Chapter 389 - 302: The Gambit of All Sides (2)

Chapter 389: Chapter 302: The Gambit of All Sides (2)

"I’ll have to trouble you two brothers to come with me again."

Yu Changsheng looked at Zhang Tianwen. He raised his wine cup to them both, a flicker of surprise vanishing from his eyes as he spoke.

"What’s the big deal? Besides, with you two around, all I have to do is tag along for the Contribution Points and pad my combat record. What’s not to like?"

Li Minghan chuckled, downed his drink in one gulp, and grumbled playfully.

"It’s no trouble at all," Zhang Tianwen said, shaking his head. A look of hatred flashed across his face as he, too, downed his cup. "That organization, the Dark Stream, should have been annihilated long ago," he said, his eyes glinting with a cold light. "I didn’t kill enough of them last time at Huishui Mountain. This time, we’ll offer their heads at Wang Dingsheng’s grave!"

"Right," Yu Changsheng said, nodding. He took a deep breath and, after a slight hesitation, offered some comfort. "Senior Brother Zhang, don’t be too wracked with guilt. Channel all that grief and rage into this mission. Let’s kill until we’ve had our fill."

"Yes, that’s the plan!" Zhang Tianwen nodded emphatically and drained another large cup of Spirit Wine.

"On another note, I must congratulate you, Senior Brother Zhang. Congratulations on recovering your Eighth-Layer Spirit Platform. The title of prodigy is truly well-deserved."

Yu Changsheng said with a smile, raising his cup as he sensed the faint aura of an Eighth-Layer Spirit Platform emanating from within Zhang Tianwen.

"It was just a stroke of luck. It’s only just taken shape; it will still be some time before it’s fully solidified."

Zhang Tianwen said, shaking his head. But as he spoke, he couldn’t help but break into a small smile.

Recovering his Eighth-Layer Spirit Platform was incredibly meaningful for Zhang Tianwen. It meant his years of hard work had not been in vain. For a Foundation Establishment Spirit Platform, the difference between each layer was as vast as that between heaven and earth.

Achieving Core Formation from an Eighth-Layer Spirit Platform versus a Seventh-Layer Spirit Platform were two entirely different matters.

Listening to their conversation, a flash of envy crossed Li Minghan’s eyes. He turned to look at Yu Changsheng and opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately fell silent, not uttering a word.

Bright Moon City wasn’t too far from the Wanxiang Sect. So, even though they weren’t deliberately rushing, they flew on the Spirit Ship for a full day. By the evening of the second day, the three of them disembarked nearby and proceeded toward the city on foot to avoid causing a commotion.

"So this is Bright Moon City..."

Yu Changsheng murmured, walking through the city and taking in the vaguely familiar sights.

"This is your hometown, isn’t it, Changsheng?" Li Minghan asked, shaking his head to clear away his scattered thoughts.

"It is," Yu Changsheng said with a nod. His gaze swept the area before he pointed to the east. "That’s the Yu Family Mansion over there."

"Oh? Should we head to your home and take a look first, then?"

Zhang Tianwen asked as well. Since Bright Moon City was Yu Changsheng’s home turf, it was only natural for him to take the lead now that they’d arrived. And besides...

Zhang Tianwen mused to himself. ’I can’t quite figure him out. Yu Changsheng’s strength... he’s probably the strongest of the three of us now, isn’t he? Even though I’ve recovered my Eighth-Layer Spirit Platform, I still can’t see through his Cultivation...’

’The only explanations are that he either has a profound concealment art, or his Cultivation is simply higher than mine. What’s more, from the pressure between our Spirit Platforms, I can faintly sense that his is even superior to my own...’

’I’m already at the Eighth-Layer Spirit Platform, so if my perception is right...’ At this thought, Zhang Tianwen secretly gulped, shocked by his own guess. He shook his head, pushing the notion down.

"Go to the Yu Family first..." Yu Changsheng mused. After a moment, he shook his head. "No, let’s finish our business first. If we go to the Yu Family Mansion, we could cause a disturbance and alert the members of the Dark Stream, which would be bad."

’Right now, the entire Wanxiang Sect is hunting members of the Dark Stream. They’re like rats scurrying through the streets, with everyone wanting to take a swing at them. And since I’ve become a rather prominent figure in the sect, it’s safe to assume the Yu Family is being watched.’

