Alert! The Dragon Lord has emerged from seclusion!

"Useless!" Another cold voice rang out; it was Youquan Zhenren.

"What I want is not tracking, but that jade pendant! A treasure for harmonizing Yin and Yang, it's one of the key mediums for activating the grand formation!"

"Yes, yes, yes... I've already sent people to search the entire city. That kid can't have gone far..."

The footsteps reached the top of the stairs.

Lin Chen quickly scanned the study, his gaze landing on the ventilation opening on the ceiling.

He lightly touched the ground with his toes, leaped up, pushed open the grille with one hand, and nimbly slipped inside.

Almost simultaneously, the study door was pushed open.

Zhao Shichang and Youquan Zhenren walked in.

Zhao Shichang was wearing a bathrobe, his face was a little pale, and he was holding half a glass of red wine in his hand.

Master Youquan was still clad in a black robe, exuding a chilling aura.

"Zhao Shichang, you'd better pray that you can find the jade pendant." Master Youquan sat down in the grand chair.

"The sect leader is getting impatient. The convergence of the seven Yin energies, a once-in-three-years auspicious time, will occur on the seventh day of next month. If we miss it, we'll have to wait another three years."

"Please calm down, sir." Zhao Shichang wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I have already contacted the Ye family of Donghai. Things are progressing smoothly with Ye Qingcheng."

"As long as we take her down, even if Qin Yurou's side temporarily fails, we still have six left—"

"Six are not enough!" Master Youquan sneered. "Without one of the seven stars, the formation's power is halved. Moreover, the Tianxuan star position is crucial, serving as the hub connecting Tianshu and Tianji."

He suddenly looked up, his scarlet eyes scanning every corner of the study: "Someone has been in your study tonight."

Zhao Shichang was taken aback: "Impossible, the guards outside are very tight..."

"Fool!" Master Youquan abruptly stood up, his black robes billowing even without wind. "There's an unfamiliar aura, very faint... but it can't escape my senses!"

With a flick of his withered hand, three streaks of black energy shot out in different directions like venomous snakes—one of them heading straight for the ventilation shaft!

Lin Chen held his breath and concentrated inside the ventilation duct, his Nine Yang True Qi contained to its extreme.

But the moment the black energy collided with the grille, he still felt a trace of malevolent energy trying to seep in.

We cannot stay here for long.

He climbed backward down the pipe, his movements slow yet swift.

The pipes led to the next room, which was Zhao Shichang's bedroom.

Just as he squeezed into the bedroom ventilation vent, he heard Master Youquan's furious roar coming from the study: "Chase him! He can't have gone far!"

The alarms throughout the entire mansion went off instantly!

Lin Chen jumped down from the ventilation duct and landed on the soft carpet.

The bedroom door was pushed open, and two armed bodyguards rushed in.

"Here—"

Before he finished speaking, Lin Chen had already approached like a ghost, slapping both of their chests with his palms at the same time.

The Nine Yang True Qi penetrated their bodies, and the two men groaned and collapsed to the ground—Lin Chen had held back, only stunning them.

He opened the window; this was the second floor, with a garden below.

Several beams of flashlight beams were already sweeping in from a distance.

"Surround the main building!"

"Block all exits!"

Lin Chen took a deep breath, took out two smoke grenades from his pocket, pulled the pins, and threw them in different directions.

puff!puff!

Thick white smoke quickly filled the air, enveloping most of the garden.

Taking advantage of the chaos, he leaped down, rolled forward upon landing to dissipate the impact, and then darted toward the wall like a cheetah.

"East wall! Someone's scaling the wall!"

Gunshots rang out, bullets whizzing past my ears.

Lin Chen did not slow down. He channeled his Nine Yang True Qi into his legs, took a few steps to run up, and then stomped on the ground, rising three meters in height. He grabbed the top of the wall with one hand and flipped over.

A furious shriek came from behind: "Activate the tracking Gu! He took something important; we can't let him get away!"

