55: bait

The Inner District, leading to the Chen Family Ancestral Residence... an underground sewer.

On the surface, the sounds of killing shook the heavens, and the firelight dyed half the sky red.

Three zhang underground, Zhou Wannian was hunched over, treading along the edge of the sewer filled with silt and rotting corpses. Like a rat truly living in the gutters, he silently crept toward the central area.

"Only a fool would take the main road."

Zhou Wannian muttered to himself.

The surface was now full of Black Wind Stockade Robber Cultivators with bloodshot eyes and Chen Family private soldiers desperately fighting back; stray bullets were flying everywhere. Even though he had a cultivation at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining Perfection, and even with a Second-Tier poison Talisman in his hand, he didn't want to go looking for trouble.

What if some blind fool threw a fireball and covered him in ash? How would that be worth it?

He had three layers of Talismans stuck to his body: the innermost was a "breath concealing talisman," the middle was a "Dust-Repelling Talisman," and the outermost was a "Spirit-Hiding Talisman" used to block Divine Sense detection.

His entire being was like a lifeless stone, perfectly blending into this dark and damp environment.

"The exit is just ahead."

Zhou Wannian stopped in his tracks; above his head was a manhole cover that had been half-blasted open.

Through the gap, he saw the scene outside, which could only be described as Hell.

This was already the edge of the Chen Family Ancestral Residence.

The originally magnificent complex of buildings had turned into a charred, deep pit.

In the center of the pit, that Corpse Puppet Old Ancestor—covered in festering sores yet radiating a terrifying pressure—was going mad.

"Roar——!!!"

The corpse puppet smashed a Chen Family suicide soldier who tried to approach with one palm, grabbed half of the corpse, and stuffed it into its mouth, chewing with a crunching sound.

Around it, the only two remaining Foundation Establishment Elders of the Chen Family were leading a group of people in a bitter struggle to hold on.

"Too brutal."

Zhou Wannian shrunk his neck and pushed the Turtle Breathing Technique to its limit, even forcibly suppressing his heartbeat to three beats per minute.

He took out Wealthy Chen's map.

"The treasury entrance is at the rockery in the back garden... which is the edge of that deep pit."

It was about fifty zhang away from the corpse puppet.

For a maddened Foundation Establishment Stage monster, this distance was just a single pounce away.

"Charging straight over definitely won't work."

Zhou Wannian narrowed his eyes, observing the situation through the gap in the manhole cover.

At this time, besides the Chen Family people, the main force of the Black Wind Stockade had also arrived.

"Brothers! That monster is the Chen Family Old Ancestor! It's almost finished!"

"Kill it! The Chen Family's centuries of accumulation are all here!"

A group of Robber Cultivators who didn't know the meaning of death, their minds clouded by greed, howled as they charged toward the ruins.

Seeing this scene, the corners of Zhou Wannian's mouth curled up slightly.

"Very good, this is what they call 'I've definitely made this kind of friend.'"

He waited patiently.

When that group of Robber Cultivators charged into the battlefield, completely throwing the situation into chaos and drawing most of the corpse puppet's aggro.

"Now's the time."

Zhou Wannian didn't jump out directly.

He pulled a "Phantom Talisman" from his robes, stuck it onto a piece of rotten wood he'd picked up from the sewer, and then fiercely threw it toward a corner of the ruins in the distance.

Buzz!

The rotten wood landed and transformed into a human figure, deliberately emitting a trace of Third Layer of Qi Refining spiritual energy fluctuations.

"Roar?!"

The corpse puppet, which was in the middle of a killing spree, and the surrounding Robber Cultivators were all drawn by this sudden spiritual energy fluctuation, subconsciously looking in that direction.

Taking advantage of the 0.1 seconds that everyone was Divided Soul.

Zhou Wannian was like a wisp of green smoke, silently floating out from the well opening.

He didn't run, but rather "slid" along the ground.

