Stepping out of his home, Su Yu looked up at the sky. Dusk had already fallen.
Tonight's moonlight looked quite lovely.
A dark night and high winds—the perfect night to kill someone.
Only, it might be rather hard to pull off!
Below Shanhai would be manageable, but above Shanhai... would be difficult!
As for who had broken into his home, why they had done it, and whether their intentions were good or bad... did he need to know?
All he knew was that he, the owner, had never consented.
Without the owner's consent, taking without asking was theft.
Stepping out of the residential area, he found Huang He still waiting for him outside. Seeing him emerge, Huang He hurried over and asked, "Brother Lang, did you find anything?"
"Nope."
Su Yu smiled. "Just a broken-down hovel. If there's an ancient ruin in a dump like this, I'll do a handstand on the spot!"
"Don't speak so definitively," Huang He warned. Anything was possible.
Su Yu chuckled, turning back toward Xia Bing. "Hey there, friend, who's been to Su Yu's place before? Put in a word with Su Yu for me later, so my trip wasn't completely in vain."
"No comment!"
Xia Bing wore a frosty expression, unwilling to speak.
Su Yu shrugged and laughed. "Forget it then. Even if there were anything good, I suspect the Xia family already took it. Su Yu's house has been sitting here for so long. If the Xia family wanted to take anything, they would've hauled it away ages ago. How would it ever be our turn?"
Xia Bing said coldly, "Watch your mouth when slandering the Xia family. Do you really think the Xia family can do nothing to you?"
Su Yu couldn't help but laugh. "Fine, fine, pretend I never said it. How did I slander the Xia family? That's just how it is. A whole mob of outsiders has come through, and the Xia family never stepped foot inside? Who are you kidding! The way I see it, that house is practically on the verge of being dismantled. It's not like nobody's ever gone in."
Xia Bing fell silent.
There were things he didn't know.
Even if he did, he had no desire to share anything with this outsider.
After Su Yu and Huang He walked away, Xia Bing looked back toward the compound, staring at where Su Yu's home stood, head lowered in silence.
He didn't know whether experts from the Xia family had come to inspect it, but he did know that the Xia family had tacitly permitted certain people to enter afterward and stopped interfering.
Those with backing, those with prominent status, those who pulled strings to gain access—they were all allowed in eventually.
Now, to certain influential figures, Su Yu's home was no longer off-limits.
He didn't understand why the Xia family would do this, why they would compromise. Was it simply because Su Yu had already departed?
He didn't know!
Xia Bing kept his head down. Over the past half year, his faith in and adoration for the Xia family had begun to waver.
The Xia family... seemed no longer to be the Xia family of old.
The Xia family's blade was truly no longer sharp.
Within the Xia family's territory, here in Nanyuan, they allowed a pack of outsiders to run amok. He didn't know what the Xia family was thinking, but he knew many of his brothers were profoundly disappointed, nursing a suffocating anger in their chests.
Did the Xia family really have to be this weak?
Where was the Manor Lord?
Xia the Second was unfit to serve as this Acting Manor Lord!
They refused to accept him!
Perhaps they had accepted him in the past, but not anymore. Xia the Second was not worthy. He had disgraced the Xia family, disgraced the Great Xia Prefecture. Xia Bing had even wondered at times whether Xia the Second had taken bribes from someone; otherwise, why would he let outsiders enter Su Yu's home?
Now, the Great Xia Prefecture was seething with discontent. Had the Marquis seen it?
Had he heard it?
...
Su Yu hadn't left. Together with Huang He, he strolled about aimlessly.
It was a completely normal act—looking around to see where in Nanyuan an ancient ruin might be hidden. With any luck, one might just stumble upon it.
Within the city, Su Yu was far from the only one doing this; others were doing the exact same thing.
As they walked, Su Yu asked with a grin, "Brother Huang, just how many people have come to this tiny, rundown place? Are there any Sun Moon Realm experts among them?"
