Upon hearing Wu Fengâs words, Prince Zhen Nan thoughtfully remarked, "The Other Shore Flower? If I remember correctly, isnât that the emblem of the Yellow Springs Sect?"
Wu Feng replied, "Yes, it is."
Prince Zhen Nan thought for a moment, then continued, "In that case, this wolf demon was transformed by someone from the Yellow Springs Sect."
Wu Feng said, "It seems so, for now."
Prince Zhen Nan lightly tapped his hand on the wooden table, as if pondering something.
After a long pause, he looked at Wu Feng and said, "You should head back tonight."
Wu Feng bowed and said, "Yes, I take my leave."
As the words fell, Wu Feng turned and exited the Zhen Nan Prince Manor.
After Wu Feng left, Prince Zhen Nan remained seated, continuing to contemplate matters regarding the Yellow Springs Sect.
He wondered whether this Yellow Springs Sect was a sect founded by humans or one established by the Mysterious.
Previously, their investigation had focused on the Heavenly Fate Sect, but now it seemed that the Yellow Springs Sect might also pose a problem. Otherwise, why would they have planted spies in the Deceit Suppression Bureau?
The news of the wolf demonâs slaying spread throughout the capital city the next day.
Upon hearing that the wolf demon was killed, the citizens of the capital city finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Of course, it was only temporary, as there still was a larger threat that remained unresolved. So far, neither Zhen Nan Prince Manor nor the Deceit Suppression Bureau had discovered any traces of those Earth Realm Strange entities.
Deceit Suppression Bureau, discussion hall.
By the time Prince Zhen Nan arrived at the discussion hall, the high-ranking members of the Deceit Suppression Bureau were already present.
Today, Lu Chen also accompanied Prince Zhen Nan to the Deceit Suppression Bureau, intrigued by the matters concerning the Yellow Springs Sect.
The Heavenly Fate Sect suddenly had four Ancestors of the Strange surface. If the Yellow Springs Sect is also founded by the Strange, perhaps the Yellow Springs Sect also has such Ancestors present.
Itâs not necessarily true that just because a sect plants spies in the Deceit Suppression Bureau, it is related to the Mysterious.
However, judging by the conduct of the Yellow Springs Sect, this sect indeed seems to have some ties with the Mysterious.
This sect has been too low-profile in the past, giving the impression that they aim to blend into human society.
Prince Zhen Nan took the main seat, glanced at the gathered high-ranking members of the Deceit Suppression Bureau, and said, "Please sit."
As Prince Zhen Nanâs words fell, everyone sat down in unison.
At this moment, Prince Zhen Nan turned to Fan Yaodong and asked, "There was no Deceit Pearl inside the wolf demon?"
Fan Yaodong responded, "Yes, our people dissected the wolf demonâs body thoroughly, and found no Deceit Pearl. Furthermore, there wasnât any aura of the Deceit Pearl on its body."
If an Evil Spirit contains a Deceit Pearl within its body, the spiritual evil on its body would usually concentrate at one point after the Evil Spirit perishes.
A Spirit Martial Artist with slightly stronger capabilities can easily locate where the Deceit Pearl is.
Upon hearing Fan Yaodongâs answer, Prince Zhen Nan pondered for a moment and then said, "It seems that the wolf demon was indeed someone from the Yellow Springs Sect who underwent transformation due to spiritual backlash."
Saying this, Prince Zhen Nan glanced at everyone in the hall and then asked, "How much do you all know about the Yellow Springs Sect?"
The high-ranking officers in the hall of the Deceit Suppression Bureau exchanged glances with each other.
They, like Prince Zhen Nan, didnât know much about the Yellow Springs Sect. Had Lu Chen not identified the Yellow Springs Sectâs spy among the Deceit Suppressing Guards last time, they might have long forgotten about the existence of this sect.
Although the Yellow Springs Sect prospered for a brief period, the time of prosperity was too short, leaving little impression on people.
Seeing the expressions in the hall, Prince Zhen Nan knew they were equally unfamiliar with the Yellow Springs Sect.
He then said, "I suspect this Yellow Springs Sect is very likely a force established by the Mysterious."
Upon hearing Prince Zhen Nanâs conjecture, silence fell among the group.
