47: Special envoy of the Psionic Bureau

Tianyun District, Old Street, Xuanzhen Sect.

In the deepest courtyard of the Xuanzhen Sect, ghostly qi so thick it could not be dispersed swirled about, condensing into a faint black mist that made the sunlight seem pale and weak.

The eyes of the surrounding Xuanzhen Sect disciples were mostly hollow.

Wisps of black Qi were entwined around their bodies like invisible shackles, impossible to suppress.

Inner Hall.

Meng Tianzheng, the Sect Leader of the Xuanzhen Sect, was dining with his daughter.

Exquisite, steaming dishes were set upon the table.

Meng Tianzheng picked up a piece of deboned fish and carefully placed it into his daughter's bowl, his face covered in a loving smile.

"Ya'er, eat more. This is your favorite Steamed Sea Bass."

His daughter, Meng Ya, had a beautiful face, but her skin showed a sickly pallor.

She sat quietly, completely unresponsive to her father's actions.

A pair of eyes that should have been lively were now hollow and spiritless, like two bottomless pools of stagnant water.

Surging ghostly qi overflowed uncontrollably from her body, making the surrounding air turn bone-chillingly cold.

However, Meng Tianzheng acted as if he couldn't see it, his face filled with doting and kind smiles.

Just then, a sudden burst of vibration broke this eerie tenderness.

Meng Tianzheng pulled a strangely shaped black communicator from his robe; a crimson symbol flashed on the screen.

Corpse Ghost Cult!

His pupils shrank suddenly. He quickly stood up, walked to the side, and connected the call.

"Hello?"

His voice carried a trace of imperceptible respect and nervousness.

However, what came from the other end of the communicator was a heartless roar of anger.

"Meng Tianzheng! How the hell are you handling things!"

"One of the 'Soul Cauldrons' we placed on the Old Street—why is it shattered!"

"Do you know how many resources we spent to maintain those Soul Cauldrons? What the hell are you doing!"

Meng Tianzheng's head buzzed.

Soul Cauldron... shattered?

He was completely stunned.

How was that possible?

Their operations had always been seamless. How could something suddenly go wrong?

"Impossible! We have always..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the door to the inner hall was slammed open.

A subordinate rushed in, crawling and stumbling, his face written with terror and panic:

"Sect Leader, this is bad! One of the Soul Cauldrons we set up has been taken out! All Ghostly Creature signals have vanished!"

Meng Tianzheng's heart sank abruptly. He asked, "How is that possible? Who did it!"

The subordinate continued to report:

"It's the people from the Spiritual Energy Bureau! They somehow got word and charged straight there, killing... killing all the Ghostly Creatures on the 'Soul Cauldron'!"

Boom!

Meng Tianzheng felt a rush of blood go straight to his head, and his vision went black for a moment.

The Spiritual Energy Bureau!

It was actually the Spiritual Energy Bureau!

His fists clenched instantly, his knuckles turning white from the excessive force, veins bulging on the back of his hands.

"Those damn bastards. I clearly told them there was no need to report to the Spiritual Energy Bureau, that our Xuanzhen Sect could solve it for them!"

"They actually didn't trust me! They actually dared to go to the Spiritual Energy Bureau behind my back!"

His chest heaved violently, the flames of anger nearly incinerating his last bit of reason.

From the communicator, the cold voice of the Corpse Ghost Cult rang out again, carrying a hint of cruel mockery.

"I don't care what your reason is."

"Our plan enters its final stage tonight."

"You'd better settle this matter for me immediately. Don't let anything else go wrong."

"Otherwise..."

The voice paused, its malice slithering into Meng Tianzheng's ears like a venomous snake.

"We don't mind letting that precious daughter of yours die one more time."

Meng Tianzheng shook violently, the color draining from his face instantly.

A fear originating from the depths of his Soul tightly gripped his heart.

Die.

This word was the greatest nightmare of his life.

He would never forget how, one year ago, his daughter Ya'er had stopped breathing before his eyes due to an accident.

That world-shattering despair and heart-wrenching grief had made him wish he were dead.

He had searched for every possible method and begged everyone he could find, wanting to resurrect his daughter.

But all he received was disappointment after disappointment.

Just as he was about to fall into complete despair and prepare to follow his daughter into the afterlife...

A mysterious man found him.

That man told him he had a way to make Meng Ya 'live' again.

The man taught him a forbidden ritual.

Meng Tianzheng, driven to a dead end, tried it with a final sliver of hope.

As a result, his daughter really did 'resurrect.'

When he saw Meng Ya open her eyes again, he was so moved that old tears streamed down his face.

But soon, he noticed something was wrong.

That man revealed his true identity—an envoy of the Corpse Ghost Cult.

From that moment on, he was tied to the Corpse Ghost Cult's war machine.

