Chapter 578: Zong Ge vs Hua Tang – Flower Willow
Battle skill - Charge.
Battle skill - Fast Fight.
Battle skill - Heavy Punch.
…
Zong Ge unleashed his battle skills in rapid succession. Though each battle skill was simple and unadorned, in his hands they meshed seamlessly into a suffocating barrage of overwhelming force.
Hua Tang was forced on the defensive, dodging relentlessly as he desperately sought an opening to strike back.
Suddenly, the Striking Shifter attached to Zong Ge's body activated, instantly forming a long spear.
Battle skill - Lance Blossom!
Grasping the spear's tail, Zong Ge channeled his battle qi into the shaft, causing the razor-sharp tip to vibrate at a high frequency and thrust forward, creating a shower of golden blossoms.
Hua Tang hadn't anticipated this shift and was caught off guard.
He desperately activated a defensive battle skill to intercept.
The golden blossoms collided with the pink light wall.
The wall held for several seconds before shattering with a thunderous crash.
Hua Tang was wounded, tasting metallic sweetness in his mouth. He nearly spat out a mouthful of blood, but forced it back down.
A cold gleam flashed in Zong Ge's eyes as he pressed his advantage.
Hua Tang snorted coldly, his entire aura surging violently in that instant.
Gold level artifact - Spatial Disconnector!
Battle skill - Piercing Flower Finger!
He joined his index and middle fingers together, rapidly tapping the air before his chest.
With each tap, a crimson flower materialized out of thin air.
The flowers bloomed, revealing their centers.
Each time, Hua Tang's sword finger pierced precisely through the heart of the flower. The petals were thin, but the center was a weak point in space.
Hua Tang's sword finger attack pierced directly through the space, vanishing without a trace.
Zong Ge had already heightened his vigilance the moment he saw Hua Tang unleash his offensive battle skill. Upon witnessing this scene, he immediately surged his gold battle qi, shielding his body inside and out.
The next instant, Hua Tang's attack manifested repeatedly, striking both within and without Zong Ge's body.
Zong Ge grunted in pain, severely weakened, barely able to hold his spear.
He resolved to transform his metal spear into a massive five-bladed boomerang with a flick of his mind.
Battle skill - Auto-Target Seek.
He didn't aim and hurled the boomerang with all his might.
He took a step back, kneeling halfway on the floor.
Empowered by battle qi, the boomerang traced an arc, striking precisely toward Hua Tang.
“Don't linger in battle, the city guard are rushing this way!” Mei Lin's voice suddenly crackled through the communication device pinned to his collar.
Hua Tang's pupils contracted sharply. Mid-air, he ignored the incoming boomerang attacks and took a deep breath.
Battle skill - Flower Willow!
The next instant, five boomerang blades struck his abdomen, slicing through his gold level battle qi barrier and tearing open a long gash.
Blood spattered everywhere.
He himself coughed up a large mouthful of blood.
The blood transformed into a swirling mass of light, enveloping Zong Ge.
Though Zong Ge was entirely enveloped in battle qi, the light imprinted itself onto his protective barrier before swiftly seeping through.
Startled, Zong Ge immediately expelled his battle qi, determined to sacrifice that portion of gold level battle qi.
But most of the light had already touched his skin, etching a pattern of intertwined willow branches and blossoming buds.
“Long Fu, you've fallen victim to my battle skill. Your days are numbered.” With a sinister grin, Hua Tang vanished into thin air before his feet even touched the ground.
Zong Ge remained on high alert, his vision still clearly fixed on Hua Tang.
Hua Tang insisted on retreating, moving with astonishing speed until he vanished from Zong Ge's sight.
This clash erupted abruptly and ended just as suddenly.
Only now did the patrol personnel arranged by the Li Jian Clan begin to cry out in shock.
“What... what did I just see?”
"It was Hua Tang, right? It was definitely Hua Tang!"
“How could Hua Tang ambush Lord Long Fu? This is bizarre! Why?”
"Lord Long Fu is only silver level, yet he defeated another gold level opponent. Hua Tang isn't just any gold level fighter!"
…
Zong Ge swiftly retrieved his five-bladed boomerang and rushed to where Hua Tang had spilled his blood.
He helplessly discovered that Hua Tang's blood, scattered across the ground, had transformed into petals.
Hoping for the best, he carefully gathered and collected these petals.
The city guard captain immediately leaped to the second floor.
The upper floor of the inn had been nearly leveled.
Being only a silver level, the captain dared not adopt a superior tone toward Zong Ge, who was of equal rank. His voice carried genuine respect as he asked, "Lord Long Fu, what exactly happened? Was that gold level who just departed Hua Tang? Why did he attack you?"
A barrage of questions.
Zong Ge sighed. Though reluctant, with Zi Di absent, he had no choice but to field the city guard captain's endless questions.
At the same time.
Beneath the royal capital, deep within the frozen lake.
Inside the ice-skating alchemy chamber, Yuan Ci also questioned Zi Di: “Magician Gui Teng, after searching for so long, have you found Miss Zi Di?”
Though Zi Di had been rescued because of Yuan Ci, and the two had recently verified the level zero Wisteria secret order, Zi Di still did not place complete trust in Yuan Ci.
Gui Teng (Zi Di) shook her head and replied bitterly: "Precisely because there's no clue, I decided to find the others and mobilize more manpower for the search. The ocean is too vast. Even with more people, I have little confidence. Elder Yuan Ci, you mentioned sending people to search earlier. Any leads?"
