William, now a frightened bird, didn't take the elevator. Instead, he descended the fire escape and reached the ground floor lobby.
William hesitated for a moment before leaving. He sat there, pretending to scroll through his phone, but his eyes were fixed on the elevator and stairwell entrances.
If anyone was targeting him, they would surely follow him downstairs now.
However, after sitting there for over ten minutes, he saw no one following.
But, at this moment, he was not in the mood to gamble on whether someone was targeting him.
For a flower thief, any danger should not be easily tested. Trying even once might cost him his life.
William went directly to the roadside, took out his phone, scanned a code, and unlocked a pedal-assisted electric bicycle.
Don't underestimate this electric bike; it could reach speeds of over 20 kilometers per hour.
He didn't take the main road. Instead, he weaved through alleys and backstreets, riding for over two hours until the electric bike ran out of power. He then abandoned the bike by the roadside.
He walked a few hundred meters further and entered a street-side park. He planned to rest and then map out his route to find a new target.
As soon as he entered the park, a small electric scooter rushed out from the alley he had just emerged from.
This person was Ling Tian. He parked the electric scooter and followed William into the park.
It was already midnight. The park was silent, with not a soul in sight. It was summer, and places like this park were swarming with mosquitoes and insects at night. Staying here would mean being eaten alive by bugs. Even homeless people wouldn't spend the night in the park.
William sat on a bench and took out his phone. He didn't care about the mosquitoes and insects. As soon as they landed on him, they were shaken off and fell to the ground by an outward release of internal energy.
Although William was also young, less than 30 years old, his martial prowess was not to be underestimated.
He was extremely cautious, never committing crimes in the same province. He would even travel thousands of miles away to find targets.
Under normal circumstances, he would target about ten people in a city, spread across different areas, and then fly to other cities.
However, this time, he had been a bit lazy. He came to Jiang City, thinking it was a large city, and it would be easier to succeed near the university town. So, he committed dozens of crimes consecutively in the area.
To his surprise, it was precisely his violation of his sect's ancestral teachings that led him to be targeted by the Righteous Path Alliance.
Ling Tian came directly to investigate this matter.
Soon, he had selected his target: a city in the northeast, which was also a provincial capital with many universities.
Most importantly, it was summer, and going north would be more comfortable.
Just as he booked his flight, a voice suddenly came.
"Where do you think you're going, Mr. William!"
The sudden voice startled William, and his hand trembled, almost dropping his phone.
William quickly looked up to find the source of the voice and saw Ling Tian standing a few meters in front of him.
"William, I don't know if that's your real name or a fake one, it doesn't matter, it's just a codename.
I was just thinking of having a good spar with you, but I didn't expect you to run so fast."
"Who are you!" William jumped up from the bench with a bang and asked sternly.
"Of course, I'm someone who catches thieves. You're a flower thief, and I'm the one who catches thieves. We're a perfect match," Ling Tian said playfully.
"I advise you not to meddle in my affairs!"
"How can this be considered meddling? Catching you is part of my duty!"
"If you want to catch me, you'll have to see if you have the ability!"
"Then try me!"
Ling Tian's confident demeanor made William's heart pound.
"You should know, I'm not alone. If my sect finds out you're causing trouble for me here, you'll die a terrible death."
"Oh, I'm so scared," Ling Tian said, feigning to clutch his chest.
"I suggest you call all your sect members. The more, the better! Not a single one should be missing!
This way, it will save a lot of trouble and reduce our workload!"
"Workload? Who exactly are you!"
"The Righteous Path Alliance!"
Upon hearing these four words, William's heart sank. He hadn't expected that his momentary carelessness would actually provoke these people he couldn't afford to offend!
For the Branch Breaking Sect, the Righteous Path Alliance was their mortal enemy. Hundreds of their members had died at the hands of the Righteous Path Alliance throughout history.
They also turned pale at the mention of the Righteous Path Alliance, unable to avoid them. He never thought he would still be targeted.
"It's not that easy to catch me! That depends on whether you have the ability!"
Before he finished speaking, William lunged at Ling Tian with incredible speed.
His speed was astonishing, leaving a blur in his wake. He flashed his right hand, fingers spread, towards Ling Tian's face, and his left palm struck directly at Ling Tian's chest.
This was the ultimate martial art of the Branch Breaking Sect, the Ruthless Flower Breaking Palm!
This palm technique, as the name suggests, is ruthless and destructive. Its moves are strange and fierce, and it requires powerful internal energy to cooperate to inflict damage on the opponent.
And the Branch Breaking Sect's cultivation techniques have no worries about power consumption. They absorb the blood and qi of others to cultivate, so their power grows many times faster than ordinary martial artists!
Moreover, being struck by this palm technique, the sinister internal energy contained within the palm would also cause continuous damage and destruction to the opponent's body!
It was an extremely sinister palm technique!
However, he was facing Ling Tian. Ling Tian showed no fear of the opponent's attack and raised his right palm, striking forward.
At this moment, if anyone touched Ling Tian's palm, they would feel as if they had touched a red-hot iron block.
Ling Tian's palm contained surging fire-attribute internal energy, and this type of internal energy was the nemesis of all sinister attribute internal energies!
"Bang!"
Their palms met. Ling Tian's body remained motionless, his legs firmly planted on the ground. However, William on the opposite side was in a sorry state.
William felt as if he had struck a steel pipe. His internal energy did not dissipate; instead, it was repelled back by the immense force of the opponent's palm!
He felt his arm go numb. Clearly, the muscles and soft tissues in his arm had suffered severe contusions.
He stumbled back several steps, almost falling to the ground.
"This… how is this possible!"
William found the situation before him unbelievable. He had been very confident in his internal energy.
The cultivation techniques of the Branch Breaking Sect allowed him to rapidly increase his internal energy, far surpassing his peers.
He had never lost an internal energy contest to anyone before. Yet, now, a young man even younger than him had delivered a harsh blow in reality!