The Grand Thief Showdown: An Elegant Encounter of 'Artists'

The moon hung high in the sky. Mars, the Battle God, was roaring drunk, his large eyes bloodshot as if he'd suffered a massive hemorrhage. Yet, he still clung to Aliza, slurring repeatedly, “Truly worthy of the Blade of Heaven’s son! Come, let’s switch to bigger jars!”

Aliza was equally inebriated, his head swaying. “Young Master is formidable! His, his face hasn’t even flushed!”

Du Chen offered a faint smile, then suddenly pointed outside the tent and exclaimed in feigned surprise, “Look, a flying saucer!”

“A flying saucer? What’s that?!”

“Young Master, what’s a flying saucer?!”

The two drunks, leaning on each other, stumbled to the entrance. They vaguely peered outside the tent, but there wasn't a shadow of a ghost in the sky. Moments later, they heard a ‘thud’ behind them. Turning back, Mars burst into laughter, “Brother Aliza, just now you were praising your Young Master’s prowess, but look! He’s so drunk he’s spouting nonsense, and now he’s collapsed!”

Aliza squinted, scrutinizing the fallen Du Chen. He nudged him, but there was no awakening. Shaking his head, he declared, “Young Master’s alcohol tolerance is truly abysmal. Mars, let’s keep drinking!”

*Thunk!*

The two wine jars clinked together, and a small lotus quietly flew out through a crevice!

Meanwhile, Dus stiffly rolled over, pretending to be Du Chen and feigning a deep drunken slumber.

***

Concerned about the Pontiff’s strength, Du Chen avoided exiting through the main gate leading to the Golden Grand Tent. Instead, he took a circuitous route, approaching the Aqua Cloud Banner beneath Moon Lake from the western side of the Eye of Heaven Forest!

As he flew, Du Chen donned his professional attire and began organizing the items within his lotus – cleaning out the fence before making a move was Du Chen’s professional habit! Moreover, he had other preparations to make beforehand!

Before long, Du Chen had fashioned a colossal baby crib using the materials at hand: down blankets, sheer silk quilts, and a soft crystal frame…

Observing the crib within his lotus, Du Chen couldn’t help but chuckle to himself, “Taking care of little Beibei and Alex these past two years, I haven’t learned much else, but I’m certainly qualified to be a dad!” He then arranged the pre-prepared baby bottles, snacks, and toys on the crib. After storing the crib within his lotus, he began tidying other items.

*Clink!*

A small trinket fell out of Du Chen’s Pouch of Wonders.

“This is… Constantine’s item!” Du Chen picked up the trinket and examined it. After flaying and deboning Constantine alive, the Rebellious Dragon’s personal belongings naturally became Du Chen’s spoils of war. Regrettably, apart from the other half of the Star of Turaam, there wasn't much of value within.

Currently, the dangerous half of the Star of Turaam was entrusted to Dus for safekeeping, while another item that piqued Du Chen's interest was the crystal red dragon statue in his hand!

The statue was only the size of a baby’s fist, yet it was remarkably lifelike, perfectly capturing the red dragon’s elegant and dignified demeanor. However, a sword was plunged into the red dragon’s back, straight through its heart…

Constantine, now in a vegetative state, couldn't tell Du Chen that this crystal red dragon represented the turning point of his life, from sacred to rebellious! But Du Chen had no interest in knowing; it was now one of little Beibei’s favorite toys!

***

Du Chen arrived near the Aqua Cloud Banner!

A misty haze obscured the Aqua Envoys' Camp within. Du Chen circled the Cloud Banner, beginning to analyze the structure of this Tenth-tier sacred artifact…

Du’s Sacred Artifact Theory – the connection between sacred artifacts and Battle Gods stemmed from the artifact spirit and Battle Soul. As long as one precisely located the Cloud Banner’s artifact spirit and avoided disturbing it, it was entirely possible to dismantle this Tenth-tier sacred artifact while the Aqua Divine Envoys slept soundly! Of course, this theory applied only to Du Chen!

Having the power to decide the fate of sacred artifacts, this was Du Chen’s greatest advantage for survival in the Battle God World!

Moments later, from the keyhole position on the flagpole, Du Chen identified the Cloud Banner’s sacred artifact lock structure. It truly lived up to its name as a Tenth-tier sacred artifact; its internal locking mechanism, in Du Chen’s professional jargon, was called the “Twenty-Eight Bell Universal Revolving Lock”! Even among the elites of his former life's Rogue Sect, few could crack it!

But Du Chen merely snorted softly and pressed himself against it! Because the technique required for this “Twenty-Eight Bell Universal Revolving Lock” was something he could easily and perfectly accomplish by the age of eighteen in his previous life. In Du Chen’s own words, it was ‘easy,’ ‘really simple’!

