The hands of the Fracture Point Pocket Watch had not turned back. The Shrine Priest before Xia Lun had no Knowledge!
He was an impostor!
The Shrine Priest was cautious. This was a trap!
In a flash, Xia Lun used Force Dissipation to suppress the tremendous power surging through his muscles. Even with Master Swordsmanship, he felt as though a thunderous punch had struck his internal organs!
As if sensing something, the Shrine Priest slowly turned his head and looked straight at him.
"And who might this be?"
"I'm Xia Lun." Xia Lun willed himself to ignore the pain and showed his white teeth as he bowed. "I work for the Tree Herder. At present, I'm raising funds for a project."
"Oh, the Tree Herder." The Shrine Priest gave a faint nod, then turned to exchange pleasantries with several High Sun Priests.
Xia Lun kept his slightly ingratiating smile in place as his unsettled thoughts swiftly calmed.
When he had learned of the Shrine Priest's sudden disappearance more than ten days ago, he had considered the possibility that his enemies might use Selection Night to set a trap. He simply had not expected them to conjure up an entire person.
"That's the Shrine Priest. He's in charge of the Shrine Hall. After the Golden Fireworks, the High Sun Priests will address everyone, and then comes the Vigil for the Dead. He's responsible for the vigil," Scarface Elder chimed in. "Oh, and the girl at the entrance is his only apprentice. They're both quite good at medicine."
"I see." Xia Lun's expression did not change, but his mind raced.
The original assassination plan was clearly no longer suitable. Whether there were actually three Secret Art Scholars or the Shrine Priest possessed some ability to conjure people, both possibilities meant the enemy