Chapter 774: Section 562: Hua Tang: Long Fu Killed My Friend?!
In the damp and gloomy cave, the corpulent body of the Crested Champion Grain Snake slithered before Hua Tang’s eyes.
They were extremely close, the snake’s scales almost touching Hua Tang’s face.
Hua Tang held his breath and concentrated, not daring to move an inch.
After a dozen seconds or so, the Crested Champion Grain Snake finally passed by Hua Tang. Its chubby tail seemed even more swollen than its body, clearly filled with fat.
Hua Tang exhaled a turbid breath.
He was a Golden Level Thief, skilled in espionage and theft, not in killing—let alone facing off against Magic Beasts like the Crested Champion Grain Snake.
Right now, he was disguised as an ordinary Silver Level Transcendent, having been exploring this cave for about a month.
“Why can’t I still find the Thief Saint’s inheritance?”
“Exactly where could it be hidden?”
Hua Tang had acquired critical information from Teng Donglang and subsequently set out to sea. After a long and trying journey, he arrived on a deserted island.
Loud crowing noises would often emit from a cave on this island.
This peculiar phenomenon attracted many adventurers and Treasure Hunters, with Hua Tang being just one among them.
“The Thief Saint’s treasure is in the Crowing Cave.”
“This is the closest I’ve come to the Crowing Cave in all these years.”
“But why, why can’t I find the Thief Saint’s legacy?”
“Not only can’t I find it, but I don’t even have a single clue?”
Watching the snake’s tail disappear into the shadows of the cave ahead, Hua Tang was sure the Crested Champion Grain Snake had thoroughly slithered away before he slowly exhaled another turbid breath and pulled his back off the damp cave wall.
He looked rather ill.
Although the Crested Champion Grain Snake was of Holy Domain Level, Hua Tang could easily deceive such a Magic Beast with his tricks.
Hua Tang showed not the slightest bit of pride.
He cared more about the Thief Saint’s legacy, yet apart from the Crested Champion Grain Snake, he had no other leads.
“The layout of this cave is complex, but I’m certain I’ve scoured it all.”
“Could it be that the real clues only appear when the cave is submerged?” Hua Tang mused to himself.
For more than half of the day, the cave would be soaked in seawater. During the high tide at night, the entire cave would even be submerged.
The part of the cave that Hua Tang had yet to explore was likely the section submerged in seawater.
Just as he was about to change his direction of exploration, suddenly the sounds of intense fighting came from another direction.
Hua Tang immediately used a Combat Skill to enhance his hearing.
He heard the screams of Transcendents, the sound of slashing weapons swishing at high speed, and the crowing of the Crested Champion Grain Snake.
Hua Tang grew suspicious, “There’s a Golden Level Transcendent who is sharp and formidable. Who could it be, taking on the Crested Champion Grain Snake head-to-head?”
Hua Tang instantly determined that the Golden Level arriving here was certainly not ordinary.
“But it has nothing to do with me…” Hua Tang was about to retreat, trying to distance himself from the location of the fight.
However, at that moment, the sounds of battle were rapidly approaching him.
Confused, Hua Tang immediately used a Combat Skill to leave an illusion in his place.
His true body stealthily slipped away, while the illusion retained his previous aura, acting as bait.
Ten or so seconds later, the rampaging Golden Level arrived at the scene.
Seeing the bait Hua Tang left behind, his eyes lit up.
Not hesitating even for a moment, he chose a direction and dashed into a side passage, which happened to be the very direction Hua Tang’s true body had taken.
As he chased, he discovered multiple Transcendents and cut down each one he encountered.
“Is that Golden Level after me?”
“Such a heavy killing intent, he took out all the other Transcendents!”
“Wait, wait…”
Hua Tang realized something and a strange expression appeared on his face. He stopped running and stayed in place instead.
Soon enough, the Golden Level who was following caught up to him.
The Golden Level was draped in a large white feathered cloak, his head adorned with a bronze animal-faced mask, and he wielded a nearly two-meter-long scythe in his hand. The blade of the scythe shined like a mirror, flashing a sharp cold light.
Hua Tang blurted out, “Feng Lian, it’s you after all!”
But Feng Lian seemed not to hear and swung his scythe lightly, launching a Wind Blade.
A Golden Level Wind Blade was powerful, with speed so great it was difficult for ordinary people to react.
Hua Tang effortlessly dodged, and at the same time, dropped his disguise.
He was dressed in a white robe adorned with various exquisite and bright flowers. On his face, he wore a silver-white fox mask, his pink pupils visible through it.
“Don’t attack, it’s me,” Hua Tang shouted to Feng Lian.
Feng Lian had already stopped before he launched his attack.
The Golden Level Wind Blade struck empty air.
Feng Lian’s hoarse voice sounded, “Hua Tang, I’ve finally found you.”
“You were looking for me?” Hua Tang asked in astonishment.
Feng Lian stated his purpose bluntly, “I need that Hidden Eye crest you have on you. It’s urgent!”
Hua Tang pulled a small seal from his chest and tossed it to Feng Lian, “Here it is.”
Seeing Feng Lian connect, Hua Tang added, “Return it to me as soon as you can, I still want to use it to inspect this cave.”
