Try moving one of them."
The port owner's lips twitched, but he didn't dare to go forward again.
Chen Fan bent down and picked up the first volume.
He's being unreasonable.
I didn't argue with anyone.
He simply tore open the case and read it word by word.
"The old case of Huaguo Mountain. The person who entered the data was the Registrar of the Seventh Tower Old Port."
"The first item in the original text is: The stone embryo of Huaguo Mountain is unstable in nature and too wild, so it is not suitable to be included in the main order."
"The second point is that mountain monkeys are difficult to tame and can be released as a trial sample."
"Article 3 - The seven sieges of the mountain were not for suppression, but for sampling."
Upon reading this, the golden spark in the monkey's eyes suddenly ignited.
Pigsy also cursed out loud.
"Damn your ancestors!"
The crowd fell silent for a moment.
Immediately afterwards, a whoosh.
"Seven sieges of the mountain, weren't they for exterminating demons?"
"Sampling? Are you using Flower Fruit Mountain as a testing ground?"
"That can't be..."
Chen Fan shook the case file and continued reading.
"Appendix. Thirty-seven bundles of golden hair from stone embryos, nine sets of baby monkey bones, and one jar of spring water seal have been taken and sent to the Third Experimental Field."
This made not only the onlookers, but even some of the Hong Kong soldiers turn pale.
The monkey suddenly turned its head and looked at the row of old case tablets.
No wonder.
No wonder someone was carrying his golden retriever at the foot of Wuzhi Mountain.
No wonder there are so many junk items related to Flower Fruit Mountain in the third experimental field.
It's not a coincidence.
From the very beginning, some people have been using Huaguo Mountain as a reference.
The port owner gritted his teeth and spoke.
"The old case files are fragments; who knows if you forged them?"
Chen Fan seemed to have been waiting for him to say that.
He pulled out the second volume with a backhand and slapped it away.
"it is good."
"Then let's look at your own seals."
"Third Experimental Field Rebirth Record, Batch Ninety-Seven."
"Substrate: Cicada shell. Test nail: Black nail. Mixed samples: Huaguoshan stone fragments, old monk's identification pieces, blank shells from the harbor."
"Note: If any discrepancies are found, please delete and replace with a self-reflection record."
After reading these lines, the smiling face of the fake Tang Monk in the cage flashed through everyone's minds like a knife.
Pigsy immediately understood.
"No wonder that thing looks just like Master."
"This isn't reincarnation, this is hard work!"
Tang Sanzang stood behind, his face expressionless.
He simply picked up the prayer beads in his hand one by one.
When I pinched the seventh bead, the thread broke.
The beads rolled all over the ground.
The old courtyard suddenly became even quieter.
The third volume of Chen Fan's story has begun.
"Second Experimental Field Escape Slip"
"Number 274, one name, old number unknown. Deleted due to omission; real name added privately."
"Number 291, third person. Deleted reason, password for refusing to return to warehouse."
"Number 308, seven people. Cause of death: mutual recognition of previous identities, suspected infection."
"Additional Red Order: Anyone who returns their real name will be considered a heretic and may be immediately deleted from the official archives."
One sentence after another was thrown down.
The impact left everyone around stunned.
Especially those who have just regained their real names.
They only knew that adding a name would cause trouble.
Who would have thought that the old rules were written so clearly?
Once you want to be a human being.
They'll delete you.
The port owner, still trying to maintain his composure, shouted sternly, "There are rules for deleting cases! That's how it's been done in old Hong Kong for centuries. You, an outsider, think you can overturn the case of the Seventh Tower with just three scraps of paper?"
Chen Fan looked up at him.
"Scrap paper?"
"OK."
"Then I'll show you something that's not paper."
He raised his hand and pressed down.
A dark pattern lit up at the bottom of the black box.
The next instant, the three rolls of scaffolding floated into the air simultaneously.
Each line of text is followed by a chain of records.
Who recorded it? Who edited it? Who signed it? Who deleted it?
Even the exact date and time are crystal clear.
Above the old courtyard, the largest notice board seemed to tremble.
The three lines of blood-red text that were originally hanging in the very center suddenly began to change.
The old case of Huaguo Mountain has been deleted.
Third Experimental Field Reincarnation Record - Deleted.
Second experimental field escape sample form - deleted.