"There are Shanhai, but definitely no Sun Moon," Huang He said with a smile. "This is the Xia family's territory, after all. Bringing a few Shanhai Dao Protectors is one thing, but could they really bring Sun Moon Realm experts? If too many Sun Moon experts showed up, who knows what people might think you're here for? It's not like you don't know what happened in the Great Ming Prefecture. Under the pretext of dealing with the All-Races Sect, the Zhu family wiped out five Sun Moon experts all at once. Frankly speaking, were all five of those Sun Moon really from the All-Races Sect?"
That was hard to say!
Perhaps some were sleeper agents planted by other factions.
Yet every last one had been slaughtered. What could anyone say in protest?
"No Sun Moon? What about the Xia family's Sun Moon?"
"That, I wouldn't know!"
Su Yu smiled and dropped the subject. *You don't know, but I do. Within a thousand meters of me, someone is probing me right now. That should be the Xia family's Sun Moon, shouldn't it?*
*The old man from last time?*
When Su Yu had left before, that elder had offered to intervene on his behalf, but Su Yu had declined.
Thinking back now, it was a good thing he had.
Otherwise, it would be rather awkward to face him now.
The Xia family's Sun Moon was right here, yet his home... had been ransacked.
Was this a show orchestrated by the Xia family, or had powerful figures genuinely infiltrated the city?
Who could tell!
Su Yu kept walking, asking questions as he went. Whenever he spotted someone unfamiliar, he inquired about their identity.
People had arrived from every major prefecture, including young geniuses accompanied by powerful Dao Protectors.
Some were guarded by Lingyun cultivators, others by Shanhai.
None were escorted by Sun Moon experts. After all, within the Xia family's territory, serious trouble wasn't that likely to erupt.
After walking for a while, Su Yu noticed the night had deepened. Grinning slyly, he said, "Brother Huang, you arrived earlier than me. Do you know where to find some quality fun in this little place?"
"Huh?"
"You know what I mean!" Su Yu winked. "Don't play dumb with me! Pretending you don't get it?"
Huang He finally caught on and felt utterly helpless. *You really came all this way just to sightsee and chase women?!*
"There is a place..."
"I knew Brother Huang was my kind of guy!"
Huang He was speechless. *Damn it!*
Only after a long pause did he manage, "It's a regular leisure establishment. I don't know if they offer the kind of services Brother Lang is looking for, but... they definitely have foot massage parlors. Do you want to go, Brother Lang?"
"Of course!" Su Yu laughed. "Let's go together! My treat! We'll see how it goes. I'm quite picky, you know. If the options aren't up to par, a foot massage to unwind will do just fine. I'm exhausted after traveling for days."
*You're exhausted?*
*Your clothes are spotless white—how on earth are you exhausted?!*
Huang He was thoroughly exasperated, hardly knowing whether to keep indulging him.
Huang He was also in the Tengkong Realm, though he appeared weaker than Su Yu, seemingly around fifth-stage Tengkong. As they walked, Su Yu suddenly cleared his throat and said, "Uh... cough, Brother Huang, I forgot to ask: which family do you belong to? There are quite a few Huang clans out there. Which prefecture are you from?"
"..."
Huang He felt mentally drained, but he introduced himself anyway. "I'm from the Huang family of the Great Qi Prefecture. We've met once before, though Brother Lang has probably forgotten."
"The Great Qi Prefecture..."
Su Yu pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Right, I remember now. In the year 344 of the Anping calendar, I think I visited once. Was that when we met?"
"We met once."
"It's been seven years! It's completely normal that I forgot. It's not like you're some beauty. The Huang family... Great Qi's Huang family..."
After another moment's thought, Su Yu said, "It rings a bell. The Great General of the Great Qi Prefecture is named Huang, isn't he? You're from that Huang family? Well now, your ancestor is a Sun Moon expert! A descendant of a Sun Moon—and here I took you for an ordinary fellow."
