Unbeknownst to Jared, Winged Tiger City was now secretly under the control of Braxton. Likewise, Braxton had no idea that Jared was among those negotiating with them. He never would have imagined that Jared could have climbed the Celestial Stairway and reached the celestial realm so soon.
***
That night, inside the city lord mansion, Jared, Eason, and Madman didn’t rest. Instead, they quietly slipped out of their rooms under the cover of darkness.
“This mansion‘s enormous. Where do we even start looking for Bastian?” Eason muttered, his brow furrowed.
“I already marked Bastian with a trace of my aura. All we need to do now is track it,” Jared explained.
He slowly expanded his spiritual sense, searching for the aura had left inside Bastian’s body. It didn’t take long before picked up the signal. Following the subtle trail, led the group toward the mansion’s backyard.
Though guards patrolled the area, Jared and the others managed to avoid them. The city lord mansion was in a region surrounded by dozens of cities, so the guards didn’t expect any infiltration. Their complacency made it easier for Jared’s team to move unnoticed.
Near one room in the rear courtyard, Jared stopped.
“Bastian’s right here,” said, pointing at the door.
Apparently, Bastian hadn’t been abused or thrown into a cell. Instead, was confined to a room, decent treatment under the circumstances.
“I’ll go get him,” Madman said, rushing forward, but Jared held back.
“Wait… Let me check for any arcane arrays first,” Jared said, crouching low.
With his finger, drew an unusual rune on the ground and channeled the Power of Immortals into it.
A low hum followed, and the runes lit up. The room itself began to glow faintly. Clearly, it was protected by an arcane array. Charging recklessly would’ve triggered it, and escaping would have been impossible.
“D*mn, they’re really cautious,” Madman grumbled. “Even in a place this secure, they still lay arcane arrays!”
Jared said nothing, his eyes locked on the shimmering runes. He pressed his palm against it, determined to break it head-on. They didn’t have time to search for the core.
Golden light burst from his palm, and the glow of the arcane array slowly faded away until it disappeared entirely.
“Done,” Jared said.
Without waiting, Madman rushed into the room and came back moments later, dragging Bastian out.
Bastian looked stunned, about to cry out, but the moment saw Jared, shut his mouth tightly.
“Don’t talk. Follow us. I’ll get you out of here,” Jared whispered.
Bastian’s eyes widened, but nodded quickly. With that, Jared’s team began their escape from the mansion, Bastian now with them.
But as they left the backyard, they unexpectedly ran straight into Troah.
Troah had come to deliver supplies to Bastian, not wanting to suffer. Having lived for years in Rhino City and been well treated by its people, Troah had even become the owner of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. Still, as a Winged Tiger City native, had responsibilities couldn’t ignore.
When Troah and Jared locked eyes, both sides were stunned.
Jared moved in a flash, striking with his palm. He had to knock Troah out before could raise the alarm. If word got out, their odds of escaping with Bastian would plummet.
Troah started to raise his hand to defend himself, but then, strangely, dropped it.
Jared’s palm landed hard on Troah’s chest, flinging backward. His head lolled to the side as lost consciousness.
