A huge black serpent, with small arms and legs like an eastern dragon, let out a long breath. Blood dripped from dozens of small cuts and one large gash that had nearly split it in half. It was laying on a large web, the threads created from his own spider silk, one that was a mutated version of the ones created by the Steel Silk Webspinners. The spinnerets were just beneath his tongue, using Divine Breath to spit them out at high speed like bullets. He’d attached the threads to the walls and wrapped them around different support points using a technique called Spirit Strings. He’d found it in the library from the Timeless Master. Combined with silk threads stronger than steel it made for an effective weapon. He’d been using the full force of his huge body to pull on the ends of the wires and have them snap across the room like deadly blades.

Sage had used the Timeless Eyes to know how the old man would probably dodge and where he would land when he was done dodging. After getting as distracted and off balance as he could, that’s when the Twin Soul was waiting where he landed and finished the job.

The blade like spines on the ridge of Sage’s serpentine back were mostly gone, blood dripping from where they used to be. Each spine was the size of a large dagger and carried his venom, the one from the Twin Ringed Soul Serpent. He got the ability to launch spines from the Thorn Cloud Hornet, but it was a very last ditch type of weapon. The spines would take a few months to grow back and firing them off felt like ripping out fingernails. It was too bad that the Subduing Spores were dealt with so easily by that old man, even if Sage was a rank lower they would have at least made him relax slightly.

Probably should have led with them instead of trying to finish. They work much better when they’re caught unaware, I did pretend to use poison a few times so he was on guard against it.

With Grey Beard dead now, it was far easier to finish off the rest of the Violent Fist Sect outside. Most of the larger insects were in the workshop fighting Grey Beard so when they moved outside and the Twin Soul joined them, it took only a few minutes to finish them all off. Only a few of them were over level 40 and needed the Twin Soul to finish them, the rest were swarmed by the insects. Sage quickly collected all of the bodies into the Universe Ring, corpses, weapons, clothing, equipment, all of it went inside. Then he released a few pheromones and the remaining Centipedes tore the building apart. They smashed it to bits, using their acid to break through the stubborn arrays on the walls, floor, and ceiling. Then they started on the ground and Sage had the Warp Worms join in.

In just a few more minutes all that was left of the once glorious workshop was an empty lot. Sage collected all of the tools, workbenches, and forges that he could intact. The rest was smashed to bits and scooped up as well. As they worked he took some healing pills and rebuilt his human seal. Changing his clothes to look like a beggar he collected the Formation Machine and hobbled away. While he wanted to immediately go into hiding, there was still something he needed to know.

Changing into common clothing, he walked up to the tavern, one which was now a giant tree. The streets around it were flooded with small trees. Many people were gawking at this strange sight and gossiping about what had happened. The Tang Clan members who had been trapped had already left and spread out around town. Sage had quickly escaped from where the workshop was, there was already a perimeter set up by the Tang Clan. He waited down the street from the tavern till he saw some important people arrive and then leave again. He’d been counting the number of them that entered and left, using the badges on their chests to identify them.

The number of Tang Clan still inside was quite small and the important looking ones gone so he walked inside. Looking around, he saw the place had been cleaned up quickly. The owners of the Tavern were capitalizing on this sudden fame and using the tree as new marketing. They were cutting windows and using the cut offs to build new furniture. Workers were everywhere, quickly remodeling even as people drank in other places. Sage headed up the stairs and found that the few Tang Clan members were only guarding the room where Tang Zhelan had died. After peeking in on the fourth floor, he hurried back down to the third floor. He passed over a few spirit stones, renting a room and ordering some expensive drinks. He asked not to be disturbed for a while and then put his hand against the wall.

Since he was the one who created the tree he could still control it. He’d also chosen the room just below the one where Tang Zhelan died so all he had to do was open a hole in the ceiling. The Sacred Banyan had torn up the building earlier, spreading its roots through all the walls, floors and ceilings. Most of the original wooden planking had been snapped or tossed aside but many portions of the walls or floors were still there, just misplaced or shorn apart in places. He just had to find a part of the floor with a big enough gap and then form a tunnel.

Some roots formed a ladder for him and he climbed up. He ended up widening the outer wall of the room, creating a small gap for him to poke his head up into. All he needed was a peephole in the wall. After blinking his eyes, that pinhole into space appeared on his left pupil, his vision falling backwards through time. Hitting rewind at four times speed, it took quite some time for him to rewind through the whole night. Eventually, he found what he wanted.

Tang Zhelan was asleep. Grey Beard was sitting to the side, drinking at his own table while some of them were still playing with girls in their laps. Sage’s Twin Soul was there, slightly visible in a corner of the ceiling. He could only recognize that tiny strip of white since he had hidden it there. Just then, something flew out of a tiny hole in the wall. Grey Beard felt the danger and his hand flashed out to try and stop it. A wave of energy rippled through the air, but the small object passed through it and stuck into Tang Zhelan’s neck. Grey Beard immediately smashed up the wall where the dart came from and found it originated from a magic tool. It was like a tiny blow pipe that could be operated from a distance. The commotion that followed was pretty standard fare. Unfortunately, just at this point the Twin Soul moved and flew downwards. Grey Beard immediately broke into action and followed after it.

What horrible timing I had. He was killed and just a few minutes later I recalled my surveillance.

He already knew the story after that point, so instead he went back in time further. Rewinding what happened in the room, wanting to find the point where the tool was embedded in the wall. Unfortunately, he could only go back at four times speed. After being in the room for about two hours he only saw back about eight hours. Since he was still a wanted man, he couldn’t stay in there all night. The wall where the magic tool was hidden was still untouched so he had to give up.

Glad he’s dead, but why did I have to be unlucky enough to get implicated? No more heavy drinking.

Finished, Sage brought his head back down from the wall and put things back to how they were, removing the ladder from the wall and the hole from the ceiling. Then he took the wine bottle into his ring and left the restaurant. After moving a couple blocks away he walked into a small alleyway and used a knife to chip away at a brick. Then he shoved something into the tiny gap and suddenly disappeared.

Inside that gap in the bricks was a tiny glimmer of gold.