Inside the stone chamber, Wu Ming gazed thoughtfully at the three objects before him.
“The Phantom Egg, a feather from an ancient ferocious bird, and the Star Yuan Fruit…”
It must be said that all three items were extremely valuable. Although the Azure Stone Ape was of a lower race, it was an ancient species, and now there might be only one left in the entire Phantom World.
As for the feather of the ancient ferocious bird, it was even more self-evident. Any Spirit Master who possessed an avian-type Phantom could use it. Even if it couldn’t immediately elevate the race’s rank, it could still enhance the Phantom’s power.
And finally, the Star Yuan Fruit was the most precious of all the items! It was actually a rare treasure capable of strengthening the soul and aiding Spirit Masters in breaking through their limits!
Wu Ming had no doubt that if he revealed this item, it would immediately plunge the entire Waterfall City into chaos and bloodshed!
At that time, not only the Soldier and General-ranked Spirit Masters, but even the Marshals and Lords might fight over it fiercely, possibly even to the point of bloodshed!
“But… where is that ‘Phantom Compendium’?”
Wu Ming had no interest in the Star Yuan Fruit at all. With his Earth Immortal Yuan Spirit, he had no need for such things.
In fact, to have any significant effect on his current soul, a single Star Yuan Fruit was nothing more than a drop in the ocean. Even a hundred or a thousand of them would hardly help him advance further.
What Wu Ming valued most was the “Phantom Compendium” left behind by Jia Kongming, which recorded all the Phantom species in the Phantom World and included theories on racial evolution!
In his view, this was the most valuable treasure within the entire inheritance.
“It’s actually missing?”
The stone chamber was extremely simple, and one could see its entirety at a glance. Wu Ming, unwilling to give up, carefully checked the stone table, stone chair, and the stone bed again, shaking his head in frustration: “No hidden compartments. Strange… where exactly did Jia Kongming hide his final work?”
“Could it be… only by destroying the entire chamber can we find a clue?”
Another Spirit Master might have been satisfied with what was found, but Wu Ming, knowing the true value of the inheritance, was relentless in his search, which greatly surprised Hou Yong standing nearby.
“Evil Wolf!”
Just as Wu Ming was about to completely destroy the chamber, his eyes flickered, and he suddenly turned toward the entrance.
“This is the place!”
The trio from the Star Moon Empire, whom he had met briefly before, burst in. The young girl’s gaze immediately fell upon the Star Yuan Fruit in Wu Ming’s hand.
Her face flushed red, her breathing quickened as she quickly declared: “I am Xing Qing from the Star Moon Empire! Surrender the Star Yuan Fruit, and you will gain the friendship of the entire empire!”
“Friendship? Dream on! Do you really think I’ll hand over my spoils of war?”
Wu Ming laughed heartily as Evil Wolf suddenly lunged forward, its claws turning into shadows that scattered in all directions.
“Miss, watch out!”
A Li shouted loudly, his body instantly covered in cross-shaped armor that seemed like an impregnable wall, blocking Xing Qing’s path.
Puu!
A phantom wolf claw extended from the shadows, slashing across A Li’s arm and creating three brilliant sparks.
“Granny, watch out! His target is you!”
Xing Qing, who was well protected, suddenly cried out in alarm.
“Too late!”
Wu Ming sneered, his body surrounded by the shadow of a golden eagle.
“Kweee!”
With the mighty cry of the Iron-winged Golden Eagle, he activated his fusion ability, transforming into a bird-human hybrid. This time, his form had changed again—no wings on his back, but both hands were now golden claws.
“Claw Technique!”
“Gust Pierce!”
The silent casting and instant release of these techniques provided an overwhelming advantage in the initial attack.
Before the old woman could react, Wu Ming had already become a phantom, instantly rushing forward.
“Ahh… Wind element, defense!”
The old woman was also a Soldier-ranked Spirit Master. She shouted loudly as a layer of cyan wind-elemental defense suddenly appeared on her shoulders.
But Wu Ming’s expression remained cold as his claws directly tore through the defense, grabbing her body and pulling it violently.
Sliiiice!
Blood splattered, limbs flew.
“Ahh!”
Xing Qing screamed, and even the giant A Li’s eyes showed shock.
He could never have imagined that the opponent would dare to attack so brazenly! And his strength was so formidable! The old woman, skilled in detection and defense, had been torn apart in an instant without even lasting a single round!
“You… you actually killed her?”
Xing Qing’s face turned pale as she sternly said: “Do you realize how grave a mistake you’ve made?”
“Hehe… If I didn’t kill her, were you going to gang up on me next?”
Wu Ming’s eyes were sharp as hawks, a mocking smile on his lips: “From the moment you stepped in here, we were already enemies… Do you really think you’d be generous enough to let me walk away?”
Xing Qing fell silent.
If the opponent had not acted first, she would certainly have commanded an attack next.
With such a huge temptation at stake, what use were justice and morality?
“You’re absolutely right!”
Xing Qing fell silent for a moment, her expression hardening: “A Li, kill him!”
“At once!”
The giant man obeyed, his eyes suddenly bursting into flames!
Real flames! A crimson fire tinged with blue quickly spread across his entire body, even his armor glowing red-hot. A terrifying wave of heat rose, yet he seemed completely unaffected.
“A fire-elemental Phantom of the Soldier rank, and has undergone physical transformation!”
Watching the enemy who had transformed into a blazing iron-branded warrior, Wu Ming’s eyes shone with keen intensity.
Elemental Realm Phantoms generally surpassed those of the Living Realm in power and could even alter the Spirit Master’s body.
