Chapter 472: The Strange Masked Man (Combined Chapter, Requesting Everything)

I never expected you to be like this, Meow!

Heiye swallowed hard, but no matter how one looked at it, it seemed precarious, because the Mysterious Jade Ginseng was a foot long, while Heiye was only two feet long in total; its stomach simply could not hold an entire Mysterious Jade Ginseng.

This is bullying a cat!

Woo-woo~

Just as Li Changsheng imagined, after stuffing most of the Mysterious Jade Ginseng in, strange sounds came from Heiye's throat, yet it could not stuff the rest of the Mysterious Jade Ginseng in no matter what, and instead felt pain due to lack of oxygen.

Regarding Heiye's frantic maneuvers, Li Changsheng felt extremely helpless and had to help it pull the Mysterious Jade Ginseng out.

Heiye let out a heavy sigh of relief and lay on the ground, not wanting to get up.

Li Changsheng took out a jar of fishy-smelling Fairy Food, and under his control, the entire Mysterious Jade Ginseng turned into powder, mixed with the Fairy Food, and was handed back to Heiye.

"Eat!"

Heiye carefully took a bite; the bitter taste of the Mysterious Jade Ginseng had almost disappeared, and its mouth was filled with its favorite fishy smell, so its appetite immediately opened up, and it began to gorge itself.

Soon, Heiye lay on the ground holding its round belly, showing a happy expression.

It was also at this time that the Mysterious Jade Ginseng began to take effect, and Heiye's constitution underwent a change.

Li Changsheng continuously checked Heiye's data until the Light attribute weakness disappeared.

After Heiye completed the change, the Light-Dark Twin Symbiote established a connection, and Baiye on the side also passively underwent a change; its Darkness attribute weakness disappeared.

In this way, the two kittens would no longer be countered by attributes.

After resting, Li Changsheng put on the Human Skin Mask and rode Aixi toward Huizhou.

Before returning to the Yuanling Academy, he decided to make a trip to the Xiao Clan in Huizhou; firstly to see if he could take advantage of them, and secondly to weaken the Xiao Clan.

Since both sides had already torn off their masks, Li Changsheng naturally didn't mind weakening the other party's power. He couldn't move the Third Prince Dou Yuanbin, nor could he beat him, but taking the opportunity to weaken the Xiao Clan was something he could do.

The gap between Famous Clans is still very large; even though both are Famous Clans of Huizhou, whether it is family strength, influence, or foundation, the Tian Clan is far stronger than the Xiao Clan.

The Xiao Clan had been a Famous Clan for a very short time, only about ten years at most. Imperial Concubine Xiao contributed a lot to this; using her power, the Xiao Clan opened up many commercial channels and finally cultivated a Sixth-Rank Expert through spending money.

The Xiao Clan's only Sixth-Rank Expert is the current Xiao Clan Leader, Xiao Yang. He is also the father of Imperial Concubine Xiao. At his age of over seventy, there is almost no possibility of further advancement.

Among the many Sixth-Rank Experts, Xiao Yang can be said to be at the very bottom.

Of course, even if he is a bottom-tier Sixth-Rank Expert, it is impossible for Li Changsheng to defeat him by jumping two ranks, but even if he couldn't win, he had the confidence to escape.

It was precisely this self-confidence, along with Xiao Chi's Treasure Pavilion Elder Token, that made Li Changsheng target the Xiao Clan.

After evolving into a Savage Winged Tiger, Aixi's speed became much faster again, especially with the ability to fly. In terms of flight speed, it is estimated to be double that of a Crown Blazing Bird, and this is without counting the Wind Speed Characteristic.

Huizhou borders Yuan Province, and the provincial capital, Qiu City, is less than a thousand miles away from Peng City.

In just two hours, Qiu City appeared in Li Changsheng's sight.

It is rumored that in ancient times, a flood dragon was here, Turning Rivers and Seas and committing all kinds of evil. The flood submerged an area of a hundred miles, causing the people to be displaced and homeless, until a passing Emperor Rank expert killed the flood dragon.

By the early founding of the Langya Kingdom, due to the geographical advantages here, a new city was specially built, and Qiu City was named accordingly. It wasn't until decades ago that Qiu City became the provincial capital.

The Xiao Clan has a history of hundreds of years; it is rumored that it existed even before the founding of the Langya Kingdom. After years of reproduction, there are thousands of clansmen, making it one of the few major powers in Huizhou.

With so many clansmen, the Xiao Clan's base camp is naturally not located in Qiu City; like the Luo City Li Clan, it is also located in the suburbs.

The scale of the Xiao Clan Manor far exceeds that of the Li Clan; it looks like a small city and is equipped with three or four-meter-high walls.

Li Changsheng began to approach the Xiao Clan Manor, his heart full of vigilance.

At the main gate of the Xiao Clan Manor, two rows of guards stood with their heads held high, guarding the gate meticulously.

