Bai Zihe was stunned.
His plan with his Fourth Senior Sister was entirely impromptu, conceived only when they heard the news from the Seven Masters aboard the cruise ship.
How could the renowned thief have been prepared?
Had he somehow betrayed himself?
But no matter what.
Since the other party was already on guard, he couldn't stay here any longer. There was bound to be a larger, deeper trap.
"Swish!"
Without a second thought, Bai Zihe darted towards the treasure pavilion.
However…
An inescapable net had already been cast outside.
The moment Bai Zihe emerged, he saw a vast army of experts, surrounding the area tightly.
These people…
Each one possessed a profound and steady aura, unfathomable. They were all at least Half-step Grandmaster, or Martial Grandmaster level experts.
Among them were individuals whose presence was as solid and imposing as mountains.
They were all Martial Great Grandmasters!
But what caught Bai Zihe's eye the most was the person in the center, wearing a plumed hat and golden armor. Though his eyes were right before him, they seemed to drift amidst the clouds.
Indifferent to life and death.
Devoid of earthly affections.
He looked down upon all sentient beings from a high vantage point.
As if…
A king surveying his domain!
Without needing any confirmation, Bai Zihe knew this must be the ultimate existence among the great thieves, the Emperor, as described by his Fourth Senior Sister!
The Emperor…
Even Murong Mingyue did not know his name.
In fact, she didn't know the names of any of the Masters, from the Seven Masters down to the Second Master; they usually referred to each other by codenames.
And this Emperor was even more unfathomable, the master of all.
Ordinary people, at ordinary times, could not even get an audience with him, let alone understand him on a deeper level.
"Hoo…"
The Emperor stood there, and his mere normal breathing seemed to resonate with heaven and earth.
An ordinary person might mistake this for innate charisma, but Bai Zihe knew very well that this was a manifestation of an extremely profound level of strength.
Just as Lin Yan had said in the Lin family ancient tomb that day.
Martial cultivation, beyond the Great Grandmaster realm, was about refining spirit, qi, and mind, and cultivating the laws of heaven and earth.
The Emperor before him was such a powerful being.
A true practitioner of the Nascent Core realm, or even higher!
Interesting.
Bai Zihe suddenly felt a flicker of interest.
Since consuming the Hellblood that day, his strength had soared, and he had no idea of its current extent.
As for those Ying people, ancient martial artists, vampire counts, the Seven Masters, Sheng Ba, and the like…
Though they claimed to surpass Martial Great Grandmasters, without sensing the heavens and earth, without grasping the threads of creation, they were not true masters in Bai Zihe's eyes.
He could even suppress them with a single hand.
Only the one before him was capable of stirring even a little excitement within him.
It felt like a long story, but in Bai Zihe's mind, all this happened in an instant. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"Bai Zihe."
The Emperor looked at Bai Zihe, his eyes utterly indifferent, devoid of any emotion: "Hand over the True Essence Spirit Stone, and you…"
"Can die quickly."
If anyone else had said this, it would have been filled with killing intent.
But from the Emperor's mouth, it was spoken so lightly, yet with an irrefutable authority, a supreme command, making one want to prostrate themselves and meet their end peacefully!
Bai Zihe said calmly, "When did you begin your scheme?"
"The exotic goods auction."
The Emperor, believing he controlled everything, saw no harm in telling Bai Zihe.
"I was present that day, intending to see who the True Essence Spirit Stone would fall into the hands of, and then make my arrangements."
"I never expected…"
"Your Xia people to be so useless."
"To let such a treasure fall into the hands of those Ying dog thieves, it truly disappoints me."
At this point, the Emperor shook his head slightly.
The emotions that flowed from him cast a somber mood over the many experts present.
"I had originally intended…"
The Emperor's eyes were deep and melancholic as he recounted, "It would have been acceptable for the Ying to take it; I would have planned to retrieve both the 'Kong Wu' from the Ying and the True Essence Spirit Stone."
"But I never expected it to end up in your hands again."
"Fortunately…"
"You seem to have learned some information and gone to the Ying kingdom, even snatching back the 'Kong Wu'. This greatly pleases me."
As he spoke, an object appeared in his hand, which was indeed the 'Kong Wu' that Murong Mingyue had handed over.
"Alright."
"The story ends here."
"Bai Zihe…"
The Emperor's eyes were filled with indifference: "Hand over the other True Essence Spirit Stone, and I will grant you a swift end, a peaceful journey to the afterlife!"