Lin Chen sped through the alley, taking out a metal box the size of a matchbox from his pocket—this was a signal jammer given to him by Su Qingxue, capable of blocking most biological tracking signals.

He pressed the switch, and the metal box became slightly warm.

But the next second, his expression changed slightly.

A slight stinging sensation came from under the sleeve of my left arm.

Lifting up the sleeve, I saw a tiny red dot on my skin, surrounded by a faint black aura.

"When..." Lin Chen recalled that it might have been the blood splattered when Black Wolf was attacked, or it might have been the wisp of Yin energy attached to the ventilation duct.

The Tracking Gu is unique to the Netherworld Sect. It is cultivated using the essence and blood of the caster. Once affected, it can be sensed within a hundred miles.

He tried to force it out with his Nine Yang True Qi, but the black spot seemed to be alive, burrowing even deeper under his skin.

"We must return to the base first."

……

Four o'clock in the morning, a small building by the river.

Qin Yurou hadn't slept; she sat by the window, holding the yin-yang jade pendant in her hand.

The jade pendant shimmered with a warm luster under the moonlight, keeping the cold energy within her body stable.

Suddenly, she felt something and looked out the window.

A figure jumped over the wall and stumbled as he landed—it was Lin Chen!

Qin Yurou hurriedly went downstairs to open the door.

Lin Chen's face was much paler than when he left, and there was a fine layer of cold sweat on his forehead.

He went inside and sat down cross-legged: "I've been afflicted by a tracking Gu. Protect me."

"A tracking Gu?" Qin Yurou's expression changed. "How do we do that?"

"Use the Nine Yang True Fire to forcibly refine it, but the process cannot be interrupted." Lin Chen tore open the sleeve of his left arm, revealing the black spot that had spread to the size of a fingernail.

"You stand guard outside the door. If anyone approaches, immediately issue a warning."

"Okay!" Qin Yurou turned around and went out without hesitation, locked the door, and stood in the corridor, clutching the jade pendant.

Inside the room, Lin Chen closed his eyes and focused all his energy on circulating the Nine Yang Burning Heaven Technique.

Within his dantian, the golden Nine Yang True Qi boiled like magma, surging along his meridians to his left arm.

Wherever the true energy passes, the blood vessels feel faintly hot, and the skin glows with a pale golden luster.

But the black spot seemed to be aware of the danger and began to writhe wildly, trying to burrow into the heart.

"snort!"

Lin Chen gave a low shout, and his Nine Yang True Qi transformed into countless fine threads, wrapping the black spots layer by layer.

The real fire burned from the inside, and a faint smell of burning filled the air.

A sharp pain shot through his left arm, as if a thousand steel needles were piercing him simultaneously. Lin Chen gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.

Outside the door, Qin Yurou heard suppressed groans from inside. Her fingers gripped the jade pendant tightly, her knuckles turning white.

She could feel two forces clashing fiercely inside the room—one as scorching as the sun, the other as cold as the depths of hell.

The Yin-Yang jade pendant was slightly warm in her hand, as if responding to something.

Suddenly, she had a flash of inspiration and stuck the jade pendant to the door panel.

hum...

The jade pendant emitted a gentle yin and yang energy that penetrated the door panel and lingered around Lin Chen.

This balanced and peaceful aura actually stabilized the restless Nine Yang True Qi somewhat, and also weakened the struggle of the Yin Sha Tracking Gu.

Inside the room, Lin Chen seized the opportunity and suddenly released and released the Nine Yang True Fire!

"break!"

scoff-

From the black spot on his left arm, a wisp of black smoke rose up, condensing in the air into the shape of a phantom black beetle, emitting a shrill screech, before being burned to nothingness by the real fire.

Lin Chen exhaled a long breath of stale air, which condensed into white mist in the air and lingered for a long time.

He opened his eyes, and the golden light in his pupils slowly receded.