Chapter 1140: Chu Liuxiang?

“Who’s that?”
“So fast!”
“Someone else is coming… Lingbo Microstep! It’s Lingbo Microstep!”
“Is it him?!”
Two lightning-fast figures moved through the streets and alleys of the capital city, one in front of the other. Though they only lifted the edges of a few people’s clothes slightly, producing an almost inaudible sound, it still caught the attention of many experts.
Many people, after recognizing the person using Lingbo Microstep, excitedly flew to the rooftops to watch that ghostly figure among the crowd.
“Happy?”
“That’s Happy!”
“Who is he chasing?”
People discussed eagerly; some even quietly followed in Happy’s direction.
Many still remembered the major upheaval in the martial world caused by Happy just a day earlier—the downfall of a sect leader, the appearance of two top experts, and the discovery of the ancient divine weapon, Tianjing. All these events deeply concerned many martial artists.
“The sect leader of the Sword Sect had Tianjing stolen while he was recuperating at the Tianchi Sword Sect. Could the person Happy is chasing be the thief?” Many realized too late that they had missed a great opportunity, lamenting, “Damn, I wasted such a good chance…”
“What chance?”
Someone on the street gave them a cold look.
Those who had been sighing immediately fell silent…
There were over two hundred thousand disciples of Jinxiu Heshan in the capital city. Continuing to worry about Tianjing might bring disaster.
“Boss, let’s follow them quietly and take a look.”
In secret, many exchanged glances and whispered, “Tianjing… maybe we can get a bargain.”
“Bargain? Stop daydreaming.” Some sensible people bluntly dismissed their ideas: “Thinking you can snatch it from Happy? You’re overthinking it…”
“I’m not asking you to confront him. We’ll just watch from the side. Maybe Happy will get lost…”
“Get lost? Happy has Bai Xiaosheng with him. Go away! Stop thinking of stupid ideas and go train!”
A group of people stepped out from around a alley, followed by a young man with a slightly swollen head, covering it with his hand…
…Boom!!
With a sudden loud noise, a wall of a tavern was forced open, and a dark figure shot out like an arrow, rushing onto the street. Before anyone could react, it vanished into the crowd like a ghost.
“What’s going on?”
“Who dares cause trouble in the capital?” People looked at each other in confusion.

But soon, someone looked up and saw a even faster silhouette zipping across the street before disappearing in an instant. Hundreds of players gradually flew up to the rooftops. From afar, they saw a black smoke cloud spreading over the distant streets over an area of dozens of meters, causing chaos in the vicinity, accompanied by the sounds of broken tables and chairs and collapsing walls, all moving rapidly away.
“…”
“This is really causing a fuss.”
…
Similar incidents kept occurring in the capital city. For a time, the capital was in complete turmoil!
After about ten minutes, as the imperial forces were about to intervene, the two finally rushed out of the city gate one after another and left the capital. The city gradually returned to calm.
…
Two dark figures raced across the darkening wilderness, one in front of the other, like two meteors streaking across the horizon. Whoosh!
“Ugh…”
Kai Xin’s cheerful expression turned increasingly serious and battle-ready. It was the first time he had encountered such a tenacious and formidable enemy. He had been using “Light Step” for over an hour, chasing after them for over an hour, yet they hadn’t given him even a chance. After reaching the realm of Wu Wei, Kai Xin had been confident that his movement speed was on par with any sect leader’s, but today he truly faced a strong rival. Too fast! Even after taking the Leopard Essence Pill, his speed was only enough to maintain the current distance and ensure he didn’t lose track of his target—moreover, if it weren’t for the thief constantly trying various tricks to evade him, their lightness-based speed should have allowed them to leave him far behind by now. No wonder, back at the Tianchi Sword Sect, they had been able to steal the Heavenly Crystal so quietly, without leaving even a trace.
“I really want to see who you are.” Facing such an enemy, although Kai Xin was troubled, he was even more eager to know just how difficult this Heavenly Crystal mission would be. For two full hours, Kai Xin kept his internal energy flowing continuously within his body, maintaining peak speed at all times, following the traces of that master thief from the capital all the way to a small unnamed lake.
A thousand meters of blue waves! Within his spiritual perception, the thief hesitated not at all and immediately flew toward the surface of the lake. Tap tap! In the darkness, the thief moved through the water at an extremely fast pace, instantly disrupting the calm, shimmering lake surface as splashes flew far away. When Kai Xin arrived by the lake, his brows unconsciously furrowed. But seeing that the thief was about to disappear from his spiritual perception, he ultimately decided to continue tracking them by water. Tap tap…

