Continuous Angling

Leaving Du Yan and Xue Yue aside, Ju Shan exposing his presence had also been part of Su Yu's plan. You had to let your enemies know what was in your hand! Of course, it was best to expose just a bit more, letting them rejoice in the belief that you truly did have another trump card and that they had uncovered your deeper secrets. Shadow and Water Person were the second layer of trump cards prepared for exposure. Right now, the Shanhai experts did not dare conduct sweeping, overt reconnaissance on him, so they had not necessarily spotted those two. Once those two were exposed as well, the enemies would assume his hand was entirely exhausted—that he was helpless and merely waiting for death. Using the shallow to conceal the deep. That was what Su Yu needed to do! It was all to lure the enemies into taking the bait! If they didn't bite, where would he find an excuse to kill them? If they didn't bite, the two experts Xia Huyou had dispatched would only protect Su Yu, never taking the initiative to help him eliminate his foes. If they didn't bite, and the Pegasus race proved sympathetic to humanity, their elder would never take the initiative to strike either. All these neutral parties could be pulled onto his war chariot through this opportunity. These were the things Su Yu needed to accomplish. He couldn't afford to scare the enemy away! Furthermore, if the other side didn't take the bait, the Zhu family would have no justification to step in. Could an elder from the Single Divine Character Faction not simply claim he was out taking a stroll? Before actually making a move against Su Yu, they could shamelessly claim they were there to protect him, and no one could dispute it. "I have to make them strike at me!" That was Su Yu's true objective! And he had no use for weaklings attacking him; he needed Shanhai cultivators to make a direct attempt on his life. That was his ultimate goal. Murder with a borrowed blade! Naturally, the balance had to be kept with absolute precision, or he would end up playing himself to death. If the Single Divine Character Faction dispatched a Sunmoon expert, that would be even better—provided everything held until they reached Starfall Mountain. Only then could the Zhu family move against them with full justification. Su Yu was gambling! He was gambling on an information disparity! Barely anyone knew that this time he had no intention of returning, that he was defecting straight to the Zhu family. Otherwise, given the Zhu family's temperament, unless an enemy was banging down the gates of Tiandu City, they couldn't be bothered to intervene. Once he truly took shelter under the Great Ming Mansion and the news spread, all his schemes today would amount to nothing. He was gambling on a gap in perception! In the eyes of the Great Xia Mansion's experts, Su Yu would never defect to another mansion. Other mansions were weak, he would have no backing, the people and territory would be entirely unfamiliar, and Su Yu had not yet suffered a devastating blow. Why would he run? *** The group pressed forward. Su Yu weighed these thoughts, calculating every move. Danger was inevitable. Yet without taking any risks, dragging several Shanhai experts down into the mire was impossible. Taking risks was the prerequisite for greater harvests! Shanhai experts alone were not enough. He wanted to see if any Lingyun cultivators would make a move—such as Zhou Pingsheng! What would it take for a Lingyun expert to strike? It required the enemy's Shanhai cultivators to be thoroughly pinned down, leaving them no chance to target him directly. At that point, Tengkong cultivators couldn't kill him, so only Lingyun cultivators could step in. Who was the most likely candidate? Zhou Pingsheng! He was at the Lingyun Seventh Layer. In the eyes of outsiders, he could reliably finish Su Yu off, and his hatred for Su Yu ran deep. Given the slightest opportunity, he would undoubtedly strike. The Shanhai experts on Su Yu's side couldn't be left with hands free; an evenly matched deadlock was ideal. Only then could Lingyun figures like Zhou Pingsheng be lured into action. Only then would there be a chance to wipe them out in one fell swoop! Had Zhou Pingsheng come? Nine times out of ten, he had! He was the intermediary connecting Xia Qing with the Single Divine Character Faction. He loathed Su Yu, so he would definitely come—it was only a question of where he was currently hiding. Su Yu kept marching, advancing steadily along the road. By now, ambushes had grown sparse. Someone was rounding up the rogue cult experts—Du Yan, for instance. Of course, a few