Li Kongcai’s loud shout drew the attention of everyone at the competition venue to him.
When he saw Liu Xun’s unfriendly gaze, Li Kongcai realized he had lost his composure.
However, this matter was of great importance. If that brat who was arrested really managed to escape.
It would definitely not be good news for the Liu Hai Sect.
Li Kongcai quickly sent a telepathic message to Liu Xun, explaining the entire situation.
After Liu Xun listened, he pondered for a moment, and then people noticed that the previously enraged Li Kongcai had left the competition venue with Lin Wenshen.
Liu Xun cast a deep glance at Zhang Ergou on the stage. The matter Li Kongcai told him also made Liu Xun very surprised and angry.
No one knew better than Liu Xun how sturdy the Liu Hai Sect’s prison was.
After thousands of years, many cultivators, even those in the Nascent Soul stage, had been imprisoned there and eventually exhausted their lives without ever leaving the Liu Hai Sect’s prison.
Yet, Zhang Ergou, a mere Golden Core stage cultivator, had escaped without damaging the array above the prison.
Liu Xun was naturally furious at this unexpected turn of events.
“Send someone to keep a close eye on that brat on the stage. No, you go yourself. Wherever that brat goes, keep a close watch on him.”
Although Li Kongcai was not certain, Liu Xun held the attitude of killing rather than letting go. Moreover, Zhang Ergou, despite his low cultivation, had undeniably put pressure on the Liu Hai Sect during the battle.
Since there was suspicion, it was imperative to investigate thoroughly.
While Li Kongcai and Lin Wenshen continued their investigation, Liu Xun instructed a Nascent Soul stage elder to keep an eye on Zhang Ergou.
Although Cai Chao did not understand why the Sect Master was so concerned about a mere Golden Core stage cultivator.
He dared not disobey the Sect Master’s orders in the slightest. After nodding, he prepared to personally monitor Zhang Ergou.
Cai Chao carefully observed Zhang Ergou on the stage, but he did not notice anything unusual about the brat.
“Could it be that the Sect Master is developing an appreciation for talent?”
Cai Chao muttered to himself. The news of the prison’s breach had not spread among the upper echelons of the Liu Hai Sect; currently, only two high-ranking officials, Li Kongcai and Sect Master Liu Xun, were aware of it.
He shook his head, unable to comprehend why the Sect Master was acting this way. However, as someone who always followed the Sect Master’s lead, he naturally executed Liu Xun’s orders diligently.
The unusual activity of the Liu Hai Sect’s high command naturally attracted the attention of the elders from the Misty Sect and other minor sects.
However, they also attributed it to some internal issue within the Liu Hai Sect, which was why the enraged elder had left in such a hurry.
The people did not take the matter to heart.
Meanwhile, Zhang Ergou, who was currently engaged in a battle on the stage, was greatly startled by Li Kongcai’s enraged shout.
He had forgotten to disguise himself and change his appearance when he came over today.
Could it be that he had been discovered?
Zhang Ergou thought to himself, and in his momentary distraction, his movements slowed considerably, almost leading to him being struck down from the stage by his opponent.
He quickly composed himself. Now was not the time to dwell on that matter.
Even if he changed his appearance now, it would be too late. He likely had already been noticed by those who were paying attention.
Although Zhang Ergou suspected he had been discovered, he did not anticipate that Liu Xun, the Sect Master of the Liu Hai Sect, had already taken notice of him.
He had even dispatched a Nascent Soul stage mighty cultivator to keep a close watch on him.
…
“What happened to Zhang Ergou just now? I saw him seem to lose focus?”
From the viewing stands, everyone who had been closely watching their battle instantly noticed Zhang Ergou’s anomaly.
Liu Xun and the others had naturally also noticed, but Zhang Ergou quickly regained his composure, making them suspect they had misread the situation.
“No way, Zhang Ergou didn’t notice Li Cheng’s move just now, which is why he was almost hit. Didn’t you see him narrowly dodge that palm strike?”
When one person questioned it, another immediately defended Zhang Ergou.
Since the incident happened in an instant, the disciple who questioned Zhang Ergou’s distraction also wondered if he had seen incorrectly.
The battle on the stage had now entered a fierce stage. Unlike the fight against Liu Yang.
This Liu Hai Sect disciple, named Li Cheng, unleashed a barrage of high-level spells upon Zhang Ergou as soon as he entered the arena.
Zhang Ergou could only passively receive the blows. Fortunately, his spiritual energy reserves far exceeded those of cultivators at the same level.
Now that he had broken through to the mid-Golden Core stage, his spiritual energy reserves were several times what they were before.
Li Cheng’s continuous spell attacks were all calmly intercepted by Zhang Ergou.
“Brat, let’s see how long you can hold out!”
Seeing Zhang Ergou evade his attacks again, Li Cheng felt that although Zhang Ergou had dodged his spell attacks, it still appeared somewhat disheveled.
This led Li Cheng to believe that Zhang Ergou had reached the end of his rope and was no longer a threat.
Li Cheng was overjoyed and intensified his attacks on Zhang Ergou.
“Black Fire Flame!”
Li Cheng shouted, and a terrifying black flame shot from his palm towards Zhang Ergou. Li Cheng was actually a cultivator with fire-attribute spiritual roots.
As his Black Fire Flame was about to engulf Zhang Ergou entirely.
Li Cheng’s face displayed a triumphant smile. Many opponents had fallen victim to this move. When touched by his Black Fire Flame without any defense, even if they didn’t die, they would be severely injured.
Unless they were mighty cultivators in the Nascent Soul stage, far superior to him, Li Cheng was confident that his Black Fire Flame could put considerable pressure on even late-Golden Core stage cultivators.
And Zhang Ergou was merely in the early-Golden Core stage. The fact that he could last this long under his assault had already surprised him.
To Li Cheng, Zhang Ergou’s passive reception of attacks meant he had no power to fight back and could only be passively attacked.
He could already envision Zhang Ergou rolling on the ground in agony.
The terrifying aspect of the Black Fire Flame unleashed by Li Cheng was not the visible flame on the surface, but the flame hidden beneath the ground.
It was precisely because the visible flame in the air and the underground flame were connected and complemented each other.
This caused opponents fighting Li Cheng to focus solely on the flames in the sky, overlooking the Black Fire Flame that had burrowed into the ground.
This was Li Cheng’s unfailing tactic. Every time he saw an opponent writhing in pain, tormented by his Black Fire Flame,
Li Cheng felt a great sense of satisfaction.
He believed that Zhang Ergou would soon become like his previous opponents, surrounded by the Black Fire Flame, lying on the ground and begging him to extinguish it.
He even believed Zhang Ergou had given up on defending himself.
But he was naturally going to be disappointed. Zhang Ergou possessed a divine fire that even the Elder Tian Xu marveled at.
Once a spiritual fire appeared, all others were inferior.
He waited with his eyes open for a long time, but the scene of Zhang Ergou lying on the ground and screaming in agony, which Li Cheng had envisioned, did not materialize.
Instead, the Black Fire Flame in front of him actually diminished slightly, as if it had been devoured by something.
“Huh?”
Li Cheng was startled. Not believing it, he once again channeled his spiritual energy, doubling the intensity of the Black Fire Flame.
However, a bizarre thing happened. The Black Fire Flame inexplicably diminished again…