The Underground City's Vengeful Soul

At 8:50 a. m., Shen Jingye was reviewing meeting materials in his office.

There are three meetings today, which are expected to last all day. The first meeting will start at nine o'clock.

Shen Jingye emphasized that these meetings were very important, but he had never looked at any of the meeting materials beforehand; he only used the ten minutes before the Shen Jingye to skim through them.

Shen Jingye often said, "The purpose of a meeting is not to solve problems, but to raise awareness." The overall quality of the meeting materials reflects the depth of understanding and importance that the relevant personnel placed on the meeting.

Drip drip drip~

The landline rang.

Upon seeing the caller ID, Shen Jingye fell into deep thought.

He only thought for five seconds because he knew time was of the essence.

He immediately took out his phone and called the driver, asking him to prepare the car, as he was going to conduct research at a subordinate unit.

Regarding the postponement of the meeting, the relevant personnel can be notified after boarding the vehicle. Shen Jingye hung up the phone.

He left the office immediately, without even locking the door, and headed straight for the elevator.

He pressed the down button, the elevator doors opened, and Li Qi stepped out.

Shen Jingye was silent for less than a second before a smile immediately appeared on his face, "Director Li is back. You must be tired from your journey. I'm in a hurry to leave now. We can talk again when I get back."

Shen Jingye calmly walked into the elevator, then was pulled back by Li Qi.

"Little Shen, come to my office."

Sitting in Li Qi's office, Shen Jingye's face was gloomy.

Li Qi frowned and said, "I really didn't expect that after I came all this way back, you would have this attitude!"

Shen Jingye adjusted his expression. "Director Li, I do have important work to do."

"What work is more important than what I'm dealing with right now? I've signed a contract with the Inner State, don't you want to take a look?"

Shen Jingye desperately wanted to know the outcome of Li Qi's negotiations with Inner State, but he couldn't find out.

"Director Li, this work was mainly completed in Pro State, so the responsibility should lie with the Guanfang Hall. The person who should really hear about the progress of the work is General Envoy Liao."

Li Banfeng laughed, "So you don't want to hear it?"

"No, I think General Envoy Liao should have firsthand information."

"Are you trying to shift the blame to Liao Zihui?"

"I absolutely have no intention of shirking responsibility, but the division of responsibilities must be clear."

"So you're saying you don't want to get involved in this anymore?"

"I really didn't—" Shen Jingye's lips were a little pale.

Li Banfeng handed the contract to Shen Jingye: "Write a report based on this."

Shen Jingye took the contract but didn't want to read a single word.

There was nothing he could do if he didn't read it; Li Qi just handed it to him like that, and he couldn't say that he couldn't read.

Fortunately, things turned out well. After the Guanfang Hall withdrew from the Soda Kiln, the Inner State promised not to pursue the gatekeeper incident any further, and the war crisis between the two sides was temporarily averted.

Li Qi took a sip of tea and continued, "I've reached an agreement with Green Water Bow's side; he won't be coming to Outer State anytime soon."

Shen Jingye was not entirely satisfied with the result. "Director Li, what exactly is meant by 'short-term'? Shouldn't there be a specific timeframe?"

Li Qi shook his head. "It's really impossible to be sure right now. Green Flower has always been unpredictable. This matter needs to be followed up. It's impossible to get him to promise never to come. We also need to have our own ideas and strategies before I can continue to negotiate with him."

Shen Jingye pondered for a moment and said, "If that's the case, we'd better report it to Director Du together."

Li Banfeng nodded. "No problem, bring him to me. I don't have too much work these days, so I can meet him when I have some free time."

Shen Jingye looked troubled. "Isn't this inappropriate?"

Li Banfeng: "What's inappropriate? He's still sick."

"It's better now, but regarding my position—"

Du Wenming recovered from his illness, which piqued Li Banfeng's interest. "Was it Kang Zhenchang who cured Director Du?"

Shen Jingye did not hide anything. "Currently, only he has this ability."

"Which floor of medical practice is Kang Zhenchang on?"

"Seventh level!" Shen Jingye answered very naturally. "Kang Zhenchang has the strongest skills among the therapists, so naturally he also has the highest level."

