Chapter 181 - 178: Heilong Town

"Miss Lao Liu..." Mo Qianqian was just about to ask a question.

Lao Liu interrupted him. "From now on, just call me Lao Liu. Don’t call me Miss Lao Liu anymore. It sounds super weird."

Mo Qianqian was speechless.

He thought to himself, "Didn’t you choose the name Lao Liu for yourself? Is there really a difference between Miss Lao Liu and Lao Liu?"

"I wonder, Lao Liu..." Mo Qianqian paused, helplessly dropping the word "Miss," before asking, "I wonder if you could help me look into some news?"

"Shi Muyao’s whereabouts?" Lao Liu asked immediately.

"Yes!" Mo Qianqian nodded.

Since Lao Liu used to work at the Hongyan Building, she knew everyone’s gossip. She might be able to find out where Shi Muyao was and uncover information about that brown-robed middle-aged man.

"Currently, there’s no news. I’ll look into it for you later," Lao Liu said. "But for now, you should worry about yourself. If those people pass the news to the Great Wu Empire, the entire Imperial Alliance might come after you. It all depends on whether they are willing to reveal that you possess..."

She stopped mid-sentence, glanced around, and continued, "...It all depends on whether they are willing to share the news."

Mo Qianqian frowned.

"But regardless, the news of your arrival in Black Dragon City will definitely spread throughout the entire Realm of Chaos in just a few days. When that happens, some of those guys from the Ling Family will surely be in the Realm of Chaos, and they will definitely find out," Lao Liu added.

"Once I break through again, what does it matter if they know?" Mo Qianqian replied.

"Then let’s wait until you actually break through," Lao Liu said, pouting.

Shortly after, Mo Qianqian saw Lao Liu out and returned to the Merit Mansion alone.

Back in his room, Mo Qianqian sat cross-legged on the floor. He took out the chaotic energy, began to absorb it, and focused on refining it. His current threats weren’t just the Feng Family, but also people like Zhang Shaoqi, whom he met today and who was likely the Feng Family’s backer. There was also the Great Zhou Dynasty that had gone to the Ling Family back then, and even that Void Spirit Realm Second Level black-robed elder.

If they leaked the news that he possessed a supreme treasure to the entire Imperial Alliance, the whole alliance might make a move against him. After all, who wouldn’t be tempted by a supreme treasure? Back then, the armored middle-aged man had blurted out the name of this supreme treasure, the "Ninefold Coffin," so everyone present knew he possessed it. He just didn’t know if anyone actually understood what the Ninefold Coffin was. If someone knew, or had seen information about it in ancient texts, they would likely risk everything to snatch it from him.

Besides that, he needed to rapidly increase his strength to track down the brown-robed elder who had kidnapped Shi Muyao as soon as possible. If he was too late, he feared something terrible might happen to her.

Three days later.

WHOOSH!

After refining five bottles of chaotic energy, Mo Qianqian broke through once again, advancing from the Third Realm First Layer to the Third Realm Second Layer. The power within his body surged drastically!

Clenching his fists, Mo Qianqian felt the newfound, formidable strength coursing through him. He thought to himself, "Third Realm Second Layer. I wonder if I can take on a Battle Sky Spirit Realm Second Level expert now?"

A sharp light flickered in Mo Qianqian’s eyes. All things considered, it had been nearly a month since he left the Great Xia Dynasty. If he could hold his ground against the Void Spirit Realm Second Level, even if he fought his way back to the Great Xia Dynasty, only the Ling Family Ancestor would be capable of dealing with him.

"This chaotic energy is really effective!" Mo Qianqian couldn’t help but marvel.

He still had five bottles of chaotic energy left in his possession. If he continued refining them, he could make significant progress. Of course, using just five bottles to break through to the Third Realm Third Layer was impossible; he needed far more chaotic energy for that.

However, recalling that Lao Liu had mentioned there were important matters to attend to, Mo Qianqian stopped his refinement. Instead, he walked out of his room, went to the entrance of the Merit Mansion, and instructed Lao Liu’s subordinate to pass on a message.

Before long, Lao Liu arrived at the Merit Mansion once again and entered Mo Qianqian’s room.

