"No, I caught you."
Seeing your calm demeanor, instead of the fear he expected, the "driver's" fierce face shifted slightly as he realized something.
Tear!
A black hand suddenly emerged from the leather seat in the back, looking frantic, seemingly trying to dig out your spine.
Your expression remained unchanged as you calmly said, "Let's begin!"
Boom!
A terrifying flame erupted from the ground, burning the black hand to ashes. Lu Zhong, the protector who had been pursuing Ye Chen, suddenly appeared.
A massive hand, ablaze with golden flames, grabbed the "driver's" head, ignoring his horrified expression, and yanked it, pulling him out.
The "mastermind," dragged out and beaten brutally, quickly realized this was all part of a trap. Lu Zhong had gone after Ye Chen and hadn't returned on purpose.
"No!!!" he cried.
You calmly watched as the "mastermind" was beaten by Lu Zhong, his limbs and flesh torn apart in a cruel manner. A slight smile played at the corner of your mouth.
As expected, although the "mastermind" was powerful, he was no match for Lu Zhong at that moment. Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to resort to tricks to plot against you.
Earlier, you had openly ordered Lu Zhong to chase and kill the protagonist, Ye Chen, but secretly used spiritual energy to send a message asking him to chase for a while and then quickly return to set a trap for the "mastermind."
However, to your surprise, the "black hand" possessed strange abilities. It could transform into a shadow, shifting into various forms and nearly escaping from Lu Zhong.
But as Lu Zhong, your protector assigned by the Lu family, was also incredibly powerful, he transformed into a giant golden ape and struck, suppressing the black hand.
Soon, the battle was over.
With a murderous look on his face, Lu Zhong dragged the "mastermind"—whose limbs were torn off like a ragdoll—towards you and explained, "Master Lu, this ghost thing was practicing a long-lost, evil skill, the [Thousand Shadow Magic Skill]. It allows him to manipulate shadows and change faces. It's very strange. I almost let him escape. At this point, I can't figure out where he came from."
You weren't surprised. The "mastermind" in front of you was probably just a disposable piece in a larger game. It was impossible for him to use those promising skills and secret techniques without more power backing him.
"Soul search!"
You commanded coldly.
Once a person reaches the seventh level of sainthood, their soul becomes solid and possesses various powers, including the ability to "search the soul." However, it comes with a price—the victim either becomes insane or dies instantly.
The "mastermind" in front of you had already killed you once in the first villain simulation. How could you let him go so easily?
Lu Zhong nodded and began the soul search on the "mastermind" in his grasp, determined to find out who was behind the scenes. Anyone bold enough to attack the young master of the Great Xia Lu family must be prepared for the consequences.
Soon, under the "soul search," the "black hand" began to writhe, bleeding from all seven orifices. His body shook violently, and soon he ceased to breathe, dying on the spot. But Lu Zhong didn't seem pleased; his face was filled with concern, even a hint of embarrassment.
"Master Lu, some of this b*****d's memories have been erased. I couldn't find out who was behind this. The only thing I could gather is that this person seemed to have been an orphan, later taken in and taught the [Thousand Shadow Magic Skill]."
"Having his memory wiped clean—it's all been covered up well," Lu Shen thought as he calmly observed the villain simulator. He had anticipated this outcome.
Clearly, the trap set against him had been in place for a long time. It was meant to be difficult to unravel.
However, the situation of the "mastermind" reminded him of something.
Collecting orphans, carefully raising them, and teaching them secret techniques... this sounded like the method used by powerful aristocratic families to train "death warriors."
In a way, Lu Zhong, as your protector, was also a "death warrior" of the Lu family—living for the family, prepared to sacrifice his life at any time. This is why you trusted him so much.
"It seems the Daxia Gu family's involvement is now highly suspect."
"And the Zhao family of Magic City is also partially implicated."
"However, in the villain simulator, I still lack concrete evidence…"
"Though at my level, whether I have evidence or not is almost irrelevant."
The smile on Lu Shen lips grew more intense as he looked forward to the next moves in the simulator. After all, the "Lu Shen" in the simulator also had his own thoughts.
He was also unable to directly interfere from the outside.
You weren't surprised by Lu Zhong's report and showed an incredible calmness. For ordinary people, in the absence of evidence, they'd either have to hold their suspicions or slowly gather more. But you? You were the second son of the Great Xia Lu family, with the celestial ancestor of the Gu family above you. For you, evidence and the law were merely jokes.
When a small person is oppressed, they naturally need to find someone powerful to back them up.
You took out the Lu family's internal blood communicator from your storage ring and sent a message to your older brother, Lu Shou, telling him you had been assassinated by the Gu family, who was also a celestial family. You asked for his help in dealing with the situation.
Your older brother, Lu Shou, had always been protective of you. You believed he would help you.
As the top genius of Daxia and the young master of the Lu family, Lu Shou's power far surpassed yours. He was so influential that he could even represent the Lu family, which would certainly stir things up and alert your enemies.
As for the Zhao family of Magic City, you planned to investigate their true role yourself.
The Li family, one of the four major families in Magic City, was an ally of the Daxia Lu family. The head of the family had married your cousin, so they were considered part of the family. When you arrived in Magic City, the Li family arranged everything for you, and you intended to ask for their help in investigating and taking action.
In the first simulation, you were killed before you could fully harness your strength. This time, you would make the most of it.
After making your plans, you asked Lu Zhong to write a copy of the [Thousand Shadows Magic Skill] that he obtained through soul searching. You were clearly interested in this dark technique that allowed one to change into various forms and even become a shadow.
Lu Zhong agreed, but then suddenly asked if you were capable of practicing it. After all, you had secretly used spiritual energy to communicate with him earlier, and he realized you were hiding your cultivation level.
You nodded slowly. Lu Zhong was one of your strongest trump cards. There were some things you couldn't hide from him. You asked him to keep this a secret and not tell anyone.
The deeply hidden mastermind behind the scenes had no idea you had awakened the "Supreme Emperor Bone" and could practice such techniques. You wanted to keep it that way.
After a brief pause, Lu Zhong nodded in agreement.