Chapter 348 - Miscalculation

Chapter 348: Chapter 103 MiscalculationThe coastline was long, and while Anna had temporarily sealed it, she couldn’t keep it sealed forever. Lu Hong once again activated his Divine Eye and scanned the frozen sea surface, where countless demon fish and shrimp were encased in ice. However, in the deep water not far away, a mass of magic power endlessly dissipated—it must have been the Holy Court’s strong warrior using magic power to resist the cold invasion.

"I’ll see how long you can hide!" Lu Hong switched to the War Holy Sword, deciding not to have another bout with the Holy Court’s strong warrior. Using the power of the sacred sword was the most reliable method.

"Step back," Lu Hong said to Anna, intending to strike down the Holy Court’s strong warrior lurking in the depths of the sea. He needed to give it his all, worried that the skill might harm Anna.

"Okay," Anna retreated a hundred meters.

"Go further, and use your strongest defense skill," as he spoke, Lu Hong slowly lowered his body, beginning to charge up the Ultimate Flash skill.

Feeling the terrifying fluctuations emanating from the holy sword in Lu Hong’s hand, Anna’s face turned pale. If that skill hit her, she wouldn’t be enough to sacrifice even a hundred times over.

The Holy Court strong warrior hiding at the bottom of the sea also felt something was amiss. To his perception, a formidable aura spread across the sea surface. Could it be that Lord Gamma himself had come? No, that wasn’t right.

It must be the kid launching some incredible skill! With this thought in mind, the Holy Court warrior no longer dared to hide at the bottom of the sea. He activated his magic power, breaking through the surrounding ice, and rushed toward the sea surface.

Through his Divine Eye, Lu Hong saw the enemy’s movements below the sea clearly: "You want to come out now? Too late! Rest forever below!"

The holy sword was slowly drawn—aligning heaven and earth.

A magnificent scene unfolded in Anna’s eyes. Accompanied by a streak of white light that flitted across, the scene shattered, and the frozen ocean was torn apart by an invisible giant hand. The Holy Court warrior’s terrified expression was frozen at that moment as he was split in two. The power of the Ultimate Flash also dispelled Anna’s ice skill, causing the sea to instantly whip up into furious waves and a roaring tempest.

Lu Hong sheathed the holy sword and strode back across the sea surface.

"That’s my man," Anna’s eyes brimmed with affection. What woman doesn’t love a hero?

Lu Hong wrapped his arms around Anna’s waist. He hadn’t made a move, but four ice spikes pierced through the foreheads of four breathless armored knights lying on the ground, taking their lives.

"I know, your secret must never be exposed," Anna winked. Killing someone for her man was nothing, especially when they were the bad guys who had kidnapped her earlier.

"Haha, smart!" Lu Hong planted a kiss on Anna’s face, then took out a Teleportation Scroll given by the gatekeeper of the portal, channeling magic power into it. Shortly after, a teleportation portal opened.

"Let’s go. It’s been a bit uneasy lately; you be careful too." After he finished speaking, they stepped through the portal, and as soon as they landed, they heard the playful giggling of women all around.

He looked up—Spring Breeze Hall?!

"My lord, you seem unfamiliar here, is this your first visit?" At that moment, the madam in charge of soliciting customers approached Lu Hong: "Rest assured, we guarantee your satisfaction here."

"Hmph!" Anna let out an unhappy snort.

The madam immediately understood upon seeing Anna and quickly said, "Oh my, Miss, please don’t be upset. The guests here all have their own preferences. I thought..."

Anna’s chilly gaze stopped her from finishing, and she hastily backed away.

"Do you come here often?" Anna’s voice was as cold as the depths of winter, and without waiting for Lu Hong’s explanation, she let go of his hand and turned to leave.

"Don’t be like that, didn’t you hear the madam say I looked unfamiliar?" Lu Hong was at a loss for words—why was it always these kinds of places? He sighed helplessly and quickly followed after Anna.

Meanwhile, Jin Fu had been invited to Jenaxi’s office by Fu Na.

"Jin Fu pays his respects to the Archbishop," Jin Fu composed himself, keeping his face expressionless, and gave Jenaxi a respectful bow.

Jenaxi didn’t lift his head to look at him, busying himself with the paperwork. Only after a long while did he put down his document, looked up, and blinked in surprise: "When did you get here? Please, have a seat."

"At your command." Jin Fu inwardly cursed. Jenaxi was a strong warrior in the middle stage of the Third Transition. There was no way he wouldn’t have noticed an extra person in the room; he was clearly trying to annoy him.

"What business could be so urgent as to prompt the Archbishop to summon me in the dead of night?" Jin Fu didn’t wish to linger and thus asked directly.

"It’s nothing much," Jenaxi pondered for a moment before continuing, "You should be familiar with Lu Hong, right?"

Upon mentioning Lu Hong, Jin Fu tensed up inwardly, "Jin is aware of him, though I’m not sure what the Archbishop wishes to know about him." Pretending to be unacquainted would be too far-fetched; he and Lu Hong had frequented many places together, a fact that couldn’t be concealed. Thus, he could only follow Jenaxi’s lead for now, while also curious as to why Jenaxi would abruptly bring up Lu Hong. Could it be that he had struck some deal with the Four Dukes?