Huang He smiled. "I can't compare to you, Brother Lang. To be frank, my ancestor is separated from me by six generations. The connection is quite distant. As for descendants... only those within three generations really count; by the fourth or fifth generation, the relationship has already faded."
"Still not bad. It's not like it's sixteen generations."
Su Yu chuckled. "You didn't bring a Dao Protector?"
"Not everyone gets one," Huang He said with a smile. "Normally, you have to be a genius, or come from a branch with few offspring. In a clan teeming with descendants, if you're useless yourself, where would a Dao Protector come from? Wouldn't you agree, Brother Lang?"
"True enough. I don't have one either!"
Su Yu sighed with regret. "I tried to get that cheap master of mine to arrange a Shanhai for me, but he wouldn't agree. What a pity. Otherwise, I could've strutted around showing off with a Dao Protector in tow."
Chatting and laughing, the two stepped into a wellness club.
...
Half an hour later.
Su Yu wore a look of disappointment as he sent a voice transmission: "Forget it, let's just get a foot massage tonight. Brother Huang, should we share a room or take separate ones? We'll rest up tonight, and tomorrow morning we can search the whole city together. I'll go look up Su Yu's teachers and whatnot..."
"Sounds good!"
Huang He had no objections; he hadn't harbored much hope in the first place.
The two split up to rest in separate rooms.
Su Yu kept two masseuses in his room, yawning as he said, "Give me a good foot rub. I've been exhausted for days. If your technique is good, I'll reward you handsomely afterward!"
The two middle-aged women were thrilled and began working with earnest vigor.
Outside the door, Huang He smirked inwardly. *This is for the best. If I actually went to that kind of place with this loudmouth, knowing him, rumors would spread all over town by tomorrow and everyone would know where we went.*
Nanyuan wasn't large. That fellow might be shameless, but Huang He still valued his reputation.
He had brought Su Yu here on purpose!
All the masseuses were older women, but their technique was genuinely respectable.
Su Yu yawned and let out a breath. Gradually, the vision of the two women grew hazy. Moments later, their senses cleared, and Su Yu was still right there, leaning back on the massage recliner, yawning drowsily.
At that exact instant, a faint breeze drifted past, completely unnoticed by either of them.
Not just them—even Huang He next door didn't detect the slightest anomaly.
The "Blood" divine character forged an illusion, the "Calm" divine character suppressed all vital aura, and the breath-concealment technique worked in tandem with the shadow divine character.
In that moment, Su Yu vanished from the wellness club.
...
The perception jade was pushed to its utmost limit.
Like an invisible wraith, Su Yu swiftly melted away from everyone's sight. Down in the underground drainage canal, the stench was nauseating as murky water flowed past. So what if it was filthy?
A fire burned within his chest!
Filth? He was no coddled young master from a prominent clan. Did anyone think he had never suffered hardships?
Water Transformation!
The Water race's innate skill, paired with the "Water" divine character. In the water, Su Yu's breath-concealment technique reached its absolute peak, built upon the already formidable concealment methods of the xuan turtle race.
Now, with diverse divine characters and innate skills operating in unison, Su Yu drifted through this cavernous, foul-smelling subterranean passage.
From the route he had taken earlier with Huang He, he had noted where people from various major clans were staying. Naturally, many hadn't bothered to look for lodging at all—the locals of Nanyuan didn't welcome them and refused them shelter, so some had pitched tents near the city walls.
Others didn't sleep at all, wandering the streets throughout the night.
Su Yu roamed underground for a while, his mind undecided.
Whom should he strike against?
Whom should he kill?
After drifting a short distance, Su Yu reached a decision. He hadn't yet identified or located the auras of the others.
However, he knew all five individuals who had broken into his home today.
