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Chapter 811: Merciless
Chapter 811: Merciless
Chapter 811: Merciless
Han Li and Shi Chuankong's expressions instantly stiffened slightly upon hearing this.
"We have some urgent business to take care of, would it be possible to teleport just the two of us, Senior?" Shi Chuankong asked.
"Yes, but the two of you will have to issue the teleportation fee that's meant to be split among three people. On top of that, it'll cost more to teleport to Chuyu City than elsewhere. Do you still want to go?" the black-robed elderly man asked.
Shi Chuankong feigned a hesitant expression as he turned to Han Li and said, "It's going to cost extra, but we really are in a hurry. If we don't get to Chuyu City in time, our clan leader is going to be furious with us. Should we do it?"
Han Li immediately played along as he replied, "If we don't get to Chuyu City by tonight, our clan leader is definitely going to punish us. I think we'll just have to foot the bill and hope that our clan leader gives us an additional reward to cover the costs."
"We'll cover the teleportation cost between the two of us, Senior," Shi Chuankong decided as he turned to the black-robed elderly man and cupped his fist in a salute.
"In that case, you can issue the fee and go wait by the array. Once the people ahead of you have been teleported away, it'll be your turn. Also, show me your identity tokens, I need to take some records," the black-robed elderly man said.
Once again, Shi Chuankong produced another new pair of identity tokens before handing them over.
Upon taking a glance at the identity tokens, the black-robed elderly man's expression instantly changed slightly, and he hurriedly rose to his feet as he cupped his fist in a salute and said, "Please forgive me, I didn't realize you were servants of the Balance Fall Duke!"
"There's no need to salute us, Senior, we're nothing more than a pair of lowly servants," Shi Chuankong hurriedly said as he returned the salute.
"The Balance Fall Duke is vastly renowned across our entire Holy Realm. Even if you're only servants of his, that's still nothing to be scoffed at. Rest assured, I'll arrange for your teleportation as soon as this group leaves," the black-robed elderly man said with a reverent look on his face.
"In that case, we'll be in your care, Senior. However, the rules are still the rules, and we'll issue the teleportation fee as per usual," Shi Chuankong replied with a smile.
The black-robed elderly man was very pleased with Shi Chuankong's consideration and easygoing demeanor, and the atmosphere between the two immediately warmed up a little.
"Who is this Balance Fall Duke? It seems like he's a very respected man," Han Li asked through voice transmission.
"The Balance Fall Duke and my third brother are one and the same," Shi Chuankong replied with a smile.
"Your brother is a duke?" Han Li asked.
"That's right. My father has always been very strict when it comes to assigning official titles to his children, and such titles must be earned through accolades in battle. Out of all of my siblings, only fewer than half possess official titles. Among them, my eldest brother, Shi Zhanfeng, possesses the highest official title of grand duke, while my third brother and fifth sister are duke and duchess. As for the rest, most of them hold the marquis title," Shi Chuankong replied.
"It seems like this man's admiration for your brother goes beyond that for a normal duke. Is there something special about your brother's title?" Han Li asked.
"Even among dukes, there is a certain hierarchy and also differences in assigned territories. My third brother is one of the three most highly rated dukes, while my fifth sister is a little lower on the pecking order. On top of that, my third brother has always been known to be a very fair and just man, so he had many admirers across the entire Holy Realm," Shi Chuankong replied with a smile.
"I see."
As the two of them were conversing with each other through voice transmission, the black-robed elderly man completed his records, then led them to the teleportation array, and he issued some instructions to the cultivator holding the array plate before returning to his table.
Han Li and Shi Chuankong waited patiently as the teleportation array began to light up, but right at this moment, the two of them exchanged an alarmed glance with each other.
"He really did catch him... What a close call..." Shi Chuankong mused.
"The fact that he went after Xue Cheng means that our plan succeeded," Han Li said.
"We really led that old bastard on a wild goose chase! Once we get to Chuyu City, we'll leave right away, and he shouldn't have enough time to intercept us," Shi Chuankong replied with a nod.
"I wonder how Xue Cheng is doing now," Han Li mused with a concerned expression, and both of them fell silent.
Before long, the light in the teleportation array faded, and the three people in the array had been teleported away. The cultivator holding the array plate replaced the Devilish Origin Stonse in the array, following which Han Li and Shi Chuankong were ushered inside.