"Healer" is the term used by Outer State to refer to medical practitioners. In the general understanding of those Outer State, the limit of dark abilities is seven levels.

Shen Jingye gave a standard, official answer.

Of course, Li Banfeng knew that this answer was pure nonsense. How could a seventh-level medical cultivator possibly cure the lesions of the Green Water Bow?

"I'd like to see Doctor Kang. Could you arrange it for me?"

Shen Jingye shook his head and said, "This is very difficult. Kang Zhenchang is a special talent and receives special protection. Whenever our bureau needs Kang Zhenchang's cooperation in carrying out a mission, we have to submit an application in advance."

Does the bureau have any information related to Kang Zhenchang?

"We do have some information, but it's top secret, and the procedures are..."

As they were talking, both of their phones rang at the same time.

There is a task.

A "Autonomous Consciousness Dark Energy Aggregate" has appeared in the Dream Mansion Underground City, requiring the Dark Star Bureau to deal with it immediately.

Li Banfeng looked at his phone and asked, "What is a Dark Energy aggregate of self-awareness?"

Shen Jingye explained, "It is a product formed by the aggregation of residual consciousness and Dark Energy after the end of life. In Pro State terms, it is called a vengeful spirit."

Li Banfeng frowned and said, "Does this really need to be emphasized Pro State? Don't Outer State have the term 'vengeful spirit'?"

"Because the concept of vengeful spirits is not scientifically sound, we rarely use this term in daily life, Director Li."

I would very much like to participate in this mission, but given the significant results you have achieved, I would like to ask you to come with me to Director Du to give a work report.

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "I'll leave such an important task as reporting to you. I'll go to the scene and take a look."

Once on the minibus, Tangyuan first described the situation. "A dark energy enthusiast group was having a gathering in the Dream Mansion Underground City they were attacked by a self-aware Dark Energy aggregate. The attack resulted in three deaths and two injuries, and the survivors have all evacuated the scene."

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "Don't talk about aggregates, just say vengeful spirits. Does the Dark Star Bureau have a clear definition of what's the difference between these vengeful spirits and ordinary dead spirits?"

He needs to know the fighting power of this vengeful spirit.

Hearing Li Qi's question, Tangyuan sat down next to Li Qi and explained in a low voice, "The residual consciousness after the end of life is called a wandering soul. The product of the wandering soul combining with Dark Energy is a vengeful spirit."

There are two sources of vengeful spirits: one is ordinary spirits that have come into contact with large amounts of Dark Energy, and the other is the spirits of Dark Energy User, because Dark Energy User themselves carry a large amount of Dark Energy.

Li Banfeng thought for a moment, then frowned and said, "This doesn't seem to have anything to do with resentment."

Tangyuan's voice became even softer. "Therefore, we cannot use vengeful spirits to refer to the aggregate of autonomous consciousness Dark Energy."

2

The reason she wanted to sit next to Li Qi was that Li Qi hadn't been back to the bureau for a long time, and she wanted to sit closer to Li Qi.

On the other hand, she didn't want others to know about Li Qi's lack of common sense.

In fact, she knew that Li Qi knew far more about the common knowledge of Dark Energy User than they did, but Li Qi and they did not have the same knowledge system.

Li Qi didn't feel ashamed at all. Not understanding, he asked, "Does the 'Dark Energy Enthusiast Organization' refer to civilian Dark Energy User?"

"They are not Dark Energy User, but through certain channels, they have acquired some knowledge of Dark Energy, possess some Dark Energy resources, and understand some spells and rituals related to Dark Energy. These organizations are generally divided into two types: one is to learn the folk customs of the country and neighboring countries, and the other is to learn witchcraft and black magic from the West. The organization we encountered today is called the Chamomile Wizard Association. The president and three core members are Lavsha People, and the total number of members is sixty-three—"

The minibus drove all the way to Dream Mansion Underground City. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Underground City were all the rage in major cities, with catering, entertainment, sales and all kinds of Underground City.

Tangyuan explained, "Ten years ago, the Underground City gradually declined. A fire in Dream Mansion Underground City dealt a heavy blow to the merchants who were struggling to keep their businesses afloat, and the Underground City has been abandoned ever since."

