59: Chapter 55 The Disappearance of the Dark Candle_1 59: Chapter 55 The Disappearance of the Dark Candle_1 The battle before the armory began, and the entire armory’s defenders sprang into action, converging on the inner storehouse from every direction, like a surging tide.

Meanwhile, Wei Yan dashed outward, fighting against the current.

To avoid leaking any information, none of the armory’s defenders were aware of this operation, and only Wei Yan was lying in ambush.

He alone was enough.

More experts were actually scattered throughout the city.

As the City Lord, Wei Quchibi, though he used the Dark Candle as bait, would never put the people of Fenglin City in danger.

Luckily, the tri-city discussions on Dao had attracted a large portion of the public as spectators, and the martial arts field was completely safe.

This greatly reduced the pressure of defense.

The City Guard Army soldiers who met Wei Yan didn’t say a word and immediately turned to follow him.

Wei Yan simply ordered, “Just guard here, and don’t leave without permission.”

Although the Dark Candle had been taken, the armory remained of utmost importance.

Two City Guard Army soldiers still stood at the armory gates.

They certainly heard the commotion inside, but until they received further orders, their post was at the gate.

They were on full alert, yet they remained oblivious as a streak of blood light skimmed along the wall.

At that moment, a well-dressed young nobleman strolled by, fanning himself as if to cast off the dust of the journey.

The blood serpent disappeared with his gesture.

The young nobleman walked on, reaching the end of the street and passing a clothing store at the corner, brushing shoulders with a porter bearing a load.

Walking on Black Tortoise Street, he appeared at ease, even humming a little tune.

Two City Guard Army experts swept past him, slaying an exposed evil Dao cultivator with frantic slashes right behind him.

The young nobleman seemed completely unaware, gradually disappearing into the distance.

“Stop!” one of the City Guard Army experts shouted.

The young nobleman’s excessive calmness had aroused their suspicion.

With his back to the two alert City Guard Army experts, the corners of the young nobleman’s mouth slowly curled into a sinister smile.

Just as he was about to go mad in the middle of the street, the screeching sound of a long blade slicing the air rang out.

“Quick Snow!” His eyes bulged as he looked down at the slender, straight blade that slowly disappeared from his chest, being withdrawn.

The blade was called Quick Snow, and the man, Wei Yan.

Perhaps realizing that death was inevitable, he did not ask how he was discovered or how he was caught up to.

The fear in his eyes faded, replaced by a frenzy as he smiled proudly, “The item…

is not with me!”

Wei Yan sheathed his blade and walked away.

By then, the porter had already reached Qingmu Avenue, with two bamboo baskets covered by cloths on his shoulders swaying gently.

Inside one basket, amidst the miscellaneous goods, there was an odd object—a small, dark-colored candle.

…

Both Dong Ah and Wei Quchibi on the viewing platform watched the battle in the arena, but no one knew that their attention was not truly there.

For Wei Quchibi, what mattered more was the trap he had set up around the city that very day.

A straightforward lure and trap, but remarkably effective thanks to flawless execution.

For Dong Ah, on the one hand, he was more concerned about the safety of Fenglin City than the outcome of the tri-city Dao discussions, and on the other hand, he had certain confidence in Zhang Linchuan.

Even after Lin Zhengren had demonstrated the strength of a Grade-6 cultivator, he remained unswayed.

The two towering figures of Fenglin City spoke, with their voices only reaching each other’s ears.

Wei Quchibi sneered, “Seeing the Dark Candle, those fellows turn crazed like dogs after a bone.

They truly are the monsters of the Bone Tao!”

The Dark Candle was an Underworld treasure and indeed a relic left by the Bone Tao.

Wei Quchibi purposefully used the Dark Candle to confirm his suspicion.

Dong Ah frowned, “The Bone Tao’s lineage was annihilated two hundred years ago, with the High Ancestor’s nine years of cleansing, leaving none alive.

Are there still remnants lingering to this day?”

