Chapter 128: Renowned Alchemist Luo Hui (1)

Shen Duo sat in the carriage, feeling that something was amiss, though she could not pinpoint what it was. She eventually fell silent, waiting until they reached the inn.

After Linton settled the three of them in, he hurried away, as there were many matters requiring his attention for Eleanor. Before leaving, he told Shen Duo that his teacher would come to see them personally that evening.

Shen Duo had not rested well the previous night, and with her injuries only recently healed, she was easily overcome by fatigue. Upon entering her room, she collapsed into the soft bed without another thought and drifted off to sleep.

Lou Jingbai emerged from the phantom beast space, assuming his mimetic form. He curled up beside Shen Duo’s pillow, his slender fox eyes filled with disdain as he listened to the booming sounds of combat outside. He even flicked his fluffy, crimson tail, casting a protective barrier of spiritual phantom energy around Shen Duo’s room.

Deep in slumber, Shen Duo heard nothing of the earth-shattering commotion outside the inn.

She slept soundly, only waking as dusk began to fall. Upon rising, she saw Lou Jingbai feigning sleep by the bed and frowned. "Lou Jingbai, what is happening outside?"

Lou Jingbai opened his slender fox eyes, his gaze shifting evasively. "It is nothing, merely a brawl."

Shen Duo immediately sensed his strange demeanor and did not believe him for a second. She hurried to the door and flung it open; she was instantly stunned by the sight before her.

The small, neat inn they had arrived at that morning was now in ruins. Many walls had been destroyed, and the scene was chaotic. Outside on the street, the excited shouts of rogue phantom masters echoed through the air.

Sensing something was wrong, Shen Duo rushed toward the rooms of Feng Jun and Lei Hang. As expected, their rooms were empty. She turned back and glared fiercely at Lou Jingbai, who had crawled onto her shoulder.

Shen Duo felt a splitting headache coming on.

Lou Jingbai huffed and turned his head away. "I did it for your own good. It is better to leave these small-time thugs to those two! Don't they pride themselves on protecting you?"

Ignoring his words, Shen Duo rushed out of the inn. The moment she stepped outside, she saw two factions locked in a tense, eerie standoff in the sky.

Lei Hang and Feng Jun were in their armored states—one in red armor with red hair, the other in silver armor with silver hair—both looking as handsome as gods descended to earth.

Opposite them were three Sky Phantom Masters, all also in armored states. The leader appeared to be in his thirties; after armoring, his short brown hair stood upright, his features were rugged, and his entire being radiated a murderous aura—an aura born from long years of experience.

The moment Shen Duo saw him, she knew he was no simple opponent. The memories of the original owner of this body, which she had pushed to a dusty corner of her mind, surfaced slightly.

A realization flashed through her mind: this man was Shen Hui, captain of the Shen family investigation team.

Years ago, the original owner had received his help in the Shen family's main city. He was one of the few high-ranking members of the family she had encountered, leaving a deep impression on her. Even then, Shen Hui had been a Sky Phantom Master, leading the investigation team.

His power while armored had once filled the weak, cowardly Shen Duo with a sense of longing. Yet, born with a talentless constitution, she had died in a small city serving the family’s side business without ever becoming a powerful phantom master herself.

"What kind of days are these? First, that once-in-a-century beast tamer competition yesterday, and now we get to see Sky Phantom Masters clashing? I can't believe it's real. Here, pinch me and see if I'm dreaming."

"Ouch—damn, it really is real! These armored guys look incredibly cool. They aren't just showing off their wealth to us poor rogue masters, are they?"

...

As Shen Duo stood at the entrance of the inn, she overheard the discussions of the surrounding rogue phantom masters. She tilted her head and asked Lou Jingbai internally, "When did the fighting start?"

"Not long after you went back to your room to sleep," Lou Jingbai replied reluctantly.

Shen Duo realized that her failure to hear any noise was entirely due to him. This creature was truly... Shen Duo sighed and immediately turned her attention to the figures confronting each other in the sky.

She fell into deep thought. Although the investigation teams of the Shen and Zhou families had been tracking them, Lorcadán was vast; it should have taken at least five or six days to uncover any leads. Their visit to Eleanor’s shop yesterday had been discreet, and they had not made an appearance when Rio came to cause trouble. Who could have been watching them so closely as to leak their location?

Since this was their first time in Lorcadán, it could not be a stranger; it had to be someone they had come into contact with.

As she mused, a rough voice drifted down from the sky.

"Young Master of the Blazing Mercenary Group, and the boy from the Feng family, I advise you to stop meddling. Shen Duo is, after all, a direct descendant of our Shen family. You have no right to interfere with me taking her back!" Shen Hui roared with fury. The surrounding walls were in ruins, making it clear they had been at each other's throats for some time.

