Calophis's body, amidst the surging Death Qi that erupted instantly, was swiftly swept away like sand on the banks of the Netherworld River.

Thumb-sized crystals, resembling black diamonds, fell from Calophis's decaying, sand-like body.

Lu Yuan suddenly spotted a hint of crimson, his eyes gleaming. Without a change in expression, he quietly collected them all.

His robust body stood upright in the forest, which had been emptied by the rampant Death Qi.

An intensely fiery aura, akin to molten lava, invisibly dispersed in all directions.

Thick layers of Death Qi encircled him, morphing into shapes resembling wings or perhaps a decaying cloak.

The moment his battle with Calophis ended, the crows that had been bearing witness acted as if they had instantly found their resolve.

They prostrated themselves before him, flocking around him.

It seemed as if at this moment, Lu Yuan... had become a Monarch-like figure among the murder of crows.

Lu Yuan began to quickly clear the battlefield. The commotion this fight had caused was indeed substantial.

He had been aware of Yellow Bear and the others' arrival long ago. But in the heat of battle, like an arrow nocked on a bowstring, he had no time to pay heed to anything else.

Being so close, even though I changed my physique and wore a mask, I wonder if I'll be recognized...

Lu Yuan's expression darkened. He hadn't anticipated the attention this battle would attract. Now that things had come to this, there was no use regretting it.

If I'm really found out, I'll just deny everything. After all, my ability to control Death Qi relies purely on the occupational panel, unlike genuine followers of the Crow God Sect whose bodies are tainted by Death Qi, revealing more or less mutated characteristics...

Thinking this, Lu Yuan commanded the flock of crows to erase all traces of his presence on the battlefield. This mainly included his shattered school uniform and footprints.

What Lu Yuan regretted the most was that his "Moon Snatching" gauntlets, which had come with him intact, were completely destroyed in the battle with Calophis.

The right-hand gauntlet had shattered into powder when it blocked one of Calophis's palm strikes. The left-hand gauntlet had also become dilapidated from the combined effects of Death Qi, Vigor, and pure physical force.

Reaching its peak right after its debut, helping me claim the life of an Extraordinary expert from the Crow God Sect—it truly lives up to the name 'Moon Snatching'...

Lu Yuan silently mourned the weapons that had accompanied him for only this part of his journey.

After sorting everything out, Lu Yuan locked onto the location of the Tiger Head Mountain reservoir. He was just about to use water evasion to make his exit.

Suddenly, he seemed to remember something.

Yellow Bear's people are around. As a member of the Crow God Sect, shouldn't I make some sort of gesture towards them?

A gleam flickered in Lu Yuan's eyes as he mentally commanded the crows around and above him to disperse.

His gaze traveled a long distance, locking onto a silvery-gray Fly Shuttle hovering not far away.

Beneath his mask, Lu Yuan grinned.

Then, slowly, he made a gesture towards the Fly Shuttle.

Following that, under the cover of the numerous crows, his figure quickly melded into the mountain forest and vanished.

Silence.

Within the Fly Shuttle, a deathly silence prevailed.

Gao Qing and the other two, their faces pale, trembled slightly.

They watched with wide eyes as the man wearing a crow mask, enveloped in the Circulation of Death Qi, resembling some kind of wicked and ferocious beast... under the escort of countless crows, slowly made a... "Throat Cut" gesture towards them.

The atmosphere inside the Fly Shuttle was oppressive to the extreme. The only sounds were the strained gulping of saliva and the soft hum of the instruments.

Finally, the terrifying figure in their view disappeared into the mountain forest, turning and departing.

PHEW.

Gao Qing and the others simultaneously heaved a sigh of relief, a wave of thankfulness washing over them as if they had narrowly escaped death.

If that man hadn't left, but had instead turned his attention to them, they didn't know what their fate would have been. The image of the Strong Divine Envoy's body being washed away like sand involuntarily surfaced in their minds, and an involuntary shiver ran down their spines.

"Damn it..." the long-haired man among the trio was the first to speak, his voice hoarse as if squeezed through a door crack. "I didn't expect the final victor to be that... Divine Servant?!"