"You broke through?" Lao Liu asked right away, looking Mo Qianqian up and down.

Mo Qianqian nodded.

"You’re truly... a freak!" Lao Liu couldn’t help but praise him. She then turned serious and said, "Down to business. There’s a place in the Realm of Chaos called Heilong Town. Recently, an unusual number of people there have been losing control of their Spirit. I took on a mission to investigate Heilong Town.

"It’s currently under the control of the Imperial Alliance, and I want to bring you along for the investigation."

"Aren’t you just leading a lamb to the slaughter?" Mo Qianqian said, utterly speechless.

"It’s just a small place. The Imperial Alliance wouldn’t gather too many powerful experts there. Having a Void Spirit Realm First Layer or Second Level expert holding down the fort would be the absolute limit." Lao Liu shot him a disdainful look. "You could fight a Void Spirit Realm First Layer expert when you were only at the Third Realm First Layer. Now that you’re at the Third Realm Second Layer, are you really scared of a Void Spirit Realm First Layer or Second Level expert?"

"You don’t want to bring me along to investigate. You want me to go there and kill people, don’t you?" Mo Qianqian asked.

"Pretty much. But you don’t necessarily have to kill anyone. You just need to cause a scene while I sneak in to investigate," Lao Liu explained.

Mo Qianqian was speechless again. However, Lao Liu’s words reminded him of something. Since the Imperial Alliance was likely to make a move against him, why couldn’t he strike first? Taking the initiative would give him the upper hand.

"I agree to go, but there’s one problem. If we leave the city, I’m afraid someone will attack us, right?" Mo Qianqian asked.

"We’ll slip out quietly. Once we’re out of the city, my master will cover our retreat," Lao Liu replied.

"Let’s move out!" Mo Qianqian was already getting impatient.

Causing a scene meant he might be able to snatch some chaotic energy while he was at it. This chaotic energy was an excellent resource for breaking through. If he could grab eight to ten bottles and combine them with the five he already had, breaking through to the Third Realm Third Layer wouldn’t be difficult at all.

Following Lao Liu, Mo Qianqian vaulted over the courtyard wall of the Merit Mansion. They navigated through several narrow alleyways until they reached the outer wall of Black Dragon City, easily scaling it to get outside. Naturally, the Black Dragon Army noticed them climbing the walls, but since they were leaving the city rather than breaking in, the guards didn’t bother to intervene.

After exiting Black Dragon City and entering the forest, Lao Liu led Mo Qianqian on a winding path. After traveling some distance, Mo Qianqian faintly heard the sounds of a battle erupting behind them. He figured that someone had tried to pursue him, only to be intercepted by Lao Liu’s master.

The two of them continued their journey without a hitch. Now that he had reached the Third Realm, Mo Qianqian was capable of unassisted flight. It only took them a few days to arrive at the small town.

The town spanned a little over a dozen miles in radius, so it wasn’t particularly large. However, the entire area was swept by eerie gusts of wind. Even in broad daylight, Mo Qianqian could feel a sinister and violent aura hanging in the air. It was similar to Black Dragon City, yet distinctly different. Black Dragon City was merely violent, but this place carried an undeniably macabre atmosphere. At the entrance of Heilong Town, there were hardly any guards posted, making it look like any other ordinary small town.

"Go in normally and draw their fire. I’ll sneak in from another direction," Lao Liu told Mo Qianqian.

With that, she sprang into action, flying low to the ground and circling around to another side of the town.

Mo Qianqian rolled his eyes and simply strode forward. His reputation in Black Dragon City might have spread, but very few people had actually seen his face. As for the three Void Spirit Realm experts who had previously visited the Ling Family, their whereabouts were unknown. Even if he walked in openly, there was no guarantee anyone would recognize him. He decided to observe the situation first.

Mo Qianqian approached Heilong Town on foot. There were barely any pedestrians outside the town, giving it a rather desolate feel. As he reached the entrance, he could see a sparse number of people walking along the streets inside. Acting naturally, Mo Qianqian confidently stepped through the town’s archway.

But the moment he set foot inside, something unexpected happened.