"Reporting, Senior Brother Wang, I have secretly investigated many places and questioned quite a few disciples, not even forgetting the odd-jobbers. Furthermore, I paid close attention to Chu Kai, Han Zong, and their group. At that time, a total of thirty-seven people were not present in the sect. All of us junior brothers investigated carefully and eliminated twenty-nine of them. The remaining six still couldn't prove they weren't around Black Mountain, but it's certain that only two people, Meng Hao and Han Zong, were actually near Black Mountain at that time."
This young man, who was actually a figure of some renown within the Reliance Sect, still had to show utmost deference when facing Wang Tengfei. He had never seen Wang Tengfei in such a state before, so he hesitated for a moment before bowing and speaking.
Wang Tengfei's expression grew even more unsightly. He raised his head, a flash of killing intent in his eyes that sent a chill down the young man's spine, filling his heart with a wave of unease.
"Han Zong was also at Black Mountain then... what about Meng Hao?"
Wang Tengfei frowned. The name Meng Hao seemed somewhat familiar.
"Meng Hao is... is the one who injured Junior Brother Lu," the young man quickly said.
Wang Tengfei's expression was dark and hideous, his heart burning with monstrous fury. He had schemed for so many years and expended so much effort, long considering this a heaven-sent fortune meant for him, and even more so, a legacy trial for his family's future. Yet today, it had been snatched away by someone else. Thinking of that sword, Wang Tengfei's mind trembled; it was something he had prepared to suppress all things in heaven and earth. Thinking of the legacy of the ancient Yinglong, Wang Tengfei almost spat blood once again.
He had been so confident before, having long considered it his own personal destiny. Only he was worthy of such a fate, and only he had the right to enjoy such a blessing. Who could have expected he would fail? This kind of blow was unbearable for Wang Tengfei, leaving him feeling as if his heart and lungs were being ripped to shreds.
Breathing heavily, Wang Tengfei was about to speak when his entire body suddenly trembled violently. His right hand abruptly burned with a searing pain. He immediately lowered his head, pulled back his sleeve, and stared at his arm, watching helplessly as the drop of blood on his skin slowly dissipated until it completely vanished. Wang Tengfei wanted to stop it but was powerless. His once handsome and imposing face suddenly became hideous. This feeling of failure, coupled with the loss of his bloodline legacy, made him suddenly spit out a mouthful of blood.
He understood that the person who had stolen his supreme treasure had, at this very moment, completely seized his legacy. This also meant he would no longer be able to use this drop of blood to sense the other party's existence, for the legacy seemed to have chosen someone else.
The young man in front of him immediately panicked upon seeing this. He was about to step forward when Wang Tengfei raised his head and spoke coldly.
"Get out!"
As the powerful word was uttered, the young man's face turned pale. He had never seen Wang Tengfei like this before, and at this moment, he felt a chill throughout his body, hastily retreating.
Inside the cave dwelling, Wang Tengfei's eyes were bloodshot. His mind reeled, filled with the names Han Zong and Meng Hao. He suddenly remembered that day on the plaza, the very person he had thought nothing of.
Suddenly, Wang Tengfei raised his eyebrows, his face clouding over with a dark, frosty gloom. Thinking of that strange drop of blood which could no longer sense the inheritance—as if its unique essence had been completely erased by someone else—he realized that neither Han Zong nor Meng Hao could have possibly done it.
"Who exactly is it?!"
Wang Tengfei's eyes burned crimson. He raised his right hand to his storage pouch and retrieved a streak of silver light. It transformed into a silver octagonal formation disk, which then floated before him.
Staring intently at the formation, a look of determination appeared in his eyes. This was a formation he had set up on several mountains surrounding Heishan. Once activated, reversing this formation would take several hours; otherwise, it would be useless. The window for its normal operation had already passed.
Wang Tengfei made his decision, unafraid to reverse the formation. Although the price was too high for his cultivation base and would even damage his divine sense, he still wanted to find out who else had been around Heishan that day.
With the silver formation before his eyes, Wang Tengfei bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood onto it. He raised his right hand, chanted an incantation, and pointed forcefully at the formation. Instantly, a ringing sound echoed in his mind, and his entire world spun in chaos. Vaguely, he sensed fluctuations of spiritual energy from within the formation.
"One, two... these nine people, I invited them to assist. This aura is mine..."
Wang Tengfei's face was pale, and his entire body trembled. The silver formation before him vibrated violently, emitting creaking sounds as if it were about to shatter, but he still refused to give up, pushing his senses further.
A vague image gradually formed in his mind. Within this formation were several stationary points of light. He knew who ten of them belonged to. Additionally, there was another point of light from which Wang Tengfei sensed Meng Hao's aura.
Besides these, there was yet another point of light. Wang Tengfei sensed it for a moment and confirmed it was Han Zong. However, this formation could only record those who entered the vicinity of the seven or eight mountains near Heishan; it could not pinpoint the exact location of each person.
Wang Tengfei frowned. Suddenly, as Meng Hao's image appeared in his mind, he noticed... there was one more point of light!
This point of light was extremely dim. If one did not look closely, it would be impossible to notice. In fact, if Wang Tengfei had not pushed the formation's power to its absolute limit, causing it to crack, he would never have been able to detect this faint light.
"This is..."
Wang Tengfei was shaken to the core and immediately looked closer. But the moment his gaze focused on this dim point of light, his expression changed drastically. His entire body stiffened, and he sprayed out a mouthful of blood. The formation shattered, the backlash blasting him backward until he crashed into the wall of his cave dwelling.
Wang Tengfei's face was deathly pale as he coughed up another mouthful of blood. His eyes filled with a look of terror he had never shown before. That point of light gave him a feeling that made his mind and soul tremble, as if the other party could end his life with a single thought.
It must be understood that Wang Tengfei's formation could only detect auras, not specific cultivation levels. Yet, a mere aura alone could affect him to such an extent, terrifying him to the absolute limit.
"Who could it be?!"
Wang Tengfei trembled, his terrified gaze immediately confirming that this person had taken his supreme treasure. This terrified him, as only such a person could so easily block his bloodline sensing.
His mind suddenly went blank. He lifted his head, breathing heavily, and it took a long time for him to recover. This showed how terrifying the pressure from that dim point of light was on him.
"How did this person know about the Heishan matter... Could it be that he followed my tracks to this place... If so, who exactly is that person..."