171: Chapter 171 Explosion, Eerie

The sudden explosion in the distance instantly disrupted the tranquility within the Six Doors.

By now, the Constables in the Six Doors had also reacted.

They realized that something unexpected had happened in the capital.

Old Xu grabbed the saber at his waist and rushed out without looking back, to see what had happened outside.

The entire Six Doors compound instantly descended into chaos.

The Constables shouted, carrying buckets and weapons, surging toward the main gate like a tide.

Before long, Old Xu rushed back from outside the street, turning his head with a face full of anxiety.

"Deputy Captain Chen, the commotion in the Outer City is too great. It's said that something happened at the Martial Arts Tournament!"

Chen Ran stood up and stepped over the threshold unhurriedly.

"Bring your weapons. Don't run around like headless flies; going there is just to clean up the aftermath."

Chen Ran didn't say anything more; he mixed into the crowd and headed toward the Outer City.

The streets were already in complete chaos.

The commoners were fleeing in panic in all directions.

Cries, curses, and the wailing of children mingled together, assaulting the eardrums.

Startled horses pulling carriages charged recklessly through the crowd.

A few vendors who couldn't dodge in time were knocked to the ground, their fruits and vegetables rolling everywhere and being trampled into mush.

Chen Ran sidestepped to avoid a runaway carriage.

He raised his head, his gaze passing over the moving heads to look at the black smoke rising into the sky in the distance.

Rolling black smoke obscured half the sky.

A faint smell of gunpowder drifted through the air, mixed with the burnt smell of burning wood.

"This commotion is not just a typical fire."

Chen Ran calculated silently in his heart.

Most of the Martial Forest figures in the capital had gathered at the Martial Arts Tournament.

The defense was strict, and there were experts everywhere.

To dare to cause such a big commotion there and successfully detonate explosives was definitely not something ordinary thieves could do.

He quickened his pace, following the flow of people toward the Outer City.

By the time they arrived at the Martial Arts Tournament scene.

What met their eyes was broken stones and remnant wood scattered all over the ground.

The originally sturdy bluestone ring had now collapsed by more than half.

A huge deep pit appeared in the center of the venue, the soil at the edges scorched black.

Black smoke kept rising from the bottom of the pit, shooting straight into the clouds.

The air was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder smoke and a heavy scent of blood.

Many Martial Forest figures sat on the ground, disheveled and covered in bloodstains.

"Bang!"

A muffled sound drowned out the surrounding noise.

He Linfeng held a man in black by the neck with one hand.

He exerted force in his arm, slamming the man hard against a broken stone pillar.

Several thick cracks appeared on the surface of the stone pillar, and gravel fell down with a rustle.

The man in black vomited blood wildly, his limbs hanging down powerlessly.

"With just this bit of ability, you dare to come to the Martial Arts Tournament to run wild?"

He Linfeng shook the blood off his hand.

He straightened his slightly messy cuffs and scanned the surrounding scene.

In the ruins, several women in green dresses were treating the injured.

Although the ring had been destroyed by the explosion, it just looked intimidating; in terms of casualties, it hadn't caused much impact.

Everyone present was from the Martial Forest and had self-preservation abilities far exceeding ordinary people; furthermore, there were people from the Ciyin Medical Valley present today, so the situation was quickly brought under control.

Crack, crack.

Gravel fell.

The man in black, who had been slammed against the pillar, suddenly struggled violently.

A flash of madness crossed the man's eyes, and he clamped his mouth shut, actually trying to bite his tongue to commit suicide.

He Linfeng sneered.

His right hand shot out like lightning, grabbing the man's chin.

"Crack."

The sound of the jawbone shattering was crisp and clear.

The man's mouth hung open powerlessly, blood and broken teeth flowing out.

"Want to die? It's not that easy."

He Linfeng tossed him onto the ground as if discarding a piece of trash.

This was the only living captive he had left; today's events were far too eerie.

To think someone dared to launch an attack in the capital; they were truly tired of living.

