“Pfah!”
The destruction of the demon god, with whom she shared a spiritual bond, caused the Holy Mother Honglian’s expression to instantly change, and she spat out a mouthful of refined blood.
That was actually not too bad. If the Demon God had returned severely wounded and retaliated with the power of a third-level cultivator, she would likely have been reduced to dust instantly.
“Hehe… Today, we eradicate evil completely. Let’s just destroy Hong Lian Holy Mother, Black Heart Taoist, and the Holy Maiden as well, leaving no survivors, not even the chickens and dogs, rooting out the problem entirely!”
As Qi Bing True Man was about to manipulate his magical treasure for the final blow against Hong Lian Holy Mother, his expression suddenly changed, and he hastily retreated several steps.
“Crack!”
A giant skull wrapped in black qi suddenly surged from underground, opening its mouth wide. When it snapped shut, the void itself seemed to congeal and shatter like a mirror, emitting a crisp sound.
“Peng!”
Behind Master Qi Bing, several small black snakes emerged from the mist and lunged forward. Facing him, the Skeleton Spirit, having failed its first strike, let out an eerie laugh. Its hollow eye sockets flared with ghostly flames as it pursued him in a flanking maneuver.
“Black Heart Taoist! You’re asking for death!”
Qi Bing True Man sneered, bit his tongue hard, and spat a mouthful of blood mist directly at the Skeleton Spirit.
“Zhi la!”
A large amount of white vapor rose, like boiling oil meeting water, creating a tremendous sound.
“Jiejie!”
Suddenly, a skeleton head burst from the white mist, its black aura somewhat diminished. It flew silently, spewing black mist that coiled around Qi Bing True Man’s physical body.
“How is this possible? My refined tongue blood combined with the Blood Demon Technique couldn’t even destroy a mere heretical artifact. Could it be that…”
Qi Bing True Man was shocked. Unfortunately, his entire body was entangled by the black mist, his protective armor and robe sizzling and falling apart in an instant. His vision blurred, and before his eyes grew a giant skull image, plunging him into complete darkness.
He truly died with his eyes wide open!
Originally, a third-level Bingjia cultivator going all out, biting their tongue and consuming refined blood while combining it with the Blood Demon Technique—even the Hong Lian Demon God wouldn’t dare to take the hit head-on. So, he had slightly let his guard down, convinced that he would surely destroy the opponent’s artifact.
However, Wu Ming had refined the Skeleton Spirit anew using orthodox Xuanmen methods, making it impervious to the Bingjia Blood Demon Technique. Qi Bing True Man, caught off guard, was defeated in a single round, his physical body dissolving into pus and blood, with not even his Yuan Shen escaping!
“Absorb!”
Wu Ming, with a thought, cast a spell to control the Skeleton Spirit, then collected Qi Bing True Man’s soul and pus-blood: “You’re in luck. Once I use this person’s soul and flesh to sacrifice you, you’ll immediately ascend to the third level!”
“Gazhi! Gazhi!”
The Skeleton Spirit, not having consumed the True Man’s soul, seemed unable to understand Wu Ming’s words and appeared quite dissatisfied. It blinked its large mouth and suddenly turned its gaze toward Qi Bing Zi, cackling as it lunged forward, trapping the seven people, dissolving them into pus and blood, and devouring their souls.
“This stubborn creature!”
Wu Ming shook his head and looked toward the battlefield.
There, the seven short spears, no longer under the control of Qi Bing True Man, clattered to the ground. Only the White Tiger let out a fierce roar before transforming back into the Metal Gourd, its light flickering unwillingly as it struggled to break free and flee.
“Now you want to escape? Too late! Five Ghosts Unified Great Seizing Technique!”
Wu Ming thrust his palm outward, and the five ghosts transformed into five streams of energy, resembling five black ropes that coiled tightly around the Metal Gourd, dragging it down.
“Be sealed away!”
Black arcane light swirled around Wu Ming’s hand as he swiftly swept it across the gourd, after which a reluctant tiger roar was heard, and the gourd quieted down and was collected into his robe.
