As Bai Chen was moving toward the mansion, City Lord Shen was getting the report from the short man, Rat.
"So you are telling me that you couldn't find a single thing about him?" City Lord Shen questioned, his eyebrow raised.
"Yes, my lord," the short man replied as he bowed his head, "I believe that Xiao Feng is nothing more than an alias he is using to fool us."
"Hmm, I thought so," City Lord Shen nodded as he spoke. "Stay near me, and when he comes out of seclusion, try to probe through his disguise."
"As you command, my lord," Rat gave another bow and disappeared into the shadow of a nearby pillar.
"What do you want, Xiao Feng?" A thoughtful look appeared on City Lord Shen's face as he watched Rat leave.
"Hmm, looks like he is out of seclusion." Shen Canglong muttered as he sensed the barrier around Bai Chen's seclusion quarters disappear.
The next moment, he disappeared from his seat and appeared outside the courtyard that had been assigned to Bai Chen.
"It seems that Fellow Daoist had a fruitful cultivation session." When City Lord Shen arrived there, Bai Chen was already standing outside his room.
"Indeed," Bai Chen replied, "I was able to recover a few more injuries I sustained in the ambush."
Bai Chen then clasped his hands and said with a slight bow, "I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Fellow Daoist Shen for the hospitality you have shown me, but now I must take my leave."
He revealed his desire to leave to avoid making any mistakes and revealing his identity as the exiled young master of the Azure Dragon Sect.
Hearing Bai Chen's words, City Lord Shen paused for a moment, then spoke in an understanding tone, "Since Fellow Daoist wants to leave, I won't hold you back."
With this, Bai Chen departed from the Azure Dragon City, though he was still able to sense someone following him the moment he left the City Lord's mansion.
Bai Chen guessed that his pursuer was likely sent by City Lord Shen to uncover his true identity, given how carefully they hid their presence and followed him from a distance.
At first, he remained wary of them, but soon, he realized they were far weaker than him, allowing him to shake them off pretty easily.
After shaking off his pursuers, he started moving toward his next destination, Xifeng City, the capital of the Xifeng Empire.
His goal there was simple—to buy talented slaves and set up his own force for the future.
Bai Chen moved swiftly, covering hundreds of meters with each step he took. Soon the plains around him changed into a dense forest with seemingly no end.
Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, a young man was moving rapidly through the trees.
The young man was missing his right arm, and a bloody scar also stretched across his chest. His face showed a tired expression, and his dantian was empty of any spiritual energy.
Yet, the young man gritted his teeth, threw a Qi replenishing pill into his mouth, and kept moving because he knew that stopping would mean death.
After the young man had passed the area, the shadows of the nearby trees started wiggling, and a few people emerged from them.
Their bodies were covered with a mysterious black fabric that ensured their features remained unrecognizable.
Once all of them emerged from the shadows, one of the shadowy figures stepped forward and inspected the blood trail left behind by the young man and spoke,
"he's almost at his limit. There's no need to rush. We'll take our time." His voice carried a cold, emotionless tone. The calm in his voice masked their relentless intent.
Another figure nodded. "A former captain of the Book of Satan... He should've known that betrayal would lead to only one end."
The group started following the trail of blood through the forest, their movement as silent as death, having no intention of taking the task lightly despite the first figure's words.
On the other side, Bai Chen suddenly stopped after sensing someone nearing him. He carefully concealed his presence and hid in a nearby bush, waiting to let the other party pass.
Soon, a young man with a flailing sleeve stumbled into Bai Chen's vision. There was a deep scar on his chest, and blood was continuously flowing from the wound.
After taking a few steps, the young man stumbled and fell onto his knees, unable to suppress his injuries anymore.
Then, a few figures appeared around the young man, quickly surrounding him and cutting off any path of escape.
Bai Chen was quite intrigued by the scene in front of him, but he remained hidden, having no intention of stepping in, after he sensed the cultivation of the leading figure to be at the Full Core Realm just like his.
As Bai Chen was thinking this, one of the figures crouched beside the young man, pressing a dagger against his throat. "You ran well, Zhang Yu, but it ends here."
"Now, hand over the method you used to break free from the organization's slave seal, and I can promise you a painless death," the figure said, his voice commanding, not leaving any room for negotiation.
Hearing the figure's words, the young man, Zhang Yu, curled his lips into a bitter smile as he sighed and said, "Do you really think I would give you what you want?"
"No, not really. I'd be disappointed if you did," the figure replied. "After all, if you did, how would I enjoy the pleasure of torturing you?" He said, tracing the dagger from Zhang Yu's neck to his chin, slightly lifting his face.
The figure then took out a stick and, with a flick of his hand, lit one end of it in silver flames using his spiritual energy.
When Bai Chen saw the silver-colored flame, he was confused for a moment, but then a chill ran down his spine.
He recognized the flame to be the Everlasting Scorchfire, a flame specially used in torturing someone. A flame feared by all because of its cruelty.