Chapter 441 - The Young Lu Ke

It was a rainy day.

The sky was dark, and it was raining outside the tent.

The area surrounded by the railings was very large, but there were only a few tents. It was emptier inside.

This was clearly a very important military base, yet there was not even a single guard.

As if there was no need for one at all.

"Seize, seize, seize!"

A red-clothed man ran over in the rain.

He looked like a young man..

"Lu Ke arrived?"

Lan Ling, one of the only two figures in the main tent, sat in front of the wooden table.

She was a woman in red, studying the huge array wheel on the table with her eyebrows lowered.

"Not bad."

Xin turned away from the window to look at the huge array wheel on the table.

This wheel not only occupied half of the wooden table, but it was also half the height of a person.

It was a 36-story nested structure.

Xin said that he felt like he was about to faint when he took a look at it.

He really didn"t know why these spiritual array masters who were studying this thing would...

Not go bald?

"Any progress?"

Xin rubbed his bald head and asked.

"Just so-so."

Lan Ling smoothed the black hair on her forehead and raised her eyebrows.

She has a pretty face with exquisite makeup, a delicate nose, and neat eyebrows. Her skin was as white as snow.

The only regretful mention was her dark circles, which could not be completely covered up regardless of the amount of rouge on the outside of her eyes.

"As expected, there is still a price to pay..."

Xin felt a little comforted.

Lan Ling drank a mouthful of water to moisten her throat and then asked, "Has the Night Guardian and the others returned yet?"

"They should be back soon."

"There are more than ten counties near White Cave and hundreds of cities in total. It will take a lot of effort to spread the news one by one in the next few days."

"By the way..."

Xin replied and suddenly paused.

Seeing Lan Ling"s gaze, he said, "Given the exquisite stone and the stowaway... This is such an obvious bait, would anyone really take the bait? Are they all so stupid?"

"With us in the alternate dimension, even a mosquito can"t fly in."

Hearing this, Lan Ling couldn"t help but laugh. She stood up and bowed.

The red robe instantly outlined her figure perfectly. What should be protruding was not protruding, what should be concave was not concave. It was plain, ordinary, and plain.

Xin remains emotionless. He stared at Lan Ling like an ancient monk and waited for her to exhale a sigh. Only then did he receive an answer.

"Isn"t it better for the bait to be a little more obvious?"

"If it was really a flawless plan, perhaps the think tanks of the big families and forces would be able to come up with something."

"However, currently it"s rather obvious, hence everyone can see the temptation."

"Only when there"s a loophole can someone delve deeper, right?"

Lan Ling tidied up her red robe and paused for a moment:

"But what if the direction of delving is wrong?"

"At the moment, everyone"s time and energy are limited. When they discover the mistake, they won"t have the strength to turn back."

"And if they really don"t discover anything, when these individuals feel that their a.n.a.lysis is almost done, it"s time for them to fall into the trap."

"Don"t you think so?"

Lan Ling walked to the window and stretched out her hand, touching the raindrops outside.

"I understand."

Xin rolled his eyes in confusion. "This is a strategy."

"Mm."

Lan Ling stared at the figure running wildly in the distance and asked, "How many layers can you see?"

"Heh, here"s what"s amazing."

Xin smiled arrogantly. "This time, with your explanation, I can see the third layer."

"The first layer is the bait, the second layer is our plan, and the last layer..."

He chuckled and said softly, "I know that all of you who mainly use your brains will definitely have another layer. Even if someone managed to research it, the final result they obtained will still be wrong."

Xin raised his eyebrows, seeming to be asking for praise. "Am I right?"

"Not bad."

Lan Ling nodded with a smile.

From the start, she did not plan to really explain things clearly to this simple-minded, well-developed fellow.

Deception... Yes, just prevaricate and that would be enough.

She could have told him everything. However, the key was that if this fellow listened to the entire plan, it would result in the plans turning more chaotic.

To be able to see this layer...

To be honest.

It was really not bad.

After all, not regressing was already the best improvement.

"Putting aside the big families and influences for now, how many Ghost Beast hosts have we found in the past few days?" Lan Ling asked.

Xin"s expression became solemn. He took out a large pile of jade scrolls from his ring and placed them on the windowsill.

"Quite a lot. There are seventeen that are suspected. We are still keeping an eye on them."

