Chapter 137

Sun Lingtong flashed repeatedly, using talismans to seal the two demonic cultivators, the Hook-Nosed Man and the Triangular-Eyed Man.

Afterward, he leaped lightly and arrived before Han Ming.

He picked up Han Ming's head, spiritual light blooming in his eyes: "Tell me, how did they find you?"

"You were clearly imprisoned in the underground iron cell; how did you send out a plea for help?"

Because Han Ming practiced the Immortal Zombie Transformation Method, even with her head detached from her body, she could still linger on for a period of time.

Her face was full of panic: "Don't kill me, I am a disciple of the Soul-Devouring Sect. If you kill me, you will be planted with a soul mark, and the Soul-Devouring Sect will not spare you!"

Sun Lingtong sneered, his murderous intent fully revealed: "You and I are already mortal enemies; why would I fear a mere soul mark?"

Han Ming screamed: "No, don't kill me."

"I'll tell you."

"But you cannot kill me! I, I have utility value; I can help you improve the foundation of your soul!"

"Speak!" Sun Lingtong felt an inexplicable irritability; he gave a low shout, becoming impatient.

"I can tell you." Suddenly, a voice came from behind Sun Lingtong.

In an instant, without even thinking, he executed the Space-Piercing Technique.

But his body remained in place, without any movement.

"Why can I view my body from afar?" The strange angle made Sun Lingtong incredibly terrified.

After he reacted, he was horrified to discover: his soul had been extracted from his flesh and was being held by the throat by a mysterious cultivator, suspended in mid-air!

Sun Lingtong turned his head to look and saw a tall, thin man with black hair smiling at him.

The man was in a black robe, his hair disheveled.

He had no pupils; his eye sockets were entirely white.

Sun Lingtong shuddered, thinking of a piece of information in his memory, and blurted out, revealing the man's identity: "'Blind Judge' Qi Bai?"

The black-clad man Qi Bai smiled lightly, the breath from his nose and mouth chillingly cold: "You know me? That saves me some breath."

"Outer disciple Han Ming pays respects to the True Inheritor!" Han Ming was incredibly excited; she had not expected the rescue to arrive so quickly.

She had originally thought she was facing death, but she had not expected to find a way out of a desperate situation!

Sun Lingtong's physical body hung its head, standing in place, motionless.

His soul was pinched by Qi Bai, becoming a prisoner: "Qi Bai, you are a dignified Jin Dan, a True Inheritor of the Soul-Devouring Sect; you, you had long been eyeing Fire Persimmon Immortal City, which is why you appeared in time."

Qi Bai smiled again: "You are very smart, that is very good; I like communicating with smart people."

"That's right."

"Our Soul-Devouring Sect has always been secretly watching Fire Persimmon Mountain."

"Fire Persimmon Mountain was once a land of evil; countless volcanic eruptions buried countless living beings. The spiritual energy, earth flames, and other heavenly treasures caused by the eruptions, as well as the incredibly fertile soil, would gradually attract living beings to gather here. Then, one day, the volcano would erupt again, creating a slaughterhouse where hundreds of millions of lives perished miserably."

"Tell me, is this not a murder of all living things carefully planned by heaven and earth?"

Qi Bai paused and continued: "From ancient times to the present, how many lives have died in Fire Persimmon Mountain. Even if their souls scattered, the residual soul essence still accumulated, forming an immeasurable soul treasury."

"Why do red-flame demonic beasts emerge endlessly within Fire Persimmon Mountain? It is because their souls are smelted by earth flames, turning into new seeds, blooming the flower of life again in the form of demonic beasts."

"This should have been a blessed land for our Soul-Devouring Sect, the best branch station."

"Unfortunately, the Three Sects' Shangren left the Molten Rock Immortal Palace here, and the Nandou Dynasty built an immortal city here."

"Most people are staring at the Molten Rock Immortal Palace, but compared to that, our sect values more the immeasurable soul treasury hidden deep within Fire Persimmon Mountain."

When Qi Bai said this, he looked up at the mountain peak, revealing a mixture of greed, curiosity, and longing.

Han Ming couldn't help but call for help: "Lord Qi Bai, save me!"

"Don't be impatient." Qi Bai extended a finger and flicked it lightly, capturing the souls of the three people defeated by the Soul-Devouring Sect.

