Chapter 363 – Missing Each Other

At this moment, Su Ming was unaware that he had already been targeted.

He only knew that the commotion he had caused earlier was indeed substantial—so much so that the Sixth Floor seemed to be growing increasingly unsettled.

With his exceptional Spirit Sense, Su Ming could feel that as time passed, the demonic aura of the Sixth Floor appeared to be growing increasingly dense.

“This isn’t good.”

Having already satisfied his hunger, Su Ming bathed in the glow of the campfire, gazing across the river while sensing the gradually intensifying demonic aura in the air. He couldn’t help but murmur these words.

“What’s wrong?”

Chi Qian noticed Su Ming’s unusual demeanor and asked him about it.

“Haven’t you noticed?” Su Ming withdrew his distant gaze and turned to the group of girls. “The demonic aura on the Sixth Floor is growing stronger. It’s likely that many powerful Phantom Demons have become active, and there might even be Phantom Demons from other floors coming to this level.”

Hearing this, the girls were momentarily taken aback.

Then, they each fell into contemplation, sensing their surroundings.

“Indeed, the air on the Sixth Floor has become different from before,” Chi Qian said quietly.

“It’s become more oppressive and heavier than before,” Mu Yan added calmly.

“I can even faintly hear the cries of many Phantom Demons,” even Feng Qing’er chimed in.

“Wh-what’s happening?” Tong Xinyao grew nervous again.

Su Ming had a pretty good idea of what was going on.

“Probably, the disturbance I caused by using the power of the [Silver Arm] didn’t just alert other Professional teams—it also alerted the Phantom Demons in the Midnight Labyrinth,” Su Ming stated the reason directly.

“If a Hazardous Species mutant has already appeared on the Sixth Floor of the Midnight Labyrinth, then whether it’s this floor or the next one, as we go deeper, there are bound to be many powerful Phantom Demons either sleeping while occupying territories or active outside. And their numbers definitely won’t be small.”

These powerful Phantom Demons had most likely been disturbed by the massive commotion Su Ming caused when using the [Silver Arm].

Therefore, some had awakened and were rampaging about, while others were drawn by the tremendous disturbance and were converging on this area. There might even be formidable beings from lower floors who had come up to this level.

As a result, the demonic aura on the Sixth Floor was growing increasingly dense, and the air was becoming more oppressive and heavier.

This proved that numerous dangerous entities were now gathering on this floor.

“I should have been more restrained,” Su Ming already regretted directly using the power of the [Silver Arm].

That power was indeed strong, but it ultimately wasn’t something to be used casually. This wasn’t the first time Su Ming had experienced this realization, though each time he used it, he came to understand this truth more profoundly.

Chi Qian, however, offered this perspective:

“Our opponent was a Hazardous Species mutant, comparable to a Six-Star Professional. Given the situation at the time, wanting to end the battle quickly is understandable.” Chi Qian smiled wryly. “And to take down a Phantom Demon of that caliber in one go, without using some trump cards—that would have been impossible.”

Su Ming thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement with this reasoning.To deal with such a tough and large mutated Hazardous Species in one go, even without using the power of the [Silver Arm], Su Ming would have to unleash an Advanced Spirit Art to succeed.

The commotion caused by an Advanced Spirit Art, compared to that of the [Silver Arm], would be almost as significant.

Under such circumstances, unless Su Ming had the patience to slowly grind it down with Hai’er, it would be impossible to take down that tough Giant Phantom Demon without resorting to his trump card.

However, if Su Ming and Hai’er joined forces to battle the Giant Phantom Demon, the resulting commotion would likely attract the attention of many beings.

If they ended up drawing the attention of powerful Phantom Demons or Professional teams that should not have been alerted, the situation would become troublesome.

Especially other Professional teams.

After all, the treasure guarded by the Giant Phantom Demon was an entire pool of Purple Snow Essence.

If Su Ming had been too slow and allowed multiple teams to be drawn to the scene, then once the Purple Snow Essence was discovered, a fierce battle among them would be inevitable.

If things escalated to that point, not only would the outcome be disgraceful, but there was also the risk of information leaking out, leading to endless troubles in the future.

Purple Snow Essence, a natural treasure of a higher Rank than Purple Snow Paste, and in such abundance—it would likely shock the entire Tianfeng City. Even the Eight Great Families and the Base City authorities would set their sights on Su Ming and make demands of him.

In that case, Su Ming might find himself at odds with the entire Tianfeng City, leading to serious conflicts with many beings and factions.

Thinking this, Su Ming felt relieved about his decision to use the [Silver Arm] for a swift resolution.

If he hadn’t made that choice, the entire pool of Purple Snow Essence might not have ended up quietly tucked away in his backpack, unknown to others, allowing Su Ming to reap the benefits discreetly.

However, the situation on the Sixth Floor had now taken a rather unfavorable turn.

Not only did Su Ming think so, but Chi Qian and the others felt the same.

“If this continues, the Sixth Floor might descend into chaos,” Mu Yan said with a serious expression. “A large number of Phantom Demons, including high-level ones, have gathered on this floor, along with Professional teams drawn by the rumors. A widespread battle is unavoidable.”

Phantom Demons don’t only have a sense of camaraderie among themselves.

They also devour and fight each other. Unless they are under the command of a higher-level being or belong to the same tribe or species, it’s common for Phantom Demons to engage in combat as soon as they encounter one another.

With Phantom Demons behaving this way among themselves, and with the added factor of human Professional teams as external elements, the emergence of numerous conflicts, battles, and fights is indeed inevitable.

This situation is certainly not what the members of 『Azure Mercury』 hoped to encounter.

“Our goal is treasure hunting and advancing to the Tenth Floor, not engaging in meaningless battles.”

“Moreover, if the situation becomes chaotic, it will be disadvantageous for us. There might be dangers we can’t handle, or conflicts with human Professional teams, leading to unnecessary fights.”

Chi Qian and Mu Yan increasingly felt that the Sixth Floor had become a precarious place.

“I think so too.”

Su Ming nodded in agreement.He had no desire to get involved in pointless conflicts.

Of course, taking advantage of the situation to engage in some underhanded dealings wasn’t a bad option either. Teams capable of reaching the Sixth Floor surely possessed considerable wealth and had collected numerous resources. If a conflict arose with another party, he could fully exploit the opportunity to seize their belongings or gather large amounts of materials by hunting numerous Phantom Demons.

However, compared to that, Su Ming preferred to conserve more stamina and energy to explore the lower floors.

The deeper one went, the more likely it was to encounter precious natural treasures.

Although he didn’t believe he would come across another priceless treasure like an entire pool of Purple Snow Essence, the prospect was still more appealing than staying here to fight and struggle with others.

The women seemed to share the same sentiment.

Thus, Feng Qing’er and Tong Xinyao were the first to raise their hands.

“In that case, why don’t we leave this floor and head directly to the next one?”

“I… I agree!”

The two girls, one older and one younger, voiced their opinions in unison.

In truth, this was also Su Ming’s idea.

The only problem was…

“For the rest of us, it’s manageable, but can Yao Yao hold on?”

Su Ming directed this question at Tong Xinyao.

As a Sorcerer, Tong Xinyao was already exhausted upon reaching the Sixth Floor. After the ordeal of traveling to and from the Purple Snow Essence location, the fatigue in her eyes had become too intense to conceal.

During the recent meal, the little girl had nodded off several times, clearly on the verge of collapse.

Su Ming didn’t believe she could continue to keep up with the rest of them, whether in traveling or dealing with further challenges.

『Azure Mercury』 consisted of five members, or six if Hai’er was included. Apart from Tong Xinyao, everyone else was at the Upper-Rank Professional level.

Moreover, the group was either composed of Five-Star Hunters or Phantom Demons capable of regeneration, all physically robust and far more energetic than Tong Xinyao, the young Sorcerer.

For Su Ming and the others, fighting for days and nights without sleep was entirely feasible.

But Tong Xinyao couldn’t manage that.

If she tried, the only outcome would be exhaustion and collapse.

“I… I’m fine!”

Tong Xinyao, noticing the concerned looks from everyone, quickly asserted herself.

She didn’t want to be the one holding the group back.

However, the others clearly had no intention of forcing her.

“How about this,” Chi Qian suggested. “I’ll carry Yao Yao while we move.”

After all, she had already carried Tong Xinyao during their travels earlier. Chi Qian felt that if she took responsibility for the little girl, Tong Xinyao could get proper rest while still keeping up with the group.

“Let’s take turns carrying her.”

“Yao Yao is so light; it won’t be any trouble.”

Mu Yan and Feng Qing’er also voiced their agreement.

Su Ming pondered for a moment before finally nodding.

“Alright,” Su Ming said. “In that case, we’ll take turns carrying Yao Yao and leave this Sixth Floor first.”

“Yes!”