"I just want to inquire about something. Fu Na came to me the day before yesterday, claiming that this Lu Hong used one of our Holy Court’s secret techniques on the battleground of the Eagle Campaign. Is there any truth to that?"

"Yes, but the skill Lu Hong used wasn’t the original version passed down from our Holy Court, rather, it was a modified version he obtained in a secret realm, presumably left by our ancestors," Jin Fu quickly concocted a lie. After all, it was a secret realm you could investigate, take your time, and besides, the skill propelled by a Holy King indeed varied from the current skills of the Holy Court. This was the reason behind Jin Fu’s confidence in his deception.

"Alright." Jenaxi didn’t dwell too much on the matter but switched to another topic, "A few days ago, Piao Miao, the eldest daughter of the Clan Leader of the Xin Lei family, besieged the Holy Academy with troops and had the Inquisition Knight investigate, aiming to capture a man named Lu Hong."

"Indeed," Jin Fu quickly caught on and replied, "The matter was resolved when Archbishop Nong Hua arrived to fend for him, but as to what ties there are between Archbishop Nong Hua and this young man, Jin is unaware, and I hope Your Grace could discern the truth." He aimed to shut down the conversation promptly, not wanting Jenaxi to harp on this issue.

Jenaxi just smiled, closing a report about Jin Fu secretly sending a message to Nong Hua, "Very well, then I have no further questions."

Jin Fu sensed something amiss, desiring to find Lu Hong and thus rose to take his leave, "If that is the case, then Jin shall take my leave, having tired from overseeing the recent duels. I hope the Archbishop can understand."

"Wait a moment." Jenaxi stopped Jin Fu again, slowly adding, "This evening at ten, Qing Ling came looking for me, hoping you would shoulder some responsibilities in the Holy Court’s reconstruction. I think he made a good point, and having thought it over again, we’ve captured many dissidents lately. The tribunal is overwhelmed, so you can go and lend a hand. If handled well, I am willing to restore to you the administrative rights over the Seventh Layer of Flowing Reality division, considering you’re the most familiar with this place."

The Seventh Layer of Flowing Reality was merely a temporary node within the current power center of the Holy Court, awaiting resolution of the issues in the Great Radiant Realm. As Archbishop, Jenaxi would surely return northward, to the Holy Court’s base, and operating under the alliance’s scrutiny was undoubtedly unsafe. It was only logical to let Jin Fu take charge of the clerical work in the Seventh Layer of Flowing Reality again.

"Thank you for your grace, Archbishop," Jin Fu bowed deeply once more.

"Go now," Jenaxi waved him off, watching him depart.

However, the moment Jin Fu left, Jenaxi’s expression darkened.

Something was off. On one hand, ignoring Jin Fu was Jenaxi’s way of vexing him, but on the other, he was waiting, waiting for his subordinates to bring Lu Hong back. Yet, the prolonged absence of any news completely disrupted Jenaxi’s plans for the evening concerning Jin Fu.

"Someone come!"

At Jenaxi’s urgent call, Fu Na quickly slipped inside.

Disgust swept over Jenaxi at the sight of this corpulent figure prostrating before him. Were it not for his family’s status as an old, established lineage of the Holy Court, a man like him would never have sat in the position of an Inquisition Knight.

"You are to go to the Heng An realm immediately and report back your findings to me, at once! Right now!" As soon as Jenaxi finished speaking, Gamma walked in, "There’s no need to send anyone; the scheme has failed," he said, kicking the plump Fu Na. Having little talent but much cunning, Fu Na instantly understood and scrambled out of the office without looking back.

Jenaxi’s brows knitted slightly, "How come? Were the arrangements not properly made?"

"Indeed," Gamma sat on a sofa, starting, "I underestimated the boy’s strength. Even a Third Transition Middle Stage warrior couldn’t hold him down, which I had not anticipated."

"Perhaps the force you sent was inadequate," Jenaxi said gravely, "Considering his performance in the Eagle Campaign, I believe you must have done your research before dispatching men. Why, then, did such an error occur?"

Gamma, not a subordinate of Jenaxi but an ally, was irked by the query laced with suspicion, "Jenaxi, don’t forget the nature of our relationship."

"Humph!" A mission failed, and not even a few words of complaint are allowed? Jenaxi was equally dissatisfied but tempered his words, "Can we make another move? The boy has deep connections with Archbishop Nong Hua, and the sudden anomalies in the Great Radiant Realm might very likely involve him. I hope you can capture and interrogate him."

Gamma shook his head, "It’s no good to make a move now. Qing Ling seems to have noticed something, mainly due to the wit of Tai Hongyun. If I were to act against Lu Hong in the Seventh Layer of Flowing Reality, Qing Ling would surely get wind of it and come to stop me."

"Qing Ling is only your subordinate, are you afraid of her?" Jenaxi asked with a raised eyebrow, surprised, "It has always been said that all in the tribunal hold Lord Gamma in high esteem. This is the first time I’ve seen you hesitate to act because of one person."

"It’s not fear," Gamma started, then held back, finally saying, "You don’t understand."

Jenaxi internally cursed a string of gibberish, speechless!