Chapter 402: Chapter 401- Although his expression remained stern and cold, Grey could no longer sense the instinctive chill that had seized him while speaking to the old man. It was as though the person standing before him had transformed into someone entirely different.
The aura surrounding the middle-aged man had become strangely elusive and difficult to grasp. When Grey looked at him, he felt as though he was staring at an empty portrait hanging on a wall—something that existed and yet did not exist at the same time. The man’s figure appeared blurry in his mind, and even his cultivation, which Grey subconsciously tried to examine, seemed shrouded in an impenetrable haze.
It was as if his very existence had become detached from reality.
As though sensing where Grey’s thoughts were headed, the stern expression on the middle-aged man’s face deepened.
"That’s a very cautious habit of yours," he said calmly. "But don’t try to peer into everyone’s cultivation."
He paused for a brief moment before continuing in a slightly colder tone.
"There are many people in this world who are no longer human and have willingly surrendered themselves to corruption. Some have become things that should not exist. If you look too deeply into certain beings, what you see may bring unimaginable harm to you."
The moment those words entered his ears, Grey’s body stiffened instantly.
A chill ran down his spine.
He could vaguely understand the meaning hidden within those words, but that only made them even more terrifying.
Beside him, Violet glanced at Grey and a trace of approval appeared in her eyes. The smile on her face seemed to suggest that she was pleased by his cautious nature and his desire to understand the unknown.
"Fourth Elder, although I’m happy that you’re here..." Violet suddenly said, her tone carrying a hint of confusion. "Why exactly are you here?"
Hearing her question, the middle-aged man’s eyebrows twitched violently.
For a brief moment, he felt an overwhelming urge to smack the girl standing before him.
"Don’t pretend that you don’t know," he replied flatly. "I’m here to take you and that prisoner you captured so that his punishment can be decided. The two of you are witnesses to this incident, so you need to come as well."
Upon hearing his explanation, Violet’s eyes widened in surprise.
A moment later, she let out a small, embarrassed laugh.
"Oh... right. I completely forgot about that."
The corner of the Fourth Elder’s mouth twitched.
He clearly had no intention of continuing this conversation.
Without saying another word, his figure blurred and rapidly disappeared into the distance, vanishing so quickly that even Grey could barely follow his movements.
As soon as he left, Violet immediately walked over to Grey’s side and gave him a playful wink.
Grey, who had only just regained his composure, instinctively took several steps backward the moment she drew close to him.
Seeing his reaction, the smile on Violet’s face widened even further.
"Little Grey, what do you think of my acting skills?" she asked with a proud smile.
She paid no attention to his expression and instead took another step closer to him.
"Where are we going?" Grey asked after thinking for a moment. In his opinion, that was the most important question right now.
Violet blinked in surprise before her eyes suddenly sparkled with excitement.
"Ah, that’s right!" she exclaimed. "I almost forgot that we were summoned by the Council of Elders today regarding Kaien’s matter. Sky Mist has already decided to determine his punishment, and since we’re the ones who captured him, we’ll naturally be called to testify."
Grey fell silent and pondered her words.
After several seconds, he gave a subtle nod.
It made sense. Kaien was, after all, a disciple of one of the major sects on the continent. No matter what crimes he had committed, his punishment could not simply be decided by the Detective Agency alone. The Council of Elders had to personally handle such a matter.
A few moments later, spatial fluctuations spread through the air.
The middle-aged man reappeared.
Beside him stood Kaien.
Or rather, he was dragging Kaien along as though he were carrying a sack of garbage.
The once-proud disciple looked utterly miserable.
His hair was disheveled, his robes were torn in several places, and his face had become pale and gaunt. His eyes were bloodshot, and a look of terror and madness could be seen deep within them.
After spending several days in the prison beneath the Detective Agency’s headquarters, he had naturally awakened from his unconscious state.
However, waking up had only brought him more suffering.
The prison beneath the agency was filled with all kinds of criminals and lunatics. Every day and every night, the cells echoed with endless screams, crazed laughter, and miserable howls. There was never a moment of peace.
The atmosphere there was enough to slowly erode a person’s sanity.
Although the injuries on his body had healed to a certain extent, his cultivation base had been sealed, preventing him from recovering at his usual speed. Had his cultivation not been sealed, he would have already returned to peak condition.
Yet after more than a week of imprisonment, he still looked like a half-dead man.
Seeing the miserable state Kaien had fallen into, Grey carefully observed him.
He wanted to see whether he could find any resemblance between him and the old man they had encountered earlier.
However, after a long moment of observation, he found nothing.
Their appearances, temperaments, and even their auras were completely different.
At that moment, the middle-aged man spoke.
"That old man from the Bizarre Broken Sect took this fellow into his sect several years ago. He displayed remarkable talent in cultivating their sect’s arts and quickly became one of their outstanding disciples."