He casually picked up one of the Jade scrolls.

"Do you want to take a look at the information?"

Lan Ling shook her head and said, "What about your intuition?"

The internal department of the red-robed man had their own duties and was very clear about the division of labor.

She was in charge of the overall planning and arrangement. The things that were going on in the war must have been taken care of by someone else.

And Xin was such a special existence.

Although he could identify the people who were suspected to be the hosts of the ghost beasts according to Red Coat"s methods of investigation, she knew that Xin"s best ability was his intuition. However, only those who truly understood the inside story would know that.

As if he was their natural enemy, this fellow was able to identify which of them were the hosts of the ghost beasts with just his intuition alone, even if he didn"t verify it.

Such an absurd ability, which was almost similar to cheating, shouldn"t exist in an organization as strict as the red-robed man"s.

However, the countless battles in the past had proven how terrifying Xin"s intuition was.

This fellow"s accuracy was as high as 60% with just his naked eye"s differentiation ability!

"60..."

Every time Lan Ling thought of this, she felt a little fearful.

The Ghost Beast Host was such a terrifying existence!

Even with Red Coat"s differentiation methods, other than those who were searching in the alternate dimension for the first time, their accuracy could only reach the height of close to 60%.

In the human world, after learning about the Hidden Ghost Beast hosts, the accuracy of Red Coat"s methods was only 7-8%.

It was not even 10%.

Let alone 60%!

"If it"s based on my intuition."

Xin hesitated for a moment and then eliminated the other Jade scrolls, leaving only four of them.

"Four Ghost Beasts?"

Lan Ling"s pupils constricted.

This number was something she had never thought of.

Not too few, but too many!

After all, in every operation, their target was basically one ghost beast.

Xin nodded.

"Yes, this time, the situation is probably a little grim."

"Even after the previous expedition, that fellow in the White Cave still got away. It can be seen just how terrifying its strength is."

"Xu Yue Grey Palace will definitely not let such a strong one off."

"It is given that they will send someone over to make contact."

"This time around, the white cave has been opened as their main base. That sealed fellow will definitely return."

"Perhaps both parties will be able to sense each other before the white cave opens and have a preliminary communication."

Lan Ling went silent for a moment.

She had expected this situation, so she was not surprised.

However, just because she had expected it, does not mean that it is not troublesome.

On the contrary, if these Ghost Beast hosts formed an alliance before the White Cave opened, Red Coat"s mission would be even more difficult to handle.

However...

The corner of Lan Ling"s lips lifted.

This time round, their goal is not as simple as simply hunting Ghost Beasts.

"Eighth Palace?"

She suddenly mentioned this term.

Shock appeared in Xin"s eyes.

"As expected of sister Lan Ling. You are really smart!"

"I haven"t said anything..."

"The main point." Lan Ling knocked on the windowsill.

"Oh, oh."

Xin immediately became serious. "It"s true that most of these fellows have appeared in Eighth Palace, but they haven"t made any moves yet."

"I"ve been watching them. Don"t worry. Once they inexplicably cross paths, then..."

Lan Ling suddenly interrupted, "Then there"s no need to act rashly."

"Huh?"

Xin was stunned. "What?"

"A plan."

Lan Ling"s simple words made Xin come to a sudden realization.

"Okay, then we"ll stick to the original plan. No matter what, we"ll put them all into White Cave?"

"Yes."

Lan Ling paused for a long time before adding, "Including those experienced from the big and powerful families, as well as the stowaways."

Xin frowned.

He had always felt that the last two were superfluous.

But...

"Strategy?"

"Strategy."

"Alright..."

He picked up one of the jade scrolls helplessly.

With a sweep of his hand, a screen of light appeared in the air.

Inside the light screen, there was a woman in a white dress. Although her face could not be seen clearly, the small bronze cauldron in her right hand was shown clearly.

"The Legendary Beast Control Artifact."

Lan Ling"s gaze quickly fixed on the small cauldron.

"Yes."

Xin said, "Theoretically, she shouldn"t be so obvious, but..."

"Remember your aura. Pay attention to the disguise and any sudden sign movements. Don"t be fooled," Lan Ling said firmly.

Xin revealed a look of understanding.

That"s right, he could indeed do this.

"There will be no problem. I know and am certain," He patted his chest and promised.

