Age of Evolution

This time, it’s not just the anger of the royal family, but also the citizens who have been thoroughly ignited.

Countless people took to the streets demanding severe punishment for Lin Zhen.

Holding banners and slogans, the angry people gathered in front of the government office and even volunteered to join the battle.

This large-scale action put immense pressure on the government, forcing them to dispatch local troops to maintain public order.

However, they soon provided a satisfactory answer to the people: Lin Zhen had entered the Hell Volcano, and the area had been completely surrounded. With billions of soldiers and civilians guarding the area, Lin Zhen could not escape even if he had wings.

Too many people had already gone, making it useless because the area within a thousand miles of the volcanic crater was already filled with people. The defense firepower in the sky was ready, and there were even more Advanced Martial Artists underground, leaving no chance for Lin Zhen to escape using earth escape techniques.

The royal family even declared a national holiday for people to watch the spectacle of the siege against Lin Zhen.

Many literary scholars stepped forward to condemn Lin Zhen’s atrocities, considering him a butcher and a villain whose mere existence was a crime!

Article after article filled with impassioned words stirred up the hearts of the people of Nan Liang to unite against their common foe. The hero of the past had become the enemy of the people, and everyone wanted to punish him!

The massive operation in Nan Liang attracted the attention of many neighboring countries, some of which even sent reporters to report on the situation at Hell Volcano.

*********

At the epicenter of the storm, Hell Volcano was swarmed with people: members of the royal family, the people from Qingye Sect, and the military, all discussing their strategies.

The first thing they did was to thoroughly seal off the area above and below the ground, leaving no chance for Lin Zhen to escape.

As Shi Zhonglie put it, the only way for Lin Zhen to survive would be to teleport away directly, otherwise, even if he turned into air, he would be torn to shreds by the people!

But the problem was that there was no teleportation array here, so he couldn’t teleport away.

Iron Second Lady brought Tian Ting here, and this time, Tian Ting even obtained the blood of Lin Zhen’s clone. Both the original body and the clone could not escape Tian Ting’s tracking.

After arriving here, Tian Ting stood at the mouth of the volcano, barking incessantly, further proving that Lin Zhen was indeed in the volcano.

Shi Zhonglie appeared in front of the crowd with more than ten Longevity Warriors gathered around him.

Several of them were from the royal family, Iron Second Lady and Iron Third Lady from the Qingye Sect, and a few self-righteous volunteer warriors who were determined to eradicate the evil for the people.

Twelve people, all of them in the Longevity Realm!

“Ladies and gentlemen, His Majesty has issued a decree that we must spare no effort and use any means necessary to completely kill Lin Zhen. His Majesty will reward everyone greatly!”

The people all nodded their heads; this was already a consensus.

“Now, the whole of Da Liang and even the surrounding countries are watching us. We must not lose face again. Lin Zhen has already caused too much harm to Nan Liang.”

“That’s right! This time, I am here to completely annihilate this scum!”

“Commander Shi, say no more. Just tell us what to do? I am willing to be the vanguard and meet this bloodthirsty butcher!”

Several volunteer high-level martial artists were filled with righteous indignation, eager to fight Lin Zhen immediately.

“Good, good! I understand everyone’s feelings, but this Hell Volcano is not easy to deal with. It was formed millions of years ago when a Constant Star reached the end of its life, shattered, and a large piece fell here, smashing an active volcano. Since then, eruptions have occurred frequently, becoming a disaster for the city.”

“The temperature inside the volcano is extremely high. Though we are all in the Longevity Realm, I dare say that not many of us can penetrate deep into the volcano to capture Lin Zhen.”

A civilian martial artist asked, “How did Lin Zhen manage to sneak into the depths of the volcano?”

Before Shi Zhonglie could answer, Iron Second Lady coldly snorted, “Lin Zhen is an alchemist, a sixth-grade Alchemist at that. Every alchemist is an ancestor of playing with fire. If you can’t go in, of course, he can!”

The civilian martial artist’s face changed color, but he didn’t dare to confront this old witch and could only put up with it.

Shi Zhonglie laughed and said, “Everyone, don’t worry. To completely solve the Lin Zhen issue, we have already thought of a solution. This time, we not only want to get rid of Lin Zhen but also completely eliminate the hidden danger of this volcano.”

“What is the specific method? Tell us.”

“Flatten the volcano!” Shi Zhonglie spoke astonishing words.

A few civilian warriors, including Iron Second Lady, were taken aback. How could they flatten a volcano with a radius of a hundred miles?

Shi Zhonglie laughed, “Ladies and gentlemen, don’t forget how many people we have here. To push down this volcano and capture Lin Zhen, shouldn’t everyone lend a hand? Although the mountain is very big, we have a large number of people. In just one or two days, we can completely remove this mountain from the ground, and by then, Lin Zhen will have nowhere to hide!”n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

“Understood, sir!”

