“Are you suggesting I join your ranks, senior? I’m sorry, but I have no grand ambitions. I prefer a life of freedom and ease, so I must once again decline your kind offer,” Yuan Ming said, shaking his head politely in refusal. “Countless rogue cultivators wish to join Changchun Temple, yet you’ve rejected the offer time and again. Truly worthy of your reputation as a genius Foundation Establishment cultivator from Leizhou. Pu Zhengqing, Gu Qiulong, and Xu Changqing all fell at your hands, didn’t they?” Zuo Qinghui remarked casually, dropping a bombshell. Yuan Ming’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, but he quickly regained his composure. However, the fleeting change in his expression did not escape Zuo Qinghui’s notice. “Your actions have been discreet, but there are always traces to follow. A careful investigation and a bit of speculation reveal many clues at Precious Spirit Sect and Guangli Sanmeng,” Zuo Qinghui said indifferently.

Yuan Ming’s face remained unchanged, but his heart sank. Ever since he arrived in Xiaohu City, he had been extremely cautious. The only slip-ups were when he impersonated Xu Changqing’s disciple to collect a penalty fee at Guangli Sanmeng and when he went to Precious Spirit Sect to authenticate a Winged Bird Egg. Zuo Qinghui mentioned these two places right off the bat, indicating that he had thoroughly investigated the matter. “I don’t understand what you mean, senior. I did kill Pu Zhengqing, but as for Xu Changqing and Gu Qiulong, I’ve never even heard of them,” Yuan Ming denied outright. If Zuo Qinghui was recording their conversation with a treasure, his guilt would be set in stone. Still, Yuan Ming was puzzled about Zuo Qinghui’s intentions. With his Nascent Soul stage cultivation, if he had come to capture Yuan Ming, he would have acted by now. Why was he merely engaging in idle chatter? “There’s no need to keep up this act, young friend. You don’t have to worry; I have no connection to Xu Changqing. If you’re willing to pay a price, I can help you cover this up,” Zuo Qinghui hinted, tapping the table beside him and speaking through a voice transmission. “What exactly do you want me to do, senior?” Yuan Ming asked after a moment of silence, replying through a voice transmission. “I’m in need of some spirit stones. Give me the earnings from Xuanhua Spiritual Incense Shop over the past few years, along with Pu Zhengqing’s bounty, and I’ll make sure Xu Changqing’s death is pinned on Pu Zhengqing,” Zuo Qinghui said, no longer hiding his intentions.

Yuan Ming felt a slight relief. Although the hundred thousand spirit stones he had obtained from Sha Hao were nearly depleted, the shop had made some profit over the years, and after accounting for the cost of artifact refining, there was still some left. If Zuo Qinghui only wanted some spirit stones, Yuan Ming could scrape together the amount needed to make a deal. “My cultivation expenses over the past few years have been substantial, and the business in Wangyue City has been mediocre. Give me some time, and I should be able to gather thirty-five thousand spirit stones,” Yuan Ming said. “Three days, fifty thousand spirit stones,” Zuo Qinghui demanded with a frown, in a tone that brooked no refusal. Yuan Ming calculated in his mind, planning to send Zuo Qinghui away and leave Wangyue City immediately. Just then, two streaks of golden light shot out from the opposite side—it was Zuo Qinghui making a gesture. Yuan Ming’s expression changed drastically as he quickly dodged backward, but it was too late. One of the golden lights struck his right arm and disappeared without a trace. Yuan Ming quickly examined his arm, which bore no marks; the golden light seemed to have merged into his body. “What do you mean by this, senior?” Yuan Ming asked gravely. “Why so angry, young friend? It’s just a magical imprint I’ve placed within you,” Zuo Qinghui replied, retracting his finger nonchalantly.

Yuan Ming’s face turned sour as he channeled his spiritual consciousness through his right arm and the rest of his body in a rapid search, but he found nothing. “I’ve already agreed to give you the spirit stones, why do you still do this?” Knowing Zuo Qinghui was not easy to dismiss, Yuan Ming suppressed his anger and asked. “You’re feigning ignorance, young friend. Now that we’re in this together, I did this to solidify our relationship and make future interactions more convenient,” Zuo Qinghui chuckled. “Future interactions?” Yuan Ming furrowed his brows. “Of course. You don’t think you’re the only one in Changchun Temple looking into Xu Changqing’s death, do you? Many are watching this matter. To keep it hidden for long, I need to grease some palms. Here’s the deal: we’ll split the profits from the spiritual incense shop seventy-thirty, and I’ll handle any issues from Changchun Temple, ensuring your safety,” Zuo Qinghui said smugly.

Yuan Ming was fuming with anger, barely resisting the urge to punch Zuo Qinghui’s smug face. Xu Changqing was just an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator from Changchun Temple, and sending a Nascent Soul cultivator like Zuo Qinghui to investigate his death was already making a big deal out of it. How could there be others assigned to the case? It was clear that Zuo Qinghui was eyeing the profits from the spiritual incense shop. His greed knew no bounds; not satisfied with extorting fifty thousand spirit stones, he was planning to squeeze future earnings from the shop, clearly aiming to blackmail Yuan Ming over the long term. “Additionally,”

“the two people in your shop are too weak to ensure its safety. I’ll send a couple of disciples to help out soon. Don’t thank me; helping you is helping myself,” Zuo Qinghui said as he stood up, strolling around the inner hall as if inspecting his own property. Yuan Ming, with his back to Zuo Qinghui, had a flash of murderous intent in his eyes. He had already retreated step by step, yet Zuo Qinghui was relentlessly pressing on, even planning to send people to watch over him! Yuan Ming exhaled quietly, his gaze quickly returning to calm, without a ripple.