Soon, the figures of many Constables appeared in the distance, stopping the fire that was about to spread.

"Damn it, where did these lunatics come from?"

"Who knows? We've never seen them before, and the Cultivation Technique they used had no memorable points..."

After the scene settled down,

Chen Ran listened to the surrounding discussions, his gaze sweeping over the wreckage.

He walked to the edge of the huge pit.

He crouched down, picked up a pinch of scorched soil, and brought it to his nose to sniff.

The formula for the gunpowder was very common and could be obtained on the market.

But the quantity was enormous.

To be able to transport so much gunpowder into the Martial Arts Tournament scene silently and detonate it accurately.

There must be a tight organization and planning behind this.

"Is there someone bored enough to specifically blow up the venue?"

Chen Ran whispered slowly; this attack was all thunder but little rain.

It looked intimidating, but in reality, the people who acted only had cultivation around the Sixth Grade and couldn't be considered experts at all.

Suddenly, Chen Ran stopped.

A trace of extremely faint fluctuation entered his perception.

This fluctuation was very faint, almost masked by the chaotic aura and heavy smell of blood around.

Chen Ran's expression changed slightly.

He closed his eyes, carefully distinguishing the source of that fluctuation.

[Tianwang] activated automatically, and invisible Mental Energy spread outward, turning into waves and probing into the distance.

This Mental Energy swept along until it slowly paused outside the city, where there was a familiar aura.

In his perception, it was like a faint heartbeat in the darkness.

It was not far from here.

"Red Lotus Demonic Cult."

Chen Ran opened his eyes, a flash of surprise appearing in the depths of his eyes.

"Did they do it?"

That makes sense; besides this bunch of lunatics, usually no one would use such extreme methods to create chaos.

They blew up the Martial Arts Tournament, definitely not for simple destruction.

This was more like a smokescreen.

A bait used to attract the attention of all the defense forces in the capital.

The Six Doors, the Patrol Battalion, and even the Imperial Guard, their gazes were all attracted by the explosion at the Martial Arts Tournament at this moment.

Then, what was their real target?

Outside the city, Ten-Mile Pavilion.

The night wind whistled, sweeping up the fallen leaves on the ground and making a rustling sound.

The moonlight was bleak, stretching the shadow of the pavilion long, like a giant beast lurking in the darkness.

Jiang Mengli sat quietly on the stone bench at the edge of the pavilion.

She wore a red dress that rustled in the night wind.

Her stunning face appeared somewhat cold under the moonlight.

She didn't speak, just looked at the dirt road leading to the city gate.

In the shadows around the pavilion stood a dozen or so members of the Red Lotus Demonic Cult.

They looked at each other and lowered their voices.

"Who is the Saintess waiting for?"

A thin, small-statured member rubbed his hands and asked in a low voice.

The night wind was a bit cold, and he couldn't help but shiver.

"I don't know. The Martial Arts Tournament side has succeeded, and the secret treasure has been dealt with; logically, we should be retreating."

The burly man next to him frowned, his gaze scanning the surroundings vigilantly.

"The experts in the capital will react very soon. If we don't leave now, I'm afraid there will be trouble. Those lackeys from the Six Doors are not to be trifled with."

"Shh, shut up."

The leading Incense Master glared at them and reprimanded them in a low voice.

"Is the mind of the Saintess something you or I can guess? Stay put. If you ruin the Saintess's big plan, how many heads do you have to be cut off?"

The members immediately fell silent, not daring to say more.

The Red Lotus Demonic Cult had strict rules, and they had witnessed the methods of the Saintess.

The night wind became more urgent.

The leaves rustled, masking the chirping of insects in the distance.

Jiang Mengli still maintained that posture, motionless.

Her gaze pierced through the darkness, seemingly waiting for someone who was bound to appear.

Just at this moment.

In the darkness in the distance, a sound of extremely light footsteps came.

The sound was very light, but it was exceptionally clear in the silent night.

"Rustle... rustle..."

A figure in black slowly walked out of the night.