"I feel..." the crew-cut man, whose eyes were radiating blue light, spoke hesitantly, "This guy doesn't seem to be just a simple Divine Servant of the Crow God Sect... I just analyzed some fragmented data I collected. It turns out his most frequently used technique is actually an Ancient Fighting Skill. It's from..."

The crew-cut man paused, then said, "A long-lost branch lineage of a Martial Arts Sect called 'Heaven Water Sect.' The Flowing Crane Faction of the Heaven Water Sect."

"What did you say?!" Gao Qing, startled, whipped her head around. "Which sect is it from?"

"The lineage of the Flowing Crane Faction of the Heaven Water Sect," the crew-cut man repeated. "I compared over thirteen hundred data samples from the database, and it confirms his techniques included the fighting skills of this Ancient Martial Arts Sect. All three True Skill techniques of the Crane Sect... he used all of them."

"The Flowing Crane Faction of the Heaven Water Sect..." Gao Qing looked dazed, instantly thinking of Lu Yuan. No wonder she had felt a strange sense of familiarity while watching the battle; this was the reason.

"Is Chief Gao quite familiar with this ancient sect?" the crew-cut man beside her couldn't help but ask.

Gao Qing shook her head. "Not really. I just happen to know someone in this sect, so I learned a bit about it beforehand." After answering, Gao Qing pressed, "Can you determine which member of the Crane Sect it is?"

The crew-cut man shook his head. "The data sample is too small to confirm. Currently, none of the known members of the Crane Sect match the target's information. Moreover, even though that Crow God Divine Servant uses Crane Sect martial arts, it doesn't necessarily mean he is from the Crane Sect..."

As the crew-cut man was analyzing, the bodies of the trio in the Fly Shuttle suddenly jolted. They all looked up in the same direction.

"The Crimson Bear-level masters... have arrived."

In the sky not far away, a light white Fly Shuttle was rapidly approaching. This Fly Shuttle also bore the flag of the Sum Country and was similar in design to Gao Qing's group's vehicle, only slightly larger.

"Open the hatch!"

The two Fly Shuttles completed a brief docking procedure in mid-air.

Five minutes later, two more figures were inside the Fly Shuttle carrying Gao Qing's group.

Both were tall, burly men. One was relatively young, around thirty years old. His right arm was a full circle thicker than a normal person's, and he wore pale gold-colored boxing gauntlets; it looked as if a cannon barrel was hidden beneath his arm. The other man appeared more mature and composed, with a square face and a shallow scar on the bridge of his nose. There were no obvious signs of cybernetic modification on him. Both wore the standard combat protective suits of Yellow Bear, with the Yellow Bear emblem printed on the left breast. However, unlike Gao Qing's group, their Yellow Bear emblems were crimson.

"Where's that Strong Divine Envoy?" the younger burly man asked coldly as soon as he boarded the Fly Shuttle.

"He's already dead..." the long-haired man from Gao Qing's group briefly recounted what had happened.

The younger man glanced at the distant battlefield, then said quietly to the scar-faced middle-aged man beside him, "I'll go check out the battlefield."

"Mm, be careful."

"Got it."

After their brief exchange, the young burly man turned and exited the Fly Shuttle, piloting another Fly Shuttle to quickly approach the battlefield below.

Only Gao Qing's trio and the scar-faced middle-aged man remained in the Fly Shuttle.

The scar-faced middle-aged man scanned the three of them and slowly said, "Your handling of this unexpected situation wasn't bad... Of course, you were also very lucky. After this operation, the organization can record a merit for you."

The crew-cut man, the long-haired man, and Gao Qing looked pleased and glanced at each other. However, the crew-cut man soon hesitated and said, "Actually, there's one detail we haven't reported to you, Sir."

"Speak."

The crew-cut man recounted their entire discussion: their speculations about the identity of the victorious Crow God Divine Servant, their analysis of suspicious points, and everything else.

A faint light flashed in the scar-faced middle-aged man's eyes, but his expression showed no significant change.

"Chief Iron Blade, this Crow God Divine Servant..."

