Martial Alliance Ambush

In the dense forest outside the coach.

Chen Xu carried the sleeping mother and daughter, one in each hand, and strode along the road.

"Dad... Dad." The little girl ran out of the cave, leaped up, and landed on his shoulder.

Chen Xu had no way to deal with her for now. Since she had not done anything harmful to him, he simply ignored her and let her crawl all over him.

With nothing else to do, Chen Xu summoned Tianwu and checked his gains.

Strength: 27.2

Constitution: 34.5

Agility: 23.8

Energy: 16.0 (Blood-Qi Force)

Spiritual Energy: 208.74

Martial Path: One Martial Form Aperture (Beast Bronze Statue)

Martial Arts: Myriad Beasts Bronze Statue Art (Level Four), Incomplete Life-Nourishing Breakthrough Method (Level Nine), Blood Surge Through the Nine Apertures (MAX, can be fused)

Special Effects: Level Three Beast's Will, Level Five Colossal Beast Physique, Level Twelve Aerial Leap.

Having gained nearly 200 points of Spiritual Energy in one go, Chen Xu was extremely satisfied and immediately invested it into the Myriad Beasts Bronze Statue Art.

The Myriad Beasts Bronze Statue Art instantly rose to Level Seven. As his physical attributes increased, his entire body grew another size, and his normal height surpassed 2.2 meters.

He took the opportunity to open his second Essence Aperture, then slightly increased his speed and hurried toward Qianshui Commandery.

Qianshui Commandery Martial Pavilion.

"The cause of the thunderstorm that suddenly appeared in the outskirts is unknown, but the Public Security Office has already prioritized sending additional personnel to investigate." A woman dressed like a secretary reported respectfully to the Pavilion Master, who was teasing a parrot.

"I understand." Luo Yao waved his hand, signaling for the secretary to leave.

"Here, Little Joy, eat some more." His attention was entirely focused on the parrot.

The office door was kicked open, startling the parrot into flapping its wings and flying out the window.

Luo Yao swept his gaze over the furious woman and spoke in a frivolous tone. "Yan, Deputy Pavilion Master, what wind blew you here?

As it happens, I just acquired a batch of excellent tea. Why not sit down and have some? Women who are always losing their tempers tend to get wrinkles."

"Pavilion Master Luo certainly has refined tastes." Yan, Deputy Pavilion Master, mocked him with a strange tone.

Luo Yao was quite good-tempered and showed no sign of anger. He crossed his hands and leaned back in his executive chair.

"The weather is so lovely. What is there to be so impatient about? Yan, Deputy Pavilion Master, you are simply too serious."

"If Pavilion Master Luo did not spend every day frequenting pleasure houses or appearing at major casinos, I would not be like this.

Since taking over as Pavilion Master, you have never handled any official affairs. The number of times you have even sat in the Martial Pavilion can be counted on one hand. Search your conscience—are you worthy of being called Pavilion Master?"

Yan, Deputy Pavilion Master, stomped heavily on the floor. "Which is more important, having fun or the martial affairs, great and small, throughout the commandery? Pavilion Master Luo should know that perfectly well."

Luo Yao wore a broad smile, looking as though he humbly accepted the criticism while refusing to change in the slightest.

Seeing how utterly shameless he was, another burst of inexplicable anger rose in Yan, Deputy Pavilion Master's heart.

In the end, it turned into a helpless sigh. "If she had not lacked the talent to become a Martial Artist, how could Qianshui Commandery have fallen into the hands of such an irresponsible Pavilion Master?"

Elsewhere, perhaps a Deputy Pavilion Master would be delighted that the Pavilion Master could not be bothered with work. But she was different. She sincerely hoped that Qianshui Commandery would grow stronger and stronger under the leadership of an outstanding Commandery Governor and Pavilion Master.

Only after Yan, Deputy Pavilion Master, fell silent did Luo Yao speak. "Do you have anything else to say? You did not come all the way here just to lecture me, did you?"

