Translator: CinderTL
"The Evil God Cult?"
In the hotel restaurant, He Jian frowned slightly upon hearing Chen Feng's question.
Though puzzled as to why Chen Feng suddenly asked, he still nodded and explained, "I've heard that there used to be such a cult here. The Serpent Spirit Sect and the Plague Cult have both appeared in this area."
"After all, this place is too chaotic, with gangs running rampant. Some dark corners indeed provide fertile ground for the survival of the Evil God Cult."
"Moreover, Suro's attitude towards the Evil God Cult is quite ambiguous; they don't prohibit it."
Chen Feng hadn't expected that a casual inquiry would yield such results.
Soon, after a series of questions, he obtained some more information.
"The Evil God Cult here shouldn't be too powerful. A third-tier Lower Envoy is likely their limit."
"After all, the Toran Sect isn't foolish. They remain somewhat wary of cults and don't allow overly powerful cult members to emerge."
Chen Feng nodded upon hearing this, curious about the Lower Envoy level mentioned by the other party.
The information Cao Tong had previously collected only vaguely touched on this level, without the detailed classification provided by He Jian.
"Believers, Attendants, Envoys, Apostles..."
"Attendants are at the second-tier level, equivalent to the Inner Strength stage in martial arts. As for Envoys, they are divided into Lower, Middle, and Upper ranks."
"A Lower Envoy is comparable to a third-tier True Intent level, a Middle Envoy barely matches a Grandmaster, and an Upper Envoy approaches the fifth-tier or the peak level of a three-barrier Grandmaster."
He Jian didn't consider this to be a major secret, so he elaborated a bit.
"So, the Apostle corresponds to the fifth-tier and above?" Zhou Wuren, who was beside them, asked.
"Correct."
He Jian added a few more words, and Chen Feng fell into thought.
After a brief exchange, Chen Feng, mindful of the urgent task of finding Demon Moon, suppressed any further thoughts. He finished his breakfast and left the hotel.
The black business car drove into the streets, with Chen Feng seated in the back, accompanied once again by He Jian and Zhou Wuren.
"The Shark Gang controls quite a bit of territory. That Demon Moon went to a casino."
"It seems someone from the Lango Group is coming later, probably to ensure things don't get out of hand."
He Jian tactfully reminded him, and Chen Feng nodded, looking out the window.
Motorcycles whizzed by, while trams and buses came and went.
Well-dressed white-collar workers walked briskly, mingling with passersby in jackets and old coats.
Suojia City was more complex than he had imagined.
At the very least, he saw many people here who were not of Suro descent.
White, deep yellow, yellowish-black, dark-skinned... It could be said that representatives of nearly half the Earth's skin tones were present.
"Did you hear? A Shark Gang territory was wiped out yesterday! It might have been the Wild Wolf Gang!"
"The underground boxing matches are about to start. Are you going?"
"Hey, bro, I want to buy a Gene Enhancement Serum. Can you lend me some money?"
"Haha, I finally found a job!"
The noisy voices from both sides of the road reached his ears. With the help of a translator, Chen Feng had already forced himself to memorize and roughly grasp the Suro language.
Through his perception, the sounds of people and vehicles separated. He glanced at the young men on the roadside and the disheveled middle-aged man on the phone.
For some reason, he found the atmosphere of this city particularly oppressive.
Finally, the black car left the bustling urban area and entered a cluster of concrete buildings.
Crisscrossing power lines hung chaotically in mid-air.
The pothole-ridden cement road made for a bumpy ride. Outside the window, young hoodlums smoked and boasted, while others kicked and punched a homeless man in the corner.
As for the areas beneath the red and green neon signs, one could see scantily clad streetwalkers either sitting or standing, smoking cigarettes outside massage parlors, casting indifferent glances at the black business cars.
"Suojia City's strategic shipping location, coupled with the interference of commercial conglomerates, has led the Toran Sect to turn a blind eye to these gray industries," He Jian sighed as he spoke. Chen Feng looked up and gazed ahead.
Hum! The black car gradually slowed down, only for a figure to suddenly dart out from an alley, standing in front and blocking the way.
Upon closer inspection, it was a pale, emaciated Suro youth, as thin as a stick.
Bang! Bang! Bang! "Help me!"
"Please lend me some money!"
He pounded on the car's hood, speaking in Suro while trying to approach the window.
But soon, a tattooed blond man appeared, grabbing his hair, covering his mouth, and dragging him to the roadside.
Looking up, there were several casinos along the alley, along with neon signs of loan companies in Suro script.
Additionally, some people were squatting in the nearby concrete alley, inhaling vapor, their eyes half-closed in a blissful, floating expression.
"They're using hallucinogens."
