Ten Minutes? One Minute Is Enough

Hm?

A direct attack?!

Are Spirit Hall branch personnel all this unreasonable?

No.

There was no killing intent.

Chen Changfeng's heart stirred. Facing the pair of jade-like hands reaching for him, he remained calm and let his body tilt to the right. The black figure's hands swept past, nearly brushing his ear, but Chen Changfeng quickly realized something was wrong.

As Chen Changfeng retreated sideways, a cloud of white powder suddenly sprayed toward him, swiftly enveloping him.

Purple Destruction Power flashed and vanished.

After the white powder had shrouded Chen Changfeng for quite some time, the forest breeze gradually scattered it away. On the ground, Chen Changfeng lay unconscious with his eyes closed.

Looking at the unconscious Chen Changfeng, the woman in black lightly dusted the remaining powder from her palms and sighed. "Spirit Hall business. Uninvolved parties are not permitted to know about it. But I'll take you safely out of the Star Dou Great Forest. For now, I can only trouble you to sleep for a few days."

Shaking her head, the woman in black slowly walked over to the unconscious Chen Changfeng. She crouched down, took a sturdy Soul Power rope from her robe, grabbed his hand, and prepared to bind him.

Just as the woman in black was about to tie up Chen Changfeng, something unexpected happened.

Chen Changfeng, who should have been unconscious, suddenly opened his eyes. His palms turned, and while the woman in black was caught off guard, he firmly seized both her hands.

"So it really is Spirit Hall. Then I don't need to keep pretending."

The sudden turn of events startled the woman in black, but she reacted quickly. With her hands restrained, she viciously kicked at Chen Changfeng's lower abdomen.

Seeing that the woman in black still refused to give up, Chen Changfeng sneered. His right leg shot out as well, crashing heavily into her shin. The woman's soft purple eyes suddenly narrowed, filling with pain.

Having landed the blow, Chen Changfeng did not stop. His left leg curled around the woman's legs like a ribbon, and the two of them fell diagonally to the ground. Chen Changfeng happened to land on top of her, pinning her down tightly.

The woman in black was completely stunned by the sudden attack.

The next second, she abruptly began struggling.

Seeing her resist so fiercely, Chen Changfeng's scalp tightened. He reached back and pressed hard beneath her knee, forcing it down. Since he had been supporting himself with one hand on the ground, the large movement caused his body to lose its support in midair. He fell straight down, completely pressing the woman in black beneath him.

Their eyes met.

The distinctly masculine scent coming from him made blood rush to the woman in black's head, leaving her dizzy. Her purple eyes widened as never before.

Panic and humiliation instantly swept through her body.

It was instinctive resistance.

The soft sensation beneath him made Chen Changfeng's heart tremble slightly. He silently cursed his rotten luck. The moment she moved, their bodies fit together even more perfectly.

Awkward!

A full-blown social death scene.

They were so close that Chen Changfeng could almost feel her scorching breath.

At that critical moment, Chen Changfeng moved swiftly. He pulled the Spirit Hall Waist Token from his robes, proof enough of his identity, and held it before the black-clad girl. Only then did he suppress the Soul Power that was about to erupt from her.

That was right—only a Spirit Hall token used to prove one's identity, not the so-called Elder Judgment Token.

After all, this was merely a branch hall's territory.

Not to mention whether these people would recognize the Elder Judgment Token, even if they did, they would likely be frightened senseless. It was better to present himself as an ordinary member. That was the only way he could blend into this mission force.

A Spirit Hall Waist Token?

Upon seeing the identification token, the black-clad girl frowned slightly, and her tense emotions gradually eased.

So he's one of us. It was a misunderstanding.

"Now, can you get off me?"

But the woman in black soon realized their posture. The man's scent from above made her feel faint, and she gritted her silver teeth as she snapped angrily.

Smiling faintly, Chen Changfeng pushed himself up and pulled the woman in black to her feet.

The woman in black glared fiercely at Chen Changfeng.

Without realizing it, she looked him over from head to toe.

Now she was completely certain that he had also come for the mission to intercept the Heaven Dou Empire envoys. Yet she had never seen him in the Spirit Hall branch.

Was he from another branch?

Or had the Spirit Hall main headquarters in Spirit City sent him here specially because they didn't trust us?

"Do you know exactly when the Heaven Dou Empire delegation will pass through?"

While being assessed, Chen Changfeng was also studying the woman in black. She should be the branch hall master of this city's Spirit Hall.

Directly assigned by the Papal Palace.

She should possess more detailed intelligence on this mission than I do.

Hearing Chen Changfeng's question, the woman in black was basically certain of her speculation. He was from Spirit Hall's headquarters in Spirit City.

"Yes."

"The scouts reported that the delegation will pass through the town around dusk today, and will most likely stay there. However, the Heaven Dou Empire's secrecy measures for this mission have been excellent. Whether the intelligence is reliable still needs to be verified."

"Sir, were you sent by His Holiness the Pope to assist us? I am Su Su, master of the Spirit Hall branch, and the overall commander of this mission."

Su Su explained truthfully.

During their brief exchange just now, she had already sensed that his Soul Power was far greater than hers.

He was probably a level-seventy Soul Sage.

With a Soul Sage joining them, the casualties among their Soul Masters could be greatly reduced. She did not want to let such a good opportunity slip away.

Su Su's mood instantly improved.

"Chen Changfeng."

Chen Changfeng simply gave his name. He was somewhat surprised. Although he had not seen the woman's true appearance, he could judge from her voice that she was around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. Such a young Soul Emperor could be considered a genius. As expected, Spirit Hall never lacked geniuses.

Chen Changfeng?

The name sounded somewhat familiar, but she could not recall where she had heard it.

Seeing that he did not wish to say more, Su Su did not press him. She merely led him deeper into the dense forest.

Some low-level Soul Beasts along the way did not dare attack after sensing their auras.

The two passed through a stretch of dense woods.

Their field of vision suddenly opened up.

A mountain path was hidden deep within the forest. Though narrow, it was fairly level, and carriages could pass through without issue. The path lay between two low peaks, and the vegetation and trees dozens of meters up the slopes formed the most advantageous cover. At this moment, Spirit Hall's thousand Soul Masters were already positioned along both sides.

"For this meeting between Heaven Dou and Star Luo, the imperial family's procession traveled along the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest for most of the journey in order to conceal their movements and prevent outsiders from learning their route."

Su Su stopped before an ancient tree and pointed to the cliffs on either side. "This terrain is perfect for an ambush. Before they arrive, we have already dealt with the scouts and guards they had stationed here, turning the tables on them."

"According to the mission ordered by His Holiness the Pope, our operation is to seize the other side's key figures within ten minutes."

"Because this place is close to the town outside, most of its people have been replaced by the Soul Master Legion and the army. Once fighting begins here, reinforcements from the town will arrive within fifteen minutes. Therefore, we plan to break through their defenses within ten minutes, then withdraw entirely."

"Sir, do you understand the plan? Once ten minutes are up, we must retreat."

Su Su looked at Chen Changfeng with expectation in her eyes.

She herself possessed considerable combat strength.

But Su Su still hoped Chen Changfeng would act when it mattered most.

Chen Changfeng's lips curved slightly. He casually said, "One minute is enough."

In truth, as long as he saw the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's procession with his own eyes, the battle would be over.

After going premium, things have cooled off a bit, so I'll stick to two daily updates.