“Poisonous!”
Pink mist expanded. Even though Lin Xinlan had already held her breath, she watched in horror as the mist penetrated through her skin, instantly feeling a numbness and weakness.
Hiss!
At this moment, Ping Sanzhi’s ultimate move, the Qi Gui Shen Zhi, struck down like a sword, its terrifying sharpness making her sense the breath of death.
Her instinct as a martial artist told her that if she were hit, there would be no chance of survival!
“Am I going to die?”
Before death, her thoughts slowed in an instant, recalling her carefree childhood, the horror and pain of the massacre night, and… her young master.
After countless thoughts, there was only emptiness.
Buzz!
So dazed was she, she instinctively raised her hand to block, achieving an extraordinary feat beyond her usual limits.
Roar!
Li Fengyu immediately witnessed a scene he would never forget.
Behind Lin Xinlan suddenly appeared a small, delicate, jade-scaled, blue glowing cold dragon phantom, raising its slender neck and roaring toward the sky.
Within the sound waves, layers of hexagonal ice emerged, forming a crystal ice mirror that blocked the finger strike completely.
“Manifesting an omen! A Diyuan realm martial artist!”
Ping Sanzhi glanced back, immediately terrified, fleeing even faster.
“She’s a Diyuan realm martial artist! Flee quickly!”
With him leading, the underlings scattered like birds and beasts.
“Has she broken through?”
Feeling the entirely new, or rather, finally revealed terrifying Xuanming Qi within her, Lin Xinlan had an epiphany.
Previously, she had only been a step away from breaking through. Provoked by her enemies and pushed to the brink of life and death, her breakthrough was unexpected yet reasonable.
“I suppose… all of this was also foreseen by my young master…”
For some unknown reason, Lin Xinlan had nearly blind faith in Wu Ming.
She glanced at the carriage, suddenly jolted, remembering the task Wu Ming had assigned her.
“Go!”
After advancing to the Diyuan realm, the Xuanming martial arts became even more terrifying.
She slightly pointed at one escaping underling, and a pale blue ice spike appeared, suddenly piercing through space with a piercing sound.
Bang!
The underling froze, a hole torn through his chest, quickly freezing over before he slumped down limply.
For ordinary Diyuan realm martial artists, mastering their special abilities proficiently would require repeated trials and practice, a long road ahead.
But the Xuanming martial arts were a true transmission from an emperor. Upon reaching the Diyuan realm, a portion of the cold dragon bloodline was activated, progressing rapidly. This freezing effect was almost instinctive.
“Secret Technique—Thousand Ice Spikes!”
With a thought, the Xuanming Qi within her body uncontrollably surged along certain meridians, prompting Lin Xinlan to instinctively leap up and call out the technique’s name.
Hiss!
From the blue icy mist, dozens of sharp ice spikes emerged, swiftly shooting in all directions at an incredible speed.
“Ahh!”
After faint screams, when Lin Xinlan landed, all the surrounding martial artists except Li Fengyu had fallen.
Ping Sanzhi was struck by three ice spikes, still maintaining his desperate fleeing posture as he slowly collapsed, lifeless, appearing somewhat comical.
“Master, it’s all cleaned up!”
After finishing, Lin Xinlan clapped her hands as if nothing had happened and reported to Wu Ming’s carriage.
“Very good… you’ve also managed to break through to Diyuan. With the wonders of Xuanming martial arts, you will surely have a place on the Diyuan rankings in the future!”
“I’m already very satisfied if I can serve my young master for the rest of my life…”
Lin Xinlan’s eyes curved into crescent moons as she prepared to board the carriage.
“Wait a moment! Esteemed Saviors!”
At this moment, Li Fengyu realized he had encountered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and rushed forward without hesitation, kneeling on both knees: “Esteemed Saviors, please hear me out!”
“Quickly leave! Our young master isn’t helping you. He merely found those ants annoying and cleared them away… If you bother him again, be careful with the life you’ve barely saved…”
“My humble life means nothing! Even if I escape today, the pursuers sent by the Lady will surely come in waves. My death is insignificant, but if it endangers the Young Master…”
Li Fengyu’s eyes brimmed with tears. Wanting to speak, he hesitated, realizing the carriage owner wasn’t a righteous hero.
“Waaah!”
At that moment, the baby in his arms woke up crying loudly, its voice strong and not showing any fatigue.
“Hmm? This child…”
The carriage curtain lifted, revealing the owner’s face.
Young! Surprisingly young! This was Li Fengyu’s first impression of Wu Ming.
Before seeing Wu Ming, he already knew the carriage owner was unfathomable, with a mere servant capable of easily defeating Ping Sanzhi, a Diyuan expert!
In his mind, he had already assumed Wu Ming was some unpredictable old master.
But Li Fengyu couldn’t have imagined that Wu Ming himself would be so handsome and… full of vitality!
He knew some martial arts could preserve youth, but no matter how young one appeared outwardly, the internal energy always had a sense of superficial strength.