Yuan Ci shook his head. "None. Not only did I find nothing, but after the incident, the Bai Zhen Clan also expended great effort, issuing a bounty notice and mobilizing part of the Imperial Navy's forces. Judging by their demeanor, they likely haven't made any progress either."
Zi Di was aware of the bounty notice, issued by the Bai Zhen Clan through the Sheng Ming Empire's Bounty Hunter Guild.
Even here in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, rumors had spread widely.
Unfortunately, the Bounty Hunter Guild was an organization of the Sheng Ming Empire, and such entities rarely existed in other nations. Even if they did, they operated through highly secretive offices or outposts.
The Ice Sculpture Kingdom was no exception.
It maintained its own Bounty Hunter Guild, Hunter Guild, and Mercenary Guild. At most, it permitted certain commercial organizations to establish limited personnel and material networks within the kingdom. For instance, a major merchant alliance from the Sheng Ming Empire was stationed in Snow Bird Harbor.
Thus, Zi Di couldn't directly contact the Bai Zhen Clan through the Bounty Hunter Guild channel.
Even if she could, it would be highly unreliable.
Zi Di's initial choice had been the messaging unit of the Wisteria shop.
“The messaging unit is no longer usable.”
"Both Snake Rat Island and the Ice Sculpture Kingdom's capital are under enemy control. The Wisteria shops on other islands are also extremely dangerous."
“We must find a new means of communication.”
"Still, the Bai Zhen Clan truly lives up to its reputation as a great noble house of the Empire's south. Though it has fallen now, its connections remain. It could even mobilize a portion of the Imperial Navy!"
With this thought, Zi Di looked at Yuan Ci, her face clouded with worry: “The Imperial Navy is formidable. Did their investigation yield anything?”
Yuan Ci gave a cold laugh: “Of course not.”
“The Sheng Ming Empire's naval might is indeed formidable, but the oceans of the Main Plane are vast beyond measure.”
“The naval forces the Bai Zhen Clan can influence are but a tiny fraction.”
"Most crucially, the Imperial Navy itself faces its own struggles. Since the Pirate King's Throne emerged, piracy has grown increasingly rampant across the Main Plane."
“The Imperial Navy scrambles to contain threats left and right, barely maintaining control and temporarily securing the stability of the Empire's vast coastline.”
“But how long can one guard against thieves?”
“Pirates launch proactive attacks, while the navy remains on the defensive, utterly passive.”
“Not to mention, the three strongest pirate crews each possess legend level combat power. Such tough nuts to crack demand extreme caution even from the Imperial Navy. One misstep, and not only might they fail to break them, but they'd end up losing teeth in the process.”
As Yuan Ci spoke these words, his eyebrows arched with a hint of schadenfreude.
As a former elder of the Wisteria Merchant Alliance, he harbored nothing but hatred toward the Sheng Ming Empire.
"Forget about this." Elder Yuan Ci looked towards Zi Di: "You're interested in the Wisteria Cache too, right? Shall we collaborate to unlock it?"
Zi Di paused, then inquired, “Wasn't the Wisteria Cache left by the late President specifically for Miss Zi Di? Can we unlock it too?”
Elder Yuan Ci shook his head repeatedly. “No, no, no, you misunderstand.”
“The late President established the Wisteria Cache to preserve our vital energy, ensuring the Wisteria Merchant Alliance could swiftly rise again when opportunity arose.”
"The Wisteria Merchant Alliance isn't just the late President's life's work, it's the collective legacy of us founding elders."
Elder Yuan Ci continued, “The Wisteria Cache is indeed within the ice lake, but not here.”
“To truly unlock it, five level zero Wisteria secret orders are required.”
“Of course, if it is Miss Zi Di's level zero secret order, hers alone can substitute for three others.”
A flicker of emotion stirred within Zi Di, as gratitude and fond memories of her father welled up in her heart.
Outwardly, however, she remained composed, her voice barely betraying her inner turmoil as she inquired, “Counting you and me, we only have two level zero secret orders. Have you contacted others as well?”
“Indeed, I have,” Yuan Ci nodded. “But we still fall short of the five required.”
“If you're interested, we should sign a contract first. When the time is right, we can open the cache together.”
Zi Di remained silent, deep in thought.
After a moment, she finally spoke, “I need to return first. I must consider this matter carefully.”
Yuan Ci's expression shifted slightly, but he quickly regained his composure, nodding with a smile. “Alright, I'll see you off immediately!”
The departure method was teleportation.
The convenience surpassed Zi Di's expectations.
Yuan Ci explained, “Every alchemy chamber beneath the ice lake uses teleportation to connect to the surface.”
“Of course, the teleportation formations and spatial fluctuations are all meticulously recorded by the authorities.”
“Any unfamiliar spatial fluctuations would trigger an immediate investigation.”
Zi Di's first thought was the teleportation incident at the Wisteria shop.
“So that teleportation at the Wisteria shop won't trigger a kingdom investigation?” she asked.
Yuan Ci nodded. “Not unless there were unfamiliar spatial fluctuations.”
“I don't recommend reporting it to the Ice Sculpture Kingdom immediately.”
“They're from the Imperial Secret Spy Agency. Losing one base is hardly a significant loss for them.”
“And you are a necromancer, despite your clever disguise.”
“Moreover, if the Wisteria Cache is implicated, it would create a major problem for us!”