A Chaotic World

"Lu Tianzi? Is that really you?" one of the braver guards stepped forward to question the young man before him.

As guards of the City Lord Manor, they naturally had a chance of taking a closer look at Lu Tianzi previously when he was named as the Holy Guardian. Thus, most of them were able to recognise him with a single glance.

"It is me," Lu Tianzi answered without hesitation. "You must be the guards of the City Lord Manor?"

"We are indeed the guards of the City Lord Manor. Were you the one responsible for all of this?" the guard's gaze swept across the burning room, and then looked past Lu Tianzi at Hu Yuanbo who sat slumped against the wall, completely motionless.

"These are his just desserts. In due time, you will know the reason behind my actions today as well," Lu Tianzi sighed helplessly in response. "For now, go call for the four District Heads. Tell them that I will be revealing to them a massive secret that the City Lord Manor had been hiding from everyone in the city!"

The guards turned to look at one another, doubts apparent on their faces.

"What are you waiting for? Get going!" the guard captain snapped in irritation upon seeing his subordinates' hesitation.

Even though he was just as confused as the rest, the guard leader knew the best move right now was to do exactly as Lu Tianzi said.

None of their questions would be solved if they just stood around doing nothing. In that case, getting the District Heads might turn out well for them as well.

At the very least, now that City Lord Hu was down and out, the District Heads would be the next in line who were able to make the important decisions on what to do next.

As for carrying out their duties as the guards of the City Lord Manor, that was nothing but a joke!

Seeing that even the almighty City Lord Hu had fallen at the hands of Lu Tianzi, his combat prowess must be off the charts!

In such a situation, how would the guard captain dare to face the other party in combat?

If he really tried, then he would only end up on the receiving end of a beating!

"Yes, sir!" four of the guards immediately ran off to carry out Lu Tianzi's instructions.

Seeing this, Lu Tianzi nodded in satisfaction before turning to face the guard captain, "Are you the leader here?"

"I am fortunate to have been appointed the guard captain of the City Lord Manor," the guard captain dared not hide the truth.

"In that case, you must know quite a bit about the Holy Guardians as well then?" Lu Tianzi's eyes narrowed as he gave the guard captain a good lookover.

"About the Holy Guardians?" the guard captain was baffled by the question. "If you wish to ask me for information on the Holy Guardians, then my knowledge on the matter probably would not be better than yours?"

Lu Tianzi remained silent as he continued to watch the guard captain keenly, trying to find any hints of anxiousness.

But Lu Tianzi quickly gave up after a few moments.

He was no mind reader, and there was no way for him to determine who was guilty with a single look.

In any case, he was intending to launch an official investigation into the matter. At that time, he would definitely flush out every single person who had any sort of involvement whatsoever!

But to do so, Lu Tianzi would still require the help of the four District Heads.

After all, apart from Hu Yuanbo himself, the District Heads were the ones who were clearest on how the city operated and also had the greatest connections.

Thus, it was imperative for Lu Tianzi to quickly explain the situation to them so that he could get them on the same page. Only after they understood the truth, would they be more willing to cooperate with him and handle the rest of the administrative process.

If Lu Tianzi did not do so, the four District Heads might even consider him as the enemy and launch an all out assault against him!

It did not take long for the District Heads to arrive.

All of them resided within the Officials District itself. After hearing that the City Lord had been subdued, and that this powerful character who defeated the City Lord had explicitly called for their presence, who would dare to delay?

Having heard of the situation from the guards, the District Heads already had some form of mental preparation while making their way to the City Lord Manor. But when they finally arrived, all of them were still shocked by the scene before them.

By now, the fire within the study room had already been put out.

However, the high and mighty City Lord Hu, a powerful Origin Core realm, was sitting slumped as he leaned against the wall for support. That noble demeanor of his was no longer anywhere to be seen.

If they had not known beforehand, the four District Heads would never have believed that this person was actually the awe-inspiring Lord of Ivory Rock City!

After which, they turned their eyes towards the familiar looking young man who stood domineeringly beside City Lord Hu.

As top-tier leaders of Ivory Rock City, they had naturally met Lu Tianzi previously. Thus, they did not even have to ask to confirm his identity.

"By calling all of us here, I assume you have a good reason for this?" Cui Yuanping, Head of the Military District, was the first to speak.

However, his voice sorely lacked its usual assertiveness.

Cui Yuanping had always been confident of his own combat capabilities. But even so, never for a single moment had he believed that he would be able to match up against City Lord Hu.

Facing Lu Tianzi who had beaten City Lord Hu to such a point where the latter was unable to even speak or move, Cui Yuanping could not help feeling a certain sense of fear.

Since Lu Tianzi had been ruthless enough to reduce the City Lord to such a state, he could just as easily do the same to them!

Sensing the wavering conviction in Cui Yuanping's voice, although Lu Tianzi took care not to let his emotions show on his face, he could not help but to feel a great sense of satisfaction in his heart.

This was exactly the effect that Lu Tianzi wanted!

After all, strength was the thing that mattered most in this world.

The winner was king, the loser an outlaw.

Without sufficient individual strength, no matter how truthful and convincing his words were, there was no way that anybody would choose to stand on his side and face up against Hu Yuanbo.

