A true hunter often appears in the guise of prey, and waiting is an essential discipline for every hunter.
Xu Xian was waiting, waiting for the right opportunity.
In Jin Qing's deductions, she had planned for countless possibilities, even anticipating that Xu Xian might see through her schemes.
What she intended to do was drive Xu Xian into a corner.
She wanted to force him into a situation where, even if he knew it was a test, he would have no choice but to reveal his hand and surrender.
She had even prepared for the possibility of a mysterious powerhouse standing behind the youth and intervening.
She had calculated nearly everything; everything was under her control.
However, she never imagined that Xu Xian was a spirit forger who was infinitely close to the eighth rank, nor could she have guessed that Bai Mang was Xu Xian and could manifest a divine sword.
It was a divine sword from the Upper Realm that would remain unaffected by the Ruoshui even when submerged in nether water.
Whether it was Xu Xian or Jin Qing, in this inevitable collision, both believed they understood the other well and never underestimated their opponent.
The only difference was that Jin Qing remained Jin Qing, while Bai Mang was no longer just Bai Mang.
One night.
The rainy season.
The Nether Pool gradually turned a pale white, and the Outer City became as boisterous as ever, with pedestrians carrying umbrellas weaving through the streets.
The familiar cries of street vendors rose, while the Inner City, separated by only a single street, slowly fell into silence.
Inside the residence, Xu Xian sat by the window as usual, listening to the rain, looking bored with a hint of dark anxiety between his brows.
His thoughts ran deep, while the descendants of the demon gods were in their respective corners, either busy cultivating, dazing off, or contemplating matters.
Suddenly.
A thunderous explosion echoed from the Outer City, disturbing the Nether Capital and snapping everyone back to reality.
The heavenly demon race in the Inner City looked toward the Outer City from the vantage point of their high buildings, filled with surprise and curiosity.
In the dark curtain of rain, a plume of thick smoke rose straight into the sky.
"Hmm... what happened?"
"What was that noise?"
Xu Xian was among those watching, gazing into the distance as his vision extended...
Boom!
Boom!!
Bang! Bang! Bang!!!
One explosion after another boomed from the Outer City like spring thunder, moving from far to near, with dozens of plumes of smoke rising from the Outer City.
It was as if the area had been targeted for a coordinated bombardment in an instant.
Xu Xian's first reaction was, 'Is there a war?'
Beyond the Outer City, chaos erupted instantly. Even though he was far away on the banks of the Nether Pool, Xu Xian could faintly hear the cacophony of the turmoil.
In just a few breaths, demon falcons carrying the demon guards and Nether Court enforcement officers leaped through the rain, while streaks of light streaked across the sky.
This was the Nether Capital, the most prosperous city in the entire Demon Abyss.
It was also the most peaceful and stable city in the Demon Abyss.
Last time, Xu Xian had merely set up a formation and it had drawn a massive response from the law enforcement squad.
One could only imagine the reaction to such a massive disturbance tonight.
This was a place where demon gods resided, a stronghold of the heavenly demon race; who would dare to cause trouble here? They must be seeking death.
The massive explosions and chaos drew the eyes of the entire Nether Capital. Even the demon gods peered out from the shadows, intending to see the truth behind it.
The descendants of the demon gods walked out of their pavilions and hovered in the sky, watching from a distance just like Xu Xian.
Even the spies from the Demon God Palaces who were tailing them in secret were distracted by the commotion.
People discussed and speculated amongst themselves.
After a brief moment of feigned shock, the little book spirit synchronized its visual sharing. Xu Xian sensed several auras heading straight for his residence.
Xu Xian snapped back to reality, narrowing his eyes slightly as he murmured, "Is it finally starting?"
He knew he had finally waited for it. The High Priest could no longer sit still.
The explosions in the Outer City were merely a feint, a distraction to cause chaos, while the real goal was to deal with him.
Although he felt this was somewhat redundant, he couldn't deny that Jin Qing must have put in a lot of effort for this.
To create chaos using such underhanded tricks—how many innocent civilians would suffer because of it?
He didn't care to manage that.
The opponents moved quickly, and within a few breaths, they had already charged into the residence as if entering an uninhabited land, breaking through the great formation the High Priest had left behind.
They came straight for him.
The descendants of the demon gods reacted even faster than Xu Xian. Those with eighth-stage cultivation almost instantly teleported in front of Xu Xian to shield him, shouting:
"Who are you? How dare you!"
However, the attackers had no intention of responding and lunged at the group. their goal was clear: to capture Xu Xian.
"Protect Bai Mang!"
Qingmu, unaware of the true situation, let out a loud shout.
From their perspective, they thought this was an assassination organized by the heavenly demon race.
After all, Xu Xian's existence did indeed clash with the interests of the heavenly demon race.
Aside from the Ten Great Demon God Palaces, the rest of the heavenly demon race were not the beneficiaries of the advantages Xu Xian brought.
But they certainly were bold enough.
Everything happened too abruptly, leaving them no time to think.
By the time those with lower cultivation like Chi Ji reacted, the fight had already broken out.
The spies who had been watching from afar were also rushing toward the scene at their top speed.
Xu Xian pretended to be very panicked and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Assassins! Everyone, protect me!"
In reality, he had no intention of resisting and even deliberately exposed a weakness.
He figured that it would be perfectly reasonable for a sixth stage cultivator to be instantly captured by a group of powerhouses.
Moreover, among those who attacked, there were not just seventh and eighth ranks; there was a vile thing of the ninth rank hidden among them.
It was that vile thing who grabbed Xu Xian's shoulder and lifted him up like a small chick.
The person said menacingly.
"Bai Mang, I've got you!"
Xu Xian screamed and shouted, fearing that no one would know he had been caught. "Help! Let me go! Save me! There are criminals..."
The captor heard this and felt his head throbbing with annoyance.
He didn't bother to respond.
He carried Xu Xian and headed straight toward the Nether Pool, exiting the battle in the blink of an eye.
The others wanted to save him, but they were entangled by the captor's companions. By the time they managed to break free, the person had already disappeared from their sight.
"Damn it!"
"Curse them..."
Those people had struck fast and retreated even faster, without any hesitation.
After a brief skirmish, they fled toward the Outer City at maximum speed. The people from the Demon God Palaces focused their attention on Xu Xian and naturally pursued them toward the banks of the Nether Pool.
In the end, they could only stand on the shore of the Nether Pool, sighing at the vast water, hesitant to move forward.
Not just anyone could cross the Nether Pool.
"Should we pursue?"
"How can we pursue?"
"Who could be so bold?"
At this moment, Chi Ji had only just managed to climb to the top of the pavilion.
She hadn't even fully grasped what had happened. She looked dazed and worried, but more than that, she felt a sense of trance.
She felt that something was strange because she had heard Bai Mang begging for mercy.
With Bai Mang's personality, would he really beg for mercy?
And also.
Could Bai Mang, who could hold his own against Chi Yan, really be captured so easily?
Was that even logical?
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