Lian Tianlu glanced at Yellow Sand Valley not far away, and spoke up, “After we discovered the whereabouts of the person who has been slaughtering Warrior Sects throughout Central State and stealing Spirit Veins, the five of us tracked him all the way here. That person entered Yellow Sand Valley and has been inside for five days without coming out. For safety’s sake, we haven’t made a move.”

Recently, within the bounds of Central State, four or five sects had suffered attacks by several figures in black robes, and all had issues with their sect’s Spirit Veins, which seemed to have been taken away by the assailant using some method.

The Demon Suppressing Department, too, received news of the incident and considered it to be of great importance, far from ordinary. Lian Tianlu personally led an investigation into the matter, and after half a year, leveraging the Department’s powerful intelligence network, they successfully locked on to one of the suspects behind the annihilations of sects—those in black robes.

They discreetly followed him, until he finally entered Yellow Mountain Valley.

Lian Tianlu is the Deputy Chief of the Demon Suppressing Department, a formidable Five-Qi Grandmaster who has cultivated high-tier martial arts; the other four are also top elite of the Demon Suppressing Department, each reaching the “Three Flowers Gathering at the Top.”

Even so, Lian Tianlu refrained from rashly attacking. There might be accomplices of the man in black robes inside Yellow Sand Valley. According to the intelligence, every one of those in black robes was exceptionally powerful.

To be prudent, Lian Tianlu and the others set up watch outside Yellow Sand Valley, while also sending a message to the headquarters of the Demon Suppressing Department. Upon receiving the news, Duanmu Tao, the Chief of the Department, personally spurred his horse across the vast distance to come to this place at full speed.

Duanmu Tao’s sharply outlined face showed no superfluous expressions, “He has been inside Yellow Sand Valley for five days and hasn’t come out?”

Duanmu Tao felt there might be an issue; perhaps the person in the black robe realized he was being followed, so he entered Yellow Sand Valley and deliberately set up a feint to tie them down and stall for time.

“Then let’s go in and take a look. Leave two people outside to keep watch,” Duanmu Tao said calmly.

“Yes!”

Lian Tianlu and the other four Demon Suppressing Department experts all complied.

They all understood in their hearts that no matter what kind of scheme the opponent had, in the face of absolute strength, it would be of no use. With Duanmu Tao personally present, nothing unexpected would occur!

As the Chief of the Demon Suppressing Department, Duanmu Tao was cultivated by the Great Flame Royal Family. The martial arts he practiced and the resources he received were all top-notch, and his strength had already reached the highest tier below that of Martial Saint!

“What are they talking about?” Su Changkong was quite curious, but the distance was too far, and even with his keen hearing, he couldn’t make out the conversation of the few people below. However, all he needed to do was to keep an eye on the situation from above.

A group of strong individuals from the Demon Suppressing Department, led by Duanmu Tao, entered Yellow Sand Valley, where two other experts took up positions at high points at the valley’s exit to prevent the enemy from escaping.

Inside Yellow Sand Valley, the scene was desolate, covered with bits of sand and stone. Occasionally, when the wind blew, a mournful whistling sound arose.

Beyond the shattered stones, fine sand, and withered yellow trees, there were no other abnormalities to be found in Yellow Sand Valley, not even a trace of living creatures!

But Duanmu Tao and the others did not lower their vigilance. Lian Tianlu and his companions had seen the person in black robes enter Yellow Sand Valley with their own eyes, and they had spread out to surround the valley for several days without seeing him leave. Unless that person in the black robe could teleport, he must still be within Yellow Sand Valley.

“Be careful!”

Suddenly, one of the green-robed men from the Demon Suppressing Department’s face changed, as he sensed a murderous intent locking onto them!

“Boom!”

The mountainside next to them suddenly exploded, stones tumbling down. From within the mountain wall, a person in a black robe burst forth wildly, his fist bringing a whistling sound, like thunderous explosions, with an awe-inspiring momentum!

This attack was so abrupt, but Duanmu Tao and the others were all experts on high alert and naturally would not be caught off guard.

“Damn it!”

With a roar from Lian Tianlu, he stepped forward, his burly body emanating an oppressive force, and he ferociously smashed his right fist towards the heavy punch of the person in the black robe.

“Boom!”

The air trembled violently, whipping up a fierce wind that howled through the valley. The person in the black robe was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, his back crashing against the mountain wall, causing it to shatter and collapse.

