"The six groups within the city will each have two trackers behind them, to see if there are any fish that slip through the net."
Remember the original website domain 𝕥𝕨𝕜𝕒𝕟.𝕔𝕠𝕞
"Lu Feihong of the Liufeng Sect and Zheng Xicai of the Nulang Sect will follow the first group, Shi Jin of the Yanshan Sect and Jing Zhichuan of the Dangyun Sect will follow the second group..."
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
Chu Qingfeng recited the names of the experts below the stage as if they were his own family, able to name each person and their sect, just like his own subordinates.
The experts of the Zhenwu Division were fine, after all, they had already made a name for themselves in the Zhenwu Division, but the heroes who had come by summons couldn't help but stand up straighter.
To be remembered by Prince Chu Qingfeng and a grandmaster like him made them feel both honored and proud, and they felt respect and closeness.
Chu Zhiyuan couldn't help but admire.
No wonder Chu Qingfeng was deeply trusted by the emperor, acting steadily and having the talent to govern affairs. This small detail alone showed the extent of his care.
Even if they don't want to ruin things, it is difficult to work together with emotions in the way. Once something happens, with everyone having their own thoughts, it will be difficult to succeed.
"The remaining experts, after the first six groups have selected their personnel, a list will be posted, dividing them into their respective teams, and acting according to each team, each responsible for a lair."
"Yes!"
"Have you chosen your people? Chu Zhiyuan?"
Chu Zhiyuan cupped his fist: "Selection is complete."
"Good."
Chu Qingfeng nodded: "Submit the list, and in a quarter of an hour, when the bell rings, take unified action."
"Yes!"
Chu Zhiyuan and his party were quite eye-catching.
Guo Chi and the other five, plus Huang Shirong and the other three, made up eight.
The people around didn't talk or ask questions randomly.
Most people could see that Guo Chi and the other four were guards, and Zou Fang was a eunuch.
This was also the standard configuration for a prince. After all, those of noble birth are different from ordinary people and must be followed by guards at all times.
Chu Zhiyuan and the others came to a corner of the training ground, separated from the crowd.
Chu Zhiyuan smiled: "Hall Master Huang, looking worried."
Huang Shirong gave a forced smile: "It has nothing to do with this matter, just some personal matters."
"What can trouble Hall Master Huang like you must not be a small matter, right?"
"...It is a dilemma."
"What kind of dilemma?... If it's inconvenient, then forget it."
"There is no need to hide this from the prince... The sect wants me to go back to seclusion."
"Seclusion to cultivate... Progress will be faster."
Baiyun Sword Palace wanted Huang Shirong to return to seclusion and cultivate bitterly, providing her with the resources of the sect and doing everything possible to improve her realm.
"Good thing, right? Don't want to go back?"
"Yeah."
"Don't want to owe the sect favors, or don't want others to think the sect is unfair?"
"I still want to cultivate in the Zhenwu Division."
"...That's right, you are also cultivating while patrolling the streets, it won't delay you."
When she patrolled the streets, the aura around her body flowed continuously and rhythmically, circulating a profound mental technique.
With each step she took, her aura accelerated, far faster than the cultivation speed of ordinary people. It was a miraculous skill of cultivation in motion, similar to the Small Guiyuan Step and Great Guiyuan Step he gave to Chu Yi.
Huang Shirong glanced at him.
This was her secret, but she didn't expect him to know.
Chu Zhiyuan smiled embarrassedly: "Shouldn't have said that, right?... You can cultivate while patrolling the streets, taking the opportunity to temper your state of mind. It is your unique cultivation method, but seclusion should be faster, right?"
"There's no need to be so fast."
Huang Shirong shook her head gently.
This skill, obtained from her own fortuitous encounter, is one that accumulates strength slowly and unleashes it later, becoming faster as it progresses, with the early stages being slower.
If the early stages, which were slow, were this fast, why worry about the future?
"...You don't want Baiyun Sword Palace to think your wings have hardened and you won't listen to the sect."