fools still operated alone, lying in wait ahead of Su Yu. In the end, only death awaited them. *** Pfft! With a single blade strike, Su Yu cleaved through an assailant concealed inside a tree trunk. His face remained placid. Without sparing a glance at the bleeding wood, he looked ahead toward the mountains. Dawn was approaching. Rushing through the night, Su Yu and the others had covered five to six hundred li. At this pace, another dozen hours or so would bring them to Nanyuan. After a night on the road, the others were utterly exhausted, many spattered with blood. Zhou Hao was also drenched in gore. Walking over to Su Yu, he said in a low voice, "Mountains lie ahead. Mountainous terrain makes for better ambushes. Should we detour?" "Five Shanhai experts—no, six! In the Great Xia Mansion, why on earth would we detour?" Su Yu shot back directly! Why detour? These people would protect him all the way to the threshold of the ruins. In that case, why not borrow their might to slaughter a few All-Races Cult members and rack up some more merit points? It was only because he didn't know where the All-Races Cult's lair was. Otherwise, he would have dragged this group straight into it; until the ruin's location was exposed, none of them would let him die. It was that simple! Probing was probing, but they had no intention of killing him just yet. Of course, Su Yu fully intended to kill them. Seeing that they were about to enter the mountain pass, Su Yu spoke up: "Seniors, mountains lie ahead, and danger cannot be ruled out. Let us take a brief respite. Would any senior be willing to scout ahead first?" A figure materialized in the empty air, and an elderly man spoke: "I shall go take a look!" A Shanhai expert! Su Yu could sense it and, after taking a careful look, recognized his identity. When foreign Dao Protectors entered the borders, records were naturally kept. There was no intelligence beyond the Xia family's grasp, nor any basic information Xia Huyou couldn't obtain. "A Dao Protector of the Pegasus race." Su Yu recognized him and kept his expression neutral. The Pegasus race wasn't necessarily an enemy, though at the moment it was hard to say for sure. "Senior, which race do you protect?" "The Pegasus race!" Su Yu pondered for a moment before saying, "Then please be careful, Senior. Although reaching the Shanhai Realm allows one to fly, mountainous terrain is hardly the Pegasus race's forte. That Bloodthirsty fellow from earlier might very well be lying in ambush. It would be best to take an expert skilled in mountain warfare along to scout together." A chuckle sounded from the void. "Young friend, you worry too much. We are all stationed right here; how would the enemy dare ambush us? In the blink of an eye, we could rush to his aid." Su Yu sighed with feigned helplessness. "I merely fear they might lure the tiger away from the mountain..." The old man in the void fell silent. The Pegasus expert gave an easy laugh. "Very well. Fellow Daoist of the Ironwing race, how about coming along? Your kind excels in flight and can swiftly spot concealed positions, saving us the embarrassment of actually falling into an ambush!" "Agreed!" Only a single Lingyun Ninth Layer expert had come from the Ironwing race this time, so there was little cause for concern. According to the prior understanding, no powerhouse would act before reaching the ruins. A quick scout was nothing more than going through the motions. The void trembled slightly as the two experts flew off toward the great mountains. Su Yu said nothing more. Sitting down, he retrieved some food from the packs on the Suanni's back and began eating alone. "You're just eating that?" As he ate, the Pegasus youth walked over and asked curiously, "Can you not afford good food?" "..." Su Yu had no desire to humor him. What horses ate was hardly something he would enjoy. "Su Yu, is there any point in opening so many apertures? With your talent, if you hadn't opened so many, you might have reached the Tengkong Realm long ago!" Su Yu gave a faint smile. "Tengkong? I've slain quite a few of them. Would it make a difference?" Well, that ended the conversation. Over to the side, Xia Qing also walked over carrying some provisions, offering food to Su Yu. He waved it away, saying, "Eat your own. When traveling outside, never consume anything from others; only eat your own supplies. That's a fundamental rule of survival..." Before he even finished speaking, the Pegasus youth's hand froze mid-reach—he had been hoping to grab a bite from Xia Qing. Xia Qing smiled, unbothered, and retracted her offer. Tucking back a stray lock of hair, she asked, "Brother Su, we aren't far from Nanyuan, are we?" "If all goes smoothly, we'll arrive by nightfall." With that, Su Yu sent her a voice transmission: "Warn the seniors on our side to be careful. Even Shanhai experts have shown up now; I fear someone might have guessed something!" Xia Qing kept her composure and gave a slight nod. She then spoke aloud: "Brother Su, we are still within the Great Xia Mansion's borders where safety is guaranteed, but leaving the mansion makes things far more perilous. Brother Su, when we hunt demons, we won't have to leave the mansion, will we? I hear Nanyuan borders the frontier; once outside, things will become troublesome." "That depends." Noticing that the others were listening intently, Su Yu smiled and said, "Nanyuan borders the Great Ming Mansion, so normally there would be no need to step outside. But if the demon unrest erupts from the Great Ming side, we might have to deal with it. Of course, if anyone feels unsafe, staying behind in Nanyuan is perfectly fine." As they spoke, a violent clash of Yuan Qi suddenly erupted from the mountains ahead! The void shuddered, and several Dao Protectors manifested one after another, staring grimly in that direction. "Damn it, it's that Bloodthirsty fellow!" a middle-aged man with patches of dark fur on his face growled, visibly agitated. The Cloud Tiger elder snapped hurriedly, "Keep your heads! It's fine—he's alone, he can't do anything to that old Pegasus!" He followed up at once: "Wait and see for now. We only move if the old Pegasus calls for help; this place cannot be left unattended!" Though he said this aloud, he sneered inwardly. If the old Pegasus dies, good riddance! Saves us the trouble! Ahead, two Shanhai experts clashed in an instant. Xue Yue lunged in a surprise strike, wounding his opponent, but the old Pegasus possessed immense strength. Their collision shattered mountains and cleft ravines. A moment later, Xue Yue broke into a retreat—because Ju Shan had suddenly appeared! "Pursue!" Ju Shan bellowed, and the old Pegasus wasted no time, speeding alongside him in hot pursuit of the fleeing Xue Yue! The Cloud Tiger elder and the others sighed inwardly with regret. What a pity! They had nearly forgotten about Ju Shan! The old Pegasus was out of harm's way. Just as that thought crossed their minds, a shrill, agonizing shriek tore through the sky from the Ironwing expert, who had been hovering and observing the battle! At that exact instant! A terrifying pillar of divine radiance shot upward! With a sickening squelch, it punched straight through the Ironwing bird's skull. With a loud thud, the creature reverted to its original form—a gigantic bird that plummeted toward the earth, headless! "Bastard!" "Curse you!" In that split second, the Shanhai experts were horror-struck, and the Cloud Tiger elder tore through the void in pursuit! Su Yu hastily shouted, "Leave someone here! Beware!" At these words, the Cloud Tiger elder jolted slightly, his speed faltering for a beat. Meanwhile, the figure responsible for the devastating pillar of light soared into the sky, scooped up the massive headless corpse, and vanished into the void in the blink of an eye! "Damn it!" The old Pegasus and Ju Shan rushed back toward the scene, the old Pegasus roaring in fury, "The Demon Pupil race! Damn you bastards, how dare you murder an ally of humanity within the Great Xia Mansion! You seek death!" It had happened too fast! None of them had anticipated that a second Shanhai expert was lurking within the mountains! The Demon Pupil race also excelled in illusions. This concealed powerhouse possessed terrifying strength, escaping everyone's notice until a sudden burst allowed him to butcher a Lingyun Ninth Layer expert in an instant! By now, they had lost Xue Yue in the chase, and Du Yan had also escaped without a trace. The old Pegasus and Ju Shan pursued for another brief stint, but both soon returned empty-handed. Beside Su Yu, Zhan Fei's face was completely drained of color! Dead? It had unfolded so rapidly that he was utterly unprepared for the death of his Dao Protector. Slain right under the noses of six Shanhai experts! Ju Shan landed, shrinking in size, and looked toward Su Yu, saying in a low voice, "My apologies, I failed to intercept them..." Su Yu waved a hand, his brow furrowed as he looked around at the others, his voice grim: "Two Shanhai experts!" He then turned to Zhan Fei and offered an apologetic tone: "Brother Zhan, I am truly sorry. I never imagined things would turn out like this..." The old Pegasus grumbled in frustration, "This has nothing to do with you; it was my