*Perhaps... to you, it was merely a broken-down house, a dilapidated hovel. Anything you stepped on was just worthless junk. But to me, that was my memories, my youth...*
Drifting forward, Su Yu gave a quiet, cold smirk. *I don't need a reason.*
*Why would I need a reason?*
*You knew it was my home, yet you insisted on intruding. Therefore... I can kill you!*
From the Quest Realm? From the War God Hall?
Did they have powerful backgrounds?
He didn't care!
Would killing them draw out formidable experts?
He didn't know!
If it turned into chaos, so be it!
Let the Great Xia Prefecture descend into even greater chaos. Let them all drown in their own mess.
Just as he was about to hunt down those individuals, Su Yu paused slightly. Before his eyes, a divine character materialized—someone was using a divine character to probe beneath the earth.
Inside his mind, the little fur ball suddenly spoke: "I know the smell of this divine character! It was in the dirt I ate earlier!"
"..."
Su Yu was left speechless. *Here I was, setting out to kill those few people, and one walks right into my hands.*
A divine character—meaning the person above was a Civilization Master?
Probing the underground?
Su Yu checked his perception jade. The aura was rather weak, so he hadn't paid it much mind earlier. There was indeed someone above, merely in the Tengkong Realm.
That Tengkong cultivator above had visited his home?
Su Yu hesitated briefly, then dismissed the doubt. *Forget it. Since we crossed paths, you brought this on yourself. You insisted on delivering yourself to my doorstep right now; otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered dealing with you tonight.*
As for who it was... it didn't matter.
Even if it were someone from the Xia family, if they had barged into his home without permission, he would show no mercy.
Personal sentiment... that was reserved for Xia Huyou. With anyone else, there was no sentiment to speak of.
...
Aboveground, the earth trembled ever so slightly.
The young Tengkong cultivator probing underground furrowed his brow. Manifesting his divine character, he probed carefully once more. *Was there a disturbance?*
At that moment, his shadow deepened slightly, yet failed to draw his attention.
Hidden within the shadow, Su Yu got a clear look at the man's face.
He hadn't seen him during the day; he was unfamiliar.
At seventh-stage Tengkong, the man's cultivation was respectable. He looked fairly young, probably around thirty.
No telling which clan's genius he was!
Who cared!
The youth frowned, continuing his scan, entirely oblivious even now. King Dazhou's "Calm" divine character proved extraordinarily effective, masking every trace of danger.
And just as he continued his investigation, a dark gleam abruptly shot out from the shadow!
*Pfft!*
A barely audible sound!
The youth's eyes widened abruptly!
His lips parted, and he looked down. His heart had been completely pulverized. Inside his sea of will, every single divine character vanished instantly, and an instant later, the sea of will itself was utterly obliterated!
Once the sea of will was destroyed, it ceased to exist.
Even if divine characters remained, they dissipated entirely.
Silent and traceless!
In the blink of an eye, within a single instant, the youth was dead.
Su Yu didn't know him, nor did he know his identity.
He only knew that this person had intruded into his home. As for whether he was friend or foe... anyone who entered his home without his permission was no friend!
His friends would never do such a thing.
Besides, what kind of friend was a stranger?
Su Yu took nothing. A flicker of flame flared and died out, reducing the youth's corpse to nothingness, and Su Yu dissolved into the wind, thoroughly erasing every trace of his aura.
...
A short while later, Su Yu returned to the wellness club.
The illusion faded. Su Yu lay back on the recliner, continuing to enjoy the massage.
Next door, Huang He was silently cultivating, entirely unaware.
...
Not long after Su Yu's departure.
A Shanhai Realm expert arrived instantly at the scene, brow furrowed. He wore the uniform of the Longwu Guards. Behind him, several figures quickly caught up. "Sir, what happened?"
The others had no idea what was going on.
The Shanhai expert frowned slightly. "Just a moment ago, a Tengkong aura was present here, and then it suddenly vanished!"
The others quickly scanned the area, but soon shook their heads in turn, finding nothing.
