I Can Merge Techniques

In a corner of the Moon Viewing Tower, the din seemed cut off by an invisible barrier.

The Silence Barrier Nangong Yue had cast turned the lively toasts and drinking games of the world outside into a silent pantomime.

Nangong Yue’s commanding, heroic aura was impossible to conceal. She gently raised a fair hand, her fingertips shifting as she formed several abstruse Seal Techniques.

Then, with a flick of her finger, a nearly transparent wisp of energy shot through the air and instantly sank into Chu Fan’s body.

HUMMM. A deep blue radiance materialized like flowing water, coursing through Chu Fan’s limbs and torso until it enveloped his entire body.

At first, the light was limpid, like the deep blue of the ocean.

Before three breaths had passed, something suddenly changed...

Within the pure blue light, several scarlet threads began to spread.

In the blink of an eye, the Protective Spiritual Light was dyed a startling blood-red.

On its surface, a fine, off-white powder also materialized.

The corners of Nangong Yue’s lips curved into a knowing smile.

"So this is the ’Blood Curse’ that old monster from the Yin Demon Sect placed on you?"

She retracted her hand and continued, "You’ve got some nerve. You wouldn’t let us help you remove the Blood Curse, and you even plan to deal with that old monster by yourself..."

Back in the Chaotic Stone Forest, Chu Fan and Baili Bing had joined forces to destroy the Demon Puppet belonging to that old monster from the Yin Demon Sect, only to have a Blood Curse secretly placed on him in retaliation.

Later, when Mo Yunzi was ordered by the old monster to hunt him down, he used the Blood Curse for tracking.

It wouldn’t have been difficult for Chu Fan to ask an expert from the Demon Suppression Bureau to remove the Blood Curse.

But he had deliberately left it...

The world’s greatest hunters often appear in the guise of prey.

He would use himself as bait to lure out that great white shark from the depths of the Yin Demon Sect.

Just then, Nangong Yue spoke again. "And just as you suspected, someone else has marked you."

"It’s a discrete tracking powder. Colorless, odorless, and it can even merge with Primordial Qi... This must be Pei Yufeng’s handiwork."

Chu Fan nodded slightly.

The situation was growing more delicate.

The higher-ups at the Demon Suppression Bureau had long known Pei Yufeng was a mole, but they’d made no move against him.

Clearly, they were playing the long game to catch a bigger fish.

But now he knew Pei Yufeng had made his move...

His personal motto had always been simple: ’I won’t harm those who do me no harm. But if someone harms me, I will eradicate them, root and stem.’

Now that he knew his enemy had acted, even though Pei Yufeng hadn’t come looking for him, he was tempted to sneak over tonight and beat the man to death.

’But should I kill him, or not?’

He looked up and voiced the question.

Nangong Yue found the question thorny as well. She rubbed her temples and sighed, "Lord Leng has an important use for him. You’ll have to bear with it for a while longer."

After a pause, her expression turned grave. She leaned forward slightly and warned in a hushed voice, "But you absolutely cannot let your guard down. Pei Yufeng is incredibly cunning and powerful. Among all the Captains in the Demon Suppression Bureau, you can count on one hand the number of people who can definitively overpower him."

"He hides his true strength well. I’m afraid he has already reached the Fifth Heaven of the Acupoint Realm."

’The Fifth Heaven of the Acupoint Realm, is it...’

Chu Fan nodded slightly, the killing intent in his eyes receding, becoming deeper and more contained.

Changing the subject, he asked, "You mentioned you needed my help with something. What is it? For a matter to be thorny for a distinguished Demon Suppression Captain, it can’t be simple."

At the mention of this, Nangong Yue’s expression soured. She rubbed her temples again in frustration. "Something terrible has happened to the Wang Family of North City in Qing Province... Oh, not the Wang Family that’s one of the three great clans, a different one in North City."

"Over the past few days, several men of the Wang Family have died, one after another. The manner of their deaths is bizarre—their vital essence and blood have been completely drained, leaving them as nothing more than skin-and-bone husks."

"What’s most horrifying is that every victim has an eerie smile on his face. There are no signs of a struggle at the scenes, as if... they died in a state of absolute ecstasy."

Chu Fan’s brow furrowed. "An Evil Skill of Absorption?"

"At first, we also thought it was some Demon from the Demon Dao causing trouble." Nangong Yue shook her head. "The Six Gates sent men to investigate immediately, and I dispatched my Demon Suppression Guards as well. To lure the snake from its hole, we set up a Heaven and Earth Net around the Wang Family estate. But in the end..."

As she spoke, a look of indignation and embarrassment crossed her face. "Last night, right under the noses of Constable Jin Zhang from the Six Gates and my own experts, Patriarch Wang’s own nephew died."

"He died in the exact same way, with a smile on his face and all the blood drained from his body."

Chu Fan was stunned.

To kill someone without a trace while they were under heavy guard... The perpetrator’s methods were so brazen it was like they were spitting in the faces of the Six Gates and the Demon Suppression Bureau.

"The Wang Family may not be one of Qing Province’s major powers, but they still have some standing. This incident has caused widespread panic. The Patriarch was so overcome with grief and rage that he has fallen gravely ill, and he sends people to the Bureau every day to weep and plead."

Nangong Yue looked at Chu Fan and said with a sigh of resignation, "The higher-ups are putting on the pressure. This case needs to be solved, and quickly."

Chu Fan gave a wry smile and spread his hands. "If you want me to slay a demon from the Blood Shadow Sect, my blade won’t hesitate. But the delicate work of solving cases, making deductions, and investigating crime scenes... that’s not my forte."

"If even you and the experts from the Six Gates can’t find a single clue, what good would I be?"

"This isn’t just about solving a case." Nangong Yue leaned forward slightly, her gaze burning as she stared at Chu Fan. "This culprit is extremely cunning, and its Perception Power is astonishing. As soon as I or any other Demon Suppression Captain at the mid-to-late Acupoint Realm gets near the Wang estate, the thing immediately goes dormant. It’s like it vanishes into thin air."

"I investigated for two days and came up with nothing."

"But as soon as I leave, it strikes again."

"Its targets seem very specific. It only preys on the ’weak,’ and it has extreme contempt for ordinary Demon Suppression Guards."

Chu Fan immediately understood her unspoken meaning. "Captain, you want me to... act as bait?"

"Although you’re only in the Divine Power Realm, your combat strength far surpasses your peers. Plus, you wear the uniform of a Demon Suppression Guard." Nangong Yue said gravely, "The culprit would never imagine that a seemingly ordinary Demon Suppression Guard could possess the terrifying power to kill an expert of the fourth realm, the Bright Heart Realm!"

"That’s why you are the perfect person for this job."

Before Chu Fan could speak, she added, "I suspect that thing isn’t an ordinary Demon Dao Martial Artist. I think it’s a—’Demon.’"

Her tone was exceptionally grave as she uttered that last word.

Chu Fan’s heart skipped a beat.