He loathed it; he hated it!

He knew that what he was doing was a betrayal of the Xuanzhen Sect's ancestors and the ordinary people who trusted him.

But he had no choice.

He couldn't let his daughter die again.

Absolutely not!

Meng Tianzheng's gaze turned from fear to ferocity.

He hung up the communication and roared at the subordinate who had rushed in.

"Pass down my order! All experts, assemble immediately!"

"Go and get rid of those meddling fools from the Spiritual Energy Bureau for me!"

He could no longer turn back.

For Ya'er, he would kill gods or Buddhas if they stood in his way!

However, just as his order was issued...

Another communicator rang.

The name on the caller ID made his movements pause.

Gao Yuanshan, Captain of the Tianyun District Garrison Squad of the Spiritual Energy Bureau.

Meng Tianzheng answered the phone, his voice having returned to its usual steady tone.

"Captain Gao, to what do I owe the honor?"

From the other end of the phone came Gao Yuanshan's deliberately lowered voice.

"Sect Leader Meng, I'm giving you a heads-up."

"Headquarters recently sent down a Special Commissioner. He's investigating some things in Tianyun District. He has a big background and uses very harsh methods."

"Keep a low profile lately. Things are tight. Don't let this lord set his sights on you; it won't be good for either of us."

"Once this heat passes, it won't be too late to continue our business."

"Special Commissioner?"

A flash of insight crossed Meng Tianzheng's mind.

So that's it!

The one who ruined their plan must be this so-called Special Commissioner!

A world-toppling Killing Intent surged in his heart.

He wanted to tear this fellow into ten thousand pieces!

"Who is this Special Commissioner?"

His voice was very calm, but anyone familiar with him could hear the dead silence beneath that calm, like the moment before a volcanic eruption.

Gao Yuanshan also seemed to notice the abnormality in his tone and hesitated for a moment.

But he still gave the name.

"Chen Nian."

As expected.

Meng Tianzheng, who had been brimming with Killing Intent a second ago, froze completely the moment he heard that name.

Chen Nian!

This name had recently become famous throughout all of Donghai City!

His strength was freakishly powerful, and his acting style was ruthless.

He had punched the legendary Heart-Devouring Old Demon to death.

Just yesterday, a stronghold of the Corpse Ghost Cult had been uprooted by him alone!

Fine beads of cold sweat broke out on Meng Tianzheng's forehead.

Why was he here?

Why would he suddenly run to Tianyun District?

Was there no end to this god of slaughter?

Stormy waves rose in Meng Tianzheng's heart—shock, fear, and a trace of uncontrollable despair.

However, before he could recover from this shocking news...

"Bang!"

The door to the inner hall was burst open once again.

A subordinate, his face panicked to the extreme, rushed in while scrambling on the floor, his voice changing pitch.

"Sect... Sect Leader!"

"The people from the Spiritual Energy Bureau are here!"

...Outside the Xuanzhen Sect.

People were coming and going in an endless stream.

Many citizens were lining up, their faces carrying sorrow and hope; they were clearly here to ask the Xuanzhen Sect for help.

Chen Nian, Wu Jiahao, and Zhao Xinyi walked through the crowd and arrived before the main gate.

Seeing this scene of 'flourishing incense,' Wu Jiahao's brow furrowed slightly.

He took a step forward and pulled out his credentials from his robe, preparing to hand them to the two arrogant guards dressed in Xuanzhen Sect uniforms.

"Spiritual Energy Bureau handling a case. Please..."

However, before he could finish his sentence...

A hand suddenly reached out from the side and pushed him away.

It was Chen Nian.

Wu Jiahao was stunned.

In the next second.

Chen Nian moved.

With an expressionless face, he directly grabbed the guard's head and slammed it violently against the nearby wall.

"Bang—!"

A muffled, terrifyingly loud crash rang out.

In the next second.

The guard's head exploded like a watermelon.

Red and white, mixed with shattered skull fragments, splattered across the entire wall.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment.

Immediately following...

"Ah—!"

Screams tore through the air.

The crowd that had been lining up instantly exploded into chaos, fleeing in all directions in extreme terror; the scene fell into a mess.

Wu Jiahao and Zhao Xinyi were also filled with horror, standing frozen in place.

Their minds were blank, completely unable to comprehend the scene occurring before them.

What is Senior Chen Nian doing?

However, before they could remain shocked for long...

A sudden change occurred.

The headless corpse of the guard on the ground began to emit wisps of black Qi.

The black Qi was viscous and evil, carrying a thick stench of rot as it rapidly diffused.

Wu Jiahao and Zhao Xinyi's faces turned pale instantly.

They understood immediately.

This aura... it was ghostly qi!

This guard had long been deeply corroded by ghostly qi; he could no longer be considered a living person!