The City Tower of Sincere Submission Refines Ropes and Bans, a Surprise Attack on Liangtu Suffers Halberd Wounds

Zhao Cheng stood in the royal palace hall, his gaze following that receding trace of earth-escape aura. His brow lifted slightly. "This earth-escape technique has some real tricks to it. There wasn't the slightest leakage of aura while he was hidden.

"If he hadn't taken the initiative to attack and exposed his tracks, I wouldn't have detected even a shred of his presence.

"And his speed in fleeing was incredibly fast—slick as an eel."

His feet shifted, and Wind-Riding Divine Mobility unfolded in an instant. His figure became an afterimage as he gave chase toward the outskirts of the city.

But after pursuing for several dozen li, that aura abruptly paused. Only the faintest ripple remained before it vanished completely.

Clearly, Sun Tong had deliberately left behind false tracks to mislead him about the direction of pursuit.

Zhao Cheng halted, a flash of understanding passing through his eyes. Naturally, he would not let the other man lead him around by the nose.

He closed his eyes, his fingertips forming divinatory seals as he attempted to use the workings of heaven to deduce Sun Tong's true location. Yet the moment he touched upon the trail of Sun Tong's aura, he felt an obscure force obstructing him. If he forced the divination deeper, he even felt a faint, heart-palpitating sense of being watched.

"Forget it."

Zhao Cheng opened his eyes and withdrew his hand seals. "There's someone behind that dwarf. The workings of heaven have been shielded. Forcing the divination will only expose me instead."

He stood there in thought for a moment, already reaching a conclusion. "Judging from the fluctuations of power in our earlier exchange, Sun Tong and that woman with the great sleeves aren't top-tier cultivators. They're roughly at the Spirit Transformation stage—not difficult to handle.

"But the magical