"...Yeah."
"No wonder you're frowning."
This was indeed a dilemma.
She didn't want to go back, but if she didn't go back, she would cause the sect to misunderstand.
Huang Shirong said: "If it were you, Prince, what would you choose?"
"I wouldn't hesitate,"
Chu Zhiyuan smiled: "You might as well ask yourself in the dead of night, when your heart is calm, what you really want to do."
"Naturally, I want to stay in the Zhenwu Division."
"I'm afraid you don't think so."
"..."
"If you really wanted to, you wouldn't be so conflicted."
"...Yeah, that's true."
Huang Shirong frowned and pondered, slowly nodding.
If she really wanted to stay in the Zhenwu Division, it wouldn't matter if the sect misunderstood.
"You are a grandmaster,"
Chu Zhiyuan said: "You are no longer a Xiantian expert. It seems you haven't completely understood this point, and your concept hasn't changed. Your status is completely different from before. You don't have to look at the sect's face anymore. The sect is looking at your face."
Grandmasters are the backbone of any sect.
The same is true for Baiyun Sword Palace, one of the four major sects.
"..."
Huang Shirong pondered.
"Prince, the location is here."
A clever girl came over lightly and handed over a map.
Zou Fang stepped forward to take it and presented it to Chu Zhiyuan with both hands.
Chu Zhiyuan glanced at it and nodded: "Good, let everyone take a look."
The clever girl turned and left.
Xu Mengyu looked at her leaving thoughtfully.
Wen Qianqian said: "It's convenient to have these auditors following, but won't they encounter danger?"
"They are most proficient in self-preservation, with good lightness skills, concealing their aura, and staying far away,"
Xu Mengyu smiled.
"It's not bad to be a clerk in the Audit Department."
"With your patience, you'd probably be annoyed to death in two days and go crazy."
"Hehe, that's true too,"
Wen Qianqian giggled.
"Prepare yourselves,"
Chu Zhiyuan said: "I'm going to make a move."
"Young Prince, don't we need to split into two groups and attack at the same time?"
"There's no need to be so troublesome,"
Chu Zhiyuan shook his head: "It's easy to startle the snake. Just attack directly."
"...Alright,"
Huang Shirong hesitated.
But she didn't say anything more.
They quickly looked at the map and understood the location.
The location was in the north of the outer city, not far from the south gate of the inner city.
"Ding..."
Suddenly, a clear sound rang out.
Chu Zhiyuan and his party of nine rushed out like a gust of wind, and the other five groups did the same, disappearing in front of everyone in the blink of an eye.
Then there were the twelve heroes, who chased after the six groups left, keeping a distance.
The five members of the second group walked almost side by side.
At the head was Geng Haoran, a master of the Flying Heaven Sect's saber technique.
His Grandmaster realm was already at the eighth heaven.
He was one of the top experts in the Zhenwu Division.
With thick eyebrows and big eyes, a burly figure, and a long, narrow saber at his waist, he had an air of generosity and heroism.
The four grandmasters who followed him were all his good friends in the Zhenwu Division, with excellent relationships.
The errands in the Zhenwu Division are often done by two or more people, requiring cooperation. Over time, people with compatible temperaments will naturally emerge.
The five people together were comparable to the high-end combat power of a small sect, more than enough to deal with a lair of the Jade Cauldron Sect.
Zhou Ziqi, as thin as a bamboo pole, was a sword technique expert from Qinglu Cliff, a sixth heaven grandmaster.
Huang Jingxuan, chubby, was a sword technique expert from Qinglu Cliff, a seventh heaven grandmaster.
Liu Yian, thin, small, and taciturn, was a fist technique expert from Da Lingyan Peak, a seventh heaven grandmaster.
Hu Hansong, a handsome but somewhat effeminate swordsman from the Flying Sky Sect and a sixth-level Grandmaster, along with the other Grandmaster experts from the four major sects, all possessed formidable strength.
