Chapter Twelve: Pursuit and Flight

At some unknown point, Xiao Zi had already appeared at Sun Shihe’s side, his lips curled into a bloodthirsty grin as he fixed his gaze on Sun Shihe’s eyes. But that was not all—there was now a deep, long gash on Sun Shihe’s arm. Fortunately, he had managed to muster his own energy in time to block Xiao Zi’s assault; otherwise, his entire arm might well have been rendered useless.

Glancing at Xiao Zi, Sun Shihe saw that at some point the man had produced a crimson heart, fresh blood still dripping from it. The three Ghostmasters felt their own hearts clench, cold sweat breaking out in an instant. Could that heart belong to one of them? Instinctively, each of them patted their own chest and looked at the others. Only after confirming they were all unharmed did they breathe a collective sigh of relief.

Xiao Zi, however, looked rather vexed. The system had determined that the heart he held did not belong to an evildoer; the owner of this heart simply wasn’t wicked enough. If even someone like that wasn’t considered evil, what manner of person would qualify?

With a shrug, he tossed the heart to the ground and regarded the three Ghostmasters with newfound seriousness. Just moments before, he had used his Ghostly Shadow Step to scrutinize each of them, and by sensing their auras, it was clear: all three were, like himself, E-class. Yet, there were distinctions. His own aura was the most potent, followed by the Ghostmaster who had previously investigated him, and then the other two.

To be honest, though he was the strongest among them, any one of them alone would be no match for him. But to take on all three at once… Actually, even with two he could manage, but facing three, his first thought was to retreat.

No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than a thick black mist surged up and enveloped him, followed by attacks from multiple directions. Xiao Zi was about to employ his Ghostly Shadow Step to evade, when he suddenly realized that the mist had transformed into rope-like tendrils, binding him tightly and refusing to let go.

“Not good!”

He instantly channeled all his energy to sever the bonds, then unleashed his Ghostly Shadow Step with all his might to escape. The sequence flowed seamlessly—less than a second passed—but even so, a powerful strike pierced his body without warning.

The instant the attack entered him, it erupted into chaos, as if a bomb had gone off inside Xiao Zi, leaving him severely wounded. He reacted swiftly, almost instinctively, and forced the foreign energy out of his body with his own.

He hadn’t expected a Ghostmaster’s assault to be so swift and fierce. Still, while he might not win in a fight, Xiao Zi was supremely confident in his ability to escape. With Ghostly Shadow Step, that unmatched acceleration skill, he’d reached Sun Shihe’s side before the man could even react. Clearly, in terms of speed, he eclipsed the three Ghostmasters.

This time, he didn’t hesitate—he chose a path and fled with all his might. To the Ghostmasters, he was nothing but a red blur vanishing before their eyes.

“After him!” someone called.

But just as they were preparing to give chase, Sun Shihe recalled the instructions Li Juetian had given him before leaving:

“One—never stray into his forbidden domain.
Two—if his strength matches yours, do not engage. Cease the investigation immediately.”

Sun Shihe promptly stopped the other two Ghostmasters. “He may possess a forbidden domain. If we pursue him now, we could easily wander into it. We should withdraw.”

He had expected the two Ghostmasters to heed his warning, but instead they shot him looks of scorn.

“So this is the kind of Ghostmaster they send from the big city? Are all the Tianjing City Investigative Bureau’s operatives this cowardly?”

“There’s always a difference in strength between Ghostmasters. He’s just an E-class anomaly—why, I once slew two E-class anomalies myself in a fit of rage!”

Their bravado grew as they spoke, until finally one of them declared, “If you’re not coming, don’t get in our way!”

In truth, their attitude stemmed from simple resentment. After all, one phone call had summoned them to support a fellow Ghostmaster of equal rank. Why should they have to play second fiddle, just because he was from the city and they were from a small town?

Grudges thus simmered, and now their words were edged with defiance.

Sun Shihe merely cast them a cool glance and turned away. “If you want to throw your lives away, go ahead. I won’t join you.”

He had heard enough—Li Juetian had been urgently recalled because the director of the Tianjing City Bureau had been killed. That man was a bona fide Great Xia Ghostmaster, unfathomably strong—stronger than anyone else in Tianjing City, without question. Yet even such a formidable figure had been undone by an anomaly with a forbidden domain. That alone spoke volumes as to the terror of such domains.

But these two fools had no inkling of the danger, no understanding of forbidden domains. Their arrogance was born of ignorance.

“Coward, you’re just afraid to die!” they sneered, then wasted no more time and dashed off in pursuit of Xiao Zi, hoping to catch him before his trail went cold.

Watching their departing backs and recalling their words, Sun Shihe felt a surge of frustration. If those two really managed to capture the anomaly and let the story spread, wouldn’t Tianjing City’s Ghostmasters lose all face because of him?

After careful thought, he decided to follow at a distance. If things went awry, he could always make a quick escape—there should be no real danger.

And so, the two Ghostmasters followed Xiao Zi’s lingering aura, tracking him swiftly, with Sun Shihe trailing them in silence.

The chase led them to an abandoned playground.

“What’s going on? The trail ends here.”

“That means the anomaly is nearby—search carefully!”

Some anomalies could indeed erase their own traces, but only the most powerful ones could do so. An F-class anomaly could never manage such a feat. There was only one possibility: the anomaly was hiding somewhere close.

And indeed, Xiao Zi lurked in the shadows, his eyes fixed on his pursuers, a chilling smile spreading across his face.

“Well, well, you managed to follow me all the way here. But only two of you? Excellent!”