Chapter 160: Chapter 49: Young Master Ming

As Wang Ping uttered the Imperial Decree, an invisible pressure over ten zhang wide instantly formed above the mountains ahead. It directly engulfed the range along with the Eagle Demon, forming a gigantic crater in the blink of an eye.

The energy from the Fake Pill inside the Eagle Demon, which had been about to explode, was crushed by the earthly pressure the moment before it could form. Before the demon could even react, it was pulverized.

COUGH, COUGH.

Wang Ping coughed twice. Now that he had advanced to the Second Realm, using the Earth Vein’s Mountain Suppressing Technique caused a slight backlash within him—the discomfort brought about by the mutual restraint of the five elements.

"He was trying to self-detonate to obscure his lingering aura from his retreat. Young Master Ming might be nearby!" Hu Qianqian warned. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Wang Ping had thought of this as well. Just then, he received a transmission from Zuo Xuan. She told him that Zhong Tong was completely gone, with no hope of being saved, and the Gold Spirit Vein in his body was about to run rampant.

"Quick, read his memories!" Wang Ping commanded Zuo Xuan.

"Yes!" Zuo Xuan agreed after only a moment’s hesitation. She knew why Wang Ping was so concerned with Zhong Tong’s memories.

After giving the order to Zuo Xuan, Wang Ping immediately communicated with Yu Lian. Their Qi Seas linked in an instant, and a vast amount of Wood Spirit Qi began to spread from the Spirit Gathering Array around him.

The next moment, twenty Golden Armored Soldiers appeared beside Wang Ping. Each held an iron-bamboo sword, forming a unique killing array.

Then, the ground began to shake. No, that wasn’t right—the trees of the dense forest, for nearly a hundred li, were trembling, causing the earth to move with them. Countless thick tree roots began to grow wildly, rapidly constricting the available space on the ground.

For a time, flocks of birds took flight, and the animals of the forest scrambled in every direction.

After the tremors lasted for more than ten breaths, Zuo Xuan returned to Wang Ping’s side, carrying Zhong Tong’s corpse, which had transformed into Gold Spirit. In front of Wang Ping, she placed the body into her storage bag.

"They’re coming out..."

Hu Qianqian and Yu Lian warned at almost the same time.

From deep within the jungle north of the cliff, three figures shot out. One was a Lizard Demon in chainmail armor. Another was a strange man wearing an iron mask and black leather armor, with arms so long they hung level with his feet. The last was a clean-shaven man with a fair face, dressed in a blue Mystic Sect Robe, who appeared refined and courteous.

The one in the Mystic Sect Robe was none other than Young Master Ming, the very man the Daoist Scripture Hall had been hunting!

The moment Wang Ping saw them, his consciousness spread out rapidly. The Spirit Gathering Array around him flared with light, and the twenty Golden Armor Soldiers immediately formed a killing array and charged. At the same time, he cast an Armor Talisman on himself, Hu Qianqian, and Zuo Xuan.

Young Master Ming, however, summoned six Bronze Grand Clocks. As their chimes echoed, space itself seemed to lock, blocking all twenty Golden Armored Soldiers. Meanwhile, he himself fled rapidly into the distance.

The thought of pursuing alone flashed through Wang Ping’s mind for only an instant before he discarded it. He was confident he could take down Young Master Ming, but a character like that was bound to have desperate, life-risking techniques. Wang Ping had no need to risk his own life over this; a steady and stable approach was fundamental.

’The cautionary tale of Zhong Tong is right before my eyes!’

Once the six bronze clocks were free of Young Master Ming’s control, their power instantly dropped several-fold. Wang Ping barely paid them any mind as the twenty Golden Armor Soldiers broke free from the spatial confinement.

The two cronies who had been with Young Master Ming also made their move...

The Lizard Demon bypassed the six bronze clocks, took a deep breath, and spewed a cloud of black mist from its mouth. The mist was highly toxic, and the moment it touched the air, it dyed the surrounding space gray. The other man removed his iron mask, revealing a bloody, gaping maw that consumed his entire face. His nose, eyes, and ears were nowhere to be seen.

