Chapter 1089: Chapter 748: I Am An Expert, I Won’t Pretend Anymore_2
Don’t mention him, even Director Nalan probably doesn’t have such good things; otherwise, he wouldn’t have invited him to bravely venture into Fushou Manor together.
Now Yang Xiao somewhat understood. No wonder those big figures could live so long. On one hand, they rarely engage in hand-to-hand combat using spiritual power, and on the other hand, they also have the blessing of good things like Life-extending Ointment.
His master uncle once hinted that there are many ways to delay entering the Nightmare World, but all require considerable costs. In Yang Xiao’s view, money can also be considered a cost.
Driving alone on the road, Yang Xiao enjoyed such solitary moments. He lowered the car window slightly, letting the cool night breeze brush against his face, dispelling the fatigue of the entire night.
As he drove through a tunnel on the way back, Yang Xiao was flooded with thoughts, but soon he shook off his memories because he sensed something was wrong.
The tunnel seemed to have become much longer. Originally it was only a minute’s drive, but now several minutes had passed, and there was still no exit. The tunnel was so deep it seemed endless.
Is it a supernatural event?
Or did he encounter an attack from an unknown Angel Envoy?
Yang Xiao quickly confirmed it was the second answer, and the reason was simple; it wouldn’t be such bad luck for him to encounter a supernatural event just after leaving Xiang Ma Town.
As for the other party’s goal, Yang Xiao could roughly guess. It must be aimed at the treasure he won, that Silk Cocoon Robe.
Thinking deeper, the biggest suspect was the woman with the number 7 at the auction. After all, daring to stage an ambush outside Xiang Ma Town is not something ordinary people would do. The other party must be very confident in their strength, and only the top few major forces would have such capability and courage.
With this thought, Yang Xiao pulled to the side and parked. Having driven in the tunnel for so long without seeing another car was enough to indicate the problem. An expert was coming, using their abilities to trap him.
Quickly donning the Drama Robe and putting on clothes over it, Yang Xiao pushed open the car door and got out, standing alone in the middle of the tunnel, and shouted to the empty surroundings, "Since you’re here, why not come out and meet!"
A few seconds later, a road sign on the left side of the tunnel suddenly trembled for no reason, then flickered like a poor signal, until someone stepped out from behind—a white-haired old man dressed in a Chinese tunic suit.
The old man had a compassionate and kind gaze, his hair and beard white, slightly hunched, with hands behind his back, walking leisurely toward Yang Xiao.
Yang Xiao, quietly gripping the Human Bone Staff, had already located the old fellow’s hiding spot but didn’t reveal it, because he wasn’t sure if there were any other people hiding in the distance. This was his trump card.
"Encountering an ambush without a hint of panic, young man, you are quite impressive and to the old man’s liking." The old man chuckled, having an air of a reclusive master.
Not wanting to upset a friendly face, Yang Xiao wanted to clear things up. He cupped his hands, politely asking the old man, "Senior, I don’t know if I’ve offended you in any way, please enlighten me."
"You haven’t offended me. You and I were strangers before tonight." The old man didn’t rush, his words like casually chatting with a junior at home, with a kindly face that made one feel close.
Yang Xiao understood; since they were unacquainted, it must be someone from the auction tonight.
Seeing that Yang Xiao seemed to have remembered something, the old man extended a hand, palm forward, and softly laughed, "Young man, I feel a connection with you. Tonight, if you hand over the treasure you bought at the auction, I’ll let you go."
"Buyer number 7 sent you." Yang Xiao’s suspicion was confirmed. It was indeed an acquaintance from the auction; this person was probably that young woman’s subordinate.
"Correct, let me tell you something: when away from home, young people should not be too arrogant, or they risk bringing trouble upon themselves." Seeing that he had completely suppressed Yang Xiao in terms of momentum, the old man became increasingly proud.
"Old thing, I’ll tell you something too: if young people aren’t spirited, then what are they?"
Pointing at the old man pretending to be profound, Yang Xiao cursed. Since the other party showed him his face, there was no way they would let him go. Today, only one of them would walk out of the tunnel alive.
To be honest, the Ghost Hitting the Wall trick used by the old man wasn’t that clever. With the Soul-Capturing Mirror in hand, Yang Xiao could easily escape, but for now, he didn’t plan to do so. Since the other party was after his treasure, why shouldn’t he aim to snatch the other person’s treasures as well?
