Chapter 54

"Quick, grab him."

"Damn you, Lone Wolf, you won't escape tonight."

"Where do you think you're going?"

In the ancient Green Peak City, the night was unusually lively. Looking down from above, two groups of people, one in the east and one in the west, were chasing each other with great enthusiasm, shouting and yelling nonstop.

Heaven knows how many people were involved.

Heaven knows how many people were jolted awake from their dreams.

So many people, some without even putting on their shoes, rushed out with their weapons, like the one-eyed old man, who was only wearing a floral pair of shorts, making him quite conspicuous.

Still, it's all about money! Fifty thousand taels!

"Damn."

The black-clad man cursed, not even looking back as he fled.

He should have known! With such bad luck tonight, he shouldn't have come out to steal. One misstep, and he alarmed the entire Green Peak City. Looking at the large group of people chasing him, each one was strong, determined to catch him no matter what.

The problem was, he wasn't the Lone Wolf.

But the brats behind him were convinced he was.

It was all because of the money.

If the bounty was only a few hundred taels, only a fool would cause such a commotion in the middle of the night.

"Damn."

The bald brute and the one-eyed old man also cursed. They were the first to spot the Lone Wolf, but they let the black-clad man escape, missing a great opportunity.

Now, with so many people chasing, including many at the Xuan Yang realm, some even at the peak, the entire city was in chaos. Clearly, it wasn't their business anymore.

Fifty thousand taels!

It was already in his pocket, but now it was all gone.

"Where are you running?"

In the eastern part of the city, the shouts were deafening, as the group chasing Zhao Yun.

"Bad luck this year."

Zhao Yun didn't look back as he fled, his face even darker than the black-clad man's. He was the one who was most frustrated, having drawn a disaster while drawing talismans.

"Stay."

The shouts were deafening, and someone was chasing him from behind, a white-haired old man. Among so many people, he was the most aggressive, a peak Xuan Yang realm cultivator.

Before he finished speaking, dozens of sword auras shot towards Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun didn't look, but his expression was grim. Even before being hit, his back felt icy cold. Such sword auras, if hit, would leave him half-dead.

In a critical moment, he unleashed his potential, using the Wind God Step, narrowly avoiding the attack, passing through a wall, and continuing to flee, his legs still nimble.

"Pass through a wall?" The white-haired old man's eyes narrowed.

"Such a mysterious technique." A black-haired young man passed by, also at the peak Xuan Yang realm. His youthful appearance was likely due to taking elixirs to maintain his youth.

"Stay here for a few days, and I'll come to get you when the fuss is over."

As he passed a tavern, Zhao Yun buried the Lone Wolf's seal.

Boom!

The tavern then collapsed, destroyed by the two peak Xuan Yang realm pursuers. Bricks and tiles flew everywhere, and the tavern was demolished on the spot.

In front, the city gate was already in sight.

Zhao Yun wanted to pass through and escape the city, but he saw a row of people in armor, holding spears, standing neatly at the city wall.

"Nobody is allowed to leave the city. Violators... will be executed."

The loud shout came from the city tower, from a young man in armor.

"Do they need to mobilize the army to catch a thief?"

Zhao Yun clicked his tongue, performing a graceful move, heading in another direction. Trying to leave the city was impossible; approaching the city wall would result in a deadly attack from the guards.

He thought about using the Earth Escape technique, but it wouldn't work.

With pursuers behind and a blockade in front, using the Earth Escape technique would only force him out.

"Nobody is allowed to leave the city. Violators... will be executed."

Similar shouts echoed from the other three sides of the city.

Zhao Yun's guess was correct. The city lord of Green Peak City had mobilized over five thousand troops, usually only called during wars. Now, to catch a thief, such a grand deployment was made, giving the Lone Wolf a lot of face.

It made sense, with so many families putting pressure.

Among them was the Liu family, involving the Heavenly Sect, which the government couldn't ignore.

"Army."

The black-clad man, seeing the city wall's formation, almost cried.

What's going on! Just stealing a few hundred taels, and the army is mobilized.

Not just him and Zhao Yun, but the martial cultivators chasing them were also shocked. It had been years since Green Peak City had such a grand deployment.

"Capture the Lone Wolf, dead or alive, and receive a reward of fifty thousand taels."

The city lord's shout was the most authoritative, and he was the one who mobilized the army.

Actually, catching a thief didn't require such a grand deployment.

But it depended on who the thief was and what he stole. It wasn't just about money and gold, but also a rare treasure.

If not for this, he wouldn't dare to mobilize the army.

He received orders from higher-ups, with a strict command to retrieve the treasure.

Not just him, but other cities as well.

Including the Forgotten City, several cities within a few thousand miles also received similar orders. Their pressure came not only from several major families but also from more terrifying entities, making them feel suffocated.

Now, seeing the Lone Wolf, they couldn't help but take it seriously.

If they retrieved the treasure, the reward they would receive would far exceed fifty thousand taels.

"What the hell did you steal?"

Zhao Yun was still fleeing, his eyes deep, certain that the Lone Wolf didn't just steal money, but something else, like a rare treasure.

This guess made sense.

Even the army was mobilized, indicating the matter was significant.

But he didn't see any treasure!