"Your subordinate knows."Lan Ling smiled sweetly and added to his sentence.

Xin"s face instantly darkened.

Indeed, his mission was to fight on the front line after confirming that it was a Ghost Beast host.

These identification and judgment matters were all the work of others.

"Can"t you spare me some pride..."

"Next." Lan Ling didn"t dawdle at all.

Xin didn"t go on to the next one. Instead, he pointed at the screen and said, "I suspect that she"s the one we fought before."

This time, Lan Ling"s little movement of knocking on the windowsill froze.

It was as if she had once again seen the weakened red-robed men who had collapsed on the ground after a long battle.

The power of the seal at that time was too terrifying!

If they hadn"t relied on the force of rules of the Small World, it would have been difficult for them to come out alive.

Even so, the number of red-robed men who had died in that battle was still terrifying.

"Are you sure?"

Lan Ling"s voice even trembled a little.

"I"m not sure."

Xin shook his head.

"It"s too obvious. This woman has attacked a few times, and each time, the power of the seal is way too obvious, it"s till the point where I even suspect otherwise."

Lan Ling lowered her eyelids and fell into deep thought.

"Keep an eye on her."

She did not make a definite conclusion.

"I... I understand."

Xin nodded.

He put down the jade stroll and touched the remaining three.

"Other than the previous one, there are three other guys who looked very strange. I reckon that they are not that simple."

With a wave of her hand, three men appeared on the three light screens.

"Ordinary..."

Lan Ling muttered.

Looking at the light screens alone, it was indeed difficult for her to see anything.

"Yes, they are indeed ordinary."

Xin scanned her from top to bottom and said, "I"ll just keep an eye on these few. You should be careful of the one who seems to be sealed."

"Also..."

He paused for a moment and hesitantly touched the fifth jade scroll.

"There"s a fifth one?"

Lan Ling"s heart tightened.

Aren"t there too many of them this time?

"I"m not sure."

Xin replied hesitantly, "I really can"t see anything wrong with her at all. I"m really just relying on my intuition."

"But if she is really a ghost beast, this fellow must have been specially nurtured by Xu Yue Grey Palace. This is too well-hidden..."

"What a waste of time."

Lan Ling interrupted him and swiped her hand, causing another light screen to appear.

If it wasn"t for his intuition, she wouldn"t have wanted to look at it!

With just a glance, Lan Ling"s eyes widened.

On the light screen, an extremely voluptuous gray-robed woman appeared.

It was obvious that if she, Lan Ling, was to wear this loose gray robe, there would be enough s.p.a.ce left for someone to hide in it.

However, on this woman"s body, there were even threads that could only appear when her clothes were taut!

"This..."

Lan Ling was stunned for a long while before she said firmly, "She must be a Ghost Beast!"

Xin: "..."

He also knew that this woman"s appearance might be a blow to sister Lan Ling, but it shouldn"t be, right?

"This is too much. Red Coat shouldn"t act on impulse."

"A woman"s Intuition!"

"Your intuition isn"t reliable."

"But your intuition is!"

Xin: "..."

He silently put away the light screen. "I"ll keep an eye on her."

"Keep an eye on her!"

Lan Ling was reluctant to part with him.

..

"Master Xin, Sister Lan Ling!"

With a whistle outside the windowsill, the red-clothed person who had been running madly in the rain finally broke through the window with a shout.

The rain was thrown away by the momentum and immediately splashed all over the ground. Thirty-six-layered nested great spirit array was also sprinkled on the ground.

Lan Ling wrinkled her nose.

"Can"t you pay attention to where you are heading?"

"Hehe."

The young man, Lu Ke, revealed an apologetic smile on his face, but it was only for a moment before he retorted, "I don"t have as powerful a spiritual essence as you guys. I can"t fly yet, so naturally, I can"t expel the rain."

"You don"t know how to ride a sword?"

Xin slapped this guy"s head.

"Ouch."

Lu Ke held his head and shrank back. "Isn"t it too cold to ride a sword? I"m not riding a sword!"

The two of them: "..."

Cold?

What a funny word!

However, this guy indeed didn"t have any spiritual essence, so there was no way to retort.

"Your existence is simply tarnis.h.i.+ng the face of Moonless Sword Deity."

Xin rolled his eyes.

