Looking somewhat bedraggled, Barton quickly slipped out and pressed a hand against the wall behind him. The rotating wall silently returned to its original position.
Barton leaned against the cold stove, took several ragged breaths, and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Damn it! How did the Chen Clan know about that place? His thoughts churned like a storm-tossed sea.
That small courtyard was one of the top-secret safe houses he had painstakingly prepared. Not only did the Bone-Digging Corps know nothing about it, even the informant within Spirit Hall responsible for contacting him was completely unaware of its existence. It was an escape route he had reserved entirely for himself.
Apart from him, not a second person in the world should have known about it!
He had avoided staying at the Heaven Dou Martial Soul Holy Hall not only to avoid suspicion, but also for his own safety. He trusted no one but himself.
Yet Chen Zhang and Zhu Yanfeng, those two Chen Clan experts, had blocked the entrance with unerring precision.
It was utterly inconceivable!
Now is not the time to think about that!
Barton forcibly suppressed the raging waves in his heart. Escaping alive was his first priority.
He drew a deep breath and tried to steady the fluctuations of his soul power. Moving as nimbly as a wildcat, he darted out of the kitchen, intending to scale the backyard wall and escape.
But the instant he rushed out of the kitchen, his steps stopped abruptly, and he froze in place.
In the little pavilion in the backyard, two people sat on a pair of stone stools.
On the stone stool to the left sat an elderly man with an imposing face.
He wore a magnificent blue sword robe, his hands resting casually on his knees.