The Iron Han Armor spurted out a flame tongue more than a meter long, and in a near-collapse state, propelled the Ice Coffin to gradually accelerate.
The terrifying cold air of the Ice Coffin had severely corroded Ning Zhuo, causing his hands and arms to lose sensation.
The heavy Ice Coffin, under Ning Zhuo’s life-risking push, gained speed like the head of an ice war hammer hurled by The Immortal of Colossal Spirit, smashing through the final distance and plunging into the Wangchuan Tributary.
Plop!
Crack! Crick-crack! Crackle—!!!
Centered around the Ice Coffin, the water of the River of Oblivion instantly froze!
White frost swiftly spread through the tributary, turning the flowing river water into stark white solid ice wherever it reached.
"No!" The Earth Evil God roared, infuriated, charging towards the Wangchuan Tributary.
Luo Si’s fishing rod broke inch by inch in his hand, and he himself half-knelt on the Bronze War Chariot, spitting a mouthful of blood.
Qing Chi had already collapsed in the passageway, exhausted and bleeding from seven orifices, almost dying from overusing her mind. With her last ounce of strength, she struggled to keep her eyes open, finally relaxing and fainting completely when she saw Ning Zhuo successfully push the Ice Coffin into the tributary.
"Success!" Ning Zhuo rejoiced. The Iron Han Armor on him completed its mission, reaching its limit, and with terrifying scars and deformation, it fell off Ning Zhuo piece by piece.
"I’ve frozen the tributary, now I can ascend the altar."
Even with the Earth Evil God pursuing, Ning Zhuo felt joyful.
Because next, there were no defenses left at the altar. He could completely take the initiative, coordinating with Luo Si to constantly distract and harass the Earth Evil God!
But at this moment, the main body of the Lord of Wanchuan in the Wangchuan Tributary suddenly opened his eyes.
He sensed peril and was startled awake from his slumber.
"Hmm?!" In an instant, he understood the situation.
Divine Sense and Mana quickly activated, stirring a shocking wave in the Wangchuan Tributary.
The freezing speed suddenly decreased by eighty percent, facing resistance.
The river surged, forming rushing dark currents, wrapping around the Ice Coffin and pulling it deeper into the water.
The main body of the Lord of Wanchuan in the river sneered coldly: "Good lad, are you my greatest Human Tribulation?"
"Doesn’t seem so!"
"I ought to thank you for returning my Netherworld Flood Dragon Scissors."
Ning Zhuo’s expression changed color.
He suffered from inaccurate information, unaware that the main body of the Lord of Wanchuan was hiding within the tributary.
At a critical moment, the Lord of Wanchuan unexpectedly awoke!
He controlled the Wangchuan Tributary, and with a single move managed the spread of frost. Ning Zhuo’s desperate struggle now seemed like it actively delivered treasure to the Lord of Wanchuan!
The contrast in outcome made Ning Zhuo feel a strong sense of suffocation.
Due to his action, the aura of the Lord of Wanchuan’s main body leaked out.
Transforming Spirit Level!
Two Transforming Spirit Level entities—how is Ning Zhuo, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, supposed to cope?
"Didn’t Grey Bone Elder say I’d face at most Nascent Soul Level opponents? Did he miscalculate?" At this moment, Ning Zhuo once again felt despair.
Wangchuan Immortal City.
City Lord’s Mansion.
A child figure moved swiftly among the bookshelves, small hands continuously touching the resumes on the shelves.
With a touch, the resume disappeared from its original place, transferred into the child’s storage bracelet.
Beside him, the elder Zeng Jide stroked his beard and nodded in satisfaction, commenting, "Your foundation is really solid, boy. The way you perform basic Stealing Technique looks like instinct."
"However, taking so many resumes of Wangchuan Underworld officials is not of much use."
"To make real use of these resumes, the basic requirement is consuming National Power."
"A secondary condition is having a higher official position. Only high-ranking officials can manage lower ones."
"You can’t leverage Wangchuan Country’s power, and you don’t have an official position in Wangchuan Underworld. At most, these resumes are just for intelligence observation."