Using collapsed walls, piles of corpses, and even the dust from explosions as cover, his movements were fluid and natural, without any extra noise or causing any spiritual energy ripples.

The Profound Truth of Gu Dao movement techniques——"Loach Burrowing."

Fifty zhang.

Thirty zhang.

Ten zhang.

Just as he was about to reach that rockery.

Boom!

The corpse puppet suddenly went berserk, a sweep of its arm sending several Robber Cultivators flying. One unlucky fellow, by some stroke of bad luck, happened to smash right into the broken wall where Zhou Wannian was hiding.

Pfft!

The Robber Cultivator spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, which happened to splash all over Zhou Wannian.

Zhou Wannian: "..."

Worse still, that Robber Cultivator wasn't quite dead. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Zhou Wannian huddled in the corner wearing a ghost-face mask.

"Help..."

The Robber Cultivator subconsciously wanted to call for help.

As long as he made a sound, the nearby corpse puppet would definitely switch targets in an instant.

In the spark of a flint.

Zhou Wannian didn't use any Spells; he simply used incredibly fast hand speed to extend a finger and precisely poke the Robber Cultivator's throat mute point.

Then, following the momentum, he pressed down and covered his mouth.

At the same time, his other hand gave a light pat to the back of the man's head.

Crack.

The Robber Cultivator's eyes rolled back, and he passed out.

The entire set of movements was fluid and natural, without making a single sound.

Zhou Wannian maintained his crouching posture, motionless, even letting the unconscious Robber Cultivator sprawl over him to serve as a "meat shield" and "scent cover."

The corpse puppet not far away twitched its nose, seemingly smelling the blood over here.

It turned that massive head, its dead-fish eyes sweeping over.

Zhou Wannian's heart instantly stopped beating.

In his perception, that terrifying gaze lingered on him for two breaths.

Then, it moved away.

In the corpse puppet's eyes, that was just a half-dead ant, not worth wasting energy on; there were more lively "food" over there provoking it.

"Whew..."

Only when the corpse puppet turned to hunt others did Zhou Wannian slowly resume his heartbeat.

He gently pushed the Robber Cultivator off him and, like a gecko, silently slid behind the rockery.

"Third blue brick... press down."

Click.

The sound of the mechanism activating was extremely faint, but in Zhou Wannian's ears, it was like a clap of thunder.

He immediately pulled out a "Silence Talisman" and stuck it on the mechanism, suppressing the sound of the gears turning to the minimum.

The stone door slowly cracked open a gap.

Just enough to squeeze in sideways.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhou Wannian "slid" inside like a fish.

While entering, he reached back to trigger the mechanism, letting the stone door close again in the shortest possible time.

The entire process didn't alert anyone, nor did it trigger any combat.

Just like that, under the noses of dozens of Cultivators and a Foundation Establishment Stage monster, he vanished into thin air.

Boom!

Only when the stone door had completely shut, sealing out the noise from outside, did Zhou Wannian lean against the wall and wipe the fine layer of cold sweat from his forehead.

"Thrilling."

He grinned; although he hadn't lifted a finger, this was more exhausting than killing Wealthy Chen.

"But then again, this is what you call skilled work."

"Fighting and killing is so uncivilized; it's easy to get your clothes dirty."

Zhou Wannian looked down at the blood spots on his clothes from the Robber Cultivator earlier and curled his lip in disgust.

"Forget it, at least it's not my own blood."

He took out a Cleaning Talisman, cleaned himself up, and then held up a night-luminescent pearl to look down this deep corridor leading to wealth.

"Chen Family Old Ancestor, you have fun up there."

"I'll just keep your coffin money safe for you."

Zhou Wannian hummed an unknown little tune and walked with light steps toward the depths underground.

This was the proper way for a follower of Gu Dao to operate:

When the deed is done, brush off your robes and leave, hiding both your person and your fame.

Even in these chaotic times, one must be an elegant... tomb-raiding captain.