I Have Infinite Skill Points-Chapter 508

"From now on, it would be best for Master Chenghai to stay with us," Wang Lan said. He had not expected the Dharma World Honored to act so swiftly, or rather, that Vine Country’s response was simply too sluggish.

Besides Master Cheng Qiao, who had already been killed, the sons of both Cheng Ming and Master Cheng Kong had only recently been murdered. After Master Cheng Kong’s son was killed, the Temple hadn’t reported it immediately? They even thought about covering up their own negligence to get by unnoticed?

If the Temple had reported it in time three days ago, not only would Master Cheng Ming not have died, but they might have successfully completed their stakeout by now.

"That’s the only option left," Master Chenghai said with a long sigh.

The three of them returned to Vine City. Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun moved directly from the embassy into the Temple to prevent an attack from the Dharma World Honored. With Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun’s strength, they weren’t afraid of what the Temple might do to them. Moreover, Master Chenghai now relied on Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun to repel the formidable enemy.

Perhaps it was because Master Chenghai stayed indoors, making it impossible for the Dharma World Honored to find an opportunity to attack, or maybe it was because they knew Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun were in the Temple. For the past three days, the entire Vine Country had been tranquil.

Manai had already ordered a state of emergency throughout the country, with staff from all departments working shifts and closely monitoring Vine Country’s every move. Vine Country was a small nation, after all, with numerous gaps in both strength and management. This was nothing like Jade Country, with its ubiquitous cameras and comprehensive sky net coverage.

No wonder many criminals from Jade Country escaped to places like Vine Country and Titanium Kingdom. Once they arrived, anyone with a bit of sense could easily conceal their identity and live incognito.

"Jade Country’s negotiation team has arrived in Vine City," Yu Ruoyun suddenly said as they walked in the Temple’s back garden after dinner.

"That fast?" Wang Lan asked.

"If they were late, and we caught the Dharma World Honored and exposed his identity as a Paradise Bird, wouldn’t it be difficult to press for advantages then?"

"Even if the negotiations succeed and the Dharma World Honored’s identity is confirmed, won’t Vine Country just go back on their word?"

"Do you think Jade Country is like White Eagle Country, devouring people whole without spitting out the bones? Jade Country’s goal is to completely resolve its past disputes with Vine Country. Once the disputes are clearly defined, Vine Country can’t go back on it, even if they wanted to. By then, it would have been recorded with the United Nations. So, for my part, I actually hope the Dharma World Honored can keep his cool a bit longer, giving us more time."

"I don’t understand politics, nor am I interested in it."

"You might not understand now, but you will need to eventually. Don’t forget, you are the foremost figure of the younger generation, its standard-bearer."

"Aren’t you around?"

"Me? I’m just a woman," Yu Ruoyun said, her hands in her pockets, strolling lazily. "Laws are easy to change, but can people’s mindsets and perceptions be altered so easily? If there truly was gender equality, why would Chu Lige have ended up like that?"

"You’re close with Lige? I noticed last time that you two seemed familiar."

"I knew her when I was a child. The first time I met Chu Lige, she was a gentle older sister figure. But gradually, I could no longer see the girl in her. In the ancient Star Martial families, the notion of male superiority and female inferiority is deeply ingrained."

"Never mind me. Recently, Princess Chaxi has been coming to see you almost every day. Are you really not interested in her, or are you just holding back because I’m around?"

"Do I look like I’m holding back?" Wang Lan said with a wry smile.

"Isn’t she beautiful? Even I’m a bit tempted. I refuse to believe you don’t feel anything."

"She is beautiful, but there are many beautiful women in the world. Should I fancy every one I see?"

"Fancying her might be putting it too strongly, but I at least know that men don’t need to like a girl to pursue her. Possession and conquest are the biggest motivations, aren’t they?"

"Benefactor, you are mistaken. The men you speak of indeed represent the majority, perhaps even ninety percent of them. But not me!"

"I might believe someone else if they said that, but coming from you? Why pretend? As if I don’t know about you and Xie Sisi?"

"How can you groundlessly tarnish my innocence? We were truly in love, with mutual affection."

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH." Yu Ruoyun leaned against a rubber tree, coughing lightly. "Can you not disgust me? Please don’t insult the phrase ’mutual affection,’ you scum!"

"How am I scum? If I were to completely sever ties with Xie Sisi, that would truly be scummy. At least she’s happy now."

"And what about this Princess Chaxi? If you accepted her, she would undoubtedly be very happy. Will you accept her?"

"The way you’re talking, I’d almost think you were paid to say that. What do you mean by it? I detect a strong note of sourness."

"I can’t help it, who made me Xinyu’s good friend? As her good friend, I know her boyfriend is two-timing, yet I can’t tell her. And on top of that, the scumbag is abroad, flirting with some princess. I tell you, I can barely keep my mouth shut!"

"Couldn’t that be said the other way around? She’s clearly the one pursuing me."

"Sigh, perhaps with me around, *someone* is too embarrassed to respond. How about I make myself scarce tomorrow and create an opportunity for you?"

"Sour grapes!" Wang Lan rolled his eyes and turned away leisurely. "Princess Chaxi clearly came with an agenda. Do you think I’m really that naive? Even if I wanted a princess, wouldn’t Princess Aier be a better choice?"

"There it is, showing your true colors! Tell me, do you also have something going on... with Princess Aier?"

