The two dragons conducting surveillance in secret felt their scalps prickle with dread. They had thought an outsider was behind the crime, never expecting that there was a traitor within—and that an elder was actually involved.
Anyone who dared commit such an outrageous act was bound to be an elder whose power was not to be underestimated.
"What should we do? Should we capture all of them right now?"
The composed dragon looked at his companion in utter astonishment. "Are you out of your mind? There are eight of them—four at the Soul Formation stage and four at the Nascent Soul stage. And judging by combat prowess, those four Nascent Souls might very well match Soul Formation cultivators. How could just the two of us possibly take them down?"
"Then what should we do?"
"Here's the plan. Go inform an elder while I stay here and keep watch. Now that those four Nascent Soul cultivators have the dragon pearl, they're bound to hand it over to the elder behind the crime. That'll let us catch them red-handed, and we'll have performed a great service!"
"You're as sharp as ever!" Knowing time was short, his companion immediately set off to notify an elder.
Having concluded the trade with the Four Thieves of Juxuan Island, Lu Yang and his three companions successfully obtained the Ancestral Dragon Grass.
The Eldest Brother of the Four Thieves of Juxuan Island sent a secret divine sense transmission: "A change of plans. We leave immediately!"
His three subordinates were baffled. "Did our theft of the dragon pearl get exposed?"
The Eldest Brother looked at his three younger brothers with an expression of disappointment, as if exasperated by their failure to live up to expectations. If Juxuan Island didn't have him, the three of them would have been thrown in chains long ago.
"Didn't you hear what those four Nascent Soul cultivators said? That grass belongs to one of the Dragon Clan's elders. We robbed him of his grass—do you really think he'll let us walk away alive?"
"As soon as those four Nascent Soul kids report this back to that Dragon Clan elder, all four of us are finished!"
If they were still at the Body Integration stage, they might have had room to maneuver. But as four Soul Formation cultivators standing before a Dragon Clan elder, they probably wouldn't even survive a single swipe of his claws!
"Then what should we do?"
The Eldest Brother gritted his teeth and made his decision. "Never mind all that! Hurry back to the chamber of commerce and retrieve the dragon pearl."
Meanwhile, Lu Yang and his companions decided to look for the black-robed dragon elder.
Seeing the two parties split up, the calm dragon observing in secret followed Lu Yang and his group without a second thought.
As for the Four Thieves of Juxuan Island, once the elders arrived, the Dragon Clan could easily drag them back even if they fled the Sea Market!
Such was the confidence of the Dragon Clan, the hegemons of the East Sea!
The Four Thieves of Juxuan Island hurried back to the chamber of commerce. Today was the third day, and Deacon Liu had long been waiting for word at the front desk.
The Eldest Brother sent an urgent transmission: "Old Liu, fetch the coffin right away!"
"What happened? Were you exposed?" Deacon Liu could tell from the Eldest Brother's tone that something was off.
*Changed their faces again today? Three days ago, when you four deposited the coffin, you didn't look like this. How cautious.*
"Not yet. Just bring it out. If the Dragon Clan questions you, feel free to tell them whatever they want to know; they won't suspect you!" The Eldest Brother did not forget to reassure Deacon Liu. If Deacon Liu came to believe the four of them were untrustworthy and decided to turn them in for a reward, things would get disastrously complicated.
"All right."
Deacon Liu entered the warehouse, walked past the coffin covered in Su Yu's black cloth, and retrieved the coffin he had personally checked in three days ago.
"Here. Be careful." Deacon Liu shouldered the coffin and carried it out.
"Until we meet again." The Four Thieves of Juxuan Island took the coffin and hurried away.
As they carried the coffin along the streets, they did not forget to pull long, mournful faces, making it seem as though they had just lost a beloved brother.
To be great thieves, one needed not only high cultivation and quick wits, but also exceptional acting skills. Anyone looking at them fully believed that a corpse lay inside the coffin.
Shouldering the coffin while weeping bitter tears and blowing their noses, the four thieves successfully duped the guards and made their way out of the Sea Market.
After swimming about two li away from the Sea Market, the four men retrieved Divine Stride Talismans, slapped them onto their legs, and sped forward to put as much distance as possible between themselves and that den of trouble.
Chapter 853