‘That woman better not say anything rash! Especially Huifen, I suppose he didn’t mention my identity to anyone and was working alone. But I can not rule out the possibility that he told her.’
Li Shen began cursing in his heart.
At that time, it was smart on his part to make negotiations with Huifen, and even had the balls to reveal his identity. That was because they were a neutral power and wouldn’t have benefited from revealing his identity as the Faceless hero. That was just creating an unnecessary enemy. Plus, he had something they wanted, knowledge about the Central Continent.
But now this came back to blow up in his face in dramatic fashion.
‘Dammit, is this my skewed luck trying to pull a practical joke on me? How can this situation line up so perfect for my identity to be revealed, and in front of people who would want me dead if told no less!!’
This was a cataclysmic disaster that completely blindside and smack him square in the face.
He was done for, finish! kaput!
It was completely over for him.
If his identity was revealed now he was going to be a pitiful boy with a ticking timer on his back, that was counting down for him to be assassinated.
It wouldn’t surprise him if Patriarch Evernight came himself!
Li Shen wasn’t exaggerating his value as he knew his own potential better than anyone. Him having two Supreme grade attributes, something never before seen on this continent or the others was enough to make anyone with a bit of ill will would want him dead.
Even if the Demonic Cult and the Ming Clan weren’t here. If it was a situation where he was born into a clan that was rivals or even friends with another Clan of equal strength, they would have turned on his clan because of his potential.
Who in the cultivation world would want another force other than them to gain such a broken advantage?
Especially his Li Clan who were already rulers of the continent, they would become even more terrifying. His brother's talent was manageable but he was a different level of threat.
While Li Shen had his heart throbbing in anxiety that his identity could be revealed right here right now, Long Feng with narrowed eyes slowly asked.
“Do you know the Faceless Hero’s identity?”
Hiccup.
Li Shen suddenly hiccupped out of nowhere.
The Mercenary Association Leader paused for a moment before replying.
“I know he has a relation with my disciple... "
The Mercenary Association Leader paused here in her sentence for some reason.
"..Since he is a part of my Mercenary Association.”
Long Feng hearing that, suddenly turned his attention away from her. He chose to ask nothing further as he saw it as useless.
He said his goodbye and was ready to depart, leaving Li Shen a bit taken aback.
‘What just happened?’
The Mercenary Association Leader suddenly spoke up.
“Wait!”
Long Feng's soul stopped.
“I assume you are related to “that” Mercenary Association right? If so then your rules forbade you from betraying members of your organization. It’s a taboo you can never break or else, well, you yourself as this branch leader should know consequences.”
Everyone upon hearing that had thoughts running through their heads. Long Feng seemed to know the Mercenary Association.
“Frankly, I’m quite surprised to have seen you here as well as on the other continents in this sub-region. I’ve visited many but I’ve never come across their branches before, but I guess they wouldn't set up branches in such backwater places. You are either descendants of the original Mercenary Association on my Central Continent or cheap imitations of it. Which is it?”
“We are descendants of the original.”
“Hm, is that so. I guess your struggling to get past the Heavenly Bridge to get to the Central Continent.”
'Heavenly Bridge?'
Li Shen thought.
And he waited for someone here to ask about it, but he heard no reaction from them.
'This is common knowledge to them? I want to know what this Heavenly Bridge is. Is it related to the Spatial Barrier separating us from the Central Continent?'
“I’m leaving, Lu Xue Wen, like I said, you caused the chaos that’s about to happen to your Celestial Academy… I hope Young Master Feng will not interfere with our continent's matter.”
“As long as you do not harm the Sword God's descendants I will not interfere. I hope you understand Academy Leader Wen.”
“It’s fine, he’s a cowardly fool who only knows how to hide in his cave. As long as he pokes his head out I’ll chop it off.”
A snort came from Patriarch Evernight before his soul retreated.
“We’ll see about that, you crazy old man.”
Some sort of hatred was there between Lu Xue Wen and Patriarch Evernight. Li Shen wondered what it was.
'Argh! So many questions but no answers! Wait until I see that old man, I'll make him tell me everything he's been hiding from me.'
While Li Shen was upset over all these unanswered questions, one by one the top 1% of experts left this secret meeting only known to few. The only ones remaining were Li Shen, the Mercenary Association Leader, and Long Feng.