“A centipede is dead but not stiff.”

…

Lin Zhengren defeated Fu Baosong, seemingly without much effort.

Next, he would face Zhang Linchuan.

Zhang Linchuan didn’t lower the hand covering his mouth and frowned, “Can we clean up this place before we fight?”

Previously, when he defeated his opponents in overpowering and swift battles, it was still manageable.

But now, facing off against Lin Zhengren, he inevitably couldn’t attend to anything else.

Within the Dao institute, there were specialized sparring grounds, but the Dao institute of Fenglin City itself couldn’t accommodate the large audience present.

And the plaza outside the City Lord’s mansion wasn’t engraved with any Array Patterns.

The battle site had been reduced to a mess, with shattered floor tiles, mud mixed with water, numerous pits and craters, and the addition of some people’s splattered blood made it a sight of utter devastation.

Zhang Linchuan’s brow was deeply furrowed, “This fighting environment is really dirty.”

Dong Ah didn’t even lift his eyelids, “If you utter one more useless word, I’ll throw you into the manure pit to soak for three days.”

Zhang Linchuan immediately stowed away his handkerchief and very politely, and in a very formulaic manner, smiled at the referee, “We can begin now.”

With the referee’s command, Lin Zhengren strode forward.

Then, the sound of thunderous explosions filled the air.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Lin Zhengren moved like a surging wave, with triple layers of billows.

And behind him, three charred craters were left in his wake.

Zhang Linchuan had many quirks.

You could say he was obsessive about cleanliness, too fussy, hated trouble, and did things his own way.

But his strength was undeniable.

Everyone knew thunder techniques were fierce, but how many could truly control them with ease?

The two Instantaneous Dao Arts Lin Zhengren had inscribed within Tongtian Palace were the Triple Billows and the Vine Serpent Encircling Walls.

He didn’t choose to defend but moved immediately, which naturally meant he was gearing up for…

an attack!

A seed burst through the soil, the bud opened, and sharp teeth like hooks emerged.

It bit down in one gulp!

A Grade-Yi lower-class Dao Art, Eating Flower.

Zhang Linchuan glided past effortlessly, tossing a thunderball into the maw of the flower and leaping up, pinching his fingers towards the sky over the charred remains of the Eating Flower.

Dark clouds gathered, with thunder lurking within.

Roar!

A Water Dragon Wave roared out, but it didn’t attack Zhang Linchuan; instead, with a flick of its tail, it blasted the clouds apart.

Water mist exploded in the sky, with flashes of lightning that quickly dissipated.

This scene was full of aesthetic beauty, drawing exclamations of awe from the spectators.

But Zhang Linchuan’s carefully prepared Dao Art dispersed as a result.

If one could say that the most apparent difference between those who have opened the Heaven and Earth Gate and cultivators below Grade-7 lies in the ability to begin mastering Grade-A Dao Arts,

Then, for those with exceptional talent who have grasped a certain Grade-A Dao Art before reaching Grade-6, like Wang Changxiang and Zhang Linchuan, could the gap be bridged?

What made them different from those who had opened the Heaven and Earth Gate?

Lin Zhengren provided the answer.

Those who have opened the Heaven and Earth Gate seem to blend with heaven and earth, able to penetrate the flow of Vitality of heaven and earth, instantly identifying the flaws of Dao Arts.

In battle, this meant they could shatter Zhang Linchuan’s still-preparing powerful Dao Art.

But it didn’t stop there.

In almost the blink of an eye, Lin Zhengren appeared in front of Zhang Linchuan.

It was only then that the crowd noticed he was still standing on a Water Dragon Wave.

He had actually used this attacking Dao Art to close the distance!

After opening the Heaven and Earth Gate, his understanding of all Dao Arts had deepened profoundly, significantly shortening the time needed to form hand seals, and also quickly unlocking other variations.

Zhang Linchuan was still in mid-air, and Lin Zhengren’s hand had already made contact with his body.

The outcome seemed about to be set in stone.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep