Chapter 198 - 129: The Bai Family’s Defeat, the Braid Army Appears

Chapter 198: Chapter 129: The Bai Family’s Defeat, the Braid Army Appears

However, the bright look in his eyes was soon replaced by doubt.

Lu Jing’an stared at the blood mist as it gradually dissipated into the dust.

His eyes, which had just been shining with victory, were now clouded by a shadow of unease.

’Something’s wrong.’

’There’s no notification.’

The notification for collecting Bai Ting’s Divine Soul had yet to appear.

This was highly unusual.

Lu Jing’an’s brow slowly knitted together, as if locking away an invisible anxiety.

Lu Jing’an suppressed the roiling energy in his body and the profound weakness that came from overexerting himself.

He forced himself to calm down, his mind racing to analyze the situation and unravel it thread by thread.

He rapidly analyzed the situation before him.

’As I see it,’ Lu Jing’an thought, ’for a situation like this to occur, there are only two possibilities.’

’First, Bai Ting’s Divine Soul was taken by the Primordial Ancestor of the Blood Race.’

’Second, Bai Ting isn’t completely dead.’

’The first possibility...’

Lu Jing’an paused, his gaze sweeping over the devastated street.

Broken beams, charred bricks, pools of blood of varying depths...

His eyes finally came to rest on the depths of the seemingly endless, thick fog.

In the end, Lu Jing’an dismissed the first possibility.

It wasn’t a question of whether that legendary Evil God truly possessed such Divine Techniques.

The ability to snatch something so precisely from a distance, in this current world where Its power was still limited, was one thing.

Even if It did, Lu Jing’an was inclined to believe...

...that the entity wouldn’t dare—or perhaps couldn’t—easily extend its reach so deep into the heartland of the Great Xia.

If these otherworldly Evil Gods could truly descend at will, their faith and their followers...

...would have long since spread across this ancient land like a plague, rather than operating as they did now.

They could only make their moves slowly, bit by bit.

As for why they didn’t dare, Lu Jing’an didn’t fully understand the reasons yet.

But that didn’t stop him from making a judgment based on the information he had.

"Then..."

A sharp glint flashed in Lu Jing’an’s eyes as he eliminated the first possibility.

"That leaves only the second option. Bai Ting... isn’t completely dead!"

Recalling the scene of Bai Ting’s body exploding into a swarm of Blood Bats to escape, Lu Jing’an felt a chill.

’He probably has some kind of contingency hidden somewhere,’ he thought, ’like a "blood seed" or a doppelg?nger, carrying his last sliver of life.’

’I absolutely cannot let him get away!’

The thought was unshakable.

It had come to this; it was a matter of life and death.

If he really let that old fox Bai Ting escape with such blazing hatred...

...the Lu Family would never know another day of peace. Even if the entire family fled and went into hiding...

...they would likely never escape his relentless, haunting pursuit.

’Having made an enemy of him to this extent, the only path left is to cut him down, root and stem.’

Lu Jing’an took a deep breath, ignoring the dull ache in his mind.

He pushed the ability of his [Cause and Effect with Sound] entry to its absolute limit.

Invisible waves of perception spread out from him, slow but steady.

Like the finest sieve, they swept over every inch of the ground.

They penetrated the scattered rubble and seeped into the damp earth.

They even brushed across the bloodstains that were slowly growing cold and solidifying.

Time ticked by. The only sounds in the courtyard were the wind and the faint clamor in the distance.

Lu Jing’an stood as still as a statue, but his face grew paler and fine beads of cold sweat broke out on his temples.

This meticulous search was a heavy burden on him in his extremely weakened state.

After about the time it would take to drink a cup of tea...

Suddenly, Lu Jing’an’s tightly shut eyes snapped open, a cold glint as sharp as a blade flashing within them.

"Found it!"

Lu Jing’an’s steps were somewhat unsteady.

Yet he walked with abnormal resolve toward an inconspicuous pool of blood in a corner of the street.

The blood was dark, almost black, and mixed with dust, looking no different from any of the other pools.

If not for [Cause and Effect with Sound] catching the imperceptible life fluctuation—one that shared the same source as Bai Ting—Lu Jing’an would never have given it a second glance.

At that moment, a mangled Blood Bat, almost one with the pool of blood...

...lay dormant within, its presence so faint it was nearly nonexistent.

Lu Jing’an stopped before the pool of blood and looked down at it.

His tone was surprisingly calm, as if he were chatting with an old friend.

"Commander Bai, what a clever trick.

You chose your hiding spot brilliantly.

So close. You almost managed to pull off that Golden Cicada Shell of yours."

The pool of blood rippled slightly.

A moment later, a Blood Bat with wings so tattered it seemed on the verge of falling from the sky...

...struggled to pull itself free from the pool.

It hovered unsteadily just above the ground.

It didn’t speak, but Bai Ting’s voice—weak, yet still laced with its usual authority and a trace of imperceptible panic—rang directly in Lu Jing’an’s mind:

"Lu Jing’an... let me go.

I swear on my Divine Soul, from this day forward, I will never target anyone from the Lu Family again!

Not only that, the Bai Family is willing to form an alliance with the Lu Family.

We will share in glory and stand as equals!

What say we let what happened today be water under the bridge?"

Lu Jing’an was slightly surprised to hear this voice transmitted directly into his consciousness.

But his surprise quickly turned into faint mockery.

"An oath?"

Lu Jing’an shook his head slightly, his tone turning cold.

"Commander Bai, we’ve already fought to this point. Enough blood has been shed to form a river.

Do you really think I’d believe such a weightless oath from you?"

Lu Jing’an’s gaze swept over his empty hip; his sidearm was long since lost.

The alert Zhao Laosuan at his side immediately stepped forward and offered his own rifle with both hands.

Lu Jing’an took the heavy weapon, which was still warm and smelled of gunpowder.

He expertly worked the bolt, chambering a round, and aimed the dark muzzle steadily at the mangled Blood Bat.

Seeing Lu Jing’an act without a moment’s hesitation, Bai Ting’s Divine Thought transmission grew frantic:

"Lu Jing’an!

Wait! Don’t shoot!

Do you really think the Hu Family are saints?