52: It's that persistent madman again!

Tianqiong International Group, top floor.

There was not a shred of warmth in the conference room; the atmosphere was stifling, and everyone's expression was grave.

At this moment, a man in a black suit walked in quickly, breaking the gloom.

"Leader, the new Soul Cauldron we found has already been put into use."

He reported quickly, his voice carrying a trace of barely perceptible tension.

Hearing this, the man sitting in the main seat, the leader of the Corpse Ghost Cult, Yin Tianchou, slowly lifted his eyelids.

He nodded slightly.

"Very good."

Yin Tianchou's voice was low and magnetic, yet it carried a metallic, cold, and hard texture.

"This time, the operation must be covert; there cannot be any more problems."

His words were few, but every word carried an indisputable command.

The subordinate immediately lowered his head.

"Yes!"

But just as his voice fell, the conference room door was violently pushed open again.

Another Corpse Ghost Cult Cadre rushed in, his forehead covered in fine cold sweat, his face pale as a sheet.

"Leader, it's bad, Gao Yuanshan sent a message!"

Yin Tianchou's brows furrowed slightly, and a trace of displeasure flashed in his eyes.

"Speak."

The Cadre swallowed his saliva, his voice trembling.

"Gao Yuanshan says that the Spiritual Energy Bureau has sent a Special Commissioner to Tianyun District to investigate something."

"Shortly after the Special Commissioner arrived, one of our Soul Cauldrons was destroyed!"

"If nothing unexpected happened, it must be the work of that Special Commissioner!"

The temperature in the conference room seemed to drop a few more degrees.

Yin Tianchou's fingertips tapped lightly on the table, making an irritable clicking sound.

"Special Commissioner?"

He spoke slowly, his tone unreadable.

"What is his background?"

The panic on the Cadre's face instantly turned to fear, his lips trembling, almost unable to utter the name completely.

"It... it is Chen Nian!"

Boom!

The two words "Chen Nian" exploded in the conference room like a thunderclap.

Yin Tianchou's fingers tapping on the table stopped abruptly.

On his face, which had always been as calm as an ancient well, an expression of "surprise" appeared for the first time, his pupils contracting instantly.

It's that guy again!

That persistent madman!

Yin Tianchou's voice rose sharply, carrying irrepressible anger.

"He destroyed one of our strongholds just yesterday, and today he's running to our Tianyun District to cause trouble!"

"What is wrong with him?"

"That damn guy!"

He slammed his hand on the table, and the hard obsidian tabletop actually cracked slightly.

A terrifying aura erupted from him, making all the Cadres present feel a palpitation, their breathing becoming difficult.

They had never seen their Leader lose his composure like this.

However, it wasn't over yet.

"Leader!!"

A more panicked shout came from the doorway.

A third subordinate scrambled in, looking as if he had lost his Soul, his face full of horror and disbelief.

"Xuan... Xuanzhen Sect has had an incident!"

"Xuanzhen Sect has been taken out!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire conference room fell into dead silence.

Everyone's eyes widened, doubting whether something was wrong with their ears.

Xuanzhen Sect?

That Sect with a hundred-year Legacy?

Taken out?

How is this possible!

Yin Tianchou's impending rage was abruptly cut off by this news.

He turned his head, his gaze sharp enough to pierce a person's heart.

"What did you say? Say it again!"

The subordinate trembled all over, but still shouted with all his might.

"A Spiritual Energy Bureau Special Agent is on a killing spree at the Xuanzhen Sect!"

"From the top to the bottom of the Xuanzhen Sect, from Elders to Disciples, not a single one was spared!"

"Even... even Sect Leader Meng Tianzheng was killed!"

"The Ghostly Creatures we planted inside were also wiped out!"

As his voice fell, the conference room completely exploded.

"What kind of joke is this! The Xuanzhen Sect has some strength and foundation, how could they be taken out just like that?"

"All Elders and Disciples, even the Sect Leader killed? Did I hear that right? There are quite a few Rank 3 experts in their Sect!"

"One person? One person killed their way through the entire Xuanzhen Sect? This... what kind of terrifying strength must that be!"

Discussions, exclamations, and gasps of cold air rose one after another.

Everyone present was shocked beyond measure by this news.

That was a long-established Sect, not some gathering place for stray cats and dogs.

The power of one person, annihilating a Sect.

Such a thing was simply unheard of, exceeding their cognitive range.

As for that Spiritual Energy Bureau Special Agent who single-handedly slaughtered the Xuanzhen Sect, besides that Spiritual Energy Bureau Special Commissioner—Chen Nian, who else could it be?

Once this thought appeared, a chill shot from the soles of everyone's feet straight to their skulls.

They were just shocked and angry about Chen Nian destroying a Soul Cauldron.

In the blink of an eye, he had already wiped out a Sect.

The weight of these two events was not on the same level at all.