For the past few years, Lei Hang had helped his father manage the Blazing Mercenary Group. He was authoritative and arrogant. When they had first met Shen Duo in Luo City, she had been humiliated by so-called members of the Shen family, and Shen Aofan had even wanted her dead. Now, this Shen Hui had the audacity to return and claim he was taking her back to the main city. Not only would Shen Duo never agree, but he would certainly never allow it.

Others might fear offending the Shen family, one of the four great clans, but he was different. The mercenary business was one of blood and blades; they worked for whoever paid, and he had no friendship with these noble families, nor did he care to associate with them.

"Hmph! Shen Hui, your words sound so pleasant. I suppose the Third Elder must have taken a liking to your silver tongue to put you in charge of the investigation team! When you drove Xiao Duo out of the main city, did you consider her a direct descendant then? Now that you see she has grown stronger, you try to recruit her again. Don't you think the Shen family is slapping its own face?"

Lei Hang was never one to suffer a verbal defeat. His words were sharp and biting, causing Shen Hui’s face to turn from blue to white.

Feng Jun stared at Shen Hui with an icy expression. Even though he did not particularly like the young master of the Blazing Mercenary Group, Lei Hang’s words resonated with him.

Shen Hui was not a man of mere words. Provoked by Lei Hang, he grew furious. "Fine, if you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit, don't blame me. I had hoped to show respect to your elders, but if you are so unappreciative, then it is not my fault. Let our fists do the talking!"

Shen Hui was genuinely enraged. Before leaving the main city, he had signed a military pledge before the Third Elder; if he did not bring Shen Duo back, he would be stripped of his position. Even if not for the Third Elder’s favor, he had to complete this mission for the sake of his own faction.

Shen Hui was no weakling. Compared to Lei Hang and Feng Jun, his strength was more than two stages higher. As a nine-star Sky Phantom Master, he was but one step away from becoming a Phantom Sect master. Had he not possessed such formidable power, he would not have earned the Third Elder’s trust.

Seeing the situation turn dire, Shen Duo frowned. Just as she was about to push through the crowd, Lou Jingbai stopped her.

"Xiao Duo, you cannot go out there right now!"

Shen Duo’s steps faltered, and she instantly understood Lou Jingbai’s concern. Shen Hui had not come for Lei Hang or Feng Jun; he had come for her. Because Lei Hang and Feng Jun held status, Shen Hui would not dare to kill them. Regardless of who leaked the information, he would not act rashly until he had her in his sights.

If she appeared now, it would only push the situation toward an unknown outcome. Shen Hui might then ignore all consequences and use lethal force just to capture her.

There was a vast difference between every star of a Sky Phantom Master. Though Lei Hang and Feng Jun were prodigious talents who had reached the Sky Stage at a young age, they were only low-tier Sky Phantom Masters, while Shen Hui was a high-tier veteran. They were no match for him. Furthermore, her sacred phantom weapon sword had been destroyed, she was newly recovered from serious injuries, and without a suitable weapon, she would not be able to exert even half of her strength.

Lou Jingbai’s interference was logical.

Shen Duo stopped and hid within the crowd, watching the figures fighting above. She whispered in secret, "Lou Jingbai, if Shen Hui uses lethal force, you go and help."

Despite his reluctance, Lou Jingbai huffed and nodded.

Lei Hang and Feng Jun were already at a disadvantage, and Shen Hui’s strength far exceeded theirs. In the clear sky, blue spheres of spiritual phantom energy flickered constantly as various Sky Phantom techniques collided with thunderous explosions. The rogue phantom masters watching below were filled with awe.

A quarter of an hour later, it was clear to Shen Duo that Feng Jun and Lei Hang were being heavily suppressed. Both were covered in wounds, and blood trickled from the corner of Lei Hang’s mouth.

Shen Duo clenched her fists, barely suppressing the urge to rush into the fray. She took a deep breath, pushing down her anger, and felt an even deeper loathing for the people of the Shen family main city.

With Lei Hang and Feng Jun pinned down by the other two men Shen Hui had brought, Shen Hui’s eyes flashed with malice. Dense blue spiritual phantom energy surged in his hands as he launched a devastating Sky Phantom technique toward the two trapped men!

Everyone’s heart leaped into their throats at the sudden strike. No one had expected the captain of the Shen family investigation team to truly attempt to kill such high-profile figures. A technique from a nine-star Sky Phantom Master would leave these two handsome young men dead or crippled.

Seeing this, Shen Duo was horrified; she could no longer hold back. Knowing only that Shen Hui dared to hurt her friends, she and Lou Jingbai rushed forward.

From a hidden corner, a nimble shadow flashed—faster than Shen Duo—and a curtain of purple light soared into the sky, instantly blocking the path of the attack before Feng Jun and Lei Hang.

A deafening explosion seemed to tear the very air apart. Yet, no one cared about the noise; all eyes were fixed intently on the site of the blast.