While exchanging words with the old man, Yang Xiao was not idle. He used the Human Bone Staff to probe the surroundings while estimating the old man’s spiritual power level. After this probing, he roughly judged that the old man’s spiritual power was on par with his own, and there was only this old man nearby.
In a one-on-one setting with another Apostle of the same level, Yang Xiao had no fear. It wasn’t arrogance, but a thorough understanding of his own strength, especially now that he had an ally.
Being suddenly insulted up close, the old man, who was pretending to be profound, didn’t react at first and was momentarily stunned, turning green in the face a moment later. After all, he was the second-in-command of Pingzong Building, a major force in Phoenix City, respected wherever he went, yet this young brat dared to insult him to his face, utterly reckless!
"Truly a sharp-tongued brat, no wonder the young lady insists I dispose of you. You really are annoying! Originally, I planned to give you a quick death, but now I’ve changed my mind."
The old man in the Chinese tunic revealed a grim expression, his fingers like hooks, as a strangely shaped black stone appeared in his hand, "I’m going to tear you apart piece by piece and take you back to the OP for artifact refinement. The body of a Fierce Level Apostle would make for good material!"
Yang Xiao stopped the chatter, raised the Human Bone Staff, and struck out with force. At the same time, a bizarre ray of light flashed over the black stone in the old man’s hand.
Both Yang Xiao and the old man reacted almost simultaneously. Yang Xiao’s figure vanished instantly; realizing the danger, he decisively hid in the Mirror World, while the old man also sensed a strange energy coming his way, quickly sidestepping to the right with surprising agility for his supposedly corpulent body.
But what the old man didn’t expect was for the attack to change direction midway and come at him again. Caught off guard, he had no time to react and could only rely on the black stone to resist. The attack of the Human Bone Staff pierced through the stone, striking heavily at the old man’s chest.
The old man wasn’t knocked back but staggered a few steps, taking a second or two to regain his focus. When he looked again in Yang Xiao’s direction, his face turned pale.
At this moment, there was no sign of Yang Xiao in the tunnel, but Yang Xiao, hiding in the Mirror World, saw the eerie scene. The spot where he had stood seemed to be corroded by some strange force, leaving many black holes in the ground.
After their brief contact, Yang Xiao had fully gauged the opponent’s strength, finding his spiritual power slightly stronger than his own—but not by much. They were both at the level of having one foot in the Ghost Level.
In terms of Magic Artifacts, he temporarily saw two: the black stone in the old man’s hand, capable of launching long-range attacks with an unusual method but requiring considerable charge time.
The other artifact was the string of blood-red Prayer Beads on the old man’s left wrist, which, if he wasn’t mistaken, should have the power to distort reality and cause Ghost Hitting the Wall.
In any case, both of these Magic Artifacts were good, worthy of being sold at the auction tonight. If it weren’t for running into him today, it would indeed be tricky for another Apostle of the same level to handle.
After exchanging blows, the old man was also startled by Yang Xiao’s methods. He vaguely saw Yang Xiao using a peculiar short staff to hit him. This short staff was quite extraordinary, capable of long-range attacks, not harming the body but targeting the spirit—a very rare type of spiritual Magic Artifact.
Even though their Pingzong Building was known for hoarding many treasures, as the second-in-command within the building, he had only ever seen two such artifacts, and they didn’t belong to them. They dared not covet them, as the owners of these two artifacts were all renowned figures, and even their OP was no match.
But the short staff the young man displayed seemed even better than the artifacts held by those two seniors, easier to wield. And that wasn’t all—this person even had an artifact allowing him to vanish.
It was worth noting that this tunnel had already been affected by his artifact, leaving nothing unseen, yet this person disappeared right before his eyes without a trace.
It was a literal disappearance, with not even a hint of residual spiritual power perceptible.
Realizing this, the old man couldn’t help but feel fearful. He couldn’t discern this boy’s background. Judging from the auction seat number and his financial resources, he didn’t seem to be an offspring of any major force.
But he knew one thing: his young lady, along with him, had messed with the wrong person tonight.
This boy could have left at any moment, but he didn’t. His previous politeness was just an act to play the fool.
Now... the tables had turned.