His movements were feather-light, his Lotus Internal Force completely reined in. Du Chen often compared his lotus’s size to a mosquito, but at this moment, even if a real mosquito flew by, the sound of its vibrating wings would be far louder than Du Chen! For Du Chen’s technique had reached a truly perfect state of utter silence!

Moon Lake was utterly still. The Pontiff was unaware of the happenings here, and the Dragon God hadn't detected anything. Even the Aqua Divine Envoys beneath the Cloud Banner were softly snoring away…

*But!!!*

Flaying had once said, your lotus can fool everyone in the world, but it cannot fool the Godslayer異种… the Tyran Beast!

“Dad, someone’s here!”

Inside the Cloud Banner’s mist, within the Divine Envoys’ camp, Brockman, who was ransacking the tents while the Divine Envoys slept, felt a slight jolt in his heart upon hearing his son’s message via Battle Soul. “A fellow ‘artist’ has arrived, and I, a seasoned expert, didn’t even notice. So, the newcomer must be a Master!”

Immediately, with a cold smirk, Brockman transmitted via Battle Soul, “Homan, how strong is the intruder?!”

“Hard to say, Homan can’t sense his battle qi at all, only knows he’s here from changes in the surrounding airflow! Dad, that person is too powerful! Maybe we shouldn’t provoke him, it’s too terrifying!” Homan was almost panicking. “Dad, he, he didn’t come in through the only opening; he’s… prying open the door?!”

The ‘door’ of the Aqua Cloud Banner was a Tenth-tier sacred artifact!

Brockman’s face instantly paled. Gritting his teeth, his gaze swept like lightning across the Aqua Envoys' Camp…

Centered around the flagpole, four tents stood at the four corners of a square. Thirteen sleeping young girls were tied to the flagpole, while Donna and other Aqua Divine Envoys resided in the four tents. Brockman was currently in Donna’s tent, searching for the Water's Embrace Lake Lifeline Map!

But Brockman had searched three times and still hadn't found it!

And Du Chen, precisely at this moment, opened a tiny gap right above Donna’s tent – fingernail-sized, hard to detect, but sufficient for him to maneuver his lotus inside!

“Damn it, I’ve searched everywhere, but the map… Homan, hold on tight to Dad, let’s avoid him for now!” Brockman dared not contend with a Master capable of violating a Tenth-tier sacred artifact. He quickly transformed into a blue liquid, lurking in a corner of Donna’s tent.

Then, Brockman witnessed a sight he would never forget…

Following Homan’s alert, Brockman noticed a tiny lotus, golden in color but currently dim and no bigger than a mosquito. This lotus quietly flew into Donna’s tent, approached her travel bag, and then, the backpack silently vanished…

Next, the table, the luminous lamp, the collars prepared by the Aqua Divine Envoys for future Divine Servants, the food… everything, all gone!

Stealing everything was also a thief’s technique – stealing just one item revealed one’s motive; stealing everything… hehe, let them investigate at their leisure!

But Brockman was utterly dumbfounded!

“Dad… above…” Homan also cried out in a daze.

In his blue liquid form, Brockman didn't need to look up. With a turn of his Divine Sense, he saw… that precious, extremely rare, highly defensive water-repellent tent, made of some unknown material, was being gently rolled up and slowly disappearing…

Finally, the vast tent left behind only Donna, a living person, and a puddle… Could it be that Donna had gotten up in the night, couldn't find a chamber pot, and relieved herself in the tent? Hmm, indeed, he hadn't seen any chamber pots earlier!

In any case, Du Chen wasn’t interested in a puddle of water! He headed towards his next target!

Around Donna, all was silent, save for her soft snores… and the conversation between a father and son via Battle Soul!

“Dad, why, why didn’t he steal Donna’s clothes?! He could have, right?!”

“Homan, stealing clothes is actually simpler than stealing a blanket. To steal clothes, you just need scissors… *cough*, but we are elegant artists, not low-class flower bandits… wait, no!” Brockman suddenly snapped awake. If this fellow ‘artist’ was truly overwhelmingly powerful, he should at least have detected him! Yet, this intruder acted as if he saw nothing, treating him as nothing more than a real puddle of water?!

Could it be that his true strength wasn’t that great?!

As for cracking a Tenth-tier sacred artifact… perhaps he used a secret technique similar to his own, found a weak point, or for some other reason, rather than immense power?!

“Homan, continue to monitor him!”

At this moment, Brockman was suspicious but dared not approach to test the waters!

The second tent was emptied, then the third, and the fourth… Finally, even the sleeping young girls beneath the Cloud Banner had disappeared!

