The winding staircase led down to a massive bronze gate, its surface mottled with verdigris and intricately adorned with twisted patterns.
Standing before the bronze gate, Bai Cha’s expression was grim. Behind her stood Lucifer and Xiang Nan, who had just rejoined her.
“Mm… Bai, you… you can’t open it either?” Xiang Nan was bundled up, his high collar obscuring his pale, thin lips, making his voice sound muffled.
Even so, Xiang Nan appeared to be cold, his hands shoved into his pockets within his long sleeves, his gaze cast down and listless as he looked at Bai Cha.
“That bastard.” Bai Cha kicked the bronze gate, unable to refrain from cursing.
Xiang Nan knew Bai Cha’s strength, but this kick didn't even dislodge a speck of dust from the bronze gate. He rubbed his hands together in surprise, “How about I let my bugs crawl in and pick the lock?”
“They’d be burned to ashes the moment they entered. This is a seal,” Bai Cha thought to herself, cursing again inwardly. She turned and walked back into the hall, “I don’t believe this.”
As she spoke, she sent a text message to Freya.
[Tell that old man that if he dares to interfere again, I’ll make him rebuild the stronghold from scratch.]
Freya, upon receiving the message, was a little confused. Asteria was considered Bai Cha’s semi-master. Even after they had fallen out, Bai Cha had always shown him respect. Calling him an old man directly clearly indicated she was furious.
What was going on? Didn’t they have a spat not too long ago?
Freya shook her head in confusion and sent a message to Asteria.
“Master, five minutes left,” Lucifer reminded her.
Their allocated time was only six minutes. They had to find Cang Liu and Gu Mingze within these six minutes, otherwise, the enemy would discover something was amiss, seal the castle, and send reinforcements. They had already sealed Sky Island. While this was a necessary move, it also gave the enemy an opportunity to drop all pretense and openly declare war. If a fight broke out, they wouldn’t hold back.
“Summon Meng Qinghuan too,” Bai Cha instructed Lucifer as she flew towards the hall, “Have him come over as fast as possible.”
“Bai?” Xiang Nan asked muffledly, “Is it very tricky?”
“Hard to say,” Bai Cha frowned.
She had a nagging feeling of being watched, like prey by a hunter, like a pawn walking into a trap laid by the enemy, which made her become serious.
Just as Bai Cha and the others reached the staircase, before they could ascend to the main hall, they suddenly heard a familiar voice, causing the three of them to stop abruptly.
“Uncle, why are there so few people today?” a boy’s voice rang clearly from the hall.
Young and clear, it was Mo Ziye!
“Perhaps everyone is a bit busy today?” the middle-aged man’s voice was a little awkward, clearly having noticed something was wrong as well.
Bai Cha’s heart skipped a beat. She nodded to the two behind her.
This person was their target for today, Tu Guangshao. Tu’s second brother was the only one present on Sky Island today. Therefore, their primary objective was to capture Tu Guangshao first and then find more evidence.
However, with Mo Ziye by his side, Bai Cha hesitated.
Before Bai Cha could react further, two pairs of parents rushed in from outside, crying and pleading with Tu Guangshao.
As everyone knew, Tu Guangshao was the director of the Sky Island amusement park. Seeking help from Director Tu was likely because their children were lost. One of these pairs was the same parents Bai Cha recognized, the ones who had first sought her help.
“Uh, don’t worry, don’t worry. I will definitely give everyone an explanation,” Tu Guangshao’s expression was somewhat stiff. Looking at these parents, who were weeping profusely, a clear look of disgust and impatience flashed in his eyes. He turned around and saw Mo Ziye curiously looking around.
Mo Ziye, this little fellow, usually disliked such scenes the most, didn’t he? If it were usual, he would have rushed up to comfort everyone.
Tu Guangshao seemed puzzled, “Xiao Ye, what’s wrong?”
“Hmm? Nothing,” Mo Ziye scratched his head, also a bit puzzled. He mumbled, “I think I sensed Bai’s aura. Did she come to the amusement park today?”