blunder. I was solely focused on chasing that Bloodthirsty scoundrel and never dreamed another was lying in wait! Curse them!" A disastrous start! Six Shanhai experts present, yet someone had butchered a Lingyun Ninth Layer right under their watch! The Cloud Tiger elder's face was equally unsightly! A casualty already! Though not a Shanhai expert, having someone die before even reaching their destination exceeded all his expectations. *** While they stewed in frustration... Up in the void, two middle-aged men exchanged glances. After a long pause, the burly one sent a voice transmission: "How did another Shanhai expert pop up? Eldest brother, should we step in?" They had been dispatched by Xia Huyou. Full brothers of the same blood. The elder brother frowned, transmitting back: "We do not move! Huyou instructed us solely to guarantee Su Yu's safety. Unless Su Yu explicitly orders us to act, we... ignore everything else! Besides, right now it's hard to tell friend from foe!" Even he was struggling to decipher the situation! The only certainty was that they had to follow Su Yu's lead. Their duty was to protect Su Yu; everything else took a backseat. Even if the All-Races Cult showed up, handling them was someone else's responsibility. The burly man felt somewhat stifled, transmitting again: "Eldest brother, who is our actual target? Is Su Yu guarding against the Single Divine Character Faction? Do you sense anyone tailing us?" "Likely someone is!" the elder brother replied without elaborating. Inwardly, he sighed, turning his gaze toward Su Yu in the distance. Everything unfolding today was courtesy of this young man; how many had died here today was almost certainly the result of his meticulous scheming. A truly terrifying youth! Could the death of the Ironwing Bird expert have been part of his calculations as well? Two great Shanhai demons had suddenly appeared out of thin air! *** Further back. Yu Hong and Old Zheng were also frowning deeply. Yu Hong sent a transmission: "Are both of those fellows from the All-Races Cult?" "You're asking me?" Old Zheng replied, speechless. "I should be asking you; how would I know?" Yu Hong said nothing, producing a voice transmission talisman to inquire for a short while. After a moment, she said, "It's still unclear for now. A great many All-Races Cult experts have arrived today, and some don't even recognize one another." Old Zheng nodded, refraining from probing further. It was best not to meddle in this matter; who knew whom Yu Hong was contacting. "That fellow from the Ironwing Bird race was far too weak, slain with such ease..." Old Zheng felt a touch of disdain. A Lingyun Ninth Layer expert dying just like that! Such minor races truly lacked strength! *** Elsewhere, Blood Rakshasa transmitted an angry demand: "Xue Yue, what are you doing? We agreed to act together—what is this?" "Hmph!" Xue Yue replied sharply, "Fool! When I asked for your cooperation earlier, why did you hold back? Of course we need to pick a few of them off! Are we supposed to wait until we reach the ruins to fight to the death? Idiot! Six Shanhai experts—do you honestly believe we have any hope of winning? While they're distracted protecting those brats, we take them down one by one! Blood Rakshasa, is something wrong with your head?" Xue Yue pressed on: "I've already contacted a fellow Daoist to join forces! Open a public channel on your end. I want to speak with the other Daoists. If our intentions don't align, we'll each go our own way. Just waiting around indefinitely—how utterly moronic! While they have to split their focus protecting those prodigies, we kill as many as we can. Blood Rakshasa, is everyone in your Blood Fire Cult a blockhead?" Xue Yue turned the tables with a scathing rebuke: "Don't let your stupidity ruin our enterprise! Blood Rakshasa, if you don't have the stomach for this, then quit! No wonder your Blood Fire Cult grows weaker by the day—it's all because of fools like you!" He cursed to his heart's content! A brilliant counter-accusation: you were the ones refusing to contribute! Had they backed him up just now, they might have taken down the old Pegasus alongside the bird. Blood Rakshasa was left speechless. A moment later, a public transmission channel opened within the talisman. Soon, a voice came through: "The Daoist from the Bloodthirsty race wishes to speak with us?" "Indeed!" Xue Yue replied. "I'm beginning to wonder whether you actually intend to seize the ruins, or if you're concealing your plans from us. The other side has six Shanhai experts and several Lingyun cultivators. If we don't whittle down their strength