"Master!"
"Master!"
Chen Wentian met Su Xue and Su Yue at the entrance of the theater. The town guards kept the spectators at bay while they quickly retreated inside the building.
"Master, I'm sorry for calling you over like this…" Su Xue tried to explain.
He hugged both of them at the same time, one in each arm. "Don't worry. If you felt it was necessary, then it is necessary. Now, explain the situation to me?"
"Yes!"
The twins quickly explained everything they had found out so far which wasn't much. The dead body of Ru Hanyue remained encased in ice. Those that could have possibly witnessed anything were still kept under watch in the main theater.
"We locked down the vicinity but whatever did this might have still slipped away."
"Maybe, but maybe not." Chen Wentian said, "You two acted quite fast. I will examine the scene, lead the way."
With Su Xue and Su Yue clinging to his arms, they toured through the scene of the incident and the surrounding hallways before emerging on a balcony overlooking the theater. Around a hundred people occupied the seats below, a spare number the total seating capacity of almost five hundred. They included everyone that had been waiting in line as well as all the workers of the theater present at the time of death.
Chen Wentian let his immortal aura out to announce his arrival.
"I am Immortal Blue Dragon Chen Wentian, sect master of Ten Thousand Flower Valley, administrator of Glacier Province and Glacier Palace." He announced, "Because Ru Hanyue, a disciple of Glacier Palace, was murdered in this building, I have a responsibility to investigate. I will examine each of you with my spiritual sense. Do not be alarmed. Do not resist. Understand?"
"Yes, Lord Immortal!"
"Good!"
He scanned each person from top to bottom. He checked their spiritual signature for any abnormalities like demonic energy. He also checked each person for any signs of blood or a struggle. He wasn't that confident in his detective abilities as he did not specialize in such Dao. But at such a close distance, he felt confident enough that no demon in disguise could hide from him.
The theater workers were all women of various ages. They passed his examination quickly. None of them were strong cultivators, merely ordinary peasants employed by the theater, so it was easy to rule them out.
The guests were more troublesome. They were a wild bunch with uncertain backgrounds. Some were residents of either Glacier Province or Divine Blazing Province but he had no idea about most of the others. They probably came from all over the subcontinent, eager to get a glimpse of the fabled Glacier Palace disciples.
Ru Hanyue putting on such a show only exacerbated the problem. The men that wanted to see her and hope for a chance with her were all quite strong. Many were at the upper or even the peak of the Spirit Initiate Realm. There were old grandfathers as well as strong-looking men in their prime.
Chen Wentian furrowed his brow as he finished examining everyone. There were a few he wasn't completely sure about but nobody that stood out. He even spent extra time on the strongest guys but they were all normal humans.
It was possible that the faceless demon or whatever it was had already escaped. But nobody saw anything running through the hallways or escape out of a window.
His instincts told him something was amiss so he began examining everyone again, this time utilizing the power of his soul art.
"There you are." He muttered.
It was as clear as day. A ferocious, evil entity was hiding right under his nose. It wasn't any of the guests but one of the meek servant girls hired to cook and clean.
He waved his hands and a ring of blue flame erupted around the figure, trapping it and pushing others nearby far away.
There was a horrible shriek and then a rancid cackle of laughter.
"Kekekekeke… you found me…"
The face of the servant girl turned to Chen Wentian and grinned. Its face then melted away. Pale skin dried out into a grey husk before crumbling to dust. Flesh and bone melded together into a bloody ball that shrank down until only a stump of a neck was left.
It then let out another scream followed by a surge of spiritual energy, showcasing its true strength which was at the lesser realm of Spiritual Growth.
It was a faceless demon, one that had already stepped onto the path of immortality.
"Eee!" Su Yue squealed and hid behind her master.
Su Xue wanted to do the same but managed to hold herself back somehow.
"What the hell is that?"
"Demon!"
"Shit, run!"
The others in the theater also realized the truth. Some started to flee while others sat frozen in their seats, their mouths open in horrified fascination.
"Everyone, leave the theater right now!" Chen Wentian commanded.
Without the need to be told twice, everyone scampered to safety.
Soon, only the demon was left, looking quite sad and burnt within its prison of flame. Its clothes and human skin were now gone, revealing four lanky arms and a pair of wings like that of a bat. Its entire body was gray like slate and smooth like a pig.
"Kill me, human! Kill me and ten more of my kind will take my place. You can't defeat demons! We will rule the world and all of you shall be my nourishment!"
Chen Wentian ignored the mouthy demon and waved to Su Xue and Su Yue.
"Yes, master?"
He pointed to the ring of flames, widening it and burning away stray obstacles until it was big enough to act as an enclosed fighting arena.
"Go fight the demon." He said simply.
Such a powerful demon was an excellent opportunity for his disciples to gain more fighting experience.
"Master!" Su Yue cried, tugging at his sleeve in obvious distress.
Su Xue also looked reluctant.
He signed and patted their shoulders, trying to give them the confidence they didn't have. They were still at the 8th Level of the Spirit Initiate Realm. It was a bit of a stretch to ask them to fight a demon at the lesser realm of Spiritual Growth. But he wanted to see how they would react in the face of true danger.
"I don't expect you to defeat it but do your best. Sometimes in life, you will be faced with impossible odds but you still have to fight. Perhaps you may find some kind of enlightenment in those moments. Plus, didn't you both say that you wanted to show off your ice swords to the world at the Convocation of Swords? How will you do that if you spend your time eating snacks and wandering the streets instead of training?"
The twins pouted for a moment before bowing obediently.
"Yes, master."
Together, they walked forward, through an opening in the wall of blue flame and faced the now delighted demon.
"Fresh faces! Come here my pretties!"