Chapter 87: Crazy Digging! The Grand Completion of Step Defense!

The next day, at dawn.

Lu Zhangsheng directly commanded the ant swarm, marching grandly toward the bottom of the volcano crater.

Along the way, the ant swarm stretched for several li, frightening the surrounding exotic beasts into a panicked retreat.

Before long, Lu Zhangsheng arrived at the crater's rim.

He no longer hesitated and rushed straight down.

Sss—

A massive ant swarm followed closely, and any lone fire toads they encountered were easily engulfed.

After a half‑cup‑of‑tea's time.

Lu Zhangsheng returned to the edge of the lava river.

Gugugugu—

Scorching gusts rolled over the lava, the air was acrid, and the surroundings glowed with a crimson blaze.

Ribbit—

At that moment, a group of fire toads sensed the movement and leapt out to attack.

The leading fire toad was more than twice the size of a normal fire toad—it was the Fourth Tier Beast King.

The Fire Toad King saw Lu Zhangsheng reappear, its eyes turning blood‑red.

It had kept this treasure‑stealing thief lodged in its memory.

But after only a few months of absence, the opponent's aura had surged dramatically, leaving it rather puzzled.

Gugugugu—

The Fire Toad King did not hesitate; it thrust its hind legs, leapt out of the lava river, and charged at Lu Zhangsheng with fierce momentum.

A massive army of fire toads also surged forward, attacking Lu Zhangsheng.

They stirred up waves of fiery malevolence around them.

Kill.

At his command, Lu Zhangsheng led the ant swarm to strike.

Boom—

The two massive forces collided abruptly, churning up layers of shockwaves.

The violent clash echoed through the cavern, shattering portions of the surrounding rock walls.

Gugu—

The two factions fought bloodily along the lava's edge, soon leaving a heap of corpses.

Because the Ant Tribe poured out en masse, their numbers were overwhelming, and for a moment they were not at a disadvantage.

Although the Ant Tribe were only Second Tier Beasts.

Lu Zhangsheng also confronted the beast king.

Boom—

His whole body flashed, and he swiftly moved to the beast king's side, slashing a claw hard onto its back.

With a single strike, the Fire Toad King was knocked several meters away, its dorsal scales still intact, showing no fatal injury.

Roar—

The Fire Toad King howled in pain repeatedly, its eyes blood‑shot.

It could not comprehend why this treasure‑stealing thief had suddenly become so powerful.

What a hard armor.

Seeing that his claw barely dented the opponent, Lu Zhangsheng couldn't help but praise it.

Having been immersed in lava for so long, its scales had likely undergone some miraculous transformation.

Lu Zhangsheng no longer hesitated and instantly activated his innate skill Soul Pain Strike.

Buzz—

A wave of soul energy surged in his mind, instantly forming an invisible needle that pierced toward the Fire Toad King's mind.

It vanished into the opponent's body in the blink of an eye.

Aaa—

The Fire Toad King, in agony, began trembling all over, curling up on the ground.

Lu Zhangsheng seized the chance and rushed forward.

Bang—

He frantically darted around the opponent, extending his sharp claws to batter the fire toad's body.

Soon, the beast king was left on the brink of death from the torment.

Seizing the moment, Lu Zhangsheng unleashed his innate skill Domination again.

A streak of multicolored light quickly entered the opponent's mind.

Buzz—

The Fire Toad King, clinging to its remaining life, struggled desperately.

Lu Zhangsheng also felt a tremendous resistance.

A moment later.

Aaa—

With a mournful wail, the Fire Toad King collapsed onto the rubble, eyes shut, motionless.

Lu Zhangsheng's eyes flickered at the sight.

This beast king's fierce temperament would rather have its soul shattered than submit.

It seems that my original contract with the fiery Ant Queen succeeded partly due to luck.

Generally, a ruler of any race is extremely hard to enslave.

However, this contract's failure is not a serious problem.

Raising an Ant Tribe requires massive resources, and with the fire toad swarm as well, he cannot handle it.

This Tier 4 mortal body is just perfect for wasteful use; cultivating the Ant Queen with it is also fine.

Lu Zhangsheng scanned the entire scene.

The two factions were still locked in a massive battle.

The battlefield was filled with rolling murderous aura, and corpses of all kinds littered the ground.

The fire toad swarm, seeing their own ruler fall, scattered in all directions to flee.

The Ant Tribe pursued immediately, turning the whole battlefield into a wreck.

Lu Zhangsheng also rushed forward swiftly.

Boom—boom—boom…

Each swipe of his claw killed a fire toad.

Whoosh…

He darted across the battlefield like lightning.

In no time, the ground was strewn with countless corpses.

With his own Tier 4 Mountain Spirit strength, dealing with these Tier 3 ordinary beasts was a one‑sided slaughter.

Time passed slowly; after a little less than half an hour.

