Chapter 408: The Countdown to Flight

In a brief moment of silence, Yenir’s taut posture suddenly relaxed.

He had noticed it—and so had the Third-Stage cultivators nearby. In fact, they were now looking at them with puzzled expressions.

With Blood Nightingale’s current stance, anyone could easily spot something amiss if they simply lifted the tablecloth.

No, even a slight sideways glance would do.

Perhaps in a few seconds, even in the next breath, Yinglong—who was still chatting with others—would notice the abnormality beside him through the eyes of these Third-Stage cultivators.

Yenir himself was puzzled. Why hadn’t Yinglong reacted yet?

A peak Third-Stage cultivator, even if he couldn’t project his aura over the whole room, should at least maintain a keen awareness of his surroundings.

Logically, this peak Third-Stage should have instantly detected the irregularity and, in a fit of rage, fired a shot straight through his head…

Hmm, just a phantom.

But it didn’t matter anymore. He simply considered the plan a failure.

Maybe Yinglong was too engrossed in his conversation, or perhaps his opponent’s suspicions were so high that they were covertly scanning the room—mistakenly assuming that if someone was acting so recklessly with Blood Nightingale, it was a trap. Only after confirming there was no trap would they act.

Who cares?

The outcome was sealed; there was nothing left for him to be angry about.

Just as Blood Nightingale had suspected, Yinglong wasn’t furious about his personal safety being threatened; he was incensed about the cost of a failed plan.

Time was too precious—every plan was so tightly scheduled that any delay in his progress or any hindrance in his path to power would jeopardize the final outcome.

No materials meant no entry into the instance. That meant he’d never upgrade his Sword God System within the next six months. Without the Legendary Suit, his pace of advancement would slow. And if luck turned against him even more, he couldn’t even be sure he’d take down Lu Tianming within the agreed time.

It would trigger a chain reaction that would block all his subsequent plans. Every faction he had intimidated would swarm in, pestering him like a plague of cockroaches.

Much like the butterfly effect, aside from a slightly faster upgrade pace compared to his previous life, many things remained beyond his control.

The final outcome was clear.

Countless lives—millions, even tens of millions—would be lost in vain. His dream of saving a collapsing empire would end up saving nothing more than a floor tile.

And it was all because he hadn’t counted on Blood Nightingale playing by her own rules and publicly making Yinglong look foolish.

“Hmph… I’d rather end up choking on my own words,”

he sneered coldly.

Realizing that his time to flee had begun, Yenir decided not to overthink it any longer. He grabbed Blood Nightingale’s ankle firmly and looked at her with intent:

“Don’t worry. Once Yinglong acts, I’ll take off with him.”

“Even if I only get a leg bone out of it, I’ll craft it into a massive cleaver as a constant reminder.”

Blood Nightingale was taken aback. She hadn’t expected Yenir’s mood to shift so quickly; his words left her momentarily stunned.

What the hell?

Did she really hear that?!

She had been planning to stick around a little longer, but realizing that Yenir was serious, her expression immediately changed as she hurriedly resumed her original seat.

Her once radiant face turned as pale as snow.

Yet she could still feel Yenir’s iron grip on her ankle—as if in the next second, this bastard would slice her in half with one strike and take off with part of her.

“They won’t notice! Yinglong won’t notice!”

“I never planned on dying with you!!”

Gathering herself, Blood Nightingale quickly sent a message. Before she knew it, she couldn’t help but reveal what she truly thought.

For heaven’s sake, she merely wanted a small dose of revenge on Yenir and to observe whether this bastard would tremble before Yinglong! If she made any move, Yenir’s true intentions would be exposed, and there was no chance of ‘collaborating’ further. Otherwise, if things went south on Yenir’s end, death was inevitable for her.

Plotting against a peak Third-Stage cultivator required tremendous courage and resolve, and Yenir’s actions were disturbingly impressive—almost perverse in their audacity!

At that moment, she was convinced that even if Yinglong pointed a gun right at Yenir’s head, this madman would already be scheming about how to make his head explode and shower Yinglong with blood!

Hmm!?

Reading Blood Nightingale’s message, a strange glint flickered in Yenir’s eyes.

Indeed, Yinglong still hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary, and that was clearly odd.

“What do you mean?!

Did he not activate his perception? Or do you have a way to block it?!”

Instantly, Yenir’s eyes darted to the rising Yinglong, filled with incredulity.

After regaining his composure, he realized that the very Yinglong he had expected to spot a problem immediately now appeared completely oblivious, casually chatting over a table with a Third-Stage Advanced cultivator.

This wasn’t right.

Was Yinglong’s strength just a façade?

No, that was impossible!

Just moments ago, when he had observed him up close, Yinglong’s senses had been razor-sharp! Such reaction and sensitivity to unfamiliar gazes were something no Third-Stage cultivator could muster!

Suspecting that this might be a huge secret hidden within Yinglong, Yenir immediately looked toward Blood Nightingale.

Before he could speak, he felt Blood Nightingale’s ankle jolt in his grip. The calm, composed woman resumed her usual demeanor and sent a slightly annoyed message:

“Want to know? Beg me~”

“Hmph, you think I’m insane enough to die with you?”

“Don’t worry about anyone noticing us. Even if they do, no one would dare say anything, let alone act.”

“Don’t forget, you know full well that if Yinglong ever finds out what we’re up to, he’ll instantly explode in fury—and everyone else is even more terrified.”

“In their eyes, even if they suspect something, they wouldn’t dare confirm it! And what’s wrong if siblings are a bit closer? Who would dare lean over the table to check what’s happening underneath?”

Reading Blood Nightingale’s rapid-fire messages, Yenir froze momentarily.

That was it—he had completely overlooked that.

If Yinglong hadn’t noticed, nobody else would dare speak up. After all, Blood Nightingale’s actions were so covert that aside from Yinglong, who in this banquet would dare scan the room with their powers?

Even if someone saw something with the naked eye, how could they possibly spot an abnormality through a heavy tablecloth?

Even if they noticed Blood Nightingale’s overly familiar behavior, who would stoop to lean down under the table in public?

Sometimes it’s better to leave well enough alone. One misstep would not only offend Blood Nightingale but also wound Yinglong’s pride…

In the end, Blood Nightingale’s seemingly reckless antics were nothing more than a deep understanding of people—a game of testing the waters with fire…

Of course, all of this hinged on Yinglong being completely oblivious!

“Tell me!”

“This intelligence is too important for me. You know as well as I do that the more I know, the better I can control things. Once it all works out, I’ll give you everything you desire! I have the power to do so!”

Taking a deep breath, Yenir no longer cared if his words gave Blood Nightingale any clue. He was determined to secure the materials at all costs!

In fact!

If Yinglong really had some enormous flaw, he wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate him!

That would mean the biggest unstable factor in the far-border battle zone would be eradicated early on! Moreover, as a peak Third-Stage powerhouse of a Private Faction, his equipment and resources were exactly what Yenir needed!

Sensing Yenir’s ‘desire’, Blood Nightingale let out a light laugh, subtly regaining the upper hand without directly answering his question.

“Yinglong has gone up.”

Hmm?

Automatically, Yenir furrowed his brow as he realized that Yinglong seemed to be heading for his keynote speech, striding purposefully toward the central stage of the banquet.

“You…”

Before he could finish, Blood Nightingale, who had been clapping along with the crowd, suddenly turned her head and said softly with an uncommon seriousness:

“I want you.”

“Really.”