Chapter 110: Influence Of Faceless Ghost Power—inner Court Reform
Egg? Divine Blood? Seed?
Su Chen’s eyebrows twitched, and he instinctively wanted to throw it away. This ghostly thing looked very disgusting.
“This is something for Wei Yinshuo. On the surface, it can extend lifespan, but in reality, it secretly erodes to achieve control?”
He couldn’t help but speculate, first sending it into the storage space.
Even as Chief Judge, lifespan rarely exceeds two hundred, and lifespan has always been the Cult of the Strange God’s weapon for eroding higher-ups.
The higher the position, power, and strength, the more one hopes to live longer.
“But this lifespan is poisonous…” Su Chen couldn’t help but think of the fanaticism of the Heituo Follower facing him earlier, and he shivered.
Longevity without will is nothing more than a puppet.
He scanned the surroundings, confirmed no traces were left, and then Su Chen left.
When he returned to the Court of Justice, the sky was already dimly lit. Bu Siqi and the others hadn’t returned yet, which also made Su Chen relieved. Otherwise, he really wouldn’t know how to explain why he returned first but arrived last.
However, last night’s events had already fermented, and many Judges on the road were whispering.
“The Pang Family is gone just like that?”
“Yeah, they even had a Chief Judge in their ancestry, and Pang Hui himself was a Deputy Inspector Minister. Gone in an instant.”
“Chief Judge Xia still has that ruthless killing intent.”
“I heard Chief Judge Wei also made a move, upholding justice over family.”
“Upholding justice over family? Sounds nice, but for the people under him, who knows what they think. Even if they did something wrong, they don’t want to be the ‘family’ that’s exterminated.”
And when they saw him, everyone showed a strange expression.
“I heard this newly promoted core seed had a conflict with Pang Xingwen privately. The night before last, someone saw him crying at Su Chen’s door. Chief Judge Xia wouldn’t have acted because of that, right?”
“Don’t talk nonsense. That’s because the Pang Family colluded with the Cult of the Strange God. You didn’t know about this news?”
“Brother Su…” Someone said hello, looking very flattering. Su Chen felt familiar, as if he had seen him at Chu Xuan’s banquet, but he didn’t know his specific name.
He nodded as a response.
Perhaps because of Xia Hanshi’s ruthless action, some people recalled this Chief Judge’s majesty. Many people on the road said hello to him.
Many high-rank Judges showed their amiable side.
“Sure enough, a big fist is the hard truth. Reputation or not.”
Su Chen secretly sighed, went to Old Xia’s villa to talk about the “blood sacrifice,” but found it empty; the person hadn’t returned.
“Old Xia’s previous intuition wasn’t wrong. The Cult of the Strange God is indeed plotting in the dark. Blood sacrifice of ten cities… How long has it been since such a major event?”
Back at his own villa, eating the breakfast prepared by Zero, with meat juice surging in his mouth.
In front of him was a projected virtual screen listing dense text. This was the compiled information about the Strange God.
Su Chen scanned it. The Strange God and mutants in the mist were constant threats.
But because of the invention of the Qiong Guang System, the threat of mutants had temporarily weakened. Those guys extremely disliked appearing in places without mist.
Instead, population growth led to more and more followers of the Cult of the Strange God, gradually becoming the primary threat.
“When the population was sparse before, the Strange God was hardly a threat. Many Strange Gods only appeared after population growth.”
“What’s the deal with the Strange God? Powerful lifeforms? Their true bodies don’t seem to be on this planet, and who knows where they are.”
He thought of the “Crimson Corruption” he saw in the Whispering Trial.
“Blood sacrifice of ten cities. No matter what, I have to find a way to inform the Court of Justice…”
He couldn’t pretend not to know about this. Otherwise, one day it would backfire on him too.
“The old Cult of the Strange God is making big moves, but Ying Feng isn’t a pushover. For something as big as blood sacrifice of ten cities, they must have noticed something.”
“If there’s an opportunity, I’ll probe the waters. If Old Xia knows, I won’t need to show my face. Otherwise, think of another way.”
Su Chen made up his mind. After eating and drinking his fill, he returned to the bedroom, closed the door, and opened the panel.
