Chapter 720: Continuing the Chase

She brought up the System Panel, and two light points had already jumped from Razor Edge City to the Januspolis area.

That main city district of Thousand Gates City, but not in the Fate Triad Hall, rather in the outer Divine Oracle Sacred Land area.

Switching scenes this quickly—looks like they pre‑set the spot.

Heimu tore open a spatial rift again, and violet‑black strands of light surged from the edges of the crack, wrapping around her form.

The moment the fissure sealed, the smoke and lingering heat of Razor Edge City were left far behind, and a completely different sky greeted her.

Januspolis's sky was a warm golden hue of dawn, clouds drifting slowly in the morning breeze, sunlight slanting through the gaps and coating the white marble buildings of Thousand Gates City with a honey‑colored sheen.

The city was now packed with people, men, women and children in platinum‑toned robes streaming along the wide main street, stalls lining the road stocked with all sorts of Divine Oracle merchandise—amulets bearing the Janus holy emblem, parchment scrolls printed with Gate Path prayers.

The air was heavy with the scent of herbs and frankincense, mingling with hymns drifting from a distant temple, solemn enough to make people instinctively tread lightly.

Heimu stepped out of the spatial fissure and landed on the flat roof of a two‑story white marble building.

She crouched, her fingers pressing the roof's edge, her violet‑black eyes scanning the bustling main street below.

According to the System Panel's coordinates, a cluster of light points was right in this area!

She stared at the dense red markings on the panel, fell silent for a moment, then slowly closed the panel.

Red‑haired children crowded the street everywhere.

By the fountain on the left, a Ti Bao crouched at the pool's edge, scooping water with its hands, making several passersby burst into laughter.

At the doorway of the shop on the right, another Ti Bao stood on tiptoe atop the counter, haggling with the shopkeeper over some Small Gadget.

Under a farther column, yet another Ti Bao was surrounded by a group of children, gesturing with its hands—probably telling a story.

Heimu's mouth twitched slightly.

That was only what she could see at a glance; who knows how many more hide in concealed corners.

A thousand Ti Bao scattered throughout the streets and alleys of Weng Fa Luo Si's various city‑states.

But these street‑roaming Ti Bao currently seem to be quietly playing the role of ordinary pedestrians, showing no signs of mischief, so they can be set aside for now.

She lowered herself again on the roof, her gaze stretching down the main street, and then she saw the real target.

At the far end of the main street stood a stone bridge, where a Ti Bao and Ti Ning were perched side by side on the stone railing, their four short legs dangling as they stared down at the river below.

The river surface reflected the golden clouds of dawn and the white marble buildings on both banks, while a few small boats laden with passengers drifted slowly beneath the bridge arches.

Ti Ning pointed at something on the river, Ti Bao tilted its head, then the two huddled together and whispered a few words, looking exactly like ordinary tourists.

Heimu slipped silently from the roof, landing behind a stall at the bridgehead that sold Divine Oracle amulets.

The stall owner was busy describing the amulet's properties, unaware of a violet‑black silhouette flashing past him from behind.

She pressed against the column behind the stall, inching toward the bridge; with less than thirty meters to the two red‑haired silhouettes, Ti Bao suddenly turned around.

It wasn't a sound; Ti Ning had gently tugged her sleeve.

Their gazes crossed the twenty‑meter span of the bridge and met Heimu's eyes directly.

Heimu's heart gave a sudden thump.

Discovered.

Ti Bao flung its mouth wide in a big grin, then hand‑in‑hand with Ti Ning, they leapt straight off the bridge.

The splash's sound was swallowed by the surrounding clamor and the oars' splashing.

Heimu quickly vaulted over the railing to look down; the two were no longer visible on the river, only a ring of fading golden ripples spreading slowly beside the pier— they had opened a Hundred Realms Gate beneath the water!

She bit her back molars, turned and flew toward the bridge's underside; the Magic Staff just descended above the water when, not far away, the stall emitted a short, sharp blast.

Heimu's whole body jolted; she whirled sharply back toward the bridgehead.

Here it comes again!

Masses of colored powder erupted from beneath the stall—pink, bright purple, emerald green, a kaleidoscope of hues—bursting like a gigantic mushroom cloud at the bridgehead, enveloping the entire stone bridge and the dozen‑plus stalls there.

People fled in panic from the sudden colored smoke, screams and laughter mingling; some discovered the powder stuck to their skin could not be washed off, and began splashing river water onto their faces.

Beneath the stall lay a crayon drawing fastened with stones, depicting a stick figure engulfed in colored powder, with the caption: "Mom turned into a rainbow!"

Heimu rode the staff out of the colored haze, her body coated in multicolored powder, even the violet‑black gem at the staff's tip dyed pink.

She lifted a hand, brushed the powder off her face, and a pinch of bright green clung to her fingertip.

The powder didn't hinder her, but it glittered—flashing constantly—making her look like a roaming disco ball.

Heimu looked down at her glowing arm, then at the still‑shimmering pink gem on the staff, and her mouth twitched involuntarily several times.

She kept flying forward, then Heimu finally realized that every few meters along this main street lay a similar trap!

The retractable fist at the bridgehead sprang out with a spring‑y "boing," and the wishing pool beside the fountain concealed sensor water cannons; as she flew over the pool, three water jets shot up simultaneously, intersecting in a perfect triangle that drenched her completely, the rainbow powder spreading even more as the water washed it, now she was a dripping, multicolored cascade from head to toe.

Even more absurd was the open‑air theater; she tried to cut across above the audience seats, but as soon as she reached the center, all the stage curtains dropped simultaneously, revealing a full row of pre‑set compressed fireworks behind them.

The fireworks shot skyward in unison; each burst in the air transformed into a different shape—smiling faces, five‑pointed stars, thumbs‑up gestures.

The central one exploded into a huge heart, its center emblazoned with golden sparks spelling: "Mom, you've worked hard!"

Followed by an emoticon: (づ￣3￣)づ.

Heimu hovered on her staff mid‑air, water dripping from her whole body, a piece of un‑burst fireworks paper stuck to her hat brim, and colored droplets mixed with rainbow powder still streaming down her skirt.

She looked a mess, yet Heimu's expression didn't sag; instead, a slight curve appeared on her face.

Charge!