Chapter 28: Unlocking Two Demonic Seeds

"Aren't you going in?" Lei Kun asked, treading carefully as he spoke to a man in plain clothes.

The man wore a short-sleeved shirt, revealing perfectly defined muscles. With every breath he took, a sound like a drum beat echoed from his chest. This man was a member of the Yanhuang Guardian Bureau.

Lei Kun was now certain that the mastermind behind the psychiatric hospital incidents was a cultivator. What puzzled him was why this Guardian, even now, refused to intervene.

The man held a tablet, clicking his tongue in wonder at the footage transmitted from the surveillance cameras. "You don't understand. The cultivation world is complex. This is a private feud between cultivators, unlike you ordinary people, where even a fistfight leads to detention."

"This matter has caused quite a stir, so if one side ends up dead, it will be the perfect conclusion."

Lei Kun asked again, "How exactly did these people die? Was it poison?"

The man shook his head. "The surveillance quality is poor, but it must have been a highly sophisticated method."

Lei Kun silently scoffed to himself. That’s as good as saying nothing! As if I didn't know the method was sophisticated.

"Chen Wenxu is about to die. Are we still not going in?"

The man sneered, "Isn't it better if he dies? He’s no good anyway."

"He is from the Chen family. If we save him and then try to convict him, do you think the Chen family will just sit by and watch?"

"Only with his death can this matter be brought to a quick close, and I will have time to continue my own cultivation."

It was clear that the man had no interest in delving into the rights and wrongs of the situation. Private feuds among Yanhuang cultivators were countless. If they really had to punish everyone based on right and wrong like the police, every member of the Yanhuang Guardian Bureau would have to work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year without rest.

Clearly, the mastermind behind the psychiatric hospital cases was Zhou Chen, but there was no evidence. Thus, they needed a scapegoat to close the case prematurely. The dying Chen Wenxu was undoubtedly the best choice. As for the real culprit, Zhou Chen, he would naturally pay him a visit to deliver a warning.

Moreover, it was already the end of August. As the national top scorer, Zhou Chen would soon be heading to Beijing University, meaning there would be no more psychiatric incidents here for a long time. With the two-month summer break and an entire semester ahead, even if more cases appeared later, he could easily deflect the responsibility.

Of course, the most crucial point was that he had already investigated clearly: the victims who had been turned into psychiatric patients were none of them good people. They were either Chen Wenxu’s hired thugs, wicked wealthy heirs, or other dregs of society. This suggested that Zhou Chen possessed a sense of justice, albeit one executed through extreme methods.

He had also investigated Zhou Chen's background; it was clean. If he could recruit such talent into the Yanhuang Guardian Bureau, given his mysterious methods, he could likely secure a handsome recommendation bonus from his superiors.

...

Chen Wenxu was dead.

His soul had been completely devoured by the Soul-Eater Insects, leaving not a drop behind. Zhou Chen sat cross-legged on his bed, refining the soul energy fed back from the Soul-Eater Queen.

The combined soul energy of five ordinary people and one modern cultivator was immense, surging forward to shatter the shackles of the Great Perfection of Qi Refining.

Foundation Establishment Stage!

Although it was only his soul strength that had reached the Foundation Establishment level, it gave Zhou Chen the illusion that all people were mere ants and he alone could roam the nine heavens.

Wherever his gaze swept, nothing could remain hidden. With his soul strength at the Foundation Establishment level, Zhou Chen’s five senses and perception had improved significantly. Furthermore, reaching this stage meant Zhou Chen now possessed Divine Sense.

Divine Sense was the external manifestation of spiritual power—a hallmark ability of entering the Foundation Establishment stage. Its uses were numerous; within the range of his Divine Sense, everything was laid bare in an omnidirectional field of vision. Even with a thick wall in front of him, he could easily see what lay on the other side.

At the same time, Zhou Chen mastered his own means of attack: Divine Soul Attack!

Much like the Soul-Eater Insects' soul spikes, Zhou Chen could now channel his own soul energy into weapons to attack targets. However, this required cultivating the secret techniques of the ancient Qi Refiners. Techniques involving the divine soul were difficult to master and would take a considerable amount of time.

Zhou Chen expanded his Divine Sense.

Centered on his own head, it spread out about ten meters in all directions. Everything within this zone was visible within his Divine Sense. It was like seeing the condoms in his parents' drawer, the cucumber on the widow’s nightstand downstairs, or even the waste buried within the floorboards by the workers who had built the apartment building.

After releasing it for only a few seconds, Zhou Chen withdrew his Divine Sense. Releasing it consumed soul energy, and penetrating objects doubled that consumption.

Zhou Chen closed his eyes and looked inward with his Divine Sense. Every condition of his body was clear to him—down to the flow of blood, the digestion in his stomach, and the storage of urine in his bladder, all presented clearly in his mind.