"These are always around casinos, along with various loan sharks and black markets," He Jian added again. The military man in the passenger seat looked wary, tightening his grip on the pistol he had drawn.
Chen Feng glanced out the window. The young man, clearly a gambler and drug user, had already been dragged to the roadside and silenced. Soon, several tattooed men emerged from the loan company, eyeing them warily.
Some held baseball bats, others had daggers at their waists, and a few even carried guns.
Their eyes met, and Chen Feng looked through the car window at the leader among them.
He was exceptionally tall, over six feet.
His arms were thicker than an average person's thighs, and though he had no martial Force, Chen Feng sensed that his strength was comparable to someone with Inner Strength.
He knew this was likely the result of heavy doses of Gene Enhancement Serum.
Click! The car stopped, and the doors opened.
The gang leader outside visibly frowned, and some of his men glared threateningly, thinking they were about to intervene.
But instead, Chen Feng and his companions calmly stepped out of the car, brushing past them, and headed toward a larger casino next door.
[Shark Casino]
The rectangular neon sign flashed brightly, the concrete ground outside was relatively smooth, and several old concrete utility poles stood in the alleys front and back.
Below the two concrete steps were several street parking spots, and a couple of steps further was a smooth pedestrian walkway leading to the casino's grand entrance.
Seeing them head toward the Shark Casino, one of the gangsters who had grabbed the young man curled his lip.
"They look like they're from the Red Nation."
"Heh, probably tourists here to be fleeced. Just wait, the Shark Gang will strip them to the bone."
"How stupid."
In their disdainful chatter, they spoke in Suro, their voices low.
But unexpectedly, the leader suddenly turned and slapped a few of them.
Smack! Smack!
The crisp sound made all the gangsters and passersby freeze.
Facing the incredulous looks from his subordinates, the exceptionally burly leader offered no explanation, merely watching as the group paused briefly before continuing on.
A strong intuition told him that these men were dangerous, and their momentary halt had made his heart leap into his throat.
"At least they know their place."
Chen Feng calmly retracted his perception. Zhou Wuren and the others had also noticed the murmurs and conversations earlier, knowing they weren't favorable.
"These little brats," Zhou Wuren shook his head and quickened his pace to catch up.
The group was about to reach the entrance of the casino.
But then.
Tap, tap, tap.
A series of hurried footsteps suddenly echoed, and soon, seven or eight figures rushed out from inside the casino.
Some wore leather jackets, while others had tattoos on their necks and faces.
Several of them were armed, and one was exceptionally burly, no less imposing than the loan shark leader they had encountered earlier.
Yet, at this moment, they all looked panicked, surrounding a man as they hurried toward two black cars parked nearby.
"Let's go!"
"That guy is coming!"
"Hurry, hurry, hurry!"
Amid the urgent voices, many people in the vicinity of the concrete buildings noticed the commotion.
"Boss, what's going on?" "All this for a few Red Nation people?"
A thug from the loan company, covering his face, asked indignantly, but the leader didn't respond, only staring in shock at the hurried figures.
"Isn't that Tai Tuo? What's happening?"
First, a few unusual individuals had arrived, and now even the third-in-command of the Shark Gang was rushing away as if fleeing for safety.
Not only was he puzzled, but Chen Feng and the others also paused in their steps. He Jian immediately recognized the man at the center of the group leaving the casino.
"It's Tai Tuo."
He spoke up, and Chen Feng's eyes flickered.
This man was one of the core figures in the Shark Gang, responsible for smuggling and casino operations—precisely the person they had planned to probe today.
Click, click, click! At that moment, the group hastily opened the car doors, preparing to leave.
Without delay, Chen Feng moved, instantly blocking their path and reaching out to grab the middle-aged man who was about to get into the car.
"Let go!"
"He's from the Red Nation!!"
Shouts of shock and anger erupted as the Shark Gang members reacted, and someone fired a shot.
Bang! The gunshot was piercingly loud.
Someone on the roadside screamed, turning to look.
The copper bullet crumpled against his head and fell to the ground.
The young man from the Red Nation, with black hair and eyes, remained unharmed, like a monster, as he firmly grasped the collar of the man named Tai Tuo.
"You!!"
Tai Tuo exclaimed in fear and anger.
His subordinates scrambled around him, some terrified, others stubbornly firing again.
Bang, bang, bang!!
Bullets came from all directions.
But in the next second.
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
Clear, metallic sounds rang out continuously, sparks flying as if exploding on their eyelids, leaving the Shark Gang members horrified.
The thugs from the loan company were so frightened their legs went weak. The one who had questioned earlier finally understood why he had been struck, and the leader swallowed hard, feeling a sense of relief.
"Almost."
