Chương 47: Bí cỗ chưởng khống xuất hiện, bất ngờ lộ diện sự thoái vị!

Dịch thuần

“Chỉ là...” suddenly, Tô Thần couldn’t help but whisper to himself, “Lại sát hại ba quan chức nhị giai, cũng không dễ dàng như vậy.”

Killing Tề Xuyên seemed ordinary, but in reality, it was achieved by borrowing the surveillance department’s authority.

Moreover, a second-tier official was already a pillar of Nam Phong City, like Hồ Tường. If they died, the city governor would certainly investigate, unless Tề Xuyên himself had problems.

[“After completing the mission, you can continue hunting”]

Having his doubts dispelled, Tô Thần finally felt at ease.

“Ghostly divine power... Just thinking about such a force makes me anxious about future interactions with them.” Tô Thần thought, his expression darkening.

At the moment, this was the only way to proactively trigger an occupational transformation.

He wouldn’t admit it was easy, but the danger was undeniable, and explaining it to outsiders would be difficult.

“Let’s take it one step at a time.” Tô Thần dismissed the thought.

“Training makes me feel alive...”

The Black Dazzling Medicine and the Bright Medicine reacted together, forming a single bottle. Combined with the Blood-Red Medicine of Tề, they entered a state of weightlessness.

“Training makes me feel alive...”

Activating [Dual-Task], Tô Thần assumed a stance, and his body began to ache.

From the table, he could see the training methods and occupational progress continuing to rise. This kind of instant feedback also boosted his psychological advantage.

Occupational awakening wasn’t about having fun; it came with pain and suffering. Every moment tested his willpower.

After killing Tề Xuyên and detecting the ghostly aura, the disturbance was enormous.

But for the next few days, no one came after him.

For about seven or eight days, Tô Thần locked himself in his room, spending all his time on occupational training and using up all the Bright Medicine, down to the last drop.

“Ugh...” Tô Thần’s eyelids trembled, a cold sweat breaking out as his spiritual energy surged.

[Bí Cỗ Master has awakened to 50%, awakening ability—Bí Cỗ Enhancement: Can use the controlling ability of other occupations on this skill.]

“Bí Cỗ Enhancement?” Tô Thần absorbed the technique, his breathing heavy as he read the description.

Inside, his heart stirred. The cold glow of Thiết Lãm appeared in his hand, and he followed his senses.

Gradually, wisps of the cold aura gathered on Thiết Lãm, merging into it.

“So that’s how it works...” Tô Thần’s eyes widened in surprise as he infused the [Wind Transformation] ability into it.

He swung it experimentally, and the speed increased dramatically, along with a surge in destructive power.

“Book, the two skills are supporting each other now.”

As he played with it, Tô Thần felt a rare sense of satisfaction. Not only had the skill improved, but his other abilities had also seen significant growth.

[Liet Kong Warrior: 76%]

[Body Refinement Training Method—Mastery: 40%]

[Prison Dazzling Illusion Thought Method—Mastery: 60%]

The gap between the training method and the thought method was like day and night, but the rapid progress was all thanks to the Blood-Red Medicine.

“No wonder Ứng Phong was coveting this.” Tô Thần licked his lips, but unfortunately, he had no more Blood-Red Medicine left, and the other medicines were running dry.

Without the medicine’s support, his efficiency dropped slightly. He decided to seek out his respected senior to discuss the matter.

Just as he stepped out of his room, Tô Thần noticed the tense atmosphere. The upper floors were bustling with activity, and the expressions of those present were grim.

“Elder Brother?”

From afar, Tô Thần called out, his voice clear and distinct. Tôn Bàn Tử, who had a solemn expression, immediately brightened up and rushed over.

“Little Brother?” Tôn Bàn Tử’s voice was deep, but his smile was warm as he approached. “You finally decided to come out. I haven’t seen anyone this tough among the younger generation. Truly, the younger generation is something to be proud of.”

Ignoring his flattery, Tô Thần asked seriously, “What’s going on? What happened?”

“You don’t know?”

Tôn Bàn Tử led Tô Thần to a secluded corner and lowered his voice. “These past few days, the Surveillance Chief has gone mad. He’s been investigating the Surveillance Department, the Patrol Department, the Investigation Department, and the Internal Affairs Office, all to find members of the Ghost God Sect.”

“Outside, there’s been a lot of grumbling.”

Tô Thần raised an eyebrow. “Elder Brother, that’s quite intense.”

Wasn’t it because of that ghostly aura?

After discovering the empty corpse, Elder Yuan had been insisting that Nam Phong City was in danger and wanted to eliminate it. Upon returning, he had immediately launched a massive manhunt.

“Who would dare say it wasn’t?” Tôn Bàn Tử sighed. “The City Lord is gone, Minister Phùng is gone, and Minister Giang isn’t talking. Elder Yuan is practically the most powerful figure now.”

Jiang Rong remained silent? Tô Thần’s eyes flickered with curiosity. “What about Tề Xuyên?”

“Shh...” Tôn Bàn Tử pulled him closer. “No one knows.”