’If we, having arrived in secret, go straight to the mansion, we’re bound to be noticed. I don’t want to see that cause any unnecessary complications.’

"True enough." Zhang Tianwen considered it and had to agree.

"Mm," Yu Changsheng nodded and slowly exhaled. Then, with a flicker of his Divine Thought, his vast Divine Sense instantly expanded from his position, blanketing the entire city and sweeping over the bustling crowds.

"Hm?"

Zhang Tianwen seemed to sense it. He raised an eyebrow at Yu Changsheng, his eyes filled with shock.

’Such immense Divine Sense... How in the world does this guy cultivate?’

Li Minghan swallowed hard, his eyes wide with astonishment. Both he and Zhang Tianwen were standing very close to Yu Changsheng, and their own Spiritual Sense was quite keen. As a result, they had the clearest perception of the Divine Thought Yu Changsheng had just unleashed, and thus, they were the most shocked.

It was vast and unfathomable, imbued with a sense of boundless immensity, as if a single thought could churn the great oceans. These qualities were, of course, a gift from the Celestial One Divine Water, which had tremendously enhanced the resilience of Yu Changsheng’s Divine Sense.

To put it simply, if his Divine Sense were to clash with that of another cultivator at the same Realm, his would strike with more force and sharpness. The principle was like comparing a cotton ball to an iron sword of the same weight—the difference was immediately obvious.

"Found them."

After a moment, Yu Changsheng’s eyes snapped open, a sharp glint flashing within them.

"These guys are moving fast. It looks like we’ll have to kill them quickly. We can’t let them live."

Yu Changsheng muttered to himself, letting out a long breath. The killing intent in his eyes was undisguised.

"Did you find the members of the Dark Stream?"

Zhang Tianwen asked, his expression jolting with focus.

"Yes," Yu Changsheng nodded. "They’re still in Bright Moon City. The strongest is an early-stage Golden Core Cultivator, and the other three are only at Foundation Establishment. Leave the Golden Core Cultivator to me; the rest are no threat."

"Alright." Zhang Tianwen gave Yu Changsheng a long, deep look but raised no objections.

Meanwhile, in a dark alley not far from the Yu Family Mansion, four shadowy figures were holed up in a corner room. They were all silent. The only light came from a single candle in the center of the room, its flame flickering and casting dancing shadows.

After a long silence, one of the four, Chen Geng, spoke in a hoarse voice.

"The situation outside is volatile. The entire Martial Continent is hunting us down. Hiding here isn’t safe, either. In two more days, if nothing changes, we’ll all go our separate ways. If we split up, our survival will be left to fate."

The other three remained silent, merely nodding and bowing to Chen Geng. Among the four of them, only Chen Geng was a Golden Core Cultivator, and they naturally deferred to him as their leader.

"You are all pillars of the Dark Stream. Once this calamity has passed, I will apply to headquarters to have you all promoted. Your stipends and resource allotments will be increased."

Chen Geng looked up at the three men before him, his eyes filled with a mixture of sorrow and resentment.

The Dark Stream was a vast organization. Even for a branch stronghold, it was unreasonable that so few people would be present. But after their schemes were brought to light, panic had spread throughout the organization’s ranks.

Most of the members with weaker Cultivation chose to flee. Others were hunted down and killed. This had only ever been a small stronghold, and in the end, after the dead were dead and the gone were gone, only he and the three men before him remained.

Hearing this, the three men glanced at one another, a smile touching their lips. A hint of excitement appeared on their faces. They lowered their heads, cupped their fists in a salute to Chen Geng, and said in low voices, "Thank you, my lord! We swear our lives to the Dark Stream!"

"Mm. You’ve all done well."

Chen Geng nodded in satisfaction. He exhaled, feeling the surging Cultivation within his body, which set his mind slightly more at ease.

’As long as we’re careful and don’t expose ourselves here in Bright Moon City, we should be fine once this storm blows over...’

Chen Geng muttered to himself. What he failed to notice was that on the lowered faces of the three men before him, an identical flicker of fear had appeared.

After their organization’s plans were exposed, it wasn’t that they hadn’t considered fleeing in secret. The problem was that, without exception, all those who tried had ended up as nothing more than fuel for Chen Geng’s Cultivation.