Chapter 143: You? Do You Have Even a Shred of Shame Left?

“What did you say?” Ghost Vermilion Bird asked, her delicate brows drawing together. Her voice had turned cold. “How long ago was that report issued? Her Highness the Princess still hasn’t recovered? How is that possible?”

“I really don’t know,” Ghost White Tiger replied with an awkward smile.

They really are hiding something from me. Once the assembly is over, I must go and see how the princess is doing.

Ghost Vermilion Bird thought this in silence. She had been away from Red Moon City for some time and had no idea what had happened inside the palace. Otherwise, she would never have allowed the princess to suffer even the slightest injustice.

The appointed hour arrived, and the royal selection assembly officially began.

However, with the Ghost Princess absent, the vote could not proceed as scheduled.

Thus, the assembly might as well come to an end, with Ghost Asura automatically declared the victor.

In truth, Ghost Asura had long since grown impatient to ascend the throne. At present, its every thought revolved around how to expand its ambitions after becoming the new city lord.

On the high platform, the monster official looked around. Everyone had arrived, yet the Ghost Princess was nowhere to be seen.

Since the appointed time had come, it could delay no longer. It opened its mouth and announced, “Since Her Highness the Princess has failed to appear within the stipulated time, according to the rules, she shall be deemed to have lost.

“I hereby declare this royal selection assembly concluded. His Highness Ghost Asura is the victor—”

Before the final word could leave its lips, a sudden change occurred.

At that very moment, a clear voice rang out across the assembly, abruptly shattering the solemn atmosphere.

“Wait!”

The monsters present turned their gazes toward the entrance, where two figures had appeared.

One was a tall and breathtakingly beautiful woman. Snow-white hair fell over her shoulders, and her features were exquisitely refined. A pair of horns grew from her head, and she wore a light peach-colored robe.

The other was a slender, handsome human man with a thunder-forged sword in his hand. He was unmistakably a demon hunter.

Ghost Spirit Kite held the city lord’s token. Thus, even though the guards stationed around the palace were soldiers of the Ghost Clan and subordinates of Ghost Asura, none dared bar her way.

That was how Ghost Spirit Kite managed to bring Cheng Feng safely to the assembly.

“Spirit Kite?!”

The moment Ghost Asura saw the snow-haired woman, its eyes widened.

It sprang up from its throne, unable to conceal the shock on its face. “How is she here?”

Wasn’t she supposed to be imprisoned? Why had she appeared at the assembly?

Once Ghost Spirit Kite appeared before all the monsters, the false reports about the princess’s grave illness would be exposed. It would be easy for them to suspect that Ghost Asura had resorted to some underhanded scheme for the sake of the throne.

Regardless, Spirit Kite’s appearance in public would ruin its reputation.

What was worse, she now possessed the city lord’s token, making the situation extremely unfavorable.

Other than Ghost Asura and the three great generals, every monster in Red Moon City would submit to the authority of the city lord’s token.

If the outcome were decided by a vote, Ghost Asura would naturally have enjoyed an overwhelming advantage. Compared with the powerless Ghost Spirit Kite, it could be said to have victory firmly in its grasp.

But once Spirit Kite possessed the city lord’s token, the entire situation changed. The so-called election by vote had become a complete joke.

Then Ghost Asura noticed the human beside Spirit Kite and was startled once more.

Hadn’t this demon hunter already been killed by General Ghost White Tiger? Why was he still alive?

Not only was he alive—he was standing beside Spirit Kite.

I see…

Ghost Asura instantly realized the truth. This had to be the work of the demon hunter named Cheng Feng!

Somehow, he must have deceived the guards, infiltrated the courtyard where Ghost Spirit Kite was imprisoned, delivered the city lord’s token to her, and brought her out.

It had to be so!

Fury surged within Ghost Asura.

In its anger, it recalled that the monster assassins it had dispatched to Winter’s End City to kill Snow Chrysanthemum had been wiped out there after being intercepted by Cheng Feng.

And now this human had come to ruin its plans once again. Ghost Asura had known from the beginning that Cheng Feng would be a threat, but it had never imagined that he would turn matters into such a disaster.

“Her Highness the Princess?!”

The monster officials present were all stunned when they saw Ghost Spirit Kite.

When Ghost Vermilion Bird saw the princess appear, delight first flashed across her face. Then her gaze chilled as she turned toward Ghost White Tiger.

“You really were hiding something from me. Her Highness the Princess is perfectly well, isn’t she?”

“…”

Ghost White Tiger said nothing. Its eyes remained fixed on Cheng Feng in disbelief.

