Eternal Thief

Both groups remain silent after coming out of the shadows. But the tension in the air reached its peak. Everyone wanted to capture the Sky Stealer, who was just standing a few inches away from the mysterious circle. 

However, each group will not just watch while the other group took away the thief, he was too valuable to give up upon. Besides, they still didn't know why Ace was just standing there and not escaping. 

After chasing him for so long, they knew this thief was very crafty, and he was always one step ahead of them. But now he was just standing right at the corner of a mysterious circle doing nothing but chatting with them, they would be idiots if they didn't find this suspicious. 

Lan and Alvin were most vigilant in both groups since they saw John's dreadful end. 

That's also when they first found Leap King surrounded by stone golems, they save him, so they could use him to test the waters. 

Before, they thought that the thief was plotting something by luring them deeper into the earthen mist forest, and they even guess that he wanted to lead them inside the mysterious circle to get rid of them. 

In the end, they decided, if they found the thief in the inner circle, they will use the Leap King to test his strength. But if that thief somehow entered the mysterious circle, they would give up this time because the mysterious circle wasn't a place where anyone could come out alive. 

However, to their surprise, when they were about to give up their martial sense pick up a strange Qi, they didn't know what it was, but they could tell it was from a human. 

When they pursued it, they abruptly spotted Ace, who was just standing inches away from the mysterious circle. Everyone became elated, and Leap King showed thick killing intent. 

Ridge and Damien King wanted to charge like Leap King to quickly capture Ace before he could enter the mysterious circle, but stopped by Alvin and Lan because they still didn't know the real power of that thief since they can't sense his cultivation. 

Although many skills can hide one's cultivation, if you're strong enough you can see through them with ease. But no matter how much they probed they can't sense Ace's cultivation, this gave them more reason to test him. 

Leap King happily volunteered, they all tell him to lure Ace away from that cloudy mist because when they were using their martial sense they felt a tingle of pain because of the mist behind Ace. 

They were afraid he might escape there if they startled him. But in the end, they fail miserably. The Leap King couldn't keep his emotions in check and charge into his death. Even though they didn't see Ace beheading the Leap King, they saw him entering the mysterious circle, which was equal to death. 

But they also manage to see Ace's move, even for a brief moment. They concluded he was only at the peak Qi river realm or an early Qi river core; he wasn't stronger than this.

Yet they were given another surprise when Ace called them out before they could make their move and this make them evaluate this thief more treacherous. One had to know they were using powerful treasures to conceal themselves, but this guy was still right through them. 

Even the nightmare ghosts weren't able to hide from him. They were also very causation and wanted to fish in trouble water, but now it seemed it was impossible. 

Ace looked at everyone with a faint smile on his calm face, this was naturally his doing. He wanted them to find him, and he used the heavenly sense to achieve this. 

He knew his heavenly sense was still weak at this moment because of his seal soul cultivation and Qi river core cultivators can easily sense it if he made it too oblivious, and he was right in the end. 

They only consider heavenly sense martial energy because they can't properly analyze it because of the emerald mist, or they would be shocked if they could sense this Qi was non-other the soul Qi! 

Ace just took the advantage of emerald mist to hide his heavenly sense nature and also stay extremely closed to escape if they didn't play by his rules and things go almost as he wanted. 

Well, excluding Leap King he was just an extra, who became his EXP in the end. 

Although everyone felt Ace's heavenly sense and come running here, they were also exposed to Ace, as the day. Hiding was impossible in Ace's heavenly sense presence if they didn't have Qi river soul-level concealment treasure! 

That's why he could easily counter Lan and Alvin's strategy and easily fish out the nightmare ghosts' group. 

He also sensed the same dreadful soul signature that make him change his plan of flame city that day. Surprisingly, it was with the nightmare ghost not with Alvin and Lan, this makes him more inquisitive. 

However, Ace didn't have time to mull over these little details. Since everyone was here now, he just had to give them some motivation to enter the mysterious circle. 

"So, gentlemen, what this little nobody can do for you?" Ace didn't show his motives right from the start. 

Everyone deeply looked at Ace. They wanted to see Ace's face, but it was shrouded in the darkness behind that long hood. Even with their excellent eyesight, they can make nothing out of it and their martial sense was deeply affected by that cloudy mist since Ace was too close to it. 

"A nobody?" Black Reaper's sneering voice rang at this moment, "You're quite something for a nobody, don't you think?" 

Ace knew this voice since he encountered Black Reaper in the Regal Kingdom. 

"I'm merely but a thief, who only know how to steal from people like your highnesses." Ace chuckles.

His eyes scan through the ten people's hands, and they weren't wearing any storage rings. 'Oh, they're quite afraid of me, well it's not like I can blame them.' He smiled bitterly. 

Everyone knows how good Ace was in stealing people's storage rings with no one knowing, the Institute test before was the actual proof. They didn't dare to wear storage rings while confronting him, or they might leave with an Owl tattoo. 

This was also a kind of silent acknowledgment of Ace's thieving skills and showed just how afraid they were of him. 

"Stop that bullshit humble act, surrender, and we won't kill you!" Alvin couldn't take it any more of this and threatened sternly. He was somewhat agitated since there were six Nightmare Ghosts, and they couldn't see through the three of them.

"Hehe, do those gentlemen agree with you?" Ace was sowing discord. 

"Like hell we are!" Black Reaper replied in a dominating tone, "You're coming with us, Nightmare Ghosts!" 

"Don't push your luck here, Black Reaper, we still have a score to settle!" Alvin said with killing intent. 

Black Reaper was astonished because last time he only intercepted Alvin for a while and didn't make things difficult for him. But now Alvin was showing killing intent, 'Did he offend just because of that minor incident?' 

But he wasn't someone who'll take threat sitting and also emit strong killing intent before retort, "You want to settle the score with me? With just you? Do you forget the last time you run away, tucking your tail between your legs?" 

Alvin was infuriated by Black Reaper's taunt, if it wasn't for Finn, he would never show weakness at that time. 

"There is not the time to fight right now." The old man in the Nightmare Ghosts group speaks at this moment, "How about this, we capture him first before deciding who'll take him away?

"That brat is very cunning, and he's just standing there like a spectator and watching monkey fight. As long as we start fighting he can easily escape and did you all want that?" 

"I agreed with Old Man Black." Lan also nodded, he also wanted to take Finn back, but it wasn't the time for it, yet. It also seemed he knew this Old man Black.

"Hahaha, old is wiser. It seemed there is some truth to it." Ace suddenly laughs, "Since you guys decided to capture me first, I'm afraid I can't let you do that." 

"Heh, it's either us or the mysterious circle, I don't think it's that hard of a choice, now, is it?" Old man Black sneered mockingly. 

He simply thought Ace didn't have the guts to enter the mysterious circle, or he won't be trying to sow discord and then find a chance to escape. 

In everyone's eyes, Ace was now a cornered rat. 

"Hah, don't give yourselves too much credit, I only waited for you guys here because I need your help," said Ace mysteriously. 

"And what makes you think we'll help the likes of you?" Ridge snorted. 

"You have a point, but what if…" Ace's voice was laced with temptation, "There was a Soul Inheritance inside the mysterious circle!"