Chapter 568: Making a Move

As evening fell, the sky began to darken.

Two figures appeared soundlessly on a rooftop overlooking a side courtyard of the Zhu Mansion. They made no effort to conceal themselves, brazenly scanning the crowd below until their gazes locked onto a single individual.

“Found him!”

“It’s him!”

Zhang Fang and Fang Zhuo exchanged a look and leaped down from the rooftop.

“Who’s there?”

“Surround them!”

Though the members of the Zhu Mansion’s Nursing Home had low Cultivation, they weren’t blind. They had already spotted the figures and quickly assembled.

Equipped with dozens of Low-Tier Qi Blood Divine Weapon sets from Zhu Ju and using the Battle Array Method taught by Ming Nianwei, nearly thirty Grade-Entering members of the Nursing Home formed a Battle Array in an instant under Nursing Director Zhang’s command.

WHOOSH…

Their Qi Blood churned, sounding like a Tiger Roar and Dragon’s Chant.

Dragon Tiger Heaven Array!

This Battle Array Method came from the Mansion Soldiers of Prince Yong’an’s Mansion; it was anything but ordinary. Once formed, the Battle Array not only linked the Qi Blood of the dozen-plus men together, but it also consolidated the enhancement from their Qi Blood Divine Weapons.

As their Qi Blood surged, the faint phantom of an Exotic Beast materialized. With a low roar, a thick fog rose from the ground.

The thick fog billowed, and the ringing of blades, spears, swords, and halberds echoed from within.

The fog generated by the Battle Array could actually cloud a Martial Artist’s perception and Spiritual Sense, making them feel as if they were trapped in a labyrinth.

“What kind of Battle Array is this?”

Zhang Fang’s expression changed.

“Keeping a private army to practice Battle Arrays… The law says three can massacre a household, and thirty can wipe out a whole clan. You people have some nerve!”

The Divine Dynasty’s laws were strict, but enforcement was difficult.

Although the “three-man massacre” law existed, Martial Arts Halls had their own joint combat techniques, and Martial Arts Sects had Sword Arrays. These couldn’t all be banned, so as long as the group didn’t exceed thirty people, it was generally fine.

In fact, private armies with Battle Arrays exceeding thirty soldiers were not unheard of, but they certainly didn’t belong to minor households.

In Zhang Fang’s eyes, a Battle Array this formidable had to involve more than thirty people.

Little did he know, they hadn’t exceeded the limit.

The array’s power was simply a testament to the sophisticated Battle Array Ming Nianwei had taught them, plus the fact that the mansion had recently recruited many Grade-Entering wandering Martial Artists from the Prefecture City.

“Attack!”

Nursing Director Zhang’s cheeks were still swollen, and his eyes burned with hatred for Zhang Fang. With a low roar, he swung his saber.

In an instant, the fog filled with crisscrossing flashes of blades, forming a giant grindstone that bore down on the two men, threatening to tear them apart.

CLANG…

BOOM!

A blast of Qi Force erupted.

Fang Zhuo, sword in hand, frowned slightly.

“Senior Brother, I’ll hold off the Battle Array. You go capture that Half-Demon. Let’s not waste any more time.”

“Right!”

Zhang Fang gritted his teeth and shot forward, pouncing on Qian Hu, who stood ready for a fight.

“Go down, junior!”

“You think I’m scared of you?”

Qian Hu gritted his teeth and roared, his body blurring as he lunged forward like a tiger pouncing down a mountain. His hands curved into claws as he swiped violently.

Kuaidou Claw!

“Oh?”

Zhang Fang raised an eyebrow, a look of surprise in his eyes. Then, as if realizing something, he burst into laughter.

“A bloodline inheritance!”

“I never imagined I’d run into a Half-Demon with a bloodline inheritance here.”

WHAM!

Even as he spoke, the two had already clashed.

An Eighth-Grade like Qian Hu was no match for Zhang Fang. With a pained roar, he was slammed hard into the ground.

“ROAR!”

The enormous gap in their power made Qian Hu’s eyes blaze crimson. He could no longer afford to hide his true nature.

“Chong Ghosts, enter!”

WHOOSH…

A ghostly wind howled. Twelve Yin Souls swirled through the air before diving into his body.

BOOM!

Cracks spread across the packed earth as a crater, ten feet in diameter, materialized out of nowhere.

At the center of the crater lay the limp form of Qian Hu.

“Chong Ghosts?”

Zhang Fang seized Qian Hu by the neck, his face a mask of contempt.

“Using Chong Ghosts lets you burst out with Seventh-Grade power. Too bad… it’s not nearly enough.”

“It’s useless!”

