96: Anyone who dares to object? Well done!

Whether it was the members of the Spiritual Energy Bureau or the Disciples of the Mysterious Thunder Sect, everyone was stunned by Chen Nian's words.

What incredible arrogance!

He killed the Sect Master's only son, and then, right to their faces, asked if they had any objections?

This was no longer just a provocation; it was barefaced contempt!

Captain Zhang Zhiqiang was so scared that his heart nearly stopped.

Was Special Commissioner Chen being a bit too ostentatious?

He could already foresee a heaven-shaking battle about to erupt right before his eyes.

However, the expected rage and conflict did not occur.

Zhou Tianxiao just knelt on the ground, lost and Soul-broken, cradling his son's severed head, completely unresponsive to everything around him.

It was as if his Soul had been completely drained away; he was now nothing more than a mindless walking corpse.

Instead, it was the Second-in-Command, Zhou Yuan, who was the first to regain his composure after the initial shock and grief.

He glanced at his brother, who appeared to be in a state of madness, and then at Chen Nian, whose Aura was monstrous, resembling a god or demon.

Finally, he cast his gaze upon the terrifying phantom trapped within the Formation, which was wailing incessantly.

His body trembled almost imperceptibly.

Immediately after, he performed an action that caught everyone by surprise.

Zhou Yuan stepped forward quickly and bowed deeply to Chen Nian, lowering his posture completely, full of respect and humility.

"No problem! Absolutely no problem at all!"

"Zhou Ye dared to commit such an outrageous and unforgivable act that infuriated both man and god; he truly deserved to die! He deserved a thousand deaths!"

A complex expression, a mix of indignation and sycophancy, was squeezed onto Zhou Yuan's face.

"Special Commissioner Chen, that you were able to personally execute him on the spot is a service to the people and a cleansing of our Mysterious Thunder Sect. Everyone in our Mysterious Thunder Sect is deeply grateful and has absolutely no objections!"

When these words were spoken, not only the people from the Spiritual Energy Bureau but even the Disciples of the Mysterious Thunder Sect behind him were dumbfounded.

Chen Nian was also somewhat surprised.

He had already prepared himself; if the Mysterious Thunder Sect dared to show even a hint of dissatisfaction, he would strike directly and suppress the entire Mysterious Thunder Sect along with them.

He hadn't expected the Mysterious Thunder Sect to have such an attitude.

At the very least, as things stood now, this guy knew how to read the room, and he didn't dislike that.

However, he was still somewhat concerned about Zhou Tianxiao; he was the true Sect Master of the Mysterious Thunder Sect, and he hadn't yet expressed his stance.

But, looking at his Soul-lost state right now, it didn't seem like he was in any condition to do so.

Instead, it was Zhou Yuan who, seeing that Chen Nian remained silent, was the first to break the silence again.

He pointed at the phantom being tortured within the Formation and said even more respectfully.

"Special Commissioner Chen, I heard just now that you seem to want to use this phantom of the Demonic Evils to trace its true form?"

"If you don't mind, our Mysterious Thunder Sect is willing to provide assistance!"

"We have secret techniques within our Sect that can achieve this, which could also serve as a small atonement for the monstrous crimes Zhou Ye has committed!"

Hearing this, Chen Nian's heart stirred.

If the Mysterious Thunder Sect could do it, that would naturally be for the best.

He didn't want to just wait around for the headquarters' technical team; heaven knows how long that would take.

Thus, he nodded.

"Very well."

Having received an affirmative reply, Zhou Yuan was instantly overjoyed, as if he had received a tremendous favor.

He hurriedly turned around and shouted to the Disciples behind him who were still in a daze.

"What are you all still standing there for! Didn't you hear Special Commissioner Chen?"

"Quick! Prepare the 'Soul-Leading Mechanism Formation'! Begin the tracking ritual immediately!"

The members of the Mysterious Thunder Sect immediately snapped out of their stupor and, under Zhou Yuan's strict orders, quickly took action.

They set up a complex Formation on the open ground at top speed.

Dozens of elite Disciples of the Mysterious Thunder Sect took their respective positions, and at Zhou Yuan's command, simultaneously channeled the spiritual power within their bodies.

"Hum—!"

The Formation lit up with blinding lightning, and countless electric arcs intertwined in the center, forming a massive net of lightning.

"Rise!"

Zhou Yuan formed hand seals, chanting incantations.

The lightning net suddenly contracted, transforming into countless fine chains of lightning that coiled around the phantom.

"Roar—!"

The moment the lightning chains touched the phantom, it suddenly erupted with even more intense resistance.