Seeing him do this so easily, Sun Lingtong couldn't help but say: "As expected of the Blind Judge, you have truly practiced the Soul-Capturing Technique to the extreme; you have mastered a divine ability seed while still in the Jin Dan stage."

If it were an ordinary spell, Sun Lingtong might have had a glimmer of possibility under Qi Bai's sneak attack to dodge via the Space-Piercing Technique.

But the divine ability seed level Soul-Capturing Technique directly made Sun Lingtong a prisoner.

The souls of the three defeated people floated in the air; the Hook-Nosed Man and the Triangular-Eyed Man, having reacted, were overjoyed and bowed to Qi Bai.

Qi Bai said: "Our sect is a major demonic sect; this time, the three of you joined forces but lost to one person; if this spreads, it will inevitably damage our sect's prestige."

"If I hadn't acted in time, your deaths would have been a foregone conclusion."

"Tell me, where did you lose this time? If you speak reasonably, I will save your lives."

"If it makes no sense, then I will stand by and watch. If you die at the hands of others, the sect's laws cannot trouble me."

"I'll say, I'll say!" The Hook-Nosed Man was the first to speak, "I was paralyzed by carelessness; I never thought this Sun thief would have the ability to steal the power of the immortal city's great array."

"The array he set up in his own courtyard, I had already looked at; it was unremarkable."

"But perhaps this was a disguise he deliberately set up; in reality, this small courtyard-protecting array could connect to the immortal city's great array."

"Exactly so; I set up an array in the courtyard, and as time dragged on, it gradually agitated the small array, which indirectly triggered the great array. The immortal city's great array's power was vast and mighty, breaking my array from the outside in, causing me to suffer a fierce backlash."

"Not bad." Qi Bai nodded, "Go back."

With his light words, the Hook-Nosed Man's soul flew back into his body, and he woke up in the blink of an eye.

"Let me speak." The Triangular-Eyed Man hurriedly responded, "We lost due to internal friction."

"If the three of us had made a concerted effort and cooperated sincerely, we could have taken Sun Lingtong down long ago."

"It was just that the two of us were resentful of Han Ming's arrogance and willfully stopped, giving the enemy a chance to breathe."

Qi Bai nodded: "You did not see the latter part of the battle and still misjudged Sun Lingtong's combat power. However, what you said is also a reason for the defeat. Go back."

"Thank you, my lord!" The Triangular-Eyed Man was incredibly happy; the next moment his soul returned to his body, and he crawled up.

"Han Ming, what are your thoughts?" Qi Bai looked at Han Ming's soul.

"Hateful!!" Han Ming's soul hid resentment, "This Qi Bai is merely trying to use this to beat me down and make me submit to him!"

Han Ming saw through Qi Bai's purpose.

She was a proud person.

Likewise, she was also a pragmatic person.

If she hadn't been saved, she would have submitted to the Chui Tiao Ke. After being saved, her first thought was to settle accounts with the Chui Tiao Ke!

The luck field of sitting on the mountain watching the tigers fight fully stimulated Han Ming's vengeful mentality, making her disregard the risks involved.

Now, being forced by Qi Bai, she instantly realized she was being used as a gun, reduced to a pawn to probe the path ahead.

Qi Bai wanted to use this to force her to submit and be used by him.

"Essentially, what is the difference between this and how the Chui Tiao Ke treated me?!"

"Let them bite each other like dogs!"

"One is an immortal talent, the other is a Jin Dan cultivator, hehe!"

Thinking of this, Han Ming first feigned an answer: "I lost because I was too eager for revenge, leading to a mental imbalance..."

"Isn't it because your strength was insufficient?" Qi Bai interrupted her.

"Yes." Han Ming gritted her teeth; after admitting it, she took the initiative to mention: as long as Qi Bai helped her take revenge and kill the Chui Tiao Ke, she would be willing to submit to Qi Bai for a hundred years and could sign a soul contract.

Qi Bai smiled: "You are still quite smart."

He indeed valued Han Ming; the latter possessed talent, and even if it was only low-grade talent, taking her in as a subordinate had no small value.

Afterward, he released Han Ming's soul and pieced her body back together, treating it slightly.

Han Ming finally had the ability to move freely.

Qi Bai looked at Sun Lingtong: "Speak, where is the Chui Tiao Ke."

Sun Lingtong tried his best to delay time: "You just said you would tell me how Han Ming called for help."

