Chapter 213: Chapter 117: The "Key" Is the Demon Suppression Stele! Breakthrough to the Entering the Realm of Strength, Qi Blood Transforming Force, and Microscopic Control

’But as the one who started all this, how can I just stand by and do nothing?’

’Letting the experts from the Demon Suppression Bureau deal with the Moon Worship Sect is undoubtedly the wisest choice.’

’But I have to wait for over half a month...’

Right now, Cyan Yang Ancient City seemed peaceful, but in reality, it was a storm of turbulent undercurrents.

No one knew what unexpected events might occur in that half a month.

...

Yue Mankong returned the sealed White Bone to Chu Fan.

But his Divine Sense still hadn’t left Chu Fan’s body.

"Senior, what exactly is a Resentful Spirit? Why is the Moon Worship Sect cultivating such a thing?" Chu Fan asked.

Yue Mankong’s voice was grave. "A Resentful Spirit is condensed from countless other Resentful Spirits. It grows by absorbing the resentful energy between heaven and earth and is considered one of the most terrifying monsters in all of legend."

"But creating a Resentful Spirit is incredibly difficult, and they are almost impossible to control. For this reason, it’s rare to see even one in several hundred years."

"I never imagined the Moon Worship Sect would be so utterly depraved. They not only created a Resentful Spirit, but they also handed it to the Seven Stars Gang, helping them use a ’Blood Refining Array’ and the Resentful Spirit itself to cultivate and achieve breakthroughs..."

"Those fools from the Seven Stars Gang still don’t realize it. They think they’ve gained immense power from the Resentful Spirit, but they have no idea that they’ll eventually become a part of it themselves!"

A chill ran down Chu Fan’s spine. "So, the members of the Seven Stars Gang..."

"Knowing the Moon Worship Sect’s methods, the Seven Stars Gang are nothing more than their pawns. In the end, these pawns will be devoured completely, leaving not even a scrap behind," Yue Mankong said coldly. "Their souls will be annihilated, never to be reborn for all eternity!"

Chu Fan grew nervous. "Then the Resentful Spirit in the White Bone I’m carrying..."

Yue Mankong said, "That is only a minuscule fragment that split off from the main Resentful Spirit."

"It was clearly one of the Resentful Spirits within the greater one—the little girl. She has some kind of connection with you, so when you drew near, it split her and a few other Resentful Spirits off to lure you to that pit and help it escape."

Yue Mankong’s tone turned serious. "If my Paperman clone hadn’t been hiding beneath the stone platform, you would have likely released the Resentful Spirit by now."

"And if that had happened, we would have been in serious trouble."

Chu Fan thought of the little girl, now a Resentful Spirit, and felt a complex mix of emotions.

He had just met the siblings at the soup kitchen the day he arrived at the Seven Stars Gang. ’How much time has passed since then? And now those two children have already become Resentful Souls...’

’This world we live in...’

Chu Fan sighed. "The Moon Worship Sect is such an insane cult. Why does the Demon Suppression Bureau allow them to continue to exist?"

Yue Mankong let out a long sigh. "Things are far more complicated than you imagine..."

"In fact, several hundred years ago, the Demon Suppression Bureau completely wiped out the Moon Worship Sect, even destroying their Main Altar."

"But just a few hundred years later, the Moon Worship Sect rose from the ashes, and it seems they’ve acquired even greater power."

"Their influence has already infiltrated the entire Great Yan Dynasty..."

"Remember this: until the Demon Suppression Bureau’s reinforcements arrive, do not trust anyone claiming to be from the imperial court."

As he finished speaking, a stream of information mysteriously surfaced in Chu Fan’s mind...

The Great Yan Dynasty, a nation founded on martial prowess, had once known over a thousand years of prosperity.

But after a millennium, the once-illustrious Royal Family’s glory had long since faded.

Deep within the palace walls, treacherous currents churned;

Powerful ministers and court eunuchs each harbored their own sinister plots;

The various factions were locked in a constant struggle of scheme and deceit.

As for external threats...

The fires of war on the Northern Border never ceased, as the iron cavalry of the Barbarian Race pressed upon their territory.

The Southern Border Demon Country stirred up endless trouble, while Demon Fiends and monsters ran rampant, completely unchecked...

The dynasty that once commanded respect in all directions was now but a guttering candle in the night.

On the palace walls, where the vermilion lacquer was peeling, the coiled dragon carvings still lingered. Yet, under the blood-red setting sun, they only served to highlight the decay of a dynasty in its final days.

This information was not spoken by Yue Mankong.

Rather, it was as if Yue Mankong’s own thoughts had been transmitted directly into Chu Fan’s mind.

As Chu Fan was pondering this, Yue Mankong’s Divine Sense withdrew from his body and returned to the Paperman.

Chu Fan finally regained control of his own body.

The Paperman paced on the table, its voice low. "The Moon Worship Sect’s main forces are currently gathered around Dragon Ridge Mountain. They’re looking for a ’key’ there..."

"Dragon Ridge Mountain? A key?" Chu Fan abruptly interrupted. "Weren’t they looking for the key in Cyan Yang Ancient City? Why have they gone to Dragon Ridge Mountain now?"

Yue Mankong’s Paperman stopped pacing and turned slightly. "How did you know they were searching for a ’key’ in Cyan Yang Ancient City?"

"It’s not just me. Is there a single power in Cyan Yang Ancient City, big or small, that doesn’t know the Moon Worship Sect is looking for a key?" Chu Fan said with a frown.

’After all, I’m the one who spread that rumor in the first place,’ Chu Fan added silently.

The Paperman trembled faintly, and Yue Mankong’s voice was laced with clear anxiety. "This is bad... For the news to have spread this far and wide, someone must be fanning the flames behind the scenes. This will force the Moon Worship Sect to speed up their plans!"

The "instigator’s" eye twitched, but he forced himself to remain calm. "So, where is the key, exactly?"

"It might be in Dragon Ridge Mountain, or it might be in Cyan Yang Ancient City," Yue Mankong explained. "I learned from the memories of a captured Moon Worship Cultist that they use a Secret Technique to detect the key’s fluctuations. Both of those locations have had a reaction."

"Cyan Yang Ancient City had multiple fluctuations two years ago. As for Dragon Ridge Mountain..."

Yue Mankong paused. "There was a fluctuation there just a few days ago as well."

Chu Fan’s heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained impassive. "A few days ago? When, exactly?"

Yue Mankong found the question a little strange.

But after a glance at Chu Fan, he answered, "The 15th day of the first lunar month in the year of Yichou."

"..." Chu Fan felt a cold chill shoot up his spine to the crown of his head.

’That was the exact day I was in the cave, performing the Refinement of the Demon Suppression Stele!’

’The cave was shaking uncontrollably at the time...’

’After I came out, I specifically asked my neighbor, Zhang Laoliu, but he said he hadn’t noticed any commotion at all.’

’Thinking back now, could it be that the Teleportation Array sent me to a location beneath Dragon Ridge Mountain?’

’So the Demon Suppression Stele really is the ’key’ the Moon Worship Sect has been searching so desperately for?’

Chu Fan suppressed the storm raging in his heart and continued to ask, "For the Moon Worship Sect to go to such great lengths to find this key, what exactly is it? What does it do?"