"It"s fine. It"s fine. My master still likes me very much. He even said that when the white cave opens, he would come to see me." Lu Ke chuckled.

"Come?"

Lan Ling and Xin were shocked. "Your master is coming?"

"Uh..."

Lu Ke was shocked by their strong reactions. "I, I"m not sure. He just said that it"s possible."

"Why?"

Xin slapped his forehead. "It"s not necessary. It"s just a white cave. Why would the Moonless Sword Deity come Here?"

"Maybe it"s because of the "Fourth Sword"?"

Lu Ke speculated, "After all, he fought with Bazhun"an before. If he could get his hands on the Fourth Sword, it would be a good achievement."

Lan Ling and Xin looked at each other and saw the helplessness in each other"s eyes.

This was probably the only junior in the eastern region who dared to call the Eighth Sword Deity by his name.

Even the two of them didn"t dare to call him by his name so disrespectfully!

But oh well.

He does have the right.

"It shouldn"t be just the Fourth Sword."

Lan Ling paced back and forth and pondered for a while. "If your master wants to come over, then the white robes he"s leading will definitely make some movements."

"But, what will it be?"

"That requires the Moonless Sword Deity to come over personally?"

An idea suddenly flashed through Xin Xin"s mind. "Saint Servant?"

Lan Ling"s footsteps paused as she slowly turned her head back, her eyes revealing her shock.

"Since when did your brain work so well?"

She clapped her hands.

"That"s right, didn"t the saint servant cause a huge incident at Tiansang Spirit Palace?"

"I heard that the princ.i.p.al of the Spirit Palace submitted a letter of resignation to Holy Divine Palace. It seems that even the Cutting Path Level has appeared. Perhaps the policy of letting a tiger live in the wild back then really did cause trouble?"

"But, just the Cutting Path Level is not enough!"

Lu Ke felt guilty after hearing that. He lowered his body and said, "I only said that it"s possible, not entirely certain yet. Stop guessing."

He was really afraid that when his master ended up not coming, the two fellows in front of him would directly roast him on the fire.

After all, it was not unprecedented.

"Or maybe it"s not just the recent events caused by saint servants."

Despite getting praised, Xin was not proud. He continued to speculate, "After all, this is the white cave. It seems that the Sleeveless, Red Scorched Hand was trained here."

"If I remember correctly, many years ago, the only time Moonless Sword Deity made a mistake was when he destroyed the saint servant"s stronghold in the Central Region."

"That second-in-command ran away."

"At that time, Night Guardian, that fellow, was still a subordinate of Moonless Sword Deity, right?"

Lu Ke was stunned.

Senior Night Guardian was actually a subordinate of his master?

"Interesting, interesting..."

Lan Ling was engrossed in listening and suddenly came to a realization. "There"s something wrong with you today. Why are you so smart?"

"Hehe, I"m not stupid. It"s just that you guys are too smart." Xin was elated. He grinned.

"You"re not right."

Lan Ling narrowed her eyes and suddenly said, "3726451!"

"UH."

Xin"s smile froze.

You even want to verify this?

I"m really not stupid!

He said helplessly, "4486696."

"PFFT!"

Lu Ke could not help but burst out laughing.

He was suspected of being possessed by a ghost beast because he was too smart?

Master Xin was really too stupid!

Before he could hide his smile, Xin had already glared at him fiercely. He swung his arm, causing him to grimace in pain.

"Three, three, two, two, one, one, one!"

Lu Ke: "..."

"What have I done wrong? Do I really need to be tested?"

"You just came back from outside." Xin glared at him angrily.

"One, one, two, two, three, three, nine."

Lu Ke shut himself in.

Every time he recited the "Life Maxim", he always felt that it was shameful.

Even though it had been sealed by the strongest heaven"s secret technique of Dao Qiong Cang, the current Hall Master of Holy Divine Palace.

Even if a demi-saint came, he would not be able to crack and read the "Life Maxim" hidden deep in Red Coat"s soul.

But the content of this setting...

"Why can"t Uncle Dao change the order of the "Maxim of life" to a higher order? Must it really be numbers?" Lu Ke was helpless.

"Isn"t it fine as long as it works?"

After recognizing that this guy was not possessed by a ghost beast, Xin immediately snorted.

..

"Why are you looking for us?"