“Crack, crack, crack!”

But shockingly, as he collided, the person in the black robe’s body exploded into black smoke and disappeared with the wind!

“Not good!”

A sudden awareness dawned on Lian Tianlu and the others.

“Where do you think you’re escaping to!”

At the same time, two angry roars of Demon Suppressing Department experts echoed from outside the valley.

From within the valley, a figure in a black robe frantically sprinted out, fleeing towards the exterior of the valley.

The attack just launched against Duanmu Tao and the others was merely a dummy resembling an ’empty shell,’ created from True Qi. The opponent had left an impression of their True Qi to divert everyone’s attention, while they themselves took the opportunity to flee the valley, pulling off a gold cicada’s escape.

“Stop him!”

The two experts guarding the entrance of the valley did not hesitate and immediately flanked the black-robed figure from the left and the right.

A glint of gloomy light flashed through the black-robed figure’s eyes. He was well aware of the threat posed by these Five-Qi Grandmasters, especially Duanmu Tao, which made him realize that he could not afford anything but escape; he could not engage in direct combat!

The black-robed figure spun on his feet, and his entire being burst forth, astonishingly splitting into four shadowy clones that darted in four different directions. It was hard to distinguish the real from the falsities. Even footsteps in the sandy ground left shallow prints as if they were of a solid physical form.

“What?”

Both Demon Suppressing Department experts were taken aback, but they immediately launched punches and kicks towards the two closest figures.

“Bang Bang!”

Both figures exploded on impact.

“Fakes?”

Their hearts sank, and without hesitation, they split up and pursued the other two black-robed figures.

“Whoosh Whoosh!”

But as the two black-robed figures blurred, they too split into four, evading confrontation and escaping in different directions at an alarmingly fast pace.

“What kind of body technique is this?”

Both Demon Suppressing Department experts were utterly astounded. Despite their best efforts to give chase, they could not keep up with the four fleeing figures, and the two figures they were pursuing disappeared from view after running a few miles.

By that time, the black-robed man had already escaped dozens of miles away within a short span.

The black-robed man sneered coldly as he continued his escape, “What Demon Suppressing Department? Nothing but trash!”

He was rather pleased with himself, having received orders to distract the Demon Suppressing Department, and with his expertise in the ’Phantom Demon Method,’ he effortlessly escaped from right under the noses of the Department’s experts.

Not stopping for a moment, the black-robed man flew across more than a hundred miles, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks. His pupils contracted slightly as he observed a cold and stern man in black sitting upon a round rock ahead, seemingly waiting for him.

Naturally, the man in black was Su Changkong, who had ’White Crane Escapes’ soaring through the sky, overseeing the entire escape from the valley. No matter how ingeniously the black-robed man moved or how many forms he took, Su Changkong could see everything within a ten-mile radius from a high vantage point, with every action of the black-robed man right under his watch.

Su Changkong watched him, expressionless, “Do you know anything about the matters of the Spirit Taoist Sect?”

The information obtained earlier indicated that the culprits who severed the Spirit Taoist Sect were four individuals in black robes. With this black-robed man being pursued by the Demon Suppressing Department, could he be part of the group responsible for destroying the Spirit Taoist Sect?

But the black-robed man did not answer Su Changkong’s question; without any hesitation, his figure blurred and flickered. Splitting from one into two, then from two into four, the four identical figures were indistinguishable from real and fake as they bolted away in four different directions!

The black-robed man did not know Su Changkong’s identity, but with an unfriendly newcomer and the Demon Suppressing Department’s experts in pursuit, it was obviously best to make a quick getaway!

“Trying to use such tricks in front of me?”

Su Changkong snorted coldly, reaching out with his left hand, his fingers tightening as a surge of True Qi was released. The Spiritual Energy of the surrounding nature stirred, controlled by Su Changkong!

Five Animal Frolics, Ape Demon Captures the Air!

Before the four figures could even manage to escape a yard’s distance, they shattered with a “crack” sound. A crushing force surrounded them as if an invisible giant hand was closing and kneading them together, causing the three illusive shadows to explode at the same time.

Only the true body of the black-robed man did not disintegrate, but was compressed to the point where his bones cracked and his internal organs nearly burst!

(Qidian Chinese Network update notice, the next chapter will be updated at 10:00 PM on the 13th.)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Madara Web Novel