"Brother Zhou, Brother Huang, Brother Liu, and Junior Brother Hu, we mustn't underestimate them; these fellows are not to be trifled with."
"Understood," the other four replied, their expressions turning solemn.
"These demonic practitioners are masters of slaughter, even more ruthless than us."
The chubby Huang Jingxuan chuckled, "Don't let your guard down and end up capsizing in a ditch."
Hu Hansong said, "Brother Huang, we've been constantly fighting as well, not slacking off. This time, let's see who can be more ruthless!"
Zhou Ziqi remained calm, "We still need to be careful. Their methods are诡异 and hard to predict; we must especially watch out for their suicidal attacks."
Geng Haoran said, "We need a quick victory!"
Hu Hansong shouted, "Right, a quick victory!"
Huang Jingxuan said, "However, Senior Brother Geng, why is the Fourth Prince here this time?"
Geng Haoran replied, "The Fourth Prince is also a Grandmaster and needs some experience."
Huang Jingxuan curled his lip, "If he needs experience, there's no need to go up against the Jade Cauldron Sect, right? These guys from the Jade Cauldron Sect will definitely swarm the prince like flies on rotten meat and go crazy!"
Geng Haoran quickly said, "Brother Huang, don't put it so harshly!"
"Hehe, yes, yes, we can't compare the prince to rotten meat, but these Jade Cauldron Sect guys are just like flies!"
Zhou Ziqi said calmly, "The prince is indeed extremely powerful, even if his cultivation is a little lacking. His skills in killing are unparalleled. Like in the autumn hunt, he broke all previous records. And in the two events in the palace, those two were the most outstanding geniuses in the world—one from Asking Heaven Cliff and one from the Phoenix Sword Sect. Neither of them were pushovers."
"The prince is indeed a genius, but he should have gained some experience elsewhere before facing the Jade Cauldron Sect. It's too dangerous."
Hu Hansong made a feminine gesture and giggled, "We're just worrying unnecessarily. How could Grandmaster Chu rashly let the prince take such a risk?"
Huang Jingxuan laughed, "Hehe, the prince is famously timid and wouldn't take reckless risks."
"Even if he does, he's still followed by guards. It's quite a sight to see someone bring guards into battle!"
"Brother Huang, stop being so sarcastic!" Geng Haoran looked around.
It wouldn't be good if someone overheard.
Although the Qing Prince's estate had declined, it didn't hinder the Fourth Prince's promising future, which was far from comparable to that of ordinary princes. Just a few jokes could cause trouble.
"Buck up, we're almost there!"
The target of Geng Haoran's group was a residence on the western end of Mingluan Avenue, surrounded by wealthy families. Mingluan Avenue was one of the main east-west thoroughfares in the outer city, and those who could live here were far richer than ordinary people. The five of them swept in like a gust of wind, ignoring the astonished gazes of the surrounding people and heading straight for the walls.
"They're here!"
"Courting death!" Someone immediately came to meet them.
"Four Grandmasters, twelve Xiantian. Take care of the Xiantian first!"
Geng Haoran drew his sword and soared into the air, looking down at the layout of the entire residence.
He immediately noticed that four young men and twelve others were already standing in the center of the courtyard, sneering at them as if they knew they were coming to ambush them. He realized that they were still too slow; the enemy was prepared!
There must have been sentries who gave an early warning.
"Eliminate the Xiantian first!" Zhou Ziqi and the other three shouted in unison.
The swarthy young man at the head shouted, "Heh, eliminate us? You're courting death!"
Another young man said in a deep voice, "Damn, five Grandmasters!"
"Hui Zi from the Town Guard Division!" A third young man shouted.
The swarthy young man at the head, with a grim face, shouted, "Zhao Feng, Sun Zicai, Zhou Erya, Qi Nanfeng, Jade Cauldron!"
"Yes!" The four middle-aged men gritted their teeth, their eyes widening suddenly, instantly filled with bloodshot veins, and a hazy red light surged around them.