Well, Li Shen was undetectable so to them it was just the two of them. He wanted to see what they were going to discuss about him.
However, he was quite wrong about that.
“Hm, does senior need something from me?”
Long Feng suddenly asked.
“What?”
The Mercenary Association Leader asked confused.
“Oh…”
Long Feng said upon sensing the slight soul fluctuations hurriedly leaving.
“I guess someone was eavesdropping on your conversation.”
“Someone was eavesdropping?”
The Mercenary Association Leader said taken aback. She didn’t sense anything at all, who was it that could avoid the senses of experts of their levels?
“Indeed, I was quite surprised by their ability to mask their soul. To think such a technique would be in a place like this. But enough of that, I suspect you want to talk business?”
In the Celestial Academy, Li Shen’s Soul projection made a rapid descent down to his physical body.
BANG!
When his soul projection reentered his body the ground beneath him crack as his body became extremely heavy.
He had lost his focus for a second causing his ability to adjust his weight to go out of control. His body also increased in height causing his clothes to let out ripping sounds.
“F-Fuck, I used the Power of the World for too long.”
Li Shen’s mind felt like it was going to slip into two. He couldn’t focus on maintaining the powers he had come to control as simple as breathing.
That goes to show the massive side effect the technique had. And that's despite him never stop trying to learn it.
“This is all the more reason to go through with my original plan. Everything thus far is a sign that I need to get stronger.”
As Li Shen said that he focused on regaining control of his Physique's two strange abilities.
With a bit of deep breathing his body soon return to a normal weight, after which his monstrous eight-foot body shrank down to just below six feet.
He tried to go lower but couldn’t.
“Dammit, fine stay there. I’m still far away from being recognized as the Faceless Hero for having the same height.”
Letting out a sigh, Li Shen slowly began to get up.
At the same time, a loud chime suddenly echoed out.
“Huh? That’s the chime of a bell.”
Li Shen held onto the rags that were his pants and slowly made his way up a tree.
He sensed something up in the sky.
Reaching the top of the tree his head stuck out of the foliage and he saw that in the sky above the Academy was a translucent bell.
It was huge and it seemed to be encapsulating almost the entire academy.
“This projection... It looks like the Academy’s Guardian Celestial Treasure, the one Tai saw under the academy. But it only appears when the sect is facing a disaster.”
Li Shen confused expression suddenly turned to shock as he remembered Patriarch Evernight’s threat.
“Fuck! He’s targeting the academy right now?!”
BANG!
BANG!
“That’s three chimes! If memory serves me right, then that means the threat is at a level the academy can handle.”
Li Shen's face gained a thoughtful expression.
“Perhaps that Lu Xue Wen had prepared for the Dark Moon Assassin Guild, why else was he so insistent on provoking Patriarch Evernight?”
Li Shen came to that conclusion and a sort of relief settled in but albeit he was still on alert.
He made a move to leap down from the tree but his body suddenly froze.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Li Shen quickly turned around to stare at the bell in the sky with incredulity.
“Three chimes means that the academy is facing a threat it can handle. Six chimes mean that the threat is on the same level as the Celestial Academy. So the Dark Moon Assassin Guild is that threatening?”
Li Shen’s eyes spout flames before he spat.
“THEN WHY THE FUCK DID YOU GO AND PROVOKE THEM INTO AN UNNECESSARY FIGHT?!!”
Li Shen’s nose flared and his eyes widened into saucers.
“That old fart of an Academy Leader he-”
Li Shen’s words got cut off and he slowly raised his head to look at the bell with a dazed expression.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Six chimes suddenly echoed in quick succession.
Li Shen almost coughed out blood upon hearing them.
“This is absurd, what the hell does twelve chimes even mean? Just who the fuck is operating that thing?!!”
Li Shen closed his eyes while pressing his fingers against his head as he tried to recall the meaning of the number of bell chimes.
Three chimes meant the academy was facing a threat they can handle. Six meant it was facing a force of equal strength. Nine was that it was at a disadvantage.
What does twelve mean?
Li Shen open his eyes and a solemn expression slowly made its way onto his face.
“That the Academy was facing the possibility of being destroyed.”
**
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