Immediately, the officer gave the order for tools to be distributed to his troops, each person receiving a cold iron shovel capable of effectively resisting some of the heat.

The response from the crowd was overwhelming, and in a short amount of time, over a billion people had collected their tools.

As the army prepared to excavate the volcano, they resembled countless ants gnawing at a hill – although each bite could only remove a tiny part, the sheer number of people made the volcano visibly weak.

A civilian martial artist nervously asked: “Captain Shi, what should we do if the magma from the volcano overflows?”

“Don’t worry, we’re fully prepared. There are already martial artists proficient in ice-element techniques in place, and countless cooling potions are available. These will freeze the magma bit by bit, allowing the excavation crew to remove it.”

Shi Zhonglie shouted to the crowd: “Remember to store the excavated soil, gravel, magma, and other materials in a space ring so as not to hinder the progress of the excavation!”

The crowd roared in response, their spirit soaring to the heavens above.

A group of civilian martial artists couldn’t help but marvel: “This Lin Zhen really brought his downfall on himself. He committed so many heinous crimes without repenting, even daring to sneak into the royal medicine repository to steal medicinal materials and injuring the emperor. Now, he’s mass murdering the poor, and his downfall is imminent. It’s a perfect cycle of karma, and he’s getting what he deserves!”

The surrounding people nodded in agreement, believing Lin Zhen to have brought his fate upon himself and deserving of death.

**********

“Miss, look at this – Lin Zhen definitely won’t escape this time. So many people are after him,” Elise said as she combed Ning Qingxuan’s long hair in their chambers, still watching the Dimensional Universe broadcast.

Ning Qingxuan’s beautiful eyes stayed glued to the screen, but she remained silent.

“Miss, what’s wrong? Weren’t you the most indignant towards evil and keen to right wrongs?” Elise asked.

Ning Qingxuan’s long eyelashes drooped slightly, her eyes unreadable and her tone somewhat somber.

“After losing my memory, my thoughts seem to have changed a bit. Elise, you see people’s hatred for him, but if you were Lin Zhen, would you surrender?”

Elise opened her mouth but didn’t know how to answer.

“Though I don’t know the specific details, isn’t this the first time in Nan Liang’s history that someone has ranked first in the Divine Punishment Star competition? Not just in Nan Liang, but in Da Liang and all the surrounding allied countries, has anyone ever ranked in the top ten?”

Elise couldn’t respond, feeling that her Miss had indeed changed.

“Lin Zhen must have paid a great price to win the Divine Punishment Star. Moreover, he’s only a territory king. As a martial artist, he’s achieved perfection and brought unparalleled glory to Nan Liang.”

Taking the comb from Elise’s hand, Ning Qingxuan stood by the window, looking towards the distant northeast where Hell Volcano was located.

“Such a person, in any other country, would receive unprecedented preferential treatment. Yet in Nan Liang, he receives nothing. Not only has he not been awarded with anything, but he is despised by the entire country, with everyone wishing for his death. All of this… is unfair to him!”

Raising her head, Ning Qingxuan continued, “The people of Nan Liang have reasons to hate him, but from his point of view, he’s not in the wrong.”

Elise was about to say something when Ning Qingxuan suddenly turned to her, her eyes showing a glimmer of brilliance: “You said that Lin Zhen deceived me before, that I fell in love with him after being deceived by him, and then went to the Divine Punishment Star to save him, right?”

Elise hesitated for a moment and had no choice but to nod, as this was the truth she had told Ning Qingxuan, which couldn’t be concealed.

In Ning Qingxuan’s eyes, there appeared a complicated emotion, and she whispered softly – almost inaudibly for Elise.

“So… it seems I had quite a good taste back then…”

“What are you saying, Your Highness?” Elise spoke loudly, reminding Ning Qingxuan to be mindful of her words.

Ning Qingxuan shook her head slightly, her gaze dimming again and falling silent.

*********

The excavation of Hell Volcano proceeded rapidly, with millions of people working together as one. With the combined efforts of billions, any task could be accomplished.

The once-mighty volcano was now in ruins, and whenever magma erupted, countless ice-element martial artists rushed to freeze it, with bottles of freezing potion being thrown like they were free.

After the magma was frozen, swarms of people would rush in to remove it and store it in their space rings.

Always eating away, always advancing.

During this process, countless victims were devoured by the magma, not even leaving a trace of their bones.

But at this moment, nobody was too bothered by the sacrifice, for in order to capture Lin Zhen, the cost was worth it.

As the volcano grew smaller and the magma became scarce, even more people withdrew from the excavation. There was no longer a need for so many hands.

With the volcano gradually being hollowed out, the Slaughter Team made up of Longevity Warriors was on standby, waiting for the moment Lin Zhen was captured!