Wutan City had not yet fallen completely silent beneath the night sky.
The area around the Jialie Clan's estate was even more brightly lit.
Patrol guards were visible everywhere, and the atmosphere was far more heavily guarded than usual.
The guards' disappearances over the past several years had hung over the clan like a pall.
Though the incidents had not struck at its foundations, they had left everyone on edge.
Just then, a figure appeared outside the imposing gates of the Jialie Clan.
The visitor wore an unremarkable gray cloak, its hood pulled low to conceal most of his face.
Only a hard, sharply defined chin was visible.
He was not particularly tall, even a little lean.
Yet standing there, he seemed like a sharp sword sheathed in its scabbard.
The aura he exuded made the two Dou Zhe guards at the gate break out in gooseflesh.
He was not deliberately concealing it, so they could clearly tell he was at least a Great Dou Master!
And his aura was even more forceful than the one they sensed from their clan leader.
They instantly went on high alert!
"Who goes there?!"
A guard barked, his hand settling on his sword hilt.
"Tell Jialie Bi an old acquaintance has come to call. I have a... big business deal to discuss."
A slightly hoarse, low voice came from beneath the cloak.
It was impossible to tell his age, but his words carried a coldness that brooked no argument.
The guards exchanged a glance, not daring to slacken their vigilance.
The visitor's aura was deep as the sea. He was definitely a powerful Great Dou Master!
One of them immediately turned and sprinted inside to report.
At that moment, in the Jialie Clan's study, the clan leader, Jialie Bi, sat with his brows tightly furrowed.
He was around forty, with a sinister face and sharp eyes.
His aura as a seasoned Great Dou Master was utterly unconcealed; he was the strongest member of the Jialie Clan.
His son, Jialie Ao, and several clan elders sat below him, the atmosphere heavy.
"Father, another patrol squad of three has gone missing, this time near the marketplace!"
Jialie Ao gritted his teeth, his face full of fury.
"This is going too far!"
"Investigate!"
"Turn the place upside down if you have to. I want that rat lurking in the shadows dragged out!"
One elder spoke up angrily.
"Easier said than done."
Another elder looked worried.
"Our foe uses strange methods and leaves no trace."
"We haven't found anything in all these years. Their strength is probably..."
Jialie Bi slammed his hand on the table, his voice icy.
"Enough!"
"Step up security and increase the bounty!"
"I refuse to believe..."
Before he could finish, someone knocked on the study door.
A guard's voice came from outside.
"Clan leader, a mysterious person is requesting an audience at the gate. He claims to be an old acquaintance and wants to discuss... a big business deal."
"His aura is very strong, possibly that of a Great Dou Master!"
"A Great Dou Master?"
Jialie Bi raised an eyebrow, a gleam flashing in his eyes.
An unfamiliar Great Dou Master had come calling at a time like this?
Friend or foe?
He quickly ran through the likely candidates in his mind, but came up empty.
Could this be related to the cases within the clan?
A business deal?
He didn't believe such a ridiculous excuse!
What kind of business called for a Great Dou Master to come in person in the middle of the night?
He instinctively sensed something was amiss, but a Great Dou Master was worth meeting in person.
If he was a friend, perhaps he could be won over.
If he was an enemy... Hmph!
Here, at the Jialie Clan's stronghold, what did he, a high-level Great Dou Master, have to fear?
"Take him to the main hall. I'll be there shortly."
Jialie Bi spoke in a deep voice, then gave the others a meaningful look.
"You're all coming with me. Let's see what sort of immortal has arrived!"
The Jialie Clan's main hall was brilliantly lit.
Its luxurious decor had the tacky air of newly acquired wealth.
Lin Chen stood silently in the hall, dressed in a gray cloak.
He paid no attention to the lavish furnishings around him, like a statue frozen in place.
Footsteps sounded as Jialie Bi strode into the hall with a commanding presence.
Jialie Ao and several elders followed close behind, subtly forming a semicircle around him.
Jialie Bi's gaze was sharp as lightning as it instantly locked onto the gray-cloaked figure.
His soul power swept over the stranger, and he felt a slight chill in his heart. As expected, he was a Great Dou Master!
His aura was condensed. Jialie Bi couldn't make out his exact star rank, but he was certainly no newcomer to the realm!
"May I ask what brings you here so late, sir?"
Jialie Bi took the seat of honor, his voice steady and carrying the authority of a clan leader.
"I don't believe I have the pleasure of knowing someone like you."
Jialie Ao stood beside his father, eyeing the cloaked man with both curiosity and caution.
Lin Chen slowly raised his head. Beneath the hood's shadow, two icy gazes seemed to shoot out.
"Of course the clan leader doesn't know me."
His voice remained hoarse and low.
"Then what is this 'big business' you mentioned?"
Jialie Bi leaned forward slightly, tapping his fingers against the armrest.
"The deal is simple."
Lin Chen's voice was flat, as if he were discussing something trivial.
"I want the head of the Jialie Clan's leader."
"How much will you offer for it?"
The moment the words fell, the entire hall fell dead silent!
Jialie Ao and the elders' eyes flew wide. They could hardly believe they'd heard him correctly!
The muscles in Jialie Bi's face twitched.
Then, as if he'd just heard the greatest joke in the world, he burst into an enraged laugh.
"Ha... Hahaha!"
"Good! Very good!"
"I've led the Jialie Clan for so many years!"
"And this is the first time anyone has dared to come to my clan's stronghold..."
"And tell me to my face that they want my head!"
His laughter abruptly cut off, his expression turning utterly savage.
The terrifying aura of a Great Dou Master erupted, sweeping through the hall like a gale.
The tables and chairs creaked!
"You skulking rat! Do you know where you are?"
"You think a Great Dou Master can do whatever he pleases in my clan?"
"You're courting death!"
He had dropped all pretense, making no effort to conceal his killing intent.
Whoever the stranger was, whatever his purpose, anyone who said such a thing had to die!
"Seize him!"
Jialie Bi bellowed, but did not attack himself.
He'd made a show of being unafraid, but his instincts had taken over.
He was worried the other man might have a trump card, so letting his clansmen test his strength first was the wisest choice.
That way, he wouldn't get blindsided!
A hot-tempered elder—a Two-Star Great Dou Master—standing behind him had already lost his patience.
With a roar, he coated his fist in earth-yellow Dou Qi, charging like a raging bull.
"Bang!"
The floor shattered beneath his feet.
He lunged at Lin Chen with a fearsome momentum!
"Stone-Splitting Fist!"
His fist wind howled and his Dou Qi surged, revealing his deep cultivation.
This punch could split stone and shatter monuments!
A cruel smile spread across Jialie Bi's face.
He could already picture the cloaked man having his arm smashed by the punch, then falling to the ground coughing blood.
Jialie Ao's eyes also widened with excitement.
But faced with this ferocious attack, Lin Chen merely let out a faint, contemptuous snort beneath his hood.
Just as the fist, brimming with terrifying power, was about to strike him—
"Whoosh!"
The gray-cloaked figure left behind dissolved like a phantom!
The real Lin Chen had already become a faint, blood-red shadow, nearly impossible to see.
He moved at a speed beyond the limits of everyone present to follow with their eyes.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared beside the elder who had attacked!
Shadow Escape! Mastery at its peak!
"Shhk!"
The air let out a piercing wail.
"Boom!"
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