Chapter 2130: Destructive Hunt

Ye Liuyun recalled the actions of those people when they were studying the map and thought they might be planning to act there.

The Red Cloud Inn was outside the city, which conveniently let them act.

"Let's try! We'll go first to check the situation!"

Ye Liuyun immediately took Yuan Bin and rushed ahead to the Red Cloud Inn.

Upon arriving at the Red Cloud Inn, Ye Liuyun was startled to find that many Ninth Realm Martial Cultivators lived there, all the guards hired by the merchants.

The inn's Side Courtyard and rooms were numerous; Ye Liuyun only knew those Martial Cultivators were positioned at several key spots outside the inn, but he was unclear about their target or when they would act.

So he had to book a room and stay there for now.

Then he and Yuan Bin went to the inn's first‑floor restaurant, ordered some wine and dishes, and ate while probing for information.

The merchants coming and going talked only about business matters and price changes.

The guards chatted about sights on the road and knew little about the Royal City.

But a table of Martial Cultivators caught Ye Liuyun's attention.

That table had five people: a young man, a young woman, both at the Eighth Tier Early Stage, an elder dressed as an Elder, and two guard‑clad Martial Cultivators, both at the Ninth Layer Mid Stage.

They ate in complete silence, their Divine Sense constantly on alert, and their expressions were far more tense than anyone else's.

The woman kept glancing toward the inn's exterior, as if waiting for someone.

Ye Liuyun found their behavior very odd.

Even he and Yuan Bin chatted about daytime sightings.

Yet these people made not a single sound.

However, Martial Cultivators having enemies or being pursued is quite normal.

Ye Liuyun could not therefore conclude that they were the target of the Black‑clothed Hunting Squad.

While eating and chatting, his Divine Sense kept watching the outside, but after waiting a long time, he saw no trace of those Black‑clothed Persons.

Reluctantly, he and Yuan Bin returned to their room to continue waiting, while the five people finished their meal, ordered more tea, and stayed seated.

Ye Liuyun waited through the night, still without any movement.

"Could it be that I misunderstood, and they aren't planning to act against the target here?"

Though Ye Liuyun was somewhat doubtful, time was on his side, so he decided to wait another day here.

If those Black‑clothed Persons still made no move, he would think of other methods.

"Although few Martial Cultivators in the Royal City wear artifacts that defend against Spiritual Soul Attacks, the city's crowds and distractions make it hard to act."

"This place, however, is suitable for action."

"But the guards staying in the inn are seasoned wanderers, experienced, all wearing defensive Spiritual Soul Attack artifacts, so we can't strike them…"

Ye Liuyun kept calculating in his mind how to capture more Ninth Realm Martial Cultivators.

He waited until noon the next day, and his Divine Sense still did not detect any Black‑clothed Persons nearby.

He took Yuan Bin to the restaurant there, planning to eat a meal before leaving.

After arriving, he discovered that the five people from yesterday were still sitting in the same spot.

"I don't know whether they've been sitting here all along or came back today!"

Ye Liuyun muttered to himself, ordered more wine and dishes, and ate slowly with Yuan Bin.

Soon, many merchant caravans arrived at this time to dine, and the restaurant became lively again.

At that moment, Ye Liuyun's Divine Sense suddenly noticed a Martial Cultivator accompanied by a guard, all wounded, rushing urgently toward here.

The five Martial Cultivators in the restaurant, upon seeing the two, immediately charged out.

The others were unfazed.

Fights between Martial Cultivators were commonplace; they continued eating while watching the spectacle.

Ye Liuyun's Golden Pupil observed that the wounded Martial Cultivator took out an item, handed it to the woman, who instantly hung the treasure around her neck and then slipped it into her clothing.

The item was a golden ring, looking unremarkable, not a graded treasure; Ye Liuyun thought it might be an ornament or souvenir.

"Eh?

That treasure looks like a Time Halo!"

In Ye Liuyun's Sea of Consciousness, the previously silent Book Demon suddenly became animated.

"Time Halo?"

Ye Liuyun asked in confusion.

"It's an artifact that can freeze or reverse time! I'm not entirely sure.

If you snatch it and try, you'll know!"

The Book Demon suggested Ye Liuyun seize it first.

"You aren't sure, yet you urge me to act?"

Ye Liuyun saw how much those people valued the treasure; perhaps the two wounded were injured because of it.

He didn't want to snatch something they were desperately protecting.

The key is, the Book Demon also couldn't confirm whether it was a Time Halo.

Ye Liuyun didn't fully believe it was such a treasure.

"If such a treasure truly existed, would they still get injured?"

He thought to himself.

The Book Demon, knowing his thoughts, told him, "Do you think that kind of treasure is something they can use casually?

Without Time Power, they couldn't even refine such a treasure! Leaving it in their hands is useless."

"Then I also lack Time Power!"

Ye Liuyun retorted.

"How can you be so stubborn! You don't have it, I do! I can help you refine that treasure!"

The Book Demon said anxiously.

At that moment, Ye Liuyun's Divine Sense noticed that a Black-clothed Person had appeared.

The number was not six, but thirteen.

Their locations were also the spots they had previously marked on the map.

"Great, they finally showed up!"

Ye Liuyun immediately took Yuan Bin back to the room, then vanished with his clone, left the inn, and went to subdue those Black-clothed Persons.

He was not interested at all in the treasure that the Book Demon doubted.

"You'd rather abandon the treasure and waste effort picking up a few sesame seeds! What's the point of subduing so many scraps!"

The Book Demon complained.

Ye Liuyun replied, "I can't strike a person just because of something you haven't verified!"

At this point, Ye Liuyun also realized that the Black-clothed Persons' target was those five people.

Seven Black-clothed Persons surged forward together to attack them.

The other six each guarded their retreat routes to prevent escape.

Ye Liuyun, invisible, approached a Black-clothed Martial Cultivator at the outer boundary and immediately placed a heavy Slave Seal on him.

He then instantly pulled him into the Space World.

Next, one by one, he pulled the six Black-clothed Martial Cultivators guarding the outer ring into the Space World.

"You two go first; we'll hold them back!"

The Elder among the five, however, let the two youngsters go first.

The Martial Cultivators watching the spectacle in the tavern, upon seeing the Black-clothed Persons, recognized them as members of the royal hunting squad, bowed their heads to eat, and dared not join the commotion.

Among the five, only the old man and two guards could engage the Black-clothed Persons.

Add the two wounded companions, and they faced seven foes with only five—clearly outmatched.