now, are we supposed to wait for a final showdown?" "Capturing Su Yu is the paramount objective!" someone argued. After Xue Yue fired back several sharp counterpoints, another voice chimed in: "Blood Rakshasa, what say you? In truth, we are curious as well; waiting endlessly isn't a viable strategy." Blood Rakshasa transmitted his response: "I understand your concerns, but hear me out. This time, Su Yu's destination is the ruins. We don't necessarily have to capture him right now; we can let him lead us there instead of startling the snake. After several close calls, he's already growing anxious. I worry that if this continues, he will abandon the trip entirely." Their information differed. Blood Rakshasa knew Su Yu was heading toward the ruins, whereas the others merely wanted to capture Su Yu alive and torture the location out of him. Hence, Blood Rakshasa understood Xue Yue's reasoning, yet felt helpless that it threatened their overarching plan. He added: "Only once the ruins are uncovered can we make our move. Otherwise, even if we capture Su Yu, he won't necessarily reveal the location! Fellow Daoist Xue Yue, cease your reckless actions!" Pausing, he asked, "Is that Daoist from the Demon Pupil race a friend of yours?" "Never met him!" Xue Yue brushed it off. "Just ran into him. When I made my move earlier, he sought me out, just like you did. I found him far more reliable than you. Ambuscade their experts to deplete their strength—I found the idea sound, so I partnered with him once!" Blood Rakshasa sighed inwardly, replying: "Can you still contact him? If this keeps up, Su Yu will be spooked into turning back, making finding the ruins vastly more difficult!" Xue Yue retorted aggressively: "You kept your mouth shut and hid vital intelligence, and now you blame us? Blood Rakshasa, if you don't want to collaborate, we part ways. If you do, lay everything on the table! Six Shanhai experts aren't so easily dealt with! Compared to slaying six Shanhai cultivators and seizing the ruins, I believe capturing Su Yu offers far better odds. What do the other Daoists think?" "Indeed. Capturing Su Yu is far easier than slaying six Shanhai experts. Launching repeated ambushes might even compel some of them to abandon the journey to protect their prodigies, presenting us with an opening!" Others began siding against Blood Rakshasa. Aware of their shifting stance, Blood Rakshasa said hastily: "Everyone, we have additional allies..." "Shanhai experts?" "Precisely!" Xue Yue demanded instantly: "Who? In that case, I think I'll pull out. With so many Shanhai experts involved, how will the ruins be divided? We might as well act independently—whoever gets lucky takes Su Yu." Blood Rakshasa replied swiftly: "The other party has no interest in the ruins." "Do you expect anyone to believe that?" Xue Yue snapped, then seemed to realize something. "You don't mean the Single Divine Character Faction, do you? Unless their sole aim is killing Su Yu, no one involved with the All-Races Cult would ever abandon the ruins!" "That is correct!" "How many? Watch out that they don't double-cross you! Blood Rakshasa, your choices make me deeply uneasy. Those fellows from the Single Divine Character Faction cannot be trusted—for all we know, they're working with the Great Xia Mansion to wipe us out!" Xue Yue voiced his doubts once more, then severed his connection to the channel and crushed the voice transmission talisman, vanishing into the night. With his departure, the remaining powerhouses in the channel fell silent. Unease took root! Collaborating with the Single Divine Character Faction? And they didn't want the ruins? They too feared being betrayed and eliminated! "Blood Rakshasa, your choice... is quite astonishing. Those people are your trump card? In that case, we would rather cooperate with the Bloodthirsty fellow and the Demon Pupil Daoist. That's far safer than dealing with the Single Divine Character Faction!" The remaining two Shanhai experts also voiced their misgivings. Three Shanhai experts from the All-Races Cult had arrived for this operation. Blood Rakshasa was the strongest, which was why they had agreed to follow his lead. But if they had to work with the Single Divine Character Faction, joining forces with the two foreign demons made far more sense. They were all members of the All-Races Cult and common enemies of the Great Xia Mansion; there was little risk of betrayal. Blood Rakshasa was at his wit's end. They didn't even let me finish! If I had known, I never would have opened the public channel! He rushed to explain: "Daoist Xue Yue was too hasty. The other party