“Faceless Ghost Power, let me see what you can really do…”
Su Chen took a deep breath and decided to use it on the 【Swift Wind Thunder Envoy】 that hadn’t been interfered with by Heituo’s Power yet.
“Each profession can only be stored once. If it’s wasted, it’s wasted. The Mystic Arts Weaver has already been affected by Heituo’s Power. If something goes wrong, it’d be too much of a loss.”
Having decided, the grayish-white translucent Faceless Ghost Power immediately turned into invisible chains, wrapping around the 【Swift Wind Thunder Envoy】.
【Swift Wind Thunder Envoy is affected by Faceless Ghost Power, going berserk and chaotic, even forgetting who it is. Job appointment condition three is erased.】
“The job appointment condition is directly erased?”
Su Chen looked at the panel, his expression very exciting. The 【Swift Wind Thunder Envoy】’s job appointment condition three was to become a “lightning rod” and survive half an hour in a thunderstorm area, but now it’s gone.
“The Faceless Ghost’s ability randomly erases one job appointment condition? Tsk tsk… Not bad… Not bad…”
Su Chen couldn’t help but grin. He deeply understood how bizarre job appointment conditions could be.
Directly erasing one job appointment condition saves immeasurable time, resources, and energy.
Even if the 【Swift Wind Thunder Envoy】’s requirements are weakened, it still takes effort.
“However, the Faceless Ghost’s power doesn’t require any extra cost to erase a condition, but job advancement requires extra effort…” Su Chen also noticed the difference and pondered secretly:
“Probably because erasing a condition is relatively simple, while job advancement is more difficult.”
Heituo’s power was almost exhausted just finding the upgrade conditions.
“Heituo, Faceless Ghost… Only two Strange Gods so far. I wonder what the powers of other Strange Gods are like?”
Thinking of this, Su Chen inevitably felt a sense of anticipation. Others feared Strange Gods like venomous scorpions, but he wanted more contact.
However, as soon as this thought emerged, he suppressed it himself, warning secretly: “Strange Gods are unfathomable. Contact must be extremely cautious. Arrogance equals seeking death.”
Su Chen steadied his mindset. The events of these past few days were overwhelming: from becoming a core seed, to the Pang Family’s extermination, to tonight’s gains. It was somewhat dizzying.
“Stability is the kingly way.”
He let out a long breath and turned his gaze to another 【low-rank Heituo’s Power】.
Fortunately, Strange God’s Power can be applied repeatedly to the same profession.
【Swift Wind Thunder Envoy is immersed by Heituo, vaguely seeing the path ahead, thirsting for greater power.】
【Absorb the power of three “Thunder Cores” to complete job advancement.】
“Thunder Core…” Su Chen frowned. Another unheard-of thing. He had Zero check it, and then he roughly understood.
This is a highly condensed elemental core of thunder element. Due to the element’s instability, variant Thunder Cores like “flame thunder” or “ice thunder” are born, quite precious and rare.
“No need for murder, but it costs money…” Su Chen shook his head and could only note it down for now.
After breakfast, Su Chen tortured himself in the training room until mid-afternoon when Bu Siqi hurriedly arrived.
“Senior Brother, what happened? Who beat you this badly?”
Su Chen opened the door and was startled. Bu Siqi’s eyes were swollen like light bulbs, and his clothes were tattered.
“Good that you’re back.” Bu Siqi breathed a sigh of relief and complained: “Who else? Teacher, of course. I was lying there absorbing blood when he kicked me over.”
“You’re a grown man, and nothing could happen to you. What was he so anxious about?”
Su Chen understood and heard Bu Siqi’s resentment. He immediately said: “No, I have to go explain to Teacher. I asked to leave myself. It has nothing to do with Senior Brother.”
He made to get up, but Bu Siqi pulled him back. “No need to explain. Teacher is like that. I’m used to it.”
Seeing Su Chen so serious, the resentment in his heart lessened. He sighed: “Actually, I get it. You’re not only Teacher’s favorite, but also the Court of Justice’s favorite. It’s only natural to care about you.”
But deep down, there was still a feeling of “Teacher, you’ve never shown that kind of concern to me.”
This mindset could only be self-adjusted, and Su Chen didn’t know what to say.