He glanced at the desperately struggling Qian Hu and scoffed.

“My Seven Evil Claw Force is the bane of all things yin and evil. In the face of my Evil Qi, your Chong Ghosts wouldn’t dare show their faces.”

“Junior Brother!”

“I’m done over here.”

“Right!” Fang Zhuo, still trapped in the Battle Array, nodded at his words. His Sword Light suddenly flared, and a beam of Profound Light shot out in all directions.

Qi Blood Divine Weapon—Demon-Revealing Mirror!

As the Profound Light swept past, the Battle Array’s operation faltered for a moment. The two seized the opportunity to escape.

Of course, they took Qian Hu with them.

*

*

*

“Young Master!”

Nursing Director Zhang knelt on one knee, his face etched with shame.

“We have failed you. We were unable to protect the Zhu Mansion and allowed those villains to break in and abduct Qian Hu.”

“You are not to blame.” Zhu Ju shook his head gently.

“They’re disciples of the Wenda Sect. If you were able to stop them, the Sect would hardly deserve its title as a Martial Arts Grand Sect.”

“That’s enough.”

“I’m aware of the situation. I will go to the City Lord’s Mansion and demand an explanation from the City Lord. You are dismissed.”

As he watched Nursing Director Zhang withdraw from the room, Ming Nianwei, who had been sitting demurely to the side, spoke in a low voice:

“My Lord.”

“Qian Hu’s bloodline is no ordinary thing. Now that the Wenda Sect has captured him, it will be impossible to get him back.”

In this world, a Great Saint of the Demon Race once self-immolated, his body transforming into the Emperor’s Liquid. Released once a year, it grants Awakening to others of the Demon Race.

But most members of the Demon Race struggle to achieve greatness.

Those who can become Great Demons are few and far between.

One reason is their lack of inherited knowledge. Most only know the most basic methods of Cultivation, like absorbing moonlight or consuming flesh and blood.

With such a crude method of Cultivation, it takes a millennium to shed one’s mortal shell, achieve Transformation into a human form, and become a Great Demon.

A millennium?

The Human Race can produce a whole batch of Middle-Grade Martial Artists in just thirty years!

Only a few powerful bloodlines can pass their legacy down to their descendants.

Beings of that caliber are exceedingly rare, even among the Upper Three Grades.

They might even be Super Grade!

“I had planned to wait until he was older, once his Cultivation had progressed, and ask for some of his Essence Blood.” Zhu Ju sighed.

“It seems that’s no longer an option.”

Even if he managed to get him back from Zhang Fang, the Wenda Sect would just send someone even stronger to take him again.

“My Lord.” Ming Nianwei’s eyes glittered.

“I have mastered the Method you gave me to cultivate.”

“Oh!”

A smile touched Zhu Ju’s lips.

“Show me.”

“Yes.”

Ming Nianwei agreed, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. She then extended her right hand, allowing Zhu Ju to take it.

She closed her eyes and silently activated the Spell. A moment later, she felt a faint yet profound Divine Thought appear in her Sea of Consciousness.

BOOM!

The Divine Thought merely stirred, but the Magical Power within Ming Nianwei’s body suddenly went wild.

A terrifying power began to circulate according to an exceptionally profound method.

‘Ming Nianwei realized she didn’t truly understand what Magical Power was, nor had she known she possessed such vast, untapped potential. All she knew was that as the Divine Thought pulsed, her senses instantly enveloped the entire Zhu Mansion.’

This…

‘This is more than ten times stronger than when I project my own Divine Thought! With the same Cultivation and Magical Power, the difference in might is this vast when wielded by different people.’

“Not bad.”

Zhu Ju withdrew his hand, leaving a single strand of his Divine Thought in Ming Nianwei’s Sea of Consciousness.

“Let’s go.”

“We’re going to the City Lord’s Mansion.”

…

CREAK… CREAK…

The carriage wheels groaned as they turned.

Ming Nianwei lit a stick of Clearing Incense, then lifted the carriage curtain to survey their surroundings.

“My Lord,”

she began, her voice low,

“On our way to the City Lord’s Mansion, there’s a street that passes near the Nie Mansion, at a distance of about sixteen zhang. With the Secret Technique you taught me, I can temporarily block the perception of a Fifth-Grade Martial Artist.”

“With the carriage moving, that gives us half an incense stick’s time at most. You could use that opportunity to kill Zhang Fang and eliminate the threat for good.”

“Mm.” Zhu Ju nodded. Just as he was about to speak, his gaze flickered. He looked up, his sight piercing through the carriage roof toward the sky.

“Demon Qi!”

“Such strong Demon Qi.”