I Can Merge Techniques

[Skill: Twelve True Forms Fist (First Limit Break 6412/7500) (Traits: Vajra Undying Body Level One, Flowing Frost Domain)]

’Almost there...’

Chu Fan clenched his fists, feeling the vast and mighty power surging within him.

His Twelve True Forms Fist was drawing ever closer to the Second Limit Break.

When that time came, the Realm of his Vajra Undying Body would surely ascend to a new level.

This Fist Technique was a fusion of three top-tier Martial Arts. Combined with its array of supremely powerful Traits, its might had long since surpassed that of the Extreme Night Cold Prison Hand and the Twelve Forms Fist.

Just then, the sound of deeply repressed sobbing drifted faintly from the depths of the mansion, sounding particularly eerie in the dead of night.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—

A crisp knock suddenly broke the silence.

"Lord Chu, it’s late. I’ve brought some chilled plum soup to help you cool down."

A respectful servant’s voice came from outside the door.

Chu Fan opened the door to find a servant boy of about fifteen or sixteen standing outside. He held a delicate tray, upon which sat a bowl of iced plum soup, wisps of cold vapor rising from it.

"Thank you." Chu Fan took the bowl. As his fingertips felt its chill, he asked casually, "Who is that crying over there?"

The servant boy sighed, a look of profound sorrow on his face.

"It’s the Second Master’s family, my lord."

"The Second Master had only one son. He was just eighteen, a handsome and talented young man."

"He was supposed to be married next month, but who could have known he’d meet such a tragic end and pass away..."

"Now the Second Master is completely broken. He spends all day in tears, unable to eat or drink."

"The First Master has also fallen ill from the grief and anger. He’s confined to his bed, unable to even get up."

"My master is usually so charitable, always giving out silver coins to help the poor."

"He’s known throughout North City as a great philanthropist. How could such an undeserved disaster fall upon him?"

Chu Fan listened quietly to the servant boy’s tale without saying a word.

Finally, he simply reached out, patted the boy’s shoulder, and said gently, "That will be all. Go and get some rest."

After the servant boy bowed and left, Chu Fan opened his door and walked slowly toward the depths of the garden.

The Wang Family mansion was immense, a tasteful arrangement of pavilions and towers connected by winding paths that led to secluded corners, all shrouded by flowers and trees.

Without a guide, it would be easy to lose one’s way within the estate.

Shrouded in darkness, the exquisite rockeries, flowing streams, and ornate carvings were all draped in faint, eerie shadows, giving them an unspeakably sinister air.

He followed the sound of intermittent crying, moving forward slowly.

He passed through several corridors and skirted a lotus pond, finally arriving at a brightly lit courtyard.

This was the residence of the Wang Family’s Second Master.

In the center of the courtyard rested a coffin as black as ink.

Before it stood an incense altar with three sticks of burning incense, their smoke curling lazily into the air.

Several men and women in mourning clothes knelt on the ground, burning paper money and sobbing softly.

Their faces were streaked with tears and their expressions were utterly grief-stricken, yet their eyes were empty and numb, as if their souls had already departed with the deceased.

Seeing Chu Fan approach, they merely shot him an indifferent glance before sinking back into their grief, paying him no mind.

’Even if the Demon Suppression Bureau ultimately caught the killer and brought them to justice, it would never bring their loved one back...’

Chu Fan stood silently outside the courtyard for a moment. Not wanting to disturb them, he turned and walked away.

The very instant he turned, his Divine Soul stirred within his Sea of Consciousness.

VMMMM—

The Spirit Array Map of the Demon Dragon Celestial Spirit Scripture had silently activated!

In an instant, Chu Fan’s Perception Power surged out like a tidal wave, spreading in every direction to envelop the entire Wang Family Mansion.

Every blade of grass, every tree, every stir in the wind within the mansion was reflected in his mind with perfect clarity.

Nothing escaped his notice—not the corners hidden in shadow, not the faint breaths behind closed doors and windows, not even the slow crawl of insects deep underground.

However, as his Divine Sense swept over a rugged rockery deep in the garden, something abruptly changed!

"AHHH—! Run! Everyone, run!"

"It’ll be too late if you don’t! Everyone is going to die!"

A bloodcurdling scream tore through the night sky, shattering the dead silence.

A servant girl in ragged clothes, her hair a tangled mess, suddenly burst out from behind the rockery and began running manically through the garden.

When she saw Chu Fan, a glimmer of light flashed in her eyes, as if she had just found her last hope. She stumbled toward him, crying, "Run! It’s here! It’s really here!"

"It’s right here in the mansion! Everyone will die! No one can escape!"

Her eyes were bloodshot, her face a mess of grime and tears.

She looked completely unhinged, her words a jumbled mess.

Before she could reach Chu Fan, several menacing servants brandishing clubs rushed out from behind the rockery. Without a word, they raised their clubs and began beating her viciously.

"THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!"

A series of dull thuds rang out.

The servant girl screamed in pain, staggered, and fell to the ground. She curled into a ball but continued to cry out, "It’s a ghost! Not a human! It will suck all of you dry!"

"Hahaha... We’re all going to die... Everyone is going to die!"

"My lord, please forgive us! Please forgive us!"

A man who appeared to be the leader of the servants hurried forward, bowing obsequiously to Chu Fan with a fawning smile plastered on his face.

He wiped the cold sweat beading on his forehead. "This girl witnessed the scene of the tragedy a few days ago."

"She’s always been timid, and the sight scared her out of her wits. She hasn’t been right in the head since."

"The family was worried she might run wild and hurt someone, so we locked her in the woodshed out back."

"We never expected she’d break her chains and escape tonight. I apologize for her disturbing you, my lord."

"You see? She even scratched several of my men."

By now, the servant girl had been roughly hauled to her feet by two servants. A dirty rag was stuffed in her mouth, leaving her able to make only muffled, sorrowful cries. Her eyes were filled with despair and terror.