In the following years, this place became a meeting place for dark energy enthusiasts, and some of these groups had rumors that it was a place rich in spirituality or a source of Dark Energy, although we tried to stop such claims many times.

Before he could finish speaking, Li Banfeng suddenly heard arguing. A tall, thin, blond man was shouting in a harsh tone, "You have no right to leave me here! I'm not one of you! You have no right to restrict my freedom!"

According to law enforcement officers at the scene, this person is Cheliviko, the president of the Chamomile Wizard Association.

He was pushing and shoving law enforcement officers and shouting.

Li Banfeng glanced at it and ordered, "Him."

Tangyuan was taken aback, the Light Bulb blinked, and the Star pretended not to hear.

Chuunibyou walked over with his hands in his pockets, but was stopped by Director Wang.

"Director Li, there are no small matters when it comes to foreign affairs. We can't act impulsively in this matter."

Li Banfeng repeated, "Him."

Chuunibyou bypassed Director Wang, walked up to Cheliviko, and grabbed one of his arms.

Cheliviko, shedding his Chuunibyou, shouted, "What do you think you're doing? What right do you have? Do you know who I am? You have no right to touch me—..."

With Chuunibyou knocked Cheliviko down, twisted his arm, grabbed his hand, and tied his hands together from behind.

"You will pay the price, you must pay the price!" Cheliviko shouted hoarsely.

Li Banfeng said, "See him off to his car."

Chuunibyou picked up Cheliviko and threw him into the car. During the process of getting in the car, Cheliviko hit his head and became quiet.

The other three Lavsha People were still shouting Chuunibyou took out his other hand, and the three of them quickly quieted down.

Deputy Director Wang was terrified and immediately called Director Shen: "Director, Director Li acted too impulsively, handing them over without even asking what happened. They're not from our area—."

He recounted what had happened, Shen Jingye remained silent for a moment before saying, "Alright, I understand."

Is that all?

Deputy Director Wang asked, "How should I handle this?"

"You don't need to take any action. Just follow Director Li's instructions on site." Shen Jingye hung up the phone.

Director Du asked, "What happened?"

Director Shen said, "There are vengeful spirits in Dream Mansion Underground City, but it's nothing serious."

"Let's put aside anything else for now and discuss the report in detail. This contract from Inner State is crucial. Is it true that you can't get any substantial materials from Green Water Bow?"

Shen Jingye has answered this question countless times.

He was tired, really tired.

Li Banfeng led his men into the Underground City, where karaoke bars, dance halls, billiard halls, amusement arcades, and internet cafes—representative entertainment venues from the late 20th and early 21st centuries—came into view.

Guided by the staff, the group entered a karaoke bar, the meeting place of the Wizarding Association, in a private room near the entrance.

The Public Security Team's psychic, Zhuang Shuxing, found the incantation that had fallen to the ground. The incantation was written in Lafsha Language, and as soon as the translator provided the translation, Zhuang Shuxing immediately recognized its origin.

"This is the contract that a psychic uses to summon a battle spirit."

Li Banfeng also glanced at it. Because it was a literal translation, there were many obscure and incomprehensible sentences, but the general meaning was...

It is indeed similar to the contract between demonic cultivators and their Ghost Servant.

The last sentence is slightly different; the war spirit they want to summon is a handsome man from Old World.

"What does 'Old World' mean?" Li Banfeng asked the translator.

The translator was also unclear about the specific meaning of the sentence and could only make some guesses. "In some countries, Pro State is referred to as the Old World."

Are they trying to summon war spirits from Pro State?

What is the reason for this?

Li Banfeng's first thought was that more spirits from Pro State had wandered to Outer State.

"And what are the standards for a handsome man?" Li Banfeng asked Zhuang Shuxing, the psychic.

Zhuang Shuxing thought for a moment, then called out towards the door, "Handsome guy!"

Light Bulb, Chuunibyou, Star, awl, Huajia all turned their faces at the same time.

Zhuang Shuxing said, "Director, look, there's no man in this world who doesn't think he's handsome. His way of addressing people is seriously flawed."

