Trump Card

"WC!"

Yun Ming turned to look at the door, his face full of confusion. Zang Xin was already quite a grown man, why was he still so easily startled?

When Zang Xin pushed open the door to the underground Council Hall, a gust of wind was stirred up.

He held a few crookedly folded newspapers in his hand, his face alternating between pale and flushed, his usual lazy demeanor completely gone.

Zhuo Shi had just picked up his teacup when the commotion startled him so much that his hand trembled, and half the tea spilled out.

Long Yeyue looked up, her brows furrowing, when she saw Zang Xin slam the newspapers onto the long table with a "thud," looking as if he had just run a long way outside.

"What happened?" Yun Ming looked at him.

Zang Xin is a seasoned veteran; anything that elicited such a reaction from him must be extraordinary.

"What else could it be! Your son!"

Zang Xin was panting heavily, pointing at the newspaper, and after a long while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence, "He single-handedly fought his way through the Heaven Dou City! And he even got into a fight with that brat Guan Yue!"

There was a moment of silence in the Council Hall.

Ya Li had already stood up and reached out to take the newspaper.

Tang Yinmeng leaned closer, and after just one glance, her face turned pale.

The newspaper was the latest issue of the Tiandou City Morning News, with a huge headline printed in black. "Shrek Remnants Attack Heaven Dou City at Night, Suspected to be Son of the Sea God Pavilion."

Below is a line of smaller text. "Yue Tian Douluo Guan Yue intervened, and a fierce battle ensued, resulting in the complete destruction of the eastern long street of the city."

Zhuo Shi took a few steps around to Ya Li's back, his eyes widening as he looked at her.

Feng Wuyu also stood up.

Cai Yue'er took a copy of the newspaper, flipped it to the back, quickly read the entire article, and looked up at Zang Xin: "Where did this newspaper come from?"

"The Tang Sect risked their lives to deliver it in Heaven Dou City. It happened last night, and this morning the whole city was buzzing with the news."

"The Tang Sect members hiding in West Street slipped a newspaper to a Shrek student who was outside, and the student spent the entire day running around to return it."

Zang Xin wiped his face, his voice still tight, "The entire Heaven Dou City is under martial law, and the eastern part of the city has been sealed off. The Federation military and the Spirit Pagoda have been mobilized, and they are reportedly still searching the city."

"Where's Jing Heng?" Ya Li asked.

Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the room could hear the tremor beneath it.

"He escaped. The newspaper said he wasn't caught."

Zang Xin took a deep breath. "Guan Yue was slightly injured. But he basically turned that street in the east of the city upside down."

"I don't even dare to read what's written in the newspapers. Things like 'three moons,' 'illusory image of the Moon Palace,' and 'three sword lights.' Some people even say that he fought Guan Yue to a standstill and finally escaped unscathed. It's all made out to be something incredible."

Yun Ming remained motionless.

After listening, he slowly took the newspaper and glanced at it.

The words on it were exaggerated, but he recognized the core message.

Nine Sword Heavenly Prison, Lunar Extinction Realm, Moon Palace —these are not things that outsiders could fabricate.

Jing Heng was serious, and he even targeted the Moon Palace.

That means that after the God Trial, his strength was no less than that of an ordinary Titled Douluo.

"Is Guan Yue alright?" Yun Ming asked.

"It's alright. Some people from the Tang Sect saw him from afar, standing in the ruins east of the city, lost in thought. Later, three experts from the Federation came and chased after him to the north. But Guan Yue said they couldn't catch up," Zang Xin said.

Yun Ming folded the newspaper, placed it on the table, and pressed his finger on it.

After a long pause, he said in a low voice, "He first had Ye Xinglan take the Ye Family members away, and then he stalled Guan Yue in the east of the city, surrounding him with the whole city so he could escape. Ye Xinglan should have already gotten away."

"Did Xingmo send back a message?" Long Yeyue asked.

"It's been reported. Around 1 AM last night, the Ye Family had already left. Ye Xingmo saw the Ye Family off to the Tang Sect's car, but Ye Xinglan didn't go with them; she went back to find Jing Heng."

Zang Xin said, "There's still no news from either of them."

Upon hearing this, Ya Li seemed to begin breathing again.

She slowly sat down, pushed the newspaper aside, and whispered, "As long as he's alive, that's enough."

Zhuo Shi slammed his fist on the edge of the table, making several lamps flicker. "What do you mean 'good'! This kid is risking his life to pave the way for us! Does he really think he's made of iron?"

"He didn't think so," Yun Ming suddenly said.

Everyone looked at him.

His expression was calm, but his tone was extremely heavy. "He forced himself to be made of iron. We've been here for almost a long time, and we know in our hearts how people outside see us."

"Jing Heng was simply using his own methods to pull Shrek back from the brink of 'death'."

Upon hearing this, Zang Xin opened his mouth, but ultimately only sighed, "Yes. His outburst has made the whole continent aware that Shrek still has members."

"And he's not a nobody; he's someone who could break through the Heaven Dou City, injure Limit Douluo, and then escape from his clutches."

"After this night, if anyone says Shrek is dead, they'll have to ask the patrols in Heaven Dou City whether they believe it or not."

Long Yeyue said softly, "But this also means that he can no longer return to Heaven Dou City."

He never intended to go back.

Yun Ming said, "What he's doing now is buying time for Xing Lan, the Ye Family, and everyone who's still hiding to move."

"For him, Heaven Dou City was merely a God Trial. His next destination will be further north, or perhaps further south."

"North."

Ya Li suddenly said, "Tang Wulin is in the Far North. Xie Xie and the others are in the south. Jing Heng will definitely choose a direction."

"The Ye Family family went north, Xing Lan will go with them. He will definitely go north."

Yun Ming did not refute. He walked back behind the long table and looked at the newspapers.

He suddenly whispered, "Good lad."

Everyone was looking at him, Yun Ming didn't say anything more.

But this sound made everyone hear a long-lost light emanating from the very marrow of their bones.

"Um... Yun Ming, your Jing Heng shouldn't have any level twelve weapons left, right?"

Yun Ming was taken aback and looked at Zang Xin.

Zang Xin felt unusually uncomfortable under his gaze, coughed lightly, and flipped through the newspapers in her hand repeatedly. "I'm just worried."

"The commotion in the Heaven Dou City was already frightening enough. What if this kid still has some unexploded ordnance hidden away? With his temper, who knows if he might set off an even bigger firework if pushed too far?"

Yun Ming looked at him for a few seconds without saying anything, and the people around the long table also quieted down.

They had thought about this question, but no one dared to ask.

"I don't know," Yun Ming said.

Just three words, spoken in a very flat tone, yet those three words carried more weight in the Council Hall than the newspapers that had just been there.

"You're his biological father, and you're telling me you don't know?" Zang Xin lowered his voice.

"I didn't even know when he secretly built it."

Yun Ming said, sitting back down in the chair and pouring himself a glass of water.

He picked up his cup and took a slow sip. "He won't tell me either, you know. That kid always keeps something to himself. If he revealed all his cards, he wouldn't be Yun Jingheng."

Ya Li, who was listening nearby, had tears welling up in her eyes again; of course she knew.

That child has been like this since he was little.

They can hide things so well that even they themselves can't find them.

Yun Ming's statement that he "didn't know" was true, but it was precisely because he "didn't know" that Ya Li was even more afraid.

I'm afraid that if he's desperate, he might actually set everything on fire.

At the same time.

Five kilometers Heaven Dou City, inside a mountain cave.

Yun Jingheng gazed quietly at the dusty, silvery-white metal in the container, a subtle, enigmatic smile slowly spreading across his face.