Chapter 22: The Hunt

Most of the time, what people call “team wisdom” is nothing more than everyone’s stupidity stacked together, followed by a vote to decide who takes the blame.

But some people can always stand out amidst the chaos, leading the rest to make the “right” choice.

And Luo Chen firmly believed he was one of those people.

Because he possessed a gift that ordinary mortals could never comprehend—

Unparalleled, earth-shaking wisdom, yo~!

“Everyone, there’s no need to worry.”
Luo Chen stood with his hands clasped behind his back, speaking with calm assurance.
“Perhaps you are unaware, but even before we entered the Azure Cloud Secret Realm, I had already taken precautions against Luo Jiutian.”

At those words, the crowd exchanged startled looks.

He didn’t pause, continuing smoothly:
“I planted a very subtle tracking worm on him. Unless someone uses extremely specialized methods, even a Nascent Soul cultivator would be unable to get rid of it. That’s why we’ve been able to locate him so easily until now.”

Su Xinyuan’s eyes lit up.
“So this entire time… everything has been within Young Master Luo’s control?”

Luo Chen gave a faint nod, expression calm though his chest swelled with pride.
“Correct. Even if he enters the Misty Forest, where divine sense is useless and sight is obscured, it won’t matter. So long as Luo Jiutian still draws breath, I can sense his location.”

The words left everyone stunned, then immediately admiring.

Su Xinyuan’s gaze was full of reverence.
“Young Master Luo is truly remarkable!”

Su Zimo also chuckled, folding his fan.
“Such extraordinary means—Su can only admire.”

Luo Chen let a faint smile tug at the corner of his mouth, pretending nonchalance while inwardly basking in delight.

His eyes swept over the group and he declared lightly:
“Luo Jiutian is in there, and he hasn’t gone far.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” someone said excitedly.

“Yes, let’s charge in and kill him outright!”

Luo Chen raised his hand.
He said nothing, yet the gesture alone brought the group to silence again.

His tone was steady, full of command.
“The Misty Forest is no trivial place. If we rashly scatter, we risk being picked off one by one. The safest way forward is for everyone to stay together.”

Hearing this, the crowd nodded. No objections.

Su Zimo laughed.
“Young Master Luo speaks wisely. This is not the time to rush—steadfast victory is the proper path.”

Su Xinyuan also stepped closer, her voice soft and sweet.
“I’ll follow Young Master Luo’s lead.”

And so, under Luo Chen’s direction, the group formed up and marched into the Misty Forest…

Meanwhile, deep inside the forest.

“Brat, what are you still dawdling for? They’ve already entered the woods. If you delay any longer, there’ll be no way out.”

Suspended in the air, the White Tiger Lordess looked down at Luo Jiutian, who was standing perfectly still, her expression grave.

But Luo Jiutian looked utterly calm.
In a low voice, he said,
“Senior, I have an idea. A way to remove the threat at its root. But I’ll need your help.”

“Speak,” the White Tiger Lordess replied evenly.

Luo Jiutian outlined his plan with concise clarity.

When he finished, the White Tiger Lordess was silent for a few breaths, then nodded.
“It can be done. I’ll agree to this.”

Receiving her answer, Luo Jiutian closed his eyes, sat down cross-legged, and began adjusting his state.

The White Tiger Lordess stood beside him, motionless.

Time trickled by.

Before long, she suddenly spoke:
“They’re here.”

At that, Luo Jiutian’s eyes snapped open.
He rose swiftly to his feet.

Lowering his head, he channeled his spiritual power into his left arm.

Soon, a strange stirring arose beneath his skin—a swelling sensation, faint but insistent.

The tracking worm sensed danger.
It writhed furiously, struggling to flee, but Luo Jiutian’s spiritual power held it down like iron chains.

His fingers clenched, imprisoning the parasite completely.

A moment later, his arm trembled violently, and a gold-and-black insect shadow burst through the flesh, darting outward.

Luo Jiutian’s hand shot out like lightning, seizing the gu worm mid-air.