Yet, Wu Ming showed none of that. Instead, he exuded vitality and vigor, like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth at his most energetic.
“This person’s martial arts have already returned to simplicity…”
Li Fengyu thought in shock, watching Wu Ming gesture, causing the swaddling in his arms to fly directly into Wu Ming’s embrace.
His body trembled but he did not act.
“Waaah… waaah…”
In Wu Ming’s arms, the baby immediately stopped struggling, and even its crying gradually quieted as it curiously opened its bright eyes, studying Wu Ming.
“Young master, this child seems to have a strong connection with you!”
Lin Xinlan’s eyes lit up.
Ultimately, being a woman, seeing the infant had awakened her maternal instincts, making her feel reluctant and subtly coming to its aid.
“Hmm…”
Wu Ming knew it wasn’t about fate. It was simply because of his Tianxian body and his Wudao Tianxiang physique, his innate essence so pure that the baby had sensed it.
“Come to think of it, although ordinary infants are also perceptive and can sense things adults can’t, they aren’t this sensitive…”
He looked curiously at the infant in his arms, his eyes flashing with surprise.
“What’s wrong?”
Lin Xinlan asked curiously.
“Born with all meridians open, strong bones and muscles, possessing martial talent… such potential is truly incredible…”
Wu Ming smiled.
Actually, these traits were merely suitable for Tianxiang candidates, nothing special. What surprised him more was a faint purple aura swirling around the infant’s life essence.
Although his inner vitality was weak and his outer fortune in decline, there was a thread of life force sustaining him, clearly capable of turning misfortune into fortune without dying prematurely.
“This child might be a key figure decades from now…”
An understanding immediately formed in Wu Ming’s mind.
“What’s his name?”
Wu Ming asked.
“He has the compound surname Sikong, and the given name ‘Che’! “
Li Fengyu was momentarily stunned before realizing Wu Ming was asking him, quickly replying. After a pause, he continued, “He is the son of the City Lord of Pingling City. However, the City Lord died from a martial arts mishap, and the Lady seized power, leaving no place for him… His mother is dead, and I risked my life to preserve this last drop of blood for my late master…”
“Pingling City?”
Wu Ming stroked his chin. It was a small city in the Northern Wind Territory, incomparable to major cities like Xunfeng Holy City, but the City Lord still held considerable power in the region.
Of course, for a Tianxiang-level martial artist, even Xunfeng Holy City, without considering the Tianfeng Holy Site, was nothing special.
What intrigued Wu Ming, however, was the “will of heaven” of this world!
Clearly, along the way, countless possibilities and innumerable accidents could have befallen Situ Che brought by Li Fengyu, yet he persisted and eventually arrived before Wu Ming. The coincidence was simply unbelievable.
“This world has not yet formed a world will with independent consciousness; at most, it’s like emotionless artificial intelligence… acting according to rules. Is this… a test?”
Even if he were the Chosen of the world, Wu Ming could strangle him with one hand, and no one could save him.
Of course, doing so wouldn’t bring much benefit.
“If I meet this person early, with careful planning and aligning with future trends, I have a 60 to 70 percent chance of harvesting a massive amount of world energy… Even if I kill him directly, there would still be gains…”
Wu Ming pondered: “The Divine Martial World seems to be offering this willingly… as repayment? After all, as the Master of the Divine Temple, if it indeed benefited from the remnants of the Divine Temple artifacts, it would owe me…”
“Of course, if I accept this ‘gift,’ it would imply settling debts, and the connection with the artifact would diminish slightly…”
Thinking of his journey to the Divine Martial World, where he overcame any obstacles effortlessly, achieving everything he desired, Wu Ming felt no pride but instead a sense of caution.
“On the contrary, to truly obtain the Divine Temple artifact, I shouldn’t accept this ‘gift’ but instead give something… or actively sever the karmic ties…”
At this thought, Wu Ming immediately smiled, as if he had grasped the key: “You’re called Li Fengyu, right? What do you want from me?”
“I beg the Master to accept the Young Master as your disciple!”
Li Fengyu gritted his teeth: “If the Master helps the Young Master reclaim Pingling City, we will honor you as our Guardian, offering tributes year after year…”
Wu Ming frowned slightly.
Reclaiming a city was naturally simple, but the ensuing troubles would be significant.
Moreover, with the entanglement of heavenly will, countless complications would arise, consuming time and effort—something he was unwilling to take on.
“Hehe…”
Therefore, he did not respond, merely smirking.
“A stray dog shouldn’t have such an extravagant wish. I only ask the Master to shelter the Young Master, and I’m willing to sacrifice my life to repay the Master’s great kindness!”
Li Fengyu’s face reddened, realizing his request was too unrealistic and immediately changed his plea.
“Heh… this person still underestimates my young master too much. With my young master’s nature, how could he possibly…”
Lin Xinlan’s eyes flickered, when she suddenly heard a voice that astonished her.
“Alright!”
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