While Lu Jun was immersed in cultivation for over a month

Turbulent winds stirred across the country, and all kinds of news came pouring in.

First, the Egyptian team also part of the previous Top 32 nations came to challenge the National Pavilion in China. With Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue back in the country, it was no surprise they easily crushed the opponents, sending the Egyptian team home in defeat.

Then came the sudden death incident involving the venomous insects in Magic City.

The incident in the Ancient Capital had come to a close. Red Cardinal Salan was dead, and many of the small fry within the city had been purged. However, a significant number of her subordinates still remained.

Especially now that the group had lost its leader, the movements of the remaining members were increasingly exposed. Black Alchemist, the Smuggler, Cult Master Wu Ku, and the Nine Blue Deacons were all seen relocating.

Unlike the original timeline where Red Cardinal Salan had things firmly under control, keeping the core members well hidden and only sacrificing Fang Shaoli as a scapegoat while she led a team away in secret—

This time, the commotion had only grown larger.

The key point: while being hunted by the Tribunal and many other powerful organizations, the nine disciples still didn’t forget to engage in infighting. As they fled, they fought for the position of Red Cardinal, even breaking their code by reporting on each other.

When Lu Jun received this intel, he could only sigh at the mob-like disorder and simultaneously confirm that Salan was indeed dead

If she were alive, she wouldn’t have allowed her subordinates to turn on each other like this.

The major forces came to the same realization: the Ancient Capital incident had truly resulted in the death of a Red Cardinal. It was an earth-shattering event. Countless people were now eager to uncover the truth, but Han Ji remained silent, tightly guarding the secret.

Thus, related speculations ignited both domestic and international attention.

Meanwhile, the instigator of all the repdead the one who had set it all off Blue Bat, one of the Nine Deacons, appeared on the surface of the Huangpu River. She was a woman with a graceful figure and a beautiful face, blending purity and maturity.

She took a deep breath and muttered to herself: “Chongming Island, Fang Shaoli… That should be the last Deacon’s location, right? From here on out, it’s none of my business.”

Blue Bat gazed into the distant sunset, her expression unreadable.

There were moles within the Tribunal planted by the Black Vatican, and conversely, the Tribunal had also embedded spies within the Black Vatican.

Blue Bat codename “Stinger” within the Tribunal was precisely that mole.

Her current mission target, Red Cardinal Salan, was dead. The higher-ups had changed the objective: eliminate the remaining Black Vatican forces, and if possible, continue lying low to attempt contact with the top echelon another Red Cardinal.

So Blue Bat racked her brain and came up with this method: mutual reporting and false accusations. By muddying the waters, she perfectly concealed her true objective while completing her mission.

She only exposed locations and identities; the actual strikes were carried out by the Tribunal. Whether the remnants of the Black Vatican were truly wiped out depended on the Tribunal’s efficiency.

In addition, due to her identity being classified to the extreme, she was also being hunted down by the Tribunal without mercy.

Unexpectedly, because of her intimate knowledge of the Nine Provinces, she managed to slip away again and again, becoming one of the last surviving core members of Salan’s faction.

By a strange twist of fate, the Red Cardinal’s throne was getting closer and closer to her.

On the riverside, Blue Bat fell into contemplation, silently crying out in her heart:

“Boss, you said three more years… then another three years… It’s been ten years now! I’ve gone undercover so long, I’m about to become the Black Vatican’s leader! When are you coming to retrieve me?”

Not long after—

In Magic City, Mo Fan spent his National Team bonus on energy crystals but failed to break through with his third Element, the Shadow Element (original line: his foundation wasn’t deep enough).

Meanwhile, Mu Ningxue was in desperate need of money and had to take a side job.

Coincidentally, intelligence on Fang Shaoli one of the Nine Deacons of the Black Vatican surfaced.

After more than ten days of tracking and investigation, they finally captured Fang Shaoli and fought a fierce battle with her transformed form: the Venomous Insect Mother. In the end, they were victorious and received a handsome bounty from the Tribunal.

