This entry is suspicious.

Zhou Ran's eyes flickered. What was the next step after the Pearl Hotel incident?

"Of course I want to know."

"These matters are confidential, and you need to ensure that they are not leaked," Wei Si said seriously.

Zhou Ran was slightly taken aback: "Since it's confidential, why did you tell me?"

"I personally think you are qualified to know."

"Okay, I swear, I will not divulge a single word." Zhou Ran raised his hand to swear.

Wei Si nodded: "What would you like to know first?"

Zhou Ran replied without hesitation, "It's a strange situation. When we left the hotel, a pair of red dancing shoes were missing."

"You can rest assured, the red dancing shoes have been contained. When we found them, they were already in a dormant state, and the shoes were covered in burn marks. They must have been severely damaged when they forced their way through the protective candlelight."

The light from a protective candle is as deadly to the supernatural as highly concentrated radioactive material is to humans; its lethality is terrifying. Even for a supernatural being of a lower level of terror, it can be fatal even for a fleeting moment.

Wei Si continued, "The strange phenomena in the hotel have been basically all contained. Only the strange space you entered has disappeared, and none of the strange phenomena contained so far have the same abilities as it."

Zhou Ran raised an eyebrow: "So, that strange space is missing?"

"Yes." Wei Si nodded, paused for a moment, "That is very likely a strange artifact controlled by some demonic cultivator."

"this……"

Zhou Ran's mind went into overdrive.

Mastering the supernatural is a very special and dangerous state—under certain almost impossible coincidences, the living and the supernatural merge into one, thus becoming able to master the supernatural and use its power.

It's somewhat similar to turning the bizarre into a forbidden object, except that the object attached to it has changed from a tool to a living person.

One of Li Feng's destiny entries is "Controlling the Strange," which clearly indicates that he is a rare master of the strange.

But this state is like walking a tightrope, extremely dangerous. If the strange phenomenon recurs, the rider will surely die, and it may even lead to a series of disasters.

Was that eerie space actually controlled by someone?

There are so many strange things inside, the overall level of terror is definitely not low. To be able to control this level of strangeness, what level of cultivation must the other party have?

Most importantly, that person from the demonic path actually escaped from the hotel?!

Is the other party still in Qinghe City?

Zhou Ran suppressed his chaotic thoughts: "What's the situation with those demonic elements?"

"The Celestial Choice Organization is a medium-sized demonic terrorist organization that mainly operates in the Sky Ring Federation and the Thousand Islands region. There were five people involved in the attack that night, all of whom were locals of Qinghe City. The earliest of them had been exposed to demonic practices seven years ago, and the latest had been exposed six months ago. They were all a group of bizarre victims."

Wei Si sighed: "Most of the people who experienced the bizarre events were traumatized to varying degrees. All five of them suffered from mental illnesses, and various factors led them to a desperate situation. Under the instigation of the demonic path, they believed that the source of their misfortune was the Counter-Offensive Bureau, so they voluntarily joined the demonic path to act as suicide bombers."

"When the counter-terrorism department arrived that night, they only resisted briefly before self-destructing. Because their primordial spirits were drained into dust by the demonic techniques, we couldn't find any information about them at all."

"However, it is certain that there was a sixth demonic cultivator present that night, who is suspected to be the person who controlled the strange space and the superior of these five people."

At this point, Wei Si's gaze sharpened: "The contact person in the demonic organization is always a core member who is not easily mobilized. This time, they clearly wanted to make a big move in the response, but unfortunately, they failed and instead left traces."

"Speaking of which, we should thank you. If you hadn't led people out of the strange space to deliver the message, those demonic cultivators might have escaped and caused further trouble."

Zhou Ran fell into deep thought, then frowned and said, "But someone left a way out in that strange space. If the strangeness is truly being controlled by someone, why would the master of the strangeness allow this loophole to remain unchecked?"

"Maybe he can't control it."

Wei Si said, "There are a lot of strange things in that strange space, and a balance has been formed. Once a new strange power is added or disappears, the balance will be broken, resulting in unpredictable situations. I guess that the demonic cultivator is not in a good state, so he dares not break the balance in the space rashly."

That's a reasonable guess... Zhou Ran nodded slightly.

Wei Si changed the subject: "Do you remember that strange creature in the alley?"

The Stopper? Of course I remember. Zhou Ran nodded: "What's wrong?"

