Chapter 309: Chapter 146: Battle with Elder Mu, Ambush by Evil Fiends

Liu Wufeng nodded. "That’s right. They’ll absolutely come out in full force. They won’t miss this chance to deal with you. But as you know, this is also an opportunity for us."

Beside them, Ouyang Sword’s eyes widened as he listened to their conversation.

He was well aware of these two factions, the Wild Taoist Sect and the Wild Buddha Sect. They were also quite rampant in his home state of Huaxing.

He just hadn’t expected these two factions to hate Shen Bai so much that they would try every method imaginable to kill him.

Shen Bai stroked his chin and continued, "Lord Liu, I choose the second option."

Liu Wufeng asked, "Why choose the second one?"

Shen Bai smiled. "When I deal with my enemies, I always eradicate them, root and stem. There’s a saying I like: you can’t sleep soundly while someone else is snoring right next to your bed. Anyone who becomes my enemy has only one path waiting for them: death at my hands."

"They’re very good at hiding, and I can’t find them. But this is a chance—a great chance to save myself a world of trouble from here on out. Of course I’m not going to let it pass."

HISS...

Standing to the side, Ouyang Sword sucked in a sharp breath, a trace of astonishment in his eyes as he looked at Shen Bai.

If it were him, he most likely would have chosen the first option. After all, it was simply too dangerous.

Swordsmen like him hadn’t trained their brains into mush. They knew better than to seek their own death.

But he never would have imagined that Shen Bai would choose the second option.

Shen Bai continued, "They’re trying every method possible to kill me, and I’m trying every method possible to eliminate them. Since that’s the case, neither of us gets to have an easy time. This is an opportunity—for them, and for me as well."

Liu Wufeng asked, "How confident are you?"

"Very," Shen Bai said, pointing to the side.

Not far away, Amber was crouched on the ground, licking the fur on its paws.

"When I fought Elder Mu just now, I didn’t use the Deceitful Beast’s power."

The moment he said this, Liu Wufeng relaxed completely.

Amber was a battle-type Deceitful Beast that had evolved once. If it merged with Shen Bai, he would have double the power.

But Shen Bai had defeated Elder Mu without using Amber’s power. In other words, if Shen Bai had let Amber merge with him, the battle would have ended even faster.

"In that case, I’ll go prepare a carriage for you. You should depart immediately."

Time was tight. Although departing today still left a decent window, arriving earlier would help avoid some trouble.

Shen Bai nodded and watched Liu Wufeng leave.

After a moment’s thought, he told Ouyang Sword to wait for him at the entrance and headed to the resource room.

He first had two cups of tea with Elder Mu and chatted for a bit, after which Shen Bai paid a visit to the Ding Twenty-Third Division, where he met with Huang Guang and Kong Fang.

"You two just stay put here. No matter what happens, be sure to remain calm," Shen Bai said.

The two men nodded, cupping their fists. "We wish Lord Shen a triumphant return."

Ever since Shen Bai had arrived at the Ding Twenty-Third Division, the two of them knew he was no fish in a small pond and would one day soar to the heavens.

But they hadn’t expected it to be so soon.

Shen Bai acknowledged them, said his goodbyes, and walked out of the room.

After another moment of thought, he headed toward the Registration Room.

Long Yan was busy in the Registration Room. When she saw Shen Bai approach, she covered her mouth and let out a soft laugh.

Shen Bai cupped his fists. "Landlord Long, I’ve come to say goodbye."

When Long Yan heard this, the playful look on her face vanished. It was replaced by a serious expression, and she stopped her teasing banter with Shen Bai.

"Shen Bai, remember this: when you’re out there, you live by one principle—the principle of the Jianghu."

"What’s the principle of the Jianghu?"

"Might makes right." Long Yan was blunt. "If you’re ever in doubt, just punch them. If you can’t win the fight, run. Above all else, protect your own life."

Shen Bai nodded, showing he understood.

With that, he had finished visiting all his acquaintances at the Observatory.

As for Qin Shuang, she was still on her way to the capital for her studies, so she wasn’t in Fenglin State.

After taking care of everything, Shen Bai arrived at the entrance of the Observatory. Along the way, many members of the Observatory said goodbye to him, and he responded to each of them.

A carriage was already prepared at the entrance. Ouyang Sword was sitting outside, a whip in his hand.

"Lord Shen, let’s go."

This time, they were taking the official road.

A moment ago, Ouyang Sword had dismissed the driver and taken on the role himself.

Although both of them could use Cultivation Techniques for Flying, traveling that way had many inconveniences.

If they passed through a city, they would have to land, go through various procedures, and explain the reason for their Flying.

After all, if every expert in the Unity Realm could just fly around recklessly, the Great Zhou Country would descend into chaos. So, Shen Bai felt that taking the official road would actually be much faster.

Of course, there was another, more important reason. Since there was plenty of time anyway, Shen Bai figured he might as well use the journey to grind the Skill Level of his Divine Power.

Right now, he needed to grind the Skill Level of his Mixed Element Array-Breaking Technique. The method was simple: he just needed to continuously refine the Qi in his body into an Array.

Without further hesitation, Shen Bai stepped into the carriage.

Liu Wufeng stood at the entrance, watching as Ouyang Sword cracked the whip and the carriage gradually pulled away. Then he turned and went back inside the Observatory.

Before he left, however, he muttered something under his breath.

’From now on, I’ll have to pay more attention to these special recruitment slots. If I happen to pick up another treasure like Shen Bai, I’ll have really hit the jackpot.’

Although he felt the idea was unrealistic, he couldn’t help but entertain the thought.

...

「On the official road, dark clouds gathered.」

Although a light drizzle had yet to fall from the sky, the gloomy, dark clouds and the sunlight they obscured cast an oppressive atmosphere over the land.