The three lines of text flashed on one side and seemed to be torn apart by something.
The deleted words "deleted" are shattered into pieces.
The new character was added to the top.
The verdict needs to be overturned.
Everyone in the entire Seventh District who could see the notice looked up at that moment.
Outside of Hong Kong.
At the foot of the tower.
Gui Cang Kou.
Inside the source warehouse.
After a moment of deathly silence, it exploded.
"It's been changed!"
The list has been changed!
"The rankings for District Seven have really been changed!"
"Deleted, now it's pending review!"
An old man stood in the crowd, staring at the three words. His lips trembled for a long time before he suddenly knelt down with a thud.
It's not about kneeling before Hong Kong.
He knelt towards Chen Fan.
He raised his hand and pulled open his collar.
Below his neck, there was a ring of very old wrinkles.
The pattern remained shiny, like a rope binding people.
His voice was hoarse, as if afraid that if he slowed down, the words would be swallowed back.
"My name is... Zhou Qi."
"I am not the old number 308."
My mother named me.
As soon as he finished speaking, the circle of the "returning to the granary" pattern cracked open.
Then, the second one.
The third.
The first person to speak has the hardest time.
Once those behind catch up, it's like a breach in the river.
"My name is Liu Shisi."
"I used to sell salt at the South Wharf."
"I am not a sample."
"This isn't an old name either; I have a surname."
"I remember now, my name is Chen Ashui!"
One after another, the patterns of returning to the granary broke open.
Each sound was louder than the last.
The port master's expression finally changed completely.
"Don't admit it!"
"Shut up, all of you!"
He raised the black ring and frantically urged the return-to-warehouse command.
"The former titles belonging to the Seventh Tower, return to their original locations as ordered! Return to their original locations as ordered!"
The command surged forth like a black tide.
In the past, as soon as this sentence was uttered, many old accounts would immediately kneel down and obediently head towards the granary.
This time, it's different.
The man at the very front, named Zhou Qi, had blood seeping from his ears and nose, but his feet were still firmly rooted to the spot.
He looked at Chen Fan, his eyes red and his voice hoarse.
"I'm not going back!"
Snapped!
The ring of lines on his neck was broken off completely.
Immediately afterwards, dozens, even hundreds, of old patterns exploded together.
Like a chain reaction of ignition.
In front of the old courtyard of the Seventh Tower, the first batch of old sample units all walked toward Chen Fan.
Some people were still holding up signs indicating that their property had been returned to its original location.
Halfway there, he broke it in half and threw it on the ground.
Some people were trembling with fear.
After taking a couple of steps, I straightened my back.
more and more.
Row after row.
It's a mess.
It's also very fierce.
Pigsy stared wide-eyed, grinning from ear to ear.
"It's done."
"They've really formed a team."
The monkey slammed the stick on the ground and raised his voice:
"Those who want to go with Chen Fan, stand over here."
"If you still want to go back to the warehouse and be a dog, Old Sun won't stop you."
These words are harsher than anything else.
A moment later, the left side of the old courtyard was filled with people.
A huge, dark mass.
Behind the port owner, however, was an empty space.
Many of the Hong Kong soldiers were holding knives, and their hands were already trembling.
They saw it too.
Old rules are not the rule.
The notice is not unchangeable.
Chen Fan felt a surge of emotion as he looked at the newly formed old team.
This is what overturning the verdict is all about.
It's not about saying a few nice words inside the house.
It's about forcibly bringing back people you've deleted.
The port owner suddenly smiled.
His laughter was strange.
He stopped looking at Chen Fan and ignored the group of old accounts that had broken their passwords.
He slowly raised his head and looked at the black door that had never been opened at the deepest part of the old courtyard.
"it is good."
"very nice."
"Don't you guys like to be public?"
"Then I'll give you an even bigger one."
He slammed the black ring in his hand into the ground.
boom!
The entire Seventh Tower trembled violently.
Behind the old courtyard, the black door was split open in the middle.
What came out first from inside wasn't a person.
It was a string of iron plates dragging on the ground.
Each iron plate has the same word engraved on it.
prison.
The port owner stared at Chen Fan, a smirk playing on his lips.
"The Seventh Tower True Prison has imprisoned more than just the old one."
"Chen Fan".
"Haven't you always wanted to find the first people who deleted the cases?"
"He is still alive."