Chen Feng spoke indifferently, looking down as several bullets aimed at his body were deflected by a flash of crimson.
His black down jacket remained unscathed, but Tai Tuo, whose collar he held, could now clearly see his face.
In that instant.
Caw!!
A black crow circling in the air swiftly flew away. Chen Feng clearly saw blood streaming from Tai Tuo's eyes, his aura becoming extremely unstable.
"It's the Illusion Seed!!"
"He's been marked by Demon Moon—his consciousness is compromised!"
Zhou Wuren, who had easily subdued a group of Shark Gang members, walked over quickly, his expression grave.
Chen Feng's eyes darkened as he chose not to respond. Instead, he looked up toward the opposite side of the cement street, where the road forked at a utility pole.
Someone was approaching slowly.
Dressed in a brown trench coat, his messy black hair covered most of his forehead and his deep-set eyes. A lit cigarette dangled from his lips, and stubble dotted his chin. One hand was tucked into his coat pocket, while the other held the hand of a little girl.
Tap! Tap!!
Tap!!! The steady sound of footsteps echoed, as if the entire world had fallen silent because of it.
"Friend, hand him over to me, will you?"
His voice, calm and steady, reached Chen Feng's ears.
A black crow, which had been circling in the air unnoticed, now hovered overhead again. Chen Feng frowned as he looked at the approaching man, sensing something amiss.
"I refuse," he replied.
Hearing this, the man in the brown trench coat took a drag from his cigarette, and a wisp of ash fell, scattering onto the ground.
As their eyes met, Chen Feng saw nothing but indifference and calmness in the other man's gaze.
Hum!!! The world seemed to freeze as an overwhelming pressure suddenly descended from the sky.
Everyone on the entire street was enveloped by it. Cars speeding down the road slowed down, some even coming to a complete stop. Pedestrians' faces turned red as they realized, to their horror, that they could no longer walk or speak.
Members of the Shark Gang widened their eyes, bloodshot and veins bulging as if they were about to burst. This included He Jian, Zhou Wuren, and even the military personnel present.
All of them were visibly distressed, their gazes filled with shock as they looked at the newcomer.
"The Essence of the Pinnacle Realm."
"It's the Pinnacle Realm!!"
Zhou Wuren confirmed with absolute certainty, his voice hoarse and the veins on his face protruding.
The black car beside them let out a strange creaking sound, and the windshield and windows began to crack.
In that instant, Chen Feng's eyes turned cold, but he did not back down.
Hum!!! An equally terrifying force erupted from him. To avoid harming Zhou Wuren and the others, a crimson light bloomed, gently pushing them back more than ten meters.
Boom!!! It was as if an invisible force had collided violently, the dull sound reverberating in the minds of everyone present.
Pedestrians with weaker mental fortitude fainted on the spot. Most of the loan sharks from the lending company collapsed or knelt, their faces red but unable to make a sound.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Suddenly, the sharp sound of cracking continued to ring out. The glass of parked cars around them couldn't withstand the pressure and exploded.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!
A series of dull thuds followed, but the shattered glass didn't scatter. Instead, it sank into the car bodies and the ground the moment it broke.
The aluminum cans in the corner of the street flattened continuously, the harsh sound of compression unbearable to the ears.
The crisscrossing cables in the air seemed to spark with electricity, igniting a massive fire.
"Oh?"
Seeing this, the man in the brown trench coat paused his steps, a flicker of surprise in his deep eyes.
Chen Feng frowned as he locked eyes with the man, clearly sensing that this person's strength was extraordinary, likely surpassing the fifth tier.
Moreover, he was certain that this man was a martial artist. The aura of Force emanating from him was impossible to imitate.
"Yang Wudi?"
Suddenly, Chen Feng asked in a deep voice.
Suro had only one Pinnacle Realm expert, and that was the Mountain Ancestor of Dowa Snow Mountain.
The sudden appearance of this man, who bore the appearance of someone from the Red Nation, made it impossible for Chen Feng not to speculate.
But there was no answer.
Yang Wudi merely frowned as he looked up at the sky, where the black crow continued to circle and caw, its eerie cries seemingly capable of affecting people's minds and thoughts.
"No wonder," he muttered around the cigarette.
In the next second, whoosh!
The crow hovering a hundred meters above was struck by an invisible force and exploded into a bloody mist.
No one else could see it, but Chen Feng keenly sensed that a strand of Force had been compressed to its limit, vanishing like a bullet into the sky in an instant.
"Heh heh."
At that moment, the sound of someone spitting blood echoed. Chen Feng felt something was wrong and looked down.
In his hands, Tai Tuo's eyes were bloodshot, overwhelmed by the pressure just now, and on the verge of death.
(End of the Chapter)
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