The relationship between the two was obviously extraordinary, with Hua Tang lending out a Golden Level tool as casually as saying lend. When Feng Lian asked to borrow it, he didn’t show the slightest courtesy, as if it was all natural.
Feng Lian was somewhat surprised, “You’ve been here for nearly a month, and you still haven’t scouted it out?”
Hua Tang bitterly smiled, “You don’t know how complicated the terrain is here.”
“The key issue is that there’s a Holy Domain sea beast nesting here, severely disrupting my plans.”
“But I now have a new direction, and I plan to explore again during high tide.”
Feng Lian heard a lot in this conversation, and he shook his head bluntly, “You should just give up.”
“A month’s time, and you’ve made no progress, still at the initial stage of looking for clues.”
“The likelihood of this place being the Thief Saint’s hiding place is very small. Many Transcendents arrived here before you, and aside from losing their lives, they obtained nothing.”
Hua Tang also shook his head, “No, even if there’s the slightest possibility, I will try my hardest. I won’t easily pass up on any opportunity.”
“You’re just wasting your time staying here,” said Feng Lian, “It seems you don’t know what happened at Snowbird Port.”
Hua Tang was startled, “What happened?”
“Teng Donglang is dead.” Feng Lian’s tone was even.
Hua Tang’s voice sharply rose, nearly shrieking, “What did you say?!”
“He died in a courageous duel, witnessed by tens of thousands of onlookers.”
“The one who killed him was a Dragon-man named Long Fu, the squad leader of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps and an outsider.”
“Long Fu…” Hua Tang’s expression went blank, repeatedly mouthing the Dragon-man youth’s alias.
Feng Lian continued, “The most crucial point is, in this courageous duel, Long Fu only displayed Silver Level ability.”
“He cut down a Golden Level as a Silver Level, making Teng Donglang the stepping stone to his nationwide fame.”
Hua Tang’s expression changed again.
Feng Lian quietly watched him, his heart filled with confidence.
He knew of the secret friendship between Hua Tang and Teng Donglang and did not believe that after hearing this heavy news, Hua Tang would still have the mood to stay here treasure hunting.
As expected, grinding his teeth and glaring at Feng Lian, Hua Tang said, “You just used a term, Long Fu only displayed Silver Level power, what does that mean?”
“Are you saying he hid his true Cultivation?”
Feng Lian shrugged, “That’s what I think.”
“I have another astonishing piece of news for you.”
“After killing Teng Donglang, remnants of the Saber Gang contacted me, and I personally took action, helping them escape from Snowbird Port.”
“Afterwards, Long Fu took a group of people to travel around the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, setting up shops everywhere, aggressively selling a Magic Potion called Dragon Power Riding Potion.”
“This Magic Potion is selling extremely well. Leveraging Long Fu’s fame, they nearly monopolized the kingdom’s market for mount Magic Potions.”
“The most critical bit is, the Gang Leader of the Axe Gang, Jia Bing, and Lin, together, attempted to ambush Long Fu en route.”
“As a result, Long Fu fought against the three by himself, killing them instantaneously. On-scene investigation showed almost no signs of resistance from the three!”
Hua Tang’s face underwent a drastic change, “All three of them were Golden Level, yet Long Fu killed them so easily.”
“Long Fu must have hidden most of his power!”
“What exactly is the background of this Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps?”
Feng Lian shook his head, “On the surface, they are a non-serious Mercenary Group that started a Magic Potion business. But the vast majority believe they are actually arms smugglers. Coming to the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, they wanted to sell their arms.”
“What they are currently doing is, under the guise of selling Magic Potions, laying the groundwork for their sales channels.”
“Oh, right, they’ve also entered a partnership with the Lijian family. Now, the Lijian family is producing Dragon Power Riding Potions for them.”
Biting his teeth in hatred, Hua Tang exclaimed, “Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps… and the Lijian family…”
“I smell a conspiracy!”
“I need to go back, right away.”
“Feng Lian, where is your ship? Lend me one!”
Hua Tang was very impolite in his demand.
Feng Lian replied, “It’s outside the seven seas.”
“That far?”
Feng Lian sighed, “I can hold off the Holy Domain sea beast for a short while, but my fleet is too big a target to withstand it.”
Hua Tang impatiently waved his hand, “Enough, stop talking, I need to get on board, to hurry back.”
“After such a big incident, with so many people dead!”
“I want to see just what kind of person Long Fu is. What kind of methods he has after all!”
“Where is he now according to the latest intelligence?”
Feng Lian thought for a moment, then replied, “Based on their itinerary, I’m afraid they’ve already reached the Ice Sculpture Royal Capital by now.”
Ice Sculpture Royal Capital.
After the spatial fluctuations dissipated, the Space Shuttle vanished into nothingness, leaving behind a group of people.
First to emerge were all the members of the Space Shuttle Team who wielded Combat Skills, followed by Zong Ge, Zi Di, and their companions.
“We’ve finally arrived… The Ice Sculpture Royal Capital,” Zi Di remarked.
The personnel beside her, apart from Zong Ge, were only three left.
They had started with many from Snowbird Port, but as Zi Di arranged her people across the kingdom and reorganized the shops, most of the mercenaries stayed behind.
Coming here, Zi Di’s business plan was already a major success.