Trap

"My sense of foreboding suddenly grew stronger."

The moment Han Dang entered the apartment, his heart skipped a beat.

He had chosen to make his move today because Gu Shen's assessment was scheduled for today... According to the intelligence, Mr. Shu had already returned to Da Teng City. To ensure Gu Shen's safety, Zhou Jiren would definitely accompany him to the assessment.

If that old man was not here, then he would not have as much to worry about when making his move.

"Such a strong sense of foreboding... Is it that woman surnamed Luo?" Han Dang quickly left the elevator and arrived at Gu Shen's apartment door. If possible, he did not want to come into direct conflict with that woman.

He and Luo Er had entered the Adjudication Court as envoys in the same class. He knew very well... just how troublesome she was.

But time did not allow him to hesitate any longer.

Take the token, submit it to the Assessment Team, and end all of this.

There was no turning back once the bowstring had been drawn!

Han Dang pressed one hand against the doorframe and took a deep breath.

The Truth Domain activated instantly. Several overlapping shadows appeared before the apartment door. He merely used the simplest form of Profiling, and the sequence for unlocking the door's code reversed and appeared in the dream...

"Click."

It went smoothly.

The door opened.

Han Dang headed straight for the bedroom. He saw a large freestanding storage cabinet, and the drawer on the third level was secured with a tiny bronze lock.

This type of lock required a Key to turn it.

The urgent prompting in his heart grew stronger and stronger. Han Dang no longer had the patience to search for the Key.

Expressionless, he covered the small bronze lock with his palm. Mental Power surged forth like a tide, and in an instant, the lock bolt shattered. The drawer opened smoothly.

"..."

Han Dang's expression darkened as he stared at the object inside the drawer.

A long, flat Cipher Box.

Another tiny combination lock tightly secured its opening, and a solemn, neatly written warning was inscribed on the Cipher Box: "Do not open without propriety."

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

The Next Moment, Han Dang's expression changed drastically.

Someone was here!

He Reacted swiftly, hurriedly pulling the Cipher Box into his arms before sprinting toward the bedroom balcony. The floor-to-ceiling glass window shattered the instant he crashed through it, and people on the street heard the sound of glass exploding from high above.

People Looked Up one after another.

Yet the high-rise apartment remained peaceful.

It was as if everything had merely been an illusion.

Countless shards of glass danced through the air, but at the instant they shattered, some unspeakable rule altered their trajectories. Then they flowed backward like water—

"Crash!"

The flowing water solidified, and the glass reassembled.

Han Dang's pupils constricted. He was still in the posture of charging through the window, except the direction he was rushing toward was completely opposite from what he had intended.

He had originally planned to jump from Gu Shen's high-rise apartment window and escape... but now, he was instead crashing toward the entrance he had come through.

What had Happened?

What kind of ability was this?

His mind went blank, but he keenly caught a trace of danger. At both ends of the doorframe in the direction he was about to crash through, an extremely thin yet taut black Hair Strand had been affixed.

The Hair Strand glinted with a chilling cold light in the breeze.

If he hit it, he would probably be sliced apart!

"This is... that woman's Sealed Item!"

A glimmer flashed across Han Dang's gold-rimmed glasses. He raised two Fingers and pressed them against the front of his Adam's apple. When he collided with the Hair Strand, it did not tighten like iron and behead him.

Clang!

A crisp sound rang out.

The adhesive at both ends of the Hair Strand snapped apart. Dust burst from both sides of the doorframe, and Han Dang stopped his charge somewhat awkwardly. Steadying himself, he stared grimly at the group of three beyond the dust.

Nan Jin had drawn both blades and was on full alert, her attention highly focused as she prepared for the battle ahead.

Zhong Wei, meanwhile, had Both Hands in his pockets and wore a relaxed expression. He looked around Gu Shen's apartment, not even sparing Han Dang an extra glance... because he knew this battle might not happen at all.

Or perhaps it had already ended.

Senior Apprentice Sister Luo had rolled up her sleeves above her forearms. Her arms, white as lotus roots, were now densely entwined with black hair. The black hair poured across the floor like a waterfall, and at some point had already covered every surface in the room. The glass outside the windows no longer let in light; the entire apartment had been sealed off from it, leaving only the mottled glow of the blazing lamps.

"We meet again, Han Dang."

Senior Apprentice Sister Luo pulled over a chair and sat down casually. Smiling, she said, "In recent years, there have been fewer and fewer Adjudication Court envoys capable of carrying out high-risk missions. Since you came to Da Teng City, why sneak around? You could have come to me for tea."

"Luo Er..."

Han Dang stood amid the dust from the collapsed doorframe, frowning as he waved a hand and used Mental Power to disperse the haze.

Since he had been caught, there was nothing more to say.

