Returning Once More III

"Human Immortal Temple is just a local force. Even if it has a Crimson List expert, it shouldn't have suffered such heavy losses." Kan Sain said with a solemn expression.

He was actually alright; as Cardinal Archbishop, the strength of his subordinates was far inferior to that of the Knights.

The one who was truly shocked and enraged was Leimo, the leader of the group.

The Holy Cross Star Knight Order only have a dozen or so members, and in their homeland they are a Noble class revered as Holy Knight.

Here, they had only been here a short time when they got off to a bad start, losing so many experts.

"The Human Immortal Temple Master has made a move?" he asked, taking a deep breath.

"Yes! After he made his move, if I hadn't run fast, I probably wouldn't have been able to escape and return!" Flan Sain was already sensing something was wrong; he understood that the firmness in his mind was slowly crumbling.

He fled without a fight, and is sliding down from the limits of what is considered a grandmaster.

The Final Form weakens until it becomes completely unusable.

But he ultimately chose to become weaker rather than be killed.

"Lead the way. I'll go myself," Leimo said in a deep voice. "If we don't quickly defeat the Human Immortal Temple, it will likely affect our subsequent plans!"

"Defeat is useless; what we need is a decisive victory." Kan Sain shook his head. "Given the opponent's strength, you can only manage a draw at best; the outcome is uncertain. Don't underestimate the prestige of the Great Ling Crimson List."

"The Human Immortal Temple clearly mentioned that they would intercept us, yet they've created such a huge mess. This shouldn't be our responsibility alone," Kan Sain pondered for a moment.

"In that case, Yuan Hong, the Master Yuan of the Western Sect, is also here. Let's invite them to join us. With the combined strength of the four of us, we can launch a surprise attack and capture this person, using him as leverage to blackmail the Great Dao Sect."

"Master Yuan and Master Yuan Hong?" Leimo knew this was not the time for him to act rashly, even though he really wanted to fight and kill the so-called evil spirit of the Human Immortal Temple.

But for the sake of the bigger picture, "Alright! Gu Mu, go there yourself and convey my invitation to the two from the Western Sect. The Western Sect was tacitly expelled from the Great Ling by the Great Dao Sect back then. Now that they have the opportunity, they will surely be happy to do something for that high and mighty sect leader." Leimo turned to the side and gave the order.

"Yes!"

A silent knight following behind bowed slightly, turned around, and quickly left.

Leimo sighed and looked at Flan Sain.

"Go back and rest for a while. I'll take care of the rest of the arrangements."

Bang!

Before he could finish speaking, a deafening explosion suddenly came from the checkpoint at the entrance to the city in the distance.

The explosion penetrated the building and traveled far to this location, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

"Flat-Trajectory Cannon! That's the sound of heavy Flat-Trajectory Cannon fire. Looks like we've encountered a master!" Leimo's expression turned serious.

"Pass down the order: everyone on alert! Prepare the Holy Forest Array!!" Kan Sain shouted urgently.

*** Citong City.

The shelling continued with deafening explosions, shaking the ground violently.

The shells flew out of the muzzle like raindrops, parallel to the ground, and flashed through everything hundreds of meters ahead.

On the artillery position, all the White Ten Sect soldiers were tense, staring intently at the smoke-filled open space in front of them.

Just now, an urgent warning suddenly came from the Official Road leading into the city.

Everyone quickly formed a formation and vigilantly scanned all directions around them.

Then a bloody shadow flashed across the sky, bringing with it a series of horrific deaths.

Wherever the blood shadow passed, blood automatically flew from the faces of all living people, just like a legendary vampire demon! The scene was terrifying.

Seeing that the situation was getting out of control, the vanguard troops stationed at the front were thrown into chaos.

The subsequent commander acted decisively, indiscriminately bombarding the Flat-Trajectory Cannon. The dense smoke and artillery fire seemed to have halted the surprise attack from the unknown enemy.

The surrounding area fell silent for a moment.

But no one knew that the so-called blood shadow had already quietly entered the city under the cover of the smoke of battle.

Citong City.

Zhang Rongfang's figure was almost blurred, appearing semi-transparent and completely invisible.

