Chapter 255: A fox hiding in the shadows [I]
Xiao He raised his hand. Although the opponent had a cultivation level roughly equivalent to Spiritual Enlightenment between the seventh and eighth stages, he was not afraid.
The reason was simple. A cultivator with the laws of Divine Transformation is considered elite, and they are literally one stage away from reaching the peak of this world.
Therefore, although Xiao He did not show it, he was arrogant enough to be offended by the spy’s arrogant behavior.
Blinking, Xiao He suddenly disappeared, while the spy remained in place – there was a significant difference between them in both physical and spiritual power.
“Why is he so calm? What could this be?” Xiao He wondered slightly.
Usually, those who faced him had only one emotion – despair. For despite their efforts, it was extremely difficult to fight against an enemy they couldn’t even see.
However, this spy was surprisingly relaxed. This enraged Xiao He, who was already irritated by recent insults.
And then, the moment came. When Xiao He approached the spy – they were only an arm’s length apart, suddenly the space under Xiao He’s feet lit up.
“What the…”
Before he could even curse, a bright light enveloped his body, and then a spatial distortion occurred. Xiao He shuddered, feeling his Qi being drained. And in the next second…
Thump. A strange sound echoed, as if something light, like a pillow, had fallen to the ground. It was Xiao He’s spatial ring and clothes.
The spy smiled, then fell to his knees. His face showed clear exhaustion.
“Finally. This formation is too heavy. If it weren’t for the fact that I have a lot of Qi, I wouldn’t have been able to deceive this bastard,” the spy thought. Then his appearance began to change, and he became an ordinary person with a common appearance: “Now it’s time to start the plan…”
It was Xie Qing! Although, I think you already figured that out.
His plan was simple – to blend in with the crowd of disciples and enter. Initially, the plan included eliminating witnesses, but fortunately, he managed to avoid unnecessary noise.
Of course, despite his relaxed appearance, the young man… or rather, the man now, was very anxious inside. After all, his life could be cut short at any moment.
For this one moment – the destruction of the altar, he recklessly spent many tokens and currency to buy the things he needed. And now, at this moment, he had only one suitable move.
Taking two steps forward, Xie Qing touched the altar. Immediately, something foreign, similar to Negative Karma, tried to enter his body but was repelled by a mysterious energy – Dragon Qi.
“I think it can rightly be called demonic blood. Their ritual is incredibly terrifying and frightening, and from a survival standpoint, few can survive after the baptism. Although, the risks are worth it, yes…” Xie Qing thought and sighed. He waved his hand, and ten tokens flew out of his spatial ring, surrounding the altar.
Each token had an image of a waterfall, and the items radiated bright and hot energy. This was Yang energy.
Then, ten more tokens with an image of the moon flew out of the young man’s spatial ring. Immediately, the temperature began to change and drop.
However, it was not cold, rather something between heat and cold. For the tokens literally trembled in the air, as if they could not bear each other’s presence.
These were Yin and Yang tokens, each filled with energy of maximum purity.
Usually, they are used for cultivation, but today Xie Qing had other plans. He bit his lip so hard that he drew blood – it had the same red color, but deep within, one could see barely visible golden specks.
“It’s time,” the man thought, sighing.
***
Hao Shen sat in the throne room, reviewing the affairs of his own sect, when suddenly, twenty thousand miles away from the capital, a spatial fluctuation appeared.
“Hm?”
The man frowned in puzzlement. Spatial distortions could be used by cultivators of his level for instant teleportation over long distances, but this consumed a lot of energy. Moreover, traveling this way was dangerous and sometimes even led to conflicts.
Therefore, without much thought, Hao Shen immediately disappeared and appeared right where the spatial fluctuation had occurred. And his surprise knew no bounds when, under the bright night sky, illuminated by the Moon…
His trusted aide fell to the ground with several wounds and a withered dantian. What was more important, he was naked.
“What… is going on here?” Hao Shen wondered.
He descended and approached Xiao He, who slowly stood up. His appearance was not the best – he looked exhausted, as if all his blood had been drained.
