A Murder Strikes

The moment the words on the panel froze, an utterly different kind of insight flooded into Lu Chen's limbs and bones.

If the Demon Suppressing Saber Technique was a fierce, overbearing torrent, then the insight of the Body Evasion Steps was like a breeze weaving through the forest—light, nimble, and everywhere at once.

The muscles in Lu Chen's legs trembled faintly. Control over his center of gravity and balance seemed to become instinctive at that very moment.

He slowly rose to his feet, feeling as though his body had become light enough to float.

At a thought, his footwork arose on its own.

Within this Corpse Handling Room, only a few yards square, he crouched low and glided like a civet cat, easily passing beneath the stone bed holding corpses.

Though it had only reached minor mastery, this basic movement technique had already granted him agility far beyond that of ordinary people.

"Good!"

A sharp gleam burst from Lu Chen's eyes.

He casually grabbed a Boning Knife from the tool rack, imagining an invisible enemy lunging at him.

As the enemy's claws struck, Lu Chen shifted his steps. His body tilted slightly at an incredible angle, narrowly evading the attack.

At the same time, the Boning Knife in his hand followed through, its edge precisely slashing toward the imagined enemy's throat.

One dodge, one advance.

One retreat, one slash.

The minor-mastered Body Evasion Steps, combined with the master-level Demon Suppressing Saber Technique, were no longer the crude, stationary chopping style from before.

Attack and defense flowed into one another like drifting clouds and running water!

At last, he possessed a sliver of capital to contend with demons and devils!

Lu Chen let out a long breath, calming his excited heart before glancing at his panel.

[Personal Lifespan: 23 years]

[Demon Devil Lifespan: 42 years]

Fifty-six years of Demon Devil Lifespan had dwindled to only forty-two in the blink of an eye.

The price of gaining power was enormous.

Just then.

Creak—

The heavy stone door of the Corpse Handling Room was violently shoved open from outside once more.

Two burly Warriors from the Demon Suppression Division entered carrying a stretcher. Their faces were unusually grave, even bearing a trace of undisguised terror.

A white cloth covered the stretcher as well, but judging from its outline, this time it was a person!

Moreover, from the corner of the robe exposed beneath the white cloth, it was the black fitted uniform of an Imperial Guard from the Demon Suppression Division!

A dense stench of blood, along with an aura even colder and more deathly still than the Vengeful Fox's Killing Intent, instantly filled the entire Corpse Handling Room.

"Put... put it down." One of the Warriors spoke with a slight tremble in his voice. They heavily set the stretcher onto an empty stone bed, their movements rough, as though it were some ominous object.

The other warrior hurried over to Lu Chen and slapped a command token into his hand. In a low voice, he said, "Foreman Wang's order: deal with it immediately and determine the cause of death!"

After saying that, the two exchanged a glance. As if fleeing a plague, they hurried away without looking back.

The stone door slammed shut behind them with a bang, as though staying even one second longer would taint them with the corpse's misfortune.

Holding the icy token, Lu Chen walked to the stone bed with a grave expression.

Handling a colleague's corpse was undoubtedly a greater psychological trial.

He reached out and slowly lifted the white cloth.

A young, distorted face entered his sight.

The deceased looked barely over twenty. His eyes were wide open, his face an unnatural iron-blue, and his mouth hung agape, as though he had witnessed something utterly terrifying before he died.

At his chest, his robe had been torn apart, revealing a vicious black claw mark deeply branded into his flesh.

The claw mark had only three fingers, yet it had sunk deep into his chest. The flesh around its edges had already completely carbonized and withered.

Even more chilling, visible strands of black mist continuously seeped from deep within the claw mark, like tiny venomous snakes slowly slithering across the corpse's surface.

This was... Sha Poison!

Merely looking at it, Lu Chen felt a chill travel along his gaze, raising goosebumps across the back of his neck.

This thing was more than a hundred times fiercer and more tyrannical than the Demonic Sha Qi condensed after the Vengeful Fox's death!

"Lu Chen."

A cold, sinister voice came from beyond the door without warning, as though it had slipped in through the crack beneath it.

It was Foreman Wang!

Lu Chen's heart tightened, but he did not turn around.

"This is a case personally overseen by Lord Li, Captain of the Nanling Prefecture Demon Suppression Division. The dead man was one of his personal guards."

Foreman Wang's voice carried not a trace of emotion, filled only with warning.

"I'm giving you one hour. Find out the cause of death, the wound's characteristics, and the nature of the Sha Poison. Get every last detail straight and submit it in a written report."

"Do it well, and you'll be richly rewarded."

"Mess it up..."

Foreman Wang did not finish the sentence. He merely gave a meaningful, icy snort.

"Hmph."

The sound was like an ice awl piercing Lu Chen's ears, making the already frigid Corpse Handling Room seem several degrees colder.

Foreman Wang's voice vanished beyond the door, but the invisible pressure remained, weighing heavily upon Lu Chen's heart like a mountain.

The corpse of a Captain's personal guard, a one-hour deadline, and that strange, tyrannical Sha Poison.

Every condition reeked of fatal danger.

Lu Chen took a deep breath, drawing the long breath down into his dantian and slowly settling the trace of panic in his heart.

He did not begin immediately. Instead, he first retrieved a pair of gloves made from specially tanned Demon Beast Hide from a cabinet in the corner, along with a set of tools specifically used to handle high-risk corpses.

This set was far more refined than the Boning Knives he used every day. Blades, forceps, needles, scissors—everything was included. Each item gleamed faintly with silver light, apparently soaked in a special medicinal solution that could somewhat ward off the erosion of Killing Intent.

Lu Chen carefully put on the thick hide gloves before picking up a scalpel as thin as a cicada's wing.

Mastery of the Demon Suppressing Saber Technique had given him not merely techniques of slaughter, but also an ultimate understanding of structure.

Whether demon, devil, or human, the paths of muscles, bones, and veins were as clear as a painting beneath his blade.

Even though a human corpse lay before him, there was not the slightest hesitation or tremor when he made his cut.

The blade lightly sliced open the skin on the deceased's chest. His movements were precise and steady, avoiding every major blood vessel and nerve as he perfectly revealed the wound.

The wound was deep enough to expose bone, and the heart had already been completely pulverized by an immense force.

"A single lethal strike, straight for the heart meridian."

As Lu Chen observed, he rapidly recorded with charcoal on a wooden board beside him. "The culprit should be some kind of clawed demon or devil. Its strength was extremely tyrannical."

His gaze quickly settled upon the veins and flesh around the wound, which had taken on an eerie, withered appearance.

These tissues had lost all vitality, becoming as fragile as dried branches. That cold Sha Poison was continuously emanating from this withered tissue.

Lu Chen cautiously inserted a long silver needle into it, attempting to lift a strand of flesh stained with Sha Poison.