The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind!?

Secret Techniques varied, and so did the methods of retreat. Old Foye soared directly into the sky, like a wisp of azure smoke vanishing into the clouds. No matter how formidable Saint John City's anti-air defenses were, they failed to detect his presence.

Yet, he mused inwardly, "I just saw Steve with my own eyes. As expected, he's been utterly shattered by that horrific ordeal, his spirit withered and listless... Alas, what is to be done!?"

"And who were those other two groups!?" Old Foye's brow furrowed. "The one who took the living captive with a lotus-shaped sacred artifact... a lotus! Francis, that boy, is quite fond of lotuses, and he certainly has reason to protect Steve. But that's not enough to conclude the person was him! At the very least, he shouldn't possess the strength to defeat a Ninth-rank early-stage Battle God! And that trio — the father and two daughters — were even stranger! Especially the burly man; he didn't use a sacred artifact, only his fists... Fists... The descendants of the Starry Sky Battle God among the Five Families of Fallen Gods are indeed skilled in close-quarters combat, able to contend with Battle Gods wielding sacred artifacts without needing one themselves! But the Starry Sky Battle God descendants are restricted by their bloodline; it's impossible for them to have daughters! Other than them... there seems to be no one else!"

As Old Foye pondered high in the clouds, Ted and his two daughters also swiftly escaped by burrowing underground, leaving the vicinity of the Death Row Cells. They emerged from a small courtyard in the Southern District, and Helen's beautiful eyes flickered with thought: "Sulan, doesn't the way that person used the lotus to collect the beastman at the end seem incredibly familiar!?"

"Indeed, Young Mistress, I nearly broke out in a cold sweat just now!" Sulan said, sticking out her tongue in lingering fear. "It was simply too similar!"

Ted, bewildered, frowned and asked, "What are you two talking about?"

"Father, do you remember the 'god' who impersonated Francis that I told you about? Once on Mount Tianshan, and again at Philip's Alchemy Laboratory! Your daughter has ridden his lotus-shaped sacred artifact twice, and that Lotus Sacred Artifact of his can change size at will; it's wondrously abnormal! Just like how that person collected the beastmen earlier!"

"Are you saying that group might have been sent by our benefactor?" Ted stroked his beard, pondering, "That's certainly possible! If that 'god' impersonating Francis intends to rescue Steve, then it's only natural for him to send people to protect Steve!"

Helen nodded. "Precisely. I suspect the one who injured me was a descendant or student of our benefactor; their Secret Techniques are far too similar! Had his strength not been so meager that he could be defeated by you in three moves, Father, I might even suspect him to be our benefactor himself, Your Excellency!"

Ted frowned in thought for a moment. "Helen, do you think we should still keep our appointment?"

Helen slowly shook her head. "No, we won't! We're only protecting Steve out of gratitude; there's no need to get entangled with too many people or invite too much trouble! After all, we can't fully ascertain the identities of those individuals. While they share our objective, that doesn't mean we can trust them!"

Having settled their discussion, the father and two daughters once again altered their appearance and changed their attire. Sulan instructed her 'little friends' to continue monitoring Lanning's major departments, searching for evidence that would benefit Steve. However, they themselves took advantage of the night to leave Saint John City directly, hiding in the dense forests on the outskirts.

Having left the Death Row Cells, Du Chen, though puzzled by his elder brother's sudden outburst, was not overly anxious, trusting in Dus to look after him. He steered the Lotus Sacred Artifact, accompanied by Deboning, directly towards their agreed-upon rendezvous point, intending to discuss Steve's situation with the two Level Ten Masters who had suddenly appeared and were very likely to become his allies!

But deep down, he couldn't help but worry about his elder brother. The moment they left the Death Row Cells, Du Chen asked through his Divine Sense: "Dus, what exactly happened to my elder brother!?"

"You ask me, who am I supposed to ask!?" Dus's voice was as roguish as ever. "Steve's body showed no changes just now, but then he suddenly went berserk. This must be a mental issue; you'll have to ask that girl of yours, don't ask your Fifth Brother, alright?... But don't worry, he calmed down after two shouts!"

Du Chen chuckled in relief, a great weight finally lifted from his mind. He then inquired about the situation inside the Death Row Cells.

Fifth Brother said, "It's nothing major, just a few extra layers of protective plating on the four walls, and a few openings appearing from the ceiling and underground, from which some contraptions capable of killing Eighth or Ninth-rank Battle Gods extended. Heh, now this is interesting... A sacred artifact crossbow of war popped out of the wall! Tsk, tsk, the sacred artifact crossbows of war are starting a barrage! Whoa, everywhere but your elder brother's cage has been thoroughly bombarded! By the looks of it, they're preparing to rush in under the cover of these sacred artifacts of war! Heh, they're rushing in, they're rushing in! Huh? This is... Oh my heavens!"

