The ground was still littered with broken bricks and debris, and the smoke from the explosion had not yet fully cleared, when two figures darted in opposite directions from the ruins, beginning their desperate escape.
“Quite impressive!” Mu Lin muttered to himself. Indeed, surviving such a sudden explosion was no small feat, and it proved their strength. That massive explosion would surely draw the attention of the townspeople. Yet, the two had already considered the possibility of an ambush and, to prevent innocent civilians from being harmed, had quickly devised a plan to split up and flee. This also showed their sharp, strategic thinking.
Both escapees headed toward the sea, clearly anticipating that enemies might be lying in wait along their original path. They intended to use the ocean as an escape route, suggesting they had some secret means of survival underwater.
Had this been the old Mu Lin, he would have been helpless to follow their moves. But this time, he secretly felt delighted. He quickly followed the faster of the two. In truth, Mu Lin also wanted to avoid disturbing the townspeople. As soon as the man hit the water and his guard dropped for a moment, Mu Lin struck a vital point, paralyzing him. Then, he pulled out a small submarine from his ring and stuffed the man inside before beginning to search for the second escapee.
It didn’t take long for Mu Lin to find the second person. As Mu Lin spotted him, the other man also noticed Mu Lin. Clearly seeing that Mu Lin was alone, the man, perhaps confident in his own strength, and more likely wanting to eliminate the tail following him and discover who his enemy was, slowly advanced toward Mu Lin. As he approached, he suddenly recognized Mu Lin’s face—the very target of their mission—and came to an abrupt halt.
Looking at the man’s fierce and grotesque face, Mu Lin clearly recognized him too. Seeing the man’s battered condition, Mu Lin couldn’t help but feel amused. His clothes were in tatters, hanging from his body in strips. He carried a large sword in one hand, and his face and body were covered in blood from cuts caused by flying debris—like a defeated soldier who had barely escaped a medieval European battlefield.
Seeing Mu Lin smiling calmly, the man was overwhelmed by rage. “You damned devil! You’re still alive! I’ll kill you! I’ll avenge Angies!” Forgetting all fear, he raised his sword and charged at Mu Lin.
In no time, the distance between them closed. As the man swung his massive blade toward Mu Lin, Mu Lin drew his own sword from his ring. Channeling eight-tenths of his power, he infused his sword with true yuan energy and swept upward to meet the attack.
Upon contact, the large sword was silently deflected by Mu Lin’s one-handed blade. However, the energy released by the enemy’s strike still surged forward. Just as it was about to strike Mu Lin, it was blocked by the protective barrier emitted from his necklace. Mu Lin then swiftly struck at the now defenseless opponent.
Within the range of Mu Lin’s mental perception, he clearly sensed the energy released by the enemy’s sword—it was almost identical to the sword he had encountered before. Mu Lin found this strange. How could these Westerners possess so many magical treasures? From the Western cultivators he had encountered, he could tell that their individual strength wasn’t particularly formidable. However, when using these magical items, their power increased dramatically. If they had many such treasures and a large number of members, it wouldn’t be difficult for them to dominate the world.
Mu Lin picked up the enemy’s large sword and casually tossed it into his ring. Without sparing a glance at the grief-stricken expression on the man’s face, he lifted the man’s body and carried him toward his small submarine. Soon after, the submarine vanished beneath the ocean’s surface.
Mu Lin leisurely strolled along the sunlit streets of London. Amid the bustling crowd, dressed casually and exuding calmness, he seemed somewhat out of place. His current appearance was that of a typical European—hooked nose and deep-set eyes. Though he tried to appear older and more mature, his youthful energy made him seem vibrant and full of life.
Soon, Mu Lin arrived at a private club on the side of the street. This was a well-known private club in London, rumored to only accept members with noble titles. However, the reality was quite different.
One of the two prisoners captured by Mu Lin in Brighton was the leader of that operation. In order to obtain the information he needed, Mu Lin directly used the Soul Search technique on them. Mu Lin always believed that human memories never lied. Therefore, he saw no need to verify the information through other means. Since both sides had become enemies, each person had to bear the consequences of their actions.
After extracting the memories of the two enemies, Mu Lin gained a general understanding of the strength of the cultivators in this country. The openly visible religious personnel were mostly genuine clergy. The true cultivators—referred to as “clergy” by others—were the core force of the church. In the entire country, there were approximately 700 such clergy members. Among them, about 200 were researchers and preachers, responsible for selecting promising youths from around the world and training them. The rest were members of the operational teams.
The operational teams were divided into two groups. The first group consisted of experienced, older members, numbering about fifty. They were responsible for planning and commanding operations, and also dealt with particularly important targets. The second group consisted of younger, physically strong individuals who held life-and-death authority throughout the country. The first group Mu Lin had eliminated were external enforcers of the church organization, belonging to the second tier. In other words, Mu Lin had yet to encounter members of the first tier.
The base Mu Lin had previously scouted at night was a base belonging to the second group. Because it housed many members of this group, it could also be considered a trap designed to lure enemies. The second group had many knights, but very few mages—only about twenty in total.
The destroyed building in Brighton where Mu Lin had set off an explosion had housed nearly all the mages of the second operational group. Combined with the mages he had eliminated in the first ambush, it could be said that the mage force of the second operational group had been completely wiped out by Mu Lin.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage