Top-Secret Lightness Skill! The Ancient City's Secret of Disappearance!

Ma Wuji's expression changed drastically as he stared at Zhang Chu in disbelief. "You could even guess that?"

"Why couldn't I? Bai Feiyu, the 'Flowing Cloud Swordsman' ranked seventh on the Human Ranking, turned out to be an arrogant, brainless fool. Don't you find that strange?"

"Come on, could you put a little more effort into your act next time? It was so fake I could barely stand to watch."

The manor had been in complete chaos then. The Four Heroes of Demonic Rock had slaughtered in every direction, and their terrifying strength had been plain for all to see.

And Li Gang and the others had tried desperately to stop him.

Yet even so, Bai Feiyu had still charged in. If that was not treating everyone like fools, what was? Even if he wanted to clear himself of suspicion as quickly as possible, there was no need to make it so obvious!

Sure enough, the instant Zhang Chu finished speaking, a figure slowly emerged from behind a tree in the forest.

Who else could it have been but Bai Feiyu, the one from before?

"Brother Zhang's observations are meticulous indeed. Bai has nothing to say." Bai Feiyu's face was rosy and his breathing steady. There was not the slightest trace of someone gravely wounded and on the verge of death.

Zhang Chu did not waste words. Seeing that the net had nearly closed, he jumped down from his horse.

Then he looked calmly at the two of them. "At this point, do either of you have any last words?"

He said it lightly, yet Bai Feiyu's expression changed on the spot, his longsword letting out a low hum.

Every muscle in Bai Feiyu's body tensed. Even though he had concealed his strength as well, he was still nowhere near a match for Zhang Chu.

Ma Wuji, however, suddenly gave a soft laugh.

"Why is Daoist Priest Zhang so confident that you can take the two of us down? Don't forget, I am a member of the Demonic Cult!"

Before his words had even faded, Ma Wuji vanished in an instant, so fast that only an afterimage remained.

His true strength was that of a True Gang Grandmaster!

That inconceivable Lightness Skill made Zhang Chu pause in surprise. In the end, he had still underestimated the other man's speed.

Such movement techniques had long surpassed all reason.

They were fast to the absolute extreme.

Even Zhang Chu, a Jade Liquid Grandmaster, could not accurately catch sight of him.

"Has Brother Ma forgotten how he was exposed?" Gang Qi suddenly surged around Zhang Chu.

A terrifying pressure spread through the surroundings!

At the same time, Ma Wuji, who had already appeared at Bai Feiyu's side, abruptly halted.

His mind fell into a daze. Even his gaze became listless, and he nearly collapsed.

"This... what kind of martial art is this?"

Ma Wuji suddenly snapped back to his senses. He stared fixedly at the smiling Zhang Chu, his eyes filled with terror.

At that moment, he felt as though he were deep beneath the sea. Every movement took immense effort, and the space around him was saturated with pressure, making even his Lightness Skill difficult to use.

"Is it strange? I created it myself."

Zhang Chu smiled calmly, as unruffled as drifting clouds and a gentle breeze.

What he was using now was precisely the Ninth Layer Gang Qi of Yellow Court Inner Strength after manifesting an anomaly. The invisible Gang Qi was like an endless northern sea descending upon them, its terrifying water pressure enveloping the two men.

Under Ma Wuji's horrified gaze, a sharp gleam suddenly flashed through Zhang Chu's eyes, beneath hair that was half-gold and half-white.

His two differently colored pupils, one blue and one crimson, emitted a soul-stirring radiance. Then, behind Zhang Chu, two enormous phantom figures seemed to emerge through the haze.

It was a dazzling, bizarre spectacle.

The left half was a Mystic Turtle exhaling freezing mist, its cold piercing to the bone. The right half was a Withered Monk igniting golden flames, scorching heaven and earth.

The two utterly different phantoms intertwined, forming a breathtaking anomaly.

"This is a Jade Liquid anomaly! You... you actually broke through to the Jade Liquid Realm—an Anomaly Grandmaster at that!"

As a member of the Demonic Cult, Ma Wuji was well-traveled and knowledgeable. At a glance, he recognized Zhang Chu's strength.

Bai Feiyu, in contrast, stood there with hollow eyes, like a shell whose soul had been ripped away.

For the first time, genuine fear appeared on Ma Wuji's face, his eyes full of disbelief.

What kind of monster was this man?

When they had first met, he had only just stepped into the True Gang Realm. Yet in merely a few days, he had entered the Jade Liquid Realm and even manifested an anomaly!

One had to know that Jade Liquid Grandmasters capable of manifesting anomalies had always been few and far between throughout history.

Even within their Sacred Cult, only a handful could accomplish it. Every one of them was a figure who shook an entire region.

"Brother Zhang... I think we should talk. I still have bargaining chips!" Ma Wuji suddenly said.

His voice carried a trace of trembling. Even with his peerless Lightness Skill, he could feel that dreadful pressure.

"Oh?" Zhang Chu responded curiously.

He had originally intended to send each of them on their way with a palm strike. He had not expected the other party to still have bargaining chips.

That stirred a trace of curiosity in him. "Let's hear it. What kind of bargaining chip can buy your lives?"

