Having said that, Du Jingming pounced forward. Azure flames leaked from his body, creating sizzling sounds as they scorched the air.
In the blink of an eye, the flames filled the entire corridor. Electric arcs shuttled through the sea of fire, gnawing at the azure flames like living creatures, yet were concurrently contorted by the high heat into spiraling, glowing particles, emitting violent sparks of fire.
Su Chen didn't even say a single word, immediately turning around to run.
"Don't stick with me!" Seeing that Sun Tai still wanted to follow him, Su Chen shouted in a low voice.
Zhou Xian's target was solely himself. Whether he could escape or not, having Sun Tai tag along wouldn't be a good thing.
Sun Tai's footsteps halted, a hesitant look on his face.
Without pausing his movements, Su Chen whipped out the Azure Cable, wrapping it around Sun Tai.
"Ah!" Sun Tai couldn't help but cry out as his entire body flew uncontrollably, smashing into the adjacent room.
Meanwhile, Su Chen had already darted quite a distance away, charging into the twisted, mangled elevator doors. Below lay the pitch-black elevator shaft, its two sides crawling with flashing electric arcs.
Wrapped in azure wind currents, Su Chen performed a flip in mid-air, kicking both legs against the upper wall. He then bent his knees slightly, head pointing downwards.
Boom!
The muscles in his legs bunched up tightly like iron as wind currents converged, compressing almost to the point of turning into substantial matter.
The next moment, Su Chen abruptly exerted force. Wild winds surged violently, his tattered clothes flapping loudly as his entire body shot forth fiercely like an arrow released from a bowstring.
Aided by gravity and initial speed, he dove downwards at a speed barely visible to the naked eye.
"You can't escape!"
Zhou Xian roared repeatedly, similarly becoming ruthless. His body dissipated once more, dodging the head-on assault from Du Jingming.
"He can actually still elementalize?" Du Jingming felt a jolt of shock.
Elementalization was a special method; even a 3rd-tier professional would find it very difficult to execute proficiently.
Because their tier was too low, they could easily be influenced by the natural environment, resulting in permanent elementalizationāakin to committing suicide.
For Zhou Xian to be able to use it once had already astonished him. Doing it a second time was simply gambling with his life!
"You caught me off guard the first time, and you think you can pull it off again?" Though surprised inwardly, Du Jingming's hands weren't slow, though he didn't give chase after Zhou Xian.
Instead, he charged toward the ceiling, violently piercing both his iron arms into it.
Immediately following that, the surrounding lights flickered as he forcefully tore out several thick metal electrical wires. Electric sparks exploded from the exposed copper wiring.
Tearing them apart with both hands, he plunged the exposed ends of the copper wires straight onto the floor.
In an instant, violent electric sparks shot out everywhere, and the electric arcs that initially permeated the surroundings began to twist and jump erratically.
This was the crucial flaw of elementalization. If it were during a rainy night with roaring thunder, let alone a 3rd-tier professional like Zhou Xian, even a 5th-tier professional wouldn't dare to elementalize themselves.
Boom!
Surging air currents surrounded Su Chen. Dispersed iron strands from the Azure Cable shot out in all directions, embedding themselves deeply into the walls to help him decelerate.
It only took a few breaths' time for the ground to arrive in close proximity!
Crackle! Crackle!
Simultaneously, the electric arcs clinging to the surroundings of the elevator shaft rapidly became active.
Su Chen only felt a chill run down the back of his neck. Turning his head, he saw a cluster of electric arcs faintly convergingāit was precisely Zhou Xian.
"Motherfucker, this is truly troublesome." Su Chen gritted his teeth.
Boom!
Su Chen's entire body smashed into the ground, kicking up smoke and dust. He jumped straight back up in the blink of an eye, the surrounding electric arcs weaving into an electrical net.
Above, Sun Tai hopped and skipped out of the room. The moment his feet touched the ground, the electrical currents spreading across the floor climbed up his body, causing his fat to twitch non-stop.
"Du... Minister Du... hurry..."
"Hurry... go... save... save him!"
He urged repeatedly, his wide and fat body already charging toward the elevator shaft.