They had only been acting from the start, each fully aware of the other's intentions. Now, the pretense had merely been exposed.

"You should know what mission I came to Da Teng City to carry out." Han Dang lightly tapped the cipher iron box in his arms with a finger and said flatly, "That little junior apprentice of yours, whom you haven't even taken in yet, doesn't have a clean record. I'm afraid he doesn't meet the Adjudication Court's entry assessment standards."

"Oh... is that so?" Senior Apprentice Sister Luo replied calmly. "What makes you say that?"

"The evidence is in my hands." Han Dang said coldly, "The truth behind the Fire Disaster Case... surely you know it better than I do. I've already submitted the Report of Accusation to the Assessment Team. If they refuse to accept it, the report will continue upward. I'll make sure the Council sees the 'truth.'"

"The truth?" Luo Er said faintly. "Rather than the truth, isn't it simply a means you're using to achieve your goal? Since you're no longer hiding it, I might as well make things clear too. You and Zhu Wang have relentlessly pursued the matter of the Amnesty Decree for no reason other than to bring down our teacher and take over the position of Grand Arbiter within the Adjudication Court."

Han Dang narrowed his eyes but said nothing.

"You should know the latest meeting result as well. Councilor Zhao vetoed the impeachment." Luo Er smiled. "Perhaps you don't understand why... Why did this impeachment still fail when so many people wanted our teacher removed?"

The moment her words fell—

The entire apartment began to tremble, and the blazing lamps emitted a piercing whine.

Han Dang's expression turned grave.

He wanted to cast Truth Domain, but only then did he realize that a Mental Power several times stronger than his own had already completely enveloped the area. His Mental Power was firmly suppressed.

Like a seedling buried underground, even taking root and sprouting was exceedingly difficult.

This was... the Mental Power of that woman across from him?

This immense Mental Power gave Han Dang a sense of helplessness, as though... he were facing his teacher.

"Could it be..."

Han Dang thought of a possibility, and his heart suddenly grew uneasy.

Senior Apprentice Sister Luo played with the black hair in her palm. In a soft, gentle voice, she said, "Yes, just as you've guessed... not long ago, I passed the trial of the twelfth level of the Deep Sea and received the Council's bestowed title, 'Sky Eye.' This news hasn't spread yet. Only a very few people know."

Han Dang clutched the box tightly, his face suddenly turning pale.

"No... impossible..."

He was the Adjudication Court's most prominent young leader. Throughout his journey, he had always been a little stronger than those his age. Luo Er... was indeed a formidable opponent, but all these years, he had never imagined that this woman would surpass him.

The trial of the twelfth level of the Deep Sea... was a Natural Barrier that had blocked countless geniuses.

He was still struggling bitterly before that barrier.

Yet Luo Er had already crossed it and received a bestowed title.

The moment Senior Apprentice Sister Luo spoke, Zhong Wei's expression remained as calm as ever. He already knew the news. Nan Jin, meanwhile, was shocked... As far as she knew, those who passed the twelfth level of the Deep Sea were exceedingly rare, and each possessed an exclusive, unique title.

Zhou Jiren's title was "Sky-Reaching Tree," which was why many respectfully called their teacher "Mr. Shu."

Because of that extraordinary event many years ago, Senior Apprentice Sister Luo's body had stayed at the age of fifteen, making her look very young. Yet she was actually only twenty-seven or twenty-eight, and she had already reached heights that many people could never attain in their entire lives.

"Do you understand now why the impeachment failed?"

Senior Apprentice Sister Luo sat upright in her chair and smiled lightly. At the same time, she raised a hand and waved it casually.

"Even if your teacher Zhu Wang came here in person, he might not be able to take this box from my hands!"

Next Moment, a powerful tsunami of Mental Power surged forth.

Han Dang let out a muffled grunt. He was utterly unable to resist the overwhelming difference in Mental Power and was sent stumbling back several steps, his back slamming into the wall. He could only watch helplessly as the bronze Cipher Box flew out of his arms on its own and landed in Luo Er's hand.

The instant it touched her hand, jet-black hair strands swiftly crawled over and wrapped around the lockbox.

Senior Apprentice Sister Luo gazed thoughtfully at the bronze box in her palm.

An amused smile appeared on her face as she looked at Han Dang with a hint of pity. "Taking a step back... even if you took this box away, what could you do with it?"

The black algae on the surface of the Sealed Item receded completely.

Only a slender hair strand remained, slipping into the lock tongue and turning gently.

"Click."

Right before his eyes, the lockbox slowly opened.

Han Dang's expression turned ugly beyond measure...

He could not believe that the cipher lockbox he had gone to such lengths to seize... contained absolutely nothing.

No physical evidence, no Sealed Item, and certainly no ruler.

It was completely empty.

He... had been played by Gu Shen at the Welfare Institute.