A Night of Desperation-Chapter 537: Facing It 1

Floating City, Absolute Balance.

Margaret Palace.

An elderly mage with blue skin, leaning on a light golden crystal wand, slowly walked into the palace.

“How long has Margaret been missing?” The mage’s face was calm as he looked around and asked.

“It has been some time. The Patrol Chief said she was going to investigate the missing cargo ship case. She left Floating City several months ago.” Inside the palace, a petite translucent young girl appeared, floating in mid-air, and respectfully replied to the elderly mage.

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“You are the intelligent spirit of this palace. You should know the last route she took, correct?” The elderly mage asked in a deep voice.

“I regret to inform you that I do not.” The young girl responded, “The Patrol Chief sealed her movement tracker before she left. I have no authority to view or record it.”

“Useless!” The elderly mage’s face turned cold.

“Lord Lu Xian, she is just an intelligent spirit. The urgent task now is to find the one causing the large-scale energy disturbances around here.”

A tall and thin man, covered in dark grey, appeared behind the elderly mage.

“According to remote calculations, the energy level fluctuation at that time reached the peak of the Immortal Level.”

“Level Eight standards… indeed significant… Margaret didn’t die in vain.” The elderly mage’s eyes grew colder. “What does the Prophetic Department say?”

“They couldn’t find anything either, but based on trace analysis, we determined that Margaret received a warning from Mage Liu Chixuan before she left. Her journey is definitely related to Mage Liu Chixuan;they are definitely connected.” The tall thin man replied.

“Liu Chixuan recently accepted a new disciple. It’s said that this person’s friends had some conflicts with Patrol Chief Margaret.” The man continued.

“That child named Ku Chan, right? He has decent talent and disposition. Too bad… he stands on the opposite side of us.” The elderly mage Lu Xian turned around, looking at the empty palace.

After a long silence, he turned back around.

“Daring to attack and kill the Patrol Chief nearby is a grave crime and must be severely punished. We will start by investigating Liu Chixuan.”

*

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*

“Lately, I’ve had an uneasy feeling.”

In the Black Black Spirit, Yu Hong and Quan He sat opposite each other, eating freshly prepared small dishes.

“When our spirit reaches this level, if our magic is strong enough, we will naturally sense some premonitions about potential bad futures.” Quan He explained with his ample experience.

“So, do you mean I might encounter something disadvantageous?” Yu Hong frowned, but upon careful reflection, he found no possible threats around him.

“If the feeling is faint, sometimes it means something related or significant to you might go wrong.” Quan He continued.

“This Yu Hong knitted his brows. The first thing that came to mind was the chain reaction in Floating City after he killed Margaret.

Margaret’s disappearance would take some time to be discovered since she often went out as a Sixth Level Mage. People would need to notice her absence before starting a missing person investigation.

He shared his guess with Quan He.

“I’m worried that Floating City might affect Ku Chan and others.” Yu Hong said softly.

“Stop hesitating, why not go back and check?” Quan He suggested softly, “There are the masters backing you. Returning to check on them and even bringing them here seems like a good idea.”

“You are right.” Yu Hong nodded.

With his cultivation breaking through to the late-stage Foundation Establishment, his True Yuan was catching up to his unsealed Tai Ling Skill. Returning to check things out would give him peace of mind.

Right then, Yu Hong quickly finished his meal, put down the bowl, and stood up.

“No time to lose. I’ll go seek leave from the masters.”

He felt a strong premonition, and at his level, such feelings were never unfounded.

He quickly left and used Instantaneous Movement to reach Wanxue Palace to speak to his teacher.

“Have you fused the Xuan Kong Device and the Heavenly Shield Device?” Yu Xuezi asked.

“They’ve long been fused.” Yu Hong nodded. He had fused these essential magic artifacts long ago.

“Then go.” Yu Xuezi nodded, “Last time, your senior brother and sister gave you protective talismans. This time you

“This time, I’ll go by myself without troubling them.” Yu Hong stated.

“Not troubling them but you mean to trouble me, right?” Yu Xuezi sighed, “Knowing you might encounter danger, do you think I will stand by and not react?”

“Teacher, I didn’t mean that Yu Hong said quickly.

“Then what do you mean?” Yu Xuezi’s eyes widened, “Enough talk.” He pointed at Yu Hong with one hand.

Swoosh!

A faint golden rune flashed and disappeared on Yu Hong’s forehead.

“Alright. Go now. If you encounter danger, just shout Yu Xuezi gave a few instructions before waving Yu Hong away.

Yu Hong memorized the mantra, feeling the increasingly urgent tremor in his heart. Without hesitation, he quickly took his leave.

Returning to the safe house, he swiftly packed up and then went to visit his senior brothers and sisters. Only then did he activate the Black Black Spirit, slipping into the depths of the Wind Disaster, disappearing without a trace.

*

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*

Inside the Floating City · Aus Academy.

Dean’s office.

Liu Chixuan stared grimly at the group of Arcanists who had barged in unauthorized.

Leading them was none other than the old mage Lu Xian, who had previously entered Margaret Palace.

