Chapter 500: Reconnaissance

The head of the Chunyu family, afflicted by the secret soul technique, confessed everything truthfully without any attempt to conceal anything.

“Good,” Luo Feng stood amidst the clouds and mist, continuing his interrogation. “Then tell me, who else do you know possesses Blood-Net Crystals?”

The task of a Blood Warrior is first to obtain three Blood-Net Crystals, and only after successfully fusing them can one truly become a Blood Warrior! Knowing the legend of the ‘Blood Warrior’ and the even more incredible ‘Black Warrior,’ Luo Feng naturally felt a sense of anticipation. He hoped to first become a Blood Warrior, and perhaps even strive to become a Black Warrior.

Although in the Blood-Net World, the Black Warrior is merely a legend, yet since it is a legend, there remains the possibility of it becoming reality.

Clearly, with Luo Feng’s personality, he would never give up without trying.

Everyone believes themselves to be unique; Luo Feng is no different, only he understands himself more clearly.

“Master, I can confirm that only my ancestral patriarch and General Shi Fengzhan possess Blood-Net Crystals. As for others, I cannot be certain—I only know of some rumors,” Chunyu Chong replied respectfully.

“Rumors?” Luo Feng raised his eyebrows.

“Yes,” Chunyu Chong affirmed. “Although I cannot confirm whether Lord Shifeng Xiong of Yan Gang Territory possesses any Blood-Net Crystals, I am highly confident that Lord Shifeng Xiong definitely has unfused Blood-Net Crystals—at the very least, one.”

“Oh?” Luo Feng looked at Chunyu Chong.

“Lord Shifeng Xiong has powerful backing; his mentor is the city lord of World City in our realm,” Chunyu Chong explained. “Long ago, Shifeng Xiong successfully fused one Blood-Net Crystal. After breaking through to Domain Level, he quickly became the Lord of Yan Gang Territory. Later, he secretly gifted one Blood-Net Crystal to his younger brother, General Shi Fengzhan.”

“For a warrior, the more Blood-Net Crystals the better; after fusing one, one always desires to fuse a second!”

“Since he was willing to give one to his brother, it shows that obtaining Blood-Net Crystals isn’t too difficult for him—he must at least have a way to acquire them,” Chunyu Chong said confidently. “Moreover, considering Shifeng Xiong’s selfish nature, if he gave one to his brother, he must have at least one more for himself, and I suspect he may even possess more than one Blood-Net Crystal!”

Luo Feng nodded slightly.

That made a lot of sense.

…

Then, Luo Feng disposed of Chunyu Chong’s corpse and silently returned to Feiyun Pavilion in Yan Gang Territory under the cover of night.

…

The Chunyu family was deeply entrenched in Yan Gang Territory, with roots far more established than the Shifeng family.

When the Chunyu family was enraged, the entire Yan Gang City trembled.

On the ground floor of the three-tiered pavilion crafted from sacred purple-flamewood within the family’s ancestral grounds, the venerable patriarch of the Chunyu lineage, Chunyu Tao, sat upon the central dais with half-lidded eyes. The most esteemed elders of the Chunyu bloodline stood reverently flanking him like dutiful scions, while scores of lesser kin prostrated themselves across the hall’s polished floors. Beyond the threshold, hundreds more knelt in perfect obeisance, their foreheads pressed against the earth in unwavering fealty.

“Grandfather, these are all the sentries and guards’ leaders from Yu Keqi’s residence to the family head’s location,” a white-haired elder, who looked even older than Chunyu Tao, said respectfully. “They all witnessed Yu Keqi walking with a black-robed figure.”

“Describe the black-robed figure,” Chunyu Tao asked calmly, his eyes still closed.

“We don’t know,” the elder hurriedly shook his head.

“Hmm?” Chunyu Tao’s face turned angry. Opening his eyes, beams of visible light shot from his gaze, fixing upon the elder.

“They, they all saw the black-robed figure, but none can recall what he looked like,” the elder quickly explained. “At the time, they felt nothing unusual and thought the black-robed figure was ordinary, nothing special. But now, when they try to remember, the figure’s face is blurred. They can only recall the black robe; everything else is forgotten.”

Chunyu Tao turned his gaze to the group kneeling below.

“Ancestor, we really can’t remember.”

“At the time, we clearly saw him, but now… we just can’t recall his appearance.”

“I was staring at him then, but now…”

…

The sentries spoke in fearful voices.

Observing this, Chunyu Tao was startled.

Among these sentries and guards were many at the peak of Sky Level (Nine-star of the Stellar Kingdom). To influence such experts unknowingly would be difficult even for a Cosmic Level mentalist. It would require an extremely terrifying mastery of mental power and consciousness to achieve such an effect invisibly.

“When did such a powerful figure appear in my Yan Gang Territory?” Chunyu Tao pondered. “But he entered cautiously, so his strength definitely cannot rival mine. If he were stronger than me, he wouldn’t have needed to be so careful—he could have just charged in directly.”

“Listen well!”

Chunyu Tao coldly surveyed the high-ranking family members respectfully standing in the hall. “One of our Chunyu family’s heads was taken away from within our heavily guarded estate, his life and death unknown. This is an insult to the Chunyu family! We must find the culprit; otherwise, countless people in Yan Gang Territory will secretly mock us!”

“Go and search!”

