"Sure enough, I knew that man meant us no good. He actually forgot to tell us such crucial information."
The deposit was one thousand taels of gold. Adding the extra one thousand taels he had given outright, that made two thousand taels of gold—all merely a deposit.
They had thought it was a pie falling from the heavens. Only now did the white-robed man realize that it was simply a trap.
His chest heaved violently. Clearly, he could not let go of the other man's death, because that man had been one of his right-hand men.
Like his white-gloved hand, the man had handled many matters that were inconvenient for him to deal with and had been a capable assistant. He had never expected that the small youth would make him vanish into thin air.
With a crisp crack, the moment the life tablet shattered, he had already realized what had happened. He simply could not bring himself to believe it.
"My lord, this is bad! Sky Fiend Captain has been killed!"
Before long, another trusted subordinate barged in, his face full of panic. Needless to say, the two of them were clearly close.
"What has you so nervous? Didn't I teach you? You must knock before entering. How many times must I say it?"
The white-robed man was covered in black lines. There was nothing wrong with this subordinate in other respects, but he was simply too rash in his actions.
Every time, he barged in recklessly like this, leaving the man at a loss for what to say.
"All right, there's no need to panic. Explain the details to me. What exactly happened?"
He pointed directly with a finger, and the life tablet in front of him shattered completely. This could be considered confirmation of his guess.
"My lord, you already knew. Why would I be so nervous?"
Seeing this, he could only shake his head helplessly. There was nothing he could do; he had simply been too impulsive just now and had nearly caused trouble by accident.
"All right. These are troubled times, so it's perfectly normal for something like this to happen. Let's think of a way to deal with this problem first."
Having accepted another's money, one had to wipe out the other's troubles. They had already taken the other party's deposit. If they could not even handle this minor matter, it would be a major loss for the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.
It might even set off a chain reaction. If people came to do business with them afterward, it would be difficult to handle. They had to teach the other party a harsh lesson.
"My lord, I believe we must show him some color. How about we arrange for someone to kill him?"
He immediately made a slitting-throat gesture. In short, if he could not obtain it, he could only destroy it with his own hands, lest it fall into an opponent's hands and create trouble later—raising a tiger to invite disaster.
Strike when the enemy was unprepared, catch him off guard. At first, he had merely been making a suggestion and did not believe the man before him would agree to it.
Unless absolutely necessary, they would not lightly start a dispute and intensify the conflict between both sides. Unless the situation was urgent, they would not act this way.
"Your suggestion is indeed one possible solution. Let me think about it for a little while."
The white-robed man now revealed a shocked expression as well, because he knew exactly how powerful the other party was. He was, in a sense, second only to one man yet superior to tens of thousands, an extraordinary expert—and he had simply vanished just like that.
Looking at the shattered token before him and recalling scene after scene, the white-robed man was consumed by fury. In his rage, he nearly went mad.
"Pass down my order. Activate the Grim Reaper Pursuit Order. Even if he flees to the ends of the earth, bring me the living man or the corpse!"
While the white-robed man had been cultivating in seclusion, hearing this news had nearly caused his aura to become unstable and sent him into qi deviation.
Fortunately, he had reacted in time, preventing an even greater mishap. Otherwise, once matters reached their worst possible outcome, the situation would not have been this simple.
One had to understand that every branch had a person in charge, and he was the person in charge of the Central Province branch. Naturally, he had the authority to activate the Grim Reaper Pursuit Order.
"My lord, won't you think it over more carefully? If you truly activate the Grim Reaper Pursuit Order and refuse to stop until your objective is achieved, there will be no room to change your decision afterward."
The man asked tentatively, wondering whether he had heard incorrectly or whether a moment of impulsiveness had made him do something irreversible.
"Sure enough, you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin. Since that's the case, there's nothing left to say."
The white-robed man's eyes turned cold. With a wave of his hand, a black scroll covered in intricate runes appeared from thin air. Faint, eerie light flickered across it, radiating a sinister chill.
"Brat, you forced my hand. Just surrender obediently; it will be better for everyone. Yet you insist on resisting and making pointless struggles. Since that's the case, I'll give you something stimulating, something exciting. I hope you enjoy it."
Having said this, he slowly unfurled the scroll. His low, solemn voice echoed through the room: "In the name of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, I swear to pursue the criminal to the depths of the Nine Hells. By the Grim Reaper's command—activate!"
As the final word fell, the scroll suddenly erupted with dazzling light. It transformed into a black streak and pierced through the roof, shooting straight into the heavens!
"Wait, what's going on? Could it be that the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion's Central Province branch has activated the Grim Reaper Pursuit Order?"
The scroll suddenly surged upward, as if it intended to deliver the order to every corner of the world. Whether they were personnel carrying out missions elsewhere or hidden informants, the moment they received this Grim Reaper Pursuit Order, they would obtain the relevant information, making it impossible for Ye Yang to escape.
"Come on, let the storm rage even more fiercely!"
A bloody storm was about to sweep across the land. Who would rule the rise and fall of the world? Who would be able to laugh until the end? Everyone would wait and see.
White Cloud City, White Cloud Temple. At White Cloud Temple, one sought immortality; ascending to the heavens in a single morning, one could revel in carefree bliss...
Ye Yang had passed five barriers and slain six generals, finally drawing another step closer to his destination. He had arrived at the foot of White Cloud Mountain.
Just then, he heard a child begin singing a nursery rhyme, which left him utterly bewildered.
He let out a long breath and looked at White Cloud Mountain before him, his heart filled with emotion!
Once I cross this mountain, the road ahead will be smooth. I hope everything goes well.
He casually chewed on a mouthful of dry rations, gathered his emotions, and prepared to hurry onward.
"Sir, would you like a bowl of iced tea? It's so hot today—be careful not to suffer heatstroke."
A crude inn had appeared in a conspicuous spot at the foot of the mountain. Though the sparrow was small, it possessed all its vital organs, and the best-selling item at that moment was cooling iced tea.
The instant he walked in, he sensed something unusual. But he paid it no mind. As the saying went, before absolute strength, no trick was of any use.
He looked around and noticed several unfamiliar faces. Though they had disguised themselves well—as customers eating meals, woodcutters, and even a married couple—the calluses on their hands had already betrayed them.
"Sure enough, after killing the assassins sent by the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, even more people have come to die. They really are never-ending."
Ye Yang felt that something major was about to happen. Yet he still sat down and drank tea to quench his thirst. He completely failed to notice that, the instant he turned around, the waiter revealed a cold, stern expression.
"No problem. I already poisoned his tea with the finest knockout drug under heaven. It's guaranteed to temporarily erase his cultivation and leave him at our mercy."
Everything proceeded as usual, nothing more than a splendid performance. As the man at the center of this play, Ye Yang had clearly noticed the scene, but he simply chose not to expose it.
The setting sun was as pale as snow, and a fallen leaf drifted away on the wind. A deadly trap aimed at him had already been set in motion!
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