On the walls, at every certain distance, a crow with gray-white pupils stood on top. Their eyes were extremely sharp and could easily detect movements in the surroundings.

In addition, the entire Xiao Clan Manor was set up with a layer of warning Restriction; as long as one forced their way in, it would trigger the Restriction, including Instant Movement.

This also made Li Changsheng stop and think about countermeasures with a frown.

After all, the Xiao Clan is a Famous Clan, and its defenses are far stricter than the Cai Clan's. It is very difficult to sneak in without anyone noticing.

While Li Changsheng was observing, a carriage galloped toward the Xiao Clan Manor and finally stopped at the Xiao Clan's main gate.

A graceful and luxurious middle-aged man got off the carriage. When he stepped into the gate, the token at his waist suddenly lit up, and he entered the manor straight away.

From beginning to end, the warning Restriction did not make any movement.

"That must be an Identity Token!"

Li Changsheng thought to himself. He possessed Xiao Chi's Identity Token, but he didn't know the art of disguise, and his image was too different from Xiao Chi's, so he could only continue to lurk in the dark and wait.

During the wait, time passed slowly. The Xiao Clan Manor could be said to have a constant stream of people. Most of these people were Xiao clansmen, occasionally mixed with some guests, who could only enter when accompanied by Xiao Clan guards.

Just as the daylight began to dim, Li Changsheng finally locked onto a target.

This was a Xiao clansman. It was unknown if he was disfigured, but he wore a mask on his face, covering most of his features.

Judging from the aura he emitted, he was only a First-rank Beast Master.

Originally, Li Changsheng wanted to find a Xiao clan youth who looked somewhat similar to him and use muscles to disguise himself slightly to see if he could sneak into the Xiao Clan Manor.

Now that he saw this masked man, Li Changsheng immediately dismissed his original idea; this target undoubtedly met his conditions better.

Li Changsheng carefully observed the masked man's demeanor, movements, and tone when he came out, firmly engraving his inadvertent actions in his heart, and then watched him leave riding a horse-like beast.

After getting far away from the Xiao Clan Manor, Li Changsheng rode Aixi and chased in the direction the masked man left.

In just one minute, Li Changsheng saw the masked man's figure.

The masked man seemed to sense something and looked back subconsciously, but before he could have any thoughts, the horse-like beast under him was pounced to the ground by a Savage Winged Tiger.

Crack!

Aixi bit the neck of the horse-like beast, directly snapping its neck, spraying bright red blood. Its eyes were wide open, and its limbs twitched unconsciously.

The masked man, who had fallen in a sorry state, had his expression change drastically. His Consciousness Sea began Turning Rivers and Seas, suffering violent shocks. He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood, his expression becoming listless.

Only then did the masked man see Li Changsheng on Aixi's back.

"Are you the person sent by Xiao Lu to kill me?"

The masked man didn't know Li Changsheng, but when he mentioned Xiao Lu, an extremely angry look appeared in his eyes.

Li Changsheng didn't speak. Looking at the Identity Token hanging at his waist, this masked man was also a Xiao clansman, and the Xiao Lu he mentioned was surely no exception. If there were no accidents, the two of them should have experienced internal strife within the clan.

However, Li Zhangsheng expressed no interest whatsoever. He reached out and beckoned, and invisible Mental Power surged forth; the mask on the masked man's face peeled off and flew automatically into Li Zhangsheng's right hand.

Without the mask, the masked man naturally revealed his true face. His face was covered in crisscrossing scars that looked like blood-red centipedes, and there was also a knife scar over his eye socket, making him look exceptionally ferocious.

"I'll fight you to the death!"

The masked man wore an expression of someone resigned to death and tried to crawl up from the ground, but unfortunately, he was easily pinned down by Aixi and his struggles were useless.

"Finish him!"

Li Zhangsheng shook his head, feeling no pity at all.

To him, the Xiao Clan was the enemy, and the masked man was naturally among the ranks of the enemy, even if he was still very weak.

Aixi raised a paw and swiped at the masked man's head.

Suddenly, the necklace on the masked man's neck radiated light, and then he vanished abruptly; there was no telling where he had gone.

Boom—

Aixi's swipe missed, directly smashing a large crater into the ground.

"Huh!"

Li Zhangsheng's face was filled with shock and uncertainty. He released his Mental Power to its full extent, but the masked man seemed to have disappeared; at the very least, there was no trace of him within the range of his Mental Power.

To teleport a distance of a thousand meters, one must at least be a Sixth-Rank Expert.

Additionally, some special treasures also possessed the ability to teleport, though the number of such treasures was extremely small.

Besides teleportation, there were two other possibilities.

One, the masked man burrowed underground.

Two, the masked man escaped into some space.

Li Zhangsheng could find no other reason. He had never imagined that this member of the Xiao Clan would have such a strange trait; this ability was truly peculiar, and he had no idea how he had managed it.

Regardless of which reason it was, it meant that this masked man likely carried significant secrets.

