Mr. Lane taught Brian Carter the art of invisibility, which is a direct transmission from the demonic sect. Not only can it make one appear and disappear at will, but it can also conceal the spiritual light above the head, so that even those with great magical power cannot detect it.

Brian Carter formed a double-hand seal, and a whirlwind descended upon the Great Roc King Tower. A tall, fierce-looking beggar appeared, holding a girl under his left arm—it was Emily Foster. The girl, dressed in white, was mostly stained and soiled with blood, her hair disheveled, her body limp and hanging down, the extent of her suffering unknown.

George Young suppressed the demonic wind and snarled viciously, “It was right here yesterday—was it you and that little thief who killed my disciple Charles Walker?”

Emily Foster struggled to rise and cried out, “I killed Charles Walker by myself! It had nothing to do with that young master!”

George Young opened his mouth and spat out a cloud of blood mist, which condensed into a mirror. Though the surface was murky, it clearly replayed the events of the previous day. He grinned wickedly, “No need to deny it. My Taiyin Blood God Mirror already revealed the little thief’s origins. I knew he’d come for you today—he’ll never leave alive!”

Emily Foster tried to struggle again, but George Young casually slapped a red paper talisman onto her forehead. The girl’s delicate body instantly went limp, as if she were a clay or wooden statue. This vicious beggar George Young showed no pity, tossing Emily Foster aside and unfastening the crimson-scaled serpent at his waist. He snarled, “Now that you’re in my hands, no matter how you struggle, you won’t escape. Your sister has also fallen into my grasp—sooner or later, she’ll end up just like you, refined into a Seven-Kill Serpent God.”

The crimson-scaled serpent lay lazily on the ground, seemingly lifeless, showing no reaction at all to George Young’s harsh words.

George Young sat cross-legged on the ground, appearing very patient. Brian Carter, hidden within the wall, felt his heart pounding wildly and thought to himself, “Thank goodness Master taught me the arts of invisibility and wall-passing, or I’d surely be dead by now. This George Young is truly vicious!”

Brian Carter steadied himself, but had no intention of fleeing. His mind raced as he recalled in detail the dozen or so battles he’d just witnessed at the reed mat contest. Though George Young hadn’t acted today, from what he’d seen of Charles Walker, Brian Carter could gauge George Young’s magical power.

“The He Mountain Sect focuses only on combat techniques, lacking any true longevity arts. Though they practice all sorts of evil magic, their bodies are still mortal. I bet if I use the transportation spell to drop a huge stone on his head, his brains would burst. But this vicious beggar is agile—if I don’t have a good plan, it won’t be easy to hit him.”

In an instant, Brian Carter devised several strategies. He sat down, slid along the wall of the Great Roc King Tower to the base, and, relying on his invisibility, headed straight for the stables of Minister Yan’s residence. Earlier, while passing through the walls, he’d noticed that the stone troughs used for feeding the horses were each several hundred pounds, carved from solid bluestone—very heavy indeed.

Brian Carter pointed with his finger, and a ring of black light collected the seven or eight stone troughs in the stable, filling his Five Yin Bag to the brim. The pampered horses, suddenly deprived of their feeding troughs, neighed loudly one after another. Brian Carter thought, “Not good!” Fearing the horses would startle the servants, he decided to go all the way and stuffed all ten or so fine horses from Minister Yan’s stables into the bag as well.

Though these horses were large and strong, they were much easier to digest than the iron-backed wolf monster Charles Walker. Once wrapped in the black light, they were instantly consumed without a trace. After absorbing the flesh and blood of more than ten fine horses, the Five Yin Bag expanded again. Brian Carter also took the two bluestone blocks from the stable.

George Young had come to Chang’an hoping to use his skills to gain wealth and status. Knowing his own roughness, he’d brought his disciple Charles Walker along to serve him in times of need and run errands, so he wouldn’t have to bother himself. He never expected that after just one day in Chang’an, Charles Walker would be killed.

George Young had planted the He Mountain Sect’s heart-linking parasite on Charles Walker, which could transmit the final moments of his life back to him. Learning that Emily Foster and Brian Carter were responsible, he flew into a rage, tracked down Minister Yan’s residence, captured the yet-to-escape Emily Foster, and subjected her to harsh interrogation, but could not learn anything about Brian Carter’s background.

However, from the images transmitted at Charles Walker’s dying moment, he saw that Brian Carter’s magical power was weak—he could only produce a mist of water, which barely held together. He didn’t think much of the youth, but his anger was hard to swallow. He was determined to capture Brian Carter and torment him to death to vent his rage.

George Young was originally an orphan, adopted by the He Mountain Sect’s Grand Elder Jack Ford, who taught him the sect’s magic. He was quite talented, and in just forty years had mastered nearly all of Jack Ford’s teachings, learning sixty to seventy percent of the sect’s sixty-seven techniques. Among his generation, he was already one of the most powerful disciples of the He Mountain Sect.