"YIIING," he emitted a strange sound wave, seemingly using it for echolocation.

"These bronze clocks have Sealing Arrays inside them! They’re good stuff!"

Yu Lian’s reminder came just as Wang Ping sensed it himself. At that moment, Hu Qianqian and Zuo Xuan moved to engage the Lizard Demon and the strange creature with only a bloody mouth, respectively.

"Go after that Young Master Ming! He’s heavy with Flesh and Blood Spirituality, which can help the Purgatory Banner evolve!" Tongyu Taoist’s voice rang in Wang Ping’s ear. "Just give me a stream of True Essence. I can subjugate the bronze clocks and Young Master Ming with a single thought!"

’Are you sure?’

"His Taiyin Technique is a pile of dog shit. Don’t worry."

Hearing this, Wang Ping no longer hesitated. He summoned the Purgatory Banner and channeled a stream of True Essence into it.

The next moment, the True Essence passed through the Purgatory Banner and created an invisible tension that enveloped the six bronze clocks. Instantly, the clocks fell to the ground like kites with their strings cut. Wang Ping was overjoyed at the sight. His figure then plunged into the flowing Wood Spirit Qi, streaking across the sky in a flash.

The fleeing Young Master Ming shuddered as Wang Ping locked onto his qi. His head twisted a full one hundred and eighty degrees, and his crimson gaze quickly found Wang Ping, who was now merged with the Wood Spirit Qi.

Wang Ping looked back at him...

As their eyes met, Wang Ping formed a hand seal for a Spell, once again summoning the Purgatory Banner and channeling True Essence into it. The invisible tension expanded again. Across from him, Young Master Ming had just been about to cast some Magic when his blood-red eyes went dim. The next moment, his body, like the bronze clocks before, tumbled toward the ground with inertia.

"YIIING."

The strange creature’s cry rang in Wang Ping’s ears again. He glanced back and saw it was tied up with Hu Qianqian, who was using a strange light that seemed to be searing the creature’s body.

"Quick, go and extinguish his life force! I exploited a weakness in his consciousness, using the Purgatory Banner’s power to vibrate the Taiyin Aura in his body and assault his soul. But it will only last for a short time!"

Tongyu Taoist urged.

Grasping the Purgatory Banner in one hand, Wang Ping’s figure traced a graceful arc through the air, following Young Master Ming’s fall. Young Master Ming landed at the base of a giant tree root that Wang Ping had created earlier while searching for the trio.

’His consciousness is in chaos right now. He’s fighting some kind of internal struggle...’

As Yu Lian’s thought surfaced in his Spirit Sea, one of the Golden Armored Soldiers at Wang Ping’s side stepped forward with a Longsword. With a single strike, it cleaved Young Master Ming’s body in two. Wang Ping then manipulated vines to strip all the storage bags from Young Master Ming.

Afterward, two more Golden Armored Soldiers stepped forward. They severed Young Master Ming’s head and took it in hand, then diced his body into fragments with incredible speed. Nearby roots immediately wrapped around the pieces on the ground, swallowing them and burying them deep underground.

Judging from these fragments, this Young Master Ming really was a puppet!

"A newly advanced Taiyan Cultivator of the Borrowed Fortune Realm..."

The head in the Golden Armored Soldier’s hand began to speak. Its lifeless eyes once again glowed with red light. "How about we make a deal?"

Wang Ping truly hadn’t expected to deal with Young Master Ming so easily. While silently thanking Tongyu Taoist, he directly ignored what Young Master Ming was saying. His body rose rapidly into the air as he formed a hand seal for a Spell, controlling the other Golden Armored Soldiers to go support Zuo Xuan and Hu Qianqian.

The battle was clearly about to end when Young Master Ming spoke again, "Even if you take me back to the Daoist Scripture Hall, no one will dare to punish me. I am a puppet of your Xiao Shan Lord. In a short while, I can just change my identity and regain my freedom. It would be far more profitable for us to make a deal..."