Uprooting from Dry Land

But she had experience with this sort of situation. Reaching behind her, she somehow pulled out a mask and put it on before revealing herself as well.

The two guards at the entrance were not particularly surprised to see a woman appear like a ghost. They merely gave Leng Qing's figure an extra look before letting her walk inside.

Inside the hall was the typical layout of a gray-market trading venue. Anyone unaware of the truth might have mistaken it for a vegetable market.

Keeping an eye on her targets from the corner of her eye, Leng Qing pretended to inspect some illicit Magic Stones and magical artifacts on either side. Through the earring-type magical tool Bai Mo had given her, she listened to the conversation between the two men in front of a pet stall.

"Old Yang, how's business?"

"Oh my, no wonder the magpies were chirping outside my window this morning! Fourth Master, it turns out you've come!"

The greasy-faced stall owner hurried over to the Grey-Robed Man, took hold of him, and led him to the back before lowering his voice.

"Fourth Master, you're the best!" The stall owner gave him a thumbs-up and continued, "Right in front of everyone, I fed a wolf cub to those pet dogs. Then, using the method you taught me, I planted the magical seals in advance. Those dogs immediately gained that wild edge. The regular customers all love this type, so you can imagine the prices they fetched!"

After saying that, he glanced at the Grey-Robed Man's woven sack. "Fourth Master, this is the merchandise, right?"

"Yes."

"Then..." The stall owner spoke as he reached out to take it.

"Hmph!" However, the Man in Black Robe stopped him. Seeing the man's ingratiating grin, he said darkly, "Agree to one condition, and they're all yours."

"Just say the word, Fourth Master. Old Yang will definitely do as you say."

"Your pets can only be sold within Qingyuan District."

Hearing that, the stall owner waved a hand. "Ha, no problem, Fourth Master. Don't worry, Old Yang's business has always been in this area."

Leng Qing pretended to study the magical artifacts carefully while listening intently to their conversation. Light flickered in her eyes.

She had sensed the wild aura on those pet dogs that had supposedly eaten wolf cubs. It was a trace of the Swiftwind Wolf's aura.

They were gathering the wolf cubs' aura here to lure in those Swiftwind Wolves.

They were up to no good. If these people really succeeded, who knew how many wolves they would draw in to attack the city.

Who had ordered them to do this?!

Fury surged uncontrollably through Leng Qing. If she had not wanted to continue investigating, she would have blown this bastard away with a single spell already.

Soon after, the two completed their transaction, and the Grey-Robed Man headed outside.

Before he could leave, Leng Qing exited the trading venue first. She then followed the Grey-Robed Man all the way to an abandoned courtyard.

Standing outside the courtyard, Leng Qing did not rashly enter. Instead, she pressed herself against the wall and listened through her earring-type magical tool.

"Black-Clad Cleric, your subordinate has completed your instructions."

The moment she heard the words "Black-Clad," Leng Qing's suspicions were confirmed.

The ones capable of such utterly deranged acts were most likely the Black Vatican!

Although the Black Vatican's Black-Clad Clerics were generally experienced Intermediate Level mages, and their cultivation was inferior to hers, she still carefully restrained her own aura.

She continued listening closely, only to suddenly realize that there was no sound at all from inside.

Leng Qing's heart sank. She raised a hand and pressed it against the wall before her, dark brown light gathering in her palm.

A hole the size of an eye slowly appeared in the section of wall beneath her hand.

Peering through the hole, she saw an isolation device covering roughly ten square meters.

This was what had blocked her eavesdropping.

A man dressed in gray robes was kneeling on the ground, trembling. Before him stood a Man in Black Robe, with a dazzling Light Radiance flickering in his hand.

It seemed her Darkness Mark had ultimately been discovered.

This Black-Clad Cleric had profound cultivation in the Light Element. Combined with the Light Element's natural sensitivity toward the Shadow Element, it had prevented her from concealing herself.

As though he had noticed her gaze, the man in black turned his head toward her as well.

"Found them!"

Inside an unmanned Magic Spirit Car, Lingling tapped on the computer resting on her lap and spoke into the communicator by her ear.

Bai Mo rode his motorcycle, overtaking another car. Hearing Lingling's voice through his earpiece, he immediately asked, "Where?"

"Northwest, fifteen hundred meters away, an abandoned residence." Lingling quickly reported the location of the two Grey-Robed Men whom her sister had marked with magic, then added, "The two of them are together. They stopped there."

"Understood."

Bai Mo replied, twisting the throttle at the same time. With a roar from the engine, he sped off in one direction.

Although Qingyuan District was merely a district, it could still be considered Bai Mo's Bai Family territory. Even so, Bai Mo was not familiar with every single place within it.

However, he did know about that abandoned villa—or rather, courtyard—to the northwest.

It had originally belonged to a young master of the Lu Family. Later, the man died, and no one dared take the residence. It was said to be cursed.

No one who moved in ever came to a good end.

Using his Hunter certificate, he asked the parking lot security guard to explain things to the traffic police behind him. Then he spoke into the communicator by his ear:

"Lingling, I'm here."

"One hundred meters southeast. My sister is heading to the abandoned residence too. She's coming from the north, so this should be one of their bases."

