"Decision?" Su Chen was taken aback, feeling suspicious inwardly. "What decision?"
"Nothing much. Let's first see whether you are recognized or not." Xia Hanshi shook his head, not explaining too much.
Seeing that Old Xia was unwilling to elaborate, Su Chen knew that asking was useless. He noticed quite a few scars on Xia Hanshi's exposed, wizened skin.
"I was accidentally injured by a few Evil God Cultists." Xia Hanshi said it casually, but Su Chen understood that a situation capable of injuring even this Chief Inquisitor was likely extrely dangerous.
"Then you really must rest and recuperate well this ti." Su Chen took the opportunity to say. When Old Xia was absent, it always gave him a sense of insecurity, and he had to be cautious about many things.
Xia Hanshi shot him a glance. "My return this ti... I truly do not plan on heading out again in the short term. I need to remain and guard the Adjudication Court for a period of ti."
"Guard?" Su Chen was slightly stunned, feeling this word was a bit unusual.
Xia Hanshi didn't conceal anything: "The Faceless Ghost's believers have already gathered on a massive scale and are preparing to launch an attack on Yingfeng."
Su Chen's brow twitched, and he subconsciously said: "The Holy Banquet?"
"Chong Jingtian and the others even told you about this?" Xia Hanshi snorted coldly. "They certainly know how to put pressure on others."
"It's not the Holy Banquet?" Sensing that Xia Hanshi's attitude wasn't exactly frantic, and that he even had the spare ti to curse Old Chong, Su Chen breathed a sigh of relief.
"Correct..." Satisfied with Su Chen's sharpness, Xia Hanshi nodded. "This attack by the Faceless Ghost's believers is not the Holy Banquet, but rely an isolated assault."
"However, we also find it very strange." At this point, Xia Hanshi also appeared quite puzzled. "They aren't busy preparing for the Holy Banquet, but are instead coming to attack Yingfeng."
"If this attack causes their strength to wane, rendering them unable to initiate the ritual belonging to the Faceless Ghost, then the ownership of Crimson Thunder Planet will have nothing to do with the Faceless Ghost anymore."
Su Chen lowered his head in thought, but suddenly rembered that Faceless Ghost Divine Son. The other party had created the vessel ng Qi to infiltrate, precisely for the sake of the stone slab bearing the Great Exalted's spirituality.
But he had been thwarted by him and returned in a massive defeat. Could the purpose of this attack on Yingfeng be for that stone slab? Since infiltration failed to acquire it, they want to snatch it by force?
"Do you have any ideas?" A glint flashed in Xia Hanshi's eyes as he asked.
"No." Su Chen honestly shook his head. "I just thought of that ng Qi."
"ng Qi?" Frowning, Xia Hanshi recalled sothing. "That Core Seed who was killed off by Teng Liang. The Faceless Ghost's thod..."
Su Chen, anwhile, mumbled: "If ng Qi hadn't died, once he advanced to the 4th tier, I guess the Chief would also have taken him to see the stone slab. I wonder if the things inside would have gained recognition."
"The stone slab?" Xia Hanshi's brows knitted tightly, faintly forming so speculations.
Su Chen stopped there, appearing quite anxious as he asked, "Yingfeng... can it stop this attack?"
Xia Hanshi shot him a glance and withdrew his expression. "The reason those Evil God Cultists want to initiate the Holy Banquet is precisely because they can't do anything to us."
"They hide on the boundless land obscured by the mist, making them difficult for us to find, but it's also as difficult as ascending the heavens for them to attack head-on."
"There might be so unexpected events this ti, but the outco will not change."
Xia Hanshi spoke with great certainty.
True... if they had the strength to breach Yingfeng, would they still need to sneak around and infiltrate?
The cities those Evil God Cultists chose for blood sacrifices before were also all peripheral cities governed by Yingfeng, obviously to avoid Yingfeng's sharp edge.
Thinking of this, Su Chen's heart relaxed significantly. Before, he had constantly thought that the four cities like Yingfeng were already like cornered beasts fighting, seeking life within a dead end.
But thinking about it from another angle now, those Evil God Cultists launching the Holy Banquet was actually because they had no other options either.
The extent to which they could expand their followers had probably reached its limits. The next step could only be to reach their hands into the cities. But all four cities were strictly guarded and heavily fortified, so they could only attempt to initiate the Holy Banquet.
If the Holy Banquet was stopped, they would similarly suffer severe damage to their vitality, or perhaps even wither away entirely.
"There is one more thing," Xia Hanshi suddenly asked. "When Teng Liang killed that ng Qi for the first ti in the Judgnt Departnt's trial hall, did anyone fan the flas?"
Old Xia still rembered this matter. Su Chen's heart jolted as he looked at Old Xia's icy gaze.
"I don't rember the events and details of that day very well, and I arrived relatively late. According to what Ming Lin said, it went like this..." Su Chen did his best to recall and recount.
As he listened, Xia Hanshi's cold gaze gradually turned strange. He knew the final result, and he also knew that the Black Buddha believer who jumped out just wanted to see if anyone took the opportunity to stir up trouble.
But the detail Su Chen described were too specific—specific down to the changes in everyone's expression, specific down to Xue Fei's vicious glare.
"You rember it so clearly?" In the end, even Xia Hanshi couldn't help but ask.
"Ah?" Su Chen looked blank. He thought about it and said, "Really? Maybe I just have good episodic mory."
This kid holds a grudge even more firmly than I do, Xia Hanshi nodded inwardly.
Holding a grudge is good; wanting revenge gives more motivation.
"Xue Fei, that piece of trash who followed Wei Yinshuo around bowing and scraping..." Xia Hanshi said faintly.
Su Chen hesitated: "This... wouldn't killing him for no apparent reason be sowhat improper? He is, after all, a director in the Adjudication Court, and this is exactly when we need manpower..."
Xia Hanshi's eyelid twitched. He took a deep look at Su Chen. More ruthless than him, even.
"You're right." Xia Hanshi remained expressionless.
"Uh, it's just my personal opinion, there's no need to take it to heart, Teacher," Su Chen explained further.
"Alright, I know what to do." Xia Hanshi waved his hand, asking again, "Has anyone bullied you recently?"
"It can't really be considered bullying, just so disputes." Su Chen said helplessly: "Wei Yufan seems to find displeasing to the eye."
"Him... Old Seventh Zhu Yutie's student, that's sowhat troubleso." Xia Hanshi frowned. "Let's wait and see when Old Chong leaves. With him around, it's hard to handle."
"It's as you see fit." Su Chen didn't say anything more.
Xia Hanshi told him to focus on training and not overthink other matters before leaving the place.
"With Old Xia back, I feel much more at ease." Su Chen muttered, stepping into the Gravity Room to work for the final bit of progress on his Azure Thunder Sovereign class.
anwhile, even the most ordinary citizens of Yingfeng sensed the unusual atmosphere.
All the various organizational institutions in Yingfeng announced postponents for their assessnts. Not only that, but the Adjudication Court also announced a delay.
Many people noticed giant armored vehicles and aircraft rumbling out of Yingfeng from the arsenals. Every Inquisitor, Supervisory Guard, City Patrol Guard, and Exploration Guard they saw wore a grim and solemn expression.
Every single sign indicated that a storm was brewing.
……
Another few days passed. In the Gravity Room, the surface of Su Chen's skin crackled incessantly. Fine electrical arcs swam between his hair, and there was even a faint sll of burning.
【Swift Shadow Body Forging thod advanced to Master level. Gained ability—Swiftness: Slightly increases speed.】
Su Chen let out a long breath and glanced at his panel. The Azure Thunder Sovereign's developnt progress had reached 95%. Pretty much only the final push remained.
"However, I'm still missing the final advancent requirent."
Su Chen reached out and took his bracelet from his storage space. After connecting to the network, he received a ssage notification from the Class Analysis Departnt. The thunderstorm environnt was fully prepared, and he could enter at any ti.
"Perfect timing..." Su Chen stood up, tidied himself briefly, and headed to the coordinated location provided by the Class Analysis Departnt.
It wasn't inside Yingfeng City, but outside the city.
For safety's sake, he called Teng Liang to co along. Taking a small aircraft and completing the procedures, they exited the city.
"Since entering Yingfeng, this seems to be my first ti leaving the city."
Su Chen looked down at the massive city walls below. The gigantic Defensive Spirit Ring encircling Yingfeng seed close at hand, while the city walls below sped past in a blur.
"Xue Fei has been thrown to the front lines by Teacher," Teng Liang, sitting to the side, suddenly said. His voice was still muffled: "He's leading a squad to go investigate information about the Faceless Ghost believers at close range."
Su Chen raised an eyebrow. Old Xia really knew how to maximize utility. Investigating the Faceless Ghost's large army at close range, which likely included Chief Priests or even the Divine Son of the Faceless Ghost, carried an unimaginable level of danger.