"We figured out its killing pattern: every action is fatal. The medal it later wore around its neck came from a world-class athlete who had been around for 25 years. That athlete died tragically after a bizarre incident on the night he won the gold medal, and that medal unexpectedly housed a strange entity with the ability to force people within a certain range to exercise until they die."

Wei Si seemed to be praising: "Forced movement and certain death, this strange creature created by the Heavenly Selection Demon Cultivator can be said to be unsolvable. I would die without intelligence, but you have found a way to break it... Li Feng is right, you have an innate talent."

"...You don't mean to invite me to join the response team, do you?" Zhou Ran asked tentatively.

The Response Bureau is a very special department. Members are not judged by their cultivation level, but solely by their quick wit and resilience. Therefore, there are also some underage members with exceptional talents.

Wei Si shook his head: "You are too young and not suitable for work yet. Besides, if I'm not mistaken, you have already reached the sixth level of enlightenment and will soon reach the seventh level. It's a bit of a waste to use this talent to deal with the situation. Of course, if you want to come in the future, we will warmly welcome you."

Zhou Ran refused without even thinking: "Forget it, if I could, I would absolutely not want to deal with the supernatural."

Wei Si looked at him, a smile that was hard to decipher, seemingly a helpless self-mockery: "I thought the same thing many years ago, but I had no choice in the matter."

Both sides remained silent for a while.

After a long while, Zhou Ran thought of something else: "Why was the strange creature in the alley captured by that group of demonic cultivators?"

"There are two possibilities. One is that they were lucky and stumbled upon the strange creature in the alley by chance, and used the abilities of the Smoke Ghost or the Ghost Space to contain it. The other is that they released the strange creature in the alley."

Wei Sidao said, "Personally, I prefer the first option because there is absolutely no need for them to release it intentionally."

"That's true..." Zhou Ran nodded. "One last question: that sixth demonic cultivator who escaped, will you... no, will the Counter-Terrorism Department launch a manhunt for him?"

"A manhunt is certain, but finding them will be very difficult. That demonic cultivator is extremely cautious; all relevant clues have been wiped clean. Even the counter-terrorism department would have a hard time finding someone without any leads," Wei Si sighed. "There must be a reason why the demonic path has been able to exist for so many years."

Zhou Ran remained silent, about to say something, when Wei Si spoke up again.

"Actually, I'm telling you all this so you can pay more attention to what's going on at school."

Zhou Ran's expression shifted from confusion to astonishment: "There might be demonic cultivators in the school?"

"One of those five is a high school student, so we can't rule out that possibility. Keep an eye on things and contact me if anything happens."

Wei Si actually wanted to plant spies in the high school, and Zhou Ran was undoubtedly the best candidate.

……

"What did Uncle Wei say to you?"

On the way out of Shen's Antique Warehouse, Song Ci couldn't help but ask.

Since Zhou Ran finished talking with Wei Si, his expression has been very serious, which aroused Song Ci's curiosity. It felt like a cat's claw was scratching at her heart, making her unbearably itchy and eager to know what the conversation was about.

"Children don't need to know about adult matters."

Zhou Ran and Song Ci were quite familiar with each other, so he just gave a casual reply.

"That's enough." Song Ci rolled her eyes. "I didn't really want to know either. If you don't want to tell me, then forget it."

This is something that cannot be discussed; it would only cause Song Ci to live in constant fear.

Qinghe City... is plagued by demonic cultivators!

As we all know, demonic elements are like cockroaches in your house; when you find just one, it means that they have already become rampant in the shadows.

The sixth demonic cultivator was a contact person, or you could say a preacher. This guy had been working in Qinghe City for who knows how many years, and the demonic forces he managed were far more powerful than anyone could imagine.

The demonic organization loves to recruit people who have been driven to the brink of despair, and there are countless disillusioned people in a city. If you stand in places like the underground streets, you will find silent despair everywhere.

Zhou Ran thought of Cui Jin and Fang Beichen. The former was definitely a loser, perfectly meeting the requirements of a demonic cultivator. He wondered if Fang Beichen would pull him into the demonic organization.

As for Fang Beichen... he is a demonic cultivator, but not a member of the Heavenly Selection Organization.

Zhou Ran's mood worsened immediately. Just how many demonic organizations had established a foothold and network in Qinghe City? How much unseen darkness lurked beneath the city's seemingly peaceful surface?

……

arrive home.

Zhou Ran took a hot shower, washing away all thoughts about the demonic organization.

If the sky falls, there's always someone taller to hold it up. Qinghe City has Golden Core cultivators and a whole bunch of Foundation Establishment cultivators. Even if there's a real disturbance from demonic cultivators, it'll be their headache.

Now it's time to test the loot.

Zhou Ran took out the Mirage Bracelet first. The grayish-white bracelet had a warm and smooth texture, but it felt icy cold to the touch. After a while, it even felt a bit cold to the touch, as if it had just been taken out of the refrigerator.

He studied it over and over for a long time but still couldn't figure out how to release the skill. So he gritted his teeth and put the Mirage Bracelet on his right wrist. Anyway, it was eerily silent, so there was no need to worry.

The next second, the mirage bracelet seemed to come alive, suddenly contracting without warning and tightly gripping Zhou Ran's wrist. A strange feeling spread from his wrist, as if... the bracelet was meant to be there, as if it were one with him.

"Looks like it's working?"

Zhou Ran was stunned for a moment, then tried to use his mind to control it.

In an instant, a grayish-white mist surged out from the mirage bracelet, as fine as gauze, and quickly spread out.

The mist carried a cool, otherworldly quality, and felt refreshingly cool on the skin, as if something unseen was brushing past you.

In just a breath or two, the grayish-white mist had filled the entire living room and continued to spread.

At the same time, the lights went out after a period of erratic movement, as if the electrical system had been interfered with.

The living room was plunged into complete darkness, with only the mist slowly billowing in the darkness, moving silently like a living thing.

Zhou Ran stopped using his skill with a thought.

The fog did not dissipate immediately, but gradually thinned out, and it took quite a while before it disappeared completely, taking about five minutes in total.

The moment the fog dissipated, the living room lights came back on, as if nothing had ever happened.

"This fog looks a bit like the one in the Pearl Hotel. Could it be that it shares the same power as that Smoke Monster?"

"It's a pity that the Mirage Bracelet only has one skill, [Mirage Concealment], and can't teleport freely in the fog like the Smoke Demon, otherwise I would be invincible."

Zhou Ran stroked the mirage bracelet. Strangely enough, after wearing it, the bracelet was no longer as cold to the touch as before. Moreover, with a thought, he could manipulate the bracelet to automatically enlarge and then take it off.

The forbidden items are truly fascinating.

After praising it, Zhou Ran put the mirage mirror aside, opened the wooden box containing the rusty longsword, carefully took out the longsword, and activated the [Eye of Truth] to examine it closely.

He soon made an astonishing discovery: the longsword was not seriously damaged; its structure remained very stable, with no cracks or signs of spiritual dissipation, and it didn't even need repair.

Zhou Ran tried gripping the sword hilt and swinging it around. It was fairly easy to handle, but magic weapons are definitely not used like that. Relying solely on brute force to chop is like using a rifle as a fire poker. The real key lies in establishing a connection, allowing the magic weapon to communicate with one's own spirituality, in order to unleash its power to the fullest extent.

This is also known as blood oath.

In modern terms, it is biometric identification and authentication.

Zhou Ran took out a disposable lancet and pricked his fingertip—it was a free gift with the purchase of the enhancement potion, meant for users to test whether the drug was being used in excess.

Drops of blood fell onto the rusty sword, seeping into the grime and being slowly absorbed by the blade.

Then, the longsword trembled slightly, as if something that had been dormant for thousands of years had finally been awakened.

Crack!

A thin arc of purple electricity suddenly shot out from the spine of the sword.

To Zhou Ran's delighted gaze, the electric arcs gathered more and more, from a wisp to a thread, from a thread to a patch, the intense purple light making the entire room flicker.

Purple electric currents coiled around the sword like dragons, swirling and churning. Wherever they passed, rust and grime crumbled and crumbled, turning into fine powder that fell to the ground.

In an instant, the longsword shed all its dust and grime, revealing a bright silver and sharp blade, regaining its magnificent and majestic appearance, awe-inspiring and intimidating.

Two ancient characters were clearly engraved on the hilt of the sword, the strokes sharp as thunder: "Heavenly Punishment!"

"Heavenly Punishment..."

Zhou Ran gripped the sword hilt and with a thought, the purple lightning on the sword gradually subsided, returning to calm.

Immediately afterwards, the Heavenly Punishment Sword suddenly became as soft as cotton, and the blade curled inward and shrank into a round and smooth silver-white sword pellet the size of a thumb in the blink of an eye.

Zhou Ran's thoughts shifted again, and the sword pellet suddenly unfolded, transforming back into a three-foot-long sword, its cold light shimmering, untouched by a speck of dust.