Chapter 154 – The Black Crow Sovereign, Red Bear, and Evil Martial Arts

Karofis’s body was swiftly eroded away by the surging death energy, like sand by the banks of the Styx.

Thumb-sized crystals, resembling black diamonds, fell from Karofis’s decaying, sand-like body.

Lu Yuan suddenly caught a glimpse of something scarlet. His eyes flickered, and he discreetly gathered it all up.

He stood tall and strong in the forest clearing, which had been ravaged by the death energy.

The air around him was hot and oppressive, like invisible magma spreading outwards.

Thick layers of death energy swirled around him, forming shapes that resembled wings or a decayed cloak.

As his battle with Karofis came to an end, the crows that had been witnesses seemed to immediately find their leader.

They surrounded him in a worshipful manner, flocking around him.

At that moment, Lu Yuan… seemed to become a sovereign among the black crow flock.

Lu Yuan began to quickly clean up the battlefield.

The commotion from the battle had indeed been quite significant.

He had long noticed the arrival of Yellow Bear and others.

But in the heat of the battle, he couldn’t afford to be distracted.

“Being this close, even though I’ve changed my appearance and am wearing a mask, I wonder if they’ll recognize me…”

Lu Yuan’s face darkened slightly.

He hadn’t anticipated the attention this battle would draw, and now there was no use regretting it.

“If they do find out, I’ll just deny everything. After all, my ability to control death energy comes entirely from my professional panel. Unlike the genuine followers of the Crow Deity sect, whose bodies are somewhat mutated by the death energy…”

Lu Yuan thought as he commanded the crow flock to erase all traces of him from the battlefield.

Mainly fragments of his school uniform and footprints.

What disappointed Lu Yuan the most was that his “Seize the Moon” had come out in one piece, but was now completely damaged after the battle with Karofis.

The boxing glove on his right hand had shattered completely when it took a blow from Karofis.

The left boxing glove was also tattered from the clashes of death energy, inner strength, and pure force.

“To have peaked just after starting out, taking the life of an extraordinary member of the Crow Deity sect, truly honors the name ‘Seize the Moon’…”

Lu Yuan silently paid tribute to the weapon and equipment that had accompanied him through this journey.

After settling everything, Lu Yuan locked onto the location of the Tiger Head Mountain reservoir.

He was planning to use the Water Escape technique to make his exit.

Suddenly, as if he remembered something.

“With Yellow Bear’s people here, as someone of the Crow Deity sect, I should at least acknowledge their presence.”

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered as he mentally commanded the crow flock around and above him to disperse.

His gaze pierced through the distance, instantly locking onto the silver-gray shuttle hovering not far away.

Beneath his mask, Lu Yuan smiled.

Then, facing the direction of the shuttle, he slowly made a gesture.

Immediately, under the cover of numerous crows, his figure swiftly disappeared into the forest.

…

Silence.

Inside the shuttle, there was a deathly quiet.

Gao Qing and her two companions were pale, their bodies trembling slightly.

They watched helplessly as the man, wearing a crow mask and surrounded by death energy entanglement, looked like some kind of evil and ferocious beast…

Shielded by countless crows, he slowly made a “throat-slitting” gesture towards them.

The atmosphere inside the shuttle was oppressively tense.

Only the sounds of nervous swallowing and the faint hum of the instruments could be heard.

Finally.

The terrifying figure in their view disappeared into the forest, turning away.

“Whew. “

Gao Qing and her companions let out a collective sigh of relief, feeling an overwhelming sense of having narrowly escaped death.

If that person hadn’t left.

But instead had turned his attention towards them.

They couldn’t imagine what their fate might have been.

Images of the Powerful Divine Messenger’s body being eroded away like sand flashed through their minds, causing them to shiver involuntarily in response.

“Damn it…”

The long-haired man was the first to speak, his voice strained as if squeezed through a crack in the door.

“Who would have thought that the one who won in the end was that… Divine Servant?!”