Within the Citong City, the buildings and residences were sparsely populated, with hardly any civilians to be seen. Only the white-armored soldiers of the White Ten Sect patrolled the area in First Squad.

There were no shops, no vendors, and only a few cleaners on the street corners responsible for sweeping up bloodstains and corpses.

With blank stares, they dragged the cart, picking up the corpses and remains and taking them away.

The air was thick with the mixed smells of blood, lime powder, and burning flames.

In a flash.

Zhang Rongfang's figure flickered, and he suddenly appeared in the shadow of a three-story gray building, looking down at the street from the corner of the wall.

First Squad patrol of guards had just passed by on the street, and two officers, smoking pipes, leaned against a closed shop and chatted idly.

Their more complete armor made it clear that they were not ordinary soldiers.

Zhang Rongfang narrowed his eyes, his gaze falling on the two officers who were chatting idly.

He needs to capture people first to find out how many experts are here.

If there are too many or too strong, then we must plan carefully. If they are not so great, then we might as well just go ahead and do whatever we want.

Wait until the patrol team has gone some distance.

He shifted his feet slightly, and his figure flashed.

Super Speed Movement, he was already beside the two officers in the blink of an eye.

Raise your hand and tap it at the same time.

Before they could even see each other clearly, their vision blurred, and they felt dizzy and collapsed unconscious.

Zhang Rongfang grabbed one in each hand, leaped a few times, and easily landed in a dark corner.

A few minutes later.

He slowly walked out of the corner, having obtained a general understanding of the situation in Citong.

"What do you plan to do?" White Scale couldn't help but ask. "Those two were just low-level clerks; they don't know much. But arresting the higher-ups will definitely cause a huge backlash here. So..."

"So, to succeed in one fell swoop, we need to capture a high-ranking official who can meet my needs," Zhang Rongfang.

From those two people, he learned that Citong is now full of experts, and masters like Holy Cross Star are considered top-tier even on ordinary days.

But above them are the commanders of the Holy Cross Star Legion, the Archbishop, and even the more powerful chief judges.

Ugh!

Suddenly, a sharp horn blast rang out from the center of the city.

An invisible wave, accompanied by the sound of horns, spread outwards in all directions like ripples on water.

As it passed Zhang Rongfang, it caused him to move slightly.

"Something has passed by!?" He looked up at the sky, and some kind of force that had just flown by seemed to have noticed him.

"Over here!!" Sure enough, a sharp shout rang out from afar. Then came a large group of people shouting in broken Western languages.

Immediately following was a rapid approach of the clanging sounds of armor clashing.

"Should we fight?" White Scale tensed up. This was the White Ten Sect, after all. To charge into the White Ten Sect headquarters alone was a bit too much for a Remnant God like her.

After all, the Gods and Buddhas worshipped by the White Ten Sect are not minor figures, but true God Lord.

"I'm alone. Facing too many experts and too much danger is not worth it." Zhang Rongfang's goal was clear: to find out what was really going on at the White Ten Sect Building.

Why haven't the experts from the surrounding Spirit Army and Snow Rainbow Pavilion arrived yet?

Hearing the rapidly approaching sounds from afar, he estimated the opponent's speed and lightly tapped his foot.

Whoosh! The person had transformed into a red shadow and disappeared swiftly into the shadows in the distance.

***"What! Master Yuan and the others secretly left with the chief referee!? They're with the raiding expedition team!?"

On the other side, beside a newly piled-up corpse and a pillar of fire.

Leimo's expression changed slightly as he looked at his loyal subordinate who had returned with the message, unsure of what to do.

"Let's use the formation. With the Holy Grove Formation, we can completely suppress them," Kan Sain sighed. "However, our plan has to be changed from capturing them alive to killing them. After all, they are at the Spirit General level. The two of us working together, with the Holy Grove Formation, cannot completely overwhelm them."

Both he and Rein were at the Saint Limit Realm, which, according to the Great Ling Transformation, is the level between Great Grandmaster and Spirit General.

They are stronger than Great Grandmaster, but slightly weaker than true Spirit General.