The Shanhai expert pondered for a moment. A Tengkong aura had abruptly disappeared. He hadn't probed closely, but the Great Xia Prefecture kept reasonably close tabs on the general whereabouts of these visitors.
Who had been here just now?
As he pondered, another Shanhai tore through the air—an elderly man. Seeing a group of Longwu Guards gathered here, his expression shifted. "Commander Xie, what is the matter?"
The Longwu Guards Shanhai expert, surnamed Xie, replied flatly, "A Tengkong aura seemed to vanish here just now. It wasn't someone from your clan, was it?"
"Vanished?"
The old man froze. Suddenly vanished?
Not daring to delay, he hurriedly took out a voice transmission talisman and attempted to send a message.
A moment later, his brow locked tight.
"The voice transmission talisman... shattered!"
Terror seized his heart. Shattered!
He urgently asked, "Commander Xie, are... are you certain a Tengkong aura suddenly vanished here?"
Commander Xie said indifferently, "I sensed something, but cannot say for sure! We do not meddle in the affairs of you outsiders!"
"Commander!"
Though both were in the Shanhai Realm, the old man still addressed him as an officer, panic written across his face. "Commander, my general has only this one son! Commander, please help me search for him. My general will certainly not treat you poorly..."
Commander Xie scoffed. "What does that have to do with me? Look for him yourself! In all probability... he's dead!"
His tone was devoid of any sympathy.
The boy was likely dead!
Even he was surprised. In a single instant, the aura had vanished completely, and he hadn't detected a second aura at all.
A person just gone?
Right then, a Longwu Guard suddenly called out, "Commander, there's a storage ring here!"
With that, he fished a storage ring out of the nearby drainage ditch.
Seeing that storage ring, the old man's face turned ashen!
"No... impossible!"
Disaster had struck!
He... was truly dead?
The elder hailed from the Great Jin Prefecture, and the slain youth was the son of the Army Commander of Great Jin's prefectural forces. That commander was a Sun Moon expert.
His son was at seventh-stage Tengkong, exactly thirty years old.
At that age, reaching seventh-stage Tengkong marked him as a top-tier genius.
He had only come to Nanyuan to try his luck!
Dead?
He had died right here, just like that?
Who did it?
His expression shifted through a succession of grim shades as he hastily snatched the storage ring, examining it closely. The next instant, he swept his willpower inside, and his face drained of color once more. Without a doubt, the items inside belonged to his young master.
It was over!
He was a Shanhai, a man of high standing, serving as the head steward in the general's manor.
Yet he had accompanied the young master here, only for the boy to die in the blink of an eye.
These past few nights, the young master had ventured out to search while the old man searched in other directions not far away. But now... the young master was dead?
The old man trembled with terror!
Commander Xie stroked his chin, equally bewildered. Even he hadn't noticed anything. Could a Sun Moon expert have carried out the assassination?
That shouldn't be possible!
Ever since the Sun Moon lure-away incident last time, the secret guard commander in the city had been on high alert. If a Sun Moon expert infiltrated the city now, it would be very difficult to slip past the commander unnoticed.
While he was lost in thought, the old man suddenly lost his composure, his voice shrill: "Commander Xie, I beg you to dispatch your men to conduct a thorough investigation! The killer cannot have gone far; they must still be within the city! Commander Xie, please investigate thoroughly! The general has only this one son..."
Seeing his near-frenzied state, Commander Xie frowned and snapped, "Quiet! I don't need you bossing me around! I will assign men to pursue the matter. As for whether we uncover anything... we'll see!"
An investigation was indeed necessary!
To silently eliminate a Tengkong cultivator meant that if such a person remained in the city, outsiders were in danger, and the people of the Great Xia Prefecture were in danger as well. A strict investigation was warranted.
Of course, it wasn't for the old man's sake.
Dead was dead. Could an army commander from the Great Jin Prefecture really extend his reach into the Great Xia Prefecture?