"I know Brother Zhang is extraordinarily gifted, but True Martial Temple has no Lightness Skill worth mentioning. I imagine Brother Zhang has long coveted my Lightness Skill, haven't you?"

Ma Wuji looked at Zhang Chu, a flicker of hope passing through his eyes. He knew the other man had set his sights on his Lightness Skill.

Zhang Chu did not deny it. He truly wanted to obtain this inconceivable Lightness Skill.

It was not as though Zhang Chu had never considered entering the Jianghu, killing a few people, and having secret manuals drop.

But imagination was beautiful; reality was impossible.

Because no fool would carry a martial arts manual on their person. Some cautious people would even destroy the manual on the spot after memorizing its contents.

"But that bargaining chip is not enough. It is only a Lightness Skill. It cannot buy both your lives."

Ma Wuji was not surprised. Zhang Chu was an Anomaly Grandmaster of the Jade Liquid Realm, and so young besides. It was only reasonable that one Lightness Skill would not be enough.

"Of course I know a Lightness Skill alone is insufficient. But what if I add news of your master?" Ma Wuji offered a piece of information that was impossible to refuse.

"You know my master's whereabouts?"

Zhang Chu's gaze changed instantly. The bargaining chip the other party offered truly was impossible for him to refuse.

The information Tu Xiong and the others had provided earlier had been sparse. They had only mentioned the Ghost Realm and provided no sufficient evidence.

"I naturally know more than the Sky Patrol Guard. Daoist Priest Zhang, do not forget that I am a member of the Demonic Cult!"

The words "Demonic Cult" represented mystery and danger in the Jianghu, but they also represented access to information.

Zhang Chu fell silent for a moment before speaking. "Fine. If the information is accurate, I can consider letting you leave. And I can let you take the Divine Sword Embryo with you as well."

"Good, then it's a deal!" Ma Wuji immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally survived.

"Actually, Tu Xiong got one thing wrong. Your master did not enter North of Mobei alone. I have accurate information that he entered alongside another person!"

"And he made another mistake. He told you to seek information in Sandstorm City, but that is useless, because before disappearing, your master only went to one place!"

At that point, Ma Wuji abruptly stopped speaking. He looked at Zhang Chu, a trace of cunning in his eyes.

"What place?" Zhang Chu asked.

"Brother Zhang will know once you let me leave!"

Ma Wuji's tone carried several parts certainty.

Seeing how confident he was, Zhang Chu nodded. "Fine. Brother Ma may leave now."

As his words fell—

The Gang Qi covering the entire area instantly dispersed.

Ma Wuji gasped for breath on the spot, fine cold sweat beading across his forehead. Zhang Chu's strength was simply too terrifying.

Once he could move again, Ma Wuji was just about to leave with Bai Feiyu when he suddenly saw Zhang Chu smile.

Ma Wuji's heart tightened.

He knew that smile far too well. Whenever the other man wore that expression, nothing good happened!

"Brother Zhang... have you changed your mind?"

Ma Wuji asked cautiously.

Zhang Chu shook his head. "No. But it is impolite not to return what one has received. Brother Ma has watched Zhang all the way here, yet you have never revealed your true face. That seems rather unreasonable."

Ma Wuji curled his lip after hearing that.

What true face? Zhang Chu was clearly worried the information might be false and wanted to remember his real appearance so he could settle accounts later.

But Ma Wuji had no way to refuse.

After all, life and death rested on the other man's whim.

"Fine. I can agree to that."

Then, beneath Zhang Chu's curious gaze, Ma Wuji slowly raised a hand to his cheek.

His fingers lightly picked behind his ear, and a mask as thin as cicada wings was slowly peeled away.

Afterward, Ma Wuji's Bones crackled. The originally thin, short figure transformed into that of a woman, several inches taller!

At the sight of "Ma Wuji" revealing her true form, Zhang Chu could not hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.

He had once thought he was an emotionless killer, one who would never break into laughter no matter the occasion.

Unless he could not help it.

He had known long ago that Ma Wuji was a member of the Demonic Cult.

But he had never expected that the Demonic Cult spy who had followed him all this way would be a little girl!

And how should he put it? Bright eyes, pearly teeth, adorably youthful, even with a little baby fat.

You're a middle schooler, aren't you?!

Seeing Zhang Chu laughing, Fake Ma Wuji immediately puffed out her cheeks. "I knew you would laugh!"

Then her little face grew even rounder. "Hmph! I'm really not as young as you think! My face just looks young!"

As she spoke, she subconsciously rose onto her tiptoes. The sight only made her seem even more comical.

Zhang Chu's smile grew brighter still.

The girl shot him a fierce glare.

Knowing that staying would only lead to more mockery, she simply grabbed Bai Feiyu and darted deep into the forest.

"My martial art cannot be passed on to you. This Lightness Skill is even more powerful—no one in our cult has ever mastered it."

"Not even Lu Yuanjia, once the greatest hero under heaven, managed to cultivate it. I hope you train yourself to death!"

A black object, neither cloth nor leather, drifted out from the forest and landed directly before Zhang Chu.

Immediately afterward, a sweet, girlish voice tinged with anger echoed continuously through the mountains.

"Your master's last destination was the Western Regions Ancient City!"

When her voice faded, the mountains fell silent once more. The two of them had vanished without a trace...