But here, with the help of the Holy Grove Great Array and the massive military force, their strength can be significantly enhanced, reaching a level that surpasses that of ordinary Spirit General.

"Regardless, as instructed by the chief referee, we must still create the illusion that he and Master Yuan are still alive," Kan Sain said.

"I understand!" Leimo nodded. "The commander of the troops is now the Holy War Star General Ka Di Er. As long as he is safe, everything in Citong will be stable."

Qadir was a general who was specifically in charge of the army, and such generals led and managed large groups of more than 10,000 people.

The two of them were top-tier experts under their command.

The two sides will only cooperate under the command of the chief referee.

"Then it's up to you." Kan Sain nodded.

The two quickly began issuing orders to all bishops and subordinates of the Holy Cross Star in the city, instructing them to be constantly vigilant about their surroundings.

But it would have been better if the order hadn't been sent; once it was sent, they immediately realized something was wrong.

"We're short!!" Leimo's expression turned serious. "Five are missing! Two junior officers and three mid- to high-ranking officers!"

"Someone has infiltrated the city!" Kan Sain and he exchanged glances, both understanding each other's meaning.

The two of them simultaneously took out a silver pocket watch from their pockets and gently pressed the button on it.

Hiss.

Invisible ripples immediately spread outwards from the several pillars of fire and corpses within the city.

The two closed their eyes at the same time, as if sensing something.

This is the Holy Grove. It is a unique large-scale military reconnaissance formation of the White Ten Sect.

"Found it!" Suddenly, the two opened their eyes at the same time, their eyes sharpened, and they disappeared from the spot, rushing at full speed towards the direction they sensed.

***The sky was dim, a corner of Citong City.

Zhang Rongfang stood on the ruins of his family's remaining Mansion and let out a long sigh.

This was the official Prefectural Office where he used to live, and it, like many others, could not escape being burned down.

At his feet and beside him lay three high-ranking officers of the White Ten Sect who had just been captured.

"Tell me, how many of you have come? How many of the powerful figures like those from Holy Cross Star, or even stronger ones, have come?" Zhang Rongfang asked the three of them in Xi Yi.

He had learned a foreign language in Citong, and now he never expected to put it to good use.

"Holy Cross Star?? We have many powerful beings like that! You pathetic demon, you have no idea what kind of great power you have provoked!"

"God will condemn your soul to eternal damnation! Heretic!!"

"Not only are the experts from my sect here, but also the Master Yuan from your Western Sect, and many more people and forces are joining us! Just wait, you're all doomed!!"

As soon as the rags that had been stuffed into their mouths were removed, the three of them started shouting and yelling wildly.

They cursed and swore, treating Zhang Rongfang as if he were their father's killer, their emotions running high.

"Even Western Sect has come?" This is troublesome.

Zhang Rongfang was well aware of the level of Master Yuan, a top-tier Spirit General on par with Master Yue back then. Whether he could defeat him was still an unknown.

It seemed he couldn't force the issue. He asked a few more questions, but the three were still cursing and swearing incoherently, clearly seeking death.

He simply swept his hand across the heads of the three people.

Blood gushed out rapidly, the blood of the three men flying from their faces and merging into Zhang Rongfang's body, hiding beneath his Blood-colored Daoist Robe and disappearing from sight.

"Someone's coming."

Suddenly his expression changed, and his figure transformed into a bloody shadow, flying away into the distance.

Less than half a minute later, two figures appeared at the same spot where he was standing.

It was Leimo and Kan Sain.

Holding silver pocket watches, the two men scanned their surroundings and immediately spotted the three high-ranking officers who appeared to be lifeless.

"You're a little too slow! But it's just ahead! Chase after them!"

Lehman said sternly.

Kan Sain remained silent, gripping his pocket watch tightly, his eyes growing increasingly cold.

Judging from the array feedback from Holy Grove, that person hasn't gone far and there's still a chance to catch up! At the same time, Zhang Rongfang was in front, and the two were behind.

The three moved and turned rapidly through the city.

But the two quickly lost sight of Zhang Rongfang ahead. They couldn't keep up with the speed of the person in front of them at all.