I've seen this kind of thing quite a few times. This was originally a summoning contract from our region, written in the Huan Kingdom language, but someone translated it into Ingrid and it ended up outside.

The Ingrid was translated into Xi Pani, then Xi Pani into Austria into Lafsa, and so on, until it came back to us and became foreign witchcraft. Isn't that nonsense?

"Spirit mediums can summon battle spirits through skillful control. These White Lamb know nothing, blindly mixing Western witchcraft with our contract; who knows what they might summon."

Li Banfeng looked at the three corpses at the scene; all of them had wounds on their throats, indicating they had died from a single stab wound.

"Have you found the murder weapon?"

The law enforcement officers at the scene shook their heads. One forensic doctor said, "Judging from the appearance, the three wounds should have been caused by three different weapons, or the weapons used by the murderer varied in different locations."

Li Banfeng looked at the broken television screen. At the end of the last century, LCD screens were not common, and many karaoke bars used glass screens.

He examined the location and distance of the body and told the forensic doctor, "Look through the broken glass on the ground."

The Chuunibyou student asked, "Chief, do you mean the vengeful spirits they summoned were picking up the broken glass on the ground?"

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "No need to pick them up."

He had seen similar battles in Pro State.

"The ghost punched the television screen, shattering it, and the flying glass severed the necks of the three men."

The Chuunibyou couldn't believe it. "Is this really possible?"

"You're a fighter; you'll be able to do it once you reach a higher level."

Zhuang Shuxing was also somewhat surprised. "How high a level is that? Does Big Head have that ability?"

Big Head doesn't have that ability; even a fifth-level martial artist can't do that.

Chen Changrui didn't speak; he knew Li Banfeng had found the right direction.

However, finding the murder weapon doesn't seem to help much with the current situation.

"They've gotten themselves into trouble," Li Qi said gravely. "They've summoned a high-level martial artist, and we still don't know where that martial artist is."

Chen Changrui shared similar concerns, asking law enforcement officers, "Have the other areas of the Underground City been searched?"

The law enforcement officer replied, "We only conducted a preliminary inspection."

Li Banfeng handed the scene over to the forensic doctor and led the group deeper into the karaoke bar.

This karaoke bar has been abandoned for many years. The corridors are filled with broken tiles, dust, cobwebs, and insects crawling around from time to time.

The karaoke bar is quite large, with more than twenty private rooms of various sizes deep in the corridor.

Just as we were about to reach the end of the corridor, a burst of laughter suddenly came from a private room on the left.

"General Wang, would you like another drink? Just one more."

"Sweetie, let me kiss you, and I'll drink a glass!"

Who General Wang?

Li Banfeng turned to look at Director Wang.

Director Wang exclaimed in horror, "That definitely wasn't me!"

There are people in this private room.

Singing could be faintly heard from inside; it was severely off-key and had a huge echo—typical of singing in a karaoke bar.

"Isn't anyone checking here?" Director Wang asked Chen Changrui.

Chen Changrui was also surprised. Even if law enforcement officers overlooked this private room, they would definitely have noticed if someone was singing there.

Besides, this is a karaoke bar that has been abandoned for many years, so how could the sound equipment still be working?

Chuunibyou drew his pistol, about to step forward to investigate, but was pulled back by Li Banfeng.

"All personnel on high alert!" Li Banfeng ordered. "On your positions!"

The combat effectiveness of the Public Security Team is difficult to assess, but they are well-trained and quickly took their positions in the corridor.

The overwhelming malice sent a chill down Li Banfeng.

As I pushed open the door to the private room, the singing and laughter abruptly stopped. It seemed no different from the other private rooms, except for the thick layer of dust and cobwebs.

Li Banfeng touched the glass screen, and the hairs on the back of his hand stood up.

There is static electricity.

This screen has just been used.

He opened the Golden Eyes Autumn Hairs and scanned the room, but found nothing unusual.

Things that can evade Golden Eyes Autumn Hairs are all of a high level, at least exceeding Li Banfeng's current level.

He quietly left the private room and immediately ordered, "Leave the Underground City and seal off the surrounding area!"

