Chapter 277: Intercept and Kill III

Xu Tian sighed inwardly, yet his footsteps did not falter as he wove through the winding alleys, each step feeling exceptionally heavy. He recalled his glorious days in the Red Lotus Sect, when he was a figure looked up to by all, whose every word and action could stir up waves.

Yet now, for a seemingly trivial mission, he was forced to hide his identity and even evade the pursuit of these local thugs; he could not help but feel a sense of indignation.

Xu Tian sneered in his heart: "Hmph! You idiots, how could you possibly know what the Silk-Pulling Art on me actually is? It is not merely a simple technique to assist in Bone Refining!"

He knew that given his own aptitude, reaching the Organ Refining Initial Stage was already a stroke of sheer luck.

If he could reach the Organ Refining Late Stage, it would be a miracle.

But if it were possible, Xu Tian would naturally spare no effort to advance further.

His status as a Red Lotus Envoy could not guarantee his position and resources within the Red Lotus Sect. Moreover, he had family to look after. To provide them with a better life, he had to accumulate enough merit within the Red Lotus Sect.

At the request of the Divine General, to ensure nothing went wrong, he did not hesitate to personally infiltrate behind enemy lines, using wealth to suppress those families and divert their attention.

Everything was done to ensure no mistakes were made, so that he could seize the Silk-Pulling Art at the first opportunity.

"As long as I survive tonight," Xu Tian pondered silently, "tomorrow I will be like a fish entering the sea, moving freely among the various factions. With the assistance and cover of the sect members, who could find me in this vast sea of people?"

Watching the martial artists with not-so-weak auras following behind, Xu Tian silently steadied his own breath, making himself less conspicuous.

He recalled his days in the Red Lotus Sect, the glorious moments when the Eight Divine Generals fought side by side. Their strength was far beyond that of ordinary martial artists, and every move and style they used contained power capable of area-of-effect damage.

"Even the weakest Divine General can take on a thousand; those are the true powerhouses," Xu Tian thought to himself, his eyes flashing with longing.

Once this mission was completed, he should have enough merit to claim the Organ Tempering Pill refined by the Yulin Dharma King, which would allow his strength to take another step forward.

Xu Tian took a deep breath, reining in all his emotions, turning his anger and unwillingness into the motivation to move forward.

The Great Zhou Inspection Office had eyes and ears everywhere; once his identity was exposed, not only would the mission be difficult to complete, but it might also cause the Inspection Office to intensify their search, bringing great losses to the entire Red Lotus Sect.

This responsibility was something he, Xu Tian, could not afford to bear.

He could only use his familiarity with the terrain to cleverly avoid the eyes and ears of numerous factions while silently calculating how to strike back.

He had come to the Golden Breath Pavilion alone this time because his movement technique was superb, allowing him to avoid leaving behind more clues; the rest of the sect members were in the East City, not far away.

Xu Tian could not guarantee whether there were still trackers he hadn't shaken off, so he could only use his familiarity with the terrain and the Red Lotus Sect's unique concealment techniques to move in circles multiple times to confuse them.

"Once my mission is complete, I will definitely return to settle this score!" Xu Tian swore secretly in his heart.

The current predicament was only temporary; as long as he could successfully complete this mission and return to the Red Lotus Sect, there would naturally be countless ways to make these Prefecture City factions pay the price.

Xu Tian found a secluded inn to stay in for the time being. He sat by the window, looking at the dim lights of the Prefecture City outside, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

As an envoy, he had to remain calm and rational at all times, never losing his composure due to a momentary setback.

Having spent a long time in the Red Lotus Sect, he naturally knew some information that commoners could not access; the Left and Right Walkers, the Four Great Dharma Kings, and the Eight Divine Generals were all powerhouses far beyond ordinary martial artists.

Even the weakest Divine General could unleash True Qi, making them a True Qi Realm powerhouse slightly above the rest; among the masses, there are millions of martial artists, but how many can reach the peak?

According to the strong in the sect, the current environment is far inferior to that of a thousand years ago, when the average level within the Prefecture City was the True Qi Realm, whereas now the Prefecture City has fallen to the point where even a Lianzhan Martial Artist can throw their weight around.

But Xu Tian dared not underestimate those factions for now; until his strength reached a certain level, the situation where many ants bite an elephant to death could still happen.

After resting briefly in the inn, he began to plan his next route, striving to avoid all possible surveillance and tracking.

The Silk-Pulling Art was actually part of a technique that contained a huge secret. This secret was known to only a few, and it was precisely because of this secret that Xu Tian was sent to seize the technique.

Xu Tian had vaguely learned from the Divine General the importance of the "Silk-Pulling Art." A technique that could be valued by a powerhouse as transcendent as a Divine General must have immense power and secrets. This pressure and expectation made him dare not be the slightest bit slack or careless.

"Since I cannot be sure if I have completely shaken off the trackers, I must be even more cautious," Xu Tian thought to himself.

The trackers and followers who had been running around after the black-robed man, Xu Tian, suddenly lost his trail and were naturally furious.

But none of them had any good ideas, so they could only launch a human-sea tactic again to see if their own people might run into that person.

With the technique they had almost in their grasp now flown away, the faces of the leaders were not looking very good.

Cheng Feng was the same; from the initial determination to obtain it, to the way those wealthy merchants he had never met refreshed his understanding of how to use silver,

and then to the scramble for the black-robed man's silver, the waves in his heart—until now, when so many people had lost the black-robed man, he was truly impressed.

"It seems there is still much I need to learn!" Cheng Feng felt that this trip to the Prefecture City was truly worth it.

The gap between his various assumptions and the actual experience made Cheng Feng thoroughly understand what he would need in the future.

A glint flashed in his eyes before vanishing; he signaled for the Sword Hall disciples to stop searching and go directly to a nearby inn to rest.

Liu Luo of Black Ear led everyone directly to the nearest inn belonging to their own faction; after all, why not save money?

Watching Cheng Feng and his large group prepare to give up, the other factions shook their heads: "To give up such an opportunity, they are truly short-sighted."

Ignoring Cheng Feng's actions, the gang members stirred up waves in the Prefecture City, setting up surveillance at important thoroughfares, just waiting for the black-robed man to appear so they could pocket the long-coveted Silk-Pulling Art.

Every inn.

Xu Tian watched as a group of people all headed toward this inn, his heart tightening: "Have these people discovered me?"

As he was secretly on guard, he heard the waiter downstairs shout: "Shopkeeper, a hundred or so people checking in!"

This allowed Xu Tian's tense heart to relax slightly.