Ch. 501 - The One Who Waits Behind

The jade pendant flew at great speed, carrying immense power.

Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to catch it.

Xu Zimo frowned slightly and caught the pendant between two fingers. A surge of energy rippled out from the pendant.

Seeing Xu Zimo motionless and catching the blow so effortlessly, a flicker of surprise passed through Luo Changfeng’s eyes.

“This isn’t my pendant,” Xu Zimo shook his head slightly.

“Then I must’ve remembered wrong,” Luo Changfeng said with a light laugh.

“Here, take it back,” Xu Zimo said and tossed the pendant back.

Watching Xu Zimo and Xuanyuan Xuantian walk away, Luo Qingxue asked, “Brother Changfeng, did you see anything?”

“Unfathomable,” Luo Changfeng replied, slowly extending his right hand.

The pendant had pierced straight through his palm and was embedded in the flesh. His entire hand was dripping with blood.

“Brother Changfeng, you, ” Luo Qingxue’s face changed drastically, clearly shocked.

“It’s fine,” Luo Changfeng shook his head.

He pulled the pendant out, and the wound on his hand began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

“The Holy Son of the True Martial Sacred Ground truly is extraordinary.”

...

Xu Zimo and Xuanyuan Xuantian left the City Lord’s Mansion.

Following Xuanyuan Xuantian, the two arrived in the western part of the city.

Although the city had been sealed off the day before, it was still bustling and lively inside.

As they walked along the western streets, Xuanyuan Xuantian led Xu Zimo to a small sesame flatbread stall.

The vendor was a short middle-aged man wearing a black robe. His hands were wrinkled and scarred.

“Would the gentlemen like to buy some flatbreads?” the man asked with a smile.

“Two, please,” Xuanyuan Xuantian replied.

Taking the warm flatbreads and wrapping them up, Xuanyuan Xuantian ate as he asked, “Brother Xu, did you notice anything?”

Xu Zimo glanced at the vendor from a distance and said, “You suspect him?”

“Not suspect, I'm sure,” Xuanyuan Xuantian said.

“I’ve had people watching him for a while, ever since he entered the city.”

“He sells flatbreads as a cover. By day he roams the city with his cart, actually scouting targets. At night, he abducts the targeted children.”

“Then why haven’t you acted?” Xu Zimo asked.

“I didn’t have absolute certainty. If we startled him, it could’ve gone wrong,” Xuanyuan Xuantian replied.

“I was waiting for reinforcements from the sect. But who would’ve thought it’d be that guy. And now that I’ve run into you, Brother Xu, I’ve got a new plan.”

“What’s your plan?” Xu Zimo asked.

“Tonight, we’ll be the ones waiting behind,” Xuanyuan Xuantian said with a grin.

...

At the City Lord’s Mansion, a few guards rushed to Luo Changfeng in a panic.

“Lord Luo, we have news! Some of the missing children have been found.”

“Where?” Luo Changfeng’s gaze sharpened.

...

Late autumn nights weren’t charming, instead, they were cold and bleak.

At night, most street vendors had gone home, and the once-busy streets were now nearly empty.

The flatbread vendor pushed his cart through the city.

He eventually stopped at a small courtyard in the east of the city.

After checking to make sure no one was watching, he pushed the cart into the yard.

“Who are you?”

“What are you doing?”

“Ah!”

Two or three minutes later, the vendor pushed his cart out of the courtyard again.

He headed toward the west side of the city.

Along the way, someone shouted, “Flatbread vendor! Give me a few!”

“Sorry, sold out,” the vendor said with a stiff smile.

The sky darkened, clouds thickened above, and mist began to rise along the streets.

The vendor’s figure vanished into the fog, stopping in front of a rundown courtyard in the west of the city.

He entered the yard, closed the door, and pushed the cart into the inner room.

He reached up and tore off a bloody human-skin mask from his face.

He tossed the mask aside and took a deep breath. His bones creaked as he grew taller, eventually reaching a normal human height.

Satisfied, he looked at the cart and pulled off the cloth cover. Inside were two unconscious children, a boy and a girl.

As he reached to take the children out, his expression suddenly shifted, and he turned his head sharply toward the back of the room.

“Who’s there?”

“Gongsun Hong, we meet again,” Luo Changfeng walked out slowly.

“Oh, it’s you. You people from the Divine Sun Sacred Ground really don’t give up,” Gongsun Hong sneered.

“Save your breath. Hand over the item, and we might let you live,” Luo Changfeng said calmly.

“What if I give it to another imperial lineage instead, think they’d protect me? You people from the Divine Sun Sacred Ground have a big appetite.”

“Then there’s nothing more to say,” Luo Changfeng said. His Empyrean Meridian Realm pressure spread out, and blood-red spiritual energy surged between his palms as he attacked.

Dark spiritual energy surged around Gongsun Hong as he let out a shout. A shockwave burst out from him, cracking the floor beneath.

As they fought, Luo Changfeng attacked relentlessly, ignoring defense and trading blows recklessly.

After a few exchanges, Gongsun Hong couldn’t keep up and was sent flying, coughing up blood midair.

“You Undying Race types really are tough,” Gongsun Hong said with a bitter smile.

“Hand it over, and I’ll let you die whole,” Luo Changfeng said coldly.

...

Watching Luo Changfeng close in step by step, Xu Zimo said to Xuanyuan Xuantian from a distant rooftop, “Looks like you won’t get to play the lurking predator after all.”

“Brother Xu, don’t underestimate the Southern Sky Four Demons. Do you know why Gongsun Hong is called the Formation Demon?” Xuanyuan Xuantian said with a grin.

Inside the room, Luo Changfeng struck at Gongsun Hong.

With a loud bang, Gongsun Hong’s body turned into wisps of smoke and vanished.

Suddenly, a transparent barrier appeared around the room.

Spiritforce surged through the floor, and a deep void gate opened at one corner.

Gongsun Hong appeared beside the gate, chuckling, “I set up an array around this whole yard. Did you really think you could sneak in without me knowing? You think the whole world’s full of idiots?”

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