would never dare double-cross us; otherwise, do you take me for a fool who would blindly cooperate? I hold leverage over them. They dare not turn hostile, for any leak would deal them a catastrophic blow!" "What leverage?" "That, I cannot disclose. Rest assured, fellow Daoists!" The two probed no further, yet their misgivings lingered. They began calculating whether they should seek out Xue Yue and the Demon Pupil expert to discuss an alliance. With four Shanhai cultivators, they would possess the strength to resist whatever schemes Blood Rakshasa might harbor. *** While Xue Yue stirred up trouble, Su Yu's expression remained dark and solemn! Turning toward Zhan Fei, he said heavily, "Brother Zhan, my condolences! The senior from the Ironwing race falling... caught me completely off guard. The enemy's audacity knows no bounds! Two Shanhai experts have already revealed themselves. It seems my movements have been leaked!" Turning to the others, Su Yu continued in a grave tone: "I've thought it over. I cannot gamble with everyone's lives any longer. Fall back! We are heading back! Back to the academy—this mission is canceled! We've barely covered half the distance, and a Dao Protector has already fallen!" At these words, Xia Qing and her cohort felt their hearts plunge! They nearly cursed out loud! Cursing whom? Naturally, that useless weakling from the Ironwing Bird race! To die so pathetically and frighten Su Yu into wanting to retreat! Dammit, if he went back, wouldn't all their efforts be in vain? Xia Qing shot a glance at Zhan Fei. They could not turn back; turning back meant abandoning everything! They had come this far. If they retreated now, even if Su Yu ventured out again in the future, he wouldn't necessarily invite them. This was their sole opportunity. Suppressing the grief and rage in his chest, Zhan Fei endured the pain and spoke: "Brother Su! I refuse to go back! An elder of my race has fallen, and I want to avenge him! Those two scoundrels will never give up; they will definitely appear again..." Zhan Fei turned toward the remaining Dao Protectors, imploring sorrowfully: "Zhan Fei begs the seniors to lend a hand, to help me claim vengeance! My Ironwing race will never treat our benefactors unfairly!" He didn't want to leave, nor could he. Though his elder had been slain, if he agreed to turn back now, Xia Qing and the others would never let him off. Therefore, he had to stay, using vengeance as a pretext to keep Su Yu moving forward! Su Yu remained impassive, sneering coldly within his heart. Just as I expected! He died, so be it. You're in cahoots with Xia Qing, which means you cannot afford to leave now! Unsurprisingly, several Dao Protectors would agree to help him seek revenge. Sure enough, in the very next breath, the Cloud Tiger elder spoke up firmly: "Naturally! Those wretched scoundrels dared to murder someone right before our eyes. We will not rest until they are dead!" The other Dao Protectors echoed their agreement. Willing or not, having an ally slain beneath their gaze compelled them to make an effort now that Zhan Fei had formally asked. Su Yu hesitated, looking conflicted, before gritting his teeth: "Very well! Then we press on! A senior has fallen; returning empty-handed sits ill with me as well! Seniors, please exercise utmost caution from here on—under no circumstances should you split up recklessly!" He sneered inwardly. There's plenty more misery waiting for you! One down, more to follow! Naturally, he still made a show of adding: "Ji Xiaomeng, the rest of you may turn back. I can have Senior Ju Shan escort you home. You aren't the enemy's targets, so they won't strike at you needlessly..." The students exchanged glances and shook their heads. Su Yu said nothing further, turning his gaze to Zhou Hao: "Zhou Hao, are you leaving? If so, I'll have someone escort you back!" Zhou Hao glanced at the others and shook his head. "If they aren't leaving, I have nothing to fear. Their target is you, not me." "..." Su Yu gave a dry laugh. Fine! Things had gotten this hazardous, even a Lingyun expert had perished, yet none of them would budge. To claim this was merely for training... go to hell, who did they think was foolish enough to believe that? He wouldn't bother anymore! He had offered warning after warning. Since they stubbornly refused to leave, he washed his hands of them. He had fulfilled his obligations; should they be slaughtered later, he wouldn't spare them an ounce of pity! At this stage, anyone refusing to leave had an ulterior motive. Those who came with ill intent deserved no sympathy in death! As for the foreign students, Su