Li Zhangsheng searched again, even having Aixi use her sense of smell, but he still could not find the masked man's figure; the other party seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Even Li Zhangsheng could not help but feel envious of such a special ability. If he had possessed this ability yesterday, he likely would not have needed to burn Aixi's Bloodline.

"Delay leads to changes; I must infiltrate the Xiao Clan Manor as soon as possible!"

Since he could not find the masked man, Li Zhangsheng had no choice but to give up for the time being and immediately rode Aixi toward the Xiao Clan Manor.

Li Zhangsheng put on the mask, specifically adjusting his hairstyle, skin tone, and clothing to be nearly identical to the masked man's, and hung Xiao Chi's Identity Token from his waist, hoping to use the cover of night to attempt an infiltration of the Xiao Clan Manor.

If he were discovered prematurely, he would only be able to choose to give up.

After making preparations, Li Zhangsheng mimicked the masked man's mannerisms and walked toward the Xiao Clan's main gate.

The only thing he could not mimic was the lack of a horned horse, which was an unavoidable circumstance.

As Li Zhangsheng approached, two rows of guards hurriedly bowed and shouted, "Young Master Chen!"

"So his name is Xiao Chen!"

Li Zhangsheng memorized this name. In his perception, he could detect that their demeanor was not respectful, and it was very likely that this masked man named Xiao Chen did not hold a high status in the Xiao Clan.

While they were bowing in salute, Li Zhangsheng walked straight into the Xiao Clan Manor. When he came into contact with the early-warning Restriction, the token hanging at his waist emitted a flash of light, allowing Li Zhangsheng to pass through smoothly.

After Li Zhangsheng went inside, a guard asked his companion in confusion: "Strange, why did Young Master Chen return so quickly?"

"Perhaps he had some business."

"Then what about his horned horse?"

"Needless to say, it was naturally put away."

The few guards chatted for a few moments, and upon seeing someone else approaching, they hurriedly resumed their meticulous demeanor.

The Xiao Clan Manor was very large, at least much larger than the Cai Clan's in Liyang City. After successfully infiltrating, Li Zhangsheng immediately hid in the shadows and began to observe the scene nearby.

The security inside the Xiao Clan Manor remained strict; guards carrying Demon Pets with sensitive senses could be seen patrolling everywhere, and one wrong move could lead to being discovered.

Li Zhangsheng was unfamiliar with the layout of the Xiao Clan Manor and did not know the specific location of the Xiao Clan Treasure Pavilion. He could only search by looking at the architecture; in any family, the most magnificent building would definitely be home to the Treasure Pavilion.

Using the feedback from his Mental Power, Li Zhangsheng found a few suspected targets.

When the guard squad changed shifts, Li Zhangsheng immediately left his hiding spot, identified the direction slightly, and snuck toward the northwest.

Along the way, Li Zhangsheng easily avoided the patrolling guard squads, constantly searching for his target.

Besides various basic facilities, Li Zhangsheng also discovered a Medicine Garden, an Alchemy Room, an Artifact Refining Pavilion, and so on. They each had their own uses, and Li Zhangsheng could only express his envy.

After spending more than half an hour, Li Zhangsheng finally stopped in his tracks. Not far away stood a magnificent four-story building.

This was the Xiao Clan Treasure Pavilion!

The Treasure Pavilion had no guards, but it was wrapped in a layer of activated water-blue energy Restriction, resembling a curtain of water.

Li Zhangsheng could tell at a glance that the Restriction on the Xiao Clan Treasure Pavilion was very powerful; even a Lord-level Demon Pet would likely be held back for a period of time.

If he did not have Xiao Chi's Clan Elder Token, Li Zhangsheng really would not want to set his sights on the Xiao Clan Treasure Pavilion. As for whether this token could ignore the Restriction, he would have to try it to know.

After observing from the shadows, the moment the guard squad left, Li Zhangsheng began to approach the Treasure Pavilion silently. Under his control, Xiao Chi's Clan Elder Token flew up and stuck directly onto the Treasure Pavilion's Restriction.

Just then, the token emitted a soft radiance, and the water-blue Restriction began to ripple, forming a portal that one person could pass through.

Without hesitation, Li Zhangsheng stepped through the portal and swaggered into the Library Pavilion.

As he entered, a short-bearded middle-aged man sitting in a chair looked toward him.

This was a Fourth-rank Demon Tamer and also a Clan Elder of the Xiao Clan. After all, the Xiao Clan was a bottom-tier Famous Clan; there were only a few Fifth Rank experts, and the rest could only be filled in with Fourth Rank ones.

Looking at that familiar mask, the short-bearded middle-aged man felt a bit strange and asked sternly: "Xiao Chen, didn't I tell you to... no, wait, you are not Xiao Chen!"

Upon seeing the token in Li Zhangsheng's hand, the short-bearded middle-aged man finally reacted and wanted to activate a certain device within the Treasure Pavilion.

Unfortunately, he was ultimately one step too late.

(End of chapter)