"But this intel tends to be superficial. If you want to dig deeper into private affairs, you would need either personal investigation or to buy from intelligence organizations."
Sun Lingtong wiped his nose, "Is that so?"
He spoke, while his hands kept moving.
He let out a chuckle, "I think, it’s rare to come here once, and quite a risk has been taken."
"Not stealing some stuff back seems wrong."
"A thief never leaves empty-handed."
"Even if not very valuable, they are useful to Wangchuan Underworld."
"Every time I think about what expression the Lord of Wanchuan would have, seeing an empty bookshelf, I want to laugh."
"Hehehe..."
Zeng Jide was amused too, finding Sun Lingtong increasingly to his liking.
Sun Lingtong scoured all the resumes in this place, then sneaked out with his sect elder.
Zeng Jide led Sun Lingtong, stealthily traversing through the City Lord’s Mansion.
A team of well-equipped patrol cultivators, each deploying different detection methods, marched in orderly steps.
Whether due to the Lord of Wanchuan’s departure or the Painted Skin Rakshasa’s intrusion, they remained fully vigilant, heightening their patrol efforts.
Zeng Jide grabbed Sun Lingtong’s arm, leaping into the air, transforming into a shadow, blending into the low bushes.
Stealing Technique—Shadow Escape!
Sun Lingtong’s mind was struck with awe.
The bush was in plain sight, swept over by more than ten detection methods, yet none discovered the duo from Bukong Sect concealed within.
When the guards rounded the corridor’s end, Zeng Jide acted.
Pulling Sun Lingtong along like an agile cat, he leapt out, then bounced several steps, scaling the wall onto the roof.
This was broad daylight!
The patrolling cultivators never overlooked scanning the rooftops either.
Yet Zeng Jide always took advantage of their detection gaps, opting for the correct action, whether lurking or striding boldly ahead.
When he advanced, he did so openly, daringly, seemingly on the edge.
But he was never detected!
Sun Lingtong widened his eyes, inwardly exclaiming, "What rich experience must one have to achieve such stealth prowess!"
Jumping across rooftops let Zeng Jide and Sun Lingtong swiftly pass through the complex City Lord’s Mansion, swiftly approaching their target.
Zeng Jide still held Sun Lingtong’s arm, hiding in the shadow of an eaves, avoiding several patrol teams.
Sun Lingtong wondered why Zeng Jide suddenly stopped moving; the latter used Divine Sense Transmission to communicate secretly: "This is the place."
Sun Lingtong: ?!
Being so close to Zeng Jide, he hadn’t detected any special methods used, unaware that the latter had already accomplished a building reconnaissance.
Zeng Jide pulled Sun Lingtong up to the roof with silent agility.
Sun Lingtong’s body felt light as paper, like a shadow, closely following Zeng Jide.
Zeng Jide’s slender fingers moved seemingly without purpose on the roof, revealing a small gap only big enough for a lynx.
Zeng Jide ducked in.
Sun Lingtong widened his eyes, witnessing up close how Zeng Jide seemed boneless, his form shrinking freely, weight vanishing, smoothly ’flowing’ into the room.
They landed silently on the tiled floor inside.
Standing upon a small tile, Zeng Jide did not proceed. Sun Lingtong felt his hair stand on end and mimicked him, not daring to move.
For Sun Lingtong knew the Defensive Magic Array inside was intact. Were it him, he’d surely choose a door or window as the breach point, attempting to break the array before advancing step by step.
But Zeng Jide, with skill and daring, infiltrated the core of the array in the King’s City of Wangchuan, within the mansion serving as both City Lord’s Mansion and Monarch’s Royal Court.
Zeng Jide’s cloudy eyes surveyed the room, his lips twitched slightly, showing a trace of disdain.
He extended his hand, conducting void gestures—presses and points—his fingers exuding Spirit Light, stirring gusts in the air.
Within three breaths, he finished.
"Safe." He strode forward confidently.
Sun Lingtong breathed a sigh of relief, started moving freely inside.
Looking around, he recognized a treasure vault. Shelves organized with various treasures, categorized and each holding unique forms.
The more Sun Lingtong observed, the more curious he grew, realizing he knew nothing about these treasures.