Chapter 681: Fierce Battle of Half-Step Grandmasters, Inviting the Tiger into the Sheep Pen!

No one responded.

The Hidden Guard’s right palm sunk down and pressed on the hilt of the long saber at his waist. He had already received orders to block the auction hall today and not allow anyone to leave early.

The former Vice Gang Leader Sikong Li and the most powerful Hall Master Zhong Buhui within the gang had perished one after another. Moreover, it was rumored that during this period, other major factions had continuously arrived on the island, yet no one had seen these great figures leave.

Blood Tiger successfully ascended during this time and is now the first person under Gang Leader Liu Sha. The order to block the auction was suddenly issued by Blood Tiger not long ago.

Although he didn’t understand the reason for this command, as a Hidden Guard, he only needed to carry it out.

Tap, tap—!

A step forward again, as the corner came into view, a silhouette thin as a monkey and wearing the Martial Robe of a dark guard with a blood-colored fang mask appeared.

“Hmm? Why is it you, Master Thin Monkey? Why didn’t you speak earlier?”

The Hidden Guard, seeing the hunched thin figure, immediately recognized ‘Thin Monkey’s’ identity with a respectful tone. This person was one of Blood Tiger’s trusted aides; it’s said that when one rises, so does everyone related.

Now, Thin Monkey’s status is almost equal to the Vice Hall Master of the Jiao Blood Gang, but there’s no doubt that this person is indeed capable and strong. Ten years ago, he condensed the Qi Blood Flower, advancing to Fourth Grade.

In terms of direct combat, Thin Monkey might not surpass ordinary Fourth-Grade Martial Artists by much, but he is extremely proficient in body technique and Breath Concealment Technique. In stealth, tracking, assassination, and even poisoning, this person ranks among the top three in the Jiao Blood Gang.

Moreover, he is reclusive by nature, rarely interacting with others except directly reporting to Blood Tiger. His assassination skills make even other Vice Hall Masters and Hall Masters wary of Thin Monkey.

Instantly, the Hidden Guard, upon recognizing Thin Monkey, dismissed most of his previous suspicions, as the venomous aura around this person was unmistakable.

Plus, Master Thin Monkey’s astonishing strength left no doubt in the Hidden Guard’s mind after witnessing it firsthand.

‘Thin Monkey’ remained silent, merely hunching and hiding in the shadow of the wall’s eaves, as the Hidden Guard, unable to withstand the pressure, spoke first.

“Master Thin Monkey, today Vice Gang Leader Blood Tiger ordered us not to let anyone leave the hall early. I heard something unusual here earlier; I hope you don’t mind my acting on duty.”

“Alright.”

The hoarse voice replied with a shade of shadow, finally easing the Hidden Guard, who then turned and left.

“Managed to pass unnoticed, not letting anyone leave… So there really is a problem with the auction!”

Just as the Hidden Guard left, the silent Thin Monkey thought to himself. Inside his Master Sumeru Ring was indeed a thin figure with wide-open eyes and disbelief on his face, dying without closing his eyes.

Yes, the Sumeru Ring contained the true Thin Monkey mentioned by the Hidden Guard, while the person before him had used the Small Wuxiang Profound Breath Technique in disguise, as Su Mu.

Since they sent someone to track him, if he just walked out in the open, it would surely bring greater trouble.

Hence, Su Mu deliberately gave Thin Monkey a chance to make a sound earlier, just to hear his voice and obtain Thin Monkey’s voice line.

Afterwards, it was a swift kill, stripping the clothes, then storing the body inside the Master Sumeru Ring.

However, because the time was too short, Su Mu couldn’t perfectly disguise himself, thus hiding his figure in the shadows, which happened to align with Thin Monkey’s habitual actions.

Once the Hidden Guard was far away, Su Mu unhurriedly took off his gray attire beneath the Martial Robe, dressing in the complete set of clothes from the dead Thin Monkey, and comprehensively refined his physique again.

“Additionally, I gained some information; this corpse was known as Thin Monkey during his lifetime.”

Having fully disguised, Su Mu adjusted the blood-colored fang mask on his face and walked out openly. The Small Wuxiang Profound Breath Technique was a combination of two unique Breath Concealment Techniques, a concealment secret technique at the Grandmaster level.

A group of Visible and Hidden Guards could not discern truth from falsehood. Upon seeing this hunched figure, they all sidestepped to let him pass, with no one sensing anything unusual.

“Let’s leave first…”

The auction went on without regard for time, as it was already night outside with clouds covering the moon. Just as Su Mu was about to leave, his eyes suddenly fixed; the ground was trembling, sensing two powerful auras and a team of over hundreds rapidly approaching the auction hall.

“No hiding.”

Rapidly assessing the situation, Su Mu determined that if he left directly, he would inevitably encounter this group. Thus, he simply dispersed most of the Small Wuxiang Profound Breath Technique and stationed himself at the entrance, planning to directly confront the approaching crowd.

Within mere moments, a tide of torchlight approached, the newcomers imposing with bright Blade Soldiers. Among them, the seven leading figures had long-lasting auras, vigorous Qi Blood, with eyes flashing with brilliance.

Among them, Su Mu recognized several, as they were among the portraits of the Thirteen Great Bandits. However, within the seven, those recognized did not stand out. This was because the pair at the forefront was more prominent in Su Mu’s perception than the torches in the night, overshadowing the crowd behind them.

Those were two intertwining auras forming a pillar-like Destiny Pillar prototype!

“It’s Quan Feng… And there are two half-step Grandmasters among them!”

As people of the Great Bandits, trailing behind the leading pair, it’s not hard to deduce that the two half-step Grandmasters leading them are surely two of the top three among the Thirteen Great Bandits.

A total of seven Great Bandits, with even two half-step Grandmasters leading, this force was capable of severely damaging any major power in Donglai County given the absence of Great Cultivators.