Chapter 1824: Tracking Down

Mo Ling Ancient Sage's massive witch soul stiffened, then promptly ascended into the air, surveying the surroundings. All the courtyards were quiet, and there was no trace of any formation having been disturbed.

It was as if no one had been there.

"Escaped?" His pupils contracted, and Mo Ling Ancient Sage's face turned as grim as ice.

As the most powerful among witch soul masters, his cultivation was unfathomable. He had expected to easily apprehend the intruder, assuming they were merely showing off their meager skills before him. He never imagined that, even with his witch soul unleashed, the other party would escape right under his nose.

It felt like a harsh slap to his face.

"They certainly haven't escaped." His eyes flashed like lightning as he surveyed the area. With a subtle movement of his witch soul, the formations around the Spirit Emperor Palace immediately activated.

Under his soul power's suppression, even if the intruder could tear through space to flee, they surely couldn't have escaped this palace.

Furthermore, based on his deep understanding of witch souls, the intruder's physical body had to be nearby; otherwise, there would have been signs of their departure long ago.

His witch soul returned to his physical body, and his tightly closed eyes slowly opened.

"Who exactly is this person, capable of leaving no trace of their presence and escaping my suppression so smoothly?"

He knew all the surviving witch soul masters, and even an Ancient Sage-level master couldn't escape from him in such a manner. Who was this sudden intruder, and where did they come from?

"Someone!"

After a moment's contemplation, unable to find an answer, he turned and called out.

"Yes, Mo Ling Ancient Sage!"

A black-armored middle-aged man emerged from the shadows.

Mo Ling Ancient Sage asked, "In the past few days, have any individuals of unknown identity entered the imperial palace?"

The middle-aged man replied, "Reporting, Ancient Sage. Ever since His Majesty the Spirit Emperor was injured, the palace has been sealed. For the past month, only treasure appraisers have been permitted entry, a total of two hundred and thirty-two, and not a single one has left."

"Treasure appraisers?" Mo Ling Ancient Sage snorted. "It seems the culprit is among them. Bring me all their information."

"Understood." The middle-aged man nodded and was about to leave when he heard the Ancient Sage's voice again. "Don't rush. I'll go with you. I want to personally conduct the inspection."

"That was close," Zhang Xuan murmured, his soul lightly leaping from his glabella back into his physical body. He opened his eyes and exhaled slowly.

He hadn't expected to encounter a witch soul Ancient Sage, especially one with such keen senses who had instantly detected his presence.

Fortunately, he knew the flaw in the other party's attack; otherwise, if he had truly been trapped, he wouldn't have known how he died.

No wonder Emperor Chen Yong, Liu Yang, and others had warned him that this place was fraught with dangers. It seemed he had still underestimated the world's experts.

While the witch soul was formless and intangible, making it an excellent tool for reconnaissance and escape, it wasn't always the most secure or safest method.

"Since I've been detected, they're likely to suspect the treasure appraisers. Should I leave now?"

He furrowed his brows.

With his witch soul detected, the Ancient Sage would undoubtedly suspect the large number of treasure appraisers. He expected an investigation to commence very soon.

If he was going to escape, he needed to do so quickly.

Otherwise, if they conducted a thorough search, he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't be discovered.

"Once I leave, it will be almost impossible to get back in."

He had gone to great lengths to disguise himself as a treasure appraiser and infiltrate this place. Leaving now, before even locating the dragon's blood, was something he was truly reluctant to do.

Furthermore, given the current heightened alert, it would likely be much harder to re-enter next time.

"All treasure appraisers, come out and assemble!"

While he was contemplating whether to escape, he heard a loud shout from outside, followed by the sound of numerous footsteps. It seemed there were guards stationed outside every room.

"Too late," he shook his head and stood up.

It appeared the Ancient Sage's reaction was swifter than he had anticipated; he had pinpointed the problem in an instant.

However, this might be a good thing. His witch soul was entirely different from those of ordinary witch soul masters, perfectly integrated with his physical body. Moreover, his identity was legitimate, and his disguise was flawless. Even if they investigated, they might not uncover anything.

He stepped out of the room and, sure enough, saw guards thronging the corridor outside. Upon seeing him, they immediately directed him, "This way, please."

Following them, he soon reached a large hall, where guards stood watch on all sides. Both the middle-aged guard from earlier and Mo Ling Ancient Sage were present.

Zhang Xuan remained calm, slowly walking in behind the other treasure appraisers.

The moment he entered, he felt Mo Ling Ancient Sage's gaze fix on him, as if attempting to probe his true identity. However, after a moment, the Ancient Sage found nothing and merely shook his head.

In less than five minutes, over two hundred treasure appraisers had gathered.

The middle-aged guard handed over a roster.

Mo Ling Ancient Sage swept his divine consciousness over the roster, quickly reviewing its contents.

"We have thoroughly investigated every single one of these treasure appraisers," the middle-aged guard stated in a low voice. "All of them are reputable individuals with clean backgrounds, and we've found no suspicious links. Furthermore, none have any connection to Emperor Yong. Based on our past experiences, not one of them is a witch soul master."

"No witch soul masters? So the individual from earlier just appeared out of thin air?" Mo Ling Ancient Sage scoffed.

He was intimately familiar with the Spirit Emperor Palace's defenses, knowing that even an Ancient Sage couldn't infiltrate it without his knowledge.

For the past month, only these treasure appraisers had arrived. It was impossible for anyone else to have entered.

This meant the individual who escaped earlier was almost certainly among this very group.

"It's also possible that someone has hidden their true identity," the middle-aged guard nodded.

Both men simultaneously scanned the numerous treasure appraisers before them.

Everyone looked confused, unaware of why they had been summoned so urgently.

Mo Ling Ancient Sage's mind stirred, and a potent wave of soul power spread out, enveloping all two hundred-plus individuals.

Zhang Xuan immediately felt as if his body were bound by an invisible rope. His true qi stirred as if to resist, but he quickly suppressed it. Offering no resistance, the other party's fine threads of witch soul energy penetrated his body along his acupoints, seemingly making contact with his soul.

He knew that this method of soul probing could examine the essence of each person's soul, yet Zhang Xuan still did not resist.

He had comprehended the True Understanding of the Soul and cultivated Heaven's Path Divine Art, allowing his witch soul to freely alter its aura. The soul fluctuations he had left behind during his escape had been completely concealed upon his return. No matter how thoroughly the other party probed, they would find no trace.

As expected, the fine threads of witch soul energy circulated once within his body before slowly retracting.

"Mo Ling Ancient Sage?" The middle-aged guard looked at him.

The elder shook his head, his brows furrowed in disbelief.

He had initially believed that a simple soul power probe would easily locate the witch soul master. To his surprise, none of these individuals' soul fluctuations matched the one he sought.

After a moment's pause, Mo Ling Ancient Sage suddenly recalled something and asked, "How many treasure appraisers arrived today?"

Zhang Xuan's heart skipped a beat.