“Y-Your… cough… Majesty!” Xiao He croaked, trying to stand up.
“Stop. Don’t get up,” Hao Shen said immediately, seeing the naked Xiao He, and snapped his fingers, pulling out a blanket from his spatial ring: “What the hell is going on here? How did you end up here?”
“S-Spy!” Xiao He suddenly realized and looked at Hao Shen, saying with a wild look: “Your Majesty, there is a spy among the disciples of the Sect of Bone Circle! And right now, he is near the altar!”
“What?!”
Hao Shen instantly darkened. Had he let a rat into his basement full of food?
Xiao He was about to turn around when suddenly…
“Are you in a hurry to leave?”
A cold, female voice, giving the sensation of a blade pressed against your throat. Hao Shen stopped dead in his tracks, then looked at the woman who had appeared from behind Xiao He.
“Y-you…”
Hao Shen was shocked. How did this lunatic get here?
Beautiful, shiny black hair cascading down a slender, willowy back. Gorgeous blue eyes and long eyelashes. A mature, slender figure and a face that could charm anyone.
Xu Mei, the Sword Princess.
***
Xie Qing left the castle using a secret method. He looked around and sighed.
“All of this will be destroyed by me. But so be it.”
Soon, almost immediately, his mood returned to its previous state, and he snapped his fingers, sending a command.
And in the next moment…
BOOOOOOM!
A loud explosion painted the castle in the colors of hellish flames, and the people inside instantly turned to ash – they felt no pain or suffering, they didn’t even realize death had come for them.
The capital was ablaze. Many houses were destroyed. And in this chaos, one of the luxurious pavilions, where the brothel was located, looked too quiet. It did not collapse, but stood proudly, as if nothing could touch it.
And on the very top floor, where no one was present, a murmur could be heard.
“So, there you are…”
***
Hao Shen frowned. Although the opponent was strong, she was not powerful enough to bring him to despair. And that was what was strange.
It was as if his sworn enemy did not want to kill him, but… to delay him?
“Xiao He!” Hao Shen roared during the battle, looking like a wounded lion. His ugly appearance began to show again: “Immediately! Return! To the castle!”
The loud, almost desperate cry brought Xiao He to his senses. Finishing dressing, he immediately ran towards the capital. Thanks to his developed strength and speed, he reached it in just ten minutes.
And when the walls of the capital came into his view, when a relieved smile appeared on his face…
BOOOOOOOOOM!
A loud explosion, like thunder on a clear day, rang out, taking with it the lives of the city’s inhabitants, its walls, buildings, and… the smile from Xiao He’s face.
“N-no…”
He didn’t even have time to despair. Xiao He kept running towards the capital. Leaping over the walls, he activated his Divine Sense, and his eyes flashed with anger.
“Found you!”
Like a arrow, he accelerated and flew towards the southern part of the capital, where one of the exits was located. And without paying attention to the crowds of fleeing residents, he crashed into one of the passersby at full speed.
Ba-bang!
Another explosion made the already chaotic situation even worse. Many civilians simply died from the impact, and a huge crater appeared around the southern gates, with the walls and gates reduced to dust.
The only path to safety was blocked.
“Bastard!”
Xiao He’s furious shout stood out even amidst the chaotic explosions and screams of the residents. He glared with rage at the person whose left arm was injured and hung limply from his shoulder like a dead weight.
It was Xie Qing. When he tried to escape, his opponent caught up with him unexpectedly and struck with such force that the young man had to endure the blow with his own body.
“You’re like diarrhea on a good day…” the young man commented aloud, wearily rubbing his neck. He looked at Xiao He’s condition and smiled: “Looks like you got quite a beating too, huh? Not bad, not bad. The spatial formations I created aren’t very safe. In normal situations, this would be a disadvantage, but… hehe… I think in your situation, it’s quite fitting…”
Xie Qing spoke quickly, not even pausing for breath. Because of this, his tone was so carefree that it greatly irritated Xiao He.
“Die!”