"He was willing?"
Teng Liang shook his head, saying indifferently, "Willing or not, he has to be willing. Soone had to go; why couldn't it be him?"
"True." Su Chen nodded. Since Wei Yinshuo's death, Xue Fei had kept a very low profile. Alas, Old Xia really knew how to hold a grudge.
Teng Liang didn't speak much, and the two chatted sporadically. Soon, they arrived at the coordinates.
This was a valley. From afar, one could see a massive expanse of dark thunderclouds. Thick thunder snakes wildly writhed within the sea of clouds, the roars of thunder intertwining with the echoes of the valley.
A torrential downpour cascaded like a burst dam. The dense sheets of rain were twisted by the gale into a continuous curtain of water.
The aircraft landed to one side. The people from the Class Analysis Departnt were already waiting there. According to them, this thunderstorm area was created by two 4th-tier professionals over three days.
"The intensity should be enough to fulfill the Calamity Walker's requirent..." the person in charge shouted over the howling gale. This was the reference information Su Chen had provided them.
"Many thanks." Su Chen nodded and strode directly into the area.
"Director Teng..." The two 4th-tier professionals who had created the thunderstorm area only walked over now. Looking at Su Chen's back and exchanging a glance, they looked at Teng Liang and couldn't help asking:
"Is His Excellency Su Chen not going to use any defensive asures?"
Teng Liang frowned slightly. Since Su Chen hadn't ntioned it, he probably didn't need any.
Seeing that he didn't respond, the two could only wait to the side.
As soon as he entered the thunderstorm area, the center of Su Chen's brow twitched frantically. The surroundings contained extrely dense and restless lightning elents.
"I'm about to get struck by lightning..." Su Chen tentatively enveloped himself with the lightning elents he drove.
In practically an instant, a bolt of cracking lightning descended from the heavens and smashed into him.
BOOM!
His entire person was swallowed by the blue-white storm of lightning. Countless electrical arcs wrapped around his limbs and bones like maddened vines.
The massive kinetic energy from the lightning strike slamd him heavily against the ground. Dense web-like patterns of electricity surfaced on his skin, dancing with overloaded electric currents.
"He's forcibly enduring it?"
You don't need defensive asures when being struck by lightning? Calamity Walkers should be able to use defensive asures to weaken the power of the lightning strikes.
In the distance, the two 4th-tier professionals noticed this, their hearts skipping a beat. They speculated inwardly: Could he not be taking the Calamity Walker class?
Although this area was created by the two of them working together, it also utilized a thundercloud. They clearly knew how much power it packed.
They couldn't help but feel worried. Chief Inquisitor Xia had just co back and imdiately dealt with Xue Fei.
If anything happened to his precious student, the two of them would probably face his displaced anger, too.
Thinking of this, the two could only pray silently.
"Fuck..." Su Chen let out a muffled groan. That strike was really fierce.
However, although his clothes were blasted into shreds, his body didn't suffer much damage.
"This seemingly simple requirent is actually terrifying. It might not be difficult for an ordinary 3rd-tier professional to withstand one or two strikes, but continuously taking them for three days without defensive asures, turning into charred coal would be getting off lightly." Su Chen couldn't help but click his tongue.
Imdiately after, the Indestructible Thunder Aura Armor ability activated, clinging over the Purple Gold Scale Armor hidden against his skin. The pressure on his body vanished instantly.
An endless stream of lightning bolts fell. A portion was absorbed by the Indestructible Armor, while the rest was completely incapable of causing him any harm.
"Got to get struck here for a whole day." Su Chen opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of electrical foam. Even though it could no longer harm him, the sensation of being struck by lightning was still quite uncomfortable.
Ti trickled by. The two 4th-tier professionals stood by, maintaining the intensity of the thunderstorm area.
Twenty-four hours quickly passed. Su Chen imdiately darted out from within. Not a single thread of clothing was left on his body, but he paid it no mind.
"Has enough ti passed?" Teng Liang was quite surprised.
"Just about." Su Chen took clothes from the person in charge to the side and put them on.
Good heavens, he really just forcibly endured it without leaving a single injury. The two 4th-tier professionals beside them clicked their tongues inwardly, once again feeling quite amazed. Since he only needed to be struck for one day, it seed he really wasn't a Calamity Walker.
"Let's go, then." Teng Liang didn't ask further, leaving together with Su Chen while the people from the Analysis Departnt began cleaning up the aftermath and dispersing the thunderstorm area.
(End of this chapter)
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