Chapter 5: New Divine Power Acquired

Zhang Chaofeng’s tone was now laced not only with an incomprehensible fanaticism but also a deep-seated revulsion and vengefulness toward the world.

On top of that, there was a desperate madness.

As Shen Bai faced the crazed Zhang Chaofeng and was about to say something, he heard the sound of footsteps.

Qin Shuang entered the room with light steps and said seriously, "I’ve also heard of that incident. The Observatory did indeed make a mistake and paid a heavy price for it. But in the end, the anomaly was eliminated. Not only that, but the complicit County Magistrate and constables were all brought to justice."

Shen Bai watched Qin Shuang, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Zhang Chaofeng’s fanaticism subsided slightly, but it couldn’t hide the madness in his eyes. "What’s the use? Everyone was already dead! The Observatory only showed up afterward to clean up the mess. Can they bring the dead back to life?"

Qin Shuang sighed. "My condolences for your loss. But what you’re doing now... how is it any different from that anomaly?"

Zhang Chaofeng shook his head. "You don’t understand. This is a grand cause. Only through slaughter can this rotten world be awakened. Only then will they know how truly filthy and treacherous this world is."

Qin Shuang opened her mouth, about to say more, but Shen Bai raised a hand to stop her.

"What’s the use of saying more? He’s already trapped in his own paranoid delusion. You can’t talk a paranoid man back to reason with just a few words."

Qin Shuang lowered her head and sighed, knowing that any more words from her would be useless.

Shen Bai turned his gaze back to Zhang Chaofeng and said coolly, "So everything is clear now. You’re planning to stir up some trouble after the great tomb opens, aren’t you?"

Zhang Chaofeng shrugged. "So what if I am? You can’t stop me. Shopkeeper, there was originally no grudge between us, but you are clearly an obstacle. So I’ll give you a choice: leave Shengyun County, and I won’t come after you. But if you insist on getting involved, you will certainly die."

Shen Bai scoffed. "Are you trying to fool a three-year-old? If I really left, would you truly let it go? Even if there’s a one-in-ten-thousand chance you’d still come after me, I can’t leave. That’s just how I am. Anyone who poses a threat to me must also die."

Zhang Chaofeng gave a cold smile. "Then let’s see who lives and who dies. I’ve made things clear today. We’ll be seeing each other again."

As soon as he finished speaking, a flicker of flame erupted on his body.

In the next moment, the straw-stuffed body of Zhang Chaofeng turned into a pile of ash on the floor.

"CLANG!"

A crisp sound echoed as the ancient-looking ring fell to the ground.

Shen Bai walked over, picked it up, weighed it in his hand for a moment, and tucked it away.

Another Deceitful Object in his possession. Shen Bai felt that his Evil Qi finally had a purpose.

Seeing this, Qin Shuang asked, "What are you going to do?"

Shen Bai turned his head. "I’ll inform the Government Office tomorrow. As for everything else, we’ll wait for the great tomb to open."

Now that Zhang Chaofeng had been exposed, he would surely have a way to conceal himself again.

Not to mention, if he truly wanted to hide, finding him would be incredibly difficult.

The great tomb was Zhang Chaofeng’s goal, and it was Shen Bai’s goal as well.

That being the case, they would just have to face off inside the great tomb.

There was still some time before the great tomb opened. Rather than worry about Zhang Chaofeng, Shen Bai decided to use the time to grind all of his Divine Powers.

Qin Shuang nodded without saying anything further.

"I’ll have to rely on you when the time comes. After all, as a Thief Sect Disciple, you’re more skilled in these matters," Shen Bai said.

"Don’t worry. This matter concerns not only the great tomb but also the reputation of the Thief Sect. I will certainly do my part," Qin Shuang replied.

By now, it was the dead of night. Shen Bai stopped talking with Qin Shuang and began practicing the Vajra Demon Subduing Fist on his own.

Qin Shuang didn’t say much either and returned to her room to rest early.

The moment Qin Shuang left to rest, Shen Bai stopped grinding the Vajra Demon Subduing Fist and took out the ancient-looking ring.

He couldn’t inspect it on the spot with Qin Shuang present. Now that she was gone, Shen Bai was naturally going to appraise the ring.

Before his eyes, a wisp of smoke appeared, gradually coalescing into text.

Shen Bai read the line of text, and with a thought, one of his twelve wisps of Evil Qi vanished.

As the wisp of Evil Qi disappeared, new text materialized in its place.

The moment this text appeared, an illusory figure materialized in Shen Bai’s mind.

The figure was standing on a bustling street.

The street teemed with a constant stream of pedestrians, yet as the figure walked among them, it drew no attention whatsoever, as if it had simply blended into the street itself.

Only Shen Bai could see that the figure truly existed. Every step melted into the surroundings, and every movement was in perfect harmony with the environment.

When the illusory figure gradually faded, Shen Bai had absorbed all the Information and opened his eyes.

’Hidden between Heaven and Earth, unnoticed by all living things.’

’This is a real godsend,’ Shen Bai thought.

The so-called Concealing Technique was a way to hide one’s own aura, not only preventing others from detecting you but even making them perceive you as just an ordinary person.

For Shen Bai, this was an extremely important Divine Power.

’If I ever need to tail someone or hide my true strength in the future, this Divine Power will be more than enough.’

Thinking this, Shen Bai rubbed his hands together. Forgoing grinding the Vajra Enchantment Fist for the moment, he chose the Concealing Technique and began to grind it instead.

As the Qi within his body circulated, Shen Bai, though standing perfectly still, seemed to become completely cut off from the world.

No one could perceive his presence; it was as if only a block of wood were standing there.

And with every Movement, Shen Bai’s steps were profoundly mysterious, allowing him to merge seamlessly with his surroundings.

Shen Bai spent the entire night in a frenzy of grinding.

When the next day arrived and the morning sun streamed in, Shen Bai finally let out a long breath.

Before him, smoke once again condensed into text, floating in mid-air.

Because it was a low-level Skill, the Skill Level increased quickly. In a single night, Shen Bai had already ground it to the brink of a qualitative change.

Upon reaching Second Level Perfection, the Concealing Technique, in addition to Hidden, gained a new Attribute: Hidden Track. This Attribute was quite interesting.

In the future, if Shen Bai were to do something, he could use this Attribute to erase his own tracks, making it impossible for others to trace him.

The higher the Attribute, the more completely the tracks would be erased.

Shen Bai stroked his chin and thought, ’This thing is even more suited for doing bad deeds.’

Whether it was Hidden or Hidden Track, Shen Bai felt they were pushing him down a more sinister path.

Of course, that was just his own feeling.

Although this Divine Power didn’t increase his combat strength, it was unparalleled in a support role.

After a moment of thought, Shen Bai decided to induce the qualitative change in his Concealing Technique.

A wisp of Evil Qi appeared, then quickly vanished.

The smoke before him gradually condensed, finally transforming into the Information about the skill after its qualitative change, and floated in mid-air.