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Chapter 291: Family of The Heavenly Ghost, The Divine Might Dragon Elephant, Annihilated in One Punch (I)

Chen Chu's eyes showed surprise as he looked at the beautiful woman in front of him, dressed in a sharp white lady’s suit with a katana at her waist.

Sakura bowed slightly. "Yes, I joined the Special Operations Division after graduation. I am part of the Eastern Capital's Shadow Investigation Team, specifically responsible for incidents involving the demon cults. However, my true identity is kept secret. Officially, I am just a staff member at a martial arts academy."

In addition to them, Yan Ruoyi, Li Daoyi, and Xu Xiaoqi were also present in the living room, looking surprised. They hadn't expected Chen Chu to make such a discovery so soon after arriving in Dongdu.

"After receiving Mr. Chen's request, I mobilized personnel to thoroughly investigate the Yamaki family's affairs, but..." Sakura Momokawa paused, a look of confusion in her eyes.

Chen Chu raised an eyebrow. "Did you find nothing?"

Sakura nodded. "That's right, the Yamaki family shows no signs of anything unusual. They’ve been shrine priests for the Great Heavenly Ghost for generations, a tradition spanning hundreds of years. It's rumored that they possess the bloodline of the Great Heavenly Ghost.

"Of course, these are just rumors that no one believes. However, since the start of the New Era, each generation of the Yamaki family has shown cultivation talent. The current head of the family, Ryuusuke, is a late-stage Sixth Heavenly Realm expert, even stronger than my father.

"Additionally, after centuries of operation, the Yamaki family holds significant prestige in Dongdu. During my investigation, I found that the Yamaki family appeared very clean. There had been no abnormal signs among its members for over a decade."

"So clean?" Chen Chu frowned, doubting his own intuition.

Li Daoyi slowly spoke. "Clean doesn't necessarily mean there's no problem. At Brother Chu's current level, especially having cultivated perception-based arts, it’s almost impossible for such a clear sense of trouble to be wrong. This family might be hiding their secrets deeply, making conventional methods ineffective."

"You mean we should use unconventional methods?" Sakura asked, glancing at Yan Ruoyi, who was sitting on the sofa with a smile.

Yan Ruoyi laughed lightly. "Miss Sakura, if you have something to say, just say it. We’re all on the same side here."

Sakura hesitated. "Today is Dongdu's annual Ghost King Festival, and the event is taking place near the Great Heavenly Ghost Shrine. Now that Miss Yan’s identity is already exposed, if the Yamaki family truly has issues and Miss Yan approaches them directly..."

Sakura paused mid-sentence.

"Approaching them directly to provoke a response?" Yan Ruoyi’s eyes lit up. "That's a good idea. I prefer taking the initiative over waiting passively. Besides, this will let us enjoy the Ghost King Festival, too. I’ve heard about that when I was in East Xia. It’s said to be very lively."

Seeing this, Li Daoyi and Chen Chu exchanged a glance and, after a moment’s thought, didn’t dissuade her. The highest cultivator in this family was only a late-stage Sixth Heavenly Realm expert, which was no match for them. It would also help confirm whether Chen Chu's intuition was correct.

There was no need to notify the military for a direct intervention. Firstly, the family appeared very clean. Secondly, such a relatively low-level family didn’t warrant a major operation. It would be embarrassing if they were wrong.

"Can I come too?" Xu Xiaoqi asked eagerly, her eyes bright with excitement. After witnessing the clash between Chen Chu and Zhang Tian's domain projections last night, Xu Xiaoqi had become very interested in the intense battles of high-level cultivators.

"Miss Xu, this could be dangerous. You’d better not come," Chen Chu said.

With him and Li Daoyi, they were confident they could protect Yan Ruoyi even if a high-level Seventh Heavenly Realm expert attacked them. But adding an ordinary person would complicate things.

Soon, Yan Ruoyi changed into a white tracksuit, wearing a baseball cap and glasses with plain lenses. Seeing Chen Chu in a black suit with a white shirt, Sakura asked in confusion, "Mr. Chen, aren’t you going to change your clothes?"

