Chapter 117: Solitary Bamboo Mountain

  At that moment, by the escape passage, the Fengdu Guards were still interrogating the ghost cultivator.

  Because of the other party’s Artifact Soul Technique, he had even begun to suspect that Luofu’s insiders were embezzling.

  Contrary to what outsiders might have imagined, Luofu Group was a massive behemoth with vast holdings, and its internal ranks were far from united in purpose.

  The headquarters of Luofu Mountain towered high in the Grand Void Grotto Heaven, while the various branches of Shangzhen (Supreme Truth) devoted themselves exclusively to quiet cultivation, seldom concerning themselves with worldly affairs.

  Beneath Luofu Mountain’s headquarters, countless internal factions—each formed by a myriad of enterprises and companies—sprang up, their presence as ubiquitous as a chain of mountain peaks.

  【True Talisman】 was precisely the rare artifact that the【Zhengyi Power Development Company】 and the faction behind it, the 【Vermillion Radiance Pace】, along with the faction of the 【Surveilnce Bureau】, had jointly excavated from the ruins of a Daoist sect. Thanks to its unusual attributes, it could boost their faction’s influence in a crucial project at 【Luofu Mountain’s Headquarters】.

  This item was like a slice of cake: if the Vermillion Radiance Pace and the Surveilnce Bureau took a bigger bite, everyone else would get less. Naturally, many people did not want to see them succeed.

  Compared to external foes, they guarded themselves even more cautiously against their internal rivals.

  【Speak! Is it the Mysterious Abyss Pace or the Brilliant Truth Hall?】 He intensified the ghostfire, hoping to burn out the secrets buried in the ghost cultivator’s soul.

  “...” The Trigram Mask on the ghost cultivator began to spark with tiny fres, and the soul-light within trembled incessantly. He was clearly on the verge of losing his mind from the Fengdu Guard’s soul-scorching ghostfire.

  But the moment the Trigram Mask cracked, its hidden restriction was triggered. A gloomy light suddenly fshed inside the ghost cultivator’s soul body. With a frenzied roar, he erupted with an extraordinary burst of power, breaking free from the Fengdu Guard’s grip.

  In the next instant, ghostly shadows flickered, grayish-bck deathly qi roiled in eddies, and with a shrill scream, he vaulted into the air, lunging straight at the Fengdu Guard’s face.

  As the ghostly figure pounced, a transparent shield flickered over the Fengdu Guard’s body. Within it, strands of grayish-bck lines emanated a netherworldly aura, trying to block the attack.

  However, with its might enhanced by the hidden restriction, the ghostly figure was frighteningly strong. The Spiritual Artifact-grade shield was instantly destroyed, and the armor pte at his shoulder also cracked. Caught off guard, the Fengdu Guard could only raise his hand and rely on his own spiritual energy to fight back.

  Right then, a beam of spirit light tore through the air, striking the already-shattered armor pte and causing the Fengdu Guard to stumble. The pting on his shoulder burst apart, exposing the flesh beneath.

  Behind him, the martial cultivator—who had been unconscious—rose, gasping for breath. In his only remaining right hand, he held a Spiritlight Gun.

  Blood streamed from the wound on his arm. Gritting his teeth, he mustered his spiritual energy, preparing for another shot.

  But the enraged Fengdu Guard blocked the ghostly figure with one hand and raised a finger with the other. A bolt of pitch-bck, gloomy light detonated the Spiritlight Gun. Nether poison seeped into the martial cultivator’s body, making him cough up blood and colpse, powerless to resist.

  But no matter how formidable and well-equipped the Fengdu Guard was, he couldn’t handle both threats simultaneously. While he was dealing with the martial cultivator, the ghostly figure shrieked, hurled itself forward, and shattered the Fengdu Guard’s spiritual energy barrier, burrowing into the flesh beneath his armor.

  【Aaaaah!!!!】

  Instantly, a chill of deathly corrosion spread, and the Fengdu Guard roared wildly as the freezing rot gnawed into him.

  He temporarily went berserk. Stomping one foot on the ground, he caused the bloodstained rocks to surge in waves. Shockwaves rippled outward, and rolling white mist billowed in all directions.

  —This was bad. With one arm severed and nether poison coursing through him, the martial cultivator felt utter despair. Whether the Fengdu Guard suppressed the ghostly figure or the ghostly figure seized control of his flesh, the martial cultivator was doomed.

  Even if he used the trump card he should never have touched, it would be useless.

  He could barely withstand the aftershocks; soon, he would be crushed into a bloody pulp.

  But just then, a hand grabbed him by the colr and pulled him away.

  In the blink of an eye, he was dragged several streets away, into the interior of a colpsed ruin.

  “Who’s there?!”

  The martial cultivator was both armed and enraged. Though he was weak enough to be dragged away, as soon as he was set down, he quickly turned, on guard, and demanded, “Who are you?!”

  “The one who wants to help you take down the Fengdu Guard.”

  An Jing said bluntly, “You’re the one who brought the Fengdu Guards here, aren’t you? Don’t waste time. In a moment, wait for the right opportunity and coordinate with me. Once we kill that Fengdu Guard, I’ll ask you what’s really happening.”

  “If it turns out you weren’t deliberately using the bck market’s casualties to hide yourself, I’ll spare your life.”

  “Spare my life? You’re quite the righteous one...”

  The martial cultivator had been regarding An Jing solemnly, but suddenly his brow rexed. “So you’re a barbarian... Heh, don’t feel guilty about being dragged into this. The people in this bck market would have died even without my appearance. The Surveilnce Bureau has long been unable to stand the Mysterious Abyss Pace taking interests here that aren’t theirs. These damned mega-corporations and massive groups will seize any chance to act.”

  With that, he gnced toward the Fengdu Guard and said gravely, “This matter doesn’t concern you, so there’s no need for you to fight. After I die, he’ll cim me as his merit and leave. You can then take the hidden tunnel out. The other Fengdu Guards probably won’t bother chasing you.”

  “The people of the Mysterious Abyss Pace are still resisting underground. Holding on for half a day shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “How did you know I’m a barbarian?” An Jing frowned. The martial cultivator ughed. “I tried contacting you using two types of chips just now, but you didn’t react at all. Clearly, you don’t have a chip. Isn’t that exactly what a barbarian is?”

  “You’re just a kid—probably too young to have heard of our Righteous Return Army.”

  Perceiving An Jing’s youth, the martial cultivator’s gaze softened, and the deep lines in his face rexed slightly. “We’re a hidden resistance out in the wilderness, resisting these mega-corporations and Immortal Cultivation cns.”

  “Don’t worry about me harming you. By the principle of universal love, I vow not to deceive you.”

  “Universal love?” An Jing paused, puzzled. He truly knew nothing about the Mysterious Abyss Pace or the Righteous Return Army, though he suspected the former was a faction under the Xuandu Group. As for the tter... it stirred faint echoes of memory from his past life.

  “Solitary Bamboo Mountain Ink Sage inheritance?” the Sword Spirit murmured in realization. “So it’s the Ink Sage’s legacy—no wonder they’re a rebel force.”

  “I’m done for... heh, as long as they don’t get it, that’s all that matters.”

  The martial cultivator took a deep breath, as though something had just clicked for him. Smiling at An Jing, he said, “You can go. You’re a barbarian; they won’t be able to track you. I can give you a chance to escape.”

  “But you must agree to one condition...”

  【No, there’s no chance now】

  Before the martial cultivator could finish, a pitch-bck steel hand reached around the corner of the wall. Five fingers clenched, causing rebar and concrete to crack open with multiple fissures.

  A dark silhouette with crimson eyes emerged from the shadows. The armored humanoid that stepped forward had bck fleshy tendrils twisting over the wound on its shoulder. They writhed and regenerated, radiating a sinister malice.

  The returning Fengdu Guard gnashed his teeth, speaking with a hatred that rose from the depths of his soul: 【All of you insects must die!】

  (End of Chapter)