When he killed the Lone Wolf, he took everything that could be taken.

"Could it be hidden somewhere?"

Zhao Yun mused, not ruling out the possibility.

Thinking about it, he felt a pang of regret. If it were true, the Lone Wolf must have a hiding place for the stolen money and the rare treasure. With the Lone Wolf dead, no one would find the hiding place.

If he knew this, he should have asked before killing.

But that night, he didn't know it was the Lone Wolf.

Clang! Clang!

As he spoke, more sword auras shot towards him, not just one or two, but a large number.

Zhao Yun gritted his teeth and passed through another wall.

When he came out, blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth. He wasn't directly hit by the sword auras but was injured by their residual force, with a deep cut on his left shoulder.

"Where is he?"

The pursuers arrived but saw no one, only blood on the ground.

"A True Spirit realm."

The white-haired old man coldly snorted, following the blood trail, his mind in shock. He was a peak Xuan Yang realm, yet he couldn't catch a True Spirit realm.

More people arrived, following the blood trail.

As they searched, the blood trail disappeared, vanishing into thin air.

"A living person, just gone?"

"There aren't many who know the Wall-Passing Technique, and I've never heard of a True Spirit realm using it."

"There's a lot you don't know."

A large group of people looked around, trying to find any trace of him.

"Do you think he might have entered the city lord's residence?"

Someone whispered, pointing to a grand mansion not far away, with a sign that read: Green Peak City Lord's Residence.

As expected, it was the residence of the city lord of Green Peak City.

When they looked, they saw people constantly entering and exiting the city lord's residence, mostly armed guards.

"Let's check."

They looked at each other, all eyes on the white-haired old man, clearly asking him to take the lead. They would go and ask, maybe he was inside.

Fifty thousand taels was a significant reward.

The white-haired old man hesitated for a moment, then took a step forward.

He moved, and the other martial cultivators followed.

Thus, the white-haired old man led a large group, looking like a boss with his subordinates, ready to raid a place.

"Who are you? Stop."

A loud shout came from the city lord's guards, looking fierce.

"The Lone Wolf seems to have run in."

Someone whispered from the crowd.

"We've been guarding here, and we haven't seen him."

"He really went in; we followed the blood trail."

"Nonsense, retreat now."

The guard coldly shouted, drawing his sword. His actions spoke volumes; if they didn't leave, they would be dealt with. This was the city lord's residence.

"Sorry for the disturbance."

The white-haired old man took a deep breath and turned around. He was a Xuan Yang realm, but he wasn't reckless. Provoking the city lord would mean he couldn't leave Green Peak City. A civilian challenging the government was asking for trouble.

Even a peak Xuan Yang realm like him was intimidated, let alone the others.

The large group came and left quickly, each one looking dejected.

Not catching this one, they went to catch another.

Their thoughts were the same, heading to the western part of the city, where another Lone Wolf was. Whether real or fake, they would catch him, maybe there would be a surprise.

"Seal the residence."

Behind them, the city lord's guards shouted.

"What for?"

The other guards were confused.

"Close the doors and catch the Lone Wolf."

"Is he really inside?"

"Most likely." The guard said, drawing his sword and entering the residence.

"Where the hell am I!"

When Zhao Yun emerged from underground, he found himself in a small garden, filled with flowers and plants, with the sound of flowing water, and also pavilions and terraces.

Zing...

As he looked, he heard a melodious tune from the pavilion.

Upon closer inspection, he saw a person, more accurately, a woman, in a green robe, playing a guqin. Her delicate hands plucked the strings, producing a beautiful and enchanting melody, like a heavenly tune, making him feel at ease.

The woman was stunningly beautiful.

Under the moonlight, she looked ethereal.

Zing...

As he listened, the melody continued, and he felt a strange power, making him step forward, drawn by the music.

Suddenly, the melody changed.

A moment ago, it was beautiful; now, it carried a sense of killing intent. Layers of crescent-shaped light waves flew out of the pavilion, accompanied by the sound of swords.

Zhao Yun quickly drew his Purple Dawn Sword.

Then, there were clashing sounds, sparks flying.

The woman continued to play, the melody layering.

Zhao Yun wielded his sword, breaking through the layers of light waves.

"What a strange secret technique."

Zhao Yun muttered, not knowing the woman's cultivation level, but knowing that her music was a secret technique, using the guqin to attack. The music was无形的，也能无形中杀人。他挡下了不少，也避开了不少，能清楚地看到身后的墙壁被这诡异的琴音划出一道道细微的剑痕。

琴音突然急转，前一瞬优美，这一瞬却充满了杀伐之意，一层层弧形的光晕从凉亭飞出，伴随着剑鸣声。

赵云见状，猛地抽出了紫霄剑。

随后，便是铿锵的碰撞声，擦出了雪亮的火花。

女子轻盈地弹琴，琴音一层接一层。

赵云竭尽全力舞剑，破开一道道蔓延而来的光晕。

“好诡异的秘术。”

赵云喃喃自语，不知女子的修为，只知道她的琴音是一种秘法，弹琴即可攻伐，琴音无形，也能无形中杀人。他挡下了不少，也避开了不少，能清楚地看到身后的墙壁被这诡异的琴音划出一道道细微的剑痕。