Lu Zhangsheng halted, standing atop a massive boulder.

All around were fire toad corpses, dense and quite overwhelming.

Even the surrounding rubble was stained red with blood.

He then ordered the Ant Tribe to sweep the battlefield, dragging all the beast corpses away to feed the Ant Tribe.

The meat of these Tier 3 beasts is excellent.

With it, the Ant Tribe's evolution speed will accelerate greatly.

In the future, the Ant Queen has a good chance of breaking through to Tier 4.

After clearing the battlefield, Lu Zhangsheng did not forget his own plan and acted immediately.

Countless Ant Tribe members surged outward in a grand search, quite spectacular.

Lu Zhangsheng stayed, quietly lying on the boulder, waiting.

One hour later.

A lone Ant Tribe member returned to the lava edge, approached Lu Zhangsheng, and held a large amount of Fire Crystal Stone in its mouth.

Source Energy Points +1.

Source Energy Points +5.

Source Energy Points +5.

…

Seeing the Source Energy Points surge on the panel made Lu Zhangsheng quite pleased.

It was not in vain that he spent a full two months to claim this treasure land.

Now is the time to reap the harvest.

From now on, he intends to stay here until the treasure is completely excavated.

……

A few days later.

Changping County.

In a study, Lu Zhangsheng sat upright in a chair.

He opened the panel.

Source Energy Points: 480.

After several days of gathering, his resources again met the upgrade requirement.

These days he has been extremely low‑key, even reducing his outings considerably.

Today he finally amassed enough Source Energy Points.

Without hesitation, he immediately moved toward the plus sign behind the footwork.

Buzz…

As the Source Energy Points decreased by four hundred.

A subtle wave instantly descended into the depths of his mind.

It seemed as if a peerless master were rehearsing the footwork in his mind.

【After years of arduous cultivation, Cloud‑Mist Steps have finally reached great attainment…】 A moment later.

Lu Zhangsheng slowly opened his eyes, gathering his internal Qi and blood.

He immediately began to verify.

His steps barely shifted, and his whole body seemed to turn into a wisp of cloud, swiftly traversing the room.

Countless after‑images appeared indoors, their speed terrifying.

Whoosh…

At that moment, he halted instantly, and the massive after‑images around him returned to his body from all directions.

After this footwork breakthrough, his speed increased by another twenty percent.

Even if some blood‑replacement is complete, it would still be hard to catch up with me.

For him, the upcoming Patrol Envoy mission's safety has greatly increased.

However, Lu Zhangsheng did not immediately set out of the city for patrol; he stayed at home, awaiting the arrival of Source Energy Points.

Although rumors circulated outside, many aristocratic warriors claimed that Lu Zhangsheng, fearing death, had long hidden at home and refused to carry out missions.

Lu Zhangsheng paid it no heed.

Even his direct superior Qin Ruobing had no comment; some people's motives were clearly rather sinister.

Warriors from several major families were all looking forward to his downfall.

In the following days, Lu Zhangsheng spent his days idly wandering the city; when bored, he drank at the Yue Lai Restaurant, sitting there for an entire day, quite leisurely.

Seeing his Source Energy Points rise daily made him very satisfied.

In just a few more days he could level up again.

Naturally, he would not choose to leave the city for patrol at this moment.

That day, at dawn.

Yue Lai Restaurant.

Lu Zhangsheng sat in a window‑side corner on the second floor, sipping a small drink, his face full of contentment.

As the most luxurious restaurant in the inner city, it stood in the bustling district, seemingly a world apart from the outskirts.

He quietly watched the crowd outside the window, savoring the bustling city's splendor with his drink, even his restless spirit seemed considerably soothed.

Long‑term battles and bloodshed inevitably left a trace of brutality within him.

After these days of recuperation, his spirit gradually steadied.

The martial path requires tension and release; a brief rest is extremely beneficial to cultivation.

At that moment.

"Dong dong dong…"

Footsteps echoed, and a figure hurried up to the second floor.

Soon it arrived before Lu Zhangsheng.

A beautiful woman appeared, none other than Yue Shulan.

She wore a flowing pink gown, standing proudly.

"Brother Lu, hurry to the Zhen Yao Si Office…"

Yue Shulan's face was rather anxious.

These days she had often come to find Lu Zhangsheng, so she naturally knew he was drinking here.

Lu Zhangsheng was rather puzzled, not knowing what had happened.

He had been continuously training, gathering Spiritual Creatures, and paid little attention to external news.

Soon the two left the restaurant, hurrying toward the Zhen Yao Si Office.

But when they arrived at the Zhen Yao Si Office, the venue was already packed with people.

Three FuduDianZhu stood prominently, their faces ashen, on the stage.

Everyone present was on edge, the atmosphere extremely oppressive.

Following the crowd's gaze, Lu Zhangsheng saw a headless corpse lying quietly on the ground.