Who asked you all to come in the first place!
"Commander Xie!"
The old man's voice turned piercing. "If the killer is not found, my lord will certainly not let this rest!"
"Are you threatening me?"
"I wouldn't dare!"
The old man lowered his head, grinding his teeth. "Yet my young master has gone missing right inside Nanyuan City, silently and without a trace, without even me sensing a thing. And you were the first to arrive on the scene, Commander..."
"You suspect me of killing him?"
Commander Xie said coldly, "If we wanted to kill you, we would have done so long ago! Would we wait until now? Would we need to resort to assassination? Zhang Min, think carefully before you speak. The Longwu Guards are the Xia family's private army, its personal guards. Are you slandering the Xia family?"
"I wouldn't dare!"
The old man bit down until his gums bled. "That was not my meaning. But now someone is gone, Commander Xie... No matter what, the Longwu Guards must uncover the culprit. Otherwise, there may well be a next victim! The voice of my family alone may carry little weight, but if others meet with mishap as well... can the Xia family bear the responsibility?!"
"Heh!"
Commander Xie sneered. "You don't need to concern yourself with that! Dead is dead. It's not like a Sun Moon or Invincible expert died—what responsibility is there to bear? Besides... we warned you long ago: we will not meddle in your own squabbles. Who knows if one of your own struck from the shadows, dogs biting dogs, hair in every mouth!"
Can't be bothered with him any longer, Commander Xie bellowed, "Men! Cordon off this area and conduct a thorough search!"
Talk was talk, but an investigation still had to be carried out.
At present, no one knew who had struck. If they couldn't uncover the culprit, it would be a disgrace to the Xia family, and it was entirely possible someone was intentionally muddying the waters.
...
Inside the wellness club.
Su Yu was thoroughly enjoying his massage when the door was suddenly knocked open. Huang He rushed in, crying, "Brother Lang, something happened outside!"
"Huh?"
Su Yu opened his eyes, yawning. "Something happened? Did they find the ruin? What's the huge rush? If they found it, they found it..."
"No! A friend just told me Zhang Heng is dead!"
"Who's dead?"
"Zhang Heng!"
"Never heard of him. Do I know him? Did he ever go whoring with me?"
"No, he's the son of the Army Commander of Great Jin's prefectural forces..."
Unperturbed, Su Yu rose and put on his shoes. He casually tossed out two drops of yuanqi liquid, chuckling. "Ladies, I'm out of cash. Settling the bill with yuanqi liquid is fine, right?"
The two women were ecstatic!
In this era where everyone practiced cultivation, who didn't recognize yuanqi liquid? It was hard currency; a single drop could easily fetch a hundred thousand Anping coins!
There wasn't the slightest problem!
Su Yu stood up. Seeing Huang He's agitation, he couldn't help but say, "If he's dead, he's dead. What are you panicking for? For all we know, the Great Xia Prefecture did it. Did a fight break out with Great Xia? If so, we need to declare our identities and run for our lives! If the Great Xia Prefecture wants to kill people, they'll have to think twice. I'm the grandson-in-law of a ninth-stage Sun Moon Realm powerhouse..."
Huang He was so exasperated he nearly laughed. *Now you're the grandson-in-law of a ninth-stage Sun Moon?*
*Have some shame!*
"It wasn't the Xia family. If the Xia family wanted to kill us, would they need to assassinate anyone? Since the Xia family said they wouldn't interfere, they most likely won't. What worries me is that someone is intentionally muddying the waters, killing people from the shadows. That's real trouble! Neither of us brought a Dao Protector—we're in serious danger!"
"What's there to fear!"
