Chapter 368: The Hedge of the Bewitching Seal Script

After Zhou You killed the Five Birds, he had no time to search the scene, so he simply used the Hunger Pouch to pack everything away, leaving it for sorting later.

According to the panel prompt, the iron plate containing the inheritance of Baiqin Laoren was right among these items.

Besides this, there was a large amount of gold, silver, treasures, grain, and medicinal materials, conservatively estimated to be worth 3 to 4 million taels.

Originally, because the consumption of feeding people and horses was too great, his net worth had shrunk to less than 500,000 taels, but this haul filled his coffers to the brim.

In reality, the Five Birds' cruel and tyrannical plundering had forced many families into ruin, accumulating such massive wealth.

In the end, it still served as a wedding dress for Zhou You.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

While sprinting, Zhou You circulated his Qi and blood to digest the Secret Medicine he had just swallowed.

At the same time, he blended various venoms in his palms, refining them into Palm Poison, which in turn converted into Qi and blood to replenish his consumption.

Fighting the Five Birds head-on seemed effortless, but it was actually dangerous at every step, using the highest level of combat techniques he had ever mastered.

He also did not forget that he was in enemy territory, where there were countless rebel experts, and even a mastermind, Kunpengzi.

Therefore, after leaving the Five Birds Palace, he had already quickly approached the position near the city gate amidst the chaos, wanting to exit the city quickly.

Outside the city, the sea is wide and the sky is high; there would be no need to worry about strong enemies attacking again.

However, things do not always go as one wishes.

The panel showed a large red dot blocking his path directly ahead.

Zhou You gasped, decisively changing direction, preferring to take a long detour rather than court bad luck.

A high-level martial master, unable to sleep in the middle of the night—surely he wasn't specifically here to block him? Fear of what you expect! As Zhou You changed direction, the red dot on the map also began to move, still blocking the path in front of Zhou You, without the slightest deviation.

Confirmed, this person was here to block Zhou You.

He took a deep breath; since he couldn't avoid it, he might as well face it proactively.

He thought quickly in his mind: was this person sent by Kunpengzi, and if so, was there room to maneuver?

"Du Yan Lu Zhigang, you killed the Five Birds alone; after today, you will surely be famous everywhere."

"Stay; someone wants to see you and asked me to treat you with the courtesy of a guest. Don't be afraid, I'm not here to capture you."

The moment Zhou You saw the other party, a sense of realization rose in his heart.

This high-level martial master was clearly radiating the unique aura of the Bewitching Seal Script; he was also a puppet manipulated by Kunpengzi.

Just watching him speak naturally, with the demeanor of an expert, while unaware that every one of his thoughts was being manipulated and twisted by others, yet still thinking he was free, was intangibly somewhat pathetic.

"The guest is someone else; I am just a pawn scouting the way."

Zhou You took a wooden plate from his bosom, on which was the Bewitching Seal Script he had carved with all his might.

He held the wooden plate and waved it twice in front of the high-level martial master, "Do you understand now? I have someone behind me, too."

"Playing tricks!"

The high-level martial master shook his head with a smile, as if he didn't see the wooden plate or the text on it, and immediately reached out, "Come back with me."

"Wait, I have someone behind me, and you have someone behind you too. If you don't believe me, look behind you!"

The high-level martial master subconsciously suppressed the urge to turn around and sneered, "Playing this game with me?"

The next moment, a fist was thrust out from the darkness, hitting him squarely in the back, with Qi and blood surging inexplicably, the power of the physical body carrying the familiar might and pressure of the same level.

The high-level martial master's internal organs were churning; foreign Qi and blood poured into his body, clashing and rubbing against his own Qi and blood. In a short moment, it actually heated up from the friction, and the hot air ignited into flames.

Flames and tongues of fire erupted from his pores and facial orifices, and the clothes made of special fabric were baked until they were steaming hot. "Wah!" He couldn't suppress the urge and vomited.

It was too wretched; he had actually been ambushed from behind by a fellow high-level martial master, and three of his ribs were broken.

The high-level martial master had been ordered to capture Zhou You; how could he have imagined that there would be a peer following him, and that the other party would disregard their status as a high-level martial master to ambush him from behind?

"You!"

The high-level martial master threw a backhand punch, a thunderous roar, which pierced directly through, shattering the doors and windows of every household in the alley a hundred meters behind.

The enemy had vanished without a trace, dodging his angry counterattack.

He looked at Zhou You opposite him, "Lu Zhigang, you really make me look at you with new eyes; you really did bring a helper."

The Five Birds Palace being emptied in one night was not something Lu Zhigang could do alone, so he wasn't surprised when he thought of this.

"Don't talk yet; look at this wooden plate. Don't you find it a bit familiar?"

The high-level martial master's mind had been firm and unmoved, but having just been ambushed and injured, his mind was slightly shaken.

He scanned the wooden plate carefully, and it was as if a thunderbolt had flashed through his mind! Zhou You watched his dazed expression and nodded with a smile; it was just as he had expected.

Kunpengzi manipulated martial artists with the power of bewitchment but could not be immune to interference. He used the second power of bewitchment to invade, directly crashing this high-level martial master's system.

"..."

The high-level martial master's mind was a mess; he only felt that he had done many things wrong. Often, when his mind was muddled and he made a decision, although he felt it was wrong afterward, as time went on, he didn't think much of it.

Countless fragments emerged in his memory, occasionally flashing with sporadic strokes and ink marks; the more he compared them to the text on the wooden plate, the more familiar they looked.

It turned out that the countless fragments he had seen in the past, when pieced together, were the very character on the wooden plate.

"Nine Cauldrons of Heaven and Man, strange characters, you... you..."

The high-level martial master's face turned pale; a sense of fear rose in his heart, as if he had seen a malicious ghost.

Not even malicious ghosts were as terrifying as these people from the Golden Immortal Dao, intangibly manipulating people's thoughts and behaviors, turning living people into dolls! Zhou You gripped the wooden plate, "To tell you the truth, I am in the same boat as you; I am also a pitiful person who cannot act of his own free will."

"That you and I are facing each other today is, in the final analysis, a battle between the people behind us; there is no need to take it too seriously."

"How about this, I'll give you this wooden plate; perhaps it can help you break free from the manipulation."

The high-level martial master looked at the wooden plate he was handing over, and as if stung by a poisonous bee, he hurriedly retracted his hand.

"No, no, I don't want it even if I die."

"The one behind me isn't human; is the one behind you human?"

"This bunch of people are all birds of a feather. If I accept your thing, it's nothing more than jumping from one wolf's den to another; there's no difference, I'll still be controlled."

The high-level martial master was drenched in sweat, "I'm done with this; I won't listen to any of your ghost stories."

He let out a startled cry, turned around without a word, and left, crossing most of Gongliang City in the blink of an eye before disappearing into the wilderness.

Zhou You watched his back, a faint smile appearing on his face; it had worked after all.

His own power of bewitchment had pried open the originally solid balance, causing a sliver of loosening in the High-Level Martial Master's mind.

The High-Level Martial Master's powerful will actively sought self-preservation, allowing him to break free from the manipulation of Kunpengzi and become an uncontrolled "wild man."

Thinking of this, Zhou You laughed triumphantly, "Hahaha!"

With this, Lu Zhigang's mission was successfully completed and about to come to an end; next, it was time for Moyunzi Yan Ping to make his entrance.

The play he had designed was magnificent and varied, and it certainly wouldn't end with just one big climax; more surprises were yet to come.

(End of this chapter)