The women responded in unison.

Thus, the group began dismantling the tents and other camping equipment. After Su Ming stored everything in his backpack, they left the campsite together.

Their destination: the Seventh Floor.

This decision allowed Su Ming to avoid an imminent, brutal conflict and a troublesome enemy he had encountered in the past.Unfortunately, Su Ming himself was unaware of this matter.

……

“Whoosh!”

Amidst the sound of cutting through air, a black-robed figure swept over like a ghost from the horizon, landing on the riverbank.

Seeing the extinguished campfire and the numerous discarded wrappers left at the scene, Crow remained silent for a long time.

“That’s right, this is the place.”

Crow confirmed this was his destination, slowly clenching his fist.

There was no helping it.

Here, he could clearly sense abundant traces of “that guy’s” presence, yet the site was completely devoid of people.

“Has he left?”

Without hesitation, Crow immediately closed his eyes and expanded his sensory perception.

In his perception, the increasingly dense demonic aura of this layer naturally couldn’t escape his notice.

Of course, that wasn’t important.

What mattered was that as the demonic aura grew thicker, the traces Crow wanted to detect were gradually being obscured by the dense demonic energy.

This made it significantly more difficult for Crow to distinguish his target’s traces from the pervasive, intense demonic aura than before.

Under such circumstances, with the target continuously moving further away, the likelihood of finding him diminished considerably.

If the target left this layer and proceeded to the next, it would become much harder for Crow to locate him.

“No, I can’t let him reach the next layer.”

Crow’s fist tightened further.

His desire to confront and utterly eliminate his opponent grew increasingly intense, making Crow impatient to find him.

Additionally, since this operation of 『Sin』 had its own objectives, Crow understood clearly that once the official mission commenced, it would be difficult to settle personal scores with his target.

As the saying goes, the overall situation takes precedence. Once the formal operation began, the Vice Captain would certainly not permit him to obsess over personal vendettas.

Therefore, to avoid complications and satisfy his own burning emotions, Crow wanted to quickly locate “that person” and definitively resolve their grudge.

Moreover, Crow hadn’t actually informed the Vice Captain about the ominous premonition in his heart.

His intuition told him that during this operation, that 「Ming Wang」 would inevitably emerge to block 『Sin』’s path, becoming the most troublesome obstacle.

Back in the Longyao City Underground Ruins, it was he who had disrupted all of 『Sin』’s arrangements, leading to their major defeat.

This time, with the organization taking action again for an extremely important objective, his appearance here was undoubtedly highly unfavorable.

“Logically speaking, his strength shouldn’t pose an obstacle to the Young Miss and the Vice Captain.”

“After all, he’s merely a Four-Star Hunter and Four-Star Sorcerer. Even as a Dual Professional with that terrifying right hand, being able to contend with a Six-Star Professional is already quite remarkable. Last time, if he hadn’t taken drugs and we hadn’t lacked intelligence, he wouldn’t have been my match at all.”

“Someone like him fundamentally can’t stop the Young Miss and the Vice Captain.”

Many Professionals had come to the Midnight Labyrinth, including numerous long-established Six-Star Professionals whom even Crow had to take seriously.

Compared to that guy, those individuals should prove more troublesome.Based on this reasoning, the other party shouldn’t pose much of an obstacle to them.

Though this was what he thought, Crow still had a feeling.

This time, that guy would be the most terrifying and troublesome enemy.

“He still has the Demon Emperor Sword in his hand. If he truly unleashes the power of the Demon Emperor Sword without restraint, even the Young Miss would find it difficult to subdue him.”

Crow clenched his fist tightly.

“Whether for my own sake or for the plan, I must eliminate him.”

With this thought, Crow hesitated no longer. After identifying the direction through his senses, he resumed the pursuit.

However, Crow’s luck wasn’t good.

Because, just as he began to move, Su Ming and his group successfully discovered the entrance to the Seventh Floor.

It was inside a tree hollow.

Within the hollow of an enormous tree, there was an opening leading downward.

Having found such entrances before, Su Ming and the others knew this was the passage to the next floor.

They didn’t hesitate.

“Let’s go, to the next floor.”

Following Su Ming’s command, several girls jumped into the hole without a second thought.

Before jumping down, Su Ming seemed to sense something and inexplicably glanced behind him before proceeding.

About twenty minutes later, Crow finally arrived at the spot. Staring at the entrance, his face contorted.

“Damn it!”

A low roar echoed through the air.

7017k

(End of Chapter)