Tô Thần realized that the ghostly aura incident hadn’t been exposed yet.

Tôn Bàn Tử continued, “Others aren’t sitting idle either. In the past ten days, Chu Lu has allied with several deputy ministers and caused quite a stir.”

“Did they find members of the Ghost God Sect?” Tô Thần asked.

“On the contrary, they found a few,” Tôn Bàn Tử said with a frown. “But it’s all just noise. Every year, they find a few, and some are even taken care of by internal factions beforehand.”

Tô Thần understood. Elder Yuan’s drastic actions hadn’t yielded results, so others weren’t about to give up their ambitions.

......

At the highest floor of the Surveillance Department, Elder Yuan’s cold gaze swept over the crowd.

Chu Lu’s face was flushed with anger. “What do you think you’re doing?!”

“This city is in chaos! Everyone is uneasy!”

“It’s better for everyone to be uneasy than for all of us to be buried together!” Elder Yuan said coldly.

“Stop talking nonsense! This investigation will never end! Today, if you don’t hand over the investigation, you’ll be arresting us next!”

“You’d better not think we’re cowards who are afraid of you!”

The other deputy ministers and high-ranking officials stepped forward, their expressions equally grim.

“Hand over the investigation?” Elder Yuan suddenly stood up, his chilling aura forcing the crowd back a step. “You want the investigation? Fine!”

“Follow me!”

He strode out, and the crowd exchanged glances. Chu Lu let out a cold huff and followed.

The group made their way to the deep storage room of the Surveillance Department, where the air was thick with white mist.

Thud!

Elder Yuan pulled out a corpse, and Chu Lu frowned. After a long pause, he hesitantly asked, “This is... Tề Xuyên?”

He was really dead!

Chu Lu’s expression remained calm, but inside, he was anything but. Tề Xuyên had been missing for days, and he had already suspected something.

“What do you want us to see with this corpse?” Chu Lu’s tone was icy.

Elder Yuan’s eyes locked onto him. After a moment, he said, “He wasn’t important, but he carried an empty ghostly aura.”

“What?!” Chu Lu and the others gasped in shock. “An empty ghostly aura?!”

Chu Lu’s face paled, his reaction confirming it—but something still felt off.

What did that mean? Empty?!

“Can we take a look?”

The deputy ministers, though not as strong as Elder Yuan, were still formidable.

Elder Yuan pushed the corpse back and led the group to his office. He casually pulled out a metal box from his drawer.

Clang!

The object hit the ground, and no one dared to pick it up. The crowd’s faces drained of color.

This was the ghostly aura—how had it been stored in a drawer this whole time?

“They say it’s an empty corpse,” Elder Yuan said indifferently.

Chu Lu was the first to pick it up, examining it carefully. His expression was filled with doubt, and his heart raced.

How could this be real? The Saint’s aura had vanished, and the power inside was gone. Where had it gone?

What had Tề Xuyên done?

“This was found on Tề Xuyên’s body. The power inside is gone. Where did it go?” Elder Yuan swept his gaze over the crowd, his tone sharp. “Perhaps, in the next moment, he’ll offer up all of Nam Phong City as a sacrifice!”

“Yet all of you are still here, asking for the investigation!”

The crowd froze, their confidence shattered by Elder Yuan’s sudden fury. The ghostly aura’s presence had already heightened the tension, but his words left them speechless.

But someone quickly recovered. “But you’ve been investigating for so long and found nothing. If there really was a major move, it wouldn’t be this mysterious.”

“Maybe the aura was already empty to begin with.”

“Or perhaps...” Chu Lu suddenly spoke up. “You’re crying wolf while stealing the sheep.”

Elder Yuan’s eyes narrowed, and he calmly replied, “Believe what you want. This is my evidence. If you have proof, bring it. Otherwise, I’ll willingly accept punishment.”

The crowd’s reaction wasn’t what he expected. After Tô Thần’s assassination attempt, Elder Yuan had planned a major investigation, but Tề Xuyên’s death and the ghostly aura’s disappearance had thrown everything into chaos.

Once the aura was revealed, the crowd had nothing left to say.

“This matter can only be hushed up for now.” Chu Lu forced a grim smile and dropped the aura before walking away.

The deputy ministers exchanged glances, also leaving in confusion.

As Chu Lu left the Surveillance Department, he didn’t even look back before getting into his carriage and driving off, his face twitching uncontrollably.

“Tô Thần...” he spat out, his voice barely audible. He had only learned of Tề Xuyên’s death after Tô Thần had taken revenge for his own humiliation.

He never expected things to escalate to this point. The hidden ghostly aura had been stolen, and the corpse was already empty.

“What... happened?!”

......

“It’s only a temporary fix. What’s the plan now?”

Elder Yuan rubbed his brow, his mind still unclear. “What really happened? There’s no trace of any major activity in Nam Phong City.”

“They must have borrowed the ghostly aura’s power to do something.”

On the staircase, someone muttered, “Or perhaps they were just covering their tracks.”