CHAPTER 902: CHAPTER 458_2

The Chen Family Manor was vast, with the backyard connected to a private garden.

Pavilions, towers, rockeries, and flowing water were all that remained in the dark, like a traditional ink wash landscape painting.

The surroundings were so quiet that the gentle rustle of leaves stirred by the wind could be heard, and even the sound of insects was absent.

Only the moonlight wrapped in mist made the surroundings even more eerie and terrifying.

In the darkness, a fireball floated in the air like a will-o’-the-wisp, racing along the ground.

It skirted around a rockery and darted into a bamboo grove, its speed astonishing, desperately fleeing deeper into the manor.

It was as if some monstrous beast, which fed on specters, was chasing it with bared fangs.

And several dozen meters behind it, a figure followed unhurriedly.

The steps seemed leisurely but concealed immense explosive power. With each stride, the figure moved forward ghostlike by dozens of meters instantly.

Always maintaining a not-too-far, not-too-close distance from that fireball.

Fang Cheng looked up and watched the fireball scrambling away dozens of meters ahead.

The golden flame clung to the shadow like a maggot clinging to a bone, impossible to extinguish.

In the pitch-black night, it was like a prominent marker.

He wasn’t in a hurry to kill this thing.

The opponent was obviously just a pawn being manipulated, a tool used for murder and mayhem.

Destroying it directly was pointless. Only by following the clue could he uncover the true face of the one behind the scenes.

Thus, the two shadows, one fleeing and the other chasing, wove through the garden.

The fireball collided with bamboo leaves that fell rustling, yet it dared not pause for an instant.

Fang Cheng followed closely in the moonlight, his footsteps light and composed, not even causing the hem of his garment to sway.

The shadow finally realized it could not escape its pursuer and suddenly halted in the air, its distorted form quivering violently.

It seemed to be receiving an invisible command from afar while struggling to resist.

Suddenly, it let out a sharper howl, abandoning its attempt to flee and turning to pounce ferociously at Fang Cheng.

Had it been driven to a desperate situation, intending to perish together with him?

Fang Cheng’s eyes turned cold, and he no longer held back.

He didn’t even dodge as the shadow was about to strike his face.

His right hand darted out like lightning, fingers splayed, precisely grasping the shadow that was like black smoke.

"Pop!"

A soft sound, as if popping a bubble.

The shadow formed of black smoke didn’t even have a chance to struggle before it was completely annihilated in Fang Cheng’s palm.

Then it dissipated into a few wisps of green smoke, carried away by the night wind.

The trail ended there.

Fang Cheng stood still, not showing a hint of frustration.

He slowly closed his eyes, concentrating on visualization.

In his inner world, the blazing Great Sun burst forth with boundless radiance.

Golden threads, invisible to the naked eye, stretched out from him in all directions, composed of pure spiritual power.

Like an immense invisible net, linking with believers and worshippers around the world.

At the same time, individuals with strong emotions directed at him, such as fear, hatred, and resentment, would also reveal their traces on this net.

Fang Cheng stood at the core of the entire spiritual network, focusing his consciousness, carefully sensing the vibrations transmitted along each thread.

In fact, since the shadow attack, he had secretly attached a faint strand of Sun True Intent to the spiritual energy controlling the shadow.

As that strand of True Intent retreated along with the spiritual power, it would inevitably return to its original source.

The opponent obviously wouldn’t expect him to have this trick in reserve.

Almost as soon as the "Sun Heart Net" unfurled, a faint but clear fluctuation was detected at the end of one of the golden threads.

From the fleeting images in the fluctuation, he could determine that it wasn’t far away, seemingly in the northwest corner of the manor.

Found it!

Fang Cheng’s eyes snapped open, his figure blurred, swiftly streaking toward that direction.

The night wind whistled by his ears, the grass beneath his feet retreating rapidly, and within a few breaths’ time, he crossed the manor’s interior and approached the edge of the northwest corner.

Ahead was a meticulously maintained flowerbed and a dense cypress forest obscuring the view.

This was the manor’s border area, where the trees stood tall and lush.

The pervasive mist seemed to grow denser, and the moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, appearing especially mysterious.

Just a few steps into the forest, a fetid wind suddenly assaulted him.

In the darkness, several shadows flitted out from the thickets on both sides, heading straight for his face.

Fang Cheng’s reaction was lightning fast.

