Chapter 366 - 365: Surging Undercurrents
Shen Haoran looked at the list and suddenly noticed a very interesting fellow.
’Nameless. Name, strength, and origin all unknown. The only time he’s made a move was two days ago, in a great battle with Xue Shitian, the number one on the Hidden Dragon List. In the end, neither of them could gain the upper hand, and the fight ended abruptly.’
Reading this, Shen Haoran grew even more curious. ’Who on earth is this Nameless? To be able to fight Xue Shitian, number one on the Hidden Dragon List, to a draw, his strength must be terrifying. The contest for the Divine Martial Blood Pool is truly full of crouching tigers and hidden dragons.’
After scanning the names on the scroll one more time, Shen Haoran put it away. He had learned everything he needed to. ’Now, I just have to wait for the Divine Martial Realm to open.’
"Don’t go out for the next few days. Just stay in your rooms and cultivate." Feeling the pressure, Shen Haoran said to Murong Wanqing and Han Xu.
Upon hearing this, Murong Wanqing and Han Xu nodded. With so many experts from the Hidden Dragon List suddenly appearing, they both felt immense pressure. If they wanted to compete for a spot, they would have to give it their all.
After coming to an agreement, they all hurried back to their rooms and began to cultivate with their eyes closed. Although there were only five days left until the Divine Martial Realm opened, some last-minute preparation was better than none at all.
And within those five days, Divine Martial City began to surge with dark undercurrents. Fights of all sizes could be seen everywhere. At first, guards from the City Lord’s Mansion tried to suppress them, but when they realized it was impossible to manage, they gave up. As long as the local residents weren’t harmed, the City Lord’s Mansion simply turned a blind eye.
However, no matter how much these people brawled, there were a few places they didn’t dare set foot. The first was the Celestial Martial Auction House. Everyone knew of its powerful background; even if they were ten times bolder, they wouldn’t dare cause trouble there. The second was the Alchemy Master Guild. Even fewer dared to provoke them. Although the Guild was full of Alchemists with relatively low combat strength, angering them was like poking a hornet’s nest—they wouldn’t rest until you were dead. Finally, there were the headquarters of the Two Sects and Two Valleys. As titans of the Northern Domain, their influence was immense, and no one was foolish enough to provoke them.
Yet, even these untouchable places were not peaceful. Within the Celestial Spirit Sect’s headquarters, a young man in blood-red attire sat cross-legged in a courtyard. A scarlet, baleful aura coiled around him, so chilling and sinister that the very air seemed to freeze.
"Young Master Xue, I’ve found the people you were looking for," an old man said softly, appearing behind Xue Shitian a moment later.
Hearing this, Xue Shitian slowly opened his eyes. The surrounding blood-red, baleful aura surged back into his body. He said flatly, "Speak."
"The three people you were looking for are Shen Haoran, Murong Wanqing, and Han Xu. Right after entering Divine Martial City, they injured City Lord Hua’s son. They’re now hiding in the Celestial Martial Auction House," the old man said respectfully.
"Hiding in the Celestial Martial Auction House?" Hearing the old man’s words, Xue Shitian furrowed his brow slightly.
"Young Master Xue, should we bring them to our Celestial Spirit Sect headquarters? They are the Third Elder’s disciples, after all," the old man asked.
"No need. They’re just three pieces of trash; bringing them here would be a hassle. I don’t like dead weight," Xue Shitian said coldly. He then asked, "And what about Nameless, whom I had you investigate? What have you found?"
When Xue Shitian asked about this, the old man’s expression dimmed. He replied, "Young Master Xue, it seems Nameless is not a Martial Artist from the Northern Domain. No one in the entire Northern Domain has ever heard of him. Moreover, he vanished without a trace after his battle with you that day and hasn’t been seen since. Perhaps you gravely injured him, and he died somewhere!"
"Gravely injured by me?" Hearing this, Xue Shitian snorted, his expression turning ugly. He clutched his chest, a pained look on his face. ’On the surface, it seemed that battle ended abruptly because we were evenly matched. But I know the truth. I was suppressed from the very beginning, and it felt like he wasn’t even using his full power. The reason he withdrew was likely because he didn’t find what he was looking for here. That man’s strength is far greater than my own!’
At this thought, Xue Shitian’s expression soured further. As the number one expert on the Northern Domain’s Hidden Dragon List, being completely outclassed by a nameless nobody filled him with shame.
"Keep investigating. Find out who he is!" Xue Shitian commanded coldly, the baleful aura erupting from his body once more.
"Yes!" The old man shuddered as he felt the baleful aura from Xue Shitian and quickly gave a respectful reply.
"Also, any movement from Jian Wushuang and his group?" Xue Shitian asked.
"To answer, Young Master Xue, the people from the Wind Sword Sect haven’t made any unusual moves. The representative from the Valley of Heartless isn’t here, so there’s no action from them either. However, Ouyang Shaoyu of Fallen Valley has been restless these past few days. It seems he’s searching the whole city for someone. He’s probably taken a fancy to some young lady and wants to abduct her," the old man replied.
"Hmph. A hopeless case. To be mentioned in the same breath as someone like him is a disgrace," Xue Shitian snorted upon hearing the old man’s report.
Afterwards, Xue Shitian dismissed the old man and resumed his cultivation. He had taken a palm strike from Nameless two days ago, and he had to recover from his internal injuries before the Divine Martial Blood Pool opened.
...
Meanwhile, at the Fallen Valley headquarters, Ouyang Shaoyu was furiously berating a disciple who was kneeling before him.
"What are you good for?! I told you to tail one person and you lost her! Are you useless? Have I been feeding you for nothing?"
Listening to Ouyang Shaoyu’s tirade, the disciple said with an aggrieved look, "Senior Brother Ouyang, it’s not that I lost her! The woman went into the Celestial Martial Auction House, and I didn’t dare follow, so..."
"You dare talk back to me?!" Hearing the disciple’s excuse, Ouyang Shaoyu kicked out. The tyrannical force sent the disciple flying backward, and he crashed into a stone pillar, his life extinguished instantly.
"Fuck! A bunch of useless trash!" Ouyang Shaoyu roared at the surrounding disciples. "All of you, listen up! Go and stand guard outside the Celestial Martial Auction House. The moment that little wench comes out, bring her directly to me!"
Sensing Ouyang Shaoyu’s rage, the surrounding disciples hastily agreed, but one of them, standing beside Ouyang Shaoyu, stopped them.
"Senior Brother Ouyang, now isn’t a good time to make a move. The fact that the young lady could enter the Celestial Martial Auction House proves she has a significant connection to them. We can’t afford to provoke them!"
Hearing this, Ouyang Shaoyu frowned. "Are you telling me to give up?"
"Hehe, why give up? That little wench is pretty strong, so she’ll probably enter the Divine Martial Realm. There won’t be any protection from the Celestial Martial Auction House in there. Besides," the disciple said, a cunning smile spreading across his face, "the Divine Martial Realm is fraught with peril. It’s quite common for people to die... or disappear, wouldn’t you agree?"
Hearing this, Ouyang Shaoyu let out a cold laugh. He clenched his fist in the direction of the Celestial Martial Auction House and said with a lecherous grin, "Little beauty, you just wait for me... Hahaha..."