Lan Ling opened her white teeth slightly. "You didn"t run all the way here just to ridicule us, right?"

With this question, Lu Ke"s originally cheerful expression suddenly became more serious.

The moment he fell silent, the two people in the tent also fell silent.

The sound of raindrops outside the window suddenly amplified.

Lan Ling"s eyes narrowed.

Did this kid discover something else?

"Why did you let those innocent people into the White Cave?" Lu Ke finally spoke.

Sure enough.

Lan Ling immediately understood.

Lu Ke didn"t believe her. This guy"s comprehension was superb. Otherwise, he wouldn"t have been accepted as a disciple by the Moonless Sword Deity.

However.

"You"re not at the level yet, so you have no right to know," Lan Ling said coldly.

"Sister, I saw it!"

Lu Ke"s words were filled with righteous indignation. "What was that under the Thirty-Six Heavens Sealed Array?"

"You have no right to know."

"The blood altar of the Great Dragon Ming is an offering to heaven, a sacrifice!"

Lu Ke sneered. "Do you really think I don"t know? I"ve seen this thing from Uncle Dao when I was young, but how can you use it in the White Cave? It"s not something for people to use!"

Lan Ling"s eyes darkened.

So he had realized it when he was young.

"You have no right to know." Her reply was still cold.

"I. . ."

Lu Ke choked.

Xin was also confused by the conversation between the two.

"What Big Dragon Ming blood platform, What sacrifice?"

He was about to speak, but Lan Ling stopped him.

"Xin, see our guest out."

"I"m not leaving!"

Lu Ke said angrily, "Those people are innocent. They can"t die. The blood-stained on Red Coat can only be contributed by Ghost Beasts!"

Xin, who was attempting to send Lu Ke out, froze.

He was indeed not stupid.

He had asked the same question as Lu Ke earlier, and Lan Ling"s answer was "strategy".

So, is this strategy?

"Extreme measure?"

Xin lowered his shoulders slightly as if his entire body was powerless.

Is it time to use the extreme measure again?

However, it was indeed the case!

The Sealed Ghost Beast and the grey mist figure, if they do not use the extreme measure, with just Red Coat"s battle strength and people tactic, it"s not enough to overwhelm them.

Lu Ke was still shouting something, but Lan Ling continued to remain silent.

Xin turned his head slightly and looked out of the window.

The sky was still dark, and the rain keeps falling.

Even the air turned slightly cold.

Sometimes, Xin also doubted whether Red Coat was really righteous.

This thought had arisen when he had partic.i.p.ated in the extreme measure for the first time.

However, when he saw those ordinary people who had died tragically under the attacks of the Ghost Beasts, the compa.s.sion in his heart still told him that he really needed to do something about it.

"In the end, it"s just that I"m not strong enough."

"If I can instantly kill the ghost beasts... if I can... There would not be a need for extreme measure."

In Xin"s mind, after the extreme measure ended, the only one remaining was the head of the team leader.

At that time, his neck was still spewing blood, but his words were unforgettable.

"Justice must pay a price."

Yes.

Xin clenched his fists and lifted his shoulders.

Without the sacrifice of a few people, how could there be true peace?

"Master Xin!"

His memories were scattered.

Lu Ke"s roar was heard.

"Say something. You taught me that the blood on Red Coat can only be contributed by Ghost Beasts!"

"Xin."

Lan Ling only said one word.

Xin looked at the red-faced youth whose blood was surging wildly as if he had just seen his past self..

He once, too, had such a firm and resolute belief.

But after the extreme measure, everything was destroyed.

Then.

The belief became even more resolute.

"Lu Ke, you have to leave."

Xin picked up the young man and walked towards the tent"s door.

Lu Ke"s entire body froze.

He could see that Master Xin had also understood something.

But why didn"t he stop it?

"Master Xin!"

Bang!

Xin threw Lu Ke onto the ground. The rain washed down, drenching the young man once again.

"You"re wrong!"

"You"re all wrong..."

Lu Ke"s anger seemed to have turned cold. From roaring to mumbling weakly, he could not stop shaking his head.

Xin closed his eyes and allowed the rain to wash over him too.

Almost as if this could wash away all his sins.

"Let"s go."

He finally waved his hand and gave a rare explanation, "You"re still young. You don"t understand."