Chapter 80

3:00 AM.

The silver moon hung at the horizon, casting a ghostly white light over the bluestone long street; the night watchman walked past the alley entrance carrying a bronze gong, producing a rhythm of one fast beat followed by four slow ones:

"Dong~ dong-dong..."

Deep within the dim alley lay the Wu family compound.

The grand house was pitch black; Wu Su, with gray hair, sat behind a nanmu desk, propping his forehead with both hands, the corners of his eyes crisscrossed with crow's feet radiating intense torment.

Last time in the Corpse-Hiding Cave, after Lin Wanyi obtained a drop of Xie Jinhuan's vital blood, she felt a wave of euphoria that made her whole body feel refreshed, even wanting to experience it a few more times; this sensation is actually a characteristic of the Demon Dao cultivation technique:

Blood Thirst Addiction!

And Wu Su was the same, even more so.

The core of the Demon Dao is to follow one's nature, to benefit oneself and seize from others; the technique is used however it feels best; after entering the 'Unrestrained Desire' stage, every cultivation session plunges the body and mind into extreme bliss, making one eagerly anticipate the next time.

As a cultivation school, this feeling does not make the practitioner's physique addicted, but the 'mental addiction' cannot be eradicated:

Easily gaining the cultivation level that others toil for years to achieve...

The more lawless one grows, the faster one advances...

Without the shackles of law, morality, doctrine, ethics, and so on...

Once one has tasted this feeling a few times, no one can endure the cage of reality anymore; this is the driving force that compels Demon Dao practitioners to climb higher at any cost.

Consuming Blood Origin Essence also quenches the Blood Thirst Addiction, but that feeling is like a wooden man; it brings pleasure, yet is far less real and intense than that brought by a True Person.

Wu Su was originally just an ordinary antique dealer; in his thirties, he received a Five Elements Seal, started cultivating halfway through life, and after stumbling for nearly twenty years, barely reached the sixth rank of the Dao.

Realizing he could hardly advance further in this life, he began studying the Demon Dao scriptures he had gathered over the years and consuming the Hua Yao Dan; as a result, from the sixth rank to the fourth rank, he took only three years.

At first, he dared not kill people, but after mastering the 'Seizing Origin Art' and finding his cultivation still unable to advance, he simply could not hold back; at the beginning of the year, he tried for the first time to drain a living person completely, and from then on, he could not stop!

He was extremely restrained, spending ninety percent of his time continuing to cultivate by consuming the Hua Yao Dan.

But if he were to unleash himself and slaughter entire cities and raid villages, he was certain he could reach the summit in a short time, even become a deity like the Imperial Preceptor Lu Wu Zhen, and never again have to spend one or two taels of silver searching for medicinal herbs.

But why does this world have the Three Teachings and Hundred Schools, imperial court laws, and so many righteous heroes who love to meddle in others' affairs...

Wu Su very much wanted to let loose completely once, to try how rapidly one grows by draining a master's vital blood, and to try how exhilarating it is to use those fairy maidens and knight-errants heard of only in legends as cauldrons.

But the reality full of rules and regulations forced him to live like a rat in the gutter; even when encountering ordinary constables who could turn him to ash with a flick of a finger, he had to lower his head and go around them!

Wu Su knew the imperial court had begun strict investigations; he tightly gripped his forehead, restraining the urge to sneak out and kill one more person.

But a devil seemed hidden in his heart, reminding him at all times:

You hold a divine object; no one can discover you...

Killing an ordinary person is fine; finish it quickly...

Cultivating for a lifetime, how can one live so miserably...

After struggling internally for an unknown duration, the sound of the night watch suddenly came from the alley outside:

"Dong~ dong-dong..."

And upon the nanmu desk surface, a faint light appeared.

Wu Su suddenly snapped back to awareness; his bloodshot eyes turned toward the seal placed before him.

The seal was palm-sized, engraved with a yellow qilin; its overall texture resembled yellow jade, but at this moment, the qilin's eyes flickered with faint light.

Wu Su picked up the Yellow Qilin Seal, infused his qi into it, and the qilin's eyes projected several light spots onto the desk, moving slowly.