Chen Chu shook his head. "No need. My role is to be a bodyguard. Whether I change or not, people can tell my purpose from my stance."

Yueshan’s culture was somewhat similar to that of the Niao Nation, with numerous ghost legends and folklore centered around spirits. The Ghost King Festival had been born from these legends; however, as society progressed and superstitions were eradicated, it gradually evolved into an annual event similar to Halloween.

Dongdu was also the city where the first Rampage Ape had appeared in the very beginning of the New Era. Back then, that colossal level 9 beast had rampaged through the city, causing tens of thousands of casualties.

It was eventually lured out of the city by fighter jets and missiles and was killed using a megaton nuclear bomb, the massive crater of which still remained about twenty kilometers outside the city.

Under the night sky, the southern part of Dongdu near the suburbs was brightly lit. From a high vantage point, one could see countless vehicles and streams of people converging, creating a bustling scene.

"Hahaha... come and catch me!"

"I am the Horned Ghost King!"

"Mom, I want to eat that Falling Flower Cake."

"No, you’re losing teeth right now, you can't eat too many sweets..."

The streets were crowded with people. Children played happily, and vendors on both sides sold a variety of food and toys, including many ghost masks and other playful items.

As part of the plan to lure the enemy out, Sakura and Yan Ruoyi were standing at a roadside stall that was selling sweets.

Pointing at the pastries behind the glass cabinet, Sakura said, "Miss Yan, this is Dongdu's famous Silver-Thread Flower Cake. Few artisans can make it these days. Would you like to try some?"

Yan Ruoyi, who had deliberately skipped dinner, nodded with interest. Sakura Momokawa immediately waved to the vendor. "Boss, four servings of Silver-Thread Flower Cake, please."

Soon, the vendor handed the wrapped cakes to the two women.

"Here, everyone gets one." Yan Ruoyi, smiling, handed the paper-wrapped pastries to Chen Chu and Li Daoyi. In addition to the flower cake, the two were also holding a large assortment of skewers, grilled squid, meatballs, crepes, and other snacks they hadn’t finished eating.

As they walked, Yan Ruoyi bought and tasted every snack that caught her eye. If she liked it, she ate more; if not, she passed it to Chen Chu and Li Daoyi behind her, knowing that high-level cultivators had a big appetite. If they wanted, they could eat a whole cow.

"Ruoyi, that lantern over there looks beautiful. Let's go check it out."

"Mhmm, just a moment."

The two women wandered around excitedly, seemingly having a great time, their relationship growing closer in a way that puzzled Chen Chu.

While Yan Ruoyi and Sakura explored with great interest, he vigilantly scanned everyone who approached, be it adults, children, elderly, or women. He extended his spiritual sense and physical perception, detecting numerous cultivators.

However, most of them were of average strength, mainly in the Second Heavenly Realm, with only a few in the Third; some of them appeared to be students. Not far away, Chen Chu also sensed some cultivators with a military bearing. Occasionally, their eyes met, and they nodded slightly to each other.

Before they had set off, the ever-cautious Chen Chu had notified the military of their actions as a precaution.

As Chen Chu remained alert, observing his surroundings, some people were also watching him. It wasn’t because they found him particularly handsome, but because they thought he might be overdoing it by wearing sunglasses at night.

Although it was the Ghost King Festival, and many were dressed in strange costumes with children running around in various ghost masks, his look still seemed a bit over-the-top.

"Brother Chu, so many beauties here." In contrast to Chen Chu's caution, Li Daoyi was busy admiring the beautiful women they encountered along the way.

"Uh... you already have dozens of beautiful friends on your phone. Isn't that enough?" Chen Chu didn’t know what to say about this side of Li Daoyi.

At a glance, one would consider him lecherous, but he only chatted with those women and sent them red envelopes. He rejected all invitations to go out for drinks or have fun. Yet, it was also inaccurate to say he wasn’t interested in women, since he spent all day looking at them.