Unexpectedly, the moment Mo Ziye spoke, Tu Guangshao’s face changed drastically, “Who!? You mean…”
Before he could finish speaking, an oppressive aura swept over them. Tu Guangshao turned and ran, his somewhat portly figure surprisingly agile. With a flip, he sprang towards the exit.
“Capture him! Alive or dead!”
Bai Cha darted out from the stairs. The moment Mo Ziye sensed her aura, Bai Cha had already realized something was amiss. She immediately led her people forward, cursing Mo Ziye for messing things up.
*If you sensed it, fine. Why would you say it out loud for others to hear? Don’t you know that you and your uncle are on opposing sides?*
“Bai?” Mo Ziye exclaimed. Michael was nowhere to be seen beside him; he was alone. Turning around, he saw Bai Cha directly throw a flying knife that flew straight towards Tu Guangshao. Mo Ziye’s expression changed, and without thinking, he stepped forward to block the attack for Tu Guangshao.
“Mo Ziye!”
Bai Cha’s expression turned even uglier. She could only lunge forward again, attempting to chase after the escaping Tu Guangshao, but Mo Ziye grabbed her arm.
Although Mo Ziye wasn’t as powerful as Bai Cha, being an S-class Dragon Knight was not just for show. In his desperation, he pulled with all his might, causing Bai Cha to freeze.
“Bai! What are you doing?” Mo Ziye’s face was pale, his eyes wide as he stared at Bai Cha.
Normally, seeing the innocent and wronged look of this angel, Bai Cha would have softened. But now, Bai Cha felt nothing but anger and a chill. She knew that capturing Tu Guangshao was likely impossible this time.
If they couldn’t capture the leader, even if there was an explanation for the outside world, for them, it was still a mission failure.
Seeing Bai Cha intercepted, Lucifer’s speed was not slow either. He lunged forward in a flash to Tu Guangshao’s back, preparing to subdue him with a palm strike. However, at the moment he struck, he abruptly changed direction and collided with someone from above and to the left. The powerful impact sent Lucifer staggering back two steps.
This strength was not much weaker than Bai Cha’s?
“Dong Zhengxun?” Lucifer frowned, knowing this was the last hidden guard who hadn’t appeared. Fortunately, while he was being held back, Xiang Nan had successfully pursued them. As one of the top five powerhouses in Junyao, he was unlikely to fail.
The person before him was enveloped in blood-red light, blood-colored mist constantly steaming, as if a large amount of moisture had been instantly evaporated. The dense mist even obscured Dong Zhengxun’s ferocious face.
If Bai Cha was a successful product’s failure, then this person was likely a failed product’s failure.
Lucifer felt no trace of a living person from Dong Zhengxun, as if a dead man was desperately evaporating his internal power, with every cell’s moisture rapidly evaporating.
Clearly, this power was limited. Soon, this body should be completely evaporated.
“I’ll settle this with you later!” Bai Cha glared at Mo Ziye, flung his hand away, and flew forward. She happened to see Meng Qinghuan flying in and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
As soon as Meng Qinghuan entered, he sensed the strange aura emanating from the blood-red figure in the center, and his heart was filled with surprise and uncertainty.
Bai Cha had summoned him and Xiang Nan this time precisely to guard against unexpected situations. In Meng Qinghuan’s memory, Bai Cha was the only one who had activated blood qi power. But what was going on with this person in the middle?
The power emanating from this person was very similar to Bai Cha’s aura, but more berserk. Fortunately, its potency was much lower.
Meng Qinghuan’s expression became solemn. He was also a person Bai Cha had focused on cultivating, so he naturally understood what this meant.
Someone had actually started researching human experimentation again?
“Little Baimon! Time to get to work!” Meng Qinghuan’s tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, and golden lightning flashed within them.
“So talkative,” Baimon muttered softly, jumping down from Meng Qinghuan’s arms. He clasped his hands together, and a golden mark in his heart radiated brilliant light.