At noon, Shen Jingye arrived at the scene and personally directed the investigation.

Ten fully armed investigators entered the Underground City with their equipment and worked until 7 p. m., when they had some initial results.

The Chamomile Wizard Association used a psychic summoning ritual to summon Autonomous Consciousness Dark Energy Aggregate, which is a high-level fighter and whose current whereabouts are unknown.

The sounds that Li Qi and the others heard in the karaoke bar should have come from a Dark Energy Carrier with Illusion Technique properties.

The location and whereabouts of the carrier are unknown.

"Little Shen, do you mean there's an Illusion Technique powers in the private room?"

Shen Jingye nodded. "This is the only reasonable explanation that can be made at the moment."

What kind of reasonable explanation is that?

If it truly is a magical artifact, just how high must its level be? Even Pan Dehai couldn't escape Li Banfeng's Golden Eyes Autumn Down.

Could this thing be in the Dark Dimension Space?

Li Banfeng wanted to find an opportunity to try going in with the bowl, but Shen Jingye was more worried about something else.

"Where did the vengeful spirit of that fighter go?"

Li Qi asked, "What did the witnesses say?"

Shen Jingye handed the eyewitness statements to Li Qi: "They didn't provide much valuable information."

This gathering was hosted by their guild leader, who acquired the summoning book through a similar organization in the Lafusha Country and used the knowledge their association possessed to conduct a spirit communication ritual.

According to their description, at the beginning of the ceremony, the lights in the box suddenly turned on and the temperature plummeted, which greatly excited the enthusiasts.

However, the box later showed signs of twisting and collapsing. The enthusiasts fled the box, and during their escape, a man with a physical form appeared among them. Two witnesses were injured after coming into contact with the man.

The three victims were injured by a sharp weapon. The weapon has been identified, and it matches your deduction perfectly—the broken glass on the ground. If it truly was a single blow that killed three people, this situation is horrific.

Li Banfeng was quite impressed by Shen Jingye's dedication to the case.

"What are your plans for the next step?"

Shen Jingye said, "I have already reported the case to my superiors, and they have already begun to take action. It is a very special operation, and neither you nor I can inquire about the specific details of the operation."

Li Banfeng was surprised. "Is it that special?"

Shen Jingye lowered his voice to the lowest level. "As far as I know, the higher-ups have dispatched a highly confidential person whose identity is under wraps. This person has a way to find that vengeful spirit and eliminate it."

Li Banfeng frowned and said, "Little Shen, are we really not allowed to reveal any inside information?"

"It's not that I don't want to reveal it, it's that I genuinely don't know. This person's identity is top secret; there's no way I could guess!"

"What's there to be confused about?" After hearing Li Banfeng's description, the Wife was quite dismissive. "Husband, where's the contract that summoned the evil spirits?"

Li Banfeng said, "It was given to Shen Jingye, Shen Jingye said he handed it over to his superiors."

~

The record player sneered, "What kind of sophisticated method is this? Isn't it just a trick used by curse cultivators to hunt down criminals? This contract is related to that evil spirit, and the connection is very deep. It's like proof that he came here. Curse cultivators can use this connection to cast a curse on the evil spirit."

Li Banfeng nodded and said, "That's a good idea. If the Curse Art succeeds, won't it destroy the spirit?"

The record player, spewing steam, said, "That's hard to say; it depends on the cultivation levels of both sides."

Li Banfeng thought for a moment, "The ghost has died once, so its strength must have been damaged."

The record player said, "Spellcasters don't cast spells directly; they have to do so through a contract, which adds an extra step and also damages the Curse Art."

In this situation, no one benefits. If the curse cultivator's cultivation level is higher than the deceased soul's, there is a chance to curse the deceased soul to death.

However, if the cultivator's skill level is lower than that of the deceased soul, and the deceased soul withstands the curse, the Curse Art will fail, and the cultivator will suffer a backlash.

However, the Daoist sect of Curse Cultivators is indeed skilled at assassination. In Pro State, all forces deeply hate Curse Cultivators, killing them on sight. As a result, very few cultivators from this sect remain.

