The wind in the woods stopped, and the branches and leaves hung still. The lingering heat of the fierce battle slowly dissipated, yet the atmosphere around Lin Sheng abruptly plunged below freezing.
He stood where he was, his fingertips trembling slightly as a bone-deep chill shot up his spine to the crown of his head.
He carefully retraced every detail from beginning to end: he had clearly intended to enter seclusion to refine the blood essence injections, yet his will had inexplicably shifted, insisting that he leave the city for the meeting; He Ping had sent message after message, choosing a woodland outside the city as the meeting place, just when his master Xia Leisheng happened to be away investigating unusual activity... Each incident seemed coincidental on its own, but strung together, they reeked of deliberate arrangement.
He had always considered himself cautious. Ever since the Flame Demon had tried to intercept and kill him, his vigilance toward the outside world had reached its peak. He would never recklessly leave Forest City's protective range. Yet his actions now ran completely counter to his usual principles.
Someone has been subtly interfering with my will and decisions from the shadows!
Once that thought arose, he could no longer suppress it.
To influence his mind without a sound, twist his decisions, and leave not the slightest trace throughout-the mental abilities required were far beyond peak Demigods like Youzhe and Shadow Crow. Whoever was behind this had already surpassed his understanding.
They had gone to great lengths to lay a chain of traps, luring him out of Forest City step by step. Their purpose was now plain as day.
Inside the city, he had the Fighting Association's great formation protecting him, with more than one Wasteland Martial expert stationed there. Even without Xia Leisheng,