Chapter 26: The Demonic Inscription

On a pedestrian crossing not far from the public restroom, the middle-aged man who had just emerged from inside curled the corners of his mouth upward.

"Heh, trying to catch me? Keep dreaming, pal."

This man was none other than Ren Jie, who had slipped right out from under Ye Huai’s nose. He had used the disguise ability of the Skin-Painter Demon Spirit. Ren Jie had finally figured out the utility of the two demon spirits imprisoned beneath the tree roots: as long as he consumed a certain amount of emotional mist, he could use the innate talent of a captive demon spirit once. Each time it was used, a portion of the demon spirit would be consumed. Judging by the state of the Skin-Painter, a few more uses and it would vanish completely.

Still, this ability was incredibly overpowered. Didn't this mean he could capture other demon spirits and use their talents as temporary, external skill packs? This was absolutely brilliant.

As the Skin-Painter was utilized, a portion of Chen Hua’s fragmented memories flooded into Ren Jie’s mind, giving him insight into the Demon Claw, the Tarot, and even the Treasure-Stealing Sable. The Tarot was a mysterious organization rooted in the Dangtian Demon Realm, a behemoth far beyond Ren Jie’s imagination. It had numerous executives, and the appearance of any one of them was always accompanied by major events; they were entities capable of shaking an entire nation. After all, the Tarot was a terrifying organization that could single-handedly contend with the Human, Demon, and Spirit races. Even Chen Hua knew little about them, as they were entities far beyond her level of contact. As for the Demon Claw, it was merely an organization under one of the Tarot's executives. Its members were mostly Demon Contracted, searching for new recruits via the Treasure-Stealing Sable; the reason they had targeted him was precisely because of this.

Ren Jie frowned deeply. Was he the person the Tarot was looking for? He didn't consider himself particularly special, and the only factor he could think of was the Demon Tree. If this matter were to be exposed and a behemoth like the Tarot came looking for him, the trouble would be immense. Fortunately, because Chen Hua and Li Zhan weren't certain, they hadn't reported it yet. He was safe for the time being, and Ren Jie didn't want to have anything to do with them. Keep a low profile; don't mess with me.

...

In District 38 of Jincheng, Copper Drum Villa, the interior decoration could only be described as ghostly. Not only were rows of candles lit, but there were also many white silk ribbons hanging about. In the master bedroom, there was no large bed, but rather a vermilion-red coffin.

A man in a suit stepped inside and walked up to the coffin, knocking twice gently.

"Lord Ghost Master? Something has happened..."

A creaking sound came from within the coffin, followed by the lid being pushed aside. A middle-aged man with a pale complexion, wearing a bathrobe and a nightcap, sat up. He didn't look very happy; he clearly had some "coffin-awakening" grumpiness.

"I know. Where is Li Zhan?"

"Li Zhan and Chen Hua had a direct confrontation with the Demon Suppression Division in the chemical industrial zone. I'm afraid they are already..."

Luo Su clicked his tongue, looking thoroughly annoyed. Just moments ago, he had received a message from Li Zhan: "Found the person the Tarot is looking for, is human."

"Isn't that a load of crap?" Luo Su muttered. "Jincheng is full of humans! How am I supposed to find them with that? If you're giving your dying breath, couldn't you at least leave something useful?"

"What about the bodies?"

"They were taken away by the people from the Demon Suppression Division..."

"Damn it! Didn't I tell them not to act without authorization during this period?" Luo Su was shaking with anger. He raised his hand, took out a cigarette, and lit it. He had only taken one puff, before even inhaling it into his lungs, when the man in the suit suddenly widened his eyes, raised his palm, and veins bulged on his arm.

With a single slap that produced three sonic booms, he struck Luo Su squarely on the face. The cigarette was snapped in two, sparks flew, and Luo Su was sent tumbling back into the coffin.

*Pfft!*

He was completely stunned, then fury burned in his eyes. He leaped out of the coffin and grabbed the man in the suit by his collar.

"What the hell are you doing? Tired of living? You dare hit your boss?"