While rushing forward, his body twisted sharply, his waist and abdomen exerting force, spinning like a top midway.

Without even looking, his left hand reached back and accurately caught one of the attacking shadows.

Under his grip was a cold, slippery body—a jet-black venomous snake!

The snakehead writhed violently, trying to bite his wrist with its fangs.

Fang Cheng’s fingers suddenly exerted force.

"Crack!"

Amidst the crisp sound of bone cracking, the snake’s head was crushed by him, splattering foul-smelling blood everywhere.

However, this was only the beginning.

"Hiss—hiss—"

A dense hissing sound erupted from all directions, as if the entire forest had come alive.

Hundreds of colorful poisonous snakes, like arrows leaving the string, shot out from the branches, bushes, and muddy ground, sealing off all his escape routes.

Evidently, the opponent had set an ambush here long ago with extremely sinister and vicious methods.

Fang Cheng’s eyes turned cold, and instead of retreating, he advanced.

He took a deep breath, and the True Qi within his Dantian surged instantly to his ten fingers.

A thin, cicada-wing-like azure glow lit up along the edge of his palms, turning his hands into two indestructible blades.

In the next moment, he moved, boldly charging into the swarm of snakes.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The palm blades swung, creating a fierce whooshing sound in the air.

The azure blade light sliced through like lightning, blossoming deadly arcs in the dark forest.

The incoming poisonous snakes, whether with hard skulls or flexible bodies, were like paper under the sharp palm blades.

All were cleaved in two without the slightest pause!

Fang Cheng maneuvered through the swarm of snakes, and with each strike, brought about a storm of blood and rain.

The bisected snake corpses fell like raindrops, and the intense smell of blood instantly permeated the entire forest.

In just a few seconds, the hundreds of poisonous snakes were slaughtered by him.

However, just as Fang Cheng finished dealing with all the snakes and was preparing to pursue again, his heart sank.

The golden thread connecting him to the mastermind was quietly severed during the snake swarm’s attack.

It seemed it was forcibly cut by stronger spiritual power from the other side.

Fang Cheng’s eyes were keen, swiftly scanning the surrounding silent night, his mind clear.

The opponent was likely hiding nearby.

This snake formation was not meant to kill him.

Instead, it was to buy time for that person, to block his senses, and erase their own trace.

"Such a decisive character..."

Fang Cheng silently sighed, then quickly made up his mind.

Since the person is nearby, where else could they hide?

Continuing to search, he would definitely find some clues.

Just as he took a step, preparing to head to a small building behind the forest.

Suddenly, a few faint exclamations came from the direction of the mansion. Immediately, a few windows lit up, particularly conspicuous in the pitch-black night.

Fang Cheng followed the sound, his eyes slightly stunned.

Then, his heart suddenly skipped.

No good!

Could it be a diversion tactic?

The true targets were Lin Chuqiao and Bai Ling in the mansion?

At this thought, Fang Cheng no longer hesitated, forcefully stepping forward.

"Boom!"

With a muffled sound, the ground was stamped into a shallow pit.

He dashed back along the original path like a cannonball.

The previously quiet Chen Family Mansion was now brightly lit.

The panicked calls of the servants added a sense of unusual disturbance here.

Fang Cheng flipped through a window into a room, quickly scanning the empty bed, and then briskly stepped outside.

He followed the direction where the sounds were concentrated and quickly headed upstairs.

Upon reaching the third floor, he saw more than a dozen people gathered outside the master room.

Those well-trained servants from the day were now pale, whispering to each other.

In the panic, painful moans were coming from inside the room.

Through the gaps in the crowd, Fang Cheng quickly locked onto two figures.

Lin Chuqiao stood there, her expression calm, but her tightly clenched hands betrayed a hint of tension.

Bai Ling hid behind her, her face pale, occasionally peeking out, anxiously looking toward the door.

Seeing the two safe and sound, Fang Cheng’s tense nerves slightly relaxed.

He then quickly walked to their side, lowering his voice to ask:

"What happened?"

Upon seeing Fang Cheng appear, Lin Chuqiao’s eyes first flashed with a hint of surprise, quickly replaced by urgency.

She didn’t have time to ask where Fang Cheng had been and immediately explained:

"The old lady of the Chen family seems to have been cursed with black magic, and... it’s a very sinister Needle Curse!"