“Annoying ants!”
As soon as they exited the outer city, Wu Ming frowned and muttered discontentedly.
“Hmm? What did you say?”
Lin Xinlan instinctively stepped in front of Wu Ming, becoming alert. Although she knew very well that Wu Ming didn’t need her protection, if every matter required the lord himself to handle, what then was the purpose of having subordinates?
Whoosh! Whoosh!
A breeze blew past, and the surroundings fell silent.
This place had originally been desolate and vast. Even Lin Xinlan could detect no traces of anyone having passed through.
“Do you still want to pretend?” Wu Ming’s expression remained unchanged as he gazed toward an unremarkable earthen hill nearby. “Do you want me to drag you out?”
“Hehe, no wonder you’re the Immortal Exile; such skills… this young lady concedes defeat!”
Buzz! Buzz!
Above the hill, the air suddenly distorted, and mist appeared as though a curtain camouflaged to match the surroundings had been drawn back, revealing the scene behind it.
A monstrous phantom lay there, with a snake’s head, fish’s body, and six long legs. The previous mist had clearly been emitted by it. Now that it had revealed itself slightly, an aura of primordial wilderness instantly emerged.
A fierce beast— a fierce beast!
At just one glance, Lin Xinlan felt somewhat breathless. Such a ferocious beast would leave nothing alive in its wake, representing ominous signs, calamities, and even the peril of a nation’s downfall!
Fortunately, she had recently begun cultivating the Xuanming True Art, which awakened the bloodline of the ancient divine beast, the cold dragon. After her initial shock, she managed to maintain her composure and became even more vigilant.
“Hmm?”
A soft exclamation came from beneath the beast’s illusion. Then the phantom vanished, revealing two figures—one old, one young; one male, one female.
Lin Xinlan immediately recognized the elder as the Old Man of Divine Waters. The young woman wore a green robe, her face veiled with a thin gauze, her jet-black eyes sparkling with intelligence, as pure and untainted as a lotus flower.
“Immortal Exile?”
Wu Ming felt somewhat speechless. “Are they referring to me?”
“Indeed… Sir, have you not seen the latest edition of the Celestial Rankings? After you single-handedly defeated the Ghost King of Ten Thousand Ghosts at the Soul-Stealing Mountain, and displayed techniques of immortals beyond ordinary men, you were given the title ‘Exiled Immortal.'”
With a voice as ethereal and clear as untouched water, the Green Lotus Maiden spoke slowly.
“I never imagined that the Holy Maiden of the Green Lotus Sect would hide in a pleasure house…”
Wu Ming chuckled. “That robbery in Luofeng City was also your doing, wasn’t it? When did the Green Lotus Sect, one of the Eight Secular Holy Lands, begin acting so cautiously and covertly?”
“I never expected… that the gentleman could detect my presence!”
The Green Lotus Maiden expressed surprise. “I have great confidence in my concealment techniques. I wonder where I slipped up? Would the gentleman be willing to enlighten me?”
As she spoke, her eyes sparkled with admiration, making her appear delicate and enchanting. Any man with a heart of stone would find himself stirred by tenderness.
“You possess Celestial Realm strength, your martial arts techniques match those of the Old Man of Divine Waters, and your qi even surpasses his. You also hail from the Green Lotus Sect. Who else could you be other than the Holy Maiden, the heir apparent of the sect?”
Wu Ming smiled. “As for your hiding method, the beast you just revealed—wasn’t it the Ran Yi?”
After reading so many texts, he had become vastly more knowledgeable, with an unparalleled understanding of the martial world.
According to the ancient “Treatise on Wild Beasts”: “The Ran Yi is a fierce aquatic creature with a snake’s head, fish’s body, horse-like ears, and six legs. Eating it prevents evil, and it can cast spells that cause nightmares.”
The previous water curtain was clearly a spell activated by the Holy Maiden through her bloodline.
Yet, to display such skills before Wu Ming was truly like showing off swordsmanship in front of Guan Yu himself.
Of course, he wouldn’t say so outright.
Seeing Wu Ming’s imperviousness, the Green Lotus Holy Maiden felt disheartened.
“I must say, I didn’t know you had already reached the Celestial Realm yet remained unknown, unbound by fame and fortune. Truly admirable…”
Wu Ming said slowly.
“There are countless heroes in this world like carp crossing a river. Water Ling’er merely attained the Celestial Realm by fortunate chance. What is there to be proud of?”
The Green Lotus Holy Maiden replied gracefully, allowing Wu Ming to learn her name.
“As for the matter in Luofeng City, it was truly a desperate measure!”
She sighed with a faint frown that could break any man’s heart. “Our Green Lotus Holy Land is facing annihilation. My master and the elders are all occupied and untrustworthy. I wanted to break through quickly, hence resorting to such a last resort.”
This Ling’er did not attempt to deceive at all and directly admitted to the Luofeng City incident.
“Oh? Aren’t you afraid Luofeng City will retaliate?”
Wu Ming asked curiously.
“Of course I am afraid! The Sword of Fen Shui is ever sharp. Even my master would have difficulty capturing it. And the four major factions of Luofeng City are no weaklings either. I wonder, sir, if you could keep this a secret for us?”
Water Ling’er smiled lightly in response.
“Keep it a secret? It depends on my mood…”
Wu Ming’s eyes flickered. “But you two have been tailing me ever since Luofeng City, haven’t you? What exactly do you want? Speak the truth, or I won’t mind leaving two corpses here!”
