City Lord's Mansion.
"Nie Li, I can't talk right now. I need to find Father," Ye Ziyun said anxiously, rushing past Nie Li toward Ye Zong's study.
"Wait, let's go together."
Xiao Tianhao called Ye Ziyun back, and the three headed to Ye Zong's study together.
The city lord's study.
"Outrageous!" Hearing what had happened, Ye Zong blazed with fury, unleashing his aura.
Aside from Xiao Tianhao, who remained unaffected, Nie Li and Ye Ziyun were both forced several steps back.
Ye Zong then calmed down and sighed. "I never imagined the Dark Guild had become this brazen. The City Lord's Mansion has failed in its duties, too. A daughter of a prominent family's direct line was openly abducted in Glory City, and we didn't even notice."
"Alas, Glory City's defenses and inspections are still far too lax."
With that, he summoned a guard and gave him his orders.
"Go find Ye Xiu and have him personally investigate whether the Dark Guild is involved. Send more men to search all of Glory City. We must find Xiao Ning'er of the Winged Dragon Family."
The guard acknowledged the order and immediately ran out.
Having issued all his orders, Ye Zong turned to Xiao Tianhao and the others.
"Tianhao, go home for now," he told Xiao Tianhao. "I'll send someone to notify you as soon as we have a lead."
"Yes, Uncle," Xiao Tianhao replied dejectedly, then walked out of the study and left the City Lord's Mansion.
Nie Li went out after him.
Only Ye Ziyun and Ye Zong remained in the study.
"Zi Yun, you should return to your room as well," Ye Zong told Ye Ziyun.
Ye Ziyun's eyes were already red as she fought back her tears. "Yes, Father."
"Father, you must bring Ning'er back!" Ye Ziyun said, her voice choked with sobs, before walking away on unsteady legs.
Ye Zong stood where he was, gazing out the window and rubbing his brow with one hand as he murmured inwardly.
*[Glory City has truly entered an autumn of troubles lately.*
The Wind and Snow Demonic Beasts in the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range have been unusually active, showing signs of unleashing a Beast Tide.
The Sacred Family hasn't been behaving itself either, constantly scheming behind the scenes.
And of all times, the Dark Guild has chosen now to stir up trouble.
The City Lord's Mansion is short-handed, especially when it comes to Black Gold experts, and Father is away exploring the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range.
*Tomorrow, I'll send someone to ask President Gu Yan whether there are any pills that can force a breakthrough to the legendary rank. Even if they have lasting side effects, I'll have no choice but to use them. Without a Legendary Demon Spirit Master holding the fort, we can no longer keep these petty villains in check.]*
Elsewhere.
Deep in the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range.
A group of black-clad figures wearing the robes of the Dark Guild had gathered.
A subordinate came forward to report.
"Lord Ghost Fiend, the letter has been left at that brat's residence."
"Excellent. Once that brat sees the letter, I don't believe he'll do anything but obediently walk into our net," Ghost Fiend said in a low voice.
On a street in Glory City.
Xiao Tianhao had calmed down and was thinking over the day's events.
[The Dark Guild wants to use Ning'er to threaten me, so they probably won't hurt her. I just don't know when they'll contact me.]
Before he knew it, he had returned to his residence.
The moment Xiao Tianhao stepped through the entrance, he sensed something amiss, as though someone had been there.
He searched the surroundings and found an arrow embedded beside his room's doorway, with a letter pinned to it.
He walked over, took down the letter, and opened it.
It read:
[Xiao Tianhao, come to ... deep in the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range within four hours, or prepare to say goodbye to your little girlfriend. You'd better come alone, or I can't guarantee she'll still be alive!]
"The Dark Guild!!!"
Xiao Tianhao growled furiously and clenched the letter hard. Blue light flashed in his hand, reducing the paper to drifting ash.
He began his Demon Spirit Fusion and was about to rush out, only to encounter Nie Li as soon as he stepped outside.
"Nie Li, did you come to see me about something important? If not, I'm leaving." He was in no mood to talk to Nie Li now.
Nie Li looked at Xiao Tianhao gravely. "The Dark Guild captured Ning'er to threaten you, so I figured they would leave some clue to lure you there, and I followed you out. It looks like I was right. You're really going after them."
"Yes. The Dark Guild wants me to come alone, or they'll hurt Ning'er." Xiao Tianhao had already finished fusing with his Demon Spirit and was ready to rush off at any moment.
"Whatever you have to say, wait until I've brought Ning'er back."
Seeing Xiao Tianhao about to leave in his haste, Nie Li hurriedly called out to him.
"Wait, let me come with you."
"My Shadow Demon Spirit is an assassin-type Demon Spirit with excellent concealment abilities. Combined with my Secret Technique for suppressing my aura, they'll never see through it. With my help, we'll have a better chance of saving Ning'er."
After a moment's thought, Xiao Tianhao agreed.
Nie Li quickly completed his Demon Spirit Fusion.
A streak of blue lightning shot across the sky, with Nie Li following close behind, his figure concealed.
Two hours later, they were nearing the location specified by the Dark Guild.
Xiao Tianhao and Nie Li both stopped to recover. After traveling for so long, they had little Soul Force left.
Each took out a bottle of pills and poured them into his mouth, then quickly sat cross-legged to recover.
Fifteen minutes later, their Soul Force and mental states had returned to their peak.
They set off again and soon reached their destination.
Sure enough, Nie Li's concealment went undetected.
A group from the Dark Guild stood ahead, more than a dozen strong.
Beneath a massive tree behind them, Xiao Ning'er lay unconscious on the ground, bound.
The black-robed man at their head wore a hooded cloak that concealed his face completely, leaving only his eyes exposed. His aura was no weaker than Ye Zong's. Clearly, he had reached the peak of the Black Gold Demon Spirit Master rank (Black Gold Five-Star; ranks on the Holy Spirit Continent only ranged from one to five stars) and was close to breaking through to the legendary rank.
Though the remaining black-robed figures had weaker auras than their leader, they had clearly all reached the Black Gold rank.
Xiao Tianhao couldn't help marveling inwardly. The Dark Guild truly had deep pockets. Just to capture him alone, they had actually deployed more than a dozen Black Gold Demon Spirit Masters.
"You're Xiao Tianhao!" the leader said.
"That's right. And who are you?" Xiao Tianhao gave Nie Li a meaningful look, preparing to stall for time.
"My name is Ghost Fiend. I wonder if you've heard of me," Ghost Fiend said.
Understanding dawned in Xiao Tianhao's heart. So it was him.
Ghost Fiend was the Dark Guild's third-ranking figure, his strength second only to the Demon Lord (a legendary five-star Demon Spirit Master) and Dragon Fiend (a legendary three-star Demon Spirit Master).
"The Dark Guild always acts with a purpose. What exactly did you lure me out here to do today?" Xiao Tianhao continued stalling. By now, Nie Li had circled around behind the Dark Guild members.
"Ha, ha, ha! Brat, you certainly know our Dark Guild well!" Ghost Fiend threw back his head and laughed, sounding both mocking and derisive.
His subordinates joined in the laughter.
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