An invisible roar exploded in everyone's mental perception; the phantom twisted and struggled frantically, and a cold, violent Aura began to permeate from it.

The members of the Mysterious Thunder Sect presiding over the Formation were instantly alarmed.

"Not good! This Demonic Evils' power is too strong!"

"Hold steady! Everyone, hold the line!"

Zhou Yuan's expression was grave, with veins bulging on his forehead.

He could clearly feel how terrifying the resistance force coming from the phantom was.

It was just a remnant image, yet it made dozens of elite Disciples of the Mysterious Thunder Sect feel immense pressure.

They weren't even trying to trap this Demonic Evils; they only wanted to use this remnant image as a medium to perform source-tracing.

Only now did they truly realize.

Just how powerful this Demonic Evils was!

If they, the Mysterious Thunder Sect, had been the ones to surround this remnant image earlier.

Forget about trapping it; they likely would have been broken free from in a single exchange, and it was even possible they would have been killed in return!

Yet, this Chen Nian was able to trap this terrifying remnant image so effortlessly and nonchalantly.

It was as if he hadn't trapped some vicious Demonic Evils, but merely an ant that he could crush at will.

They had all heard rumors about Chen Nian, and on the way here, they had been informed that he was at the scene.

But until this moment, they only clearly realized just how powerful this legendary Chen Nian was.

That was power completely beyond their scope of understanding!

Based on the strength he had displayed, if the Mysterious Thunder Sect had chosen to conflict with him earlier.

Even if they hadn't been wiped out, they likely would have suffered heavy losses and severe damage to their Origin Qi, taking a long time to recover.

In this instant, a surge of indescribable fear and relief welled up in the hearts of all the Disciples of the Mysterious Thunder Sect.

It was truly the right decision that they hadn't chosen to tear their faces off with him out of impulse earlier!

This thought made them dare not have the slightest slack; the instinct for survival made them give it their all.

"Hold steady, increase the power!"

Zhou Yuan roared, squeezing out the very last bit of spiritual power in his body and pouring it all into the Formation.

The others also bit their tongues, activating secret techniques, and the lightning on their hands suddenly intensified by several degrees.

Finally, accompanied by a piercing hum from the center of the Formation, the violently struggling phantom suddenly froze.

An imperceptible, illusory thread connecting to a distant place slowly emerged in the center of the Formation.

"It worked!"

Zhou Yuan shouted, but his whole body felt as if all his strength had been drained, and he was panting heavily.

The other Disciples of the Mysterious Thunder Sect were no better off; everyone was pale, drenched in sweat, and appeared completely exhausted.

Zhou Yuan forced himself to stand up and respectfully reported to Chen Nian.

"Special Commissioner Chen, I have not failed your mission; we have successfully locked onto the location of that Demonic Evils' true form!"

Chen Nian nodded slightly, very satisfied with this.

He glanced at the phantom still roaring uneasily in the lightning net, then just casually clenched one hand.

In an instant, the Xuanzhen Qi Sha Formation he had set up accelerated its operation by more than tenfold, erupting with an even more powerful and purer refining force.

"Ahhhhhh—!"

The phantom let out a painful wail a hundred times more shrill than before, struggling endlessly under the crushing pressure of the Formation, but it was completely futile.

It only took a few breaths' time.

The terrifying phantom that had caused dozens of Mysterious Thunder Sect elites to panic was directly and completely refined by the Xuanzhen Qi Sha Formation, turning into a wisp of blue smoke and dissipating without a trace.

Seeing this scene, everyone present.

Whether it was the exhausted members of the Mysterious Thunder Sect or the onlookers from the Spiritual Energy Bureau, everyone was dumbfounded, watching all of this with faces full of shock.

"This... is it gone just like that?"

"Just a moment ago, so many of us were struggling for our lives and couldn't suppress it, and he... he just moved his finger?"

"This person... what kind of strength does he actually have..."

Sounds of discussion and gasps rose and fell.

However, Chen Nian couldn't be bothered to pay any attention to their shock.

Judging from the strength displayed by that remnant image, that guy's true form was definitely not simple.

As long as he could kill it, he would definitely receive a substantial reward.

Thinking this, Chen Nian turned to look at the exhausted Zhou Yuan and said indifferently:

"Lead the way."

"Let's go!"

His words were short and powerful.

Before taking a step, he also glanced at Zhou Tianxiao not far away.

That former overlord was still kneeling on the ground, lost and Soul-broken, cradling his son's severed head, resembling a stone statue without a Soul.

However, Chen Nian couldn't be bothered to pay any more attention to him.

The top priority now was to kill that Demonic Evils.

Thinking this, he strode directly out of the factory.