Wu Su had possessed this Yellow Qilin Seal for over twenty years; he knew this seal carried the rare 'Magnetic Metal Curse,' capable of detecting hidden treasures; he also used it as a magical tool and weapon that every cultivator must carry to deduce the location of a high expert.

The light spots appearing now were black and green specks, estimated to be water and wood-related magical tools; it looked like there was more than one...

Could it be the Patrol Immortal Officials...

Wu Su frowned secretly; while observing the movement of the light spots, he discovered that several spots were actually moving toward the Yellow Qilin Seal!

?!

Wu Su had acted cautiously for many years, yet this was the first time he encountered such a situation; realizing his location had been captured by a high expert, his heart chilled with terror; without hesitation, he grabbed his standby pack and rushed toward the door...

—

The silver moon hung in the sky; the night watchman, carrying a lantern, walked further and further away in the dark alley.

Xie Jinhuan stepped out from a side alley, glanced up to scan the long, dim alleyway; after a day of turmoil, he already felt a bit sleepy.

Meiqiu, who had been napping whenever she found a gap, was now lively, flying in mid-air to scout the movements between the buildings.

Linghu Qingmo followed behind, sword in hand, her gaze also scanning everywhere.

Although she knew Wu Su was the most suspicious, the area near the Antique Street belonged to the wealthy district, with hundreds of households; she did not know which building the Wu family occupied; in the middle of the night, it was not good to ask people, so she could only search house by house.

However, Xie Jinhuan did not rely on his eyes to find evil demons and heretics, but on the 'Ghost Wife Radar.'

After turning through several alleys like this, the Ghost Wife's reminder came to his ears:

"Oh my, you can confiscate the illegal gains now. Someone is using a secret method to detect nearby spiritual treasures, southwest direction."

Xie Jinhuan frowned slightly; first, he pretended to look at Meiqiu, then, without making a sound, leaped onto the wall and crept toward the southwest.

Linghu Qingmo noticed no strange movement from Meiqiu either; as she followed forward and was about to ask, suddenly, from the sky above, Meiqiu's call came:

"Gu~ gu..."

Hearing the signal, Xie Jinhuan knew this unknown fellow daoist was fleeing outward; immediately, he stopped concealing himself and soared forward at high speed:

"Southwest, one hundred and four zhang; you take the left, I take the right."

Whoosh~

As the words ended, his figure had already turned into a blur under the moonlight, charging toward the building complex a hundred zhang away!

"Eh?"

Although Linghu Qingmo was a bit puzzled, her reaction was not slow; she immediately sprinted full speed toward the front-left.

As a result, after flying only a few zhang like this, she faintly heard the sound of wind breaking between the building complex half a li away; a black shadow then leaped out from the building complex:

Whoosh-whoosh—

Linghu Qingmo spotted the target and immediately accelerated, forming a seal with his left hand while silently chanting in his heart:

"Heaven commands the wind to rise, Earth orders the ground to shift... Urgent as the law demands!"

Boom—

As the Qi circulation flowed through his body, Linghu Qingmo's figure suddenly surged forward, flashing several zhang in an instant, actually overtaking Xie Jinhuan ahead.

Huh?

Xie Jinhuan was stunned; before he could even express surprise, he noticed that Mo Mo's 'Ten Thousand Li Divine Travel Incantation' was not sustainable. She shot forward a stretch, then her speed plummeted, only to surge forward again, looking like a series of short-range teleports.

However, this level was clearly sufficient.

Xie Jinhuan launched a full-force surprise attack, flanking Mo Mo on the left and right, attempting to make it difficult for the target to turn, forcing him toward the bustling market streets where Immortal Officials patrolled.

But the loose cultivation Daoist friend half a li away was obviously not stupid; realizing that a full-speed charge could not shake them off, he immediately dove into the complex building cluster, and the sound of breaking wind vanished simultaneously.

Linghu Qingmo relied on naked-eye tracking; losing visual contact with the target naturally made pursuit difficult.

And the moment Xie Jinhuan lost sight of the target, he pretended to look at Meiqiu, then turned his route, chasing toward a side alley.

Yet even though he suppressed his sound and breath, the loose cultivation Daoist friend ahead reacted immediately, turning his route to run in the opposite direction...