"Got it. Why do villains these days always like deserted places?" Bai Mo grumbled. Looking at the filthy, blackened, mold-covered high walls before him, he felt troubled.

How was he supposed to get over there?

Why did the Space Element only gain teleportation at the Advanced Level? If only he could fly over.

Wait! Fly? His eyes lit up at the thought.

At once, silver starlight flared beside him.

"Mind Control—Void Claw!"

"Weng~~~~!"

Space twisted for an instant, as though it had come alive.

Silver divine light gleamed in Bai Mo's eyes.

He rose into the air as if being pulled up by the roots, looking rather like one of those experts flying through the skies in modern entertainment industry action scenes.

Then, floating in midair, he ignored the astonished looks of several people on the street and drifted steadily into the courtyard like a ghost.

"Ghost!"

A child who had believed the ghost stories told by the adults around him screamed at the sight.

Meanwhile, inside a nearby self-driving car, Lingling watched Bai Mo's little stunt through the surveillance feed. She pulled the lollipop from her mouth and softly uttered one word.

"Nice!"

"Basic stuff. Don't praise me." Hearing the compliment after landing, Bai Mo rubbed his ribs, which hurt a little from being squeezed by the Void Claw, and replied calmly.

He silently reviewed the experience of this flight and made adjustments.

If he had not already possessed control, he truly would not have dared to play around like this. Accidentally squeezing himself to death was entirely possible.

"Walk forward. Turn right after fifty meters." Lingling rolled her eyes and directed Bai Mo's next move.

Bai Mo followed her instructions as he walked, inwardly marveling that Lingling truly was the most unfathomable magic in the Magic World. It was far too unscientific.

"They're right next door. Just attach the listening devices I gave you to the wall."

Bai Mo silently took out a pair of suction-cup-shaped devices, each slightly larger than a palm, from his space.

Once he pressed them against the wall, they automatically adhered to it.

Then he took out a pair of earbuds that looked like headphones but were actually real-time listening devices and put them on.

The two people next door seemed to be chatting idly.

"Third Brother, when do you think this mission of ours will end?"

"No idea. The Black Robe didn't say." Third Brother's voice was as distinctive as a broken gong, and he continued:

"Just look at the scale of this. It's obvious the Deacon above intends to make a move on Qingyuan District. There'll be plenty more use for us."

"Exactly! This is our chance to earn merit, a stepping stone toward Lord Salang! We have to seize it!"

The first man echoed him, his tone fanatical and reverent, as though he were singing praises to a god.

The broken-gong voice agreed as well. "Second Brother is right. When chaos breaks out, we can acquire more loyal servants and have a chance to advance to Black Robe."

The two went on fantasizing about the future, talking entirely about how they would torment and train the humans they captured, refining them into so-called servants.

Bai Mo listened with a calm expression, but his eyes seemed to have frozen over with the ice and snow of the polar regions.

The moment he heard Black Robe, he knew who these people were.

The Black Vatican!

And those so-called servants had to be Black Beast Demons.

Those pieces of trash... His peaceful life had not been shattered by Sea Monsters, only for him to be sacrificed first by these beasts worse than pigs and dogs?

The two people inside seemed to have gotten carried away with their conversation and continued talking.

"Second Brother, do you know why the Deacon wants to make a move on Qingyuan District?" the broken-gong voice asked, his words slurred.

The other Grey Robe replied dismissively:

"Of course it's to offer tribute to Lord God of Death. What, we're both Grey Robes—do you think you know more than I do?!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the broken-gong voice lowered itself, sneaky as a thief.

"I heard from the lord who brought me into the Holy Church that Lord Salang intends to destroy a city as an announcement of her arrival. What we're doing is only a preliminary rehearsal, with the Deacon borrowing part of Lord Salang's plan."

Hearing this, Bai Mo was somewhat stunned. So even that drill in Bocheng had a rehearsal?

You really hadn't learned the essence of it.

But hearing the latter part...

Only then did he realize it was someone currying favor on their own initiative.

This Blue Robe was really something—currying favor by ruining other people's lives! Out of everyone, out of every district, they had to choose Qingyuan District. They had to choose his!

It was utterly insane, inhuman!

Bai Mo silently resolved that he had to drag this Blue Robe out. Otherwise, would the few peaceful years he had left still be worth anything?

It absolutely had nothing to do with the hefty bounties on Black Vatican members that he had heard about from Leng Qing.

He did not dare dream of an eighty-million Blue Robe, but a two-hundred-thousand Grey Robe or a five-million black-clad member was still worth considering.

"Bai Mo, make your move. My sister's been discovered."

Lingling saw the enormous patch of shadow north of the residence. It was Night's Reign that Leng Qing had cast.

She immediately understood what had happened and promptly gave Bai Mo the order.

Bai Mo nodded, then put away the listening device on the wall.

As one brilliant silver star arc after another flashed past, he asked softly, "Leng Qing was discovered. Is she all right?"

"Don't worry. Even if you died, she still wouldn't. My sister is a High-Level Mage of the Earth Element, and she cast Night's Reign. Without any High-Level Mages here, nothing can stop her."

"Good." Bai Mo nodded faintly as he looked at the wall before him.

He slowly raised his hand.