Chapter 403 - 247: Formidable Enemy

Chapter 403: Chapter 247: Formidable Enemy

A few minutes ago, Ao Shi led several Dragon Gate disciples toward the edge of the Dragon Gate Secret Realm.

"That guy Su Xing is incredible. He actually beat Sect Leader Ao, and he’s so young too. You really can’t underestimate him."

One of the Dragon Gate Disciples behind him, seemingly still mulling over what had just happened, couldn’t stop muttering to himself.

The other disciples quickly agreed. Although they couldn’t understand why Ao Lin had suddenly surrendered, they all knew that a surrender was a defeat. As a veteran Tier Eight Powerhouse and the Dragon Gate Master, Ao Lin was someone they had never seen come out on the losing end.

Thus, Ao Lin’s defeat caused a huge stir among them. It wasn’t just them, either—many more people were likely discussing the matter.

"Enough."

"We’re out here on an investigation. Enough of this chatter. Besides, Sect Leader Ao isn’t even Dragon Gate’s strongest Tier Eight Powerhouse. If Ao Shi were to make a move, he could easily take that Su Xing down."

One disciple chimed in, attempting to flatter him.

’Ao Shi is Ao Lin’s younger brother—the actual younger brother of the current Dragon Gate Master. His power and prestige are obviously immense. To think he’d come out on a mission personally, and I happen to be on it with him... This is a perfect chance to build a connection; I can’t possibly miss it.’

"No."

Ao Shi halted and turned to the one who had tried to flatter him.

"I might be able to take him down, but the fight would be anything but easy. He’s truly strong. If I wanted to defeat him, I’d probably have to pay a heavy price."

Ao Shi spoke with conviction. His extraordinary innate talent gave him a unique eye for judging others. From the moment Su Xing first appeared, even before he made a move, Ao Shi had sensed that something about him was off.

After watching Su Xing’s battle with Ao Lin, he became even more certain. Ao Shi knew he was powerful, but he wasn’t a fool. If the opportunity arose, he would like to have a friendly match with this Su Xing.

At this thought, the corners of Ao Shi’s mouth curled up slightly. It seemed the prospect of facing a powerful opponent excited him.

"..."

"Is that Su Xing really that strong?" a Dragon Gate Disciple asked, somewhat surprised.

Everyone in Dragon Gate knew how powerful Ao Shi was. For Su Xing to receive such a firm acknowledgment from him meant his strength must be considerable, even among Tier Eight Powerhouses.

Indeed, if he hadn’t met the Witch Summoner and his ilk, Su Xing’s terrifying power would absolutely be considered top-tier. But after encountering them, Su Xing realized the gap between the strong and the weak within the Tier Eight realm was far greater than he had ever imagined.

"Yes."

"Even among Tier Eight Powerhouses, he is strong."

Ao Shi never denied the strength of others; on the contrary, he admired it. Only the truly powerful could earn the respect of someone like him. This was why he had always looked down on his older brother, a man who had abandoned his own path of advancement for the sake of the sect.

Hearing Ao Shi’s definitive acknowledgment, the others exchanged glances. The group soon arrived at the scene and saw the corpse of a Dragon Gate Disciple lying there.

The Dragon Gate Disciples instinctively moved forward to inspect the body, but Ao Shi stopped in his tracks. He abruptly raised his left hand and ordered:

"Halt."

"Something’s wrong here."

Seeing Ao Shi’s reaction, they all froze for a moment before quickly realizing it themselves—something was very wrong with this place.

The corpse of the Dragon Gate Disciple lay in a wide-open plain. There were no signs of a struggle, nor were there any sounds. The silence was unnatural, almost as if someone had deliberately moved the body here.

’But...’

’Why would anyone do that?’

’The only possibility is that someone wanted to lure people here, and then...’

Suddenly!

An eerie laugh echoed through the air!

"Heh heh heh..."

Ao Shi gazed in the direction of the laughter.

There, perched atop a wall, stood a man dressed entirely in black. A chilling smile played on his lips, but the most striking feature was the hat on his head, which bore two inscribed words.

World Peace.

...

「The Lounge.」

"Hm?"

"Why has it been so quiet for so long?"

Su Xing sat in his chair, still waiting for the summons to make his appearance. Combined with the earlier reminder from the Dragon Gate Disciple, he couldn’t help but grow impatient.

"It is a bit strange, yes."

Li Longxuan glanced outside through the window. For some reason, a faint sense of unease began to stir within him. He hadn’t felt anything like this in a long, long time—not since he’d first touched upon the Origin. It made him slightly uncomfortable.

"Elder Li, something’s happened, hasn’t it."

Su Xing said gravely. His perception wasn’t as keen as Li Longxuan’s, but he wasn’t an idiot. No matter how he looked at it, the current state of Dragon Gate did not seem peaceful.

"Yes."

"Something feels wrong."

Li Longxuan’s expression darkened. He looked at Su Xing seriously and said, "Stay here and don’t move. I’m in a clone body right now, so it won’t be a major issue even if it gets destroyed."

"I’ll go out and scout ahead. If something has really happened, at least we’ll have options."

"..."

"Alright."

Su Xing was silent for a moment, then nodded.

He understood perfectly well. Even though Li Longxuan was in a clone body, its violent destruction would undoubtedly have some impact on his real self. The fact that he was willing to take such a risk for him left Su Xing at a loss for words.