He turned, and the opponent turned immediately again...

Huh?!

Seeing this scene, Xie Jinhuan knew he had entered a 'Divine Trap'; this loose cultivation Daoist friend must have activated X-ray vision!

However, as the World Envoy of Wind Spirit Valley, he was practically operating with radar to seek enemies, with a 'Drone Chicken' hanging overhead; if he got shaken off now, he might as well not continue his cultivation.

With Mo Mo right in front, Xie Jinhuan found it difficult to unleash his full power, so he spoke:

"This person is cunning; go quickly to the street to notify the Immortal Officials. I will keep him pinned!"

Linghu Qingmo could not understand Meiqiu's signal and could not see the target's tracks; seeing this, he immediately drew his sword and charged toward the bustling market streets on the side.

And Xie Jinhuan, waiting until Mo Mo had gone far, no longer needed to put on a show; following the Ghost Wife's guidance, his speed suddenly skyrocketed, charging directly at Wu Su, who was hidden within the building cluster!

And at the same time!

Wu Su, holding a bundle in his hand, used eaves and corridors for cover, flying through the dark areas, holding the Yellow Qilin Seal in his hand to judge the position of the pursuers behind.

The result today was quite sinister!

He went left, the pursuers went left; he went right, the pursuers went right too!

Separated by half a li, they could hear no sound at all; he was not exposed to the Falcon's vision, and the other party was not a Super-Grade Ancestor; wasn't this seeing ghosts?

Could it be that this person also held a magical seal containing the Magnetic Metal Incantation?!

Seeing this, Wu Su wanted to throw away all his precious personal items, but the Yellow Qilin Seal in his hand was his foundation; if he threw it away, he would surely die anyway, so he could only flee with all his might, trying to run out of the other party's detection range.

But very soon he discovered that the pursuer behind him had a much deeper foundation than he imagined!

As another pursuer suddenly ran in a different direction, the person behind suddenly surged in speed, almost charging straight toward his location!

Moreover, the opponent's turning no longer had any delay; it felt as if they were aiming at the back of his head through a wall and pursuing with all their might!

Hiss?!

Wu Su's mind was in shock, feeling that the other party's artifact rank was far too high.

If he flew onto the roof, his tracks would surely be discovered; running within the building cluster would surely be too slow. After such a moment of hesitation, the sound of breaking wind already rang out from behind.

Whoosh~

Knowing he could not shake off the tracking, Wu Su turned mid-flight, sliding backward to a stop in a large courtyard, then raised his eyes to look back.

Rustle-rustle...

Whoosh~

Almost the next instant, a figure shot up from between the houses, smashing directly onto the ridge of the west wing.

Thud~

After the dull thud, the courtyard fell into dead silence!

Wu Su faced a great enemy; raising his eyes, he saw the arriving person wearing a white robe, his right hand gripping the handle of a Jian, poised to strike, with cold spring eyes like a death decree, locking onto every part of his body:

"You really have some skills; no wonder the government office couldn't catch you."

Wu Su tightly gripped the Yellow Qilin Seal hidden under his sleeve, his heart sinking to the bottom of a valley, yet he was not without confusion:

"What did you bring? How can you know my position?"

Xie Jinhuan cautiously examined the gray-haired old man below, discovering he was truly a Fourth-Rank nobody, and relaxed his poised-to-strike stance:

"We are all hard-luck loose cultivators surviving in the cracks; who doesn't have some opportunity to rely on? Currently, it seems your opportunity is much weaker than mine. Where did you get the Yellow Qilin Seal in your sleeve?"

?!

Wu Su had hidden the Yellow Qilin Seal in his sleeve, yet the other party pointed it out directly; his heart trembled, knowing the arriving person had a deep foundation. He gritted his teeth and threw the bundle in his hand onto the ground:

"I got it from a tomb raider. This seal and the silver money can all be given to you; please, let me live..."

Xie Jinhuan leaped down into the courtyard:

"If I kill you, the items still belong to me, and I can even gain a good reputation for eliminating harm for the people. If it were you, how would you choose?"

The courtyard instantly fell silent.

(End of Chapter)