It Was You Behind This

"Miss Ji, it seems you have quite a big issue with us!"

Sikong Luohe looked at Ji Xuejun's increasingly impatient face and revealed a gloomy smile.

"Miss Ji, what would you do if I said I came to invite you to join our Eternal Night Church?"

"Is something wrong with your brain?"

Ji Xuejun looked at Sikong Luohe as though she were looking at an idiot in need of care.

She, Ji Xuejun, was from the Ji Family of the Upper Capital and a gifted prodigy with a bright future in the Federation. Why would she leave the Federation to hide from place to place with a group of people who could not show their faces? She would have to be out of her mind to make such a decision!

"You..."

Sikong Luohe's gloomy expression froze, and a flicker of anger flashed through his eyes. It had been many years since anyone had dared speak to him like that.

"What do you mean, 'you'? I don't have time to chat with you. What happened to my men outside?"

Ji Xuejun raised the three-meter-long halberd in her hand, pointing it at Sikong Luohe as she shouted her question.

Lin Yu's expression changed again and again when he saw Ji Xuejun's reckless move.

Good grief, Sis! He's an eighth-rank powerhouse. How could a seventh-rank like you be this bold? Shouldn't the most important thing right now be figuring out how to escape safely?

"Miss Ji, are you referring to those people standing guard outside? If so, there's no need to worry. I did nothing to them. They did not even notice me entering the secret realm, so naturally, I could not be bothered to act against them."

Sikong Luohe ignored the halberd pointed at him. Though he stood on the side opposing the Federation, he still possessed the bearing of a powerhouse. Unless they interfered with him, he could not be bothered to slaughter a group of ants.

Ji Xuejun let out a long breath. She had thought all her subordinates had already met with disaster. She had not expected this cultist to possess a bit of a powerhouse's dignity.

"What exactly do you want? If you're trying to recruit me, save your breath. That might work on children, but I'm not buying it."

"Very well. It seems Miss Ji has a rather deep misunderstanding of our Church. Since that is the case, I have no choice but to forcibly take you back with me. Please forgive me, Miss Ji. After all, you discovered something you should not have."

Ji Xuejun froze for a moment, then reacted. Her expression changed as she recalled the demon stone in her pocket.

"The demon stones... were you behind this?!!"

"Miss Ji truly lives up to her reputation as a gifted prodigy. That's right, the demon stones were placed in the secret realm by our Church. Since you know now, I can only inconvenience you for the time being."

"This also happens to be a good chance for you to learn more about our Church. Perhaps you'll change your mind."

"Pah! Keep dreaming!"

Though Ji Xuejun spoke forcefully, the worry in her heart grew heavier. It seemed there would be no peaceful resolution today. If things went badly, she might end up dying here!

"Sister Xuejun, he's an eighth-rank Warden. Are you confident you can handle him?"

Lin Yu could no longer stand by and watch, so he quietly spoke from behind Ji Xuejun.

"Eighth rank!!!"

Despair surged through Ji Xuejun's heart. She was indeed a genius, but she had only just entered the seventh rank. How could she possibly defeat someone more than ten levels above her?

"Little Yu! I'll hold him off later. Find a chance to leave with the others. Remember, don't leave through the entrance. Hide inside the secret realm. If we don't come out for a long time, someone will come to support us!"

"What about you?"

Lin Yu's expression shifted. One look at Ji Xuejun told him that she probably could not defeat this member of the Eternal Night Church. By choosing to hold off the enemy alone, Ji Xuejun was trying to trade herself for their chance at survival!

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I should still be of some use to them. If I get captured and you manage to escape, remember to have Director Cao send people to the Ji Family. Someone will naturally come save me then! You don't need to worry about me!"

"Boss, how can we let you stay behind alone? We'll fight him! At worst, we die. Eighteen years later, I'll be a good man again!"

"That's right, Boss. Let's fight him. We brothers aren't afraid of death..."

"Fight!!"

The moment Wang Defa and the others heard that Ji Xuejun intended to hold off the enemy herself, they immediately became anxious.

Though Ji Xuejun was their superior, her age often made people unconsciously overlook her status.

How could these grown men possibly allow a young woman in her twenties to stay behind? Their blood boiled at the thought. They could never do something so shameful.

Moreover, everyone at Banyan City Arena greatly respected Ji Xuejun. Asking them to abandon their boss and flee alone was something they would never agree to.

Ji Xuejun felt deeply moved as she looked at Wang Defa and the others, all wearing expressions as though they were ready to die heroically.

But she knew that the man in the distance was not someone Wang Defa and the others could shake with mere hot blood. To Sikong Luohe, Wang Defa and the others were no different from ants, creatures he could crush to death with ease.

Ji Xuejun had no time to be moved. Her expression hardened as she spoke.

"Stop talking nonsense. Only once you're safe can I fight with all my strength. You'll only distract me if you stay here. Hiding yourselves safely will be the greatest help you can give me!"

"But..."

"No buts. I'm seventh rank. It won't be so easy for him to capture me. As long as you escape, I can find a way to get away at any time!"

Ji Xuejun immediately cut Wang Defa off. After hearing her words, Wang Defa and the others' expressions changed repeatedly. In the end, they could only helplessly agree.

"Boss, you must be careful. If you can't beat him, run. Our lives are worthless. You don't need to sacrifice so much for us!"

"I know, so stop talking. Remember to find a chance to hide, and hide separately. Little Yu, I'm sorry. I said I would protect you, but now I can barely protect myself!"

"..."

Damn it, why does she keep raising more death flags? Lin Yu looked helplessly at Ji Xuejun, who was frantically setting death flags before his eyes.

"Sister Xuejun, don't worry. I know what to do!"

"Good!"

Sikong Luohe quietly watched Ji Xuejun and the others whisper among themselves. With his strength, how could their conversation possibly be hidden from him?

When Lin Yu told Ji Xuejun about Sikong Luohe's true strength, Sikong Luohe had already noticed him. However, after sensing that Lin Yu was only third rank, he paid him no further attention. He probably assumed Lin Yu possessed some special scouting talent.

When Ji Xuejun turned back to him, Sikong Luohe said calmly, "Miss Ji, are you certain you can stop me?"

"Whether I can stop you or not, I won't know until I try. I've never fought a King-class opponent before. I hope you won't disappoint me!"

Ji Xuejun raised the Azure Dragon Heaven-Piercing Halberd in her hand, her eyes fixed excitedly on Sikong Luohe. Since there was no way out now, she might as well have a proper fight.

"Heh..."

Sikong Luohe laughed in disbelief. Since becoming a King-class Warden, this was the first time he had been provoked like this by a seventh-rank opponent.