262: Chapter 262 Clouds and Mist, Schemes

The night was like ink, and the bustle of the capital gradually subsided under the shroud of darkness, with only the clapper of the night watchman occasionally echoing through the empty streets and alleys.

Chen Ran pushed open the courtyard door and stepped into the courtyard silently.

The plants in the courtyard were lush and deep, and a few wisps of cold moonlight filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, dappling the bluestone slabs as if covered in a layer of frost and snow.

He closed the courtyard door behind him, and the wooden door made a dull, soft sound, shutting out all the Mortal World and its chaos.

He did not stay in the prison for too long; the Phantom Soul Mirage was of noble quality and was also an ancient relic species.

Placing it in the prison was only a temporary measure, and it was estimated that it would soon be taken away by the Demon-Slaying Squad for research.

However, since the reward was already in hand, that demonic creature was useless to him.

Returning to his room in the capital, Chen Ran did not light a lamp.

He sat cross-legged on the futon, his breathing long and steady, and his mind gradually sank into the depths of his Sea of Consciousness.

That newly acquired "Mirage Dream" talent, like a ball of grey-white mist, lay quietly dormant within his Innate True Qi, exuding an ancient and mysterious aura.

"Mirage Dream..." Chen Ran whispered softly.

On the panel, the [Mirage Dream] talent lit up.

His fingertips moved slightly, and a wisp of pure True Qi slowly injected into the grey-white mist.

In an instant, an invisible ripple centered on him spread outwards like water waves.

The originally clear bedroom quietly produced a trace of strangeness.

Faint ripples appeared in the air, and the surrounding scenery began to distort and blur, as if separated by a layer of flowing water curtain.

Chen Ran opened his eyes, his gaze clear and deep.

He saw that the tables, chairs, bookshelves, and even the calligraphy and paintings on the walls before him were like reflections in water, constantly changing according to his will.

With a slight movement of his mind, the quiet room suddenly turned into a vast, boundless snowy field.

The cold wind whistled, snow fell heavily, and the cold snowflakes landed on his cheeks; he could even feel a trace of real, bone-chilling cold.

Stepping on the thick snow under his feet made a "crunching" sound.

With another thought, the snowy field dissipated, replaced by a deep and quiet bamboo forest.

A cool breeze blew, the bamboo leaves rustled, and the air was filled with the fragrance of soil and the scent of bamboo leaves.

A drop of dew slid off a bamboo leaf and landed on the back of his hand, bringing a touch of coolness.

"Intertwining reality and illusion, passing off the false as the true—it is indeed profound." A strange look flashed in Chen Ran's eyes, and he sighed in admiration.

Although this elementary "Mirage Dream" could only distort the surrounding scenery and create illusions, its deception of the five senses had already reached an extremely advanced level.

If used unexpectedly during a battle to pull an enemy into such an indistinguishable illusion, it would certainly cause the opponent to lose their composure and fall into an irredeemable situation.

He slowly retracted his True Qi and cut off the connection with the mist.

The bamboo forest in the quiet room receded like a tide, and everything returned to its original state. The tables and chairs remained, the bookshelves were as they were, as if everything just now had been but a great dream.

Chen Ran flipped his wrist, and a bead the size of a longan appeared in his palm.

The bead was translucent moon-white, with clouds and mist seemingly swirling inside, emitting waves of pure and frigid Demonic Qi.

It was precisely the demon core of that Phantom Soul Mirage.

"Although it is only a third-grade demon core, this Phantom Soul Mirage is an ancient exotic species, and the quality of its demon core is likely not inferior to an ordinary second-grade demon core."

Chen Ran stared at the demon core in his hand, lost in thought.

If he could refine such a Heaven And Earth Treasure, it would definitely raise his cultivation to the next level.

However, the Demonic Qi of this Phantom Soul Mirage was too strange and overbearing; ordinary refining methods would be of no use, and if he were to swallow it forcibly, he would likely be backlashed by the power of the illusion within and suffer Qi Deviation.

"The ordinary Alchemists of the Demon Sound Sect are probably helpless against this thing as well."

"This kind of thing cannot be exposed casually, but if I can find some reason to reasonably digest this demon core..."

Chen Ran frowned slightly, and a few thoughts flashed through his mind.

The first thing he thought of was the Lin Family. The Lin Family was one of the Four Great Families of the capital, and there must be high-level Alchemists in the Family, while Lin Wan was the apple of their eye.

Given their relationship, if there was a suitable reason, refining this demon core would not be a problem.

But the main problem was the excuse; he couldn't just say he picked it up, right?

Chen Ran frowned and pondered for a while, then simply decided not to think about it for now, preparing to go find Lin Wan tomorrow to see what could be done.

Chen Ran stood up, walked to the window, and pushed open half of the wooden window.

The night wind brushed against his face.

His gaze penetrated the deep night, looking toward a corner of the Western District of the capital, and deep in his eyes, a biting killing intent gradually gathered.

"Cao Yong."

He gently rolled the name over his tongue, carrying a hint of chilling coldness.

This person had repeatedly caused trouble in the shadows, like a venomous snake hiding in the dark, ready to strike at any time.

At that time, his strength had not yet reached the Innate level, and if he had rashly made a move, his chances of winning would not have been high.

But now that he had reached the Innate level, his overall strength was that of a top expert in the capital.

The crises he once had to worry about now seemed like nothing more than a mundane daily routine.

As long as he could lure Cao Yong out of the capital, he could take action directly.

"It seems I need to find a few opportunities to lure him out. What reason would be better..."

In his actions, Chen Ran had always believed in cutting weeds and eliminating the roots.

Since they had already formed a grudge, there was no reason to keep the other party around.

Long nights lead to many dreams; it was better to send him on his way sooner, saving himself the trouble later.

...

The next morning.

The horizon was tinged with a fish-belly white, and the morning light pierced through the thin mist, spilling onto the majestic yamen of the Six Doors.

Inside the Six Doors, the atmosphere was solemn, exuding an inviolable majesty.

Lin Wan sat upright behind the desk, her beautiful brows slightly furrowed, her gaze focused on a scroll of case files on the table.

Today, she was wearing a capable black Constable uniform, her long hair tied up high, and she wore no makeup, yet she appeared even more heroic, spirited, cold, and refined.

The desk was piled high with thick case files, all regarding clues about the bizarre explosion in the capital a month ago.

That explosion had happened right at the World Martial Arts Tournament in the capital, causing quite a stir.

After a full month of day and night investigations, visiting hundreds of witnesses, and reviewing countless files.

Finally, she found a trace of a clue in the vast ocean of leads.

"Red Lotus Demonic Cult..."

Lin Wan's slender fingers tapped gently on the table, making a crisp sound that echoed in the empty main hall.

Various signs indicated that the explosion was not an accident but was intentionally caused by someone.

The gunpowder residue left at the scene was mixed with a rare type of Western Region fire phosphorus.

And more importantly, under the ruins at the center of the explosion, the coroner of the Six Doors had discovered some hidden, residual Formation patterns.

If the Red Lotus Demonic Cult was truly staging a comeback and had infiltrated the capital to cause chaos, then there must be a shocking conspiracy hidden behind this.

The capital was likely about to be stirred up by another bloody storm.

Lin Wan sighed softly and rubbed her somewhat sore brow.

The hard work of the past few days had left a trace of fatigue between her brows.

Just then, a burst of hurried footsteps came from outside the door.

"Constable Lin!"