“Alright, but you must swear by your inner demon not to tell a third person about Xu Changqing’s matter,” he sighed, seemingly conceding. Zuo Qinghui, seeing Yuan Ming’s retreat, was secretly pleased and immediately swore an oath. “Since we’ve reached an agreement, please wait here, senior. I’ll be right back,” Yuan Ming said. “Didn’t I give you three days? How can you produce the spirit stones now?” Zuo Qinghui asked with raised eyebrows. “Since senior is in urgent need of spirit stones, I’ve just calculated that I have some stored in my cave dwelling, along with various materials and artifacts. I’ll retrieve them for your inspection, and if you wish to convert them into spirit stones, I can immediately find a place to exchange them,” Yuan Ming replied. “I heard from that kid named Hu Zhao that you’ve been living and cultivating in the Wangyue Mountain Range outside the city. I’ll accompany you. I happen to have a powerful formation that can be set up around your cave dwelling to strengthen its defenses,” Zuo Qinghui said, looking at Yuan Ming indifferently as he stood up. Yuan Ming didn’t speak and walked outside. The two quickly left Wangyue City and arrived at Yuan Ming’s cave dwelling.

Yuan Ming had already stopped the Five Elements Illusionary Formation and set it to a dormant state, revealing the entrance to his cave dwelling. He pushed the door open and walked in. Zuo Qinghui spread his spiritual consciousness around, sensing only a faint aura of a formation around the cave dwelling, and entered with peace of mind. “This cave dwelling of yours looks decent, but the formation setup is too rudimentary. Let me lend you a hand,” Zuo Qinghui said, walking around the cave dwelling. Yuan Ming remained silent, heading towards his cultivation chamber, passing by the medicinal garden. Zuo Qinghui paused when he saw the various spiritual herbs in the garden. He paid no attention to the others, but his eyes lit up when he saw the Windchaser Flowers, shifting his focus away from Yuan Ming. Yuan Ming immediately channeled his spiritual power into his storage ring, activating the command flags of the Five Elements Illusionary Formation. A loud rumbling sound erupted as red, green, yellow, blue, and gold lights burst forth in the cave dwelling, quickly intensifying. Zuo Qinghui was taken aback and turned around, only to find nothing behind him. Yuan Ming’s figure had already shot out, heading straight for the cave dwelling’s exit. “You’re courting death, boy!” Zuo Qinghui roared in anger, sweeping his sleeve. A two-foot-long golden ruler shot out, covered in star-like silver dots, emitting astonishing spiritual power fluctuations, far surpassing any top-grade magical artifact. The golden ruler flew towards Yuan Ming’s back like lightning, reaching him in the blink of an eye. A treasure! Yuan Ming’s pupils dilated, and he immediately raised his hands behind him. The Dragon Scale Shield and a turtle-shell-like black shield flew out, blocking his back.

Over the past five years, Yuan Ming’s artifact refining skills had improved significantly, and he could occasionally craft high-grade magical artifacts. The black shield was one of his best creations, and although its defensive power was not as strong as the Dragon Scale Shield, it wasn’t far behind. However, he knew that two high-grade magical artifacts alone couldn’t withstand the attack of a treasure. He stretched his arms back, and a golden inner armor flew out to meet the golden ruler behind him. Yuan Ming didn’t stop there; the Silver Light Pearl, a green poisonous flying sword, a black short sword obtained from Sha Hao, the Cold Star Sword, and other magical artifacts flew out from his sleeves, attacking Zuo Qinghui from all directions.

“An ant shaking a tree, utterly laughable!” Zuo Qinghui’s face showed a grim expression as he formed a hand seal. The golden ruler suddenly split into several ruler shadows, meeting the Silver Light Pearl and other objects. With a “snap,” the ruler shadow cleaved the Silver Light Pearl in two, dispersing all its spiritual power. The other magical artifacts fared no better, shattering upon contact with the golden ruler shadows as if they were eggs striking stone. The golden ruler itself struck the two shields, piercing through effortlessly and hitting the golden inner armor. The inner armor was also penetrated with a “puff,” but as a top-grade magical artifact, it slightly slowed the golden ruler’s speed. Yuan Ming felt no regret for the destruction of his magical artifacts. He slapped his spirit beast bag at his waist. A white shadow flashed, and the white ape appeared in its four-armed form, the staff in its hands shining with yellow light as it struck the golden ruler with a fan-shaped ripple of yellow light.

With a “clang,” the staff exploded into countless pieces. The golden ruler’s trajectory shifted slightly, piercing one of the white ape’s arms, easily penetrating its armor, and then through its limb. The Vajra ape’s eyes turned blood-red as it let out a furious roar, its newly grown arms stretching out with afterimages, striking the golden ruler. Its fists had turned completely golden, and where they passed, the void rumbled like thunder, hitting the golden ruler with a tremendous boom. The golden ruler was finally knocked away, and the white ape’s fists fractured, its large body flying backward. Yuan Ming’s figure swayed, and he released a green light from his sleeve, wrapping around the white ape and pulling it back into the spirit beast bag. At the same time, the surrounding colorful lights suddenly intensified, and countless illusions of flames, giant trees, boulders, and more emerged, engulfing everything.