“Aaaaarrrggghhh!!!”
The Mountain Tortoise let out a fierce roar. Its cry shook the heavens and quaked the earth. Especially within its own body, the astonishing shockwaves reverberated back and forth, nearly causing heart-wrenching pain and making one’s vision blur with bright spots.
“Must be that Jiakong Ming set up some kind of trap, so that anyone who touched these bones would immediately alert the Mountain Tortoise!”
Wu Ming’s eyes flickered. After clashing with the black-clad figure, he immediately retreated.
“But I know this isn’t actually Jiakong Ming’s place of death, while others don’t. He’s trying to create a false trail, so he wouldn’t kill us—he wants to let us go, to spread the news…”
Certainly, all these arrangements were originally meant to deal with Jiakong Ming’s enemies.
Now, with the passage of time, any past grudges have long faded, rendering Jiakong Ming’s contingency plan useless, like a wasted move. Yet the general strategy probably remains unchanged.
Therefore, he quickly rushed to Hou Yong and grabbed him: “Time to go!”
“Drop the secret manuscript!”
Even with terrifying danger approaching and the chamber shaking as if heaven and earth were collapsing, the black-clad figure still relentlessly pursued, clearly determined to fight to the death, launching another three palm strikes. His joints cracked from shoulder to elbow, then from elbow to wrist, as if generating massive propulsion, accumulating wave after wave of force before unleashing it all at once: “Empty Palm Strike!”
Bang!
Invisible palm wind shot forward, leaving fine needle-like marks on the rock wall behind Wu Ming.
“This destructive power… is equivalent to an expert of the Great Zhou’s Outer Force, right? No! Perhaps even a peak-level expert might not be able to match it…”
Relying on the defense of his Phantom Spirit fur, Wu Ming kept retreating.
Boom!
At this moment, accompanied by a tremendous sound, a huge crack suddenly appeared on the ceiling of the chamber, while the ground shook violently below, whistling sounds echoing as countless rocks trembled and bounced.
“Bad! The lava lake is about to erupt!”
Xing Mou’s expression changed rapidly, no longer thinking of chasing enemies: “Quick, defend yourselves!”
“Sure enough… this is exactly what I thought…”
Feeling the tremendous impact accompanied by intense heat rising from below, Wu Ming’s face showed a trace of realization.
Jiakong Ming’s inheritance was originally located at the topmost layer of the Mountain Tortoise’s internal space. This chamber was even higher, almost at the summit of the tortoise shell mountain.
Now, facing the impact of the lava from below, it was naturally the first to be hit!
Gurgle! Gurgle!
Inside the tortoise, the original lava lake began to churn and roar, bubbling up violently. Suddenly, it surged forth, the dark red, scorching lava rushing into the caves, rushing along countless vein-like channels.
Massive amounts of magma continuously rose, spreading layer by layer, accumulating tremendous kinetic energy, finally reaching beneath the chamber.
Boom!!!
…
Outside.
The Mountain Tortoise raised its head and roared to the sky. The top of the mountain on its back suddenly exploded, spewing forth scorching flames and magma!
Countless rocks flew in all directions, and dense volcanic ash formed a pillar reaching the heavens, almost blotting out the sun and sky.
Dark red magma spread like blood vessels, pulsing with terrifying temperatures, instantly spreading from the mountaintop, converging like rivers flowing into a sea.
In an instant, the living beings that originally inhabited the great mountain suffered a devastating disaster!
The green hills were instantly transformed into a dark red sea of fire, with wild Phantom Spirits fleeing in terror, though few managed to escape.
“Roar! Roar!”
The Mountain Tortoise bellowed, its backside erupting like a volcano, thick smoke and volcanic ash blotting out the sky.
This scene, like divine punishment from heaven, would surely become an eternal nightmare for the ordinary residents of Feipu City.
Bang!
Plop! Plop!
At the very moment the volcano erupted, the chamber where Wu Ming was located was the first to be hit by the tremendous impact, shooting up into the air, flipping over several times before disintegrating, throwing everyone out.
“Iron-winged Golden Eagle!”
His eyes flickered, the golden wings on his back instantly expanding several times in size, fanning up a fierce wind. He quickly grabbed Hou Yong beside him, gliding through the air, finally having a moment to check on the others.
At the very moment he acted, Ali also shouted, transforming into a ball of flame with a steel ball at its center, firmly protecting Xing Qing inside, streaking through the sky like a meteor.
As for the black-clad figure, things were a bit worse. Seemingly lacking any specific flying ability, he could only rely on his nimbleness to bounce off midair forces. Soon, he was struck by a piece of lava and fell like a broken kite into the nearby jungle.
Although chasing Xing Qing might bring greater benefit, Wu Ming’s eyes flickered, and he still flew toward where the black-clad figure had fallen.
“Aaaaarrrggghhh!!!”
Behind him, the Mountain Tortoise’s roar continued.
“We can’t stay here—we must leave immediately!”
Landing quickly, Wu Ming immediately spotted the black-clad figure amidst the jungle’s wreckage: “Got to take this one too!”
Truthfully, he was indeed quite interested in this person.
After all, this individual hadn’t used the power of any Phantom Spirit, yet his strength surpassed that of an average Soldier-class Spirit Tamer, immediately catching Wu Ming’s attention.