Su Yu chuckled. "To be blunt, if an ordinary Lingyun runs into me, it's hard to say who lives and who dies! Even against a high-stage Lingyun, there'd at least be some commotion, immediately drawing everyone's attention. Could they really kill me instantly? As for Shanhai and Sun Moon—hehe, it's not like I don't have cards up my sleeve. That cheap master of mine gave me a few decent treasures. I might not beat them, but I can run! Once I escape, I'll make them pay. Don't worry, your Brother Lang is right here to cover you!"
Su Yu laughed heartily, completely unconcerned.
Following Huang He out the door, he saw cultivators streaking across the streets in rapid succession.
Soon, an acquaintance of Huang He's hurried over, calling out frantically, "Just up ahead! Zhang Heng disappeared! Whether he's dead or alive is hard to say, but nine times out of ten he's dead—even his storage ring was left behind! Now the Longwu Guards are investigating. That guy was at seventh-stage Tengkong, stronger than us, yet he was killed without a sound!"
The youth was clearly rattled. Turning to Huang He, he said, "Brother Huang, someone died here. I don't think it's safe to stay. How about we leave?"
Su Yu said, exasperated, "Leave? Can you even leave right now? If you leave, people might suspect you're fleeing out of guilt! Everyone is investigating, so what's there to fear? The culprit killed one person; do they dare kill another? Brother Huang, who is this coward?"
The youth rolled his eyes, while Huang He sighed helplessly and introduced, "He's also from the Great Qi Prefecture, a friend of mine named Liu Li."
Su Yu gave a casual nod. "Brother Liu, don't be afraid! Stick with me. The three of us together—my strength isn't below a Lingyun's. As long as we don't wander off alone, nothing will happen so easily. Could someone really wipe out the three of us in an instant?"
Liu Li nodded slightly and said nothing more, though anxiety gnawed at him inside.
Zhang Heng was the only son of a Sun Moon expert!
His status was exceptionally high!
A true direct descendant, an eldest legitimate son!
Guarded by a Shanhai Dao Protector, yet... in the blink of an eye, he was dead.
A seventh-stage Tengkong genius capable of battling ninth-stage Tengkong cultivators had perished without a sound. It was terrifying.
...
The group of three soon reached the scene of the incident.
A sizeable crowd had gathered, faces grave.
Su Yu showed no restraint whatsoever, extending his willpower straight over the crowd toward the area cordoned off by the Longwu Guards.
At that moment, several people flared their willpower to shield themselves, some glaring back at Su Yu in fury. Su Yu didn't care in the slightest, laughing. "I'm just taking a look, don't block the view! I'm not trying to pry into your business. What's with all of you, acting like you're hiding monumental secrets?"
His gaze, however, swept across several people in the crowd. *Excellent. Now that they've flared their willpower, the little fur ball can recognize some of them.*
Warriors possessed willpower as well.
Of course, if their willpower was weak and they only unleashed yuanqi, their aura wouldn't change.
When visiting his home, they most likely hadn't disguised their auras either, had they?
Several of them had indeed been there!
Amidst the crowd, he also spotted Zhou Hongbo and his companions. Su Yu ignored them, probing directly into the scene of the incident. After a careful sweep, he stroked his chin and said, "He died here? Not a single trace left behind! Either you've got it wrong, or... the killer was at least two whole realms above that Zhang fellow. Even a Lingyun couldn't kill him that cleanly, could they?"
"Two whole realms?"
Someone nearby murmured in a low voice, "I suspect a Sun Moon did it! Could a Shanhai easily evade everyone's notice? The Longwu Guards' Shanhai commander arrived almost immediately, and Zhang Heng's Dao Protector rushed over right away too, yet neither found a thing. It's very likely a Sun Moon Realm expert!"
"Why kill Zhang Heng? Did Zhang Heng discover something, or... did the killer have a grudge against his father?"
"Who knows! Don't tell me it's the All-Races Sect assassinating human geniuses? Killing a genius yields massive rewards, not to mention Zhang Heng is the direct son of a Sun Moon expert, holding exceptional status."
"..."
The crowd stood watching, not purely out of curiosity, but also waiting to see if the culprit could be caught.
Unease hung in the air!
This place no longer felt safe.
Should they just pack up and leave?
Yet if they left, they feared being ambushed on the road even more. In a large crowd they were relatively safe; what would happen if they were isolated?
Besides, with Zhang Heng dead, if they ran off now, wouldn't people suspect they had a guilty conscience?
At that moment, Su Yu looked around and shouted, "Sun Moon or Shanhai, I don't give a damn! I just got here today and haven't found a single thing. Just don't get any funny ideas about me! I have a seventh-stage Sun Moon teacher, not to mention my ninth-stage Sun Moon cheap grandfather... I have a Shanhai divine talisman on me, a protective talisman! A Sun Moon can't kill me in one strike, and once that happens, you're finished!"
With that, he brandished a divine talisman pulsing with powerful aura, yelling, "I've got zero interest in meddling in your business! I literally just got here today and haven't even begun to enjoy my wonderful life. I won't stay in Nanyuan; I'll pack up and leave tomorrow! If the killer can hear me, there's no need to ruin your plans just for me, right?"
The surrounding cultivators looked at him with strange expressions, though none spoke up.
This... might actually be an effective way to ward off trouble.
It carried genuine deterrent value. Killing Cui Lang might not be worth the effort, might not succeed, and certainly wouldn't yield good consequences.
Someone chuckled, "Brother Cui, when that ninth-stage Sun Moon cheap grandfather of yours tried to get close to you, you hid from him for years. Now you're acknowledging him?"
Su Yu retorted in annoyance, "Stop picking fights! Who cares whether I acknowledge him or not! In danger, you'd acknowledge him faster than me, so you've got no right to lecture me! Besides, I can find a ninth-stage Sun Moon backer—can you? If you're jealous, just say so!"
The person was left speechless!
There was no refuting that; even if one wanted such a backer, one might never find one.
A young powerhouse from the Great Tang Prefecture couldn't help but say, "If Director Cheng knew you were badmouthing him like this out here, watch out or he'll slap you to death the moment he leaves seclusion!"
Su Yu curled his lip, not bothering to reply. Having delivered his warning, he grinned and said, "That's that! If things don't look good, I'm leaving tomorrow. I'm just passing through—don't drag me into this mess. I'm still planning to head to the Great Xia Prefecture to fool around and admire the beauties of all races!"
No one paid him any mind. Soon, a Shanhai Realm expert soared through the air, saying in a solemn voice, "Be on your guard, all of you. The killer left no trace. The Great Xia Prefecture... is not responsible for your safety! If anyone else dies, that is your own concern!"
With that, the Shanhai expert swiftly vanished.
Su Yu lingered no longer. Kicking Huang He lightly, he whispered, "Let's go. The two of us should stick together. As for the rest... who knows what their deal is? Only because we were together before can we trust each other. If you're bringing this brother of yours along, keep an eye on him. I'm not comfortable hanging around strangers."
The underlying message was meant for everyone: *I was with Huang He the entire time; this has nothing to do with me.*
Of course, whether anyone paid attention was none of his concern.
Huang He nodded. He was terrified as well.
For a murder out of nowhere to strike Nanyuan like this—it was better to find an opportunity to slip away. It was simply too dangerous.
Even the Xia family hadn't tracked down the culprit. Either they were turning a blind eye, or the killer was far too cunning to be found.
The direct son of a Sun Moon expert had been slain; staying here any longer was asking for trouble.
As for Su Yu, he had only just learned Zhang Heng's name and identity.
He didn't care in the slightest. As for causing trouble for the Great Xia Prefecture... that was Great Xia's own business. You allowed them to come here, and you allowed them to trespass into my home; bear the consequences yourselves.
At this point, Su Yu had no intention of reasoning with anyone.
Nanyuan... if these people refused to leave, he would eventually turn this place into a nightmare for outsiders.
Chapter 333