107: escape

Not long after.

A tall, burly man, clad in black Xuan armor with a ferocious beast head carved on his chest plate, descended upon the location.

Perhaps having just emerged from a battle, his Aura had not fully receded, and his mere presence exuded an intense oppressive feeling.

Sikong Ming surveyed the surroundings, then looked at Yuan Hong and asked.

“Where is he?”

Yuan Hong respectfully bowed and replied, “Reporting to Commander, this person is the shopkeeper of Ink Talisman Pavilion in the outer city. However, he was severely injured, so your subordinate allowed him to return and heal first.”

After speaking, he pondered for a moment and continued, “Do you need me to call him back?”

Sikong Ming waved his hand.

“Not for now. However, this person is indeed extraordinary. To endure so long against Old Devil Helian without dying, he has some capability.”

Yuan Hong explained, “This person should be a pure Body Cultivator. Your subordinate previously witnessed his Physical Body's strength; it is indeed remarkable.”

Sikong Ming nodded upon hearing this, then said.

“In the future, pay more attention to this person. It would be best to investigate him. If his background is clean and his character is also good, we can consider recruiting him into our Black Armored Guards.”

Yuan Hong hadn't expected the Commander to think so highly of this person.

However, since it was the Commander's order, he would simply execute it.

Then, remembering something, Yuan Hong inquired, “Commander, how is Old Devil Helian?”

“He wasn't captured. He used a life-burning secret art to escape, but he's also half-crippled and won't be able to cause trouble again.”

Yuan Hong was about to ask something else when a Cultivator from the Law Enforcement Team suddenly reported.

“Reporting, Commander, several people in the city have suddenly died mysteriously, turning into mummified corpses. According to your subordinate's investigation, the deaths were caused by the exhaustion of essence, Qi, and spirit, suspected to be the work of a Demonic Cultivator.”

“Hmph, recently, this Immortal City has truly been plagued by too many demons and monsters. First there was Zhao Tiancheng, then Helian Cheng, and now these demonic brats are causing trouble again. Do they really think our Immortal City is easy to bully?”

Before Yuan Hong could speak, Sikong Ming, who was beside him, let out a cold snort.

“Put aside your current tasks for now. Focus all efforts on apprehending the rogue Cultivators and Demonic Cultivators in the Immortal City. Once caught, execute them all. There’s no need to report to me.”

“Yes!”

Yuan Hong accepted the order and departed, and the original plan to investigate Han Feiyu was put on hold.

......

Inside the Immortal Cave.

At this moment, Lu Ming had the shang yu cloud crane furnace placed before him, and the Puppet was sitting cross-legged within it.

He continuously changed his hand seals, and the Spiritual Fire within the Pill Furnace blazed fiercely, transforming into a foot-long fiery Dragon that enveloped various Spiritual materials and Spiritual ores.

As time passed, various Spiritual objects were melted and purified, transforming into Spiritual liquid shimmering with a Spiritual Aura.

Lu Ming then injected the refined Spiritual liquid into the Puppet, beginning to repair its injured wounds.

After a period of busy work, Lu Ming finally breathed a sigh of relief, looking at the Puppet before him, which was now as good as new.

“A Foundation Establishment Stage Grand Cultivator is indeed formidable.”

Puppets, unlike living beings, are tough and very durable.

However, Helian Cheng's sneak attack still caused the Puppet considerable injury.

If not for the Talisman suppressing it, the corpse Qi would have long been uncontrollable.

It was also fortunate to have met Yuan Hong; this elder brother was relatively easy to talk to.

If it had been anyone else, they would likely have been persistent and possibly taken advantage of the situation.

No matter what, that was a Spiritual Artifact, and it was not guaranteed that someone wouldn't have harbored ill intentions.

Killing for treasure, and in the end, they might even frame you with a baseless charge.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly.

“Next, I'll just calmly wait for the auction to begin!”

