Chapter 149

Less than half an hour passed before the news that Cang Luo would fight Ouyang Lie to the death spread throughout the Outer Sect.

Thanks to Ouyang Lie, at least one-third of the Outer Sect’s ten thousand disciples now knew Cang Luo’s name and were discussing him, the Warwolf Gang, and why he had challenged Ouyang Lie.

Who is Cang Luo?

What is his cultivation base?

How dare he challenge Senior Brother Ouyang?

What grudge do they hold?

Soon, well-informed individuals dug up Cang Luo’s background and exposed his feud with Ouyang Lie and the Lietian Gang.

Cang Luo: twenty-two years old, formerly a homeless beggar, brought back to the sect three months ago by the Sect Master and assigned to train in the Outer Sect.

Rumors claim he is a distant relative of the Sect Master, but this has never been confirmed; he receives no special treatment and is merely an ordinary Outer Sect disciple.

He is currently the leader of the Warwolf Gang, a small Outer Sect faction, and owns a thriving barbecue shop on Tianmen Street in Xuantian Town, earning gold by the bushel daily.

Additionally, Cang Luo possesses a small mechanical vehicle of unknown origin.

Cultivation base: he advanced from Warrior Third Layer to General Fourth Layer in just three months—remarkable talent, if age is ignored.

Combat record: three months ago, he defeated Lietian Gang’s Chen Dahu in a cross-layer victory; two months ago, he defeated Chen Dahu again, held his own against Zhang Tao of Gengwu-45 Dormitory in a cross-layer draw, then defeated Long Zhantian and Sima Ling from the Outer Academy of Kongsheng Academy, afterward founding the Warwolf Gang.

At noon today, Cang Luo, at the General Fourth Layer, fought a life-or-death duel against Chen Yun, Deputy Head of the Xuanwu Hall of the Lietian Gang, who was at the General Second Layer, and killed him with a single palm strike—his strength cannot be underestimated.

Further rumors claim Cang Luo also killed Chen Dalong and Zhang Zhen of the Lietian Gang, one reason Chen Yun challenged him to a life-or-death duel; the greater reason was the Lietian Gang’s desire to seize the Warwolf Gang’s barbecue shop.

From this point on, the Lietian Gang officially marked the Warwolf Gang as a target for annihilation and vowed to exterminate it.

Later, Cang Luo encountered Ouyang Lie, the Lietian Gang’s leader, in the Outer Sect’s Technique Pavilion and fought him, losing easily—Ouyang Lie defeated him effortlessly.

These are the majority of Cang Luo’s experiences since being summoned to Yuanwu Continent, in Xuantian Sect—no one knows who investigated him so thoroughly, yet the details spread like wildfire.

When many Outer Sect disciples learned of Cang Luo’s cultivation journey and combat record, they were stunned.

Cang Luo’s cultivation speed is terrifyingly fast, his strength formidable—he is virtually unbeatable at his own level, having lost only to Ouyang Lie and never before.

How did he achieve this?

Did he cultivate a high-grade technique?

A Earth-grade technique?

Or... a Heaven-grade technique?

It must be so—the rumors say he is a distant relative of the Sect Master; perhaps the Sect Master secretly taught him a technique.

No wonder he dared provoke the Lietian Gang and challenge Ouyang Lie—he must have had backing.

But didn’t he just get humiliated by Ouyang Lie? I heard Senior Brother Ouyang crushed him with only two moves...

Knowing he couldn’t win, why challenge him? Especially to a life-or-death duel!

Was he so humiliated he lost his mind with rage?

Disciples debated endlessly, unable to understand Cang Luo’s actions, believing he was walking to his death—though a few thought he still held hidden cards and might yet win.

Thus, many gangs—including the Lietian Gang and the Blood Knife Gang—opened betting pools for the duel, offering odds of 1.1 to 1.3 for Ouyang Lie’s victory and 1.9 to 2.5 for Cang Luo’s, with bets now open.

Naturally, the former are the odds for Ouyang Lie winning, the latter for Cang Luo.

Clearly, most believed Ouyang Lie would win.

This was normal—Ouyang Lie ranked among the top ten strongest in the Outer Sect; even novice Inner Sect disciples who had just entered the Master Layer might not be his match, let alone Cang Luo, at only General Fourth Layer.

Moreover, from their clash in the Technique Pavilion, Cang Luo was no match for Ouyang Lie even for a single blow.

Betting on Ouyang Lie’s victory was the choice of nearly everyone.

This betting pool was massive—nearly every Outer Sect disciple who heard of the duel placed a bet, even clerks joined in.

The news even reached the Inner Sect; many Inner Sect seniors and juniors placed bets and declared they would attend the duel at noon tomorrow to watch and offer guidance to the Outer Sect disciples.