[Dragon’s Wrath: Power Amplification]
The golden light surrounding Meng Qinghuan intensified. He had sparred with Bai Cha and knew that this blood-like power was a manifestation of excessive human gene excitation, a level higher than dragon power. He dared not be careless.
“Great Compassion Palm.”
A massive golden palm descended, engulfing the blood-red figure in the center. The blood-red figure immediately stiffened a bit.
The genes implanted in Meng Qinghuan were ancestral Buddha genes. The Meng family ancestors were true inheritors of Buddhism and possessed a set of secret family cultivation techniques. This Buddha light was the nemesis of blood qi power, even more lethal than Mo Ziye’s power of light.
Of course, Bai Cha was an exception. Bai Cha was too strong; she was beyond the scope of attribute suppression.
Just then, a figure flew in.
No, to be precise, he was thrown in.
Xiang Nan stood indifferently at the doorway, leisurely clapping his hands. Two giant pythons, two people wide, followed behind him. He was, after all, a world-class powerhouse; capturing an ordinary person was more than enough.
Lucifer’s movements were also swift. A dark barrier protected the ordinary people, preventing them from being a distraction. He then slapped the ground, and black chains erupted from the earth, coiling around the blood-red figure and Tu Guangshao.
Bai Cha relaxed slightly. As long as the people didn’t escape, everything was manageable. Fortunately, she had summoned two more people to be safe.
Bai Cha held the black dual-bladed scythe in her hand. With a light push off the ground, she shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. She raised her hand, intending to deal with the blood-red figure first.
Although Tu Guangshao was behind the blood-red figure, he was bound to be seriously injured. However, with modern medical advancements, he could be saved. As long as he didn’t die, Bai Cha had plenty of ways to extract information from him.
However, something unexpected happened again.
A flash of golden light appeared. Mo Ziye, holding a golden sword, blocked in front of the blood-red figure and Tu Guangshao, and fiercely collided with Bai Cha’s dark scythe.
Light and dark clashed, instantly creating raging winds. Bai Cha hadn't used her full strength, controlling her power just enough to kill the blood-red figure without harming Tu Guangshao’s life. Unexpectedly, Mo Ziye suddenly appeared. Bai Cha, greatly alarmed, quickly retracted her power.
This retraction was like a surging mountain flood suddenly having its gate closed. The reversed force caused Bai Cha’s chest to ache. The storm generated by the clash of light and dark dispersed some of the blood mist from the blood-red figure. Looking up, Bai Cha’s face suddenly turned ashen.
Without time to think, Bai Cha dropped her scythe and reached out, pulling Mo Ziye into her embrace. With a turn, she swapped their positions.
Immediately after, a blood-red palm, carrying blood-colored gale force winds, fiercely struck Bai Cha’s back, sending her and Mo Ziye flying dozens of meters away and crashing heavily into the wall.
“Bai!” Mo Ziye, protected beneath Bai Cha, was still stunned. Seeing Bai Cha, who was almost unconscious, he was startled. The sudden fear left him flustered.
“Master!” Lucifer was utterly terrified by this sudden turn of events. He had never been so shocked, his hands felt weak. Without bothering with the person behind him, he rushed towards Bai Cha.
“Boss!”
“Bai!”
Meng Qinghuan and Xiang Nan were also greatly frightened.
From the encirclement to Bai Cha carrying Mo Ziye and being blown away, it took less than a minute. The exchange between them was as swift as lightning.
At this moment, the blood-red figure let out a painful howl, like a wounded beast roaring in pain. However, his body seemed to be out of his brain’s control. Despite appearing extremely pained, he still picked up Tu Guangshao and charged towards the main entrance.
“Seal… *cough*!” Bai Cha, held in Lucifer’s embrace, struggled to lift her head. As soon as she spoke, she coughed up a mouthful of blood uncontrollably. Her eyes, blood-red, roared at Meng Qinghuan, “Seal the entire Sky Island! Now!”