Chen Zimo, who once obtained the ancient Mo family's formation inheritance on the outer battlefield, quickly rose to become a top formation master. His formations made Liefeng City impregnable, earning it the reputation of the strongest defensive city in the eastern wasteland, unbreakable by anyone.
Luo Gang shared all this information with Xu Hei without reservation.
"Chen Zimo? The Mo family?" Xu Hei's eyes flickered.
In Huangfu Duanlong's memories, there was indeed information about the ancient Mo family, one of the most valuable inheritances on the outer battlefield.
Back then, countless bloody battles were fought over the Mo family's inheritance, and Xu Hei remembered its location well, right at the border between the eastern wasteland and the Central Plains.
Did Chen Zimo really obtain the Mo family's inheritance? Xu Hei was skeptical.
"Master Chen has been missing for over a year. I'm worried he was targeted and forcibly taken away, but even the Skynet doesn't know his whereabouts," Luo Gang sighed.
Xu Hei didn't respond.
He wasn't in the habit of helping people find others; he just casually had a few drinks and then took his leave.
After Xu Hei left, a drunken Luo Gang asked, "Ding Yi, what do you think of this person? Should we invite him in?"
"This person is quite powerful, ruthless, and deeply hidden. I'm afraid he's not a good person," Ding Yi replied, also heavily drunk and somewhat muddled.
"No rush, no rush. Wang Xiu was even more troublesome than him, yet he also joined us, didn't he? Take it slow; I trust him," Luo Gang said, taking another big gulp of wine.
Xu Hei returned to his cave dwelling.
This was the best cave dwelling in Liefeng City, reserved only for the core high-level members, located in the city center where the spiritual qi was most abundant.
As Xu Hei approached the entrance of the cave dwelling, he saw a shadow emerge from a corner—a masked cultivator.
"Nine-Headed Snake?" Xu Hei looked at the masked cultivator before him.
At the banquet, he had naturally heard Luo Gang mention the Nine-Headed Snake.
The masked cultivator glanced around and said, "Fellow Daoist Xu, could we talk in private?"
Xu Hei nodded and immediately entered the cave dwelling, sealing the door and setting up a formation with an array flag.
The masked cultivator took out a formation disk made from the bones of a Nine-Headed Snake and pressed it to the ground. Instantly, thick black mist spewed from the disk, enveloping them.
If it were an outsider, Xu Hei wouldn't have allowed this, but he knew who the person before him was.
An acquaintance from the Penglai Sea, the Nine-Headed Worm.
"Chen Zimo's formations are too domineering; only by doing this can we prevent eavesdropping," the Nine-Headed Worm sighed.
He removed his mask, revealing his true face, which was one of the heads of the Nine-Headed Worm, his eighth incarnation, known for its stealth.
"Xu Hei, the waters in Liefeng City run deep. If you don't have absolute strength, it's best to leave quickly," the Nine-Headed Worm warned solemnly.
"Oh? What do you mean by that?" Xu Hei asked in surprise.
"Chen Zimo, you should know about him."
"I know, the missing formation master of Liefeng City. What about him?" Xu Hei pressed.
The Nine-Headed Worm took a deep breath, put on a serious expression, and said, "To be honest, through my investigation, I discovered that Chen Zimo secretly escaped from Liefeng City."
"What?" Xu Hei was taken aback.
Escaped from Liefeng City?
Why use the word "escape"?
From their conversation, it was clear that Chen Zimo was one of the high-ranking members of Liefeng City, with deep ties to everyone. Why would he need to escape? Even if he wanted to leave, Liefeng City wouldn't restrict his freedom!
The Nine-Headed Worm continued seriously, "A year and a half ago, Chen Zimo was the first to leave the city. He then activated the blockade formation he had personally set up, sealing off the entire Liefeng City, and fled at full speed to the outside world."
"An hour later, when the people of Liefeng City pursued him, Chen Zimo had already vanished."
"This is the truth I uncovered about Chen Zimo's disappearance back then!"
The Nine-Headed Worm spoke each word with unprecedented seriousness.
After hearing all this, Xu Hei fell silent.
So, Chen Zimo's absence was due to this.
The Nine-Headed Worm wouldn't deceive him; compared to Luo Gang and others, Xu Hei was more inclined to trust his fellow compatriots from the Divine Continent Star.
"Why did he have to escape? Why use such a method? Who was he trying to avoid being tracked by? Xu Hei, this is all I could find out. Whether you stay or leave is up to you!" the Nine-Headed Worm said.
The amount of information was overwhelming.
If the situation was true, Liefeng City was indeed a place of trouble.
Xu Hei remained silent, pondering the implications.
If it were just this, it might not mean much. Perhaps it was due to Chen Zimo's personal reasons, a mistake he made, or a treasure he stole, all valid reasons for fleeing.
But the fact that Luo Gang concealed such details was intriguing.
At that moment, Xu Hei's eyes suddenly narrowed, and he said to the Nine-Headed Worm, "I'm not interested in the Nine-Headed Snake, nor do I have the ability to join. You'd better find someone else!"
Without any further exchange, the Nine-Headed Worm instantly understood and said in a deep voice, "I can double the offer!"
"If you don't leave now, don't blame me for being ruthless!" Xu Hei said coldly.
The Nine-Headed Worm shook his head helplessly, left a token, and stood up to bow, "If Fellow Daoist changes your mind, feel free to contact me. The Nine-Headed Snake will always welcome you!"
He cupped his hands and exited the cave dwelling.
Then, he transformed into a shadow and drifted away from Liefeng City.
Xu Hei watched the Nine-Headed Worm leave, picked up the token, and crushed it into powder.
Afterward, he sat cross-legged, quietly performing breathing exercises. Only after a long time did he open his eyes, a cold gleam flashing in them.
That's right! Just now, he felt a sense of being watched; the high-level members of Liefeng City were monitoring his conversation with the Nine-Headed Worm.
However, he reacted quickly, and the Nine-Headed Worm handled it well. It seemed that his years as an assassin had not been in vain.
This cave dwelling was given to him by Luo Gang, and the formations left by Chen Zimo covered every inch of Liefeng City, making it impossible to guard against.
However, Xu Hei didn't sense any malice from Luo Gang; the surveillance might be from someone else.
But regardless of who it was or the specifics, Xu Hei didn't plan to stay in Liefeng City for long.
Yet, leaving just like that might be too abrupt.
"I need to think of a way; in any case, I can't confront them directly," Xu Hei thought to himself.
As Xu Hei's mind raced with various thoughts, a voice suddenly came from outside the door.
"Is Fellow Daoist Xu there?"
It was Ding Yi's voice.
Xu Hei walked out of the cave dwelling, frowning, "So it's Brother Ding. What brings you here so late?"
"It's . I just saw an assassin enter Fellow Daoist Xu's cave dwelling and didn't see any movement for a long time. I was worried something might have happened to you, so I used the city protection formation to detect any killing intent. I might have disturbed you, so I came to apologize!" Ding Yi said, cupping his hands with a very sincere attitude.
This explained the sense of being watched earlier.
Xu Hei pretended not to know and said, "Brother Ding, you worry too much. It was just a newly established assassin organization inviting me to join."
"Haha, I see," Ding Yi chuckled, suddenly realizing something, "I understand now. There was a female cultivator named Ah Yin before, who is a friend of yours, right? She seems to have joined the Nine-Headed Snake organization, so it makes sense that they would come to invite you as well."