“Even if we’ve half-stepped into it, we’re not true Sacred Clan members. Our cultivation is equivalent to the first rank of the Sacred Clan, but we only managed to break through the bottleneck in magic power thanks to the secret techniques of over a dozen elders who took turns infusing us. However, our divine sense and techniques are far inferior. Without several thousand years of dedicated cultivation, we can’t compare to true Sacred Clan members. If not for the lack of manpower, the elders probably wouldn’t have hastily summoned us here.” The old man shook his head as he spoke.
“That’s true. But even so, with the two of us working together, we should still be able to hold our own against a first or second-rank Sacred Clan member. The chances of a Sacred Clan member appearing in Greenlight City are practically nonexistent.” The middle-aged man nodded in agreement.
“Still, it’s a pity about Hongmie!” The old man’s face darkened with regret as if recalling something.
“I heard that boy had both the Fire Moon Clan and our Horned Demon Clan bloodlines, and the Horned Demon bloodline was from your Fire lineage. Could he be related to you, Brother Tu?” The middle-aged man suddenly chuckled.
“Brother Ning, you jest. To be honest, he was indeed the descendant of someone with distant ties to me. After finding him by chance, I had him infiltrate the Sky Cloud Clans. His talent in cultivation was exceptional—he might have even reached our level one day. Our Fire lineage elders had already prepared to perform a blood and marrow replacement ritual to fully transform his body into that of a Horned Demon once his mission was complete. But now, just as we were about to succeed, chaos struck.” The old man’s expression turned grim.
“Haha, Brother Tu, don’t dwell on regrets. We’ll just tear the murderer to pieces later. It’s a shame we didn’t plant a tracking mark on him for fear of exposure. Otherwise, we could have easily located the killer. But it doesn’t matter—we’ve already deployed most of our forces from the war vessel. They won’t escape.” The middle-aged man smiled coldly.
“With the Celestial Compass bestowed by the Grand Elders, we needn’t worry about them escaping. The only issue is that there’s more than one of those items, and we don’t know if they’re still in the hands of the Ancient Clan. We can’t let them destroy them in desperation—the elders were very clear about retrieving them intact.” The old man pondered before speaking.
“I’m well aware of that. That’s why we’ve stayed hidden in the war vessel—to confirm the target first and then strike with overwhelming force, leaving them no chance to react. The original plan was for Hongmie to identify the holder of the item and mark them before we moved in. Now that he’s dead, we don’t know who has it. That complicates things.” The middle-aged man frowned.
“It’s troublesome, but not unsolvable. Given the item’s importance, it’s unlikely to be entrusted to a low-level cultivator under our siege. After all, we’ve mobilized enough forces to capture every cultivator in Greenlight City—low-level ones have no chance of escape. If someone foolishly gave it to a weakling, that would only make our job easier. That narrows the search significantly. I suspect it’s in the hands of an upper-tier Upper Clan member—or, if a Sacred Clan member is present, undoubtedly with them.” The old man analyzed slowly.
“Agreed. That narrows the targets considerably. The mid-tier Upper Clan members can be left to the Winged Flood Dragons. We’ll personally handle the top three tiers with support from the others.” The middle-aged man nodded.
“Of the six squad leaders, leave two to guard the war vessel and send the rest out. By now, the low-level outsiders should be mostly dealt with. Without their interference, the Celestial Compass will easily pinpoint the high-tier targets.” The old man murmured.
The middle-aged man didn’t respond, but his eyes flickered thoughtfully.
—
By now, around Greenlight City, after repeated sweeps by the giant eagles and silver-armored warriors on canoes, most of the fleeing outsider cultivators had been killed or captured. Only a few with superior concealment techniques remained hidden nearby, hoping to survive.
A handful of higher-tier cultivators, relying on their deep reserves of magic power, had fled beyond sight. The golden-winged flood dragons were in hot pursuit, though whether they could catch up was anyone’s guess.
The fact that the armored warriors and two-headed eagles continued searching nearby without aiding the beasts suggested the terrifying reputation of the so-called “Winged Flood Dragons.”
Under their relentless scrutiny, occasional streaks of light would burst from hidden spots in the mountains or forests, only to be swarmed by the eagles or canoes. Screams followed as attacks obliterated the fleeing figures.
Meanwhile, Han Li was already over eighty miles from Greenlight City.
His earlier battle with the Fire Moon Clan spy had seemed intense, with loud clashes, but the Spring Dawn Sword Formation he’d secretly deployed contained all energy fluctuations. Even the spy’s final sonic attack from the bronze bell was absorbed effortlessly by the formation’s power.
Thus, despite fighting right outside the city, the Horned Demon Clan detected nothing.
After destroying the spy’s soul, Han Li retrieved another jade box and the Golden Blood Pill, then incinerated the corpse. He stowed his treasures and the sword formation, activated a Taiyi Concealment Talisman, and slipped away unnoticed.
The talisman’s power made him invisible even to peers, let alone the Horned Demon pursuers. He passed under two-headed eagles and canoes multiple times without detection.
As for Big Head and the green-skinned man, they had already fled far ahead. Given the need for stealth, they likely hadn’t gone beyond a few hundred miles.
Han Li flew cautiously toward the least guarded direction, staying alert. Soon, he was hundreds of miles from the city, with no enemies in sight.
He relaxed slightly but kept the talisman active, wary of long-range detection techniques or artifacts.
Unbeknownst to him, his caution was justified.
As he distanced himself from the city, six shadowy figures hovered above the silver-green island. Two were the old man and middle-aged man from earlier; the other four varied in stature but seemed equally important.
At their center floated a golden compass-like artifact, its needle flickering between strange markings while golden runes swirled around it.
After several rotations, the needle suddenly stopped between two markings.
“The fourth powerful target is locked. Split into pairs and head to the coordinates. The other two are ours. Based on the energy readings, they’re upper-tier Upper Clan members. Don’t engage immediately—wait for us to handle our targets first. If they try to destroy anything, stop them at all costs. Each of you take two Winged Flood Dragons for insurance.” The old man commanded coldly.
“Yes!” The four bowed in unison.
“Move out. Even the nearest is hundreds of miles away.” The middle-aged man added.
The four nodded, and the old man let out a sharp whistle. Over a dozen golden flood dragons soared from the island, joining them in the air.
With a wave of his hand, the four subordinates shot off as streaks of light, accompanied by eight flood dragons. Only two remained behind.
The old man glanced at the compass, his expression shifting oddly. He flicked a red spell into it, and the needle spun before settling—pointing directly in Han Li’s direction.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage