< Chapter 44: The Demon Cultivator’s Arrogance >
Fei Si was still uncertain about Han Ming’s exact standing within the Soul-Devouring Sect. If he captured Han Ming and provoked an old monster from the sect, the trouble would be immense. Moreover, a critical concern was the Lava Immortal Palace. Currently, the city lord’s mansion and other forces were all fully engaged in exploring this immortal palace and wanted no additional complications.
Thus, Fei Si’s earlier thought was: “After all, the one being harassed isn’t us but Sun Lie.”
“Once Sun Lie can no longer bear the harassment and leaves Huoshi City on his own, wouldn’t that solve the problem?”
The city lord’s mansion’s negligence further fueled Han Ming’s audacious attitude until she was finally taken down by Ning Zhuo.
In a way, Sun Lie’s tolerance and the city lord’s mansion’s indifference were instrumental in Ning Zhuo’s eventual capture of Han Ming.
“This time it’s different.”
“Han Ming has even clashed with Meng Chong; this time, we must use all our strength to capture her!”
“Hmm…”
“Let’s capture the young puppet master first.”
“Perhaps, Han Ming might take the chance to escape the city.”
Mobilizing all forces to capture Han Ming was a stance Fei Si had to make clear, yet he was not at all keen on taking risks. In fact, if he truly captured Han Ming, he would be even more worried.
Compared to Han Ming, the young puppet master was a much easier target.
“This young puppet master has always been close to Sun Lingtong.”
“Sun Lingtong is a disciple of the No-Void Sect, and this notorious sect is best known for their sneaky tricks.”
“Could the third demon cultivator possibly be Sun Lingtong?”
Fei Si immediately considered this possibility but had no inclination to verify it.
Sun Lingtong and Han Ming both had the backing of a major sect. Sun Lingtong had lived in Puppet Immortal City for over a decade, firmly rooted there like a local serpent.
Taking action against him would be even more troublesome than dealing with Han Ming.
Fei Si then ordered his subordinates to search the black market for the young puppet master and capture him.
But where could they possibly him?
Not even a shadow!
After searching for most of the day, his subordinates came back empty-handed.
Fei Si berated his subordinates thoroughly, putting on quite a show.
After a brief delay, he picked up a bottle of pills and poured out one.
After swallowing it, his sense of smell underwent a subtle change.
With a light sniff, he detected a faint medicinal fragrance in the air.
“Han Ming, I hope you are wise enough to have already left Puppet Immortal City by now.”
Fei Si personally took action, transforming into a long rainbow that soared above Puppet Immortal City.
Following the scent, he sped through the clouds and over the city walls to the base of the mountain.
The closer Fei Si got, the more something seemed off, until he smelled an intense aroma and saw a huge bundle on the grassland of the Fire Crystal Grass area.
Inside the bundle were the stolen pills.
Hovering in mid-air, Fei Si cursed silently, “Damn it!”
His face was extremely somber: “They didn’t even use a storage bag, just wrapped it up in cloth and tossed it in the Fire Crystal Grass area.”
“So arrogant, truly too arrogant!”
Fei Si felt he was being severely provoked.
Yet, he dared not enter the woods to retrieve the bundle of pills.
For previously, the Shadow Demon Cultivator had been hiding in the Fire Crystal Grass area!
“This is likely a bait to lure me into the woods,” he thought.
“Indeed, the Shadow demon cultivator does have accomplices.”
“If it were Chi Dun, he might have rushed in without thinking. But I am not him; I am no reckless man.”
Holding this thought, Fei Si decisively turned around and flew away, arriving at the summit of the volcano to meet the lord of Huoshi City.
He quickly reported everything.
The lord of Huoshi City, seated in mid-air, nodded slightly and pondered, “It may not necessarily be the accomplice of the Shadow demon cultivator.”
“It could also be others framing and diverting disaster.”
If so, the situation was even worse.
It essentially meant: the major powers within the city had noticed something and were beginning to target the lord’s mansion in secret.
Fei Si had previously proposed a plan to secretly eliminate the talents of the Zhou and Zheng families, which the lord had agreed to.
The plan was successful, but it also made the lord feel a sense of urgency.
He then arranged for Sun Lie to help his grandson Meng Chong master the Wild Sprint Thunderclap. Sun Lie had reported his methods to him in advance, and the lord had approved.
Unexpectedly, during this process, they were attacked by demon cultivators.
“It may not be real demon cultivators,” the lord inevitably thought.
After a moment of contemplation, he said to Fei Si, “You’ve done well, the pills are not of concern.”
“Capturing demon cultivators is not the priority either.”
“Take your time to apprehend them; there’s no need to rush.”
“For Meng Chong, empty the mansion’s treasury to provide him with ample heavenly and earthly treasures. After all, the use of Wild Sprint Thunderclap greatly depletes the three treasures of essence, qi, and spirit.”
This was why the lord had always allowed Meng Chong to develop according to the situation.
He was well aware of his grandson’s personality. Once he fully mastered the divine ability Wild Sprint Thunderclap, he would undoubtedly use it incessantly. While Wild Sprint Thunderclap was exceptionally effective, it was easy to overuse it, which could weaken Meng Chong to the point of damaging his foundation and future prospects.
It was only recently, when the city lord felt the pressure from two other forces chasing the treasures of the Lava Immortal Palace, that he changed his mind. Through the help of Sun Lie, he aided Meng Chong in successfully mastering this excellent talent.
As for the attack on Meng Chong himself, it did not cause the city lord any anxiety. To protect his grandson, he had long ago imprinted talismans on Meng Chong’s body. Should Meng Chong fall into a life-threatening crisis, these talismans would be activated, unleashing tremendous power. Even if they couldn’t kill the enemy, they would provide enough time for the city lord to arrive and support.
In fact, he had more than one such measure at his disposal, including escape talismans like the Void Evading Talisman.
It was the middle of the night.
Ning Zhuo lay in bed, eyes wide open.
“Why hasn’t my soul been extracted yet?” he wondered aloud. “I need to enter the Immortal Palace!”
The young man kicked his legs on the bed, growing increasingly restless. He had a feeling that waiting like this would delay important matters.
“Can I voluntarily enter the Immortal Palace with my soul?” Ning Zhuo pondered, recalling the mark that had been placed on him in the preparation room.
He tried to activate the Buddha Heart Demon Seal. After some exploration, the “Trial Disciple” mark reemerged on his chest. The next moment, a thread of Divine Ability—Life Hanging by a Thread was drawn out, piercing through space and striking his soul directly.
Ning Zhuo’s vision darkened as his soul was extracted, entering the palace for the third time!
In the main hall of the Immortal Palace.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, deeply asleep, suddenly jolted awake, sensing Ning Zhuo’s successful entry. It exhaled a blast of fiery breath and soared into the air, flying around the main hall and repeatedly crashing into the pillars with its head and body.
It roared angrily.
The Lava Immortal Palace was once again in turmoil.
Thousands of radiant treasures scattered light in all directions, thick smoke billowed, and magma churned.
“Huh? It’s shaking again!” the lord of Huoshi City exclaimed, his eyes wide as he quickly acted, wielding the grand formation of the Immortal City to suppress the palace with all his might.
“What on earth is happening?!” The face of the Huoshi City lord, illuminated by the glow of magma and firelight, turned a deep red, his expression darkening as his suspicions grew.