Chapter 54: Black-Robed Man

Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Black-Robed Man

"He won’t survive the night?"

After hearing this news, Shen Yun was initially startled, but then his mind started racing. "Could it be... that he’s actually already dead, and this is just a corpse being controlled by someone behind the scenes?" he asked with a serious expression.

The impression Black Magic gave was exactly this sort of thing—controlling corpses, hiding in the shadows to plot, and the like.

"But..." Miao Yun bit her lower lip gently, offering a tactful, quiet reminder. "You can’t see the fortune of a dead person."

"...Right." Shen Yun admitted that he had been overthinking. Letting one’s imagination run too wild wasn’t always a good thing. Xiao Jiu was already letting out a series of pleasant giggles in his mind.

"Amitabha. This poor monk also noticed something amiss," Master Yu Yifan chimed in. "I do not know if it is a characteristic of Black Magic, but I sense an extremely foul presence on that man."

"In that case..." Shen Yun frowned. "We’ll just have to keep a close eye on him. If something happens to John here, the consequences will be unpredictable."

What Shen Yun worried about the most was that this man—or perhaps someone behind the scenes—was using Black Magic to control foreign financial syndicates. After all, the vast majority of the shot-callers from the old world order had no aptitude for being a Cultivator.

"Let’s take turns watching him," Celestial Master Zhong Han said, agreeing with Shen Yun’s assessment. If there really was some conspiracy, they probably wouldn’t be able to avoid it anyway.

The first day of the opening ceremony was primarily for tournament registration and preliminary selections. A total of six major inheritances had been publicly announced. Some foreign Cultivators who originally hadn’t planned to attend rushed over upon seeing this, wanting to fight for a chance to learn. Therefore, the registration and preliminary selection period was extended for another three days.

However, absolutely nothing happened, even after the evening banquet concluded. It remained quiet until nine o’clock at night. The four Golden Core experts remained in the room directly above John and his group.

"The aura of death on his forehead is getting denser," Miao Yun said as her Divine Thought gently swept over the area below. Her Divine Thought had inherited the properties of Yin Yang and Void, making it very difficult to detect.

"What exactly does this aura of death represent?" Shen Yun couldn’t help but ask. "With us keeping watch like this, there shouldn’t be a high probability of a fatal future."

"I haven’t reached the point where I can predict the future," Miao Yun said, looking a little embarrassed as she explained. "What I can see is only a current danger. For example, if someone is suffering from a disease, being targeted by a sniper, or being stalked by an assassin. That day in East City, only those who had already been infected by the Gu parasites had such an aura of death on their foreheads."

So that was it. Shen Yun understood now. In other words, the aura of death Miao Yun saw wasn’t a premonition of a future demise, but a warning of a lethal danger presently faced. He wondered if it was an internal issue with John himself.

"There’s a suspicious person," Celestial Master Zhong Han suddenly called out.

"Where?" Shen Yun and the others quickly gathered around to look at the surveillance footage on the screen. The reason they didn’t use their Divine Thought was that Divine Thought Stage experts possessed a certain level of sensitivity toward being probed.

In the surveillance footage, a person completely enveloped in a black robe slipped into the hotel from a corner. However, the surrounding staff members seemed completely oblivious.

"Around one point nine meters tall, burly build. It should be a man." Zhong Han stood up. "I’ll go catch him now."

"No—" Shen Yun suddenly raised his hand. "Hold on. Let’s see what this person intends to do."

Xiao Jiu was already keeping a close eye on the man using signal waves; it seemed the intruder couldn’t detect electromagnetic surveillance either. If that was the case, everything was already under Xiao Jiu’s control.

The black-robed man didn’t seem to have the slightest intention of avoiding the surveillance cameras. The security system had already been triggered, but thanks to Zhong Han’s prior instructions, the security personnel temporarily refrained from taking any action.

They watched as the black-robed man navigated his way to John’s door. The four of them involuntarily fell silent, slowing their breathing to avoid being detected.

A moment later, a knock came from below.

"Who is it?" One of John’s Black disciples opened the door. The moment he saw the man outside, his eyes glazed over and became dull and listless. The black-robed man walked straight in and shut the door behind him.

John, who was currently sitting and conversing with several of his disciples, instantly became alert upon seeing the intruder. "Who... are you?" he asked, his voice carrying a hint of alarm and uncertainty.

Because they looked far too similar!

The intruder was a tall, handsome Caucasian, but his eyes and his aura were practically identical to John’s own. Looking into the other man’s eyes felt just like looking into a mirror. However, waves of disgust and fear inexplicably surged within his heart.

"Truly... filthy," the black-robed man spat out in broken English. After studying John for a long time, a murderous intent suddenly flared in his eyes. "As expected, I still cannot tolerate the existence of someone like you."

For a split second, John felt as if he were an unforgivable sinner, and the man standing before him was the embodiment of holiness. The bitter taste of repentance filled his heart. And in that exact moment, a greatsword radiating holy light swung down right at his head.

BOOM!

A massive shockwave swept through the entire room, shattering the walls. The four Golden Core experts smashed through the ceiling, descending to completely surround the black-robed man. Master Yu Yifan had impressively caught the sword strike barehanded, his palms glowing with golden light.

Piercing alarms blared throughout the entire hotel.

"Quickly evacuate everyone from the hotel!" Celestial Master Zhong Han’s voice rolled out like thunder, echoing throughout the high-rise building. Because the man standing before them was actually at the Golden Core Level! An unknown Golden Core Stage expert!

Shen Yun observed John’s condition and found that his face was already covered in tears. His eyes were filled with a suffocating sorrow, completely immersed in his own world, entirely oblivious to everything happening around him.

"What did you do to him?" Shen Yun looked at the black-robed man and demanded in English.

"I merely made him realize his own filth. His existence desecrates a holy soul."

Spiritual Power unique to the Golden Core Level surged around the black-robed man. His expression remained resolute, not showing the slightest bit of fear despite being surrounded by four Golden Core experts. Shen Yun noticed his gaze. It was exactly the same as John’s—brave, fearless, and resilient, as if absolutely nothing could stop his forward march.

The black-robed man also fixed his eyes on Shen Yun. Intuition told him that this young-looking man possessed formidable strength, perhaps no weaker than a Great Saint. He spoke once more in broken English, "I have no intention of making enemies of you, but this matter has nothing to do with you."

"Nothing to do with us?" Shen Yun sneered, bright electrical currents already surging around his body. "I’m afraid you don’t realize whose territory you’re standing on! Right now, you are suspected of illegal entry and attempted murder. You’d better drop your weapon and surrender without a fight!"