Their assessment of Chen Nian's strength was completely overturned at this moment, and then re-established with an even more terrifying image.

"This is tricky..."

"This is indeed somewhat tricky!"

Yin Tianchou's face was so gloomy that water could drip from it.

His chest heaved violently, and an unprecedented sense of grievance and anger surged in his heart.

"We clearly didn't provoke him!"

"We even thought about keeping things quiet and trying not to attract his attention!"

"And the result!"

"That guy is like a mad dog, staring at us relentlessly!"

He couldn't figure it out, nor could he understand.

Why on earth did this Chen Nian have to go against their Corpse Ghost Cult?

There was no direct enmity between them at all!

Yin Tianchou took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the manic feeling in his heart.

Now was not the time for anger.

His cold gaze swept across the room.

"Since the Xuanzhen Sect has been destroyed, he might have already learned something from the Xuanzhen Sect."

"We can't wait any longer."

His voice became resolute and ruthless.

"Pass on my order, speed it up!"

"Don't extract power slowly anymore, and don't worry about hiding or not hiding!"

"That madman might be coming to our headquarters soon!"

"Tell the people below to operate the array at full power and extract the power as quickly as possible!"

"We must wake up Lord Corpse Emperor immediately!"

His voice echoed in the conference room, carrying a sense of burning bridges.

All the subordinates felt a chill in their hearts and responded in unison.

"Yes, Leader!"

...

...

Tianqiong International Group, underground.

This was a world completely different from the modern commercial building above.

A huge, unimaginably large underground space, vast and eerie.

The air was filled with a thick, decaying aura, mixed with a nauseating smell of blood, so thick it couldn't be dispersed.

In the center of the space, a huge bronze coffin sat quietly.

The surface of the coffin was engraved with countless bizarre and twisted runes, each one seemingly alive, slowly wriggling under the dim light.

An indescribable and powerful ghostly qi continuously overflowed from the gaps in the coffin, forming visible black mist, shrouding the entire space.

Just standing here, one felt as if their Soul was about to be frozen by this cold aura.

Below the coffin was an even larger array.

Countless blood-colored lines covered the ground, interweaving into a complex and evil pattern, with ominous red light flickering at every node of the array.

Dozens of black-robed Corpse Ghost Cult members were surrounding the array.

They sat cross-legged, hands forming seals, chanting, continuously injecting their own spiritual energy and ghostly qi into the array to maintain its operation.

Just then, a rush of footsteps came.

A Church Cadre walked out from the dark passage, a trace of anxiety on his face.

He scanned the people casting spells and shouted sternly.

"The Leader has ordered!"

"Speed it up, operate the array at full power!"

Hearing the order, everyone casting spells was stunned.

One of them, who looked like the leader, raised his head in confusion.

"Deacon, if we operate at full power, those Soul Cauldrons will have their life force completely drained in a short time, and they will all die."

"If that happens, it will inevitably attract the attention of the Spiritual Energy Bureau, and our plan will likely be exposed."

Hearing this, the Cadre referred to as the Deacon showed strong impatience on his face.

"Exposed?"

He scolded angrily.

"Who cares about exposure!"

"The madman from the Spiritual Energy Bureau is probably already on his way here!"

"Why are you still worrying about the Soul Cauldrons here? Worrying about exposure?"

"Finish the ritual for me immediately and wake up Lord Corpse Emperor!"

"This is an order!"

The Deacon's words were like a bombshell, exploding in the hearts of all the members casting spells.

The madman from the Spiritual Energy Bureau is coming?

The Spiritual Energy Bureau has discovered this place?

In an instant, everyone's faces were filled with horror.

Now, they dared not have the slightest bit of slacking or hesitation.

"Yes!"

Everyone responded in unison, and then violently urged all the power within their bodies.

"Hum—!"

The entire huge array instantly erupted with blinding blood-colored light.

The runes on the ground seemed to be injected with life, flowing crazily, emitting shrieks like ghosts crying and wolves howling.

A large amount of pure life force was crazily extracted, turning into visible torrents of energy, all pouring into the huge bronze coffin in the center.

With the influx of massive life force, that huge bronze coffin began to vibrate violently.

"Creak... creak..."

A violent friction sound came from inside the coffin.

The ghostly qi overflowing from the coffin also became thicker and more violent, almost turning the entire underground space into a ghost realm.

The Deacon watched this scene before him, a look of extreme satisfaction on his face.

His mouth curled up, revealing a sinister smile.

"Very good, that's it!"

"Faster!"

He felt the terrifying aura awakening in the coffin, his eyes filled with fanatical worship.

"In just a little more time, Lord Corpse Emperor will be able to fully awaken!"

"At that time, whatever Chen Nian, whatever Spiritual Energy Bureau..."

"In front of the great Lord Corpse Emperor, they are nothing but pathetic trash, vulnerable to a single blow!"