While such a possibility did exist, they hadnât found any evidence.
The spies from the Heavenly Fate Sect who were captured could clearly indicate their sect was a Mysterious force, but the captured spies from the Yellow Springs Sect couldnât be coerced by the Deceit Suppression Bureau to reveal anything about the Yellow Springs Sect.
At present, Prince Zhen Nan looked towards the Investigation Bureauâs Wu Feng and said, "Designate part of your team to thoroughly investigate this Yellow Springs Sect."
Wu Feng bowed and replied, "Yes."
Following Wu Fengâs words, the discussion room suddenly quieted down, with no one speaking further.
Lately, the atmosphere in the Deceit Suppression Bureau has been quite despondent, primarily because they havenât yet tracked down the Heavenly Fate Sect, nor have they uncovered the village massacre Mysterious.
For now, the only method they could think of to lure those Empirical-level anomalies is to have Lu Chen leave the capital, but the senior officers of the Deceit Suppression Bureau also knew Lu Chen was Prince Zhen Nanâs only offspring. Prince Zhen Nan couldnât possibly allow Lu Chen to leave the capital and take such a big risk. Should anything happen, Prince Zhen Nan would be without heirs, so they currently donât know what to do.
Lu Chen, seated on a wooden chair on the right side of the hall, gazed at the high-ranking members of the Deceit Suppression Bureau, observing their lifeless expressions. He proactively broke the silence and inquired, "Has the Deceit Suppression Bureau obtained any clues about the village massacre Mysterious?"
Lu Chenâs voice shattered the stillness of the discussion hall.
Lu Yu broke the silence, saying, "Not at the moment. The Mysterious can conceal its aura, unless we capture the perpetrator of the village massacre on the spot. Otherwise, once the Mysterious hides among the crowd, it becomes exceedingly difficult for us to locate them again."
As Lu Yu spoke, he glanced meaningfully at Lu Chen.
Currently, only Lu Chen could potentially identify the identity of the Mysterious. If Lu Chen doesnât lend his help, then the Deceit Suppression Bureauâs endeavor to identify those five Earth Realm Strange figures would amount to nothing more than a pipe dream.
However, even if Lu Chen could recognize the Mysteriousâ identity, he alone might encounter them.
Considering how vast Dazhou is, the Mysterious could hide in any random corner, and Lu Chen might not run into them.
Therefore, the best strategy is still to use Lu Chen as bait to lure the Mysterious out, and capture them all in one sweep.
Lu Chen then remarked, "I heard over thirty villages around the capital have been massacred. If it was done by the Mysterious, itâs impossible that thereâs not a single clue left behind; the handling seems too clean."
As Lu Chenâs words fell, the hall once again plunged into deathly silence.
The current status is that the Deceit Suppression Bureau truly hasnât discovered any useful clues.
Up until now, they merely speculate that the culprit behind the village massacres might be the Mysterious; whether it is Mysterious or Evil Spirits, they are unclear, seemingly blind in their investigation.
At this moment, the high-ranking officers of the Deceit Suppression Bureau genuinely wished to propose using Lu Chen as bait to provoke the Mysterious into action.
However, considering Lu Chenâs identity, they could only suppress this idea.
After a long time, Prince Zhen Nan spoke, "Since there are no clues outside the city, letâs turn our attention to within the city. Focus the investigation on this wolf demon, try to ascertain its true identity."
Upon hearing Prince Zhen Nanâs words, Lu Chen suddenly thought of something, then addressed Lu Yu, "Lord Lu, please compile the case files on the extermination incident that the wolf demon perpetrated."
Upon hearing this request from Lu Chen, Prince Zhen Nan asked, "Do you suspect the wolf demon has a specific purpose in killing?"
Lu Chen replied, "Itâs hard to say; we still need to see what kind of people it targeted."
Under normal circumstances, when humans transform into Evil Spirits due to spiritual backlash, they lack self-awareness for quite a long time. Hence, their killings lack purpose, merely killing for the sake of killing.
However, this is only typical; if the wolf demon deliberately targeted people with a common connection, it would indicate the wolf demon had awareness. Once the wolf demonâs awareness is confirmed, it would substantially broaden what the Deceit Suppression Bureau could investigate.