Sun Lingtong blinked continuously, sealing the Hawk Nose and Triangular Eyes, the two demon cultivators, with talismans.
Then, he lightly leapt to arrive in front of Han Ming.
He picked up Han Ming's head, his eyes glowing with intense light: "Tell me, how did they find you?"
"You were obviously imprisoned in the underground iron prison, how did you send out a distress signal?"
Because Han Ming had cultivated the Immortal Zombie Cultivation Method, even though her head was detached from her body, she still had some time to cling to life.
Her face showed a look of panic: "Don't kill me. I am a disciple of the Soul Devouring Sect. If you kill me, you'll be marked with a soul seal, and the Soul Devouring Sect won't let you go!"
Sun Lingtong sneered, his killing intent undisguised: "You and I are already mortal enemies. Do you think I fear a mere soul seal?"
Han Ming screamed: "No, don't kill me."
"I'll tell you."
"But you can't kill me! I-I have value. I can help you enhance the foundation of your soul!"
"Speak!" Sun Lingtong felt an inexplicable annoyance. He gave a low shout, becoming impatient.
"I can tell you." Suddenly, a voice sounded from behind Sun Lingtong.
In an instant, without thinking, he used the Teleportation Art.
But his body remained in place, without any movement.
"Why am I watching my own body from afar?" The strange angle made Sun Lingtong extremely terrified.
When he realized what had happened, he was horrified to find that his soul had been extracted from his body, held by the throat by a mysterious cultivator, lifted in mid-air!
Sun Lingtong turned his head and saw a tall, thin man with long black hair smiling at him.
The man wore a black robe, his hair in disarray.
He had no pupils, his eye sockets filled entirely with white.
Sun Lingtong shivered, recalling some information from his memory, and blurted out the man's identity: "The 'Blind Judge' Qi Bai?"
The black-robed man, Qi Bai, smiled faintly, his breath cold as ice: "You know me? That saves me some effort."
"Outer disciple Han Ming greets the True Disciple!" Han Ming was extremely excited; she hadn't expected the rescue to come so quickly.
She had originally thought death was imminent, but now, she found a lifeline!
Sun Lingtong's body bowed his head and stood still in place, motionless.
His soul, held by Qi Bai, had become a prisoner: "Qi Bai, you are a dignified Golden Core cultivator, a True Disciple of the Soul Devouring Sect. You, you've had your eyes on Fire Persimmon Immortal City all along, which is why you've shown up in time."
Qi Bai smiled again: "You are very clever, that's good. I like conversing with clever people."
"Indeed."
"Our Soul Devouring Sect has been secretly monitoring Fire Persimmon Mountain."
"Fire Persimmon Mountain was once a cursed land, countless volcanic eruptions have buried innumerable living beings. The spiritual energy, earth flames, and other countless treasures brought by the volcanic eruptions and the highly fertile soil, gradually attract living beings to gather here. Then, one day, the volcano erupts again, creating a slaughterhouse where billions of living beings perish."
"Tell me, isn't this a plot by nature itself, meticulously planned for the murder of all living creatures?"
Qi Bai paused, then continued: "Throughout history, so many living beings have perished in Fire Persimmon Mountain. Even if their souls are scattered, the remaining soul essence has accumulated, forming a vast and immeasurable soul storage."
"Why do Red Flame Demon Beasts keep appearing in Fire Persimmon Mountain? It's because their souls are refined by the earth flame, transforming into new seeds, and blossoming into new life in the form of demon beasts."
"This should have been a blessed land for my Soul Devouring Sect, the best strategic location."
"Unfortunately, the Three Ancestral Masters left the Magma Fairy Palace here, and then the Southern Bean Dynasty built an Immortal City."
"Most people focus on the Magma Fairy Palace, but we value the immeasurable soul storage hidden deep within Fire Persimmon Mountain even more."
Qi Bai, speaking to this point, looked up towards the mountain peak, revealing a mixed emotion of greed, curiosity, and desire.
Han Ming couldn't resist calling for help: "Master Qi Bai, please save me!"
"Be patient." Qi Bai extended a finger and lightly hooked it, drawing out the souls of the three defeated members of the Soul Devouring Sect.