However, when he approached, completely immobilizing the figure and searching him, he was slightly startled: “Hmm? A woman?”
…
Zuo Linlin slightly opened her eyes a crack.
Pain!
Unimaginable pain immediately surged through her, causing her delicate brows to furrow, though she didn’t utter a sound. She had endured far too much pain in her life.
The last moment in her memory was the struggle for Jiakong Ming’s secret manuscript and the instant the volcano erupted, the feeling of a massive stone hitting her chest, still fresh in her mind.
“The mission has failed…”
Compared to that, what startled her even more was the bindings on her body.
Several thick ropes bound her tightly. Clearly, her captor had no thought of being gentle, the coarse ropes digging straight into her flesh, even drawing blood.
Normally, such bindings would be nothing for her to break with just a thought, but now, her spiritual sea and origin seemed to have turned into lifeless objects, completely severed from her connection.
“Could it be that I’ve encountered another ancient martial artist?!”
Zuo Linlin thought with some alarm.
Sometimes, the one who truly understands you is often your own kind!
“If you’re awake, stop pretending to sleep!”
A young voice came from the side. Resignedly, Zuo Linlin opened her eyes wide, only to see a cave.
It was pitch black all around, illuminated only by a campfire, above which roasted a fat, dripping wild boar’s foreleg.
Sitting beside the fire were none other than the two people she had seen in the chamber!
“Ha ha… good job, little monkey!”
Wu Ming ignored her, directly cutting off a piece of wild pork, tasting it, then praising loudly.
Don’t underestimate Hou Yong’s clumsy appearance—he was truly a master of roasting and cooking. The roasted pork was crispy on the outside and tender inside, fragrant without being greasy, the fat not overly oily. Upon entering the mouth, the amazing juice burst forth, stimulating the taste buds, an ultimate delight.
“Excellent! Truly excellent!”
He devoured the pork in three bites, then tossed out a Phantom Spirit egg: “You’ve been through life and death with me this time. Even if not for merit, at least for effort. This is for you!”
Truthfully, he didn’t really have much interest in the Stone Ape, and the resources required for its racial evolution were too much.
He already had a Demon Wolf, and he didn’t want to take on another burden.
“For me… this is an ancient Phantom Spirit left behind by Master Jiakong Ming…”
Hou Yong was instantly stunned.
“That’s right… it’s for you!”
Wu Ming naturally knew of Hou Yong’s talent in controlling ape-type Phantom Spirits. In the future, the “Monkey King of Chaos” wouldn’t be a title earned in vain, and he would be a person favored by fate in times of great turmoil!
Since he was such a talent, Wu Ming didn’t mind bringing him under his wing.
“But… but…”
Although merely an elite Phantom Spirit, for Hou Yong, still an apprentice Spirit Tamer, it was an incredible temptation. He hesitated immediately: “What’s the catch?”
“Very simple: come work for me in the future!”
Wu Ming smiled faintly, then waved the manuscript in his hand: “This Stone Ape was specially chosen by Jiakong Ming as a Phantom Spirit in ancient times. Its potential for racial evolution is no less than that of a Hell Hound. I can now give you the method to evolve it into a Mighty金刚Ape. In the future, even the Earth-Crushing Ape or the Heaven-Defying Monkey King… is not beyond reach!”
“What? The Stone Ape can actually evolve to a higher race again?”
Hou Yong’s breathing immediately quickened.
If an elite Phantom Spirit merely made him envious, then an outstanding one was something he could only look up to.
As for even higher-level superior races? Probably only in his dreams would he dare to imagine such a thing.
Now, his eyes turned red.
Especially when he touched the Phantom Spirit egg, it gave him a feeling of a direct connection to his heart, as if it were a part of himself. This strange phenomenon further convinced him that this Stone Ape must be extremely compatible with him.
“Alright! I agree!”
An outstanding Phantom Spirit was already enough to make an apprentice Spirit Tamer pledge his life!
As for a higher-level superior race? Hou Yong knew he absolutely had no chance of refusing!
He knelt on one knee, performing the gesture of loyalty from the Yan Continent: “Master!”
“Haha… excellent!”
Wu Ming laughed heartily.
Others might see him as merely gaining a novice Spirit Tamer, a clear loss in investment. But he knew the truth.
To gain the future “Sky-Defying Monkey King” for such a small cost was an incredible bargain!
“Let me give you this Phantom Spirit egg first, along with the evolution path to become a Mighty金刚Ape… Once you reach the Soldier level, you can form a contract with it…”
Wu Ming smiled slightly: “And if you do well in the future, this Star Core Fruit might also be yours!”
Giving a little benefit, while leaving the paths to evolve into Earth-Crushing Ape and Sky-Defying Monkey King, naturally served as a form of control.
And offering the Star Core Fruit was like dangling a carrot before a donkey, enticing Hou Yong to serve him wholeheartedly without daring to rebel.
“Who exactly are you people? Why did you bring me here?”
Zuo Linlin glared for a long time before finally couldn’t help but shout out.
“You go feed her something…”
Wu Ming waved his hand indifferently, turning his attention to the firelight, carefully studying Jiakong Ming’s manuscript.
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