“He’s flying out of the Cloud Banner!” Homan quickly warned. Brockman gritted his teeth. He still hadn’t found the Water's Embrace Lake Lifeline Map, and these items absolutely couldn't fall into a rival’s hands. So be it! For Lord Philip, I, Brockman, will risk my life to try!

“Homan, unleash your full strength, but make no sound! We’ll stop him!”

***

Du Chen carefully placed the thirteen young girls into the prepared baby cribs. Gazing at their serene sleeping faces, a genuine smile spread across his face.

Sleep well, little ones. When you awaken, you will no longer face the fate of becoming Divine Servants, treated like dogs. Instead, you will be on your way back to your parents’ embrace…

The good deeds he had performed over the years were countless, but this one was among the two he found most fulfilling… the other being when he eliminated Susanna, avenging the blood feud of the Daobet people!

Taking a deep breath, Du Chen chuckled towards the sleeping children, “Little ones, to open the Twenty-Eight Bell Universal Revolving Lock, one must simultaneously manipulate twelve lock pins at the exact same moment, rotating the inner second-layer mechanism…”

He blinked, just once. “The second-layer mechanism is linked to the artifact spirit. Touching it will alert the spirit… so, Uncle only has an instant to force the Aqua artifact spirit to acknowledge mastery, then immediately hide in the nearby Moon Lake. Otherwise, the Aqua Divine Envoys, with their alerted Battle Souls, will detect the anomaly… whether you can return home depends on this single blink of an eye!”

*Whoosh…*

Exhaling the deep breath, Du Chen closed his eyes. “What a pity, I can’t kill the Aqua Divine Envoys just yet. Uncle needs them alive for certain things, otherwise it would be much more convenient!” He suddenly snapped his eyes open and lunged towards the first keyhole of the Aqua Cloud Banner!

But just then!

His Lotus Primordial Spirit, Lotus Internal Force, and Lotus Sacred Artifacts all flared simultaneously!

This sensation was like when Frith ambushed him at his first banquet in the Battle God World… it was the feeling of death approaching!

A jet of water shot towards him. Du Chen exerted his full power, barely dodging with his lotus. The water arrow grazed the lotus petals, an incredibly close call!

Du Chen spun around to see a black-clad figure flying towards him!

Utterly silent!

At that moment, the water arrow that had flown past his lotus suddenly split into two, turning around to attack Du Chen from two directions! With water arrows above and an enemy below…

But Du Chen was prepared. While dodging, he tucked the baby crib and all his miscellaneous items into one lotus, keeping it close. Then, stepping onto another lotus, he palmed one with his left hand, and with his right, deployed the Lotus Azureveil Shield, reflecting all the water arrows back using its mirror refraction function!

On the other side, Brockman saw the water arrows turn back and formed circles with his hands across his chest, reabsorbing them!

The first exchange between the two produced not a single sound. Even the sacred artifacts and water arrows were dim, unnoticed in the night!

Interesting! To encounter a fellow ‘artist’! Judging by his moves, it seems to be Brockman? I was too careless, didn't guard against him, but thankfully I was prepared…

Since his presence was revealed, there was no need for concealment. Du Chen enlarged his lotus, reverting to his true form, also clad in black and masked!

After their first exchange, both had gauged the other – their opponent was evenly matched, and victory would depend on adapting to the situation!

Du Chen’s strength hovered between Eighth-rank and Ninth-rank, while Brockman was at the peak of Eighth-rank, but with the Tyran Beast assisting him! The outcome of their battle wouldn't be decided by battle qi, but by skill!

Brockman had never personally witnessed Du Chen’s Lotus Sacred Artifacts before. He only felt that the sacred artifacts beneath his opponent’s feet and in his hand were exceedingly peculiar. He donned his sacred artifact Finger Sheaths and, using the Clandestine Circles’ hand signs, asked, “Friend, today we’ve crossed paths. According to our Clandestine Circles’ rules, shall we ‘split the treasure’ upon meeting? I only want one item; the rest are yours!”

By now, he believed that the newcomer wasn’t particularly strong; Homan must have misjudged the situation regarding the Tenth-tier sacred artifact!

Du Chen had also learned these hand signs in York Town. He replied, “I want it all!” A very assertive answer!

Other matters could be conceded, but on this particular issue, Du Chen would not yield!

Brockman’s lips curved into a cold smile. Using hand signs, he responded, “Then we can only let strength do the talking. But friend, neither of us wants to alert the Aqua Divine Envoys below, do we?”

“The feeling is mutual. Alerting the Divine Envoys would benefit neither of us!”

Then, let’s begin!

*The battle commences!*