Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 661 Fame Spreads Throughout the World 9

Yun Chu glanced at the rafter curled up on the ground, its face ashen. The twisted snakebite scar at the tear in its sleeve came into view again. The style of that scar…

She immediately thought of what was mentioned in the secret files of the "Night Owl Hall"—the most mysterious assassin group in the hall, "Shadow Serpent," whose members' identities were shrouded in mystery. They were ruthless and left no survivors, and used snake-shaped marks as their secret identifiers.

Could it be that the person in front of him is not Xu Bao or an ordinary thief, but someone hired by "Night Owl Hall"?

"It's nothing." Yun Chu's voice came through the crack in the door, clear and calm. "A rude mouse knocked things over, but it's been taken care of. Please trouble the shopkeeper to send someone to clean it up tomorrow morning."

The innkeeper seemed relieved: "Ah, that's good then. Please rest early, young lady." The footsteps faded into the distance.

Yun Chu crouched down and used the scabbard to lift the chin of the rat on the beam. The rat's eyes were filled with resentment but could not hide its weakness.

"Who sent you?" Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a sharp, oppressive quality like the cold moon. "Night Owl Hall? Or Xu Bao? And what is the poison on that notice?"

The rat on the beam grinned, revealing a strange and ferocious smile: "Hehe...cough cough..." He took a deep breath, his chest heaving violently, as if preparing to make some kind of move.

Yun Chu's eyes turned cold, and the sword sheath moved with lightning speed, pressing against the slightly protruding part of his throat, preventing him from biting his tongue or using any special way of making a sound: "If you want to die, you can finish what you're saying."

The rat on the roof stopped abruptly, the suffocating feeling of being strangled making his face flush red, and a hint of real fear flashed in his eyes.

He gasped for breath, his voice strained out of his throat: "Notice...poison?...cough cough...that's just...'Scented Clothes'...something to guide 'Night Owl'...as for who wants you dead...hehe...tomorrow...the Sword Debate...will naturally...reveal...be careful...of the flag..."

His words were fragmented, with the last sentence being particularly unclear.

"A flag?" Yun Chu frowned, wanting to ask further.

However, at this moment——

Buzz... Buzz... Buzz...

A deep, almost indistinguishable humming sound, yet capable of vibrating the eardrums, suddenly came from a great distance outside the window!

It wasn't the sound of bells and drums, nor the sound of wind; it was more like the sound waves emitted by some heavy and massive mechanism, or the extremely high-frequency vibrations of a huge metal object, passing through layers of buildings and dullly intruding into the inn.

The eerie buzzing sound was extremely penetrating, and the previously noisy tavern downstairs fell silent for a moment, followed by a burst of more surprised and uncertain discussions.

"What's the noise?"

"It sounded like an earthquake?"

"Bah! What earthquake in Central China? Could it be... some big thing has been transported from the north? Something from the imperial court?"

Almost the instant the buzzing sound rang out, a final burst of fanatical light suddenly erupted in the venomous eyes of the Beam Rat, as if it had heard some kind of summons.

The muscles under his neck twitched strangely, forcefully breaking through the suppression of the Yun Chu sword sheath!

“The flag…flips…then…moves…hahaha…uh!!” The last few words were drowned out by the gushing black blood!

His face was frozen in a distorted expression of fanaticism and relief, his body convulsed violently a few times, and then he remained completely still.

The blood foam flowing from the corner of his mouth also had an ominous bluish-black tinge, clearly indicating that he had been hiding a deadly poison in his mouth that could kill on contact with blood.

The scent lingers on the clothes… a guiding object… the people of the Night Owl Hall… and that vague yet blood-red warning—"When the flag is turned, the movement begins."

Yun Chu stared coldly at the corpse on the ground, which was rapidly losing its temperature. The snake bite scar on the corpse's wrist looked even more glaring in the dim light.

She stood up, walked to the window, and looked east. The dull, eerie buzzing sound seemed to have subsided, but the invisible tremors seemed to still linger in the air.

Zhongzhou City, like a giant beast that has been forcibly calmed but is only more agitated, is breathing uneasily in the dead of night.