He didn't need to say it; Du Jingming was already taking action, dragging the electrical wires with both hands, accompanied by sparks and lightning all the way down.
"You hid your true self far too deeply..." Zhou Xian's voice drifted from all directions, hollow and dispersed.
"You are the delicious soul My Lord spoke of... to think you were right beneath my nose the whole time."
Su Chen's expression darkened slightly. 'I was still discovered by them after all.'
His mind raced rapidly. Looking up, he already made his decision.
"Incredible, truly incredible." Zhou Xian's figure was coalescing, smoke and dust mixing with the lightning, making it impossible to see the contents within clearly.
"It's a pity, but you ultimately cannot escape the palm of my hand. As long as I sacrifice you to him, My Lord will definitely be extremely happy."
Zhou Xian's silhouette had already formed, but his right thigh abruptly dissipated, fresh blood spewing out. Zhou Xian let out a howl of misery. "Damn you, Du Jingming! I'll kill your whole family!"
The influence of the environmental electric currents had caused a deviation during the coalescence process of his elementalization.
But now wasn't the time to fuss over this. His gaze locked onto Su Chen, the lightning surrounding him flaring brightly.
But right at this moment, his heart trembled slightly. His expression abruptly underwent a drastic change, his pupils constricting tightly.
Zzt~ Zzt~
He saw Su Chen's eyes having already turned glowing blue. The hair fluttering around him had also turned glowing blue, with electric arcs lingering between the strands. The life aura of his entire person instantly skyrocketed by several times!
Wind and Thunder Adept!
Upon entering the Wind and Thunder Adept state, Su Chen's perception toward elemental power instantly increased several times over. He clearly sensed the peculiar transformation from elemental power to flesh within Zhou Xian's not-yet-fully-coalesced body.
Whipping out the Azure Cable, blazing electric arcs surged from it, converging into a blazing white. Not only that, but scarlet lightning also flickered in the air above the elevator shaft.
Telekinesis surged, and the surrounding smoke and dust drifted, attempting to interfere with Zhou Xian's body.
"Die for me!" Su Chen shouted fiercely, unleashing the most formidable strike he had executed to date!
Crackle! Crackle!
"How is this possible... you... how could you..."
Lightning surged wildly. Zhou Xian's expression was filled with shock and terror; the power of this strike made even him feel a sense of threat.
Before his elementalization had fully coalesced, the Azure Cable ruthlessly lashed into his body. Various lightning elements that didn't belong to him churned madly within.
His right arm, his left leg, and his abdomen simultaneously exploded with bloody light, fresh blood spewing uncontrollably. Zhou Xian let out a miserable shriek.
Du Jingming, descending directly from above, wore a look of shock. He stared in disbelief at that glowing blue figure; the life aura emanating from it was actually vaguely not inferior to his own?
Su Chen didn't give Zhou Xian any opportunities, closing in to mercilessly beat the drowning dog.
"Heh... heh..." Zhou Xian gritted his teeth. His expression was extremely ugly to the extreme, yet he squeezed out a malevolent smile. "As expected of the delicious soul targeted by My Lord. It's a pity..."
His pupils abruptly turned black. A rhombic crystal in his hand shattered, and strands of black mist spewed out, forming a phantom of Black Buddha sitting cross-legged around him.
Su Chen's body halted as an invisible force abruptly struck out. He felt a fatal threat.
Meanwhile, the still-descending Du Jingming above was directly blasted upwards, his face filled with panic.
"This... this is... Black Buddha!?"
Du Jingming clung to the elevator shaft, looking down at the area that had already been completely enveloped in black mist. A half-head was revealed within, its black vertical pupil clearly visible.
"Zhou Xian is going all out, desperately fighting for his life."
Sun Tai sprawled over the edge of the elevator shaft, his face deathly pale. "Little Brother, Little Brother..."
...
'This fellow has actually already started believing in Black Buddha...' Su Chen couldn't help but think.
"Haha..." Zhou Xian laughed loudly. "How could the might of My Lord be something an ant like you can comprehend?"
But immediately after, his loud laughter abruptly stopped, eyes revealing a look of shock and befuddlement. He actually... felt a sense of familiarity from the Su Chen before his eyes.