Yu noticed that several of their expressions flickered—they likely wanted to leave, but felt too embarrassed to say so. The Pegasus youth, for instance, had lost his carefree demeanor and looked utterly conflicted. That young woman from the Mountain Gazelle race... well, if she could be called a young woman; those horns were truly hideous. She was wavering as well. Those who hesitated were probably not part of Xia Qing's faction! Su Yu couldn't be bothered to intervene. If they chose to stay, they had only themselves to blame when death found them! "Then we continue onward. Senior Ju Shan, please remain concealed nearby. Do not let them track you; keep your presence hidden to maintain a deterrent!" "Understood!" Ju Shan vanished instantly! Su Yu then turned to the Cloud Tiger elder, offering an apologetic tone: "You must be the senior from the Cloud Tiger race? Your noble clan is renowned for unparalleled speed. Senior, could you... scout the route ahead to prevent further ambushes?" The Cloud Tiger elder was reluctant, but with the Ironwing bird expert dead, he was indeed the fastest among them. Weighing his options, he said nothing more and vanished. Given his speed and heightened vigilance, falling victim to an ambush would not be easy. Moving further away had its advantages as well! It would be convenient to contact his handler. That bastard had promised nothing would go wrong—why had two Shanhai experts appeared to butcher their man? The Cloud Tiger elder was seething with rage! Though that Ironwing bird lacked great strength, they were supposed to be on the same side. With his sudden death, the elder couldn't help but worry: had the Single Divine Character Faction broken faith, intending to wipe them out along with Su Yu? *** Shortly after the Cloud Tiger elder departed... Tianshui City. Not far from Su Yu's current position, inside a sprawling compound, Zhou Pingsheng stood holding a voice transmission talisman, his brows tightly furrowed. He transmitted an explanation: "A misunderstanding. Those Shanhai experts who struck came from other mansions; we had no prior contact with them, which led to a misunderstanding. I will resolve this nuisance shortly." After offering his explanations, Zhou Pingsheng spat a low curse: Incompetent fool! You let your guard down and got a Lingyun killed, and you have the gall to question me? Without lingering, he hurried toward the inner quarters of the compound. A moment later, he whispered outside a closed door: "Elder Li, they are nearing Tianshui City. However, there's a bit of trouble with the All-Races Cult..." "There is no need to inform me!" Elder Li's voice drifted from within, indifferent and cold: "I do not know anyone from the All-Races Cult. Pingsheng, handle the communications yourself!" "..." Fury flared in Zhou Pingsheng's chest! Pretending your hands are clean, like hell! Playing this game even now! If this is ever uncovered, do you honestly think you can walk away unscathed? Upon closer reflection... perhaps he truly could. If the assassination attempt on Su Yu failed, even if they were apprehended, the most likely outcome was banishment. Colluding with the All-Races Cult, however... if caught, whether Su Yu died or not, Zhou Pingsheng was a dead man. Hatred simmered within Zhou Pingsheng's heart! At this critical juncture, these people were still obsessing over retreat routes. No wonder the Single Divine Character Faction suffered setback after setback—they calculated too much, valuing their own skins above all else! Things had reached the point of shedding all pretenses and shedding blood, yet Elder Li and his ilk still refused to show their faces, forcing him to act as the contact for the All-Races Cult. His resentment burned fiercely! His cultivation was low, but his status was not—he was Zhou Mingren's disciple. The All-Races Cult held leverage over him, which was why they weren't afraid of the Single Divine Character Faction turning against them. If disaster struck, his death was guaranteed, and Zhou Mingren would be implicated as well. Yet Yu Hong and Elder Li might easily escape unscathed. Unless caught red-handed on the scene, they could plausibly deny everything. Every single one of you, clinging to self-preservation at a time like this... If I go down, not a single one of you is getting away! Cursing inwardly, Zhou Pingsheng nonetheless complied aloud: "Understood, Elder. I shall attend to the matter, then!" "Go." "..." Zhou Pingsheng turned and walked away, struggling to suppress the raging fury within. Were it not for the sake of killing Su Yu, he never would have shouldered this blame.