Chapter 114: Skill Out of Control

Thick fog silently swirled. In the dead silent street, several figures in black and red uniforms hurried into view.

“Officer Xi!” they immediately called out upon seeing Xi Renjie standing alone in the middle of the street.

Xi Renjie turned to look. Most of the people were covered in dust and bloodstains, looking quite disheveled. A few, however, were notably clean, hiding behind the others, heads bowed, unwilling to meet Xi Renjie’s gaze.

With just one glance, Xi Renjie could distinguish which enforcers had put in effort, and which had been slacking off – or, to put it more harshly, had been merely trying to survive. But at this moment, Xi Renjie had no time to settle scores with them. He directly asked:

“What’s the situation on your end?”

“Officer Xi, the calamities from the surrounding streets have all fled!”

“A red shadow flew past, and then all those calamities went crazy, chasing after it…”

“It’s the same for us.”

The blood-stained enforcers at the front eagerly recounted what had just happened. Xi Renjie looked in the direction the red shadow had vanished into the thick fog, his eyes filled with growing confusion.

Just then, as if discovering something, he bent down and squatted. On the path where the calamities had crawled, faint, long bloodstains were left on the ground, resembling the trails of Shadow Centipedes after they had devoured people. These marks intertwined, extending deeper into the fog in a particular direction.

The others also noticed the bloodstains. The leading enforcers hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked:

“Officer Xi… should we pursue?”

These bloodstains were left by Shadow Centipedes, and the Shadow Centipedes were all pursuing that red shadow. Following these traces might lead them to their location… but what would happen once they found them? Who could guess? Leaving aside the dozens of calamities, they couldn't even tell if the mysterious red shadow was friend or foe. Therefore, most of the enforcers were silently praying not to pursue, as no one wished to put themselves in danger.

Unfortunately, Xi Renjie nodded with almost no hesitation.

“Pursue!”

Xi Renjie’s gaze swept over the group. He casually picked a few enforcers who were most heavily blood-stained and appeared the bravest. “You come with me. The rest of you stay here and clean up the aftermath.”

Upon hearing the latter part of the instruction, the enforcers hiding behind the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Mommy… Mommy!!”

At the same time, Xiao Qi’s cries echoed from a nearby house. Xi Renjie snapped back to reality, his eyes filled with complex emotions… Before the massacre, he had locked Xiao Qi inside the house so she wouldn’t see the bloody scene. The child was still unaware that her mother had just been torn to pieces by a Shadow Centipede right in front of her.

“Officer Xi, this is…” Confusion appeared in the eyes of several enforcers.

Xi Renjie cast a deep glance at the room where the calamities had slaughtered, then turned and walked directly into the thick fog. “Burn the bodies inside the house… At least, don’t let the child see her mother like that.”

The remaining enforcers exchanged glances, not daring to delay any longer. They followed Xi Renjie’s instructions, and within minutes, flames erupted from the house, where bodies lay strewn everywhere.

Xi Renjie’s figure moved through the thick fog, followed closely by seven or eight enforcers. They tracked the trails left by the crawling Shadow Centipedes, moving steadily towards the edge of the district.

“Officer Xi, are your injuries alright?”

“…I’m fine.”

Xi Renjie shook his head. At this moment, his entire attention was focused on the mysterious red shadow. He repeatedly replayed the recent scene in his mind. Although the person had only appeared for a few seconds, the impression left on him was profound. Whether it was the vibrant red attire, the method used to lure away the calamities, or the disdain for the enforcers… But what perplexed Xi Renjie the most was the spring onions, ginger, and garlic the other person was carrying.

What was the purpose of him carrying those items? Xi Renjie didn’t believe he was merely an anonymous hero who happened to encounter a Grey Realm convergence while buying groceries on his way home from work. He was past the age of such naivety; the other party’s actions surely had their own purpose, perhaps related to this Grey Realm convergence?

“If it’s an expert from another realm… is it the Crimson Heaven Sect? Or the Twilight Society? At least for now, it doesn’t seem like the Usurpers of Fire.”

As Xi Renjie pondered, his steps led him to a desolate wilderness. He sniffed lightly, then stopped with a strange expression. The enforcers behind him also halted.

“Do you smell something foul?” Xi Renjie suddenly asked.

“A foul smell?” The enforcers exchanged glances and nodded. “It does seem like it.”

“Like burnt plastic… It was only faint a moment ago, but the deeper we go, the stronger the smell gets.”

“Cough, cough, cough, it stinks.”

“Is it my imagination? I feel like there’s a hint of cooked food mixed in with this foul odor.”

Everyone was filled with confusion, but it didn’t stop their progress. They slowly advanced along the bloodstains on the ground. Through the hazy fog, a warehouse billowing black smoke appeared in their view. The intense foul odor was emanating from this warehouse.

“The traces of the calamities disappear here,” Xi Renjie stated, his expression serious as he gazed at the warehouse. “They are most likely inside.”

“I know this place. It’s a winery,” an enforcer immediately spoke up. “I’ve tasted their wine; it’s quite good.”

“Open the door.”

At Xi Renjie’s command, several enforcers immediately stepped forward. But as soon as their hands gripped the warehouse door handles, they quickly pulled back, shaking their hands frantically in the air. “The door is so hot!”

Xi Renjie frowned slightly. He unstrapped his steel sword from his back and spoke calmly:

“Everyone, step back.”

Seeing this, everyone immediately retreated behind Xi Renjie without hesitation. The latter took a deep breath, and a black aura once again climbed onto his sword. He then abruptly swung his sword towards the massive warehouse door before him!

Boom—!!

Black threads followed the sword’s tip across the doorway. The door instantly cracked into several pieces and collapsed with a crash.

Before anyone could clearly see the situation inside, the outside air rushed into the warehouse. The silently flickering flames lingering in the corners reignited, bursting forth with intense fire, like a pair of fiery hands crawling out of the charred warehouse door!

Fortunately, Xi Renjie and the others were standing far away and weren't engulfed by the flames. Even so, the heat forced them to retreat further. They stared in horror at the flame-engulfed warehouse, having no idea what was happening inside.

Shh—

Faint footsteps echoed from deep within the warehouse. From amidst the dancing flames, a figure draped in a large red theatrical robe emerged. Its charred face gradually repaired itself, transforming into that cold, unfamiliar countenance… Its empty eyes were eerily sinister, exactly as Chen Ling's had been when he first mastered Faceless.

As he stepped onto the second stage, the skill of this twisted divine path once again spiraled out of control!