After Zhao Xuan left, about a dozen seconds passed.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The sound of figures cutting through the air came from all directions.
Very quickly, two of the ability-user teams that had previously joined the "Kill Zhao Alliance" arrived at the scene after hearing Felimon's shout.
"Felimon, what happened?"
"Where's Zhao Xuan? Where did that brat go?"
"Which way did he run?"
Seeing Felimon and the others standing there with unstable auras and dark expressions, the newcomers immediately frowned and questioned them.
"He ran."
Felimon said with a gloomy face, "He was hiding in an alley, trying to ambush us. We sensed him in advance. Then he tried to forcefully take us down."
"But!"
"When he realized he couldn't take us quickly, he got worried that you would surround him after arriving, so he ran."
Hearing this, the people from the two teams frowned.
They had originally intended to say a few more things.
They had even wanted to complain to Felimon's group.
In their view, if Felimon's team had just held Zhao Xuan off long enough for them to arrive, Zhao Xuan would have had no way to escape.
But in the end, they swallowed their complaints.
Why?
Because Felimon's group looked extremely grim.
They resembled gunpowder barrels ready to explode at the slightest spark.
It was obvious that they had suffered greatly at Zhao Xuan's hands.
If they spoke sarcastically now, Felimon's team might very well explode on the spot.
Soon, the two teams left.
However, this time they did not go far. Instead, they tacitly maintained a distance where either side could rush over instantly if trouble arose.
Clearly, Felimon's experience had made them cautious again.
Silence returned to the scene.
After a while, one of Felimon's teammates suddenly asked,
"Felimon… why didn't we tell them that Zhao Xuan's strength has skyrocketed?"
"Hmph!"
Felimon snorted coldly.
"Why should we tell them? Why should we?"
"We can't be the only unlucky ones."
The eyes of his five teammates flickered.
Better the dead friend than the dead me.
Misery loves company.
That was their mentality.
Zhao Xuan, of course, knew nothing about this.
At this moment, he was following the excited Golden Rat, moving swiftly through Life City.
Soon, the man and the rat arrived in front of a large mansion located in the southern outer district of the city.
"This is the place you said is full of spirit herbs and Life Stones?"
Zhao Xuan narrowed his eyes at the gate of the mansion.
"Ji ji! (Yes!)" the Golden Rat nodded.
Zhao Xuan's brows immediately furrowed.
This Life City was very strange.
Back when he first entered and nearly smashed through the wall of a civilian house during a fight, his Observation Haki had gone into a frenzy, warning him that if he fully broke through a building's walls, something terrifying would happen.
Later, he had specifically asked those two black guys about it.
All buildings in Life City were forbidden to enter.
Because they contained immense danger.
According to them, years ago, the Empire of the Sun Never Sets had joined forces with several other nations, forming a team of about twenty ability users to explore a mansion in the outer city.
And then…
There was no "then."
Seven years had passed since they entered.
There had never been a single trace of them.
They had clearly died.
Silently.
"You're sure this place isn't extremely dangerous for me?" Zhao Xuan asked with narrowed eyes.
"Ji ji! (Yes!)" the Golden Rat nodded decisively.
"Swear it. If you're lying, all your flowers will wither."
"Ji ji! (I swear!)"
"Fine. I'll trust you this once."
After taking a deep breath and mentally preparing himself, Zhao Xuan stepped forward.
Step by step.
He reached the gate of the mansion.
He placed his hand on it.
His Observation Haki gave no warning.
Only then did Zhao Xuan truly relax.
He pushed the gate open and stepped inside.
The moment he entered—
Creak.
The gate behind him shut by itself.
Zhao Xuan's vigilance instantly rose.
Right then—
"Ji ji! (Come here! Quick, over here!)"
The Golden Rat suddenly called out from the side.
Not understanding what was happening, Zhao Xuan still reacted quickly and dashed over to where the rat was hiding behind a decorative rock formation.
Just as Zhao Xuan was feeling puzzled—
Rustle, rustle, rustle.
Footsteps came from the distance.
Then—
A squad of Golden Guards marched past.
A real squad of Golden Guards.
A true, full Golden Guard patrol.
Because—
All fifteen of them were clad in golden armor.
Every single one.
And the auras they emitted were far stronger than the Golden Guard generals patrolling the streets outside.
Outside, the Golden Guards were Eighth-Rank low-tier.
These fifteen were stronger.
Which meant—
These fifteen were all Eighth-Rank mid-tier.
"Holy sh*t…!"
"Good thing I hid, or I'd be dead!"
Zhao Xuan's strength had indeed increased tremendously.
He was even confident he could clash head-on with an Eighth-Rank high-tier King.
But—
Two fists cannot beat four hands.
The gap between mid-tier and high-tier Eighth Rank was large, yes.
But if seven or eight mid-tier Eighth Rankers coordinated well, they still had a real chance of killing a high-tier one.
Let alone fifteen.
"This is what you meant by 'not that dangerous'?"
After the patrol passed, Zhao Xuan glared fiercely at the Golden Rat.
"Ji ji ji! (As long as you follow me, I'll help you avoid every patrol in advance!)" the Golden Rat squeaked awkwardly.
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