NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 413: Protagonist Spotted
"Mmm. Besides, if all six of us show up in Burning Sun City, it'll make this whole thing seem way more important than it is." You Shaojun glanced around. "Don't forget—this is just a rumor. It's supposed to be beneath us."
"But what if Lu Yi is real?" Lu Tingguang shot back, clearly annoyed. "What if the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace grabs him while we just sit here doing nothing? We can't stay holed up in the sect—we need to get out there!"
"Relax. Of course we're not just going to sit around," You Shaojun said. "The Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace seems pretty confident, right? I'm betting Liang Youwen and his group are already heading to Burning Sun City."
His eyes narrowed.
"So here's what we do—we intercept them. Make it look like we're stopping outsiders from entering our territory. If they do show up, it'll prove they're using this rumor as a cover to sneak in and stir up trouble behind our backs."
As You Shaojun laid out his plan, understanding flickered across Lu Tingguang's face.
Sun Xiangyuan and the others gave small nods in agreement.
"Then let's move," You Shaojun said, his expression serious. "The future of the Purple Crest Immortal Sect could depend on what we do next."
Without wasting time, the sect sent people racing toward Burning Sun City.
You Shaojun and the other five elders also set out, splitting into two teams—one heading to Giant Spirit Ghost Mountain, the other to Dragon Roar Thousand-Mile Waterfall.
Those were the two most likely spots to catch the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace's group if they tried to make a move.
...
Meanwhile, in Burning Sun City—a place guarded by five Transcendence realm cultivators—chaos had already broken out.
"What? Lu Tingyun, a top expert in the Nirvana Cleansing realm, was a demon spy? And her half-demon son is here, in our city?!"
"No way. Elder Lu from the Purple Crest Immortal Sect? That can't be true!"
"The Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace wouldn't make a claim like this without proof. There's got to be more to it than just rumors."
"I believe it. If it's true, we can't let something like that hide here. He needs to be taken out!"
"Hurry! Find Lu Yi and tear him to pieces!"
All across the city, cultivators were shouting and arguing, whipped into a frenzy. The anger was so intense it drowned out reason—everyone was out for blood.
But Lu Yi was an old recluse who'd been in seclusion for ten thousand years. Other than Xin Tong, who even remembered he existed?
On top of that, his demonic bloodline had been sealed by Lu Tingyun. The seal didn't erase it completely, but it hid it so well that no one could sense it unless they really knew what to look for.
To everyone else, he seemed completely human.
So there he was, sitting quietly in his courtyard, using his divine sense to monitor everything around him. No one gave him a second glance—he just looked like a frail old man on the edge of death, surrounded by an air of decay.
Even if someone did notice him, no one would believe he was Lu Yi. He looked nothing like the son of a Nirvana Cleansing realm powerhouse.
And really, why would anyone expect Lu Yi to be out in the open? Everyone figured he'd be hiding somewhere far away. No one would think the man they were hunting was sitting right in plain sight.
Meanwhile, the uproar outside was growing louder by the minute—and Lu Yi had already heard every word.
What the hell! I've been hiding for ten thousand years, and now I'm suddenly exposed? Lu Yi's heart pounded as he listened to the shouting and chaos outside. Damn it, the system's barely kicked in, and I'm still weak enough to get killed by just about anyone. This is way too stressful.
Still… looks like no one recognizes me. Even if they spot me, they don't think I'm Lu Yi. That's the payoff for staying hidden all this time. But if this drags on much longer, someone's bound to put the pieces together. And if the system isn't fully active by then, I'm screwed.
System, seriously—hurry up already! Can't you at least give me a fast-forward button? Or a recharge option? I've got plenty of resources lying around!
He really did. Besides the storage bracelet on his wrist, he had another storage artifact tucked away in his robes—hidden and untouched all these years.
That storage artifact had actually been meant as a gift for Xin Tong—something his past self had prepared, packed with cultivation resources. Who would've guessed she'd end up betraying him?
Now, all Lu Yi could do was sit tight and hope the system kicked in soon.
What he didn't know was that people from the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace had already arrived in Burning Sun City—and they were watching from the shadows.
Thanks to the information Xin Tong gave them, they knew exactly where to find him.
Right now, Nirvana Peering realm powerhouses had set up ambushes in three directions around the city.
These weren't just any cultivators. They were elite enforcers the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace had been secretly raising for years. They lived comfortably, had access to top-tier resources, and were rarely called into action—but whenever they were, they almost never failed.
In a quiet, shadowy spot east of the city, a bald, broad-shouldered man lay hidden, his divine sense sweeping the area nonstop. What's taking the people from the Purple Crest Immortal Sect so long?
Their orders weren't to capture Lu Yi right away—they were supposed to wait until the Purple Crest Immortal Sect showed up, then catch everyone in the act.
After all, there was no way the sect would admit to something this scandalous. They'd probably try to deny everything, twist the story, and wipe out any trace of Lu Yi to cover it all up.
Whatever. I'll just keep watching him for now. We can't risk someone from the sect sneaking in and killing him first.
This was too big. A mess like this was bound to draw in top-tier cultivators, maybe even Nirvana Cleansing-level experts. The pressure was huge.
Hope the palace master and the others get here soon, he thought, locking his eyes on Lu Yi. A secret pupil technique activated in his gaze, quietly recording everything.
Elsewhere, the other two Nirvana Peering realm cultivators kept their eyes on Lu Yi as well. The tension between them was thick—no one wanted to be the one who slipped up.
...
Just as he passed the fifty million kilometer mark from Burning Sun City, Jiang Chen activated his Void Tribulation Soulring, expanding his divine sense until the city finally came into view in the distance.
Without wasting time, he gave a mental command: Villain Eye! A sharp gleam flickered in his gaze as he swept over everyone inside the city.
In an instant, a flood of attribute panels popped up—so many they almost overlapped.
There it is. Found the protagonist. He locked onto one panel buried among the crowd and focused in.
[Name: Lu Yi
Status: Protagonist
Heavenly Fate Value: 102,260 / 102,260
Aptitude: Lower Grade
Innate Talent: Human-Demon Hybrid
Heaven-Defying Trump Card: Activating...
Realm: Early-stage Transcendence
True Combat Power: Peak-stage Dao Palace / Early-stage Transcendence
Cultivation Methods: Purple Crest Immortal Gold Record (Void Tribulation, Core Technique), Sun Shadow Mystic Feather Blade Technique (Transcendence, Great Accomplishment-Level), Azure Flower Profound Howl Record (Transcendence, Entry-Level), Red Cloth Meridian Spirit Book (Dao Palace, Perfect-Level)
Main Equipment: Aurora Thousand Mountains Shield (Transcendence, Upper-Grade), Pure Yang Rainbow Wasp Blade (Transcendence, Top-Grade)
Trust Level: 0]