High-level martial arts: Long spear with black flames to suppress demons.

The dinner party lasted until late at night.

As the gathering ended, several elderly people made plans to meet again in a couple of days. Bai Chongguang smiled and agreed, then, accompanied by an officer, he walked through the inner courtyard back to his assigned lodgings.

After walking through a corridor, he suddenly stopped and looked up at the eaves.

"You still have that brass bell?"

The officer followed his gaze and smiled as he explained the arrangements for preserving the old items during the renovation.

At that very moment, a faint wisp of soul light separated from Bai Chongguang and left the place, disappearing into the blind spot of the corridor pillar.

After listening, Bai Chongguang nodded and continued walking forward.

......

The secret vault is located underground at the headquarters in the capital.

Within the thick rock strata, several independent stone chambers are connected by arrayed paths. Magical artifacts at the entrances constantly patrol, and cultivators take turns on duty deep within; any slight anomaly in spiritual energy, divine soul, or space may attract investigation.

Old Wang stopped on the perimeter and did not rush in.

Several passageways here are blocked, and the newly added array patterns penetrate deep into the walls, intersecting with each other, making it impossible to find a gap that can be passed through directly.

He could only approach little by little by taking advantage of the intervals when the ritual implements were used to scan the area.

The Great Dream Spring and Autumn Technique slowly circulated, and an extremely thin layer of dream unfolded against the soul. The magical artifact used to identify the soul swept across the wall, but it still sensed the rock layers and the spiritual energy flowing within them.

Instead of touching the restrictions that block physical entities and space, Old Wang followed the changes in the celestial illumination to find a place where his soul could pass through.

The whole process was much slower than he had expected.

When he passed through the outer layer of protection and re-formed his body in front of the innermost stone chamber, his soul had already faded somewhat.

The stone slabs were sealed inside; there were three in total. He looked at the first stone platform.

On the black stone platform, the dull stone slab was surrounded by eight sealing nails. Fine gold threads extended from the nails, intertwining layer upon layer, isolating it from the spiritual energy of the outside world.

Below the stone platform is a single piece of jade. The array patterns on it are not bright, but they are always slowly rotating, connected to the protection outside the stone chamber.

Old Wang looked at it carefully for a while, his expression becoming increasingly solemn. Coming in was only the first step.

If they really wanted to take the items away, they couldn't get around the town's blockade.

He took out three sealed boxes from the storage ring that Sui Hunguang carried; these were all prepared for him by An Nuan in advance.

Old Wang unfolded the box and placed it next to the stone platform.

The patterns on the stone slab were faintly visible under the gold lines, making it look much like an old piece of stone. But he knew what the consequences would be if this thing were used in the wrong place.

He calmed his mind, pressed the dream around him, and used his spiritual power to support the points where the golden threads intersected. He did not forcibly break the golden threads, but instead slowly spread them apart to both sides along the original direction of the patterns.

The sealing nail vibrated gently, and the gold thread gradually tightened.

Old Wang paused for a moment, making sure there was no reaction outside, before continuing his actions. When a sliver of light appeared above the stone slab, the soul light pierced through it and gently enveloped it.

A heavy pressure then pressed down on the soul.

The crack on his shoulder, which had not yet healed, flashed brightly. Old Wang steadied himself and slowly lifted the stone slab away from the platform.

The innermost lid slowly closed.

The second layer of sealing also fell down, and just as the outermost layer was about to close, the black jade plate under the stone platform suddenly lit up with a red light.

Old Wang's heart sank. He maintained the golden thread above and blocked the aura leaking from the stone slab, but he didn't notice that there was still an independent sensor remaining under the stone platform. After the stone slab was moved, that connection was severed.

Dreams can conceal and explore, but they cannot erase the original contents of the stone platform.

A sharp screech suddenly rang out.

"The sealing off of Miku Town is abnormal!"

A command came from outside the stone chamber, and several powerful divine senses simultaneously probed this place, while the surrounding array patterns also quickly lit up.

No longer attempting to conceal it, Old Wang clasped his hands together, sealing the last layer of the box. He then quickly collected the other two stone slabs, lifted them with his soul light, and sped back the way he came.

The outer barrier is tightening.

He raised his palm and struck out, his divine soul power colliding with the light screen that was not yet fully closed, forcibly creating a narrow crack. The sealed box was sent out first, followed closely by the soul body, but its edge was still swept by the sealing power, dissipating a patch of spiritual light.

The old wound on his shoulder reopened.

Old Wang grunted, but didn't stop. He wrapped the box around himself and continued upwards.

The stone chamber behind him lit up completely, and the guardian cultivator had arrived, with several divine senses following closely along the gap he had created.

......

On the ground, Bai Chongguang had just reached the vicinity of the guesthouse when the alarm suddenly blared throughout headquarters.

The streetlights turned red, and red lights rose simultaneously from the tops of several buildings. Guards rushed out from all directions, and the once quiet courtyard was soon filled with the sound of hurried footsteps.

