Tuolun felt that his luck had plummeted into negative numbers, undoubtedly because he had offended a Star-rank powerhouse.
Otherwise, why on earth would two massive incidents break out consecutively on the very night he was on duty—and both involving the Sea Clan at that? He felt he was truly finished this time; his bovine life had turned pitch-black.
"The deceased is Tangyi of the Black Cat Clan, a senior enshrinee of the Sea Clan, possessing peak Heaven-rank strength. Rumor has it that the Sea Clan Patriarch once offered to prepare the materials for him to ascend to Star Rank and take the Star Divine Artifact advancement path, but he turned it down. This man was exceptionally formidable, virtually invincible within the same rank, and enjoyed immense popularity within the Sea Clan. Many Sea Clan members respectfully addressed him as Master Tang." The constable beside Tuolun murmured Tangyi's information at this moment.
Hearing this, Tuolun wanted nothing more than to smash his head against the adjacent wall. For such a figure to be beheaded under mysterious circumstances—whether the Public Security Bureau could find the culprit or not—the Floor Lord would likely make an example of the bureau to appease the Sea Clan. And he himself would most probably be the scapegoat.
It was over.
His life had come to an end.
Right then, golden light abruptly flared behind him. The surrounding constables drew their weapons one after another, taking defensive stances.
Yu Xian stepped out from spatial transit. Ignoring everyone around him, he looked down at Tuolun and asked, "How did he die?"
"Hold your fire! Stand down! All of you, stand down!" Turning around, Tuolun caught sight of Yu Xian's eyes. Though there were differences from when he had seen Yu Xian before, the impression had apparently run so deep that he still recognized him. He hurriedly raised a hand and barked at the surrounding constables.
Then, looking at Yu Xian, he spoke respectfully, "My lord, the deceased, Tangyi, was beheaded in an instant by some extremely sharp weapon. The strike appears to have come from behind him—a surprise one-hit kill. The killer acted with ruthless decisiveness. Absolutely terrifying."
In truth, the honorific he used in the Common Language to address Yu Xian was not entirely accurately translated as "my lord"; it could also be interpreted as "Star Venerable" or "Star King."
However, Yu Xian's translation ability for the Common Language came from Zhenwo Changjing, so he simply understood the word as "my lord"—it was just a title of respect anyway.
"Where is his head?" Yu Xian asked.
Tuolun lowered his head and answered, "We've already searched all the nearby shops and streets, but found no trace of the victim's head."
*Zhi'er, is it you?* Yu Xian thought to himself as he looked down at Tangyi's body.
The perpetrator clearly knew that Yu Xian possessed resurrection abilities. To prevent him from reviving Tangyi to gather more information, they had taken the head.
As for why they hadn't taken the body, it was because this corpse held no value. With both the soul and head gone, even the most miraculous resurrection art could only bring back an empty-headed idiot.
At that moment, Hai Liwei, having just finished dealing with the dragon corpses, rushed over in great haste. Tuolun hurriedly shrank back, concealing himself in an inconspicuous corner, while the surrounding constables also retreated one after another, clearing a path for the arriving Sea Clan members.
Looking at Tangyi's headless corpse, Hai Liwei suddenly emanated a surge of deep-blue energy. The entire city could feel the surrounding moisture spiking drastically, suffocating anyone nearby; even the All-Races Life Support Apparatus could not suppress the suffocating fury of a Star-rank powerhouse.
"It's Zhi'er, isn't it?" Hai Liwei asked, keeping his head lowered, his reddened eyes fixed on Tangyi, yet directing the question to Yu Xian beside him.
Yu Xian nodded. "In all likelihood, yes. When I was communicating with Shuishui, her signal suddenly cut out. I arrived three minutes later, which means Zhi'er took Shuishui and left at most four minutes ago."
"Hai Liqi, contact Powell. Lock down the entire star layer. Entry only, no exits permitted. Shoot down any starship that dares attempt to leave," Hai Liwei commanded sternly.
