Chapter 4081: Capturing Taegong

’Something has gone terribly wrong.’ Taegong looked over his shoulder again.

The forest appeared peaceful to him. There were no pursuing cultivators, and the surrounding Immortal Qi showed no obvious disturbances. Nevertheless, he could not shake the feeling that someone was watching him.

He increased his pace and the other masked cultivators followed. None of them noticed the black scaled white eyed serpent moving silently among the branches behind them. Xiao Yin’s pale eyes blended with the faint light filtering through the canopy.

Her vertical pupils remained fixed upon the nervous elder.

Although she could not identify him through his concealed aura, Little Shrubby’s confirmation had removed any doubt. And now that she knew which group contained Taegong, she had no intention of letting him escape.

’So this is the one who caused Master trouble.’ Her gaze grew colder.

She remembered how Lin Mu had been forced to deal with the schemes of the Vault Division elder. She also remembered that Taegong had arranged for him to be sent into the Mad Demon Depths.

The black serpent’s fangs slowly emerged and a faint hiss escaped her mouth.

"You just had to offend my Master." She slithered along a branch, keeping pace with the six masked figures below. "If you’ve offended him, you’ve offended me."

Her eyes narrowed. "And now you’re trying to run away."

Xiao Yin’s tongue flickered as she watched Taegong hurry through the forest. She could already imagine how pleased Lin Mu would be once they captured him. That thought made her even more eager.

Still, she restrained herself.

Little Shrubby had instructed her to wait, and Lin Mu had specifically ordered them to capture the targets alive. As such she would obey, for now.

Hidden among the branches, a pair of pale eyes with vertical pupils continued following the masked cultivators. And Taegong, already consumed by anxiety over his sudden transfer, remained completely unaware that the danger he feared was much closer than he imagined.

The six masked cultivators continued moving through the dense forest, maintaining a steady pace as they traveled farther from the Vault Division’s subdivision. Their route took them through several stretches of thick vegetation and uneven terrain, where the towering trees formed a canopy that blocked much of the sunlight.

The cultivator leading the group occasionally changed direction, seemingly following a predetermined route that avoided the more commonly used paths.

Behind him, Taegong remained silent.

He had already asked about their destination several times, only to receive the same vague answers. The other cultivators insisted that they were following orders and that he would be informed of the details once they reached the designated location.

That did little to ease his anxiety.

’Just what is happening back at the main division?’ Taegong wondered.

He knew that someone had arrived looking for him, but the sudden urgency of his transfer suggested that the situation was considerably more serious than an ordinary inquiry.

The Vault Division had numerous ways to delay investigations and restrict access to its personnel. Even the Law Division had to follow certain procedures when dealing with sensitive assignments.

For someone to order his immediate departure meant that those ordinary precautions were apparently insufficient.

’Could the Wild Peak have discovered something more?’ The thought made his expression darken beneath his mask.

He had believed that the matter involving Little Bull had been handled properly.

’Why did that damned disciple have to survive?’ He clenched his fists beneath his sleeves.

The other masked cultivators paid little attention to his expression. Their responsibility was to escort him safely to the designated location, and they were focused on maintaining their route.

None of them realized that they had acquired an additional companion.

A small black serpent had been following them for several kilometers. Xiao Yin moved through the branches above their heads, occasionally slipping down into the undergrowth whenever the terrain provided better concealment.

Her slender body allowed her to pass through gaps in the vegetation without disturbing the leaves, while her control over her aura made her presence extremely difficult to detect. She had been watching Taegong closely, taking particular satisfaction in how frequently the man looked over his shoulder.

’He keeps looking behind him,’ Xiao Yin thought with amusement. ’Does he know someone’s following him?’

Of course, Taegong had no idea.

His anxiety was entirely the result of his own circumstances. Xiao Yin continued following the group, maintaining a distance that allowed her to observe their movements without attracting attention.

She had already memorized the appearance and position of each masked cultivator. The group consisted of six individuals, with Taegong traveling near the middle. Two cultivators moved ahead, two remained behind, and the last stayed close to Taegong.

They were clearly experienced in escorting important personnel. Unfortunately for them, their precautions were directed toward threats that could be detected through ordinary methods.

Xiao Yin’s concealment was far beyond what they expected from a beast lurking in the forest. Not even five minutes had passed since she began stalking the group when a familiar voice suddenly rang through her mind.

’We’re here.’

Xiao Yin’s eyes brightened. ’Little Shrubby!’

’I’ve brought Xiao Yang,’ the liger replied.

Some distance away, a magnificent beast was moving through the forest at an astonishing speed. Little Shrubby had reduced his body to a more manageable size, allowing him to maneuver between the trees without attracting unnecessary attention.

His movements were remarkably smooth, with his paws barely touching the ground before he accelerated again.

Nestled within his thick mane was Xiao Yang. The white serpent had wrapped part of his body around the liger’s fur to secure himself during the journey, though Little Shrubby’s control over his movement was so precise that there was little danger of him falling.

’How are we doing this?’ Xiao Yang asked eagerly.

Xiao Yin considered the positions of the masked cultivators.

Then a mischievous expression appeared in her eyes. ’We’ll use Beating Dumdums Strategy Number Sixty-Seven.’

Xiao Yang immediately became excited. ’Oh? That one?’

He gave a pleased hiss. ’Yeah! That’ll work since Ashy isn’t with us.’

Little Shrubby nodded. ’Yes. That should work.’

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