Chapter 3169 — The Midnight Visitor

"Wind Sage Bird pays his respects to Ancestor Yellow Springs, Ancestor Blood Garment, and Ancestor Gloom!" Once inside the room, Wind Sage Bird and his two companions hurriedly made their salutations.

"No need for such formality. Wind Sage Bird, Gloom has already told you the purpose of this visit, has he not?" Ancestor Yellow Springs waved a hand and asked.

"He has!" Wind Sage Bird nodded and said quickly, "Ancestor Gloom had us investigate Wei Zhao. But just now, we witnessed something strange—and it concerns Wei Zhao as well!"

"You are to address him as Master! Wei Zhao is henceforth the Master of our Blood Garment Yellow Springs Sect—do you hear me?" Ancestor Gloom frowned and scolded. "Now tell me, what news is there concerning the Master?"

"Ah? Yes, sir!" Though Wind Sage Bird was puzzled as to how Wei Zhao had suddenly become the Master of the Blood Garment Yellow Springs Sect, he dared not ask further. Seeing that these three Ancestors before him had clearly reached a prior understanding and all tacitly approved of this arrangement, how could he presume to object? So he hastened to say, "It's like this. Just now, outside the hotel, I saw two formidable experts at the peak of the late Heaven Rank—Ancestor Pure Yin of the Tomorrow Upon Tomorrow Sect and Dongfang Yinxing of the Dongfang family. And in the elevator, they mentioned Lin Guo..."

With that, Wind Sage Bird recounted to Ancestor Blood Garment and the others, word for word, what he had heard in the elevator.

"Oh? So, in your judgment, these two have come here most likely to deal with Wei Zhao?" Ancestor Blood Garment's expression turned grave as he asked.

"In theory, that should be the case. I dared not inquire further for fear of alerting them, but their presence here is very likely for that reason." Wind Sage Bird analyzed, "Shall I go and probe a little more?"

"Your strength is too low. Do not go." Ancestor Blood Garment waved his hand and said, "I shall go and probe them myself!"

In truth, Wind Sage Bird's strength was not low—he was an expert of the mid Heaven Rank. But compared to Ancestor Blood Garment and Ancestor Yellow Springs, he was far weaker, and moreover, Dongfang Yinxing and Ancestor Pure Yin both surpassed him in strength. If he went to probe, he would easily be discovered; but if Ancestor Blood Garment went in person, that would not happen. After all, an expert at the very peak of the late Heaven Rank, in full mastery of his powers, could conceal his strength and aura so thoroughly that, unless one were a cheat like Wei Zhao with his special advantages, no one weaker could possibly detect him.

Having spoken, Ancestor Blood Garment pushed open the window and drifted lightly out into the night. Since it was the side of the hotel tower, there was no one about outside, and so no one saw him.

Ancestor Blood Garment easily located the room where Ancestor Pure Yin and Dongfang Yinxing were staying. Clinging to the outer wall like Spider-Man, he could make out every sound within the room with perfect clarity.

Yet to Ancestor Blood Garment's great disappointment, after listening outside for some half an hour, he heard nothing of use—only the sound of the television and the laughter of Ancestor Pure Yin and Dongfang Yinxing.

Another half hour passed, and still there was nothing in the room but laughter and the television. Ancestor Blood Garment had no choice but to return first. On reflection, though, it was hardly surprising. Both of them were experts at the peak of the late Heaven Rank, and dealing with Wei Zhao, an early Heaven Rank expert, required no deliberation whatsoever—no strategy at all. They need only go out at night and make their move. The present hour was merely a tedious wait, and in this mundane world, where spiritual energy was so scarce that cultivation was impossible, what else was there to do but watch television?

With that thought, Ancestor Blood Garment waited no longer and returned to his own room.

"Well, Blood Garment? Did you discover anything?" Ancestor Yellow Springs asked hurriedly upon seeing him return.

Ancestor Blood Garment shook his head. "They have been watching television in their room the whole time and have said nothing else. We shall wait until nightfall and act as the situation allows!"

"That is all we can do," Ancestor Yellow Springs nodded.

"Ancestor Yellow Springs, Ancestor Blood Garment, Ancestor Gloom, what should this subordinate do next?" Dan Sage Bird asked.

"For now, you may rest. You need not take part in tonight's affair." Ancestor Blood Garment thought for a moment and said, "Tonight it will suffice for the three of us Ancestors to go ourselves."

"Understood. Then this subordinate shall take his leave first." With that, Wind Sage Bird departed with his two subordinates.

Ancestor Yellow Springs, Ancestor Blood Garment, and Ancestor Gloom, meanwhile, waited quietly in their room for evening to fall.

Nine o'clock, ten, eleven, twelve—Dongfang Yinxing and Ancestor Pure Yin made no move. Ancestor Blood Garment checked several times; they were all the while watching television in their room. Then at one in the morning, at last, they stirred.

Dongfang Yinxing and Ancestor Pure Yin emerged from their room, took the elevator down, and went out to the parking lot. Then they got into their car and slowly drove away from the Xueshang Business Hotel.

Of course, given the level of Dongfang Yinxing and Ancestor Pure Yin's strength, such a short distance to find Wei Zhao hardly required a car at all. Their purpose in driving was presumably to avoid drawing attention.

Otherwise, two men wandering about on foot in the dead of night would look odd no matter how you sliced it.

Ancestor Yellow Springs, Ancestor Blood Garment, and Ancestor Gloom, however, did not drive—they did not even take the elevator. They simply leapt straight from the hotel window, vaulted over the wall at the side of the building, and followed the car of Dongfang Yinxing and Ancestor Pure Yin at a leisurely distance.

The car drove to the gate of the villa where Wei Zhao resided and came to a stop. Ancestor Yellow Springs and the other two concealed themselves nearby.

"Ding-dong..." Dongfang Yinxing pressed the doorbell of Wei Zhao's villa. He did not force his way in—clearly he feared disturbing the people around. After all, they were beings of the ancient realm, and to interfere in the affairs of the mundane world was indefensible by any reckoning.

The Dongfang family could just barely claim the pretext of apprehending and slaying the murderer of their kinsmen, but the people of the Tomorrow Upon Tomorrow Sect had no suitable justification at all—and so he kept a low profile.

True, Zhong Yongliang, the newly installed Ancestor of the Tomorrow Upon Tomorrow Sect, played by no rules, and relying on the sect's power, held the laws of the ancient realm in contempt. But that was Zhong Yongliang. Ancestor Pure Yin, for his part, kept as low a profile as he could.

One in the morning, and someone was ringing the doorbell? Wei Zhao emerged from his cultivation back into reality, rose, and walked out of his room to the villa's front door.

At the sight of the people outside, Wei Zhao's heart could not help but tighten! Two experts at the peak of the late Heaven Rank!