While the entire Outer Sect buzzed with talk of Cang Luo and Ouyang Lie’s life-or-death duel and the betting, Cang Luo had already selected his techniques and returned to the Warwolf Gang’s base.

Inner cultivation method: he needed one to integrate into the Dragon-Slaying Palm, and since he already possessed the Yang-elemental Destruction Body Divine Art and the Thunder-elemental Thunder Qi Decree, his options were limited.

Only seven elemental inner methods remained: Yin, Water, Fire, Wind, Earth, Wood, and Space.

Yin and Yang elements oppose each other; they cannot be cultivated simultaneously, as the dantian cannot store both types of Qi at once—Cang Luo immediately eliminated Yin-elemental methods.

Space-elemental methods were too rare—rumored to be at least Earth-grade Upper Rank—so none were available.

Water and Wood methods were too weak, mostly useful for healing and support; Cang Luo already possessed infinite, elementless Qi capable of healing, so he rejected these two.

Only Fire, Wind, and Earth remained.

Fire-elemental methods emphasized power but consumed vast amounts of Qi.

Wind-elemental methods emphasized speed but were slightly weaker in power.

Earth-elemental methods emphasized defense and strength but slowed movement after cultivation.

After careful consideration, Cang Luo chose the Wind-elemental method called Qingfeng Jue.

Movement technique: Cang Luo had already decided—he chose the Leopard Shadow Legs, practiced by the two Chen brothers; it was both a movement and leg technique, formidable in power.

Combat technique: Cang Luo chose the “Xuantian Nine Swords, First Form,” commonly selected by General-layer disciples.

Xuantian Nine Swords was the sect’s foundational combat technique, a Heaven-grade Upper Rank method.

The First Form was the first level of Xuantian Nine Swords, a simplified version—but still stronger than most Yellow-grade Middle Rank combat techniques.

Since the duel was at noon tomorrow, and both Leopard Shadow Legs and Xuantian Nine Swords, First Form, required structured forms that could not be mastered overnight,

the only technique Cang Luo could possibly master before then was Qingfeng Jue—he was now cultivating it.

Meanwhile.

In Earth’s China, the Fenglin Huoshan headquarters, the atmosphere was unusually tense, staff bustling.

Minister Li Weiguo stood grim-faced before the command console, staring at the central screen’s constantly updating intelligence, struggling to contain his rage.

Half an hour ago, Cang Luo’s parents and younger sister vanished.

According to the final surveillance footage, all three had been preparing dinner in a small residential compound provided by the Chinese government before their disappearance.

On the surface, the compound was tightly guarded by military forces from multiple nations—every fly entering had to be caught and checked for surveillance devices before being allowed passage.

Secretly, the floors above and below, and the neighbors on either side of the apartment housing Cang Luo’s family, were occupied by Fenglin Huoshan’s plainclothes agents, constantly monitoring their every move.

One layer visible, one hidden—surveillance and protection ensured absolute safety.

Yet under this flawless security, Cang Luo’s family vanished; over a dozen miniature surveillance devices secretly implanted on them by various nations all lost signal.

The moment the devices lost signal, foreign forces stormed in—but the family was already gone; based on the scene’s traces, they had been abducted through the bathroom window.

Outside the window was open air; Fenglin Huoshan concluded the abductors used a personal flight device to snatch them, then swiftly concealed them before transferring them via other means.

The identity of the abductors remained unknown, but only a few nuclear powers possessed both the capability and audacity to kidnap someone within China.

Their goal was surely to threaten Cang Luo through his family, forcing him to reveal information about Yuanwu Continent.

A kidnapping on Chinese soil enraged the nation; massive forces were deployed to search.

The only certainty now: Cang Luo’s family was still in China, still in the capital—they could not have been moved abroad so quickly; they hadn’t even left the Third Ring Road.

Thus, China sealed the capital: all flights and vehicles were banned from exiting; they would dig up the earth three feet deep to find them.

But since the capital was an international metropolis with too many foreign dignitaries, a prolonged lockdown would provoke international disputes.

The Standing Committee gave Fenglin Huoshan seventy-two hours to find them—or the lockdown would be lifted, making their recovery harder than ascending to heaven.

No, harder than that—humanity had already left Earth.

Li Weiguo, under immense pressure, after a moment of thought, said sternly: “Order: the Badaling Expressway... grant passage, but strictly inspect every vehicle—scan even the fuel tanks.”

“Also, closely monitor surrounding areas—leave no suspicious trace unexamined.”

This was the strategy of “Surrounding an Army but Leaving an Opening.”

The capital could only be sealed for three days; finding them within that time was nearly impossible.

So Li Weiguo decided to open one escape route, making the abductors believe they had a way out—and walk into the trap.

Of course, this carried risk—the abductors might not fall for it and wait until the lockdown ended to flee.

But this was the only option left—they had to act.

Li Weiguo paused, then added: “Seal the news, monitor the internet—do not let Cang Luo know...”