The body wore a DemonSubduingOffice official robe, its cuffs edged in gold; it was clearly a Xuan‑grade ZhenYaosi.

At this moment, XiaoTiansi spoke coldly:

"This person was a Patrol Envoy under my command, slain by cultists outside the city; the corpse was delivered inside today."

"It is said that the First Yuhunshi dealt the killing blow."

He was seething with anger; months ago, after a Patrol Envoy under him was slain, he had promoted another to the position.

He did not expect that within a few short months, it would be slain again.

Why is he always the one getting hurt?

The two weakest Patrol Envoys under Qin Ruobing remained unharmed, which puzzled him greatly.

Everyone present turned furious upon hearing this.

They had killed a person and sent the corpse back—a blatant provocation.

Lu Zhangsheng also held a brief moment of silence for them.

He feared this person had set a trap for him.

After he killed the Yuhunshi Liao Jinping, the other side would surely retaliate wildly.

As it turned out, he had been staying home mining, and a Patrol Envoy under XiaoTiansi happened to encounter him.

"In the future, killing a Yuhunshi will not only earn points but also grant an extra major achievement."

At this moment, Qin Ruobing spoke in a grim tone, her gaze sweeping the crowd, full of authority.

"We await your command."

Everyone present felt their bodies tighten and bowed in unison.

In the center, Chen Zhanpeng wore a confident expression.

Now was his moment; if he could kill a few more Yuhunshi, his promotion to FuduDianZhu would be imminent.

Beside him, Zhu Houyu's eyes flashed with brilliance.

He, too, had undergone blood‑replacement power and kept his thoughts deeply concealed.

Soon, the crowd dispersed.

In the following days, the news of a Patrol Envoy being slain and the corpse returned to the Zhen Yao Si Office spread throughout the county.

Many warriors were incensed; those cultists were far too rampant, killing and even trying to corrupt hearts.

At the same time, many martial artists began shouting from afar, hoping the mysterious expert inside the city would strike again, slay the Yuhunshi, and give them a lesson.

After a few days passed with no news, many martial artists were quite disappointed.

Lu Zhangsheng also learned of some turmoil within the city, but he paid no heed; instead, he grew even calmer, beginning to wait quietly for the right moment.

If he acted rashly and fell into a trap, it would be troublesome.

Prey and hunter are often separated by a single thought.

…………

The four great clans, the Zhu family manor.

"Regarding this promotion to FuduDianZhu, are you confident?"

"Father, rest assured, Chen Zhanpeng is always ostentatious; I have some idea of his general strength."

"With my strength, I will surely surpass him by a notch; once he is defeated by the First Yuhunshi, I can then turn the tide and naturally reap great prestige and supporters…"

Zhu Houyu smiled faintly, a mysterious glint in his eyes; he had simulated this plan many times in his mind.

He has always kept a low profile; although he had already reached blood-exchange strength, he remained somewhat weaker than Chen Zhanpeng.

This time, he is determined to secure the position of FuduDianZhu candidate.

"The old ghost of the Chen family's Spiritual Creature is likely to come to nothing."

An old man smiled faintly, quite pleased with himself.

The four great clans are also in competition; as long as one's own child attains the position of FuduDianZhu, the whole family will reap great benefits.

…………

Seven days later.

Late at night, silent as water.

Lu Zhangsheng sat quietly in the study, opening the panel.

Source Energy Points: 520.

After several days of the ant colony digging day and night, I can finally upgrade my skills again.

After this upgrade, I can begin to push for perfection in Bone-forging.

With his perfect-tier breakthrough, he will surely possess the strength of an initial Blood Exchange realm cultivator by then.

He no longer hesitated, immediately directing his efforts toward the 【Great Cauldron Technique】.

"Humm…"

A surge in his mind descended once more, a figure training day and night, as if never ceasing.

"After years of your arduous practice, you have finally brought the Great Cauldron Technique to great accomplishment."

With a series of clear prompt sounds, this upgrade officially ended.

Lu Zhangsheng immediately walked out to the courtyard, preparing to test it.

Outside the courtyard, pure moonlight fell, as if laying a silvery gauze over the surrounding houses.

Lu Zhangsheng stood in the courtyard and immediately activated his defensive technique.

"Sizzle…"

A huge cauldron instantly appeared above his head, enveloping him, with radiant light flashing on the cauldron.

He drew the Pig Slaughter Knife and swiftly slashed at the cauldron.

"Boom boom boom…"

Violent booming echoed throughout the courtyard; the cauldron continued to spin above his head, showing no sign of being breached.

"What formidable defensive power."

Lu Zhangsheng was quite satisfied.

In this test, he used three layers of force, yet could not budge this blood-energy great cauldron in the slightest.

After breaking through to great accomplishment, his defensive power increased by roughly thirty percent.

(End of chapter)