Chapter 1638: The Gaze of God

More than a month ago, Bai Sixteen stayed at Giant Deer Port with several divine attendants, joining several volunteer armies designated by Bai Ziqi through recruitment notices on the Ghost Market bulletin board. Of course, many people committed evil deeds in the name of the Black Armored Army, but these were not Bai Ziqi's targets.

The volunteer armies he selected were all punishing the wicked and distributing wealth on the Glittering Gold Plain, providing relief to the poor. The more diligent ones could even complete ten missions in thirty days, eliminating both big and small villains, upholding the philosophy of "do not refrain from eliminating evil, however small."

But walking the night path at such a frequency made the possibility of encountering ghosts very high.

The volunteer army Bai Sixteen joined fell into the enemy's trap during an operation—Bai Ziqi knew exactly how this trap was laid—the number of enemies was three times the estimate, and they were fully prepared. The volunteer army failed to ambush and was instead surrounded and annihilated, suffering heavy losses.

However, its leader, Miao Yexian, had some experience, leading the volunteer army into the mountains and maneuvering with the enemy using the complex terrain of the forest.

This maneuvering lasted for three days.

These local tyrants and evil gentry on the Glittering Gold Plain hated the volunteer army to the bone. Having finally gained the upper hand, they were determined to capture Miao Yexian and skin him in public to intimidate other commoners.

Just as the situation became critical, with the volunteer army surrounded and having nowhere to hide, the Black Armored Army appeared behind the enemy like divine soldiers! Bai Sixteen and the others had truly been waiting for them with bated breath.

Needless to say what happened next; the Black Armored Army saved the volunteer army from the jaws of death, beheaded more than two hundred enemies, and even decapitated the enemy leader.

This Black Armored Army had only a mere thirty riders, yet they were unstoppable and fierce when killing.

Miao Yexian and the others were saved by their idols and were naturally filled with gratitude and worship, kneeling on the spot to join the Black Armored Army, only to be waved off and refused.

Afterward, the Black Armored Army turned and left.

This was their consistent style: coming and going like the wind, never conversing with the volunteer army.

The Black Armored Army was experienced; when retreating, they would naturally check if anyone was tailing them or if anyone had used tracking supernatural powers.

But Bai Sixteen still managed to track them!

The reason was simple: he used divine arts, not supernatural powers that were easily detected.

After the Black Armored Army appeared, Bai Sixteen immediately ordered a subordinate to defect and attack the Black Armored cavalry.

The Black Armored Army, being new to the scene, didn't know this person was originally in the volunteer army camp, so they naturally pierced his heart with a spear without a second thought! However, this divine attendant of the Heavenly Palace had been imbued with the divine art of the "Divine Grace Canon."

The Heavenly Gods would cast this divine art on divine followers they favored, occasionally casting a gaze of concern. If this divine follower were killed, the divine art mark would adhere to the killer, becoming the "Gaze of God."

That's right, it was the golden thread invisible to humans, which General Red and He Lingchuan had both severed.

The existence of the Gaze of God allowed the gods to track the killer's whereabouts.

In this scenario, it meant the Black Armored Army had been marked by the divine attendant at the cost of his life without even knowing it.

Then, the Heavenly God could track this mark.

The key to the success of this divine art was that the fanatical believer was willing to sacrifice their life for it.

What Bai Ziqi cared about most was where the Black Armored Army went after the battle.

"This mark was active near the east of Wutian Town, and then went to Jixing Town and Kushi Beach?"

Bai Sixteen naturally went to Wutian Town himself and discovered that this "Black Armored soldier" was actually working at a carriage shop in town!

When Bai Sixteen saw him, he was brushing a horse, with a pile of fodder taller than a person stacked beside him.

Bai Ziqi couldn't help but laugh: "Truly a good job."

The staff turnover at a carriage shop is very high; after all, driving carriages back and forth, disappearing from a place for ten days or half a month wouldn't arouse suspicion.

A natural holy body for invisibility.

Having been by Bai Ziqi's side for a long time, Bai Sixteen didn't need further instructions from his superior to know to investigate the background of this carriage shop.

"It is said to be opened by a wealthy man named Liu in town; your subordinate will dig deeper!"

"Wealthy man Liu?" Bai Ziqi couldn't help but shake his head. The Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds was almost the most troublesome target he had ever investigated; uncovering his hidden identity was like peeling an onion, layer after layer.

How many people were in Wealthy Man Liu's carriage shop? Bai Sixteen roughly estimated about two hundred, all strong men, of course, because carriage drivers often had to moonlight as laborers, helping guests move goods, and might have to fight if they encountered bandits on the road.

In the eyes of others, the scale of Wealthy Man Liu's carriage shop was a bit large, indicating good business, so they wouldn't be overly suspicious.

But in the eyes of someone as observant as Bai Sixteen, this number was just right.

When Wealthy Man Liu started his business, when this carriage shop opened, and what business they mainly ran now? He was just a merchant; once targeted, these questions could be answered locally.

Bai Ziqi said sternly: "Tell Bai Sixteen to be careful and not be discovered by the target."

Dawn broke, and Bai Ziqi ordered his subordinates to pack their bags, preparing to leave Mangzhou and return east.

The attendant asked: "My Lord Commandant, which route are we taking back?"

"Still taking a boat at Fuan River," Bai Ziqi said. "The water route is the shortest."

Looking back before leaving, the Epiphyllum that had bloomed for a night in the courtyard had also withered.

Such stunning beauty never lasts long.

By the evening of the next day, they arrived at Ivory Pier at the mouth of the Fuan River, with the rolling river water before them.

The reason for this name was that the river bend and the pier together formed the shape of an ivory tusk. This was a very busy shipping lane, with merchant ships and passenger ships coming and going every day. Now, about thirty ships of various sizes were docked at the pier, some unloading goods and others disembarking passengers.

Bai Ziqi had already witnessed this bustle when he arrived.

The attendant took the token and the temple's clearance to the pier. The ten ships they had arrived on had been waiting in the bay the whole time; no one dared to touch them no matter how busy the pier was.

Soon, the ten ships were ready.

Only then did Bai Ziqi step off the carriage and leisurely board the pier, surrounded by the crowd.

The merchants and passengers at the pier and the river bend stopped in their tracks, staring blankly at them, not knowing which big shot was traveling this time.

Bai Ziqi's gaze swept across their faces, looking lightly into the distance.

This stretch of the river journey was the best section for an ambush, and most of his three hundred guards were on other ships. Once they reached Zhu County, there would be no such favorable timing and terrain.

Would his enemies miss such a golden opportunity? ￥￥￥￥￥

During the time Bai Ziqi went to Mangzhou to investigate the case, the Yao Court also officially announced to the whole country that the Emperor's Flowing Nectar would erupt in eleven days at the earliest and thirteen days at the latest, asking citizens to prepare accordingly.

It was difficult to pinpoint the eruption time of the Emperor's Flowing Nectar to the day, and how long it would last was also unknown. This forecast was the result of multiple revisions, a few days later than the initial version.

From this, it could be seen that the arrival of this Emperor's Flowing Nectar was very unusual, and the causes were very complex, even the initial estimates of the Heavenly Gods were wrong. ===== CHAPTER 1639 =====