novelraw Chapter 173 - 168: Nowhere to Hide, The Hunt Amidst the Tumult (Part 2)
Chapter 173 - 168: Nowhere to Hide, The Hunt Amidst the Tumult (Part 2)
Modu Stadium.
As night deepened, the first round of the Hundred Heroes Martial Arts Discussion was drawing to a close.
But the crowd’s enthusiasm remained undiminished. Cheers radiated from the stadium, audible even miles away.
Although the duels between Martial Artists below the Saint Realm lacked the miraculous and grand scale of a Saint Expert’s battle, the raw thrill of fists meeting flesh was enough to excite any ordinary person, making their blood pump with the excitement and spectacle.
After all, the duels of Saint Martial Artists involved clashes of True Intent and the manipulation of magnetic fields. Every punch and kick held profound mysteries. Unless one was an expert, ordinary people could only perceive the miraculous and immense scale, finding it difficult to grasp the true essence of the fight.
At this moment, a middle-aged man with an ordinary face and plain clothes blended into the crowd, rising and shouting along with everyone else.
However, a closer look would reveal that his eyes were as placid as stagnant water, devoid of any excitement or emotion.
He had come here for one reason only: to gather more intelligence for his organization.
Yao Lingfeng. On the surface, he was just the moderately wealthy owner of a tea shop. In reality, he was an important leader in the Pioneer Group’s Donghua Region, as well as a Perfect Super Warrior.
One of the items used by the three Super Warriors to create their avatars, the Black Earl’s Blood Cross, had been personally retrieved by him.
In fact, he had been the one to arrange the entire plan.
His position was crucial, and he knew many of the Pioneer Group’s secrets.
After the plan failed, all of the Pioneer Group’s informants within the massage parlor had scattered, gone into hiding, or evacuated. Only he remained in Modu, and he had even brazenly appeared here at the venue, right under the noses of several Saint Experts.
This was partly because he was needed to oversee the situation and rebuild their network, and partly because his identity was absolutely secure, making it impossible for experts to sense him.
The reason for this was a Dharma Artifact he carried.
His hand unconsciously drifted to the Jade Pendant he wore on his chest.
It was a Dharma Artifact personally crafted by an Ancient One who had achieved their Dao through Arrays. It could block all forms of perception and was his greatest assurance of safety in Donghua.
Soon, the final match ended. After the host’s closing remarks, the large crowd began to file out. Yao Lingfeng mingled among them, slowly leaving the stadium.
’These Donghua Experts certainly have some skill,’ he thought.
The battles he’d witnessed tonight replayed in his mind as he mentally evaluated each Martial Artist.
’Who has the potential for Ascension? Who has some unique trait? All of this will be reported to the organization as important intelligence.’
Tonight alone, he had observed no fewer than three Martial Artists with the potential for Ascension.
’The Great Trend of the Donghua Martial Arts Dao is unstoppable.’
’What a pity that the operation that night failed.’
’If Devi from the Starry Sky Country hadn’t interfered, how could that Yi Beidou possibly have escaped unharmed from the surprise attack of three Ancient One avatars?’
’In the end, he even lost the duel, reaping what he sowed. Utterly foolish.’
In his heart, the Ancient Ones were the only beings truly akin to Deities.
They reincarnated endlessly, lived through countless ages, immortal and undying. A mere Jade Pendant from them was enough to deceive the world.
"Wow, today’s matches were really amazing. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see that Mr. Yi."
"Yeah, seriously! Such a pity. I missed the duels a few days ago. Ugh, we corporate drones can’t even get a day off. Otherwise, I definitely would’ve gone to see it in person."
"That’s a real shame. I was there. I watched with binoculars, and the scene... it was just breathtaking. That Mr. Yi is so young, yet he’s defeated opponents from multiple countries. Do you guys think he’s the best in the world now?"
"..."
Just then, Yao Lingfeng overheard the discussion next to him.
’The best in the world?’
A playful smile touched the corners of Yao Lingfeng’s mouth.
’Ordinary people will be ordinary people. They’ll never know how big this world is, or how deep its secrets run.’
’Even the so-called pinnacle duel between Donghua and the Starry Sky Country was nothing more than a squabble between juniors. And he dares to be called the best in the world?’
’These people could never imagine how powerful those hidden existences truly are.’
’It’s just like those rich lists they publish now. How many of the truly rich and powerful ever actually appear on them?’
’Yi Beidou has become a target of the Ancient Ones. His death could be announced any day now. I’m really looking forward to that day, just to see the shocked looks on these people’s faces.’
Yao Lingfeng shoved his hands in his pockets and followed the crowd out of the stadium and into the plaza in front.
Suddenly, his steps faltered. For a split second, he felt as if his Jade Pendant had grown sharp spikes and pricked him.
He knew this was one of the Dharma Artifact’s warning functions.
Danger, it seemed, was near.
’Where is the danger?’
His gaze grew wary as he scanned the surrounding crowd.
Suddenly, he heard a clamor from the crowd as many people around him turned their gazes toward one spot.
That spot was directly in front of him.
’In front of me?!’
