30: Track them down, and suppress them easily!

The night was as thick as ink that couldn't be washed away.

No one had come to this abandoned palace for a long time.

The dilapidated walls cast claw-like shadows under the moonlight, and the wind whistled through the broken doors and windows with a strange sound, like a ghost's cry.

The air was filled with the smell of dust and rotting wood.

Lu Yu crouched in the shadow of a half-collapsed wall, blending into his surroundings, with even his breathing suppressed to the point of being inaudible.

He held the heavenly poison pearl in his palm, and a faint purple mist covered his body, not only masking his masculine Qi but also making his life fluctuations extremely weak; even if a Divine Sense swept over him, he would likely be mistaken for an old stone covered in moss.

He had also figured out that the faint purple mist emitted when the heavenly poison pearl was activated could not only absorb all toxins but also hide and cover all of his own aura, ensuring that not a single trace of it leaked out.

Standing there, even if a Mahayana Stage Divine Sense swept by, it would be completely impossible to detect a person; one could only say it was truly an Immortal Artifact, as even its casually equipped abilities were so incredibly powerful!

He had been lurking here for nearly half an hour.

According to his calculations, if Tang Zhen really intended to strike and split his forces to simultaneously rob Luo Qingxue's warehouse and the Tingtao Pavilion's backup storehouse, those coming to Tingtao Pavilion would most likely choose this most hidden path.

Not just where Lu Yu was, Leng Qingshuang had also arranged some of her trusted aides to guard other hidden passages; she wouldn't place all her hopes on just two Nascent Soul Cultivators, Lu Yu and Luo Qingxue.

Tang Zhen had people around her, so how could she not have arranged people around Tang Zhen?

Time passed bit by bit, and just as Lu Yu was starting to doubt if he had guessed wrong, his ears caught an extremely faint sound of breaking air, almost covered by the wind.

They're here!

They really did take this path!

As expected, the people of the Sect know their own place best; if Luo Qingxue hadn't told him about this path, he wouldn't have known about it.

His spirits lifted, his pupils contracted slightly, and he looked toward the source of the sound.

He saw three dark shadows, almost merging into the night, flitting from afar like ghosts and landing in the open space in front of the abandoned palace.

All three were dressed in tight black clothes, their faces masked, leaving only their eyes exposed—sharp and cold—and their auras were perfectly restrained.

But Lu Yu could still sense that the leader was at least at the eighth level of the Nascent Soul stage, and the other two were at the fifth or sixth level!

After landing, the three didn't stop or communicate; the leader simply made a gesture and headed straight for a corner deep within the palace, half-hidden by vines and rubble.

That was exactly where the entrance to the ancient secret passage was located!

Lu Yu held his breath, watching them skillfully push aside the vines and move several stones that seemed randomly scattered but actually aligned with a certain pattern, revealing a pitch-black hole.

The three entered one after another, and the last one didn't forget to loosely cover the entrance again.

Good grief, they even know exactly how to open the door; if there wasn't an insider who scouted it out beforehand, not even a ghost would believe it.

Lu Yu didn't follow them in immediately; the situation inside the secret passage was unknown and the space was narrow.

He silently slid down from the wall, approached the entrance, and listened intently; extremely faint footsteps could be heard inside, rapidly moving away.

He waited patiently for a few breaths, estimating that the opponents had already gone a certain distance, before gently pushing aside the cover and slipping inside.

It was pitch black inside the secret passage, the air was turbid and cold, filled with an earthy smell and a faint scent of mold.

His footsteps were as light as a cat's as he trailed far behind the three dark shadows, maintaining a moderate distance.

This secret passage had clearly been abandoned for a long time, but the path was unexpectedly level, as if it had been secretly cleared.

After walking for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the sound of gurgling water faintly came from ahead, and the air became much more humid.

Lu Yu knew they were nearing the edge of the back mountain's Forbidden Ground; Tingtao Pavilion's backup storehouse was built in a hidden mountainside on the outskirts of the Forbidden Ground, concealed by a Formation.

Sure enough, after turning another corner, a faint spiritual light from a Formation appeared ahead.

The three shadows stopped before the light, and the leader took out a palm-sized, ancient-looking token and pressed it against the Formation's light screen.

The light screen flickered a few times and silently split open a gap just wide enough for one person to pass.

"A Breaking Restriction Token!"

Lu Yu's eyes narrowed; this thing wasn't common. To be able to open the Formation of the Tingtao Pavilion's backup storehouse, it was either a high-level mole close to Leng Qingshuang or something Tang Zhen had somehow forged or stolen.

It seemed they had spent a fortune for that earth core fire lotus.

The three quickly slipped through the gap, and just as it was about to close, Lu Yu moved like lightning, narrowly flashing inside as well.

Inside was a stone room that wasn't too large, with several rows of jade shelves displaying many jade boxes and bottles, all shimmering with spiritual light—these were all backup or temporary precious resources.

The three had a clear goal and went straight to a cold jade platform at the very back of the stone room, which was stored separately and protected by more complex Restrictions.

On the platform, a miraculous flower shaped like a lotus, entirely crimson but with a faint golden flame phantom slowly flickering in its center, was quietly floating in a mass of cold air, emitting pure and gentle fire-attribute Spiritual Qi.

It was exactly the top-tier spiritual material among the heavenly grade, the earth core fire lotus!