Just like Ali now, who had transformed his body into a fire-elemental form, becoming a blazing warrior. Merging with a steel spirit, he turned into a scorching iron warrior—utterly terrifying!
“It’s rare that you could endure the pain of physical transformation…”
Wu Ming murmured, then watched as the enemy raised a cross-shaped sword burning with crimson flames, swinging it fiercely toward him.
Sizzzz!
Flames flared, the void split open, filled with a strong smell of burning.
In an instant, the blazing cross-sword had already reached Wu Ming.
He tilted his head and dodged sideways, narrowly avoiding the blade, only to see the fire-faced man’s disdainful expression. His arm bent ninety degrees in the opposite direction, the flaming sword chasing him relentlessly, a thick wave of flames like a tide rushing toward him!
Now transformed into a fire-elemental body, he naturally had fewer human limitations.
“Mini Whirlwind!”
Wu Ming’s thought stirred, and instantly a ring of cool breeze surrounded him, allowing him to gracefully evade that dangerously close strike. His expression turned slightly solemn: “Looks like… I need to take this seriously now!”
“Him…?”
Xing Qing was also greatly surprised by this scene.
A Li was her most capable subordinate, having undergone fire-elemental transformation and steel-elemental enhancement, becoming a blazing iron brand warrior—nigh invulnerable among Soldier-ranked Spirit Masters! He once even intercepted an assassination attempt by a General-ranked Spirit Master on her behalf and emerged completely unscathed!
(Note: “烙铁” is literally translated as “branding iron,” but in this context, “iron brand warrior” better conveys the imagery of a searing, indomitable fighter. The phrase “nigh invulnerable” emphasizes near-invincibility while maintaining a heroic tone.)
An ordinary Soldier-ranked Spirit Master couldn’t even withstand a single strike from him!
But what was she witnessing now?
A mysterious Soldier-ranked Spirit Master was actually holding his own against A Li, even managing to summon Evil Wolf to attack her and distract her attention!
What incredible control and terrifying Spirit Master talent was this?
…
“No!”
“Why is there no inheritance record?”
At this moment, within the corridor, a black figure stealthily approached. Overcome with excitement, he could no longer remain calm and suddenly transformed into a black lightning bolt, rushing out fiercely.
“What?”
“There’s a third person as well!”
Both A Li and Xing Qing were shocked, but Wu Ming seemed to have anticipated this, calmly continuing his fight with A Li. Clad in steel-feathered defense, he moved swiftly, supported by instantly cast spells. Despite A Li’s ferocity, he could not subdue Wu Ming immediately.
Bang! Bang!
The shadowy figure’s target was clearly Jia Kongming’s chair and stone bed.
Under the black-clad man’s fists and palms, the originally sturdy stone instantly shattered into countless fragments, scattering like dust in the air.
“Ah?”
Wu Ming’s eyes suddenly lit up as he watched this unfold.
“Why isn’t it here? Why isn’t it here?”
The black-cloaked figure cried out, suddenly striking the stone bed with his palm: “Earth-Shattering Palm!”
“My god…”
Hou Yong let out a strange cry, covering his head as he fled in panic, watching the only stone bed in the room split into two, revealing gray-white stone texture.
Clearly, there was no hidden compartment inside the bed.
But just as the black-cloaked man was about to fall into despair, an unexpected event occurred!
Hou Yong, running blindly amid the chaos of battle, caused tremors in the surrounding stone walls, making dust fall. Not knowing what mechanism he had triggered, he screamed and suddenly fell into another passage.
“There’s another layer!”
Xing Qing, A Li, and the black-cloaked man were first startled, then overjoyed.
“Evil Wolf!”
Only Wu Ming had anticipated this and gave a sharp whistle.
“Awooooo!”
Evil Wolf howled, transforming into a streak of light and merging back into his body.
In an instant, Wu Ming’s form changed again. Fur grew on his body, transforming him into a werewolf, with a pair of golden wings sprouting from his back!
Dual Fusion Technique!
“Controlling two Soldier-ranked Phantoms at once!!”
A Li’s eyes nearly popped out of his head: “How powerful must his soul be?”
But they soon had no time to think about it, as Wu Ming suddenly pushed off with his right leg, his wings flapping, instantly doubling his speed. In a flash, he became a phantom and disappeared into the secret passage.
“Quick, chase him!”
Xing Qing and A Li exchanged glances, ignoring the black-cloaked man nearby, and quickly pursued into the secret passage.
The passage was short, and Wu Ming reached the end after just a few quick dashes.
At the bottom was a small hidden room. Inside sat a cross-legged skeleton holding a stone box, with a jade pendant hanging from its waist.
“Did Jia Kongming die here? No… This is just an ordinary inheritance; this person isn’t Jia Kongming!”
At first glance, Wu Ming had already reached a conclusion: “Setting up a false trail, trying to make everyone think you died here, huh?”
“Ah… Master!”
Ahead, Hou Yong had already taken the stone box and habitually opened it, revealing a thick stack of parchment-like documents.
“This is it!”
Wu Ming stepped forward, quickly putting the documents into his bag, then turned to face the pursuers.
“Drop the inheritance records!”
Unexpectedly, the first to arrive was the black-cloaked figure.
With a roar, the surrounding air trembled, pressing down with force that rivaled even a Phantom’s destructive power.
“Fine!”
Wu Ming laughed loudly, his wolf claw striking out.
Boom!
A burst of wind erupted, scattering the skeleton into pieces, shattering the jade pendant, which emitted a clear, resonant sound.
“Aoooo… Hoooo!”
This clear sound traveled far, as if releasing some kind of signal. The mountain tortoise roared, causing Wu Ming and the others to change expressions rapidly!
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