Damn. Zhang Yuanqing's scalp prickled as frustration and anger inevitably welled up inside him.
Success had been within reach, yet it had all fallen apart at the last moment.
Level-six Stargazing Art was not very reliable when it involved Masters, and this matter implicated too many factions—the Green Wheat Branch, Heaven's Punishment, and even the Underworld King himself could interfere with the Stargazing Art.
So what was happening before him had not been part of his plan.
The old man beside Osmon was undoubtedly a Master. It was impossible to take the Underworld King right from under his nose. Should he retreat with the Palace Lord?
Throw the hat to the Palace Lord and have her put the Underworld King into Little Red Riding Hood's space, then teleport away with her? But I only have one Teleportation Jade Talisman left. The Palace Lord could enter the hat too, but that Master clearly won't give me the chance to act.
In that lightning-fast instant, Zhang Yuanqing thought of many possible responses.
The Stop-Killing Palace Lord stood motionless. The red threads shooting out from beneath her skirt all aimed behind her, like cobras rearing up and coiling, poised to strike.
Zhang Yuanqing sensed her tension. She did not even dare to move.
This Master of the Green Grain Tribe was stronger than he had imagined—at least level eight. An ordinary level-seven Master would not make the Palace Lord this wary.
Osmon's gaze first fell on the Underworld King, bound up like a rice dumpling, and his eyes lit up. Then he looked toward the woman in the red dress and the ordinary-looking young man.
"You want the Underworld King too?" His gaze shifted among the three of them, his tone icy. "Heh. Who's pulling the strings behind you?"
Zhang Yuanqing ignored him.