Following closely behind, he saw the hair on the other party's head abruptly disappear, replaced by a black vertical pupil surfacing on his skull.
Upon entering this state, Su Chen felt the oppressive feeling faintly emanating from the surrounding black mist instantly vanish.
"What!?"
Zhou Xian lost his bearings and cried out in shock, the surrounding lightning all coming to a halt. What happened to Su Chen made him find it inconceivable.
Su Chen was actually a believer of Black Buddha!?
That sensation of intimacy couldn't possibly be faked. Just how on earth did the people from Yingfeng conduct their verifications!
Before his thoughts could settle, Zhou Xian's heart skipped another beat, because an object he was incomparably familiar with appeared in Su Chen's handāa black vertical pupil crystal.
"A Holy Pupil! This is the one I gave to Yu Xuan. To think it actually fell into his hands!"
He knew the power of this thing. Zhou Xian couldn't help but feel a palpitation in his heart, but he quickly reacted and sneered:
"You can't use it! You are a believer of the Faceless Ghost disguised as a believer of My Lord. Your aura might deceive me, but it cannot deceive the power of My Lord!"
"Using this thing is spinning a cocoon to bind yourself!"
Su Chen paid him no heed, directly crushing it. Strands of black mist surged out, similarly forming a cross-legged Statue of Black Buddha around him, faint murmuring sounds echoing out.
The crackling electric arcs striking against it failed to cause any damage whatsoever.
The two Statues of Black Buddha stared at each other, seemingly locked in a stalemate.
"How could it be like this!?"
Zhou Xian was completely dumbfounded. The bewilderment, helplessness, and fury in his heart intertwined into raging flames, constantly washing over his rationality.
That was his Lord! The Saint he worshipped! Yet at this moment, it was protecting his enemy?
Could it be that it wanted him to kneel down in submission right now?
If Su Chen truly were a believer of Black Buddha, it would be impossible for the Priest not to know earlier. But if he wasn't, then everything before his eyes simply couldn't be explained.
In the end, exactly who is the true believer of Black Buddha!?
"I... I will kill you! Kill you!" Blood vessels laced through Zhou Xian's pupils.
His already not-so-firm faith wavered at this moment, the hatred of his son's murder surging back up.
To hell with 'delicious soul,' to hell with sacrifices! Right now, he only wanted to drag Su Chen to hell with him!
"Die!"
He charged forward without regard for the costs, lightning flaring brilliantly like thousands of thunderbolts piercing the heart, heading straight for the Black Buddha.
But right at this moment, both heads of the Black Buddha statues raised simultaneously, their gazes locking onto Zhou Xian.
They detected an impious believer!
Zhou Xian looked over involuntarily, and then...
Boom!
The surrounding lightning blasted apart. He flew backwards at an even faster speed than when he came, crashing through numerous walls before finally coming to a halt. He collapsed onto the ground, vomiting fresh blood, his gaze unfocused.
In the lobby on the first floor, the Supervision Guards who had already formed up in tight arrays waiting for battle were startled.
"..." Zhou Xian stared fixedly at the darkness behind the blasted hole, blood froth bubbling from his mouth with a "he... he" sound. A figure gradually emerged.
The upper half of his body was wrapped in azure scale armor, and his pants on the lower half were also nearly completely tattered. With a single leap, he landed beside Zhou Xian.
"Su Chen?" someone among the surrounding Supervision Guards called out.
Su Chen swept a glance from the corner of his eye and discovered it was the former patrol team captain, Zhao Xiong.
"..." Zhou Xian wasn't dead yet, merely grievously injured, left with only one eyeball staring dead fixed at him.
Su Chen pressed one foot onto his chest, applying a slight bit of pressure, and bloody froth surged out from Zhou Xian's mouth.
"He... he... he..."
Zhou Xian could only produce this kind of sound, his venomous gaze staring fixedly at Su Chen, brimming with despair and unwillingness...
Su Chen looked down at him. Soundlessly and traceslessly, an iron strand slithered from the bottom of his foot, embedding itself into the wounds on the surface of Zhou Xian's skin.
Very quickly, Zhou Xian's breathing ceased.