With a muffled cry, the communication between Dus and Du Chen was abruptly severed!

"Dus, Fifth Brother!" Du Chen called out several times, but received no response. His expression changed. "Deboning, we're going back! Something has happened to my elder brother!"

"Young Master! The Death Row Cells are now completely surrounded by the Versailles Guards! If we force our way in, whether we can retreat safely will be a question in itself!"

The Lotus Sacred Artifact had already reversed its direction of flight. Du Chen waved his hand. "It's fine. Since chaos has already ensued, we'll head straight to the cathedral. Porter and I will swap places, then we'll barge in openly and righteously!"

Du Chen's heart was burning with anxiety. If the connection between him and Andy had been severed, that would be understandable; after all, it was merely a link between Divine Pets! But what had just been severed was the Divine Sense communication granted by Master Grape between Du Chen and Old Five!

What kind of power could sever such a connection!?

Du Chen frantically controlled the Lotus Sacred Artifact, flying like lightning towards Saint John Cathedral. But just as the Grand Cathedral appeared before his eyes, Dus's voice resounded in his ear once more; the interrupted connection had finally been restored.

But Dus's voice was extremely weak! "Francis..."

"Thank heavens, you're finally back! What in the world happened!?"

"This... I can't say for sure! Just now, an incredibly powerful force enveloped me—no, it enveloped Steve's body. In that instant, Steve and I seemed to pass through something. The immense shockwave of that transit rattled your Fifth Brother to my core, my very being felt dispersed!"

"You lost contact with me because you were dispersed by the shockwave!? What about my elder brother then?" Du Chen grew frantic. If even Dus was dispersed, what about his elder brother, with his frail low-level Battle Mage body? Wouldn't he have been shattered into mere dust!?

Dus's voice paused for a moment, as if he were inspecting something. After a long while, he lazily replied, "Don't worry about your elder brother, he's fine! Worry about your Fifth Brother instead!"

"It's good that my elder brother is alright," Du Chen said impatiently. "Do you still need me to worry about you? Quick, what's your situation now? Are you still in the Death Row Cells?"

"Death Row Cells? No, we're flying!" Dus sounded as if he were undergoing ultra-high-speed flight; the violent turbulence made his voice intermittent, and it took him a long time to clearly explain his and Steve's situation.

The instant the Versailles Guards breached the Death Row Cells, an immense force enveloped Steve, forming an extremely powerful membrane of energy tightly clinging to his skin. This membrane encased Steve, carrying him through something, and then propelled him into high-speed flight.

This layer of energy was as thin as a cicada's wing, even allowing Dus to feel the changes in airflow generated by the high-speed travel outside. Yet, it was like a tenacious epidermal layer, not only protecting Steve but also firmly trapping Dus within Steve's body, rendering him utterly immobile!

The entire process was as if someone had used mysterious power to abduct Steve right after Du Chen and his companions had left!

"Can you figure out where you and elder brother are flying to now? Do you know who captured you...?" Du Chen rattled off several questions, but Dus knew nothing, only offering one answer: "Stop asking! Your Fifth Brother is at an unknown altitude, surrounded by nothing but air. How am I supposed to know where we're going!?"

Indeed, these questions were a bit difficult for Dus, who was trapped inside Steve's body with not an ounce of offensive capability!

Instructing Dus to report his situation constantly, Du Chen couldn't hide his astonishment. He turned to Deboning with a wry smile. "Were there other people in the Death Row Cells just now?"

Deboning shook his head. "Other people? Impossible! At that time, three of us Titled Battle Gods were present. Besides individuals of the Dragon God or Pontiff's level, virtually no one could escape our combined senses! Unless it was Flaying or Roland, but they weren't even there! Young Master, what's wrong?"

"My elder brother was taken by someone, and it happened in that brief interval after we left, just as the Versailles Guards stormed into the Death Row Cells!"

Who abducted Steve, and where was he taken? Du Chen had no way to investigate at this moment. The vast, boundless starry sky above Saint John City was simply too immense; if even Fifth Brother couldn't discern the situation, then Du Chen certainly couldn't.

But at this moment...

Old Foye, hidden amidst the clouds, was calculating the entire sequence of events when he suddenly sensed a force streak past from high above, not far away. He looked up to see a mass of black and crimson mist, vaguely visible, with a figure concealed within.

This figure was very peculiar. Battle Gods usually flew with their bodies tilted forward or parallel to the ground — that was the fastest and most comfortable way! But this figure flew stiff and straight, as if it were a kite being pulled by some force ahead of it.

Steve!?

Old Foye was startled. "Damn it! Looking at this situation... my worst fears have come true!" Glancing at Saint John City below, he abruptly lifted his head, fixed his gaze on the figure, and soared off in pursuit!