"Please, can you stop gossiping? I haven’t contacted her since returning from the Kingdom of Ice and Snow. Also, don’t try to sound Xinyu out. If you let anything slip to her, I’ll really get angry."

"Got it, just joking around. Forget it, I won’t tease you anymore. I’m on night duty tonight, so you can get some good sleep."

Just as the two finished gossiping and shifted the topic to the progress of their Star Martial Skill training, Master Chenghai rushed in. "Envoy Wang Lan, Princess Yu, Senior Martial Uncle Mind-Dharma has made a move again!"

"What? He made a move? Where?" Wang Lan quickly tried to sense his presence but didn’t detect the aura of a formidable adversary.

"Follow me."

Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun followed Master Chenghai to the Temple’s meditation chamber, where a television in the room was showing footage.

The television showed grim footage, and a voiceover stated, "Today at four in the afternoon, a village on the outskirts of Maidah City was brutally slaughtered. One thousand villagers were killed, with no one spared, not even the elderly, women, or children. The murderer also left a message in blood on the wall: ’Chenghai, come quickly to your death!’"

"The Dharma World Honored did this," Chenghai said, his voice heavy.

"His intention is very clear: he wants to force me to show myself. As a Star Martial Warrior, to think he’d attack defenseless commoners! No wonder Grandmaster chose my Master back then. It seems Grandmaster saw the demonic nature within him."

"Since he wants you to go, then let’s go. As long as he dares to come, I’ll make sure he doesn’t leave alive."

That night, Wang Lan and his companions left the Temple and arrived at Maidah City in the northwestern territory of Vine Country. The trio made no effort to hide their arrival, entering the city openly.

Wang Lan began inquiring if anyone had seen suspicious individuals before or after the incident, or if any cameras had captured a suspect. If this were Jade Country, they would have at least provided Wang Lan with intelligence covering a general area.

But in Vine Country, unfortunately, there was nothing.

The village was in a remote and relatively isolated location, rarely seeing outsiders throughout the year. There weren’t any cameras to speak of. With the entire village slaughtered, there were no survivors or eyewitnesses; they didn’t even know which direction the murderer had come from.

Coming up empty-handed, Wang Lan and his companions returned to their hotel. After entering his room, Wang Lan closed the door and stood silently by the window, looking into the distance. The night in Vine Country was pitch black. Even though Maidah City was ranked the third-largest city in the country, no bright lights could be seen at night.

"What do we do now? Just wait for the Dharma World Honored to come knocking?" Yu Ruoyun broke the silence.

"No, I suspect the Dharma World Honored will continue to slaughter villages," Wang Lan said. His words caused Master Chenghai to look up sharply.

"Why would he do that? He wants me there, doesn’t he? Now that I’m here, shouldn’t he come straight for us?"

"If you were here alone, he would come straight for you. But with Ruoyun and me here, he wouldn’t dare. I’m absolutely certain he’ll continue to slaughter villagers until we either lose our composure and split up, or he forces you to go alone. I’ve checked; to a Star Martial Warrior like him, the villages in Vine Country are practically defenseless. He could wipe out any village completely before we even notice."

"What should we do?" Master Chenghai’s face turned deathly pale. If the Dharma World Honored truly resorted to this, how many of Vine Country’s people would be slaughtered? With the abilities of the Six-winged Golden Cicada, massacring dozens of villages in a few days would be effortless.

He could even easily wipe out an entire city.

Wang Lan pulled out a section of Qingkong Wood from his Void Storing. Seeing this piece of wood, Yu Ruoyun’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Qingkong Wood? Your uncle gave you Qingkong Wood?"

Wang Lan passed the Qingkong Wood to Master Chenghai. "Keep this Qingkong Wood close. It has spatial coordinates I’ve set on it. If you encounter the Dharma World Honored, I can instantly teleport to your side. However, this only works in the outside world, not in a Different Dimensional Space. If you’re in a Different Dimensional Space, I’ll be out of options. Also, I can only perform one such teleportation at the moment, so there’s only one chance."

Master Chenghai took the Qingkong Wood and carefully stored it, his gaze flickering slightly. "Are you suggesting I act as bait to lure him into a trap?"

"Exactly. Also, the three of us will carry trackers. Unless we’re in a Different Dimensional Space, we can use them to determine each other’s locations. I think his next move will be to try to split us up."

That night was indeed calm. The next morning, just as the sun began to rise above the horizon, Master Chenghai knocked on the doors of Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun’s rooms.

"Last night, three more villages were wiped out, all in different directions."

"It seems my suspicions were correct. Next, we’ll act separately. You’ll be in the open while Ruoyun and I stay covert. This should give the Dharma World Honored a chance to divide us, but ideally, it will also make him suspicious that this is a trap we’ve set."

As planned, Master Chenghai drove to one of the annihilated villages, with Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun secretly following. Although they didn’t feel anyone watching, Wang Lan was convinced that someone was keeping close tabs on them.

Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun maintained a distance of five hundred meters from Master Chenghai. At that range, they could reach him in just two seconds, making it a very safe margin.

The village Master Chenghai was visiting was also in a remote area, with no other villages within a kilometer, accessible only by a muddy country road.

Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun stopped five hundred meters from the village, quietly observing Master Chenghai’s every move. Unnoticed by either of them, a golden insect burst from the undergrowth, swiftly making its way towards Yu Ruoyun.