The accompanying officer immediately pressed the communicator, his expression changing rapidly.

Bai Chongguang stopped and frowned as he looked in the direction from which the alarm was coming.

"What happened?"

"Still confirming, Mr. Bai, let me take you back first."

The officer led him to the inside of the courtyard wall and continued towards his residence. Bai Chongguang did not insist on staying, nor did he take the opportunity to inquire; he simply nodded.

Suddenly, the ground to the west of the headquarters bulged up.

The bricks and stones crumbled, and a beam of light carrying three boxes shot into the air, followed by several figures chasing after them.

"Stop him! Don't let him leave headquarters!"

The array patterns above quickly converged, and a golden halo pressed down from above.

Old Wang was shrouded in a blurry dreamlike shadow, his face and aura obscured. Before the halo descended, his soul suddenly split apart, and several figures simultaneously rushed off in different directions.

Two of them were crushed on the spot, while the remaining ones separated again thanks to the cover of the buildings.

The soul light that was actually carrying the sealed box brushed past the side of the building, avoiding the oncoming magic, and continued to rush outward.

Bai Chongguang glanced at it only once before looking away.

The light emanating from that soul was much fainter than when Old Wang left him.

His fingers, hanging by his sides, slowly tightened, and he muttered a curse under his breath.

The accompanying officer didn't hear him clearly and turned to look at him, but Bai Chongguang pointed to the courtyard gate a few steps away: "Go in first, don't stand outside blocking the way."

The officer escorted him to his lodgings, confirmed that the guards at the entrance were in place, and instructed him not to go out for the time being before turning around to assist with security.

Bai Chongguang closed the door, stood behind it, and listened to the sounds passing overhead.

From the moment he entered the city until now, he has been accompanied on his itinerary. He has not left the group without reason during sightseeing, meals, or returning to his accommodation.

These things at least allow him to remain on the sidelines for the time being.

But if Lao Wang fails to escape, no matter how meticulous the arrangements are, they will be meaningless.

......

The city's defense array has already responded over the skies above the capital.

An invisible pressure gathered from all sides, and several exits that were originally used for normal passage were being closed. The headquarters' blockade order was also sent out simultaneously, and the guards outside the city began to converge on this area.

Old Wang could feel himself being locked onto by more and more auras.

Dreams could obscure his identity, but they couldn't completely erase the fact that his escape had already been exposed. Especially with the sealed box still by his side, any pause would allow his pursuers to rediscover their bearings.

He tightened the box around the center of the soul light and rushed towards the south.

There are still normal access routes there, and the order to close them has just been sent out; the outer light curtain is closing.

Several spells followed from behind. Old Wang successively created dream shadows, deflecting two of them, but the remaining one grazed the soul body, tearing the already unstable edge apart again.

He gritted his teeth, suppressing his injuries, and didn't turn around.

Only one line remained on the southern side of the formation, with golden patterns joining at both ends. Old Wang gathered his divine soul, protected the box, and rushed towards the gap, passing through the closing light barrier.

The next moment, the battle route was completely blocked.

The cold wind from outside the city rushed towards him, but Old Wang didn't even have time to catch his breath. He swept towards the mountains below, using the undulating terrain to conceal his figure, and changed direction again.

Several tracking auras crossed the city defenses and quickly caught up.

The air raid sirens in the capital are still blaring.

In the guesthouse, Bai Chongguang sat down at the table, looking at the cup of hot tea that had just been served in front of him, but did not reach for it for a long time.

Outside the window, the sound of something cutting through the air echoed southwards one after another.

He listened intently for a moment, his finger hovering over the edge of the table, then remained still.

The alarms in the capital lasted for a long time.

Bai Chongguang sat in the room until the footsteps outside the window gradually subsided before putting on his coat and pushing open the door to go out.

Two guards were still standing at the gate of the courtyard. When he came out, one of them immediately came up to greet him.

"Mr. Bai, you haven't rested yet?"

"With such a commotion, how can anyone sleep?"

Bai Chongguang looked towards the depths of the headquarters. The lights on several tall buildings had not yet gone out, and people occasionally flew overhead. Temporary checkpoints had also been set up on the roads in the distance.

"What exactly happened?"

The guard hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "I heard something was stolen, but the details haven't been reported yet."

"You can lose things here?"

Bai Chongguang frowned and turned to look at him.

The guard looked somewhat embarrassed and could only explain, "Several entrances and exits are currently closed, and checks are underway everywhere. Don't worry, there are people guarding the guesthouse; everything will be fine."

"Has the person been caught?"

"Not yet, someone has already chased after them."

Bai Chongguang nodded slowly, breathed a sigh of relief, and didn't ask any more questions. He turned and went back to his room.

After the door closed, he sat back down at the table, picked up the cup of tea that had long since gone cold, and took a sip.

Now that Old Wang has left the capital, whether he can shake off the people behind him depends on the old man's own abilities.