Fortunately, Bu Siqi seemed to adjust quickly and continued: “The Pang Family cleanup is almost done. Some scattered members are also imprisoned. Your share should arrive soon.”
“However, there’s a fish that slipped the net. That young man named Pang Xingwen actually escaped. We found the secret passage but no trace of him.”
“After all, it’s in the city. The Court of Justice can’t act freely.” Su Chen casually agreed.
Unexpectedly, Bu Siqi looked deeply insightful and annoyed: “Yeah, when we followed the secret passage to track people, those Inspector Guards obstructed us in every way, saying it disturbs residents or affects reputation. It pissed me off.”
“Yes, it’s inconvenient for us to act in the city, but the problem is Pang Hui was their Deputy Minister. They didn’t even know he was harboring ghosts at home. How can we trust them?”
His thoughts were, to some extent, the thoughts of the vast majority in the Court of Justice–
We help you eliminate ghosts, and you obstruct us? Truly ungrateful!
Bu Siqi complained for a while, then left. He still had things to do.
The news of the Pang Family’s destruction had spread, causing quite a stir.
Not only because the Pang Family had stood for hundreds of years, but also because it involved a current Deputy Minister of the Inspection Department. Ying Feng City was abuzz with discussions and all sorts of rumors flying.
And those who had any involvement with the Pang Family, whether more or less, or their factions, were now frantically cutting ties.
……
“How dare the Pang Family!?”
Chu Yunze’s face was ashen. This was a gathering of Chu Xuan’s small group. “How could they be so greedy! Daring to collude with the Cult of the Strange God!”
He wasn’t regretful, only angry, because they too were somewhat affected.
Meng Qi shrank his neck, unsure if he feared Chu Yunze or the Cult of the Strange God.
“Some below have politely asked to leave and prepare to join other core seeds’ camps.” Someone whispered nearby.
Their rising small group hadn’t even entered the Court of Justice yet and was hit hard by Su Chen.
And now, one internal member, Pang Xingwen, was involved with the Cult of the Strange God, causing panic. Their already weak cohesion was nearly gone.
“Let them go.” Chu Xuan’s expression was indifferent. “Since they’re not fellow travelers, they’ll part ways sooner or later.”
Chu Yunze calmed down and sighed: “Now those core seeds in the Inner Court will probably intensify their efforts against us.”
At this point, he couldn’t help thinking of Su Chen, who seemed like a lone wolf back then, but now had the sole advantage: just mind his own business, regardless of the flood.
“I think there’s something fishy here.” Meng Qi said softly.
“Oh?” Chu Yunze looked over.
gazes gathered, making Meng Qi even more at a loss.
“Speak your thoughts. This is the time for brainstorming.” Chu Yunze reassured.
Meng Qi cautiously said: “Brother Chu and Su… Su Chen…”
Mentioning this name made everyone’s faces unnatural, but no one argued with Meng Qi.
“…Both were exceptionally recruited by the Chief Judge. The fuss from the other core seeds is essentially dissatisfaction with the Chief Judge. And the Chief Judge has made no move so far. I feel he’s letting it happen…” Meng Qi spoke more fluently and faster:
“Moreover, Ming Lin, the previous sole Ink Jade Level, has made no move and hasn’t joined the attacks against us…”
Chu Xuan’s expression shifted slightly: “You mean the Chief Judge has a backup plan?”
Meng Qi whispered: “I’m just guessing… guessing…”
Chu Xuan pondered and gave the final order: “In that case, stay steady first. Let them clamor. If necessary, take some losses.”
……
“This is it…” Su Chen got out of the special hover car and looked at the small manor in front of him. The location wasn’t Ying Feng’s core, but it still showed the Gu Family’s former glory.
“Grandpa said this time we won’t go to those noisy places.” Gu Bing beside him spoke carefully and nervously, seemingly deliberately dressed up, with black hair cascading over her shoulders and plain lipstick on her slightly pursed lips.
The Su Chen in front of her was no longer the little guy from Nan Feng.
But the Court of Justice’s core seed, the Chief Judge’s student, and the one who just participated in exterminating the Pang Family.
The Pang Family was far more glorious and prosperous than the declining Gu Family.
“A family banquet is nice too.” Su Chen hadn’t walked two steps when the manor’s gate opened, with a large family waiting behind it.
