Thirty li east of the city, at an unfinished building.
At that moment, no one was around; only the wind passed through the rust-covered iron framework, making a whimpering sound.
But deep inside the unfinished building, Zhou Yan was tied to an iron chair, his mouth stuffed with a strip of cloth and his body covered in wounds.
A palm-sized black talisman had been stuck to his body. It was covered in eerie runes and faintly emitted black mist, cutting off all spatial fluctuations.
Clearly, they knew Lin Jin could teleport and had specifically prepared countermeasures.
A middle-aged man in a black robe stood before him, a silver moon embroidered on his chest. His face was sinister, and a cruel smile hung on his lips.
"Your good brother will be here to save you soon."
Zhou Yan made muffled sounds, his eyes full of anger and worry.
Little Lin, don't come...
Ghost Hand seemed to see through his thoughts and sneered.
"Don't worry, he'll definitely come. Isn't he your good brother?"
Ghost Hand patted Zhou Yan's face.
"Just wait right here and watch how your good brother dies at my hands."
Zhou Yan struggled desperately, but the ropes were tied too tightly. He could not move at all.
Ghost Hand turned and looked behind him.
Old Seven and Old Nine stood in a corner, with an unfolded map in front of them marking the various locations in the chemical plant.
"Is everything ready?" Ghost Hand asked.
Old Seven nodded.
"My lord, everything is ready. We're going to use special means to counter his teleportation and keep him from escaping."
He paused, somewhat hesitant.
"But, my lord, according to our intelligence, this Lin Jin is at least at the peak of the Domain Realm, perhaps even higher. With just the three of us... I'm afraid we'll have trouble taking him down."
Ghost Hand sneered.
"Don't worry. Did you think the organization sent only me?"
Old Seven froze.
Ghost Hand turned toward another corner behind him.
A figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
It was a thin old man with graying hair and a face covered in wrinkles. He wore a dark gold robe with a golden moon embroidered on his chest.
Gold Moon Rank, codename Ghost Fox.
Old Seven's and Old Nine's pupils contracted sharply, and they instantly dropped to their knees.
"Greetings, Lord Ghost Fox!"
"Ghost Hand, have you verified all your intelligence?" Ghost Fox's voice was soft, yet carried an unquestionable weight.
Ghost Hand immediately replied, "It's all been verified."
He handed over a file. "This is his information."
[Lin Jin] [Abilities: fire, lightning, wind, teleportation, clones, ocular (Sharingan, capable of releasing Black Flame and Genjutsu)] [Suspected bloodline ability: unknown] [Strength assessment: at least peak Domain Realm; the possibility of Transcendent Stage cannot be ruled out] [Threat level: S+] [Recommendation: requires a Gold Moon Rank member to act personally, or at least three high-level Silver Moon members working together]
Ghost Fox nodded, an inscrutable smile curling his lips.
"Peak Domain Realm, perhaps even Transcendent Stage... Interesting. No wonder headquarters wanted me to handle this personally."
He walked to the table and lightly traced his finger across the map.
"Ordinary traps won't do much against someone like this, so I've prepared three layers of measures this time."
"The first layer: a spatial lockdown."
"I brought seven Void Lock Talisman Seals, spatial lockdown devices specially made by headquarters. Activating all seven at once can seal off every spatial fluctuation within a five-hundred-meter radius. His teleportation ability will be completely shut down."
"The second layer: the Magic-Sealing Formation."
"I'll set up three layers of Magic-Sealing Formations around the chemical plant, specifically to counter energy-based attacks."
"His Superpowers will be greatly weakened inside the formations. The stronger his energy output, the stronger the backlash."
A trace of apprehension flashed through Ghost Hand's eyes.
The Magic-Sealing Formation was a restrictive formation designed specifically for high-level awakened. Setting up even one layer consumed enormous resources. Stacking three layers was no small investment.
"The third layer: the Soul-Suppressing Lock. This is my trump card."
He took a palm-sized black box from inside his robe and opened it. Inside lay a dark red nail covered in densely packed runes, radiating an aura that made the heart tremble.
"This Soul-Suppressing Nail was ground from the spinal bone of an SS-Rank Weird. It specifically counters Bloodline Inheritors. Once driven into the body, it can seal off bloodline power. Even if he's at the Transcendent Stage, he'll lose seventy percent of his strength."
He closed the box and looked at the three of them.
"Three layers of measures, plus the four of us. With his escape route sealed, his Superpowers suppressed, and his bloodline abilities locked away, what do you think he could possibly do?"
Ghost Hand drew a deep breath.
"You've truly thought of everything, my lord."
Ghost Fox smiled faintly, but there was no warmth in that smile.
"Remember, never underestimate any opponent. Anyone who reaches the peak of the Domain Realm has trump cards of their own. My rule is to use all your strength, just as a lion does even when hunting a rabbit."
He turned toward Zhou Yan, who was tied to the chair.
Zhou Yan's mouth was stuffed with cloth, his eyes full of anger and fear.
Ghost Fox walked over, crouched down, and met his gaze.
"You're that Lin Jin's brother? An awakened at the Divine Knowledge Initial Stage can actually make a Domain Peak powerhouse willingly venture into a den of danger for him."
"How laughable. These so-called bonds are precisely your most fatal weakness."
With that, he rose and headed for the stairs.
"Go make your preparations. In three days, head over to the chemical plant. We must give our guest a proper welcome."
Ghost Hand, Old Seven, and Old Nine bowed in unison.
"Yes!"
Ghost Fox's figure disappeared into the stairwell.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Thirty li east of the city, at an abandoned chemical plant.
Thick clouds obscured the moonlight, plunging the land into darkness. Lin Jin appeared outside the chemical plant's main gate.
He neither concealed his aura nor deliberately hid his figure. With his hands in his pockets and Lightning-Cleaver at his waist, he walked into that deathly silent place at an unhurried pace, one man with one blade.
The instant Lin Jin stepped onto the chemical plant's grounds, he noticed something unusual.
He could no longer sense the spatial coordinates.
All the Flying Thunder God Marks he had left outside now seemed shrouded behind a thick fog, indistinct and barely perceptible.
He stopped, closed his eyes, and sensed carefully.
Sure enough.
Some force had sealed off spatial fluctuations within several hundred meters. The marks were still there, but his connection to them had been severed. He could not teleport out.
It seemed this was Dark Moon's first layer of measures.
A spatial lockdown.
The corners of Lin Jin's mouth lifted slightly.
Dark Moon had certainly made plenty of preparations. He continued forward.
The farther he went, the stranger the energy fluctuations permeating the air became.
Complex rune patterns were faintly visible on the ground, giving off a weak, dark red glow in the darkness.
Those densely packed patterns covered the entire chemical plant's grounds, like the veins of some enormous formation.
Lin Jin could feel the Chakra flowing inside him becoming somewhat sluggish, as though something were suppressing its circulation.
Still, that was all.
He did not stop. Following the feedback from his senses, he walked straight into an abandoned workshop in the deepest part of the chemical plant.
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