Night Raven Tower's Mysterious Shadow

The chaos at the martial arena outside Lanting Holy City was like boiling oil splashed across the ground. The thunderous cries of "Long live Oirat!" from a moment ago turned into screams rising and falling in the blink of an eye.

Scarlet blood splattered across the bluestone stands, while white mist mixed with poisonous smoke drifted through the air, leaving even the air tinged with a sweet, fishy scent of rust. The grand celebration marking three hundred years since the founding of the state had become a hellscape carpeted with corpses in an instant.

Lin Zhao crouched amid the crowd, but his gaze remained fixed on the three figures fighting fiercely in the center of the arena.

Baxia stood bare-chested, his bronze muscles covered in bloody wounds deep enough to expose bone. The blackish-brown true qi swirling around him had weakened somewhat, yet he still resembled an unshakable mountain of dark iron.

Opposite him, the Vice Minister of War wore a fifty-pound suit of black iron armor. The Ring-pommel Sword in his hand was wrapped in condensed innate true qi, and every slash tore through the air with a hiss, easily severing hardwood as thick as a bowl rim. There was also a man entirely clad in black nightwear, moving so swiftly that only an afterimage remained. He was "Mysterious Shadow," one of the five Grandmaster Warriors from the infamous assassin organization Night Raven Tower within the Ming Dynasty.

"So it's that old bastard!" Lin Zhao clenched his fingers until his knuckles turned white. He still remembered how Zhao Tieying had been badly wounded by Iron Mountain back then. Iron Mountain's organization had been Night Raven Tower, and Mysterious Shadow was almost certainly connected to what had happened then.

A blaze of fury rushed into his heart, and he wished he could immediately rush over and tear that sneaking rat apart with the Eagle Claw Force of the Green Falcon Technique.

But he quickly suppressed the impulse. The sight of Baxia using his bare hands to withstand the Mystic Armored Pangolin Dragon was still vivid in his mind. The blood and qi pressure of a Heavenly Gang Realm Grandmaster Warrior was not something a Peak Martial Master could withstand.

Even if Mysterious Shadow revealed an opening through distraction, charging in would only be serving himself up on a platter.

"Wait a little longer. Now isn't the time." Lin Zhao gritted his teeth and shifted his gaze toward the side gate on the western side of the arena. It was the only exit not blocked by the rebels.

"Brother Lin, I'm leaving first!" Li Yue suddenly squeezed over from beside him, his voice trembling. He clutched a wet piece of burlap over his nose and mouth. "This situation is out of control. The rebels' poisonous smoke is getting thicker and thicker. If we stay any longer, something will happen! If you manage to get away, come find me at the Xuan Yao Pavilion branch in the central district!" As soon as he finished speaking, he squeezed toward the side gate with the fleeing crowd and vanished into the chaotic tide of people in the blink of an eye.

Lin Zhao did not move. He reached into his robes and put on a Rakshasa mask he had prepared long ago. He had specially commissioned it—it concealed his face and blocked part of the poisonous smoke.

Holding his breath, he used the crowd as cover and hunched his way toward the Pangolin Dragon's corpse at the edge of the arena. "Damn it. If I'd known the rebels would cause trouble, I wouldn't have come to join this spectacle."

Though he cursed aloud, he was not panicked inside. With his current Peak Martial Master cultivation, escaping would not be difficult. There was simply one major matter concerning his cultivation that he had yet to handle.

His gaze fell upon the corpse of the Mystic Armored Pangolin Dragon at the edge of the arena.

Baxia had torn open a bowl-sized wound in the Pangolin Dragon's neck. Its dark-gold dragon essence salivary gland was still exposed, and the dragon essence condensed within it glimmered faintly in the dim light.

This was the key material needed to refine Mystic Dragon Secret Medicine and break through Peak Martial Master. If he missed this chance, who knew how long he would have to wait before gathering so much dragon essence again?

"I need to wait for an opportunity." Lin Zhao narrowed his eyes and watched the battle at the center of the arena.

Although Baxia had been poisoned by the rebels' Heart-Rotting Grass, the foundation of a peak Grandmaster Warrior remained. His fists smashed the ground apart, sending spiderweb cracks spreading through it, and he forcibly drove the Vice Minister of War and Mysterious Shadow into a dead corner in the arena's northeast.

Both men looked extremely grim. Clearly, neither had expected that a poisoned and wounded Baxia could still unleash such terrifying combat power.

Just then, a burly man dressed like a rebel suddenly charged over. His rusty blade swung straight at Lin Zhao's back. "Take off that mask! Otherwise, you're a rebel accomplice! Under Oirat law, you'll be killed without mercy!"

Lin Zhao's eyes turned cold. His body darted aside like a wildcat, evading the blade as Mystic Dragon True Qi flooded his palms. Then, swift as lightning, he struck the man's chest.

With a crisp crack, the man's ribs broke under the blow. He spat out a mouthful of black blood, convulsed twice on the ground, and went still.

Everyone around them was too busy fleeing for their lives to notice the brief skirmish. Lin Zhao wiped the blood from his hand and continued watching the Pangolin Dragon's corpse, patiently waiting for the best moment.

He even found time to glance at the VIP stands above. Minister of Revenue Ling Song was being escorted by two Peak Martial Master guards as he slipped into a hidden passage beneath the stands.

It seemed that old bastard was afraid. Knowing rebels were causing havoc outside, he did not dare return to his residence.

"What a pity. No chance to find that Venerable Dragon Yuan Divine Statue." A trace of regret passed through Lin Zhao's heart, but he quickly refocused. The Pangolin Dragon's dragon essence was more important for now. He would have plenty of opportunities to settle the score with Ling Song later.