Sometimes, he even dragged Chen Chu along to comment on their appearances like a reclusive otaku who had never seen a beautiful woman, leaving Chen Chu speechless.

Forget it. Chen Chu shook his head and focused his attention on Yan Ruoyi, watching her side profile lit up by the streetlights, a radiant smile on her face. He sighed slightly.

About an hour later, the four of them passed through the two bustling streets and immediately felt a quietness around them, with significantly fewer people.

They had reached the outskirts, where a winding stone path led to a staircase ascending a small hill densely covered in trees. Low streetlights on the roadside emitted a serene glow, creating a mysterious atmosphere as they started to climb the stairs. Occasionally, passersby would go up or down the hill, their faces full of reverence.

Halfway up the hill, they saw a vast, ancient temple standing quietly. On either side of the gate were eight-meter-tall statues of grim-faced, fanged demons, guarding the entrance. It looked more like the gateway to hell than the entrance to a shrine.

Sakura whispered, "This is the shrine of the Great Heavenly Ghost. As the shrine’s priests, most members of the Yamaki family live here. There's the head of the family, Ryuusuke, the second-generation priests Mikaze and Mikazuchi, and three other third-generation family members."

"So few family members?" Li Daoyi was somewhat surprised. He would have thought that these famous local families would have numerous descendants.

Sakura Momokawa nodded. "Since the New Era, the Yamaki family hasn’t been very prosperous and usually keeps a low profile."

Yan Ruoyi glanced at the demon statues on either side, then said casually, "Let's go in and take a look."

It was already past eight at night. As the four entered the shrine, they brushed past the last few visitors, making the vast shrine feel even more serene. Past the gate, they found a large courtyard with a majestic main hall in the center. Behind it were the residential buildings for the Yamaki family.

Under the eaves of the main hall, Yamaki Mikaze, dressed in elaborate priestly robes, sat behind a lectern and looked somewhat surprised. "Miss Momokawa, Miss Yan, why have you come so late?"

Sakura bowed slightly. "We were participating in the Ghost King Festival below and thought of visiting the Great Heavenly Ghost Shrine since it's just up here, so we brought Miss Yan for a tour."

"I see, please come in." Mikaze gestured for them to enter.

As Chen Chu and Li Daoyi passed by him, Mikaze smiled politely at them, showing no sign of anything amiss.

The four walked into the main hall. While Sakura paid her respects to the deity, an elderly man with a lean face, also dressed in priestly robes, emerged. He had a warm expression, smiling at them as if pleased by their visit to the shrine and their reverence for the Great Heavenly Ghost.

Standing behind Yan Ruoyi, Chen Chu's gaze swept over the fierce demon statues one by one, finally landing on the central statue of the Great Heavenly Ghost. The statue, clad in ancient armor, was five meters tall, sitting with a five-meter-long saber across its knees. Beneath the helmet was a ferocious demon face.

As Chen Chu stared at the statue, he vaguely felt as if the fierce demon was staring back at him with cold eyes.

Using true power to control his voice, Chen Chu suddenly whispered, "Brother Li, do you feel that the statue of the Great Heavenly Ghost is a bit strange?"

Hearing this, Li Daoyi, who had also been observing the statue, nodded thoughtfully, his lips barely moving. "It does feel odd, as if there's some aura of belief entwined around it."

An aura of belief? Chen Chu's eyes flickered with realization.

In this world, there were king-level powerhouses comparable to deities. Some even declared themselves gods and established divine nations, naturally possessing special powers, including belief.

However, such powers, akin to the spiritual and mental realms, were intangible and elusive, collectible only by those kings whose power of laws encompassed such aspects.

Li Daoyi was likely able to sense it due to his innate awakening. Chen Chu had heard of it, but had never encountered or sensed it before now. He merely felt something unusual about this statue.

It almost felt alive.

Though, it was quite normal for a statue that had been worshiped for centuries to have some traces of an aura of belief... or was it?