Even if there were a few rare individuals who did, they would just end up getting wiped out altogether due to the overwhelming difference in strength between the two opposing sides.

This was the reason why Lu Tianzi had no choice but to get rid of Yan Bingren who simply could not keep the matter to himself.

However, now that Lu Tianzi had defeated Hu Yuanbo, albeit using unconventional means, his words would have that much more weight behind them.

That was the reason why at this very moment, everyone had no choice but to hear him out.

"I believe that everyone here is curious to my actions today. You don't have to worry. I, Lu Tianzi, will definitely give you a satisfactory answer," Lu Tianzi nodded before continuing. "Long story short, the City Lord Manor had been colluding with the demons!"

"What?"

The four District Heads were taken aback and simultaneously turned their gazes towards Hu Yuanbo who was still sitting there motionlessly, almost as though they were looking for some form of confirmation.

"That is far too short!" this time it was Rui Xucheng, Head of the Officials District, who spoke up. "We need more details! Tell us everything we need to know!"

"As you wish," Lu Tianzi nodded, satisfied that the District Heads were finally asking to hear him out.

If the District Heads had trusted Hu Yuanbo blindly, they could simply ignore everything that Lu Tianzi said, instead joining forces against him.

Even if he were to be ganged up upon by multiple Essence Condensation realm martial artists, Lu Tianzi was confident that he would surely be able to escape with his life. However, not being able to pull the District Heads over to his side would still greatly complicate matters in the future.

After all, what he wanted was not just death for Hu Yuanbo.

What Lu Tianzi also wanted was for the people of Ivory Rock City to realise the misdeeds that Hu Yuanbo had been committing all along. On top of that, it would be best if they could wash over his prideful self with their loathing spit!

Without having to be asked twice, Lu Tianzi began to tell the District Heads what he had discovered over the past month.

Of course, Lu Tianzi did not elaborate much about himself, instead focusing on the facts that had linked Hu Yuanbo to the demons.

As the words slowly escaped from his mouth, the faces of the four District Heads also gradually began to distort in discomfort.

It was simply too difficult for them to digest and believe such an incredible story. But at the same time, they could not help but to admit that everything seemed to add up perfectly!

Why else would the only Holy Guardian ever to return to the city immediately try to take down the City Lord?

"If what you say is true, then we as District Heads have truly failed in our duties!" Rui Xucheng exclaimed regretfully.

"What matters now is what we should do next," Wen Ping, Head of the Academic District, turned to shoot a quick glance at City Lord Hu before looking up to meet Lu Tianzi's gaze once more, as though waiting for the young man's decision.

"Tomorrow at noon, I will execute Hu Yuanbo in the main square of the Officials District!" Lu Tianzi answered with a strong resolution in his eyes.

The four District Heads were obviously taken aback upon hearing that, their emtions immediately showing clearly on their faces.

"Won't you reconsider your decision?" Wen Ping asked. "After all, City Lord Hu is not just a mere figurehead in Ivory Rock City. Over the years, he has already become a form of spiritual support for the people. If you decide to suddenly execute him, I am afraid that the masses will revolt!"

"I agree with Wen Ping," Rui Xucheng nodded. "It would be best to slowly condition the masses to the truth before acting hastily."

Beside them, Cui Yuanping and Gong Tiesha nodded their heads in agreement as well.

"That will not do," Lu Tianzi shot down their suggestion immediately. "I have already decided to execute Hu Yuanbo at noon, and I will not change my mind about that. In fact, it would be best if we could execute him in the manner of an extreme villain, using the Formation of Heaven's Blade!"

"You want to execute City Lord Hu using the Formation of Heaven's Blade?" Wen Ping narrowed his eyes doubtfully. "Isn't that a little too extreme?"

"Seeing the current state of City Lord Hu, that would indeed be as though killing an earthworm with a glaive!" Cui Yuanping added.

The Formation of Heaven's Blade was what made up the very foundation of Ivory Rock City's defence. Powered by four individuals at the Essence Condensation realm, it was able to produce a might that could even rival Origin Core realm martial artists!

Its range covered over the entire city, but the core of the formation was exactly at the main square of the Officials District.

Other than for testing purposes, it had actually never been activated before, largely due to the fact that the city had never suffered a major attack that required its usage.

After all, this was a killing formation meant to strike against demons, the enemies of humanity.

By suggesting the execution of Hu Yuanbo using the Formation of Heaven's Blade, the message that Lu Tianzi wanted to send out was clear for all to see.

He was treating Hu Yuanbo as an enemy of humanity!

"That is exactly what I wish for. However, if the District Heads have any reasons to strongly object to this, feel free to raise it," Lu Tianzi replied.

Wen Ping opened his mouth and was just about to say something, but Rui Xucheng spoke up and interjected before he had the chance to do so.

"We will do as you say," Rui Xucheng readily agreed without even bothering to discuss with the rest of the District Heads.

"In order to prevent any mishaps, I suggest that the four of us personally activate the Formation of Heaven's Blade. For the crimes that City Lord Hu had committed, we will definitely make sure that he pays for it in full!"