Only then did he realize the light around him had dimmed. A massive shadow had fallen over him.
He snapped his gaze back to what was in front of him.
A tall figure shrouded in blue-and-white flames had appeared before him at some unknown moment. An icy gaze, as calm and unyielding as ancient glaciers, looked down on him, causing his mind to go blank for a moment.
"Wh-Who is that?! There was no one there a second ago! Where did he suddenly come from?!"
"Is... is that fire on him?! What’s going on?!"
"..."
The surrounding crowd came to a halt, erupting in a flurry of discussion.
Everyone had clearly seen that just a moment ago, there was no such conspicuous person in front of them. It was as if he had materialized out of thin air!
Furthermore, the blue-and-white flames enveloping his body were obviously not something a normal person could possess.
"M-Mr. Yi?!"
Recognizing the distinct features, someone seemed to identify the figure who had suddenly appeared, letting out a cry that was almost a trembling gasp.
Mr. Yi?!
The Mr. Yi who defeated the strongest expert from the Starry Sky Country?!
That name was now legendary among enthusiast circles, and its mention instantly sent the crowd into an uproar.
Yi Beidou!!
’How could he be here?! How did he detect my location?! And how did he appear before me, silently, with so many people watching, without me noticing a thing?!’
Unlike the crowd’s excitement, at this moment, Yao Lingfeng felt as if his scalp was about to explode. Under that condescending gaze, his heart felt like it was about to stop beating.
This was the extent of Yi Beidou’s current ability.
Devi could use his own powerful magnetic field to distort the vision of others, making it seem as if he were in another space, a god unseen even when standing right before them.
Now that Yi Beidou had developed his Demon Body and the Celestial Demon Chaotic Star, he could achieve something similar.
At the very least, deceiving the perception of ordinary people and a flawed Saint Realm practitioner like Yao Lingfeng was no problem at all.
BOOM!!
The next moment, a terrifying aura erupted from Yao Lingfeng’s body.
Cruel, bloody, and savage.
It was a blade’s intent, not like Donghua Martial Arts, but more like something from Japan.
The Killing Dao!
The horrifying killing intent instantly silenced all surrounding chatter, and the crowd began to tremble in fear.
Yao Lingfeng was, after all, an elite operative who had been hiding in Donghua for years. After a brief moment of shock, he reacted immediately, a vicious glint flashing in his eyes.
’He actually managed to break the Ancient One’s Talisman Seal and find me... but right now, we’re in public, in the middle of a huge crowd!!’
’Even if I can’t get away today, I can go on a killing spree before you kill me!’
’The responsibility for these countless lives will ultimately fall on you! It will trigger a massive public outcry, causing you, Donghua’s rising star, to instantly fall from grace and become a demon in the eyes of the public! It might even cause all Martial Artists who act without restraint to face the doubt and condemnation of all ordinary people!’
’I’ll use my life to sever this Great Trend of Donghua!’
Yao Lingfeng suddenly exerted his strength, his eyes turning bloodshot. He prepared to lunge toward the ordinary people beside him, intending to start a massacre and use them to buy time.
However, in the next moment...
BOOM!!
Yi Beidou, standing before him, didn’t move a muscle. His expression remained calm as the Demon Flame around him flared, instantly engulfing Yao Lingfeng.
Heaven and Earth inverted; all things fell into chaos.
In an instant, he couldn’t even tell up from down, let alone kill anyone.
Amid the chaos, only the man before him remained real and solid, like the master of this pandemonium. His calm expression made it seem as if he were looking at an ant.
SNAP.
The other man’s hand instantly clamped around his neck. And he, a Perfect Super Warrior, found himself utterly powerless to resist.
’This intense feeling of powerlessness and oppression...’
He couldn’t help but recall the back of that godlike Ancient One he had once seen in a hidden place.
’Twenty-seven years old, and he already has power and presence comparable to an Ancient One?’
’What a joke!!’
A trace of despair surged in his heart, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips.
’This time, I’m a dead man. But the vast intelligence in my head absolutely cannot be leaked so easily.’
He was just about to sever his own heart meridian when Yi Beidou’s Demon Flame suddenly invaded his body.
Instantly, his body was no longer under his control.
However, that wasn’t his only way to commit suicide.
As a Perfect Super Warrior, he also had a chip in his brain that could be triggered with a simple thought.
’Die!!’
His consciousness prodded the chip in his brain.
A moment later, his eyes widened in disbelief.
The chip had failed.
He was still alive and completely unharmed.
"In my hands, do you really think you control your own life and death?"
Yi Beidou’s calm voice echoed in his mind, like a deity who held dominion over life and death.
This wasn’t his first time dealing with people from the Pioneer Group. How could he not be prepared for their self-destruction methods?
His current Power of Demon Flame could not only affect a living being’s body but also distort their consciousness and even interfere with the operation of electronic devices.
He didn’t just want this man’s life; he wanted all the intelligence and secrets about the Pioneer Group stored in his mind!
For this person to be the "prey" he sensed by following the threads of karma meant he must have a high-ranking status. Capturing him alive was far more valuable!