The subordinate's face turned pale with fright. "Boss... Boss, it was you who ordered it! You said if you smoked more than ten cigarettes a day, I was to slap you across the face. If I didn't use force, it would be a sign of disrespect. Weren't you... weren't you trying to quit smoking?"

Luo Su paused, then said with bitter resentment, "Have I had... ten today?"

"You have, you have! I've been keeping track in my little notebook. If you don't believe me, look!"

Luo Su gnashed his teeth, threw the subordinate aside, and paced back and forth in the living room. The person the Tarot was looking for? This mission had been ongoing for nearly ten years; he couldn't believe they still remembered it. Should he report it or not? If Li Zhan and the others hadn't been sure, they wouldn't have bet their lives on it—those two greedy, reckless idiots. Couldn't they have consulted him? Now, the only information he held was Li Zhan's useless dying message.

Luo Su hesitated for only a moment. "Tell the brothers to keep their heads down. Who knows how much useful information the Demon Suppression Division will dig out of those corpses? I’m heading out for a while; I'll be back in a few days..."

...

Jincheng Demon Suppression Division Branch, Division Chief's Office.

Shen Ci was kneeling on the floor, solemnly assembling a "Sweetheart Girl" castle made of tens of thousands of building blocks. It was already more than half finished. As he worked, a doting smile appeared on his face unconsciously.

At that moment, the office door was suddenly pushed open, and a staff member ran in carrying a large stack of documents.

"Division Chief? The Third Squad has returned. This is the report... uh..."

Shen Ci did not stand up, but calmly took the report, reading it while continuing to piece together the castle. However, the more he read, the slower his movements became, until he was completely immersed in the report.

The report contained not only the mission summary and Ren Jie’s profile, but also the information the Soul-Reader had extracted from the corpses.

"The person the Tarot is looking for? A ten-year-old mission? The Treasure-Stealing Sable? Demon Might..."

Suddenly realizing something, Shen Ci hurriedly flipped open Ren Jie’s personal file.

"Survivor of the Jincheng Grade-A Demon Disaster ten years ago? The Earth Dragon’s Uprising... Jincheng... Jincheng... Hiss!"

Goosebumps erupted all over Shen Ci. His hair stood on end, and he stood up abruptly, causing the "Sweetheart Girl" castle to collapse with a clatter. But Shen Ci had no time to worry about that; he quickly pulled out his phone and made a call.

On the other end of the line was Xiajing Dragon City, the capital and heart of the Great Xia.

"Hello? Chief Commander? I suspect the third Demon Inscription has appeared!"

"Are you sure? Tell me exactly what happened..."

Shen Ci held nothing back and transmitted the report directly to the capital. There was a long silence on the other end.

"Classify Ren Jie’s personal file under the highest secrecy level. Modify his records regarding his origins in Jincheng; no one is authorized to view them."

"Furthermore, find a way to get him into the Demon Suppression Division. If he is unwilling to join, get him into the Great Xia system—the Defense Army, the Ministry of Brightness, anything will do."

"Remember one thing: do not do anything to force him. Do not put any mental pressure on him. Demon Contracted individuals are highly unstable; pressure will only drive him away from the Great Xia, away from the human race..."

Shen Ci swallowed hard. "Chief Commander, do we really need to go to such lengths? We haven't even confirmed he is truly the holder of the Demon Inscription."

A sigh came from the other end. "Regardless of whether he is or not, if there is even the slightest possibility, it is worth doing. And don't even think about prying into his secrets; we have had enough lessons."

"The human race cannot afford to lose another pillar, and the Dangtian Demon Realm cannot have another Demon Lord. The Demon race’s Mirage Demon hides in the heavens, obscuring the full moon; the Spirit race’s Wisdom Tree King stands on the earth, rooted in the Spirit Spring..."

"The human race is weak..."

"Do it!"

Shen Ci swallowed again, an irrepressible excitement in his eyes. He had struck gold. He immediately called Ye Yue and began giving frantic instructions. After finishing these tasks, Shen Ci let out a long breath, only then seeing the pile of broken "Sweetheart Girl" castle pieces on the floor.

"Ah!"

A marmot-like scream echoed through the Demon Suppression Division.

"My daughter is going to destroy me!"