Currently, his cultivation was at the Qi Refining Stage Ninth Level, and he had acquired second-tier Cultivation Techniques and Spells.

If not for the sake of stability, he could actually have already attempted to Breakthrough the Foundation Establishment Bottleneck.

Therefore, before attending the auction, his true self did not plan to leave the house, leaving everything to the Puppet to handle.

Lu Ming opened the golden book, looking at the name [Helian Cheng] on it, which was very dim, and his gaze deepened.

He escaped, huh...

A cruel smile curved Lu Ming's lips.

“Can you really escape?!”

Although he didn't know how Helian Cheng had targeted him, it no longer mattered.

This was a mortal enmity. If Lu Ming didn't retaliate, wouldn't his cultivation of the Dao have been in vain?

Selecting [Helian Cheng], Lu Ming closed his eyes and began to circulate his Cultivation Technique.

The Demonic Bloodspring Method and the Yin Lotus Mother-Child Twin Birth Method circulated.

In the Void Realm of the Immortal Cave, it was as if a passage had opened from another dimension.

Endless Blood Qi and Divine Soul power surged out, pouring into Lu Ming's body.

Lu Ming's Aura also slowly rose at a steady pace.

...

...

Outside the Immortal City.

A rainbow light streaked across the sky, crashing into the depths of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range.

At this moment, Helian Cheng looked extremely disheveled, with blood at the corners of his mouth and a pale face, but he was still fleeing at top speed.

He didn't know if Sikong Ming was pursuing him, so he could only desperately run.

“Damn ant, to make this Old Ancestor suffer such a great loss!”

If Sikong Ming hadn't intervened, he might have already dealt with that Qi Refining ant and obtained the Spiritual Artifact.

That Spiritual Artifact Pill Furnace was definitely not that simple! Helian Cheng was now realizing this.

It appeared to be merely a Low Grade second-tier Spiritual Artifact, yet it could withstand his fierce attacks, not only remaining completely intact but also protecting the Qi Refining Cultivator inside. It was probably not that simple.

The greed in Helian Cheng's eyes grew stronger, then dimmed again.

Unfortunately, to escape from Sikong Ming, he not only used his ultimate trump card but also performed a Blood Sacrifice secret art.

Now, his condition was very poor, and he urgently needed to find a quiet place to enter seclusion and recuperate.

He no longer had the mind to bother with that ant; he could only wait for an opportunity to retaliate in the future.

“Hmph, just consider it being kept safe for this Old Ancestor!”

Helian Cheng was thinking fiercely.

Roar!

At this moment, a heaven-shaking beast roar suddenly erupted from the jungle in the mountain range below.

Helian Cheng looked in the direction of the sound, only to see a ferocious giant beast, as massive as a small mountain, covered in thick, spiky scales, its surface riddled with grooves, and a pair of enormous horns on its head, staring intently at him with crimson eyes.

Its eyes flickered with a bloodthirsty gleam, revealing a fierce and violent expression.

Helian Cheng's face changed; he had been so focused on fleeing that he forgot to watch where he was going.

Somehow, he had stumbled into the territory of a second-tier Yao Beast, and was now being treated as an intruder.

Helian Cheng did not fear this Yao Beast, but he also did not want to cause unnecessary trouble. Just as he was about to change direction and escape, the giant beast below let out another roar.

A dark energy orb quickly gathered between its two enormous horns, and then a black light shot through.

Although Helian Cheng was severely injured, he was still a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Cultivator.

While he was brutally defeated by Sikong Ming, for a mere Yao Beast to think it could injure him was truly a dream!

A cold sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he immediately summoned his Spiritual Artifact, the 'Dark Flame Dharma Wheel', intending to block the giant beast's attack.

But suddenly, his face drastically changed.

His already unstable Aura became even more erratic.

He felt his vital Qi and Blood, and Divine Soul power rapidly draining from his body.

His magic power also became stagnant at this moment.