Leading was an old man with white hair and beard, his face covered in age spots, trembling forward as if to bow. “Gu Family’s Gu Zhengyang welcomes Your Excellency Su Chen.”
“Old sir, you’re too kind.” Su Chen grabbed the old man’s arm, not letting him bow fully.
“This is only right…” Gu Zhengting gripped Su Chen’s hand in return and said earnestly: “Your presence is the Gu Family’s honor…”
He led Su Chen at the forefront, with other Gu Family members following, both elders and youths, all looking at Su Chen curiously.
The banquet was ready. Su Chen sat to the old man’s right, Gu Bing to his left. She seemed restless.
“Try this…” The old man pointed to the central platter with a whole crimson red suckling pig.
Su Chen tasted it; the flavor was excellent. A warmth surged in his stomach, gradually spreading throughout his body.
This was indeed a family banquet. Gu Zhengting only introduced the Gu Family’s main members, then let him eat and chatted about interesting matters. Nothing vulgar like protection or transactions was mentioned.
With Xia Hanshi just exterminating the Pang Family, Su Chen’s visit was a stance. Those covetous families would have to think twice.
After three rounds of drinks, many had left, but the old Gu man suddenly mentioned: “The Inner Court is about to undergo major changes.”
“Oh?” Su Chen looked surprised.
“I’ve at least some connections from the Chief Judge’s era.” Gu Zhengyang’s turbid eyes cleared up.
“Compared to decades ago when even a Crimson Gold seed was cherished, now there are relatively too many Crimson Golds. But no matter how excellent, entering the Inner Court means picking a camp.”
“The Inner Court’s four-core pattern can no longer adapt to the times’ development. But the forces around those core seeds are intricate. Even the Chief Judge must consider carefully. Your Excellency and that Chu Xuan are the spears he’s waiting for to break the deadlock.”
Su Chen was thoughtful. Ming Lin had mentioned this too, and Gu Zhengyang had seen it.
Gu Zhengyang added: “Your Excellency must prepare. Future core seeds won’t be so secure.”
“However, no matter what, the Gu Family will fully assist.”
Saying this much was to express sincerity. Even if Su Chen later had an accident and lost core seed status, the Gu Family wouldn’t make small moves.
……
The next morning, Su Chen woke up on the big bed, rubbing his faintly aching head. He checked the time: already nine o’clock, and couldn’t help complaining: “What kind of wine was that? It left me dizzy.”
Zero had already fetched the hangover soup prepared by the canteen long ago. The green liquid didn’t look appealing.
After gulping it down, Su Chen soon felt his head much better.
“Phew…” Su Chen set down the bowl but looked at Zero standing nearby. “I didn’t ask you to prepare this last night, right?”
“Yes.” Zero nodded, hands folded at her waist, elegantly responding: “This is the optimal choice I deduced from the information.”
“How high is your authority over my daily life?” Su Chen’s expression shifted slightly.
“Per guidelines, limited to clothing, food, housing, and transport. And only when you haven’t given specific instructions will I make the best inference from data.” Zero thoughtfully gave an example:
“If you had given specific instructions last night, I would have followed them.”
“Not low intelligence.” Su Chen nodded and continued listening to Zero’s information summary.
“…At six this morning, the Chief Judge issued the latest announcement on core seed adjustments, stating that due to recent internal public opinion, core seeds will be adjusted. The six core seed quotas are no longer fixed; the challenge system is activated…”
Zero’s voice was gentle and melodious, making one want to listen, but it lacked emotional fluctuation.
She herself might not grasp how impactful this content was.
Su Chen was stunned for a few seconds, had Zero project the details. It was long; he read word by word, his expression turning strange.
Mostly nonsense. The gist: Since you’re dissatisfied with me exceptionally recruiting two core seeds, here’s your chance to pull them down.
But don’t think you’ll have it easy.
He opened his bracelet, pulled up the virtual screen. Sure enough, while he slept, backstage messages had overwhelmed him.
Not just contacts he added in the Inner Court, even Du Yu was inquiring about the situation.
Core seeds are one of the Court of Justice’s foundational systems. This adjustment would touch countless interests and radiate to all aspects of Ying Feng.