Downstairs, the horrified discussions about the strange sound had not yet subsided, and the innkeeper was trying his best to calm the guests.

Yun Chu's gaze, however, was fixed on the huge golden eagle flag of Guangyuan Escort Agency on the wall of the lobby downstairs.

The crimson flag, still glaringly bright in the flickering light of the oil lamp, seemed to foreshadow an even greater storm to come.

The owl flaps its wings, poisonous creatures lead the way, black armor stalks, a Tang Clan youth appears and disappears, a mysterious organization flashes its emblem, mechanisms hum and hum... and there's that blood-stained warning: "When the flag falls, the movement begins."

Tomorrow's duel will be far more than a simple clash of swords.

This will be a death feast pulled by invisible threads, and she, along with the golden eagle flag that symbolizes the honor of the escort agency or the source of disaster, is already at the very center of the storm.

Dawn seemed farther away than imagined. Beneath the veil of darkness, the prelude to slaughter had already begun.

As dawn broke, the mist-shrouded city of Zhongzhou was ignited by an unusual heat wave.

The arena is located in a spacious square in the north of the city. The huge circular arena, paved with white marble, gleams with a cold, hard light in the morning sun.

The arena was surrounded by a dense crowd of people. The soft clinking of swords and the shouts of friends created a boiling background sound. The air was filled with the smells of sweat, perfume, leather, and a restless energy mixed with excitement and bloodlust.

Yun Chu stood at the east entrance where the crowd was less dense, her light blue clothes not standing out in the surging throng.

Her gaze was as calm as a deep pool, sweeping over the throng of people, past the various shacks with their banners waving in the distance, and finally settling on the huge, ten-foot-tall, crimson-gold bronze gong in the center of the arena—the banner of the Guangyuan Escort Agency of the "Golden Eagle Society," which was exceptionally eye-catching.

"when--!"

A deafening gong ripped through the sky, silencing all the noise.

An elderly man dressed in ochre-colored martial arts attire, with prominent temples, leaped onto the high platform. He was none other than Zhao Qingshan, the highly respected Judge Jin of the Central Plains martial arts world.

"Silence!" His voice boomed, clearly drowning out the noise. "Heroes from all walks of life have gathered in Zhongzhou for the Golden Eagle Tournament, the first of its kind in the world! Today's sword competition will proceed as before! Life and death are determined by fate, wealth and honor by heaven! The defender of the arena is Lei Baisheng, the chief镖头 (bodyguard) of Guangyuan镖局 (Guangyuan Escort Agency), known as 'Iron Arm Mountain Slayer'!" He waved his hand sharply.

Boom! The hidden door on the west side of the arena swung open.

A gigantic man, as massive as an iron tower, strode forward. He was clad in thick, black armor, his arms bare, his bulging muscles like cast iron, and crimson flame tattoos that spread from his shoulders and arms to his thick neck, making him look ferocious and terrifying.

With each step he took, the heavy stone slabs seemed to groan under the weight. His fierce gaze swept across the entire area, like a tiger surveying its territory.

"Want to make a name for yourself under the Golden Eagle? Step on my shoulders to get here!" Lei Baisheng's voice was like thunder as he slammed his fist heavily into his chest armor, producing a dull thud.

A chilling and fierce aura spread out as if it were tangible, and the people nearby subconsciously took a half step back.

This is the pillar of Guangyuan Escort Agency, renowned throughout the Central Plains for its hard martial arts and arm strength capable of splitting mountains and rocks.

After a brief silence, a figure in green rose from the ground, as lithe as a soaring eagle, and landed steadily on the platform. It was a man in a green robe wielding an iron-boned bronze axe.

"Cheng Sanjin of Black Wind Stronghold seeks guidance from Chief Escort Lei..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lei Baisheng charged forward like a cannonball! He didn't even try to test him!

A massive figure, accompanied by a powerful gust of wind, charged forward in an instant! Cheng Sanjin hastily raised his bronze axe to block, the axe colliding with the incoming fist—

Bang! ! !