I estimate there aren't many spellcasters in Outer State. If you find one or two, you have to be careful using them. Who knows, they might turn against you one day and no one would know? It's understandable that you have to be discreet about this."

Having understood the cause and effect, Li Banfeng also grasped the situation. "Wait a couple of days. If there's no further development, it proves that the curse cultivator killed the deceased soul. If the curse cultivator failed, Shen Jingye will definitely come looking for me."

"My Wife, I suspect the danger that occurred at the karaoke bar is related to some unspeakable place. I'm going to take my alms bowl and go check it out."

"My lord, Little Slave think this matter cannot be rushed. You already possess the cultivation of the Cloud Above Second Layer. Any opponent who can make you break out in a cold sweat is definitely not an ordinary person."

Regardless of whether this adversary is in some unknown place, Little Slave believes he is definitely connected to that wandering spirit. It's not too late to investigate after we capture the spirit and find out the details.

Li Banfeng hugged the record player and rubbed it against the speaker, saying, "Where can you find such a wonderful and capable wife?"

The record player said sweetly, "My dear husband, don't hug me so tightly."

Hong Ying asked sweetly, "Seventh Son, can you fly now?"

Li Banfeng lowered the Oil Pot he had been holding and left Portable Abode.

The record player grabbed the paddle and said, "You shameless woman, why do you always ridicule your husband?"

Hong Ying, leaning over the record player, said, "I just don't want to see you two being affectionate!"

"What's wrong with us being intimate? We're a respectable married couple! What gives us the right—"

The record player sensed something was wrong and nudged Hong Ying with a board, saying, "Stay away from me for a bit."

The next morning, Li Banfeng was packing up his documents and was about to go to a meeting when Shen Jingye knocked on the door and entered the office.

"Director Li, I have something to report to you."

"Little Shen, you've improved again, but I'm very busy right now. Let's schedule another time."

"Director Li, where are you going?"

"A meeting? Didn't you issue the notice yesterday?"

Shen Jingye stopped Li Qi and said, "The meeting has been postponed."

Li Banfeng was very worried. "How long will it be delayed? This is disrupting my work schedule."

"It's fine if we don't meet then, but let me tell you something important first. The higher-ups have entrusted us with the task of searching for vengeful spirits again, which shows their trust in us."

Why didn't you trust me before?

"Then let's put aside what happened before—"

Li Banfeng laughed and said, "Things went wrong, didn't they? The Curse Art failed, didn't it?"

Shen Jingye pursed his lips and said, "I'm not entirely sure what the specific reason is."

"Then you should first find out how things were messed up, what level that sorcerer was at, what methods he used, and what the current situation is. Compile a report and give it to me."

Shen Jingye sighed, "I really can't bring this up with my superiors."

"You think it's so easy to talk to me?" Li Qi's face darkened. "Don't come back to see me until the matter is thoroughly investigated!"

Shen Jingye left with his head down. He had been searching from morning till night and finally got the information.

The superiors dispatched a seventh-level spellcaster who, using Curse Art through the contract, fought for over two hours.

He suffered a backlash from the Curse Art and died.

Is it really seven stories?

Back at his residence, Li Banfeng carefully reviewed the documents.

The publicly disclosed level limit in the Outer State is the seventh level. This curse cultivator's level may be above the seventh level. The fact that he was attacked by the backlash proves that the cultivation level of the dead soul is higher than his.

Where can we find this lost soul?

Li Banfeng couldn't think of a good solution for a moment, when he suddenly saw the projector open the film compartment. "Seventh Director, there's a phone call for you, it's Tang Changfa calling."

Li Banfeng called back, Tang Changfa, in a private movie theater box, whispered, "Boss, someone is delivering goods to Yin Siniang."

"Where is he?"

"Just entered the private room."

"You all stay put and wait for me to fly over!" Li Banfeng opened the window and jumped out.

Bang!

A cloud of dust rose as Li Banfeng stood up from the green belt of the residential area and rushed towards the Culture Palace.

P. S.: I need to learn how to Riding the Wind and Driving the Clouds quickly, otherwise I won't even be able to lift Oil Pot.

This vengeful spirit is of great importance; we must find a way to capture him.