Geng Haoran, who was in the air, shouted, "Be careful, dodge!"
As he spoke, the other four had already reacted and dodged.
However, with the blessing of the red light, the four middle-aged men's speed increased several times, instantly entangling them, one for each. "Bang, bang, bang, bang!"
Muffled sounds rang out almost simultaneously. The red light spread, and blood mist filled the air.
Geng Haoran, in the air, roared in anguish, "Damn it!"
He didn't expect these demonic practitioners to be so decisive, directly using the suicidal technique. This was the most vicious and the most worrying technique for the Town Guard Division.
He originally thought they would fight for a while and use this trick if the situation became dire. He never expected them to use it right from the start.
His four companions were obviously caught off guard.
This move was the most vicious, trading life for astonishing speed. The blood mist formed by the exploding body ignored罡 qi defense and was also highly poisonous. This was the terrifying aspect of these evil sect demonic practitioners.
If one was unprepared for this move, even a Grandmaster would find it hard to resist. He was extremely worried, and the light of his saber suddenly blazed, like a flash of lightning streaking down, his body merging with the saber light.
"0..."
The four Grandmasters from the Jade Cauldron Sect immediately met him, the saber light and sword light constantly colliding. This saber strike was launched in anger, containing more than half of his cultivation.
The four Grandmasters of the Jade Cauldron Sect were far inferior to him in realm, and they staggered back from the impact of his saber light, unable to withstand this strike. Then, muffled sounds came from their bodies.
Geng Haoran's heart tightened, and the saber light faltered as he retreated, afraid that they would also use the suicidal technique.
But he saw their left arms explode, shattering their sleeves and turning them into blood mist that enveloped them. Then, the sword light surged, and both speed and strength greatly increased.
Geng Haoran knew that they had used a secret technique, burning essence blood to accelerate speed, strength, and cultivation. This kind of secret technique was extremely harmful to the body and mind; a normal person would become crippled.
But their demonic techniques were strange, and they could recover as before through evil techniques afterward.
This was one of the reasons why they were evil but could not be exterminated completely—even severed limbs could be repaired, which was extremely tempting. "Brother Zhou, Brother Huang, Brother Liu, Junior Brother Hu!"
"Cough, cough..."
"Cough, cough... Not dead yet."
Huang Jingxuan and the other three covered their chests, their clothes riddled with holes, tattered and torn, as if there were countless small holes. Their faces and skin were covered in black burns, and their eyes were filled with bloodshot veins.
Their voices were weak, obviously seriously injured.
"Can you still hold on?" Geng Haoran breathed a sigh of relief.
He was really afraid that they would die here in one move, dragged into the underworld by Xiantian experts. That would be too unjust. The remaining Xiantian experts had already surrounded the four of them.
They were weak, but after all, they were Grandmasters, and their 罡 qi was still there, able to protect their bodies. Although they were struck by several sabers and swords, their defenses had not been broken. "Damn it, there are 破罡 divine weapons!" Huang Jingxuan's shoulder was suddenly pierced by a sword, and he cursed.
"破罡 divine weapons!" Hu Hansong exclaimed.
"What are you shouting about, Lao Hu? It's just a 破罡 divine weapon!" Zhou Ziqi's slender face was ice-cold as he avoided the sword in front of him. "I'm afraid there's more than one. Be careful!"
"Slow down, let us slow down and we'll destroy them!" Huang Jingxuan gritted his teeth, feeling that he was too unlucky today.
This task was too frustrating.
They were severely injured right from the start.
Now they were surrounded and beaten by eight Xiantian experts. It would be too embarrassing to say it out loud.
Their bodies were weak, and they were desperately trying to recover while being careful of the 破罡 divine weapons. They also had to be careful of the remaining eight Xiantian experts going crazy and launching a suicidal attack, which would really drag them down to death! Being so frustrated, they wished they could also launch a suicidal attack.