"He finally died." Su Chen let out a breath, feeling entirely bewildered inwardly as well.
What exactly happened just now? Why did both Statues of Black Buddha simultaneously attack him? Strange...
"Su... Little Brother Su!?"
A pleasantly surprised shout came from behind. Sun Tai rolled over like a meatball, weeping tears of joy. "Little Brother, you're fine! That's wonderful, absolutely wonderful!"
Heaven knows, just now, he had already fallen into despair.
In the beginning, he had indeed taken care of the other party because of Yuan Chenyang, but there was a difference between caring diligently and half-heartedly.
He could have easily just waited for Su Chen to encounter a problem and come looking for him before lending a hand; it would have still been an acceptable answer.
But Su Chen's behavior and the way he handled matters made him feel that he was someone worth befriending. Therefore, he had always taken the initiative to help, forging a deep friendship.
"You're actually... fine?" Du Jingming followed closely behind. While breathing a sigh of relief, he was also filled with astonishment and uncertainty, casting a glance at Zhou Xian's miserable corpse on the ground.
The other party utilized some sort of Evil God method, yet actually still couldn't do anything to Su Chen. Was it a life-saving trump card left behind by Chief Inquisitor Xia?
"I sustained some injuries, but it's not a major issue." Su Chen reached out a hand to block Sun Tai, whose face was covered in snot and tears, his own expression not looking very pleasant.
"That's good then." Du Jingming didn't press further; that wasn't within his purview of responsibilities.
"Stop standing around! Go upstairs and search; see if there's anyone injured," Du Jingming turned his head and scolded the surrounding Supervision Guards.
"Captain Zhao, if you wouldn't mind staying behind..." Su Chen called out.
"This is... the former Minister of Internal Affairs, Zhou Xian?" Zhao Xiong was stunned. He walked over, lowered his head to glance at the corpse being carried away, then looked at Su Chen, who was currently undergoing a physical examination, feeling quite emotional internally.
When the other party was first transferred here, he had thought him a second-generation rich kid coasting by on seniority. But he never expected that in just a few short months, he would be capable of directly engaging in a life-or-death struggle against Zhou Xian.
"Hssā" Su Chen sucked in a breath of cold air, looking at the young lady from the First Aid Department who was giving him a physical examination. The other party's face was flushed completely red as she hurriedly said, "Sorry, sorry..."
His right shoulder area had already turned purple-red. Even after undergoing multiple layers of defense to block Zhou Xian's strike, the power hadn't been completely diminished.
"It's fine..." Su Chen waved a hand. The young lady swept a glance over Su Chen's robust upper body, let out a breath to calm her state of mind, and placed her hands on the swollen area.
A radiant green light scattered outward, drifting onto the injured area. A cool sensation spread through the place, and the stinging pain gradually diminished.
'A profession specifically meant for healing?'
First Aid Department... Su Chen had never used the services of this department before. No wonder only certain high-ranking families could use it; a professional providing personal service was quite something.
"Captain Zhao has become a Deputy Section Chief?" Su Chen swept a glance at the insignia on Zhao Xiong's shoulder.
"Thanks to your blessing." Zhao Xiong was very self-aware. This burly man was quiet and taciturn; it would be quite difficult for him to squeeze out any sycophantic words.
He wasn't privy to the changes amongst the high-ranking officials, nor did he know that Su Chen had become the student of some Chief Inquisitor.
But for him to be inexplicably promoted, and with Sun Tai even becoming a Vice Minister, the only possibility was Su Chen.
Sun Tai added from the side: "Captain Zhao's capabilities are entirely sufficient for the task. He will very quickly attain the rank of a 2nd-tier professional."
The requirements for 1st and 2nd lowering-tier professions weren't very stringent. As long as one had resources and time, they could slowly grind their way up.
"The matter over there should have reached a white-hot phase." Du Jingming looked toward the outside of the Supervision Department.
Su Chen's expression turned slightly solemn. When the crowd walked outside to look, the heavenly vault in the west was illuminated in a golden hue, as resplendent as falling fire.
"The problem... shouldn't be too big, right?" Sun Tai's throat bobbed.