In the Holy Dynasty Restoration Society, Ling Xiao’s arrival added a touch of festivity.
Ever since becoming the president of the Restoration Society, Wu Xiang, who rarely dared to drink casually, made an exception this time and happily shared several cups with Ling Xiao.
At the banquet, of course, it was not just about drinking.
Ling Xiao and the Restoration Society intended to cooperate, and this meeting was precisely to discuss the details of that cooperation.
The Restoration Society would act covertly, infiltrate the Demon Capital, and prepare to launch an uprising.
Ling Xiao would lead a large army to attack from the outside.
With an assault from both sides, destroying the Demon Capital was entirely possible.
Both parties were extremely cautious about the specific arrangements and discussed them for a full hour before finalising everything.
Once the discussion ended, Ling Xiao reluctantly left Lanton City.
Although he truly wanted to stay longer with Wu Xiang and the others, important matters took priority, and he could not afford to linger.
After leaving Lanton City, Ling Xiao originally planned to head straight to the Demon Capital to continue his investigation work.
This was to prepare thoroughly for the upcoming task of razing the Demon Capital.
However, while on the way, he suddenly remembered that he had one very important piece of information he had not yet told Wu Xiang, namely the matter of Jiao Batian, the current emperor of the True Demon Empire.
Jiao Batian was a crucial chess piece. If Wu Xiang knew about him, their operations would become much easier.
After all, this was the emperor of the True Demon Empire.
Yet when he turned back and returned to Lanton City, he discovered something was wrong.
He had been away for no more than a quarter of an hour, yet Lanton City now felt completely different from before.
Previously, although there were many sea-race soldiers patrolling the streets, they were conducting normal patrols.
This time, however, the entire city appeared to be under complete martial law. Even the merchants on the streets had vanished.
The whole city was shrouded in dark clouds.
A storm was clearly brewing.
Ling Xiao did not enter through the normal gate, because he realised that was no longer feasible.
Both inside and outside the city gates, as well as on the walls, large numbers of soldiers stood guard. They looked as though they were facing a formidable enemy.
What on earth had happened?
Ling Xiao grew worried.
He suspected that the events of last night had been exposed, causing the Holy Dynasty Restoration Society to be targeted.
If that were truly the case, the Restoration Society would be in extreme danger.
Using Shadow Step, Ling Xiao easily evaded the patrolling sentries and headed towards the Xianglong Trading Company.
Several people lay bound on the ground in front of the trading company. They were not dead, but they were tied up and looked furious.
The Xianglong Trading Company signboard had long since been smashed to pieces and lay limply on the ground, cracked into fragments.
Ling Xiao’s brow furrowed even tighter.
His fears had become reality. It seemed something had indeed happened to the Xianglong Trading Company.
Although he did not know the exact situation, no matter what, he would never allow Wu Xiang to come to harm.
This man, though not related by blood, was closer than a brother, and Ling Xiao would never permit anything to happen to him.
“Ling Xiao, there is an ambush in the courtyard, but with your strength you can handle it. Shall I intervene?”
From the sky, the Moon Maiden asked with concern.
“Sister Moon Maiden, please find my senior brother Wu Xiang first. If he is safe, do not interfere.”
Ling Xiao replied.
“Very well!”
The Moon Maiden agreed and flew ahead towards the rear courtyard of the Xianglong Trading Company.
With her there, Wu Xiang and the others would at least be safe from mortal danger.
Ling Xiao breathed a slight sigh of relief, then kicked open the tightly closed main gate.
The instant the gate swung open, several feathered arrows whistled through the air towards him.
They tore through the sky and shot fiercely at Ling Xiao.
Faced with this sudden attack, Ling Xiao’s expression remained cold and indifferent, as if he had not seen them at all.
A layer of crimson-gold light appeared over his body.
He continued to step forward.
When the arrows were still more than a metre from him, they seemed to encounter the sun itself and instantly turned to ash, not even leaving a drop of molten iron behind.
At the same moment the arrows disintegrated, Ling Xiao’s figure had already reached the archers.
There were four of them, each having loosed two arrows simultaneously.
All were Celestial Realm martial artists, roughly at the Dual Instrument Heaven level, and every one wore the standard leather armour of Lanton City soldiers.
“Die!”
A frigid voice emerged from Ling Xiao’s mouth. As he closed in, four beams of light shot from his Taiji Eyes, piercing straight through the throats of the four archers.
“Lord Ling Xiao!”
From behind the counter, a blood-soaked figure struggled to crawl out and shouted towards Ling Xiao.
His voice was hoarse and low.
Clearly, this was due to severe injury.
Even so, wild joy spread across his face. Seeing Ling Xiao was like seeing his saviour.
“You are the shopkeeper from before.”
Although Ling Xiao had visited the Xianglong Trading Company only once, his memory was extraordinary. He remembered this man clearly as one of the shopkeepers.
Even though the two had never exchanged a single word, Ling Xiao had committed his face to memory.
“Pfft!”
The shopkeeper spat out a mouthful of blood, looking extremely weak.
Ling Xiao hurriedly took out a Spring Return Pill, placed it in the man’s mouth, and asked, “What on earth happened? I was only gone for a quarter of an hour. How did it come to this?”
“Do not ask, Lord Ling Xiao. Hurry to the rear courtyard. The lord of Lanton City suddenly went berserk for some unknown reason and sent people to besiege our Xianglong Trading Company. President Wu Xiang has been poisoned by a traitor and cannot exert his full strength. The situation is critical.”
When conducting secret operations, the thing people feared most was betrayal by their own side.
Yet betrayal was all too common in this line of work.
Wu Xiang had simply lacked experience, or perhaps he trusted others too much, and thus fell victim to a sinister plot.
Regardless of the reason, Ling Xiao would never allow anything to happen to Wu Xiang.
Fortunately, the Moon Maiden had already gone ahead, so Wu Xiang would not die. That at least eased Ling Xiao’s mind somewhat.
“There is no rush. Senior Brother Wu Xiang is not so easy to kill.”
Ling Xiao channelled his energy to heal the shopkeeper’s wounds.
He had noticed that the man’s injuries were extremely grave. A single Spring Return Pill would not save him; he needed direct energy treatment, or he would truly die.
Since Wu Xiang and the others were not in immediate mortal danger, staying to help this man was no trouble.
“Who is the traitor?”
Ling Xiao asked.
“Gao Yangjun!”
The shopkeeper said through gritted teeth. “This Gao Yangjun was a genius martial artist President Wu greatly valued. He is only thirty years old, yet his cultivation has reached the Half-Step Cave Heaven realm. Who would have thought this fellow would betray us? Damn him.”
“I will remember that name. He will die.”
Ling Xiao loathed traitors.
He hated them even more than he hated enemies.
“Is there anything else you know? Tell me everything.”
Ling Xiao asked.
“There is one more thing, Lord Ling Xiao. Be careful. The person leading the attack on our Xianglong Trading Company this time is a Cave Heaven realm martial artist, the Eastern Commandery Marquis of the Divine Phoenix Empire. He is very powerful. If the president had not been poisoned, he could certainly have killed him.
But now, that may not be the case.”
The shopkeeper replied.
