Ever since Wang Chen comprehended the realm of Unity of Heaven and Man, his perception had undergone a tremendous improvement, and he immediately sensed that someone was watching him.
Wang Chen's expression remained calm as thoughts flickered through his mind.
"Who's observing me? Which Rank 9 Soul Engineer could it be? I haven't had any conflict with one recently. Could it be… the Emperor? Possible, but unlikely. After all, the Emperor holds absolute power—he wouldn't need to use such underhanded, secretive schemes. Or perhaps…"
He kept walking as if nothing was wrong, but secretly used the unique perception ability of the Unity of Heaven and Man realm to probe the surrounding world.
Moments later, Wang Chen's expression grew solemn. Although he could sense someone spying on him, he still couldn't locate the watcher's exact position.
"What an extraordinary concealment ability," he thought. "Even using the unique perception of the Unity of Heaven and Man realm, I should be able to detect anyone below a Rank 9 Soul Engineer. Unless… unless it's something like the spatial soul tool used by Kong Deming in the original story."
"Other than that, Rank 9 Soul Engineers, though powerful, rely on straightforward mechanical power—their fluctuations would be detectable to me."
"But Kong Deming is the most powerful and highest-ranking individual in the entire Sun and Moon Empire. There's no way he'd bother to personally monitor me. So it can't be a Soul Engineer."
"This kind of concealment method… doesn't feel like the work of a Soul Engineer at all. It's more like the eerie soul skill of a Soul Master whose cultivation has reached Super Douluo level or higher."
By now, Wang Chen already had a general idea of who might be spying on him.
Within the Sun and Moon Empire, even the strongest Soul Engineers were only at Rank 94. There weren't any Super Douluo-level individuals at all.
And within the Empire's territory, there was only one force with that level of expert—the Holy Spirit Cult.
No other power had the foundation to send a Super Douluo to do surveillance work.
Thinking of the Holy Spirit Cult, Wang Chen immediately grew wary. He had killed a Titled Douluo–level Evil Soul Master from their ranks before; the animosity between him and the cult was obvious.
But he hadn't expected them to go this far—to actually dispatch a Super Douluo-level powerhouse to monitor him. Clearly, they were planning something malicious.
The reason they hadn't acted yet was probably because of the many powerful defenders in Mingdu—the city's defenses were far too tight.
However, once he left Mingdu, this observer would definitely make a move. Even if not directly, they would report his position to the Holy Spirit Cult, and then the cult could send multiple Titled Douluo or even Super Douluo–level Evil Soul Masters to attack him. There would be no escape then.
At that thought, a warning bell rang in Wang Chen's heart—and a deep killing intent surged within him.
"So, the Holy Spirit Cult wants to deal with me, huh? You're going to such great lengths…"
His first thought was to use his Spirit Domain. If he activated it, its immense power would allow him to locate whoever was monitoring him.
He could even make use of Mingdu's defense forces to eliminate the spy entirely.
But after some thought, he dismissed the idea. If he exposed the watcher now, the Holy Spirit Cult would just send an even stronger expert next time—and that would be far more dangerous.
Better to play along and use this to his advantage. A discovered spy was no longer a true threat.
This observer probably didn't realize he had already been detected. In that case, the roles of hunter and prey had reversed.
If Wang Chen wished, this spy was like a fat piece of meat at his lips—he could devour him at any time with the help of Mingdu's defense network.
"The Holy Spirit Cult sent someone to monitor me, planning to wait until I leave Mingdu to strike?" he thought. "Too bad for them—I've already noticed. When my strength and influence are sufficient, I'll use this spy to set up a trap and turn the tables."
Having formed his plan, Wang Chen pretended as if nothing had happened and continued walking home as usual.
A short while later, he arrived at the Top Nobility District.
The new Wang Family estate was located there. This district was second only to the imperial palace itself in terms of defensive power.
The perimeter of the Nobility District was lined with every kind of detection soul tool imaginable, leaving no blind spots. Even an Ultimate Douluo couldn't infiltrate it unnoticed.
There were only two massive gates, each ten meters wide, that allowed entry and exit.
These weren't ordinary gates—they were gigantic detection devices capable of scanning the soul power of anyone entering.
If someone with soul power exceeding Rank 90 entered and was not identified as an ally of the Sun and Moon Empire, an immediate Level One alarm would sound.
Any confirmed intruder would face the wrath of all the powerhouses residing in the district.
After all, this area housed numerous members of the imperial family and several high-ranking Rank 9 Soul Engineers and their relatives.
Members of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion, composed entirely of royal bloodlines, also lived here.
The imperial palace itself was not far from this area, and the Nobility District served as its shield and outer line of defense.
Conversely, the palace could also dispatch reinforcements to support the district if needed.
If a truly powerful enemy attacked, within thirty seconds, both the Palace Worship Hall and the Royal Soul Engineer Legion stationed in the palace would arrive.
The defense was so airtight that unless the Empire itself fell—or unless the Holy Spirit Cult wanted full-scale war—they would never dare make a move here.
The Top Nobility District was divided into two sections: one for the royal family and one for the Empire's upper-level Rank 9 Soul Engineers. The two gates corresponded to these divisions.
Wang Chen stepped through the gate belonging to the sector managed by the high-ranking Soul Engineers.
The guards at the gate immediately saluted. "Duke."
Wang Chen nodded slightly and proceeded toward the Wang Family's compound.
As soon as he entered the Nobility District, the sensation of being watched gradually disappeared.
"As expected," Wang Chen thought, "they don't dare follow me inside the Nobility District…"
Meanwhile, outside the district—in the shadows—Dark Spirit Douluo Shen Kang slowly withdrew his perception.
His body melded seamlessly into the darkness around him; even if someone stood directly before him, they would not perceive his presence.
Shen Kang sighed inwardly. "How dull. If this brat Wang Chen doesn't leave Mingdu for months, I'll have to waste months watching him. If he stays here for a year, I'll waste a whole year."
"Judging from his cultivation, he's still quite far from the Soul Sage level. It might take him one or two years to break through his bottleneck. How long am I supposed to keep this up?"
"It's such a shame—the central defenses of Mingdu are too terrifying. Otherwise, I'd just kill him directly and save myself all this time."
"Or maybe… I could slack off a little? That bitch Ye Xishui wouldn't know anyway."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are 30 early chapters available on Patreo
[email protected]/facficmax10