The leading man in black used the Breaking Restriction Token again to carefully open a gap in the cold jade platform's Restriction and reached out to take the fire lotus.

Now!

A cold light flashed in Lu Yu's eyes, and he no longer hid!

Like a leopard that had been gathering strength, he burst out from his hiding place, not using Spiritual Qi to cause a big commotion, but purely relying on the explosive power of his terrifying Physical Body, which had been tempered by heavenly thunder and the Profound Yin Origin!

"Who?!"

The leading man in black reacted extremely quickly, sensing something was wrong the moment Lu Yu moved, and jerked his head back while simultaneously striking out with a palm carrying Yin-cold Spiritual Qi!

Bang!

Fist met palm!

There was no loud explosion of Spiritual Qi, only the extremely dull sound of flesh colliding!

The leading man in black's expression changed drastically; he felt an overwhelming, irresistible force coming from the opponent's fist. The bones in his entire arm groaned under the unbearable weight, and he was sent flying, crashing heavily against the stone wall with a muffled groan, blood seeping from his mouth!

The other two men in black were shocked and immediately sacrificed their Magic Treasures—a poisoned short sword and a pitch-black chain—attacking Lu Yu from both sides!

Lu Yu's figure swayed like a ghost, dodging the short sword. His left hand shot out like lightning, accurately grabbing the incoming chain and yanking it hard!

The man in black using the chain felt an irresistible force pull him toward Lu Yu, where he was met with a heavy elbow strike!

Crack!

The sound of a shattering sternum was clearly audible; the man didn't even make a sound before slumping to the ground.

Seeing his companion instantly incapacitated, the man with the short sword was Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering; he threw his short sword at Lu Yu's face and turned to flee toward the entrance!

Lu Yu tilted his head to dodge the short sword and made a grabbing motion with his right hand. An invisible suction force erupted, dragging the fleeing man back and lifting him into the air by his neck.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye; three Nascent Soul Cultivators hadn't even lasted three breaths against Lu Yu!

The leader struggled to crawl up, looking at Lu Yu, who stood like a god of war holding his companion by the neck, and fear finally appeared in his eyes.

"You... You're Lu Yu?! How could you..."

"How could I be here?"

Lu Yu finished for him with a cold sneer.

"I should be the one asking you that. The Grand Elder sent you to steal the Holy Lord's things; you've got quite the nerve."

"You... You're framing us!"

The leading man in black still wanted to argue.

Lu Yu didn't want to waste words; he tightened his grip, and the man he was holding immediately rolled his eyes.

He looked at the leader: "Speak. Who sent you, what is the plan, and who went to the Saintess's private storehouse?"

The leading man in black's eyes flickered, clearly weighing his options.

Lu Yu didn't give him time; his free left hand made a grabbing motion, and the Breaking Restriction Token on the ground flew into his hand.

"This token is the evidence. Tell me, if I throw it and the three of you at the entrance of the Law Enforcement Hall, will Tang Zhen admit to it?"

Thinking of Tang Zhen's methods, the leading man in black shuddered. If they were exposed to Tang Zhen and he learned the mission failed, what awaited them would surely be Tang Zhen's inhumanly cruel torture and slaughter.

Rather than being tortured to death by Tang Zhen, it was better to speak now!

Demonic Path?

What character or morality did they have?

He gritted his teeth: "I'll talk! It's the Grand Elder! He ordered us to steal the earth core fire lotus; it's the top priority. Another team went to the Saintess's warehouse to take the ten-thousand-year cold marrow. After they get it, they'll hide it near your guest courtyard to frame you! I was to take the earth core fire lotus directly out of the Sect and hand it over to the contact at the Black Mist Swamp!"

It was also because the three of them possessed special stealth abilities that they were sent here to steal the earth core fire lotus.

Just as expected!

Lu Yu's gaze grew colder: "Who is the contact, and where is the specific location?"

"It's... it's the Shadow Demon Venerable. The specific location is the Ghost Cry Forest deep within the swamp. At the third quarter of the Zi hour, the signal is three short owl cries and one long one!"

To save his life, the leading man in black spilled everything.

Lu Yu noted it down. Looking at the three before him, a flash of killing intent crossed his eyes, but remembering Leng Qingshuang's instruction to get evidence, he suppressed it.

He took out the heavenly poison pearl, and with a thought, the pearl emitted a wisp of emerald-green poisonous gas, instantly enveloping the three.

The three felt their bodies go numb, their internal Spiritual Qi was instantly restricted, and even their tongues stiffened as they stared at Lu Yu in terror.

"Don't worry, you won't die. I'm just letting you sleep for a few days."

Lu Yu dragged them to a corner, tied them up securely with a rope Magical Artifact specifically for restricting Cultivators, and slapped on a few Seal Talismans.

Only then did he turn around, carefully put the earth core fire lotus along with the cold jade platform into a specially made jade box, and place it in his Storage Ring.

He thought for a moment and also separately stored the Breaking Restriction Token from the leader and the few Magic Treasures they used that had obvious evil auras; these were all ironclad evidence.

After doing this, he quickly cleaned up the traces of the fight, flashed out of the stone room, and returned the way he came.

Exiting the secret passage, he covered the entrance again and looked up at the sky.

There was still more than an hour until the third quarter of the Zi hour.

His figure flickered as he sped toward the direction of Luo Qingxue's private storehouse.

Over there, the net should be about to close, right?

I hope that girl doesn't run into any trouble.