The Sea Clan member who had been following close beside him promptly answered and contacted the Floor Lord of this layer via his Star Ring.
"Patriarch Hai, there is one thing I don't understand," Yu Xian asked Hai Liwei then. "Why did Zhi'er abduct Shuishui? Does he want a hostage to keep us from acting rashly? Or could it be... connected to Helick's Great Trove?"
Hai Liwei froze on the spot, then stared at Yu Xian as if looking at a ghost. He could not comprehend how Yu Xian had linked Shui Yuetian to Helick's Great Trove.
And to make matters weirder, Yu Xian had hit the nail right on the head.
Seeing his expression, Yu Xian understood at once. "I see. Since Zhi'er laid low for so long, the time must not be ripe yet. How much time do we have?"
"Wait, what? You understand *again*?" Hai Liwei asked, his mouth hanging open.
Yu Xian looked at Hai Liwei and said earnestly, "I just don't like using my brain most of the time. That doesn't mean I don't actually have one."
He genuinely disliked pondering overly complicated problems, because whenever he did, Super Brain would force him to realize with stark clarity just how cruel this world was.
For instance, when he first came into contact with Crescent Bay, he had already realized that it was a dark, dog-eat-dog place, but he chose not to dwell on it, opting instead to feign ignorance—after all, he alone could not change anything.
"Shuishui is the sole bloodline Helick left behind in the mortal world," Hai Liwei explained after waving his hand to set up a barrier, shutting out prying eyes and ears from the outside. "Once she reaches adulthood, her blood will possess the same Sea Rhyme Power as Helick's. That is a special power unique to our Sea Clan, as well as the key to opening Helick's Great Trove."
Hearing this, Yu Xian had a sudden revelation. Zhi'er's long-term infiltration at Shui Yuetian's side was plainly to obtain her adult blood.
Had Yu Xian not arrived at Crescent Bay by accident, Zhi'er could have even obtained Shui Yuetian's adult blood without anyone being any the wiser. After all, when a Star-rank powerhouse personally protected a weakling who wasn't even Star Rank, playing underhanded tricks was far too easy.
Hai Liwei continued, "There are still fifty-five days left until Shuishui comes of age. Shuishui even mentioned to me that she planned to invite you to her birthday banquet, Brother Yu."
"Where is Helick's Great Trove located?" Yu Xian fell silent for a moment before asking.
Hai Liwei shook his head and said in a heavy voice, "I don't know. In fact, only Helick himself knew the location of Helick's Great Trove. Back then, our clansmen worshipped Helick fanatically and would never ask such questions, and Helick died far too suddenly—so suddenly that he had no time to leave any final arrangements."
In other words, waiting by the trove for the rabbit to hit the tree was out of the question.
Still, staking out the location had always been a worst-case backup option; Yu Xian had only wanted to keep it as a possibility.
In the end, they still needed to find Shui Yuetian before her birthday. Otherwise, Zhi'er would very likely kill her as soon as she came of age.
That way, Zhi'er could monopolize the key to opening Helick's Great Trove.
Yu Xian now strongly suspected that Zhi'er likely knew the location of Helick's Great Trove. Otherwise, there was no reason for him to lie low within the Sea Clan for centuries just to obtain Shui Yuetian's blood.
Humans were stingy creatures.
When the future was uncertain, most people invested very cautiously, barring reckless gamblers.
Yu Xian felt that Zhi'er's actions were like going all-in; the only explanation was that Zhi'er knew his all-in bet would win.
Only by genuinely verifying the existence of Helick's Great Trove—and perhaps even confirming its exact coordinates—would he be willing to invest so much time and effort into infiltrating the Sea Clan, painstakingly investigating whether any of Helick's descendants remained in the mortal realm, and finally scheming for Shui Yuetian's blood.
With stakes so high, the payout would obviously be immense.
Even Yu Xian could not help but wonder what on earth was inside Helick's Great Trove that made it worth so much of Zhi'er's effort.
Chapter 251