I Can Merge Techniques

With that promise, Chu Fan nodded, his worries completely assuaged.

Once the handover was complete, Chu Fan accepted a strange, foot-long stone from Nangong Yue.

It was a thank-you gift from Liu Qingwu of the Carefree Sect, known as a Wind Spirit Stone.

Chu Fan took the Wind Spirit Stone, but instead of leaving, he just stared silently at Nangong Yue.

"I’ve given you the Wind Spirit Stone. Why aren’t you leaving?"

Nangong Yue froze.

Chu Fan’s expression darkened. "The Wind Spirit Stone was a gift from Elder Liu Qingwu of the Carefree Sect. What does that have to do with you? I helped you solve this case, so where’s the reward you promised me?"

"Just because you had Liu Qingwu deliver the Wind Spirit Stone to the Demon Suppression Bureau, you think you can claim it as your own?"

"Sister, you told me to call you that. How could you cheat your little brother like this?"

The hall fell silent.

Nangong Yue’s eyes went wide as she stared at Chu Fan.

After a few moments, she blushed and couldn’t help but laugh. "You sly kid, you really know how to play your cards... Fine, fine. I’ll find another Wind Spirit Stone for you!"

Chu Fan grinned. "Thank you, Sister!"

He placed the Wind Spirit Stone into his Sumeru Ring, bowed respectfully to Demon Suppression Envoy Leng Qingqiu, and then turned to leave.

The members of the Demon Suppression Bureau looked at one another, utterly speechless.

...

「Back at his quarters with the Seven Stars Gang.」

Chu Fan sat cross-legged on his bed and retrieved the Wind Spirit Stone from his Sumeru Ring.

Instantly, a cool, crisp current of air began to circulate within the cramped room.

Mist and clouds churned within the azure Crystal Stone, and the faint sound of whistling wind emanated from it, as if a small storm were sealed inside.

’Such rich Wind Spirit!’

Chu Fan focused his senses on it, a look of delight appearing in his eyes.

The Wind Spirit it contained was as vast as an ocean, pure and untainted.

With this Wind Spirit Stone, he could practice the Nine Heavens Wind Mastery Scripture without ever leaving his room.

Judging by the amount of Wind Spirit it contained, there was enough for him to cultivate at full speed for several months!

No wonder this type of ore, rich in Wind Spirit, commanded an astronomical price on the market—and was often unavailable even if one had the money. It was a true treasure for practicing attribute-specific Cultivation Techniques!

Chu Fan caressed it for a moment, unable to put it down. However, he wasn’t in a hurry to cultivate and carefully put it away.

As the lamplight in the room flickered, his expression gradually grew solemn.

[Pollution Level: 12/100]

The number was as alarming as ever.

Chu Fan took a deep breath and closed his eyes to concentrate. The image of tonight’s Mutated Witch surfaced in his mind.

That was what the Demon Suppression Bureau called a "Demon."

When he had knelt before the Witch to examine her, the aura she exuded had sent a chill down his spine, even from several feet away.

It wasn’t just a matter of overwhelming power, but an aura of supreme, absolute evil. It felt like a convergence of all the world’s negative emotions—a pure, primordial darkness.

In order to investigate that power, he had pushed the Spirit Array Map of his Demon Dragon Celestial Spirit Scripture to its absolute limit, sensing it in detail.

At that moment, it was as if he had glimpsed an endless abyss that was staring right back at him, threatening to drag his very soul into its depths.

’To think such a malevolent power exists in this world...’

Even the Demonic Qi from Mo Daozi, the Demon from the Yin Demon Sect he had slain, couldn’t compare to this pure "Pollution." It wasn’t even a fraction as potent.

What was even more terrifying was that, as far as he knew, this power didn’t just exist within demons.

It permeated the very air, lurking within every wisp of the world’s Spiritual Mechanism.

Any Cultivator, as long as they continued to practice and breathe, would inevitably absorb this Pollution!

For most, their Pollution Level was still low, or it was being suppressed by various methods and had simply yet to erupt.

It was like a slow-acting poison that everyone in the world had to drink. To refuse it was to give up on becoming stronger, but to drink it was to walk step by step into the abyss.

Chu Fan centered himself, his Divine Sense extending like tendrils into his Dantian Qi Sea.

Like a patient artisan, he tried to unravel his own Primordial Qi, searching for the Dark Power he had sensed from the Witch.

Once. Twice.

Nothing.

His Primordial Qi remained pure, without a trace of black impurity or any strange aura.

’Is my Divine Sense still too weak, or is this Pollution hidden within a deeper, more fundamental level?’

Chu Fan opened his eyes, his thoughts heavy.

’A Pollution Level of twelve is probably still far from the point of eruption.’

But the fact that it was still increasing filled him with a secret dread.

This sword hanging over his head gave him an intense sense of crisis.

As his thoughts churned, he recalled the upcoming Profound Origin Secret Realm Tournament in Qing Province.

He’d originally had no interest in such tournaments, where Noble Sects competed for fame and fortune.

However, something Leng Qingqiu had said made him change his mind.

’Purifying Nightmare Spirit Crystal and Clear and Muddy Spirit Source...’

Both were produced in the Profound Origin Secret Realm and were the only divine items known to exist that could suppress, or even purify, the Pollution.

He glanced at the Demon Suppression Guard Token at his waist. It contained a small amount of Purifying Nightmare Spirit Crystal, but the quantity was so meager that its effect was negligible.

’If I could get a large piece of Purifying Nightmare Spirit Crystal, or even the legendary Clear and Muddy Spirit Source, could I completely purify this Pollution, or at least suppress it?’

Chu Fan’s gaze involuntarily fell upon the palm of his left hand.

A mysterious black stone was fused into it—the Demon Suppression Stele.

His feelings about the object were complicated; it was something he both loved and hated.

Without this stele, he never would have obtained the heaven-defying Demon Dragon Celestial Spirit Scripture.

But the bizarre increase in his Pollution Level was undoubtedly linked to the stele as well.

’It’s called the "Demon Suppression" Stele, so why is it increasing my Pollution?’

Chu Fan’s brow furrowed deeply.

’Years ago, my parents developed strange symptoms, eventually going mad and dying. This Demon Suppression Stele must have been the cause!’

In the past, before reaching the Divine Power Realm, just sensing the stele had been nearly impossible for him.

Now that he had broken through to the Divine Power Realm and opened his Sea of Consciousness, he could finally "see" it clearly, suspended silently within the space of his palm.

Chu Fan tried to release his Divine Sense and touch the cold stone stele.

But the stele remained motionless, like some inanimate object that had existed since the dawn of time, giving no response to his call.

’Still no good...’

Chu Fan mulled it over for a moment, then a glint of determination flashed in his eyes.

’Spirit Array Map, activate!’

BUZZ!

He silently recited the mantra, and the complex, profound Spirit Array Map within his body instantly unfurled.