“If your original master were here, it might be somewhat troublesome, but merely leaving behind a spiritual imprint, how could it possibly rival me?”
Wu Ming chuckled inwardly, his expression turning cold as he shouted: “Why haven’t you started attacking yet?”
“Junior Uncle’s divine might!”
Seeing this, the Hong Lian Sect disciples were greatly encouraged and immediately slaughtered the Bingjia foot soldiers who had lost their leader.
“Holy Maiden, don’t panic. We’ve come to rescue you!”
“Hehe… No need!”
Bai Yulian laughed, her body radiating a glow accompanied by lotus petals. The two Bingjia guards beside her displayed a dazed expression on their faces before slowly collapsing.
She walked calmly into the battlefield, collected the short spears left by Qi Bing True Man, and smiled as she presented them to Wu Ming: “Junior Uncle has displayed tremendous might, truly making Yulian admire you greatly!”
At this moment, her eyes shimmered with allure, her charm natural and effortless, where was there any trace of her previous pitiful demeanor?
“This one is also a little fox!”
Wu Ming muttered inwardly, collected the short spears, and went to see Hong Lian Holy Mother in her palanquin: “How is Senior Sister…”
“I… I’m fine…”
Hong Lian Holy Mother’s face was pale like gold paper, her eyes dim, clearly not just a slight injury or shaken spirit. Yet her gaze toward Wu Ming carried a hint of apprehension: “Junior Brother… you… have you broken through to True Man?”
“Have I?”
Wu Ming looked puzzled: “True Man? What is that?”
“Cursed!”
Hong Lian Holy Mother clenched her teeth in secret: “Could it be that my younger brother, after merging with the Yaksha Demon God, actually had the fortune to break through the final barrier of Maoshan arts, and all of it ended up benefiting this fool? If I could capture him and combine our Maoshan techniques, wouldn’t I stand a chance at achieving the Yuan Shen? Unfortunately, my Hong Lian Demon Lord was destroyed… I’ve suffered a severe loss of vitality and need to meditate for ninety-nine days to recover even slightly…”
“Master!”
At this moment, Bai Yulian stepped forward, tears brimming in her eyes: “It must have been so much trouble for Master to come all this way to rescue me. Yulian truly deserves to die for such a crime!”
“Hmph!”
Hong Lian Holy Mother’s heart tightened as she forced herself to straighten her posture: “You managed to survive this demonic tribulation—truly commendable. Now, follow my command and return to the main hall!”
“Obeying the decree!”
The procession started again, and Bai Yulian followed closely beside the palanquin like a loyal disciple. The two master and apprentice putting on such an act amused Wu Ming inwardly.
“Indeed, a heretical sect master and apprentice, scheming against each other. This Hong Lian Holy Mother, having lost some of her magical power, is already worried about not being able to control her apprentice anymore?”
Wu Ming mused inwardly, then noticed Bai Yulian’s faintly meaningful gaze and was stirred again: “Perhaps I should also worry about this apprentice trying to capture me first? Pah! What does she think I am? A ten-ingredient tonic pill?”
After returning to the main hall, attendants brought century-old ginseng soup brewed to perfection. Wu Ming took a sip and inwardly praised: “The Hong Lian Sect’s foundation is indeed impressive. The soup’s preparation rivals that of several senior masters in the Wu family…”
“Surviving this calamity was largely due to my younger brother’s help. I must express my gratitude here!”
After drinking the ginseng soup, Hong Lian Holy Mother’s spirit slightly revived, and a touch of redness returned to her face as she stood up and bowed.
“Haha… Senior Sister, where are you getting this talk?”
Wu Ming still looked foolish: “Since we are of the same sect, naturally we should support each other!”
“Exactly! Exactly!”
Hong Lian Holy Mother’s face lit up: “This time I lost some vitality and need to meditate to recover. Would my younger brother be willing to guard me during my cultivation?”
