Chapter 1413: We Need a New Plan

In the fierce battle that just concluded, He Lingchuan deliberately exposed himself twice in an effort to end the fight swiftly. He was struck by Xue Zongwu's hammer, and despite the protection of his Dragonscale Armor and a defensive aura, he still sustained internal injuries.

The moment he relaxed, he felt as if he could barely lift his arm.

Ling Guang brought over the medicine chest and began to examine his wounds.

"We really did kill Xue Zongwu," Dong Rui exclaimed, visibly excited. "The Black Armored Army is now truly famous. Since we killed Xue Zongwu in public, our legend will spread throughout Yao Nation from now on."

"We?" scoffed the Soul-Devouring Mirror in He Lingchuan's arms. "You're really taking credit for yourself. It was clearly my master who killed Xue Zongwu; what does that have to do with you?"

Dong Rui then asked, "Oh, by the way, what did you take just now?"

"Three treasures," He Lingchuan replied. He first took out a pair of purple-gold melon hammers. "These are Xue Zongwu's weapons, a pair of divine killing tools. They were able to withstand continuous attacks from 'Floating Life,' so they must have a significant origin."

In terms of strength, they are no less formidable than Ah Xun's Folding Cleaving Blade.

Dong Rui picked up one of the hammers, immediately feeling its immense weight. It was difficult even to swing.

"These things were Xue Zongwu's personal weapons, his mobile signature. Who knows how many people recognize them? You can't just use them directly, can you?"

"Either I put them away and use them later; after all, the Great Emperor of Nine Hells won't always remain hidden, and the truth will come out eventually. Or, I could give them to Songyang Mansion for modification, or simply melt them down and forge new weapons."

He had considered melting down Grand Master Sun Fuping's staff when he acquired it previously, to extract valuable materials and attach them to his broken blade.

"And this," He Lingchuan said, snapping his fingers. The Dragonscale Armor materialized, covering his entire body, startling Ling Guang, who was applying medicine. "Notice anything different?"

Dong Rui scrutinized him from head to toe, quickly noticing something unusual on his shoulder. "Oh, is this little thing also newly acquired?"

He remembered the design of the Dragonscale Armor very clearly; there had been no strange little beast on its shoulder plates!

He got too close, and White Flame remained motionless, not even blinking, though its neck was slightly red. He Lingchuan knew this meant it was on alert, charging up and ready to bite Dong Rui at any moment.

Its temper was not good.

Dong Rui didn't have Weng Xing's Celestial King's Scale protecting him. If it were to spray him in the face, he'd probably have to seek out Grand Master Frostleaf for plastic surgery again.

He quickly patted White Flame's head. "It's alright, it's alright, calm down."

Only then did the small monster suppress a large mouthful of flames back into its belly.

"This was originally Xue Zongwu's shoulder beast. It seems to have been refined using the soul of a powerful demon, and it possesses its own consciousness." In this regard, it's very much like the Soul-Devouring Mirror.

Having handled so many treasures, He Lingchuan was well-experienced. He knew that artifacts with true consciousness were rare, most only possessing a faint "spiritual sense," and those capable of independent action were even rarer. After this shoulder beast was absorbed by the divine bone necklace, he didn't know what it experienced within the Great Abundant Gourd, but upon reappearing, it was utterly docile towards him, bearing no resentment for him having killed its former master.

Now, White Flame rested on his shoulder instead, providing him with another killing tool against enemies in the future.

"Finally, there's this," He Lingchuan said, taking out the artifact "Smooth Sailing." "Tonight, Xue Zongwu used it to evade two assassination attempts and even escaped from me once."

Dong Rui took it in hand and immediately sensed the artifact's properties. He clicked his tongue, saying, "Killing and arson bring wealth, indeed. This Xue fellow had quite a few treasures, and every single one was a masterpiece... Hmm? It seems to have moved twice."

He immediately placed the artifact on the ground. Both of them noticed that "Smooth Sailing" had unfurled its sail.

"Moving without wind? You haven't claimed it as your own yet, have you?"

"Not yet. I stripped it from Xue Zongwu. But Xue Zongwu is dead, so it should be ownerless."

No sooner had he spoken than the artifact reverted to its original state.

But the mission was not yet over, and it was still a critical moment. He Lingchuan found its two movements somewhat strange.

About ten breaths later, the Eyeball Spider hidden in He Lingchuan's collar suddenly spoke up: "Hey, stop relaxing. Your whereabouts have been exposed. Qi Yunsheng is gathering his people and is about to pursue you."

Both men and Ling Guang were startled.

The Ghost Ape, meanwhile, leisurely peeled another banana.

Dong Rui exclaimed, "How did he find out?"

"I don't know," replied the Eyeball Spider. "He put a golden needle in a bowl, and it automatically pointed towards your location." It then said to He Lingchuan, "If he can track you from a distance, you're in trouble."

He Lingchuan frowned: "Either it's these items from Xue Zongwu that are being tracked."

Ling Guang was flustered: "Should we throw away these three treasures?"

Dong Rui's eyes darted. "Hey, why don't we frame someone else? You just said General Chongwu was diverted by you, searching for the box all over Zhuo'an? How about we plant these tracked treasures on General Chongwu and let Qi Yunsheng go after him instead!"

The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed:

"It just so happens that Xue Zongwu and Qingyang don't get along, but Chongwu and Qingyang do have a connection. Wouldn't it make sense to say he helped Qingyang deal with Xue Zongwu? If we put the items on him, wouldn't it be great to let them fight each other like dogs?"

He Lingchuan had also considered this idea, but it was dismissed as quickly as it arose.

"That's not advisable," He Lingchuan stated. "Framing Chongwu would directly disrupt two plans and bring trouble out of Mang Prefecture and straight into Zhuo'an! The deviation from tonight's assassination plan is already significant; we must consider the consequences."

He said sternly, "Besides, Chongwu isn't a fool. If he finds out he's been framed, he'll likely look for suspects at the inn where we're staying. If he suspects us, Qingyang might also turn their attention to us. We'd just be creating trouble for ourselves in a roundabout way."

"Furthermore, there's another possibility for why we're being tracked—" He Lingchuan quickly analyzed, "Perhaps Xue Zongwu placed a tracking item or used a tracking spell on me before he died."

Like tracking bee pupa juice. The world contains countless divine abilities and spiritual items, more than humans can ever fully comprehend.

If that's the case, throwing away the treasures would be useless, and they'd be in serious trouble.

"What do we do now?" Ling Guang fretted, scratching his head. "Mang Prefecture might be sealed off!"

Dong Rui added, "Qi Yunsheng came prepared. It'll be hard to ambush him as we did with Xue Zongwu! Plus, he already knows you're not easy to deal with, so he won't rush in for a full assault. He'll just drag out the time."

Tracking doesn't necessarily mean attacking.

The advantage of time was once again on their opponent's side.

The Ghost Ape also chirped, its mouth full of fruit.

As he had been analyzing the situation, several ideas had already flashed through He Lingchuan's mind.

Dong Rui urged him, "We need a new plan."

Now, immediately, right now!

Don't forget, they also needed to return to Zhuo'an before dawn; time was running out.

"Then let's activate our backup plan," He Lingchuan said, pointing north. "Turn around. We're going to meet Elder Qi of Qingnie Mountain."