“I feel like…” The crew-cut man, with blue light flickering in his eyes, hesitated before speaking, “This person doesn’t seem to be just a simple Divine Servant of the Crow Deity sect… I just analyzed some fragmented data collected during the fight. I discovered that the technique he used the most is actually an Ancient Style martial arts technique. It comes from…”

The crew-cut man paused, then said, “A legacy from a branch of the Sky Water Stream martial arts sect that has been in decline for a long time. The Sky Water Stream Crane Style.”

“What did you say?!”

Gao Qing was stunned for a moment, then quickly turned her head and asked, “From which sect?”

“The legacy of the Sky Water Stream Crane Style.”

The crew-cut man repeated, “I cross-referenced over 1,300 data samples in the database and identified traces of this ancient martial arts school’s techniques in his moves.

All three true skill techniques of the Crane Style… appeared in his hands.”

“Sky Water Stream Crane Style…”

Gao Qing’s expression momentarily froze, and she instantly thought of Lu Yuan.

No wonder she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity while watching the battle earlier; it all made sense now.

“Team Leader Gao, are you familiar with this Ancient Style martial arts school?”

The crew-cut man couldn’t help but ask.

Gao Qing shook her head and said, “Not really, it’s just that someone I know happens to be in this school, so I learned a bit about it before.”

After answering, Gao Qing pursued further, “Can you identify which member of the Crane Style it might be?”

The crew-cut man shook his head and said, “The data sample is too small to confirm.

As of now, the known Crane Style members don’t match the target’s information.

Besides, although that Crow Deity sect Divine Servant used Crane Style martial arts, it doesn’t necessarily mean he is from the Crane Style…”

As the crew-cut man was analyzing, all three inside the shuttle suddenly shuddered.

They then simultaneously looked up in a certain direction.

“The Red Bear level Lords… have arrived.”

In the distance, a light-colored shuttle was rapidly approaching in the sky.

This shuttle also bore the flag of the Xia State and was similar in design to Gao Qing’s shuttle, only larger.

“Open the hatch!”

The two shuttles performed a brief docking maneuver in mid-air.

Five minutes later, two more figures appeared inside the shuttle where Gao Qing and her team were.

Both were tall and burly men. One looked quite young, around thirty years old.

His right arm was notably thicker than a normal person’s, and he wore pale gold boxing gloves. His arm seemed to conceal a cannon.

The other man appeared more mature and steady, with a square face and a faint scar across the bridge of his nose.

There were no obvious signs of modification on his body.

Both men wore the standard combat protective suits of the Yellow Bear, with a Yellow Bear emblem on their left chest.

However, unlike Gao Qing and her team, the emblem on these two men’s suits was red.

“Where is that Powerful Divine Messenger?”

As soon as he boarded the shuttle, the younger Red Bear man coldly asked.

“He’s already dead…”

The long-haired man from Gao Qing’s team briefly recounted the events.

The younger man glanced at the distant battlefield, then whispered to the scarred middle-aged man beside him, “I’ll go check the battlefield.”

“Alright, be careful.”

“I know.”

After their brief exchange, the young man turned and left the shuttle, piloting another shuttle towards the battlefield below.

Inside the shuttle, only Gao Qing’s team and the scarred middle-aged man remained.

The scarred middle-aged man scanned the three of them and slowly said, “Your handling of the sudden situation this time was quite good… Of course, you were also very lucky. After this mission, the organization will give you credit.”

The three team members, including the crew-cut man, exchanged pleased glances.

But soon, the crew-cut man hesitated and then spoke, “Actually, there’s one more thing we haven’t reported to you yet.”

“Speak.”

The crew-cut man detailed their earlier discussion about the identity and analysis of the Crow Deity sect Divine Servant who won, including their doubts and speculations.

The scarred middle-aged man’s eyes flashed slightly, but he showed no significant reaction.

“Lord Iron Blade, this Crow Deity sect Divine Servant…”

“Is not a Divine Servant of the Crow Deity sect.”