At last, the battle in the center of the arena underwent a decisive change!

Baxia suddenly roared. His fists, wrapped in the remaining blackish-brown true qi, smashed viciously into Mysterious Shadow's left shoulder.

With a muffled bang, Mysterious Shadow flew away like a kite with its string cut and slammed heavily into the refined iron railing. A mouthful of black blood sprayed across it, instantly staining half the railing red.

The Vice Minister of War tried to rush forward to help, but Baxia kicked him in the chest. A section of his black iron armor was kicked inward, and he staggered back several steps, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

"Now!"

A sharp light flashed through Lin Zhao's eyes. His fingers drew a cold iron-tempered Short Knife from his boot, and under the cover of the crowd, he swiftly climbed the refined iron railing half a man tall.

He flipped into the arena and rushed to the Pangolin Dragon's corpse in several strides. His left hand pressed against the slick dragon scales to steady himself, while his right hand neatly cut away the Pangolin Dragon's dragon essence gland. The gland was the size of a fist, and dark-gold dragon essence still slowly seeped from it. He hurriedly took out a cloth pouch, wrapped the salivary gland tightly, and tucked it into his robes.

Just as he turned to run for the side gate, a bone-piercing chill suddenly came from behind him, as though an ice awl were pressed against the center of his back!

"Little thief, you dare steal this old man's property!"

Mysterious Shadow's voice was like a venomous snake's tongue, cold and piercing.

Every hair on Lin Zhao's body stood on end. The Intuitive Awareness of the Blood Poison Spider Technique screamed warnings in his mind. He could even clearly sense a condensed black iron poison-coated dagger shooting toward the center of his back!

It was too fast. There was no time to dodge!

Heart Guardian Seal!

Almost instinctively, Lin Zhao formed a hand seal. The Radiant Crystal powder hidden in his palm exploded at once, and a pale white true qi barrier instantly wrapped around his back.

With a pfft, the black iron dagger struck the barrier. The barrier burst like a bubble, but the dagger's speed slowed slightly as well.

Mystic Dragon Aura!

Lin Zhao did not dare pause for even an instant. Mystic Dragon True Qi surged wildly through his back, forming a thick armor of aura over his body.

At the same time, his Dragon Pattern Armor and chainmail tightened instantly. With a crack, the dagger blasted a hole straight through the back of the Dragon Pattern Armor, and several iron rings of the chainmail split with fine cracks. At last, the dagger pierced into the aura armor, where layer upon layer of aura wrapped around it and finally stopped it. The poison on its blade was also neutralized by the true qi.

Using that brief respite, Lin Zhao flipped over the refined iron railing and plunged into the chaotic crowd. After several leaps, he rushed out through the side gate and vanished into an alley in the outer city of Yingtian Prefecture. The entire process took less than three breaths!

Mysterious Shadow stood where he was, staring in the direction Lin Zhao had disappeared, his eyes full of disbelief. "How is that possible? A Peak Martial Master actually blocked this old man's Mystic Poison Dagger?" He had just been about to chase after him when Baxia's fist smashed toward his face with a howl of tearing air!

"Fighting me, and you still dare lose focus?" Baxia's voice was filled with wild rage. The blackish-brown true qi around him erupted once more, and a single punch sent Mysterious Shadow flying again, slamming him heavily onto the ground. "You Night Raven Tower scum, who gave you the nerve to be distracted!"

Mysterious Shadow clutched his chest and spat a mouthful of black blood onto the ground as he struggled to rise. He knew that if the battle continued, defeat was certain, so he hurriedly shouted to the Vice Minister of War, "Retreat! Baxia that madman is risking his life! If we don't leave now, we'll both die here!"

Though the Vice Minister of War was unwilling, he could only grit his teeth and nod when he saw Baxia's cannibalistic glare. The two men led the remaining rebels and fled in a sorry state through the hidden passage beneath the stands.

Baxia stood in place, covered in blood, like a God of War crawling out of hell.

The surrounding rebels held bows, but not one of them dared fire. Baxia's roar had just blasted away more than a dozen arrows and killed two rebels outright. No one wanted to be the first to die.

"A bunch of trash, and you dare strut before me?" Baxia sneered. He grabbed the refined iron railing and gave it a savage pull. With a tremendous crash, the refined iron railing, as thick as a bowl rim, was torn into two pieces by brute force!

He leaped into the air, stepped across the stone stairs of the stands, and pursued the Vice Minister of War in the direction he had fled. He moved so fast that only a blackish-brown afterimage remained.

Meanwhile, Lin Zhao stopped in an empty alley in Lanting Holy City's outer district. Leaning against a weathered brick wall, he gasped for breath. His back still throbbed faintly. Without the double protection of the Heart Guardian Seal and Mystic Dragon Aura just now, the poisoned dagger would likely have pierced his heart.

"Good thing my life is tough." Lin Zhao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and took out the coarse cloth bundle from his robes, carefully opening it. The dragon essence gland inside was completely intact. He broke it open, counted the condensed dragon essence within, and his eyes immediately lit up. "A full thirty portions! I've struck it rich this time. It's enough to refine three hundred Mystic Dragon Secret Medicines and assault the Heavenly Gang Realm!"

He carefully put away the dragon essence and tucked it into a pouch against his body, but he did not relax in the slightest. Mysterious Shadow's strength had thoroughly awakened him to the danger. Heavenly Gang Realm Grandmaster Warriors truly were terrifying. If he encountered opponents of that level again, he would have to be much more careful. Before breaking through to the Heavenly Gang Realm, he absolutely could not clash head-on again.