A sharp “crack!” rang out.
The tracker shattered instantly, lifeless on the spot.

Flicking the remains away, Luo Jiutian murmured with calm relief,
“At last, that’s settled.”

In truth, such tracking worms were notoriously troublesome.

Attempting to kill them directly with spiritual power inside the body would trigger hidden marks, leaving lingering traces of aura that bound the host forever to the tracker.

Only by forcing it out into the open and crushing it physically could the connection be completely severed.

The White Tiger Lordess gave a small nod.
“You’re meticulous indeed. Even tricks like this hold no secrets from you.”

Luo Jiutian offered no explanation.
Instead, he flipped his palm—

A mask appeared in his hand.

It was a pale gray mask, one half carved with a smiling face, the other with a weeping visage.
Two opposing emotions fused on a single surface, unforgettable at first sight.

This was Plaything of the Mortal World, a special treasure he had inherited from the System.
Once worn, it could completely conceal one’s cultivation and aura, while also altering appearance so that no one could see through it.

The White Tiger Lordess narrowed her eyes slightly.

She sensed something was off.

That mask hadn’t been pulled from a storage bag, nor was there any spatial fluctuation.
It was simply… appeared out of thin air.

And more strangely—she couldn’t identify what it was.

‘This brat…’

Suspicion pricked her heart, yet she said nothing.

The fact that one so young wielded so many secret methods only proved he held countless cards still unrevealed.

But she didn’t care.

If he didn’t want to tell her, she wouldn’t force it.
So long as he honored their pact, his secrets were his own.

She looked away, making no further comment.

Once Luo Jiutian placed the mask over his face, he lifted his hand again—this time drawing from thin air a scarlet longsword, Weeping Dust.

Step by steady step, he walked toward the direction of his enemies.
His figure soon vanished into the rolling fog.

Back with Luo Chen’s group.

The mist thickened, the forest so quiet it was suffocating.
Other than their own footsteps, not a single sound stirred.

“This place feels eerie…” someone whispered.

Su Xinyuan inched closer to Luo Chen, lowering her voice deliberately.
“I keep feeling like something’s watching us…”

Beside them, Su Zimo’s usual smile had long vanished.
His gaze was sharp, wary.
“There is something strange here, no doubt.”

Luo Chen said nothing.
His brow furrowed, his eyes fixed on the path ahead.

He too felt the pressure—a suffocating heaviness he couldn’t explain.

Suddenly—

Crack!

Bushes rustled ahead, leaves shaking violently.

“Who’s there!” someone barked instinctively.

The entire group tensed, weapons drawn, ready to strike.

But then—

The foliage parted, and a shadow leapt out.
Gray, furry, round—

It thudded into Su Zimo’s leg before bounding away in fright.

“A rabbit,” Su Zimo exhaled with a chuckle.
“Seems we’re wound too tightly.”

Someone else laughed nervously.
“This cursed place is too stifling.”

The tension lifted somewhat.

But at that moment, Luo Chen’s expression froze.

His connection to the tracking worm—was gone!

Before he could process it, a blade of swordlight cleaved through the mist without warning.

“Back!”

Luo Chen roared.

The others reacted instantly, scattering.

The swordlight struck the ground and exploded, a shockwave erupting outward.
Dust and debris billowed, shrouding the already-murky view even further.

The blast hit them before they could steady themselves, scattering the formation completely.

A Luo clansman was thrown to the ground, rolling several times before staggering upright, his face pale with terror.

“Young Master Luo? Young Master Su?”

No answer.

He turned in a circle, disoriented, finding no familiar figures.

“Anyone?” he called again.

Still silent.

His heartbeat raced, cold sweat dripping down his forehead.

“Is anyone—”

Finally, a voice answered.
“Right here, brother. Right here.”

Relief washed over his features.
He brightened, hurrying toward the sound.

“Thank goodness, I thought—”

The words never finished.

A sudden pain pierced through him.

Lowering his gaze, he saw it—

A crimson longsword, thrust straight through his chest.