“Mage Lu Xian, even if you are a member of the Nine Rings, barging into a high-ranking mage’s private domain like this seriously violates the seventh ordinance of Floating City’s Absolute Balance! A mage’s private space is sacred and inviolable!”

The old mage’s expression remained calm as if he hadn’t heard the warning. He paced slowly within the office, like a lion king inspecting his territory.

“Margaret has been missing for some time, did you know?” he suddenly spoke.

“The Patrol Chief is missing?” Liu Chixuan immediately grasped the gravity of the situation. Margaret was a trusted subordinate of this Lu Xian, one of his power holders.

Lu Xian’s faction was not weak in the Floating City but also not exceptionally strong, so the power held by a Patrol Chief was not trivial for him.

As the leader of a faction, Lu Xian had to react accordingly upon discovering Margaret’s disappearance, in order to reassure his remaining subordinates. This was necessary to gather support.

Various strategies flashed through Liu Chixuan’s mind instantly. Now that he understood the other’s purpose, coming up with countermeasures was much simpler.

Although Lu Xian was a Level Nine Great Arcanist and a member of the highest council, Liu Chixuan also had a Level Nine council member behind him. For Lu Xian to storm into Aus Academy like this was already crossing the line.

“You needn’t worry. I’m here merely to investigate all the clues Margaret came in contact with before her death. After all, the disappearance and death of a Patrol Chief from Absolute Balance would seriously undermine the entire Floating City’s authority if the truth is not uncovered.” Lu Xian said calmly.

He wasn’t sad about Margaret’s death;rather, he was more agitated. Many of his plans involved Margaret’s tasks and roles. Without the Patrol Chief position, a series of subsequent impacts needed reassessment.

Compared to other Level Nine Great Arcanists, he was relatively young and inexperienced with many eyes keenly watching him. If this matter were not handled perfectly and forcefully, it would bring him unnecessary trouble in the future.

The Great Arcanists from the opposing factions certainly wouldn’t stand by and watch him smoothly handle everything.

“Very well, I trust Councilor Lu Xian will maintain a fair attitude.” Liu Chixuan said coldly.

“Good, then have your disciple Ku Chan come over.” Lu Xian nodded.

He understood Liu Chixuan’s anger but took advantage of the time gap. The councilor behind Liu Chixuan was currently tangled up in other matters and couldn’t come immediately, hence Lu Xian personally led the team to find clues quickly.

“Fine!”

Liu Chixuan’s face was grim as he picked up the communication crystal on the desk and whispered a few words.

Soon, Ku Chan entered the room, clutching a stack of spell notes.

“Teacher, you called?” He saw Liu Chixuan’s stern face as soon as he entered and felt a jolt in his heart. Then he noticed Lu Xian’s smiling face.

“This is….”

Liu Chixuan reached out to introduce Lu Xian’s identity.

At that moment, Lu Xian suddenly pointed.

Hiss!

“No need for introductions, just come with me.”

A point of purple light glowed at his fingertip, which rapidly expanded into a giant purple web that enveloped Ku Chan abruptly.

The next moment, Ku Chan’s mana was sealed, and his body was wrapped in the web, shrinking quickly into a small ball that flew towards Lu Xian’s hand.

“Councilor Lu Xian! You!!” Liu Chixuan was shocked. He raised his magic wand, and a radiant golden glow lit up beneath his feet, spreading outwards and activating the defense magic array within the office.

“Spell counter.” Lu Xian tapped his magic wand, and instantly a ripple of transparency spread out from him, extinguishing the golden array completely.

“I’m taking Ku Chan back for investigation now. Whether it’s Liu Xiran or anyone else, I’m strictly following the rules!” He grabbed the purple ball containing Ku Chan and turned to leave.

“Lu Xian, you storm into my place and abduct my disciple. Are you declaring open hostilities with Aus Academy?” Just as he stepped out, numerous golden electric lights swiftly descended from the sky outside, forming a vague humanoid shape made of electricity.

“Liu Xiran? You reacted quickly. But you’re far away at the front line now;you can’t stop me!” Lu Xian said calmly. “We councilors can see through the truth of the situation even if ordinary mages cannot.”

“And what if I can? Failing in action and getting killed, then you, stepping in yourself—isn’t that bullying the weak?” Liu Xiran retorted coldly.

“For beings like us, the traces of time and space are clear. You too can look into the identity of the assailant. As a trade-off, capturing just one person is already lenient.” Lu Xian said in a low voice.

“Instead of capturing the culprit, you’re capturing my people. Are you hoping for a conflict when I return?” Liu Xiran raised his voice.

“I capture him because he is the closest to the culprit, making him crucial for drawing the culprit out, without harming your disciple at all. As for whether it leads to conflict, we’ll see when you return! Right now, a mere avatar can’t stop me.” Lu Xian pointed, and Liu Xiran’s humanoid form exploded and faded.

The next second, golden light burst beside him, like a bubble bursting.

When the golden light dimmed, the person had disappeared, leaving only the constant angry shouts of Liu Chixuan and the other mages who had rushed out.