"Take a look." Yan, Deputy Pavilion Master, tossed out several photographs, which Luo Yao caught with ease.

The photographer had been in a crowded plaza, taking pictures for a young couple.

Naturally, the focus of the photographs had nothing to do with them.

As the Pavilion Master, Luo Yao could not possibly lack skill. His gaze fell on an inconspicuous figure behind the couple in the photographs.

"The person in these photos..." Luo Yao's voice became somewhat grave. "When were they taken?"

"At around three yesterday afternoon," Yan, Deputy Pavilion Master, immediately replied.

"What can be confirmed is that he is definitely still in Qianshui Commandery."

Though he had deliberately disguised himself somewhat, he had still been recognized by the Martial Pavilion's Pavilion Master and Deputy Pavilion Master.

He was a wanted fugitive from the Great Abyss, one of the members of the Martial Alliance—Martial Artist Geng Tong.

This man was vicious to the extreme. Rumor had it that when he had been trying to break through and become a Martial Artist, he somehow heard that slaughtering humans could increase the odds of a breakthrough. He had slaughtered nearly a hundred people in an entire village overnight.

Whether it had actually increased his odds of breaking through, Luo Yao did not know. Perhaps only Geng Tong himself could answer that question.

To avoid alerting the enemy, the Martial Pavilion had not taken any action. Or rather, they knew that the firearms available within the commandery could barely threaten a Martial Artist.

"You want me to make a move?"

Luo Yao already understood why she had come.

"Before firearms reach a certain quantity, they are as fragile as ants against Martial Artists. You are also a Martial Artist, so you should understand that clearly."

"Besides, a wanted fugitive has appeared in the commandery. As the Martial Pavilion's Pavilion Master, you should act whether out of duty or reason."

"If you refuse to act and let him go, what will the Chief Pavilion Master of Peace Prefecture City think? What will the important figures in Abyss Capital think? You should know that well enough."

After saying that, she left behind a stack of documents and departed.

"Peace Prefecture City?"

Hearing Yan, Deputy Pavilion Master, mention that place, Luo Yao sneered inwardly. Could that place still be called peaceful? And were some of its important figures worthy of the uniforms they wore?

The way he acted now was also meant for certain people to see. Those who did not know how to hide themselves would meet a bad end; the previous Pavilion Master of Qianshui Commandery Martial Pavilion had already provided an excellent example.

"Just a little longer." Luo Yao's gaze was deep and unfathomable. No one knew what he was thinking.

He opened the documents. The fugitive's current location, his strength, and everything else were recorded in clear detail.

As he was reading, a cold voice sounded behind Luo Yao. "Pavilion Master, are you looking for me?"

A fierce wind swept in from behind him. Luo Yao blocked it with his backhand, then swiftly pulled away.

When he saw the three men standing side by side, his heart sank straight to the bottom.

"You truly think highly of this Pavilion Master—three Martial Artists joining forces to kill me."

"To be honest, you should thank someone. He let you live a little longer." Evil Old Ghost lightly licked his lips, looking at Luo Yao as though he were food.

"Oh? Then can you tell this Pavilion Master who it was?" Luo Yao remained expressionless and appeared remarkably calm.

"This Pavilion Master will certainly entertain him properly to express my gratitude."

Before his words had even faded, he suddenly fled in the direction opposite the three men.

He had always believed that as long as the green hills remained, there would be no lack of firewood. Knowing he could not win yet stubbornly standing his ground was, in his view, an exceptionally foolish thing to do.

Apparently not expecting the dignified Martial Pavilion's Pavilion Master to flee the moment he spoke, Evil Old Ghost and Blind Old Ghost did not immediately give chase.

This man seemed somewhat different from the Pavilion Masters they had seen before, the kind who declared, "If the commandery lives, I live. If the commandery dies, I die."

The fugitive had clearly anticipated this. Without even pausing in surprise, he swiftly gave chase.

The two pursued each other, smashing through the walls of the Martial Pavilion and charging outside.