Sszz!
As soon as he finished speaking, a stream of water shot straight into the sky, accurately striking a dark speck.
Plop!
The speck let out a shriek, feathers rained down like falling stars, and it plummeted, crashing onto the hard ground and turning into a meat pancake—an eagle-like creature.
“Black Xiong?”
The Old Man of Divine Waters cried out in alarm, his eyes revealing both shock and fear toward Wu Ming.
“How could you do this?”
“This feathered beast has been spying on me all the way. What else should I do?”
Wu Ming shrugged, two streams of water appearing around him. The atmosphere instantly became extremely tense.
“The Ran Yi? Although not one of the several ancient beasts I was hoping for, it’s still quite impressive…”
In his gaze toward the Holy Maiden, there was a chilling coldness capable of freezing souls: “Since this girl is a candidate for sect leader, she must have learned the正宗 Ze Sect martial arts—one of the eight divine and demonic secret manuals left by the Martial Emperor!”
“It seems the ultimate goal of Ze Sect martial arts is to awaken the Ran Yi bloodline! This girl has cultivated to such a level that she has pushed her bloodline to its limits. Next, she will actively enter a hundred-day Nirvana period, attempting to forge a divine or demonic body and ascend into the Divine-Demonic Realm…”
“If captured, perhaps I could also uncover the secrets of the Ze Sect martial arts through her!”
…
Wu Ming immediately considered taking action.
Swish!
As his inner world contracted and expanded, the outside world became turbulent. Terrifying rain clouds gathered, forming a vortex, and in an instant, torrential rain poured down.
“Truly unfathomable!”
The Green Lotus Holy Maiden and the Old Man of Divine Waters exchanged glances, both seeing deep apprehension in each other’s eyes.
“Please calm down, sir!”
Water Ling’er softly parted her red lips, allowing the rain to fall upon her garments. “I did not intentionally follow you. I merely had a request to make… and Black Bear could only roughly indicate your location. We certainly had no intention of prying into any secrets!”
“A request?”
Wu Ming’s expression remained indifferent. “I don’t think a sect as prestigious as one of the Eight Holy Lands would need outside help.”
“You flatter us too much, sir…”
Water Ling’er smiled bitterly. “As a Celestial Realm martial artist, you already possess the status to be treated as an equal by any holy land!”
She paused, then continued, “The matter I seek help with is not for the Green Lotus Sect itself, but concerns the safety of the martial world and the well-being of the common people!”
For some reason, as she said this, the image of the Tianmeng (Alliance) Order flashed through Wu Ming’s mind.
“Tell me what it is! Let me make it clear beforehand—I don’t act without profit. If you’re planning to use righteousness and lofty ideals to get me involved, you’d better forget about it!”
Wu Ming sneered coldly.
Water Ling’er’s heart tightened, but then a breathtaking smile appeared beneath her veil. “As for the reward, sir can rest assured. The Green Lotus Sect will definitely satisfy you… I’ve heard that sir is very interested in the Martial Dynasty and the Martial Emperor. Coincidentally, I happen to possess a private record detailing the Martial Emperor’s daily life. Would sir like to take a look?”
Swish!
In an instant, the rain and wind dissipated, and the damp air around them gradually cleared, faintly revealing a rainbow.
Seeing this, Water Ling’er and the Old Man of Divine Waters finally felt a sense of relief, knowing for now, at least, there would be no fight.
Although both were martial artists at the Celestial Realm, for some inexplicable reason, facing Wu Ming always gave them a sense of dread.
“The Martial Emperor’s private record? How can you prove it?”
Wu Ming suddenly asked.
“It seems sir is determined to obtain this item without even asking what it is we need from you!”
Water Ling’er smiled gently. “As for authenticity, it’s simple. We can give you half of the record now, and the other half after the task is completed. How does that sound?”
“Holy Maiden!”
The Old Man of Divine Waters was alarmed. This was completely different from their prior arrangement.
“I’ve made my decision. Please bear with me, Master Shui. When we return, Ling’er will personally apologize to you!”
With a grand gesture, the Green Lotus Holy Maiden waved her hand, and an ancient scroll wrapped in true energy slowly floated through the air toward Wu Ming.
Even a martial artist of the Heroic List could wrap an object in true energy and launch it.
But for it to move so slowly, as if suspended by invisible threads, perfectly balanced and drifting straight toward Wu Ming, was something only a martial artist of the Celestial Realm could achieve.
Such mastery of true energy was beyond the reach of anyone below that level.
“Hmph!”
Faced with this, Wu Ming merely exhaled lightly. The true energy surrounding the scroll instantly vanished, yet not the slightest damage was done to the book inside.
This alone made Water Ling’er gasp in astonishment.
Wu Ming extended his right hand and steadily caught the ancient book. The delicate, cold, and historically rich texture instantly allowed him to verify the authenticity of the item.
“Good, you haven’t lied to me!”
He slightly nodded, then casually opened the book and began reading at a glance of ten pages.
Plop!
Who knew how long had passed when Wu Ming finally closed the book, exhaling deeply. “This book is indeed somewhat useful to me. Tell me directly what it is you want from me?”
A trace of joy flickered across Water Ling’er’s face. “I will offer the second half of this book, and all I ask is that, on some future day, sir would come to my aid and help me defeat a single person!”
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