The two of them made their way to the center of the array, and the cultivator holding the array plate began to initiate the array's activation.
The array began to rumble as specks of silver light rose up from the ground before enveloping the two of them like a swarm of fireflies.
Right as the array was about to be activated, the array plate in the cultivator's hand suddenly exploded without any warning, and the light in the array instantly died down.
Immediately thereafter, a streak of purplish-golden light flew into the pagoda at an astonishing speed.
The guards in the pagoda were just about to spring into action, but upon catching a clear glimpse of the "intruder", they immediately fell to their knees as they greeted, "We pay our respects to the esteemed city lord!"
Han Li's brows were tightly furrowed as he cast his gaze toward the middle-aged man who had just stormed into the pagoda. He had a pair of large and piercing eyes, a tall nose, and lips that were as thin as the edge of a blade.
"Could you not have turned a blind eye?" Shi Chuankong sighed with a wry smile.
"I already let you go once. You really shouldn't have come back," the Heavenly Ax Marquis sighed.
"Is there really no room for negotiation?" Shi Chuankong asked.
The Heavenly Ax Marquis offered no response. Instead, he merely declared in a cold voice, "There are wanted fugitives here that need to be detained! Everyone else, get out of here and make sure one approaches this pagoda. Anyone who tries to get in my way will be killed on the spot!"
At the same time, a burst of vast devilish qi surged out of his body alongside a mid-Great Encompassment Stage aura, and all of the people that were waiting to be teleported immediately rushed out of the pagoda in a blind panic.
They were quickly followed by the cultivators from the city lord's manor, and as the black-robed elderly man departed, he couldn't help but take a resentful glance at Han Li and Shi Chuankong.
Everyone fled to the front yard of the city lord's manor before looking back at the pagoda, and a few moments later, a resounding boom rang out as a burst of devilish qi erupted into the heavens, scattering all of the clouds in the sky.
At the same time, the teleportation pagoda exploded violently, sending powerful shockwaves sweeping through the air in all directions, and around a dozen nearby buildings were also razed to the ground.
The cultivators standing on guard duty hurriedly sprang into action, forming arrays to withstand the shockwaves, and only then did they prevent the destruction of the entire city lord's manor.
Immediately thereafter, the Heavenly Ax Marquis suddenly flew out of the wreckage of the teleportation pagoda, and he took a cold glance at all of the bystanders, then departed without a word.
The black-robed elderly man had thought that he would be held responsible for this incident, and he was already prepared to die, so he couldn't help but weep from elation at the Heavenly Ax Marquis's inaction.
......
Over three months passed by in a flash.
Inside the city lord's manor of Chuyu City was a majestic building with a dome roof, within which was a giant teleportation array. Several figures appeared within the array amid a flash of silver light, then stepped out of the array before making their way out of the pagoda.
There were two elderly men seated behind a table at the entrance of the pagoda, one of whom was dressed in a dark green daoist robe, and he was staring intently at the people emerging from the array.
This man was none other than Daoist Master Bone Shine, and he had already been waiting for Han Li and Shi Chuankong here for over three months.
The people that had just stepped out of the array were very much disgruntled by his intrusive gaze, but they didn't dare to do anything, and they could only hurriedly depart.
The elderly man seated beside Daoist Master Bone Shine was the cultivator responsible for making records and collecting teleportation fees, and his nerves had also been worn very thin over the past three months.
"It's already been so long, Senior Bone Shine. If the people you were waiting for were going to arrive, then they would've done so long ago. I'm thinking they most likely went to some other city," the Golden Immortal said in a hesitant voice.
"It looks like I've been played for a fool again," Daoist Master Bone Shine sighed.
The Golden Immortal didn't know who Daoist Master Bone Shine was waiting for, but he had no intention of asking.
Three months ago, the city lord had instructed him to let Daoist Master Bone Shine do whatever he pleased, telling him that he didn't have to provide Daoist Master Bone Shine with any assistance, nor was he to ask any questions.
"Please thank City Lord Ouyang in my stead. I'll be sure to visit him in his manor sometime," Daoist Master Bone Shine said as he rose to his feet.
"I'll be sure to do so, Senior," the Golden Immortal hurriedly replied as he also stood up.
Daoist Master Bone Shine took one final glance at the teleportation array, then departed from the pagoda.