Blue Bat used this opportunity, taking advantage of the Tribunal’s diverted attention, and smoothly fled overseas.

After over a month, Red Cardinal Salan’s faction had suffered heavy losses. When Blue Bat did a headcount of those remaining, she was shocked to realize—

She might actually be about to ascend to the Red Cardinal throne.

Hi everyone, I’m Blue Bat, and I’m kinda panicking right now.

Early morning, Sea Battle City.

Lu Jun hung up after a long phone call with Ding Yumian. From her, he learned the latest domestic intel

Mo Fan had made quite the stir in Magic City, beheading a Blue Deacon and earning the right to enter the Star River’s Vein for another closed-door attempt at breaking through to Shadow Element Advanced Tier.

At the same time, Lu Jun read through the official intelligence reports. One after another, the identities of Black Vatican members were confirmed through their corpses but notably, Blue Bat’s name was absent.

“Oh ho? She’s still lying low?”

Lu Jun’s expression turned strange. Knowing the full truth, he was well aware of Blue Bat’s true identity and couldn’t help but wonder Could she be going undercover all the way to becoming a Red Cardinal?

The Black Vatican’s organizational structure was solid. The Seven Cardinals were just codenames. Once the previous Salan died, the next Salan would soon be chosen an unbroken cycle.

And Blue Bat, as one of the Nine Deacons, absolutely qualified.

“Maybe I can conveniently plant a chess piece.”

Lu Jun’s imagination ran wild. According to the latest intelligence, Salan’s remaining forces were fleeing toward Japan, beyond China’s reach.

In time, the National Pavilion’s instructors might assign him, now in Japan, a mission to hunt down the remaining Black Vatican members as a form of training.

Then, he’d have a way to secretly help Blue Bat and establish contact.

“We’ll see how things play out then adapt as needed. For now, the priority is finding the Water Elemental Holy Spirit.”

He shook his head and changed into a less conspicuous outfit before heading out toward Sea Battle City. With his Psychic Invisibility assisting, no one noticed his presence.

Soon, his figure nimbly darted between the complex maze of buildings. Stream after stream of pure silvery brilliance soared into the sky some blocked, some diverted, some sliced each one repelling the incoming sea monsters from all directions.

Bang!

With a thought, Lu Jun warped space—

a Warrior-level Jagged Green was crushed on the spot, exploding into a rain of blood.

Suddenly, from the shadows, a Warrior-level demon beast seized the opportunity and lunged forward a Crying White Demon. Small in size, but incredibly fast and dangerously venomous.

The next moment, silver diagrams flickered all around Lu Jun, forming a brilliant constellation. In a flash, he vanished completely, leaving only a scattering of silvery fragments behind.

The Crying White Demon pounced into empty space, missed, and its limp body fell.

Advanced Spell – Blink.

Cast with Fifth Realm spiritual cultivation, it required less than two seconds faster even than Ai Jiangtu.

Lu Jun reappeared 500 meters away and casually tore open a pitch-black Void Rift, slicing the baby-headed Crying White Demon clean in half.

After this stretch of intense training, his Space Element had reached mastery. His command of Spatial Displacement was now fluid and precise.

He was finally ready to enter the sea.

His eyes gazed far toward the east. Waves of sea monsters surged with the tide, battering Sea Battle City.

He stepped forward, heading deeper toward the open ocean.

Splash—!

As Lu Jun fully submerged into the flooded Tenth District, the world before him turned a hazy shade of blue.

The tides roared chaotically, irregular and unceasing, with shards of debris and ice crashing along with them.

Any skilled swimmer who dared enter these waters would undoubtedly drown.

The sea was filled with all kinds of sea monsters’ magical energy. The churning currents moved in wild, unpredictable directions.

Intermixed with eerie forces, they could easily pierce through an ordinary human body.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep