A figure was thrown out of the tavern, landing heavily on the ground—it was none other than the waiter who had earlier been hanging lanterns.

The men in black were startled at first, but then someone shouted loudly, “Charge in! Don’t let that thief get away!”

Before the words had faded, a burly man had already rushed out from the tavern.

He wielded a seven-foot-long unfamiliar saber, its blade still dripping with blood. The setting sun’s afterglow shone on the blade, reflecting a strange, demonic red light.

After bursting out of the tavern, the man turned and ran toward the alleyways.

A dozen or so men in black shouted in unison, rushing forward to block his way.

But the burly man was extremely fierce. Facing the oncoming men in black, he remained calm, stepped forward, and swept his saber in a move that could cut down a thousand troops. The saber weighed at least twenty pounds, but in his hands, it seemed as light as a feather. As the blade swept through the air, it let out a sharp whistle, moving as fast as lightning and leaving a faint afterimage.

The man in black who charged at him hurriedly raised his sword to block, but with a clang, his blade shattered.

If he hadn’t reacted quickly and dodged back, he would have been gutted by that saber.

The burly man said nothing. After his first strike missed, he stepped nimbly and swung his saber backhanded for another blow.

Two men in black quickly dodged aside, leaving a gap.

In that split second, the burly man leapt out of their encirclement and dashed into a nearby alley.

“After him!”

The men in black shouted and immediately gave chase.

At this moment, David Sutton also leapt down from the wall.

He strode quickly to the tavern entrance and slowly drew his saber.

It was a horizontal saber, about three feet long, its blade covered with cloud-like patterns.

David Sutton stepped into the tavern, greeted by a strong stench of blood.

He frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping across the tavern.

Three corpses lay in pools of blood—two customers dressed as Hu people, and another who, judging by his clothes, was likely the tavern owner.

David Sutton carefully approached and turned over one of the Hu men’s bodies.

There was a palm-sized bloody hole in the man’s chest—a shocking sight.

His face showed an expression of surprise. Clearly, he hadn’t been prepared at all before he died.

The other corpse lay face up, its chest soaked in blood.

He gripped the hilt of his saber, the curved blade at his waist half drawn.

The killer had struck so quickly that he hadn’t even had time to react before being killed.

David Sutton pursed his lips and walked over to the owner’s corpse. Suddenly, he stepped back and slashed at the body.

In a flash, the “corpse” suddenly rolled over and sprang up from the pool of blood.

A cold gleam shot out, stabbing straight at David Sutton.

David Sutton dodged sideways, and with a swift motion, slashed his saber hard onto the owner’s shoulder.

The blade sank into the owner’s body, a cloud-like gleam flashing along its length. The owner let out a shrill, inhuman scream—more like the wailing of ghosts than a person. Immediately after, the owner’s body collapsed to the ground, deflating like a punctured ball, and in the blink of an eye, only a shriveled skin remained.

A wisp of black energy flew out from the owner’s body.

“Damn constable, how dare you ruin my plans.”

A hoarse voice came from the black energy. In an instant, the black energy swelled, turning into a rolling mass of black smoke.

A strange smile appeared on David Sutton’s face.

“I knew it was you fiends causing trouble.”

He sneered, “Mr. Lewis’s Yong’an Chun has always been known for its mellow taste, but a month ago, it suddenly changed—spicy and slightly bitter, no different from cheap liquor. From then on, I suspected something had happened to Mr. Lewis. But I am curious—how did you figure out that Thomas Lewis was suspicious?”

“That fool is usually lazy as can be, but today he was unusually diligent, even volunteering to hang lanterns.”

The hoarse voice replied, “So I knew something was off about him.”

“Well, what a pity!”

David Sutton showed a look of regret and said, “Tell me, what’s your purpose in acquiring those items smuggled out of the palace?”

“You can ask the King of Hell yourself when you get to his hall.”

The black smoke let out a roar and instantly transformed into a black wolf, pouncing at David Sutton.

David Sutton’s smile vanished. He swung his saber fiercely at the black wolf.

The blade struck the black wolf, but it felt as if he were cutting into a cloud of cotton. The black wolf turned into a mass of black smoke, which quickly spread along David Sutton’s arm, enveloping his body in the blink of an eye.

“Since you destroyed my body, I’ll take yours instead.”

David Sutton’s body instantly stiffened.

He tried to shake off the black smoke, but his body wouldn’t move.

The black smoke seeped into his body through his pores. Suddenly, the hoarse voice let out a piercing scream.

“Tenggen Eyes? You’re just a mortal—how could you have Tenggen Eyes?”

As the scream rang out, a red line suddenly appeared between David Sutton’s eyes.