"Qing Feng? Bah, what qualifies him to be mentioned in the same breath as Mr. Feng?"
as if Zhou Xuan’s speculation was a monumental insult to "Mr. Feng."
Gu Ling said to Zhou Xuan, "Rumor has it that Mr. Feng is the Hall Master of the kidnappers, but that’s just hearsay. No one in Mingjiang Prefecture has ever seen Mr. Feng."
"So it’s actually just a mythical... kidnapper."
Zhou Xuan lightly patted Gu Ling’s shoulder and said, "Gu Gexing, leave Liu God to you."
Gu Ling twisted her body, her jade-like arms forming circles, as two clusters of Yan Fire condensed in front of her.
"You can’t just treat me like I don’t exist; I can fight too!" Zhao Wuya, ignored by Zhou Xuan, felt aggrieved.
"Rise and ride the dragon."
Zhao Wuya, feeling underestimated by Zhou Xuan and eager to prove himself, clasped his hands before his chest as if embracing an invisible sphere. Around him, a whirlwind spun into a tornado.
Wind rose, fire blazed,
the wind fanned the flames, and the fire wrapped around the raging wind, transforming into a fiery dragon that lunged toward Liu God.
Liu God stood still, neither dodging nor evading, hands clasped behind his back, letting the fire burn his body and the wind slice his flesh,
unmoved, facing the wind and fire with his mortal form.
"Oh, this Evil God has some substance."
Zhou Xuan gazed at Liu God, who resembled a human-shaped torch in the distance.
Five sticks of incense power from Zhao Wuya, six sticks from Gu Ling,
a combined strike of wind and fire, yet Liu God endured?
Can he really withstand it?
If he can’t, then why isn’t he dodging at all? Wouldn’t that be courting death?
If he withstands it anyway, does it prove that this Evil God’s Incense Fire Level exceeds that of Gu Ling and Zhao Wuya?
If it’s indeed that high,
then I’ll need a more powerful ally.
Zhou Xuan briefly thought of crushing the Bone Token to summon the Painter.
The Bone Token was already in his hand, but Zhou Xuan hesitated to crush it,
as another possibility crossed his mind—luring the tiger from the mountain.
Mingjiang Prefecture contains two Dragon-locking Caves, one on Yangfeng Road and the other in the Yue Family Mansion,
locations far apart from each other.
Now, on Yangfeng Road, only "Liu God" has appeared; "Hunger" is nowhere to be seen.
Could "Hunger" be lurking in the Yue Family Mansion, prepared to strike and pin down the Dragon-locking Cave?
Liu God knows about Zhou Xuan’s connection with the Painter, and perhaps he also knows the Painter has grasped portions of the "Space Law." Liu God could be intentionally "displaying" his strength to pressure Zhou Xuan into crushing the Bone Token, forcing the Painter to descend.
"Space Law might function similarly to how I descended while Riding the Wind to reach Li Chengfeng; each use requires immense energy expenditure.
If the Painter descends via the Space Law into this place, the distance between the Yue Family Mansion and Yangfeng Road is too vast. The energy consumed in crossing these tens of kilometers and the toll it takes would be a different level entirely.
Should the Painter arrive at Yangfeng Road, he would lack the energy and time to quickly reach the Yue Family Mansion afterward.
This is a classic bait-and-switch maneuver."
What the enemy agrees with, I must oppose,
despite Zhou Xuan’s belief that "Hunger" cannot simultaneously face Qing Feng, Li Chengfeng, and several night watchmen stationed at the Yue Family Mansion.
Still, since Liu God intends to lure the tiger away from the mountain, I refuse to fall for his trap.
Upon realizing this, Zhou Xuan decisively stuffed the Bone Token back into his pocket...
At the Nine-mile Residence, inside the coffin chamber,
the two individuals in the coffins observed the battle at the Yanglou Brick Factory through the link tethered to Liu God, using his eyes as their own.
Given their status, connecting to an Evil God posed no issue, though it consumed a considerable amount of Incense Fire power,
but for the sake of executing this "bait-and-switch" scheme and witnessing Zhou Xuan’s strength firsthand, they were willing to expend their Incense Fire.
"Crush it, do it quickly... hahaha."
"Get the Painter here. Once the Painter arrives, Hunger can pin down the Dragon-locking Cave... hehehe."
They laughed wildly, just waiting for Zhou Xuan to crush the Bone Token and fall into their trap.
the situation shifted dramatically,
as Zhou Xuan decisively put the Bone Token away.
This was the first time the two coffin-dwellers had witnessed Zhou Xuan making an instantaneous strategic decision,
and their mad laughter abruptly ceased. The two immediately fell silent.
the coffin-dwellers finally spoke.
"Zhou Xuan saw through our trap."
"The Suffering Scholar and the Observer—dying at his hands wasn’t unjustified."
"We have no choice but to risk awakening ’Time’ to pin down the last Dragon-locking Cave and transform ’Cannibal’ into a dragon."
The "Cannibal" mentioned in their words referred to the infamous "Hunger" that had recently wreaked havoc across Mingjiang Prefecture.
Zhou Xuan pocketed the Bone Token and immediately noticed Liu God’s glaring eyes dimming slightly.
This indirectly confirmed his suspicion.
"Bait-and-switch, huh? Liu God, why are you acting like my Ya Zi? Always pretending. Clearly, you can’t bear the heat, yet you feign being invincible. If it hurts, just admit it."
Zhou Xuan’s mockery visibly rattled Liu God.
"Zhou Xuan, you’re far too clever; clever people never live long."
While engulfed in flames, Liu God raised his hands high, and the tumor on his back ruptured. Countless tiny snakes poured out like a tide, slithered along the ground, and then vanished.
They seemed to have merged into the earth itself.
Zhou Xuan recalled the bizarre encounters at the Weird Creature Research Institute—
—the way Liu God rescued Hunger relied on a pool of water. He emerged from the water, killed Wang Yiweng, and vanished back into the water.
Now, the soil at the Brick Factory, dampened by the midnight moisture, could perhaps... count as a pool of water?
"Gu Ling, use your flames to dry the ground at the Brick Factory. Let’s see where Liu God’s army of tiny snakes can escape to."
Acting on Zhou Xuan’s instruction,
Gu Ling slanted her hands toward the ground, and the Dao Yan Fire Dragon scattered into strands, creeping close to the earth.
Zhao Wuya swung his right hand forcefully in the direction of the fire dragon, using the wind to accelerate its movement.