Then, Zhou Chen circulated the "Dao Heart Demonic Seed" and was pleasantly surprised to find he could condense two Demonic Seeds. This meant he could unlock two species of exotic insects at once!

Zhou Chen was overjoyed. He immediately entered the Insect Nest space, unable to wait to refine the Disease-Eater Insect, plant the Demonic Seed, and break its seal.

The Disease-Eater Insect was even smaller. If the Soul-Eater Insect was 1/20th the size of a fly, the Disease-Eater was roughly 1/130th. Such a tiny creature could never be detected by ordinary people, nor even by modern cultivators.

However, the Disease-Eater Insect had no offensive capabilities, not even the Queen. Through the Demonic Seed, Zhou Chen learned that the Disease-Eater Queen’s innate skill was—Plague Spreading!

As the name implied, it could spread plagues and disasters. The Disease-Eater Queen could not only consume viruses but also propagate them. For instance, if it absorbed stomach cancer from a patient, it could transfer that cancer to another person through its innate skill. This meant Zhou Chen could not only be a divine healer of the age but also a master of toxic purgatory!

Zhou Chen pondered. His soul strength was now sufficiently powerful, and with the Disease-Eater Insect, he had a source for future cultivation energy. What he needed to improve next was his physical body. His body was a weak point; if Chen Wenxu had attacked him in his own home at such close range, his family would have been in grave danger. His physical body had to be strengthened, or he might die without knowing how if someone took a shot at him from the shadows.

Even if he couldn't reach the level of resisting a nuclear blast, he had to be able to survive a bullet. Thus, Zhou Chen planted the second Demonic Seed deep within the soul of the Life-Eater Insect.

The Life-Eater Insect was an exotic creature that consumed life. It could devour the life force of humans, animals, or even flora, feeding that vitality back to the Life-Eater Queen, which would then feed it back to Zhou Chen. With these three exotic insects, Zhou Chen had truly embarked on the path of cultivation.

Suddenly, Zhou Chen’s phone rang. A message appeared, telling him to go to the rooftop.

Through the Soul-Eater Insect, Zhou Chen knew the Guardian from the Yanhuang Guardian Bureau was waiting there. He did not refuse; this person could not pose a fatal threat to him.

On the rooftop.

"Young friend, great skill and great courage. Let me introduce myself: my name is Guo Lin, a Level Two Guardian of the Yanhuang Guardian Bureau." Guo Lin clasped his hands in a salute.

In the Yanhuang cultivation world, there was no custom of shaking hands. After all, if the other party had murderous intent, at such close range, one wouldn't even have a chance to react.

Zhou Chen returned the salute in kind. "Zhou family, Zhou Chen."

Guo Lin didn't waste time; he had already spent too long on this matter and was eager to return to his cultivation. "Young friend Zhou, I know the people you targeted weren't good people. However, you ultimately violated the rules of the Yanhuang cultivation world: cultivators are forbidden from attacking innocent ordinary people."

Zhou Chen chuckled. "And do you think I am a cultivator? And what evidence do you have that I was the one who attacked?"

"This..." Guo Lin was stumped. First, Zhou Chen was not a cultivator, so he hadn't violated the rules of the cultivation world. Second, he truly had no evidence that Zhou Chen was the one who acted. From both the cultivation and secular perspectives, he couldn't convict Zhou Chen. Since yesterday, Zhou Chen hadn't left his room, providing him with a perfect alibi.

Guo Lin didn't dwell on it further and stated bluntly, "I have pushed all the blame onto Chen Wenxu, so you can rest easy, young friend Zhou. On behalf of the Yanhuang Guardian Bureau, I invite you to join us. You would enjoy many privileges and receive monthly cultivation resources, which is much faster than cultivating on your own."

Zhou Chen naturally refused. Kidding! He had the Insect Nest space and the inheritance of the ancient Qi Refiners; lingering in the city was the most advantageous choice for him.

"That is truly a pity. But since you aren't interested, I won't force you."

"By the way, I should remind you: once you get to Beijing, try to keep a low profile. Beijing is full of hidden talents; a waste like Chen Wenxu wouldn't even be qualified to carry someone's shoes there." Guo Lin offered the advice out of goodwill.

Zhou Chen nodded. "Many thanks for the advice, Brother Guo."

Guo Lin smiled, said nothing more, and leaped off the rooftop, disappearing into the night. His purpose for finding Zhou Chen had been achieved; even if he couldn't make him a member, he had at least done him a favor. A young man with such mysterious methods and infinite potential would surely be someone he might need help from in the future.

Zhou Chen gazed into the darkness, a smile curling his lips.

"Hidden talents, you say? I find myself looking forward to it. I wonder if there are others like me?"