Ripples in the shape of cones spread across the water’s surface again, extending toward the center of the lake like arrows.
…
The thief was clearly faster on water than Happy. Within minutes, he had completely disappeared from Happy’s perceptual range. But Happy didn’t care at all…
He continued to paddle forward at full speed!
In the darkness of night, Happy noticed a small island not far ahead. Perhaps this was the thief’s base!
But just as Happy approached the island, something unexpected happened!!
Whoosh!!!
The water ahead suddenly split open. Dozens of razor-sharp sword beams erupted from the lake bottom without warning, like suddenly blooming lotus flowers, surrounding Happy and pulling him in from all directions.
“…”
Happy was shocked. This attack came out of nowhere. The assailant had used the water and darkness to conceal his movements and killing intent, evading detection by Happy’s senses. His clever tactics and ruthless methods put Happy in immediate danger.
Instinctively, his True Vital Energy field spread throughout his body. With a loud shout, Happy instinctively rose above the water’s surface.
There was no need to say how powerful his True Vital Energy field was. After that instant buffer, Happy realized that the attacker rising from the lake bottom was the thief he had been chasing for over two hours—the masked thief whose identity even Lu Xiaofeng didn’t know yet.
“Just in time!”
The True Vital Energy field was weakened by less than one-tenth by the thief before stopping, its attack halted as it began to sink.
Roar!!!
A dragon’s roar shattered the calm above the lake. The attacker, caught off guard, froze and fell into Happy’s grasp. With a single move, Happy captured him and broke through his defenses.
Bang!!
By now, the attacker was filled with despair. Although he had taken into account everything—using the darkness and the small lake to hide himself, even timing the ambush perfectly—he never expected that Happy, despite chasing him relentlessly, showed no sign of exhaustion.
What was even more terrifying was that, despite his well-planned ambush and the special conditions above the lake, Happy wasn’t panicked at all but instead displayed unimaginable defensive abilities.
The suddenly unleashed attack not only failed but also put him in a desperate situation—just one roar and one capture move were enough to bring him close and take control!
He couldn’t utilize his internal strength at all. As the distance between them shortened, he even felt an overwhelming sense of danger and irresistible pressure!

He finally understood now that it wasn’t by chance the other party was able to repel the Evil King for the Song Clan and kill the Sword Sect’s leader…
But realizing this now was obviously too late!
A pain struck his chest as his defenses were broken; not understanding what was happening, his vital points were pressed twice in quick succession, leaving his body instantly stiff and immobile.
Immediately afterward, pressure came from behind.
The sound of wind filled his ears…
The distant island was rapidly approaching.
“…”
At this moment, the Face-Shifting Fox wept inwardly—he had been captured.
Having roamed the martial world for years, known for his elusive disguise skills and cunning as a fox, he had managed to steal everywhere. Yet here he was, captured so easily by a young kid—if word got out, it would be a huge embarrassment.
The Face-Shifting Fox was filled with regret.
But the situation was such that he was like meat on a cutting board; others could cut him however they wanted, with no chance of resistance…
Even if he tried to use his remaining vital energy to strike the acupoints, it would be impossible—since the other party had tracked him all the way from the capital, their vigilance and insight were formidable. Attacking the acupoints right under their noses would be too obvious.
And so, the Face-Shifting Fox remained obedient until he was thrown onto the island’s beach.
Bang.
Only then did the Face-Shifting Fox get the chance to closely examine the true appearance of the guy who had pursued him for half a day…
An ordinary young man.
His eyes flickered.
While the Face-Shifting Fox observed him happily, Happy also watched this master thief with extraordinary lightness of footwork, surprised to find that the guy had an utterly forgettable, ordinary face.
Frowning, Happy reached out and touched the Face-Shifting Fox’s face…
Suddenly, with force!
Sss!
As the Face-Shifting Fox turned his head, a thin, delicate human skin mask peeled off his face…
“A demonic artifact—human skin mask!”
“Great stuff.”
Happy was delighted. Ignoring the mysterious thief’s anxious expression, he first put the mask in his possession.
Although he already had one, human skin masks were always in high demand in the market due to their immense practical value—among demonic artifacts, they were the most expensive and never in short supply.
Especially after Bai Xiaosheng revealed that possessing a human skin mask could free one from the Prophet’s tracking, every top expert in the Central Plains wanted one!
This unexpected discovery made Happy even more excited. He turned his gaze:
“Name.”
“…” The mysterious thief stared at Happy, silent.
“Do you like the Bone-Twisting Hand? Or the Ants-Eating Heart Technique?”
Happy threw out those words coldly.
The other guy trembled, his eyes blazing with anger:

“As expected of the current top young hero who even defeated the Evil King—Happy Gate Master truly lives up to his reputation. My name remains unchanged… Chu Liu Xiang!”
Happy almost choked and glared.