"Who are you?" The young man, having his demonic artifact snatched away by Zhou Hong, became furious and roared, questioning Zhou Hong.
Although Zhou Hong had taken his banner, he hadn't killed him. After all, robbing him was already unreasonable, and killing him would be even more so. Sudan Novel Network
"You impudent brat, not even paying respects to a senior and yet you dare to shout at me." Zhou Hong snorted softly.
"How dare you steal my demonic artifact! Return it to me at once."
"Slap!" Zhou Hong sent a palm strike through the air, sending the young man flying hundreds of meters.
"Let's go, find another place to rest." Zhou Hong ascended, not wanting to entangle with this young man further. He had originally planned to rest in this forest for the night.
"You can't escape! My father is the City Lord of Milan City. Do you think you can just get away after stealing my Cloud Swallowing Banner? I'm not afraid to tell you, that banner of mine is merely a sub-banner; the main banner is with my father. No matter where you flee, my father will be able to sense the sub-banner's location."
Zhou Hong, who had already flown into the sky, immediately stopped.
"Lang Qi Hua, what does this guy mean by main banner?"
"Oh, it means his father possesses an identical demonic artifact. What you just took from him is only the sub-banner."
"Identical?"
"Yes, some demonic artifacts are forged in pairs, a main and a sub, and the two have a connection."
"Heh heh, so that means the guy's father has an even more powerful one."
"Zhou Hong, you're not thinking of going after that one, are you? Didn't you hear him say he's the son of Milan City's City Lord? If he can be a City Lord, he must have strength. If I'm not mistaken, Milan City should be that city not far ahead."
Zhou Hong looked ahead and indeed saw a large city, not smaller than Wumeng City.
"Since we've bumped into it by such a coincidence, of course, I have to try."
"I think it's better not to stir up trouble. After all, you'll be a City Lord yourself in the future. If you meet him someday, it might be awkward."
"What's awkward about it? Can't two City Lords fight each other?"
"That's not what I mean. Anyway, since you're both City Lords, there's a high chance you'll meet in the future."
"Even if we meet, so what? Who's stronger or weaker is yet to be determined."
Zhou Hong decided to take his father's banner as well. However, this matter required planning, on how to "borrow" it.
Zhou Hong immediately descended to the ground and stood before the young man, coldly remarking, "Your father is the City Lord?"
"Hmph, scared, are you? Why aren't you returning my demonic artifact to me yet? And apologize, perhaps with ten tables of food and drink, I might let this go." The young man showed no fear. They were so close to Milan City that if he died, his father could arrive within moments. More accurately, as soon as he was in mortal danger, his father would sense it, which was why he was so confident in front of Zhou Hong.
"Your father can really sense the sub-banner's location?"
"Nonsense. The main and sub-banners are linked. No matter where you go, they can find you."
"Hmph, I don't believe such magical things." Zhou Hong deliberately scoffed, trying to elicit more information, as more information meant more advantage.
"Hahaha, you truly are like a frog in a well. If you don't believe me, then feel free to leave. Later, my father only needs to take out his main banner, plant it in the ground, and he can sense the sub-banner's location through the earth."
Zhou Hong's brow furrowed slightly and he said, "You mean, your father's main banner has to be planted in the ground?"
The young man looked at Zhou Hong inexplicably. Why was he asking about this detail so clearly? Did planting it in the ground make a difference compared to holding it or other methods?
"So what if it does? Why should I explain this clearly to you? Return the demonic artifact immediately."
"Heh heh, you wish." Zhou Hong seemed to have an idea and vanished instantly.
In the darkness, Lang Qi Hua asked curiously, "You asked him so many questions, did you find anything out?"
"Haha, I have an idea now. Just wait, let's find a secluded spot nearby to hide."
With that, Zhou Hong quickly found a hidden cave nearby.
Meanwhile, the young man immediately returned home and told his father about the incident.
As expected, his father was furious upon hearing this.
"Who is it, daring to steal my son's demonic artifact?"
"Father, they didn't look like they were from Milan City, perhaps from elsewhere."
"I don't care where they're from, I want their lives."
Saying that, the City Lord of Milan City took out his demonic artifact from his storage space – a much larger banner. The demonic energy emanating from this banner was even more turbulent, making one's eyes dizzy just to look at it.
However, what he didn't know was that beneath his feet, something like a tree root was slowly crawling underground, gradually moving towards the surface.
Zhou Hong, hidden in the shadows, smiled slightly. He had already sensed the location of Milan City's City Lord.
Just as Zhou Hong had predicted, the City Lord's main banner was a Rank Two demonic artifact, one level lower than Zhou Hong's Demon Subduing Pestle. If they were of the same rank, Zhou Hong wouldn't have had much confidence, and would have to give up. But at a lower rank, Zhou Hong was very confident of victory.
At this moment, Zhou Hong sensed that the main banner was being planted in the ground.
Zhou Hong's Demon Subduing Pestle transformed into thousands of root-like tendrils, winding towards the flagpole being planted in the ground. Zhou Hong only needed to grab the flagpole and pull swiftly to drag it away. Because the Demon Subduing Pestle was of higher rank, it could absorb it. However, the tendrils formed by the Demon Subduing Pestle couldn't move too quickly, or they would be discovered, and the plan would fail.
On the surface, the enraged City Lord didn't notice the anomaly underground at all. After all, the Demon Subduing Pestle had been refined with countless lives, so it could transform into anything and look identical to the real thing. Therefore, even if the City Lord sensed something unusual, he would only mistake it for real tree roots.
After planting the banner in the ground, the City Lord chanted incantations, seemingly performing a spell.
However, it wouldn't be instantaneous; it would take some time to sense the sub-banner's location.
But at this very moment, Zhou Hong's Demon Subduing Pestle had already entangled itself around the flagpole planted in the ground.
"Haha, success!" Zhou Hong smiled slightly. The feeling of stealing something from hundreds of kilometers away was truly exhilarating.