Seeing Qi Bai so easily handling the situation, Sun Lingtong couldn't help but remark: "As expected of the Blind Judge, you have truly mastered the Soul Capturing Technique, grasping divine power seed even at the Golden Core Stage."
If it were any ordinary spell, Sun Lingtong might have had a chance to use the Teleportation Art to dodge Qi Bai's sneak attack.
But with the Soul Capturing Technique at the divine power seed level, Sun Lingtong had become a captive with no chance of escape.
The souls of the three defeated individuals floated in the air. The Hawk Nose and Triangular Eyes, having regained their senses, were delighted and saluted Qi Bai.
Qi Bai said: "Our sect is a great one in the Demon Path. This time, the three of you joined forces but were defeated by one person. If word spreads, it will inevitably damage our sect's prestige."
"If I hadn't intervened in time, the three of you would surely have met your end."
"Tell me honestly, where did you fail this time? Speak rationally, and I might save your lives."
"If it's unreasonable, then I'll stand by and watch. If you die at someone else's hands, the sect's laws can't trouble me."
"I'll tell you, I'll tell you!" the Hawk Nose spoke first, "I was careless, never expected this traitor Sun to have the ability to steal the power of the Immortal City Great Array."
"I had checked out the array he set up in his courtyard long ago, it was nothing remarkable."
"But it might have been a deliberate disguise. In reality, this small courtyard array could connect with the Immortal City Great Array."
"Due to this, as I set up my array in the courtyard, time dragged on, gradually activating the small array, which indirectly triggered the great array. The power of the Immortal City Great Array overwhelmed my array, causing me severe backlash."
"Not bad." Qi Bai nodded, "Return."
With just a light command, the soul of the Hawk Nose flew back into his body, awakening in an instant.
"I'll speak." Triangular Eyes quickly said, "We lost due to internal conflicts."
"If the three of us had united and worked together, we could have captured Sun Lingtong long ago."
"But the two of us were discontent with Han Ming's arrogance, so we held back, giving the enemy a chance to breathe."
Qi Bai nodded: "You did not see the end of the battle and still misjudged Sun Lingtong's strength. However, you spoke truthfully, that was a reason for your defeat. Return."
"Thank you, Master!" Triangular Eyes was overjoyed. In the next moment, his soul returned to his body, and he got up.
"Han Ming, what do you have to say?" Qi Bai looked at Han Ming's soul.
"Damn it!!" Han Ming's soul harbored resentment, "This Qi Bai just wants to use this opportunity to make me submit to him!"
Han Ming saw through Qi Bai's intention.
She was a proud person.
At the same time, she was also practical.
If she hadn't been saved, she would have submitted to the Youthful Guest. After being rescued, her first thought was to settle accounts with the Youthful Guest!
The Mountain Gaze fortune had fully stimulated Han Ming's revenge state, making her ignore the inherent risks.
Now, when Qi Bai questioned her, she instantly realized she was being used as a tool, becoming a pawn to probe the path.
Qi Bai wanted to compel her, to make her submit and be used by him.
"Essentially, how is this different from how the Youthful Guest treated me?!"
"Let them fight each other!"
"One has Immortal Aptitude, the other is a Golden Core Cultivator, haha!"
Thinking this, Han Ming feigned cooperation: "I failed because I was too eager for revenge, leading to an unbalanced state of mind..."
"Isn't it due to insufficient strength?" Qi Bai interrupted.
"Yes." Han Ming gritted her teeth, then proactively proposed: as long as Qi Bai helped her take her revenge against the Youthful Guest, she would submit to Qi Bai for a hundred years, agreeing to a soul contract.
Qi Bai smiled: "You're quite smart."
He indeed valued Han Ming; she had talent. Even if it was lower-grade talent, taking her as a subordinate had its value.
He then released Han Ming's soul, reassembled her body, and performed some minor healing.
Han Ming finally regained the ability to move freely.
Qi Bai turned to Sun Lingtong: "Tell me, where is the Youthful Guest?"
Sun Lingtong tried to buy time: "Didn't you just say you would tell me how Han Ming sent out the distress signal?"
"You still remember." Qi Bai smiled and revealed the details.
The problem lay with a batch of materials.
Han Ming had proactively mentioned the soul contract to Ning Zhuo, which required several crucial materials to forge.
Among these materials were some rare items secretly monopolized by the Soul Devouring Sect.