The scarred middle-aged man shook his head slightly, “Nor is it an internal power struggle within the Crow Deity sect as you guessed.”

“Huh?”

The three were stunned, their faces showing expressions of confusion.

The Scarred Middle-aged Man said casually, “It’s highly likely that this was just another member of the Evil Martial Alliance hunting for evil power. But for one person to dare hunt for Divine Messenger level evil power, this martial artist from the Evil Martial Alliance must be quite a rare expert.”

“Evil Martial Alliance?”

“It’s a crazy organization that attempts to break the limits of the human body using the power of the Evil Deities. They were very active in earlier years but have shifted their activities abroad in recent years. It’s not surprising you haven’t heard of them.”

The Scarred Middle-aged Man looked down as if checking something, then continued, “As for the Sky Water Stream Crane Style martial arts you mentioned…

I found that this sect had a core disciple who left years ago and indeed had contact with the Evil Martial Alliance. It’s probably him.”

The Crew-cut Man and his two teammates listened in a daze, feeling like they had inadvertently stumbled upon some secrets only those at the Red Bear level were privy to.

After a moment of silence, the Crew-cut Man hesitantly asked, “Lord Iron Blade, should we do something about this Evil Martial Alliance person?”

“Just let him be.”

The Scarred Middle-aged Man replied nonchalantly, “Although the Evil Martial Alliance has a bad reputation in the Ancient Martial Arts world, their goals align with ours. They’ve helped us eliminate quite a few members of the Evil Deity Sect over the years. Moreover, it’s not our place to deal with them… someone else will keep an eye on them.”

“You don’t need to worry about this matter anymore. There will be a specialized team to follow up. I’ll also have someone prepare the action report for you. Consider this a lucky break for you.”

The Scarred Middle-aged Man smiled.

Though his appearance was stern, his actual personality was quite amiable. With a bit of interaction, he gave off a refreshing and comforting vibe.

The Crew-cut Man and his team visibly relaxed and showed signs of happiness on their faces.

The Scarred Middle-aged Man encouraged them further.

Not long after, the Young Red Bear who had gone to investigate the battlefield returned.

“The difference in evil power levels was significant. However, the outcome of the battle was the exact opposite.

No Evil Power Crystal was found at the scene, further confirming that it was the work of the Evil Martial Alliance.

It should be an Evil Martial expert who has harnessed the Crow Deity’s evil power…”

The Young Red Bear frowned and said, “It’s indeed strange that this Powerful Divine Messenger from the Crow Deity sect, who was considered a target for the hunt, would willingly come to his death…”

“Over the years, the Evil Martial Alliance has developed a mature set of methods for luring and hunting. There’s nothing strange about it… By the way, since the Jiaoyan matter was resolved ahead of schedule, do you want me to accompany you there?”

“Let me think about it. I haven’t decided whether I want to go or not…”

The Scarred Middle-aged Man and the Young Red Bear continued their quiet conversation, their topics drifting further away.

The Crew-cut Man and his team stood silently, watching their noses and keeping their mouths shut, obediently pretending to be deaf and mute.

As the two finished their conversation and were about to leave, the Scarred Middle-aged Man suddenly turned his head and his gaze landed lightly on Gao Qing among the three, seemingly with some intention. He said, “Are you Gao Qing?”

“Uh?!”

Inside the shuttle, the Crew-cut Man and the Long-haired Man both turned their eyes towards Gao Qing.

Gao Qing herself was also taken aback, nodding slightly in confusion, “Yes, Lord Iron Blade. I am Gao Qing.”

The Scarred Middle-aged Man narrowed his eyes slightly and suddenly said, “Then come with me for a moment, I have something to discuss with you privately.”

After speaking, he turned and walked out of the shuttle cabin, stepping onto the floating bridge set up between the two shuttles, heading to the other shuttle.

Gao Qing, feeling bewildered and puzzled, glanced at the Crew-cut Man and the Long-haired Man, who returned equally confused looks. Hesitating, she took a deep breath and quickly followed him.