Chapter 881: Target Holy City

Zhou Huai looked at the woman before him, who shared a seven or eight-part resemblance to his mother, as clues rapidly connected in his mind.

He had always believed that his mother was the true body of the origin sacred tree.

After all, in order to take his mother away, Mr. Duan had gone so far as to mobilize the power of the Dawnbreaker Guild, crossing half the globe to come to Daxia.

But thinking about it now, there were far too many suspicious points that could not be explained.

If his mother truly was the true body, how could she have suddenly appeared in Donghai City of Daxia twenty years ago?

Mr. Duan desired the origin sacred tree in order to complete his flawed higher-dimensional divine persona; this was the core of his god-creation plan.

If his mother was the true body, it was impossible for Mr. Duan to have waited over a dozen years before coming to look for her.

With Mr. Duan's methods, he probably would have descended upon Donghai City to devour her on the very first day she appeared.

There was only one reason.

His mother was just like the woman before him who had broken free from the map of sacred traces.

They were both a tree branch actively split off by the true body in order to escape Mr. Duan's control.

Precisely because it was only a tree branch, containing minimal Origin power, Mr. Duan hadn't paid it any mind at first, nor had he even sensed her existence.

But why did he go to such great lengths to take his mother away later on?

Had Mr. Duan's plan changed, or had an unexpected mutation occurred on his mother's branch—one that even Mr. Duan couldn't have anticipated?

Matters were far more complex than imagined.

But regardless of whether his mother was the true body, she had to be found first.

This was the key to breaking the deadlock.

Zhou Huai took a deep breath, suppressed his thoughts, and stared at the woman before him.

"Can you take me to find her?"

Being of the same tree branches, there must be an Origin resonance between them.

As long as she was willing to lead the way, they could go straight to her.

Facing Zhou Huai's request, the woman shook her head.

Her eyes revealed a sense of helplessness.

"To be frank, from the very moment I broke free from the Seal of that painting…"

The woman's voice was low as she raised her head to glance at the shielded, fake clear sky above the manor.

"I was already exposed to Duan's perception."

"He masters the Law of Transcendence, and the underlying logic of the entire Free Federation is under his surveillance. Da Vinci's paintings were once my only sanctuary."

The woman turned to look at Zhou Huai: "If you stay with me at this time, it will only expose you as well."

"Although you are very strong and have even touched the Realm of half-step transcendence, your chances of winning right now against Duan at his peak are far too slim."

"Therefore, I cannot leave with you."

Zhou Huai's heart sank.

He had indeed been somewhat hasty just now.

Regarding his mother, he had actually forgotten that the entire Free Federation was Mr. Duan's base camp, and everything here was within Mr. Duan's perceptual range.

He had barely managed to hide his whereabouts by relying on the shielding Law of the Word of Law.

If he brought along this already-exposed target, it would indeed instantly expose himself.

But…

If he didn't bring her along, how else could he find his mother's exact location?

Just as Zhou Huai was troubled.

The woman raised her hand and reached into her light green long dress.

From a place close to her body, she fished out an emerald-green leaf.

As soon as the leaf appeared, the surrounding air rippled with green waves, emitting the aura of the pure Law of Life.

"This is a leaf of the sacred tree."

The woman handed the leaf to Zhou Huai. "It condenses a trace of my Origin will. As long as you carry it, it can lead you to find the location of the other tree branch."

Zhou Huai reached out and took it.

Starting in his hand, the leaf felt warm and smooth, still retaining a trace of lingering warmth.

A pure aura of life surged in through his palm, causing a vague directional guide to appear in his mind.

"Many thanks."

Zhou Huai put the leaf away properly and looked at the woman before him.

"Where do you plan to go next?"

Since she was already exposed, her current situation was extremely dangerous.

Hearing this, the woman merely smiled.

There was no fear in her smile, only a sense of composure.

"I am not going anywhere."

She straightened the hem of her dress and said in a calm tone: "Anyway, I can't escape no matter where I go. No matter how far I run, I'm just spinning around in the palm of his hand."

"Instead of running away like a stray dog, it's better to wait for him right here."

Zhou Huai glanced at her.

He did not try to persuade her, nor did he offer to protect her.

In this level of game, everyone had their own choices.

Zhou Huai nodded and said no more.

Just at this moment, Eliza, who had been kneeling to the side all along, cautiously moved in front of Zhou Huai.

This survivor of the Yalige Family was filled with the utmost awe toward Zhou Huai at this moment.

She pressed both hands to the ground, her forehead against the blood-stained lawn, and thanked him once more.

"The Yalige Family will never forget your grace in saving my life…"

Eliza's voice trembled slightly, and the wings on her back fluttered lightly.

"That's enough."

Zhou Huai interrupted her.

Time was tight; he had no time to listen to this nonsense.

"Go, find me a map of the Free Federation. The more detailed, the better."

Eliza was stunned by Zhou Huai's indifferent tone, but immediately reacted: "Yes! Yes! I'll go right now!"

She stood up and rushed into the villa's lobby.

In less than a minute, Eliza ran back, holding a military map drawn on magical parchment in her hands.

Zhou Huai took the map and unfolded it on the lawn.

The map was densely marked with cities, mountain ranges, and faction distributions.

Zhou Huai swept his gaze across it, quickly confirming their current location in Gotham City.

Afterward, he closed his eyes, and the Void Realm Law within his body trembled slightly.

He began to sense the location of the Parasite he had previously planted inside the Ancient Remnant Clan.

At the same time, he gripped the sacred tree leaf in his hand.

Two faint yet clear senses converged in his mind, pointing to the exact same coordinates.

Zhou Huai opened his eyes, pointed his finger at the location of Gotham City, and slid it across the map following the direction of the senses.

Eliza stood to the side.

She looked at the young man before her. When his fingers slid across the map, silver Law of Space flowed at his fingertips, causing even the parchment to slightly distort under this power.

Eliza did not know what this powerhouse was looking for, but the oppressive feeling he emitted made even a high-tier Professional like her tremble.

One hundred kilometers… five hundred kilometers… one thousand kilometers…

Zhou Huai's finger traced a straight trajectory across the parchment, moving forward by several thousand kilometers.

Finally, his fingertip stopped at a city icon more than two thousand kilometers away from here.

Zhou Huai looked down.

On the map, the name of this city was very brief.

There were only two words.

Holy City.

The core power hub of the Free Federation, and also the base camp of the Holy Knights Order and the Holy See.

It was said that place was shrouded in the glory of the old Holy Lord year-round, making it a place of pilgrimage in the hearts of Professionals.

Found.

If his guess was correct.

His mother and the base of the Dawnbreaker Guild were right in the Holy City.