Chen Zidian pondered as he kept moving.
Maintaining the air of an aloof powerhouse, he approached the sky above the enormous camp.
In secret, however, he had already contacted his hidden companions: the group known in the original story as Fall of the Demon God.
Since Lin Feng had unified the Holy Demon Continent, they had now been renamed the Special Operations Team, but the members were still the same people.
Upon receiving the message, they had immediately set out from Sunset Forest. If an emergency arose, they would quickly provide support.
"I told you, next time it wouldn't be so simple."
"You refused to listen, so now you can suffer a little!"
Chen Zidian strode through the air, his perception covering the entire camp.
After confirming his teammates were in position, he felt confident enough to continue carrying out Lin Feng's plan.
In the blink of an eye, he reached the air above the camp's inner perimeter. He hadn't even changed his position; he was still standing in the exact same spot as last time.
"Sir, please wait!"
At the same time, Ning Fengzhi flew into the air.
Negotiations were definitely safest in his hands.
But as an auxiliary Martial Soul, he had no combat ability whatsoever, so of course he wouldn't dare come alone.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin flew up right behind him, as inseparable as a conjoined twin, and stood guard at his side.
That way, even if their target refused to talk, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and Seven Kill Sword could ensure their absolute safety.
"Which side do you represent?"
Chen Zidian didn't recognize Ning Fengzhi at all.
When he saw the other man appear, he merely glanced at him without much interest.
Then his attention shifted to Sword Douluo Chen Xin. He could sense a trace of threat from him—the first time he had felt that since the invasion began.
"Uh, I'm Ning Fengzhi, Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. I represent the Heaven Dou Empire and the Upper Three Sects. We hope to have a proper discussion with you. Do you represent Spirit Hall?"
Ning Fengzhi was stunned for several seconds, his face twitching.
He had never imagined that the other man wouldn't recognize him.
As the most frequently appearing spokesperson among the Upper Three Sects, he was confident he was fairly famous.
It was perhaps understandable if ordinary people or low- and middle-ranked Soul Masters didn't know him. But someone as powerful as this man really didn't?
In particular, Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin already mistakenly believed their enemy was from Spirit Hall. That only made them think he was pretending. This man's attitude was far too hostile.
Of course, he still had to sound him out.
Taking a deep breath, he introduced himself.
Then he asked one last question, wanting to see how the other man would react.
"Spirit Hall? Heh. Believe whatever you want."
Chen Zidian's expression turned strange. He immediately realized the man in front of him had gotten the wrong idea.
Naturally, he wouldn't clear up the misunderstanding. Instead, he kept his answer vague, a playful smile tugging at his lips.
If he could fool the man in front of him and send his thoughts completely off track, it would only benefit the Holy Demon Federation.
At that moment, Chen Zidian didn't realize that the real Spirit Hall elders and enshrined experts were already considering stepping in to clarify things.
But at least for now, Ning Fengzhi's misunderstanding had only deepened. The other man's attitude seemed even more like an attempt to cover something up.
"What exactly is Spirit Hall trying to do? Are you trying to start a war?"
"Could you tell us how Bone Douluo and Poison Douluo are doing?"
Ning Fengzhi didn't care about anything else and continued pressing him. The next second, however, he sensed an energy fluctuation.
He immediately retreated through the air behind Chen Xin. The two moved in perfect unison, instantly going on guard.
Not far away, Chen Zidian couldn't be bothered to say another word. His goal was to draw their attention. What good would empty talk do?
He needed to teach them a real lesson, one they'd remember, and make them fix all their attention on the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
"It seems you have no intention of making peace."
Ning Fengzhi sighed, though he wasn't actually surprised.
He only regretted that he hadn't gotten any news about Gu Rong and Dugu Bo.
He prepared for battle as well. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's light flared, forming a protective barrier.
At the same time, several beams of light shot out in quick succession, layering themselves over Chen Xin and granting him a full range of enhancements.
Against an enemy of equal or greater strength, there was no time to leisurely assess the situation—especially when they needed to end the fight quickly.
A thunderous rumble came from deep within the camp below. Accompanied by a faint sigh, blue arcs of lightning crackled, and Yu Yuanzhen flew up as well.
They formed a pincer formation, surrounding Chen Zidian.
Yu Yuanzhen didn't want a fight, but there was no way around it in the current situation.
"So only you two are attacking? Are the others planning a sneak attack?"
Chen Zidian remained completely unafraid. He laughed heartily, exposing the hidden Spirit Hall experts with a single remark.
Inside the camp, Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, frowned. She suddenly had a very bad feeling.
Even Sword Douluo Chen Xin hadn't noticed the four ambushers, yet this man had seen through them with ease?
Judging from that alone, his strength was clearly extraordinary—probably even greater than they had previously suspected.
Still, Qian Renxue kept her cool and didn't send Qian Jun, Jiang Mo, and the others out to help immediately.
At the very least, she would first have the two Titled Douluo from the Heaven Dou Empire probe his methods and wear down a little of his "Soul Power."
"What do you mean?"
Ning Fengzhi had a vague sense that something was wrong.
"Hm? You're not on the same side?"
Chen Zidian was surprised by his reaction, but he didn't interrupt what he had already set in motion.
Just as Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin braced themselves for a fierce assault—
Chen Zidian suddenly raised his hand. A golden Holy Sword appeared in his grasp, and he performed the same swinging motion as before.
They weren't familiar with this move, but Meng Shenji, hidden below, knew it all too well. He couldn't help cursing under his breath.
What was going on? That skill again?
He was face-to-face with Sword Douluo. Wasn't this supposed to be a battle between powerhouses?
Why was he suddenly unleashing wide-area destruction again? Did he just have to use that attack?
The dazzling Holy Light Meteor Shower quickly took shape, just as it had last time, and shot straight down toward the camp.
Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin were dumbfounded by the sight. Yu Yuanzhen's eyelids twitched repeatedly. All three felt thoroughly disrespected.
The two Titled Douluo immediately attacked in furious, wordless accord, striking from opposite sides. Each move was a killing blow!
Had Chen Zidian chosen to fight back, the battle would have darkened the sky and shaken the earth. But to everyone's surprise, he simply flashed away and retreated.
"Sorry, fighting you isn't today's mission. We'll do it next time."
Chen Zidian had never been a hothead. On the contrary, he always put the mission first and was highly focused on his objectives.
Destroying Sunset Camp, causing casualties and a commotion, and drawing the Heaven Dou Empire's attention—he had just successfully fulfilled the mission Lin Feng had given him. Why risk fighting several powerful opponents?
His retreat caused Chen Xin and Yu Yuanzhen's attacks to miss. He then flew off into the distance with leisurely ease, ready to disappear into the forest at once.
Right at that moment, four surging waves of Soul Power rose simultaneously from four directions, all aimed at Chen Zidian. Their furious, formidable auras burst forth.
They had clearly acted on Qian Renxue's orders.
The Martial Soul Hall Guardians finally couldn't hold back from intervening.
They had finally caught a powerhouse from a mysterious faction. How could they let him go so easily?
"Sir, you've caused such a tremendous disturbance. To think you can just swagger away like this is a little too arrogant..."
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