It, too, was filled with astonishment. Just the night before, it had personally killed Cheng Feng. It had seen him blasted to ashes with its own eyes.

Why was he still alive? That was impossible…

Ghost White Tiger could now be certain that the reason the Ghost Princess had been able to come here bearing the city lord’s token was this demon hunter.

This entire situation had arisen because of its own carelessness, leaving it caught in an impossible dilemma.

The previous night, after believing that it had killed Cheng Feng and Snow Chrysanthemum, Ghost White Tiger had returned and confidently reported to Ghost Asura that the mission was complete.

But now, the appearance of Cheng Feng and Ghost Spirit Kite had dealt it several invisible slaps across the face.

The humiliation filled Ghost White Tiger with fury.

Cheng Feng sensed an immense killing intent descending upon him. Without the slightest fear, he looked over, and his gaze collided with Ghost White Tiger’s in midair.

The corners of his lips curved faintly, as though to say that if Ghost White Tiger wanted a fight, he would be happy to oblige at any time.

“The royal selection assembly is concluded!”

Ghost Spirit Kite knew nothing of the thoughts churning through the others’ minds. She raised the city lord’s token, exposing its radiant golden light to everyone present.

Her voice rang out with force and authority as she solemnly proclaimed, “In the name of the city lord, I hereby declare that Ghost Asura is removed from office. I shall assume the position of the new city lord. Who dares refuse?”

None of the monster officials, civil or military, dared object. Most of them supported Ghost Asura, but the instant they saw the token of the former city lord, they fell silent.

Moreover, as the daughter of the former city lord, Lady Snow of the Nine-Tailed Clan, Ghost Spirit Kite greatly resembled her mother. The majesty of the former city lord seemed to linger upon her features.

Those who supported the Ghost Princess had already dropped to one knee, displaying their respect for the new city lord.

Seeing the reactions of the monsters present, Ghost Asura’s eyes grew sharp as it stared at Ghost Spirit Kite from afar.

On the verge of losing control, it shouted furiously, “Spirit Kite! You’ve joined forces with humans. Have you no shame as a monster?”

Seeing how shameless Ghost Asura was, Cheng Feng was about to retort, but Ghost Spirit Kite spoke first.

“Cheng Feng is my friend. What of it?”

She had already accepted Cheng Feng as one of her own. With an icy expression, she shot back at Ghost Asura, “And you? To usurp power, you’ve resorted to every despicable means imaginable. With behavior like that, do you have even the slightest claim to honor?”

For the sake of the throne of Red Moon City, brother and sister had formally torn off all pretense before the public.

An unavoidable battle was about to erupt.

“Brother Shen!”

“Mm!”

As Shen Changqing walked along the road, whenever he encountered someone he knew, they exchanged a greeting or a nod.

But no matter who it was, no one wore any unnecessary expression. They all seemed indifferent to everything around them.

Shen Changqing had long since grown accustomed to it.

This was the Demon Suppression Bureau, an institution responsible for maintaining the stability of the Great Qin Empire. Its primary duty was to exterminate demons, monsters, and sinister entities, though it also had a few other subsidiary functions.

It could be said that everyone in the Demon Suppression Bureau had stained their hands with an immense amount of blood.

Once a person had grown accustomed to life and death, many things inevitably ceased to matter.

When Shen Changqing had first arrived in this world, he had found it somewhat difficult to adapt. In time, however, he had become used to it.

The Demon Suppression Bureau was enormous.

Everyone permitted to remain there was either a powerful expert or someone with the potential to become one.

Shen Changqing belonged to the latter category.

The Demon Suppression Bureau was divided into two professions: Guardians and Exorcists.

Anyone who entered the Demon Suppression Bureau had to begin at the lowest rank, as an Exorcist.

From there, they advanced step by step, eventually earning the chance to become a Guardian.

Shen Changqing’s predecessor had been a trainee Exorcist within the Demon Suppression Bureau—the lowest rank among all Exorcists.

With the memories of his predecessor, Shen Changqing was thoroughly familiar with the environment of the bureau.

Before long, he stopped in front of a pavilion.

Unlike the other places in the Demon Suppression Bureau, which were filled with a grim and murderous atmosphere, this pavilion seemed to stand apart from the rest. Amid the bloodshed of the bureau, it possessed an unusual tranquility.

The pavilion doors stood open, and people occasionally entered or departed.

After only a brief hesitation, Shen Changqing stepped inside.

The moment he entered the pavilion, the atmosphere changed abruptly.

A scent of ink mingled with a faint trace of blood swept toward him. His brows instinctively furrowed, then quickly relaxed.

The bloody odor clinging to everyone in the Demon Suppression Bureau was nearly impossible to wash away.