"He's not a Crow God Divine Servant," the scar-faced middle-aged man said, shaking his head slightly. "Nor is it an internal power struggle within the Crow God Sect, as you guessed."

"Huh?" The three were taken aback, their faces showing bewilderment.

The scar-faced middle-aged man said nonchalantly, "Most likely, it's just some fellows from the Evil Martial Association of the Martial Arts Circle hunting for Evil Energy again. However, to dare hunt Divine Envoy-level Evil Energy alone, this Evil Martial Association Martial Artist must be quite a master."

"The Evil Martial Association?"

"Just an organization of madmen who attempt to break through human limits using Evil God Power. They were very active in earlier years but haven't been seen much recently. It's normal that you haven't heard of them." The scar-faced middle-aged man looked down as if checking something, then continued, "As for the martial arts of the Flowing Crane Faction of the Heaven Water Sect you mentioned... my query shows that a core member of this sect did indeed leave in earlier years and had contact with the Evil Martial Association. It's probably him."

The crew-cut man and the other two listened, stunned, feeling as if they had accidentally stumbled upon secrets that only those at the Crimson Bear Level were privy to.

After a moment of silence, the crew-cut man hesitantly asked, "Well, Chief Iron Blade. This person from the Evil Martial Association, should we..."

"Let him be," the scar-faced middle-aged man replied casually. "Although the Evil Martial Association has a bad reputation in the Ancient Martial Arts World, their objectives align with ours. They've helped us eliminate quite a few vermin from the Evil God Sects over the years. Besides, it's not our place to deal with the Evil Martial Association. Naturally, someone will keep an eye on them."

"You don't need to concern yourselves with this matter any further. Specialists will investigate it later. I'll also arrange for someone to write up the operation report for you. Just consider this a free merit you picked up." The scar-faced middle-aged man smiled.

Despite his stern appearance, he actually had a rather pleasant personality. With a little deeper conversation, he gave off a feeling as refreshing as a spring breeze.

Hearing this, the crew-cut man and his companions completely relaxed, their faces showing corresponding delight. The scar-faced middle-aged man encouraged them further.

Before long, the young Crimson Bear-level operative who had gone down to investigate the battlefield returned.

"The Evil Energy levels were vastly different, yet the outcome of the battle was the complete opposite. No Evil Energy crystals were found at the scene either. It's almost certain that the Evil Martial Association was involved. It was likely an Evil Martial master who has cultivated Crow God evil force..." The young Crimson Bear-level operative frowned. "It's just that this Strong Divine Envoy of the Crow God Sect, the one targeted for assassination, apparently walked right into a trap to his death. That is indeed a bit strange..."

"After all these years of study, the people from the Evil Martial Association have long since developed mature methods for luring and hunting. There's nothing strange about it. Now that the Burnt Rock matter is resolved ahead of schedule, do you want to accompany me on a trip over there..."

"Let me think about it some more. I haven't decided whether I want to go or not..."

The scar-faced middle-aged man and the young Crimson Bear-level operative spoke softly, their conversation seemingly drifting further and further from the original topic. The crew-cut man and his two companions stood quietly to the side, feigning ignorance.

Just as the two finished their chat and were about to leave, the scar-faced middle-aged man suddenly turned his head. His gaze landed lightly on Gao Qing among the three, and he asked, as if with some implication, "You're Gao Qing?"

"Huh?!"

Inside the Fly Shuttle, the crew-cut man and the long-haired man both turned their eyes sharply towards Gao Qing.

Gao Qing himself was also taken aback. Somewhat bewildered, he nodded and said, "Yes, Chief Iron Blade. I am Gao Qing."

The scar-faced middle-aged man's eyes narrowed slightly. He then said abruptly, "Then come with me. I have something to discuss with you privately."

With that, he turned and walked out of the cabin, stepping onto the mobile floating bridge connecting the two Fly Shuttles, and went into the other Fly Shuttle.

Gao Qing looked somewhat lost and puzzled at the crew-cut man and the long-haired man. After receiving their equally uncomprehending gazes in return, he hesitated, took a light breath, and quickly followed.

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