"FWOOSH!!!"
The flames surged toward the heavens, swallowing the small inner courtyard and transforming it into a massive crematorium. The fish oil caught fire incredibly fast, creating a pillar of pitch-black, foul-smelling smoke that rose straight into the night sky of the City of Chaos, carrying with it miserable shrieks, furious roars, and crazed curses.
Tran Kien did not turn his head back. Right after igniting that destructive flame, he slipped through a narrow gap between two walls like a slippery eel, blending into another dark and filthy alley. He did not run in a panic. His breathing was ragged, his chest burning from the smoke, but his state of mind was as cold as ice.
He knew that flame was not enough to kill the likes of Old Eccentric Black Heart or the Phantom Shadow Pavilion woman. It could only create chaos, providing a fragile chance of survival for him. And he had to seize it.
He did not run toward the city gates. He knew that after such a massive commotion, all exits would definitely be sealed. He ran in the opposite direction, heading toward the most remote and complex area of the City of Chaos—the graveyard district.
Behind him, the battle within the sea of fire had reached a cruel conclusion.
"Ah!!!" Kim Bao, the fat man at the peak of the Qi Condensation Realm, was the first to lose his life. He had just dealt with a sinister palm strike from Old Eccentric Black Heart while being surrounded by the searing flames. A single second of carelessness allowed the Phantom Shadow Pavilion woman's short sword to pierce his heart. He died with his eyes wide open.
The Black Dragon Stronghold youth fared no better. He was grabbed by a subordinate of Kim Bao in a desperate suicide grapple, then crushed by a blazing roof beam that collapsed, his miserable shrieks swallowed by the sea of fire.
Only the two strongest remained.
"OLD ECCENTRIC BLACK HEART!" the Phantom Shadow Pavilion woman screamed, her voice no longer alluring but overflowing with fury. A patch of her hair was scorched, her red silk skirt torn to shreds. "Damned old man! That brat ran away! We were all fooled by him!"
Old Eccentric Black Heart was also in a highly wretched state. Though strong, he did not possess an indestructible vajra body. Half of his silver beard had been burned away, and his robes were dotted with scorch marks. He looked toward the alley where Tran Kien had vanished, his aged eyes glinting with indignation and an unprecedented, sickly streak of interest.
"Excellent! What an excellent stratagem of 'Driving the Tiger to Devour the Wolf'! What an excellent 'Burning the Linked Camps'!" he roared. "This old man has rolled in the mud of this City of Chaos for a hundred years, yet this is the first time I've been led by the nose by a little brat! Good! Very good!"
He no longer had the mind to fight the Phantom Shadow Pavilion. His figure shot up from the sea of fire like a hawk, landing on a rooftop.
"That treasure is mine! That brat is also mine! Whoever dares to compete is making an enemy of me, Black Heart!"
Saying so, without a shred of hesitation, he transformed into a black shadow and dashed into the night, chasing the direction where he sensed Tran Kien's faint aura.
The Phantom Shadow Pavilion woman also snorted coldly, leading her surviving subordinates and picking another direction to pursue.
A large-scale hunt, with a youth as the prey, had begun within the heart of the chaotic City of Chaos.
Tran Kien ran like a madman. The Primordial Chaos Qi in his body was nearly depleted. The old wound on his chest began to throb with pain. He knew he could not escape the pursuit of an expert like Old Eccentric Black Heart using speed alone.
He needed a trap.
He lunged into the desolate graveyard district. The Yin energy here was heavy; unmarked graves lay closely packed, stone steles stood askew, and weeds grew taller than a man. Occasionally, startled black crows would take flight, letting out eerie caws.
He did not look for a hiding place. He dashed straight to the central area, where the largest tomb lay, seemingly belonging to some noble figure of an ancient era.
He stopped. He ran no more. Turning around, he tightly gripped the matte-black saber in his hand, his breathing ragged.
Before long, a tall, skinny shadow quietly appeared at the graveyard's entrance. Old Eccentric Black Heart.
"Why aren't you running anymore?" he sneered, taking step after step closer. "Realized you can't escape?"
Tran Kien did not reply. He merely looked silently at the massive, moss-covered stone stele behind him.
"Hand over the relic," Old Eccentric Black Heart said. "This old man can give you a quick and painless death."
"Senior," Tran Kien suddenly spoke, his voice somewhat weak. "Do you know whose tomb lies behind me?"
Old Eccentric Black Heart frowned. "This old man has no interest in dead people."
"This is the tomb of Patriarch Blood Saber," Tran Kien said slowly. "A notorious demon head in the City of Chaos three hundred years ago. Legend has it that before his death, he placed a curse on his own tomb. Anyone who dares to disturb his slumber will suffer the backlash of the entire lifetime of resentful energy he accumulated."
"Hmph, just some baseless martial world rumors!" Old Eccentric Black Heart said disdainfully, though his footsteps subconsciously slowed down a fraction.
"Whether they are baseless rumors or not," Tran Kien smiled, a smile full of mystery. "Try it, and you'll know."
Saying so, he did not attack Old Eccentric Black Heart. He did one last maddening thing.
He turned around, gathered every last ounce of his strength, raised his saber, and delivered a full-powered slash onto... the massive tomb stele!
"Saber Intent - Thousand Tempers, Hundred Refinements!"
BOOM!!!
The sturdy stone stele, under a saber strike carrying the intent of tempering, shattered to pieces!
The moment the stele shattered, the entire graveyard shook violently. A stream of pitch-black resentful energy, freezing to the extreme, erupted from beneath the tomb. It transformed into a ferocious ghost face, let out an inhuman roar, and lunged straight toward the only living creature nearby with the strongest aura.
Old Eccentric Black Heart!
"BASTARD!!! YOU DARE!!!" the old man roared in horror. He never expected this brat to be so insane! This was no longer a scheme; this was a true move of mutual destruction!
He had no time left to pursue Tran Kien. He had to go all out to deal with that terrifying resentful energy.
Tran Kien, after unleashing that saber strike, was also completely exhausted, coughing out a mouthful of fresh blood. But he did not stop. Borrowing the shockwave's force, his body flew backward like a torn leaf, falling into a grave pit that had been dug out beforehand.
Beneath the grave pit was a pitch-black tunnel.
The moment he fell down, a hand reached out and caught him.
"Well done, little boy."
A hoarse, familiar voice rang out.
Tran Kien raised his head. In the dim light, he saw an aged face smiling at him.
It was Elder Ve!