“Check every suspicious character. The culprit’s strength is at least Peak Cloud Heaven Level, possibly even entering Domain Level! Investigate through every channel, and check for any unfamiliar mysterious experts! Remember, even if you find him, do not act—immediately come and inform me,” Chunyu Tao looked at the group. “Even if Chong survives this time, he is no longer suitable to be the family head. This investigation of the murderer will be my test for you all. After this matter, I will choose a new family head from among you. Now, all of you may leave.”

“Yes!”

The high-ranking members’ eyes lit up, each loudly responding in unison before quickly departing.

They would go all out.

In order to become the next family head, each of them deployed hidden forces at their disposal. Soon, various secret messages were gathered, and records of unfamiliar mysterious experts or suspected individuals were compiled.

…

The next day, at first light.

Rumbling sounds echoed as more than a hundred thousand soldiers clad in black scale armor surged forward like a black cloud. At the forefront was a tall and broad-shouldered figure wearing deep red scale armor. His appearance was very similar to that of Yan Gang Territory’s lord, Shifeng Xiong, but with an even fiercer and more savage aura.

“Tch!” Shi Fengzhan, seated atop a wild beast called the Blue-Scaled Serpent Dragon, spat in annoyance. “Damn it, Chunyu Chong gets himself killed and now I have to come and help catch the killer. My big brother is the same, making me cooperate!”

“Heh heh, but that bastard Chunyu Chong really doesn’t know who he messed with, getting killed right in his own estate. It’s really a joy to hear,” Shi Fengzhan sneered softly. The two deputies beside him twitched involuntarily. Their general controlled the military power of Yan Gang Territory but acted recklessly, being the wildest of friends with Chunyu Chong.

No wonder they were such close friends; upon hearing of Chunyu Chong’s death, Shi Fengzhan was actually delighted.

And he wasn’t in a hurry at all, waiting until dawn before leading his army to investigate.

“General, we’ve arrived at Feiyun Pavilion,” one deputy respectfully reported.

“Alright.”

Shi Fengzhan glanced ahead indifferently. “Feiyun Pavilion is the best lodging place in our Yan Gang Territory. Given the strength and status of the killer, he might very well be staying at Feiyun Pavilion.”

“General, if someone truly dared to attack Chunyu Chong, he probably wouldn’t stay at a place like Feiyun Pavilion. He might be hiding somewhere more secret,” another deputy whispered.

“Smack!”

Shi Fengzhan immediately slapped him, causing the deputy to spit out a mouthful of blood. Both he and the beast beneath him staggered slightly.

“Fool,” Shi Fengzhan coldly glared at him. “I say it’s Feiyun Pavilion, so it’s Feiyun Pavilion. Damn it, can’t you even pretend? Are you really going to help the Chunyu family find the killer?”

The deputy quickly nodded, too afraid to speak.

“Such an idiot. If you say something so stupid again next time, I’ll replace you as my deputy. I thought you were usually quite sensible, but what’s wrong with your head today?” Shi Fengzhan scratched his chin, tilting his head as he gazed at the distant Feiyun Pavilion. “Go on, I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourself. Bring out all the Cloud-Level guests at Feiyun Pavilion, and anyone they suspect might be an expert. I want to see them all.”

“Yes!” The deputy, who had been slapped, hurriedly responded loudly.

…

Then, he led a division of several ten thousand soldiers and charged toward Feiyun Pavilion with a thunderous roar. Feiyun Pavilion covered a diameter of more than ten kilometers, and with the arrival of the army, chaos erupted immediately.

“Pavilion Master, it’s not that I don’t respect you, but you know what’s happened! The general has ordered that all Cloud-Level guests at your Feiyun Pavilion, and anyone you suspect might be an expert, must be brought out to me,” the deputy, riding atop a winged tiger beast, declared haughtily, followed by a large group of soldiers.

“Understood.”

“We will definitely cooperate,” the fat, small-eyed Pavilion Master quickly gave orders for a group of subordinates to lead the way.

…

In the quiet pavilion of Cloud-Level Room 892.

Luo Feng, dressed in loose robes, was reading a book. It had been most of the night since the incident in the dark of night. If calculated by Earth time, two or three days had already passed.

“That Chunyu Chong was just killed by me, and now the city is in an uproar, but it’s none of my concern. I’ll deal with Shi Fengzhan tonight,” Luo Feng planned his next move while reading, handling two tasks at once with ease. Suddenly, outside came a cacophony of noise and shouting.

“Hurry!”

“Come out!”

“Sir, it’s General Shi Feng of Yan Gang Territory who gave the order. Please help us out by going out for a moment.”

“Hurry up.”

“That way, hurry.”

The clamor grew louder outside.

Luo Feng frowned slightly. He had expected that Chunyu Chong’s death would stir up a storm, but he hadn’t anticipated that so early in the morning they would come to Feiyun Pavilion.

The sound of footsteps rapidly approached, growing louder and louder. Suddenly, the courtyard gate was forcefully pushed open. More than ten soldiers rushed in directly, led by a servant heading toward the pavilion. As the servant entered the hall and saw Luo Feng, he quickly apologized, saying, “Sir, General Shi Feng has ordered an investigation into the murderer. Please help us out for a moment.”

“Hurry up!”

“Come out.”

“Quickly.” The soldiers rushed forward, shouting at Luo Feng.