Free Web NovelChapter 144: Chapter 144: Silent Ash Settlement
The settlement screen appeared beneath the purified Ash Judgment Bell.
The entire monastery seemed to breathe out as the Tower calculated the result. The freed vow spirits stood faintly in the background, no longer chained, no longer repeating broken duties.
[Floor 26: Silent Ash Monastery]
[Main Mission: Pass three vow courtyards and ring Ash Judgment Bell — Completed.]
[Sub-Mission: Avoid false vows — Completed.]
[False vows created: 0]
[Sub-Mission: Free 3 bound vow spirits — Completed.]
[Sub-Mission: Keep silence law backlash below 30% — Completed.]
[Final Silence Law Backlash: 0%]
[Sub-Mission: Discover why the monastery fell — Completed.]
[Floor Boss: Ash Vow Abbot defeated.]
[Ash Judgment Bell purified.]
[Calculating final evaluation...]
The panel flashed.
[Final Evaluation: SSS]
Qin Mo exhaled as if he had been holding his breath for the entire floor.
"I want this evaluation to mention that I spoke very little."
The Tower did not care.
The rewards appeared.
[SSS Evaluation Rewards]
EXP +12,000
Tower Coins x170,000
S Grade Silent Ash Monastery Chest x1
S Grade Ash Judgment Bell Fragment x1
S Grade Vow-Cleansing Law Crystal x1
A Grade Silence Law Talisman x3
A Grade Ash Monk Robe Fiber x1
A Grade Broken Vow Tablet x1
Special Mark: False Vow Refuser
Additional reward:
[Three Bound Vow Spirits Freed]
SS Grade Pure Vow Intention Crystal x1
SS Grade Burden Severing Chain x1
Qin Yuheng’s eyes sharpened.
Burden Severing Chain.
That sounded extremely useful.
The return light brought them back to Heavenly Gate Tower. freewebnσvel.cѳm
This time, the return phenomenon was quiet: a single gray-white bell image appeared above the platform and faded.
Yu Qingmei read the report and paused at False vows created: 0.
"That is rare."
Qin Mo immediately raised a hand.
"I contributed by not speaking."
Han Shuren looked at him.
"A strategy more students should learn."
Qin Mo looked wounded.
Yu Qingmei’s attention turned to Qin Yuheng.
"Commander’s Burden?"
"Stabilized."
She studied him for a moment.
"Good. Many commander-class climbers mistake burden acceptance for virtue. Silent Ash Monastery punishes that."
Qin Yuheng nodded.
"I understand better now."
"Remember it. The Tower will test it again."
At the Qin Estate, the Silent Ash rewards received serious attention.
The Vow-Cleansing Law Crystal could protect against oath traps, forced promises, and vow corruption. The Pure Vow Intention Crystal was useful for distinguishing sincere oaths from corrupted ones. The Burden Severing Chain was even more valuable.
After enhancement, it became:
[SS Grade Burden Severing Chain]
↓
[SSS Grade Karma-Burden Severing Chain]
[Effect:
Can cut or weaken false responsibility bindings, corrupted vows, guilt chains, oath burdens, and hostile burden-transfer laws.
Warning:
Cannot sever true chosen responsibility without backlash.]
Qin Zhengyuan looked at the effect and smiled faintly.
"This treasure suits what you learned."
Qin Yuheng nodded.
"It does not remove real responsibility."
"Good. A treasure that cut all burden would be more dangerous than useful."
The Ash Judgment Bell Fragment was enhanced into the SSS Grade Silent Judgment Bell Core, which Qin Mo integrated carefully into the estate’s legal-defense layer. Combined with the Lawful Trade Seal, Contract-Breaking Law Crystal, and Vow-Cleansing Law Crystal, the Qin Estate now resisted not only physical infiltration, but hidden agreements, forced oaths, and burden traps.
Qin Mo called it "the anti-nonsense legal wall."
Qin Wanshan approved the name privately, though he refused to use it officially.
The Pure Vow Intention Crystal was used in internal family oath management. The Qin family already had loyalty systems, especially within the Silent Heaven Army, but Qin Wanshan refused to rely on forced soul chains.
"Loyalty maintained by fear breaks when fear changes owners," he said.
Gu Tianhe agreed.
The crystal allowed them to test whether existing vows remained clean. Most did. A few older guard branch vows carried excessive self-sacrifice clauses. Qin Wanshan ordered them revised.
That surprised many.
But Gu Tianhe understood.
"Dead loyalists cannot protect the family forever," he said. "Living loyalists with clear hearts can."
Qin Yuheng saw again how rewards became systems.
One floor’s lesson changed family policy.
Meanwhile, Blood Sun Hall received the Silent Ash report.
Xue Rong read:
False vow traps failed.
Burden transfer failed.
Qin Yuheng gained vow-cleansing and burden-severing rewards.
He slowly placed the report down.
"Responsibility traps will be harder now."
A subordinate asked, "Then what remains?"
Xue Rong looked toward a sealed map marked with several old ruin sites.
"Memory."
He tapped one location.
"Qin Zhengyuan’s recovered dream mentioned Crimson Eclipse. If we cannot pull Qin Yuheng through responsibility, we pull him through truth."
The subordinate lowered his head.
"Crimson Eclipse trace recovery?"
"Yes. Prepare a controlled leak."
At the Qin Estate, Qin Zhengyuan had another dream under the Moonlit Gentle Soul Lamp and True Soul Guiding Lantern.
This time, he saw a black sun reflected in a broken moon.
He woke and spoke one phrase.
"Crimson Eclipse was not a place. It was a ritual."
The room fell silent.
Qin Yuheng wrote it down carefully.
The truth was becoming clearer.
And more dangerous.