After Han Ming was captured, Ning Zhuo collected the key materials for the soul contract. These purchase requests spread, quickly attracting the attention and vigilance of the Soul Devouring Sect's hidden forces.
Coupled with Han Ming's loss of contact, it was easy to infer she had been captured alive and urgently needed rescue.
Don't forget, Qi Bai had been keeping an eye on Fire Persimmon Immortal City all along.
"So it was that simple." Sun Lingtong sighed deeply.
"Simple and straightforward arrangements are often more reliable than spells and magic artifacts," Qi Bai remarked, "Now it's your turn to solve my doubts."
Sun Lingtong shook his head, spreading his hands: "But we never agreed to that beforehand."
"You refuse to cooperate?" Qi Bai found it slightly odd, "You know me well. I have a title, the Blind Judge, this you are aware of."
Sun Lingtong said: "Then do it."
"The pain of soul search you might not have experienced; it's unimaginable for ordinary people," Qi Bai sneered coldly, "Since you want to try, I'll satisfy you!"
Gripping Sun Lingtong's soul, he entered the house.
He took out a seal, infused it with mana, and threw it into the air.
The seal floated mid-air.
Qi Bai performed an incantation, bowed to the seal: "I humbly invite the Judge of Retribution!"
The seal erupted with majestic ghostly energy, swiftly condensing into a colossal figure.
Divine Summoning Technique—Judge of Retribution!
The ghostly judge, fearsome and malevolent, sat like a deity in a temple, overlooking Sun Lingtong.
The judge's eyes flashed with lightning, penetrating Sun Lingtong's soul, wantonly excavating every inch of memory.
Sun Lingtong couldn't resist, instantly plunging into a realm of darkness.
When he opened his eyes as a child, he saw his master.
His master, filled with love and pity, said to him: "Alas, you're such a glutton. After taking the Youthful Emperor's Elixir, you can only cultivate the Youthful Emperor's Technique."
The memory was forcibly rewound, as if an invisible hand was forcefully pulling back Sun Lingtong's recollections.
Sun Lingtong was in the Flame Demon Melting Cave, staring anxiously at a corner of the Magma Fairy Palace.
"Master, master, why haven't you come out yet?"
The memory was rewound again.
The scene shifted from Fire Persimmon Mountain to an alley in Immortal City.
Sun Lingtong, severely injured and near death, lay on the ground, unnoticed by anyone.
A two-year-old child discovered him, cautiously approached, and then exerted all his strength to drag Sun Lingtong into his home.
The memory flashed again.
Sun Lingtong lay on a bed, weakly gazing at his savior.
The two-year-old child held a bowl, handing it to Sun Lingtong.
"You've finally woken up."
"Drink up!"
"This is the medicine I brewed for you; it helps with your recovery."
Sun Lingtong stared blankly, still processing.
"Little brother, what's your name?"
"I'm Ning Zhuo."
"Where do you live? Do you remember your parents' names?"
Sun Lingtong was touched, subconsciously murmuring: "Master, master..."
The two-year-old Ning Zhuo immediately nodded: "Yes, yes, while you were unconscious, you kept calling for your master. Where is he?"
Sun Lingtong's eyes reddened: "My master didn't come out... I need to find him!"
As he spoke, he tried to get up.
But he was too weak, his palm had no strength to support him, and he fell back onto the bed.
The two-year-old Ning Zhuo quickly came forward to support him, comforting in a babyish voice: "Don't be anxious. If you need to find your master, you can ask your family to help. You should focus on recovering."
Sun Lingtong anxiously said: "My master is my only family in this world! Besides him, I have no other relatives."
The two-year-old Ning Zhuo stood stunned, empathizing deeply, and felt a surge of strong sympathy!
He choked up: "I, I don't have any relatives either. Before I was born, my father died in battle."
"My mother also died not long ago."
"Although I have an uncle, he's very stern; I've never felt he was my family."
Saying this, the two-year-old Ning Zhuo's eyes quickly reddened, and his lips trembled.
Sun Lingtong was startled, feeling uneasy: "Don't cry..."
"Waa!" The next moment, thinking of his sorrows, the two-year-old Ning Zhuo burst into tears.
Sun Lingtong watched, wide-eyed and helpless.
He was saved, but this savior... was a bit special.