“Well…”
Wu Ming displayed a hesitant expression on his face: “Hearing what Qi Bing True Man said, it seems that King Han Yulin might be in great danger. Since our sect supports this person, naturally we cannot sit idly by, or else we might face trouble in the future. Therefore, I was thinking of going to take a look…”
“Cursed… How come this fool suddenly became smart?”
Hong Lian Holy Mother was startled inwardly, and soon heard Bai Yulian say: “My junior uncle has lived deep in the mountains for a long time. Why not let your niece guide you? All the generals under King Yulian are familiar with me!”
“No!”
She immediately felt things slipping out of control and couldn’t help but say: “My younger brother is right. Since King Yulian’s great cause is not yet accomplished, I was too focused on myself, Senior Sister. We should go together!”
She secretly thought that if she used a secret technique, she could suppress her injuries for thirty-six days, even if it meant future trouble. Now was not the time to show weakness.
Indeed, upon hearing Hong Lian Holy Mother’s words, Bai Yulian immediately lowered her head, seemingly wondering whether Hong Lian Holy Mother’s injuries were as serious as she had imagined.
“That’s great!”
Wu Ming smiled and nodded. If it weren’t for using the Hong Lian Sect’s identity as a bargaining chip, he would have long since stopped pretending with these two female devils and just captured them for questioning.
Late at night, inside a side room.
As the deputy leader of the Crimson Lotus Sect, Wu Ming naturally received top-tier treatment. The furnishings in this side chamber were all crafted from the finest sandalwood, emanating a delicate fragrance. The incense burner before him even contained precious and rare agarwood from the sea, radiating opulence and nobility. Yet, the bed was draped with an embroidered mandarin duck quilt, which seemed somewhat incongruous.
“Heaven has five thieves; seeing them brings prosperity. Man has five ghosts; seeing them brings death. Five Ghost Yin Fire, swiftly as the law commands!”
Sitting cross-legged, Wu Ming silently chanted the incantation, waved his hand, and five differently shaped ghostly flames floated before him, merging into a single stream that emitted a jade-green glow several feet high.
He then retrieved the black jade talisman that sealed the Skeleton Spirit and the soul and blood essence of Qi Bing True Man, ready to refine them once more.
“Release me! Release me!”
Qi Bing True Man’s soul was strong, and now realizing the impending disaster, he immediately cried out: “How dare you imprison a living soul, preventing it from entering reincarnation, and refining such an artifact? Are you not afraid of heavenly punishment?”
“If you let me enter reincarnation, you can name your conditions! I have three hidden treasures and a lot of secret techniques!”
“What use do I have for Bingjia techniques?”
Wu Ming shook his head. Even though he wanted to ask for some intelligence, he feared being deceived by this old man. Besides, it would be better to extract information from the two female devils outside rather than engaging in a battle of wits with this old fox.
In fact, he was about to step into the battlefield of the great worldly struggle, which was extremely dangerous. Therefore, enhancing his own strength was the most important thing.
“If this Skeleton Spirit is upgraded to the third level, it would be enough to make most True Men tremble…”
Wu Ming took out the jade talisman and threw it into the emerald green flames.
“Jiejie!”
The skull emerged, cackling with laughter, yet seemingly somewhat enraged, thrashing about in the emerald flames.
“You… you will come to a bad end. My junior brother won’t let you off!”
Then, he threw Qi Bing True Man’s soul into it. The soul let out a piercing scream as it was engulfed by the emerald-green flames, and the Skeleton Spirit devoured it in one gulp.
“Refining with Yuanshen, the authentic Maoshan technique, decree!”
Wu Ming’s expression turned serious as he took out Qi Bing True Man’s blood essence, drew several blood talismans, and cast them into the emerald flames.
“Raging!”
The flames suddenly soared several zhang high, turning blood red. Within them, the skeleton head became more concentrated, its surface glowing like jade.
…
“Jie… jiejie…”
Not knowing how long had passed, the Skeleton Spirit flew out again, its bones white and jade-like, carrying a bit of intelligence and a hint of ferocity.
“Wanting to backfire?”
Wu Ming sneered coldly: “Looks like I need to teach you a lesson!”
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