"You still remember." Qi Bai smiled and told him the details.

The problem lay in a batch of materials.

Han Ming took the initiative to mention the soul contract to Ning Zhuo, and the creation of the soul contract required many key materials.

And among these materials, some rare items were actually secretly monopolized by the Soul-Devouring Sect.

After Han Ming was captured, Ning Zhuo collected the key materials for the soul contract. These purchase requests spread out, immediately causing the alarm and attention of the Soul-Devouring Sect's secret forces.

Coupled with Han Ming losing contact, it was easy to deduce that she had been captured alive and was in urgent need of rescue.

Don't forget, Qi Bai had always been secretly watching Fire Persimmon Immortal City.

"So it was that simple." Sun Lingtong sighed heavily.

"Often, simple and straightforward arrangements are more reliable than spells or magic treasures." Qi Bai said, "Now it is your turn to clear up my confusion."

Sun Lingtong shook his head and spread his hands: "We didn't agree on that beforehand."

"You are unwilling to cooperate?" Qi Bai felt slightly strange, "You know me; I have a title called Blind Judge, and you are clear about this point."

Sun Lingtong said: "Then come on."

"You may not have experienced the pain of soul searching; it is not something an ordinary person can imagine." Qi Bai sneered coldly, "Since you want to try it, I will satisfy you!"

He pinched Sun Lingtong's soul and entered the room.

He took out a seal, infused it with magic power, and threw it into the air.

The seal floated in mid-air.

Qi Bai performed a spell, bowing to the seal: "Respectfully invite the Investigating Judge!"

The seal erupted with vast ghost energy, quickly condensing into a huge figure.

God-Inviting Technique—Investigating Judge!

The ghost god judge was fierce and menacing, sitting like a temple statue, looking down at Sun Lingtong.

The judge's eyes shot electricity, piercing through Sun Lingtong's soul, wantonly scraping through every inch of memory.

Sun Lingtong could not resist and instantly fell into a dark situation.

When he was a young child and opened his eyes, he saw his master.

His master was full of love and pity, saying to him: "Sigh, you child are so greedy. Having eaten the Youth-Preserving Pill, you can only specialize in the Boy Technique now."

The memory was suddenly pulled, as if an invisible big hand was forcibly backtracking Sun Lingtong's memory.

Sun Lingtong was in the Red Flame Demon Melting Cave, staring at a corner of the Molten Rock Immortal Palace, waiting anxiously.

"Master, Master, why haven't you come out yet?"

The memory was pulled again.

The scene shifted from inside Fire Persimmon Mountain to an alley in the immortal city.

Sun Lingtong was seriously injured and dying, lying on the ground, ignored by everyone.

A two-year-old child discovered him, approached cautiously, and then used all his strength to drag Sun Lingtong into his home.

The memory flashed again.

Sun Lingtong was already lying on the bed, looking weakly at his savior.

That two-year-old child was holding a bowl, handing it to Sun Lingtong to drink.

"You finally woke up."

"Drink quickly!"

"This is medicine I brewed for you; it's good for your recovery."

Sun Lingtong's gaze was dull, still reacting.

"Little brother, what is your name?"

"My name is Ning Zhuo."

"Where does your family live? Do you still remember your parents' names?"

Sun Lingtong's heart was touched, and he subconsciously muttered: "Ma, Master..."

Two-year-old Ning Zhuo immediately nodded: "Right, right, when you were unconscious, you were always calling for Master. Where is your master?"

Sun Lingtong's eyes instantly turned red: "My master didn't come out... I want to find him and bring him back!"

Saying this, he wanted to get up.

But he was too weak; his palms couldn't support him, and he fell back onto the bed.

Two-year-old Ning Zhuo hurriedly stepped forward to support him, comforting him in a milky voice: "Don't be anxious, don't be anxious. If you want to find your master, you can ask your family's adults to do it. You should just rest well and heal your wounds."

Sun Lingtong was anxious: "Master is my only relative in this world! Except for him, I have long had no other relatives."

Two-year-old Ning Zhuo was stunned; empathizing, a strong sympathy burst forth from the depths of his heart!

He said with a choked voice: "I, I also have no relatives. Before I was born, my father died in battle."

"My mother also passed away not long ago."

"Hmm... although I still have an uncle, he is very fierce; I have never felt that he is my relative."

Speaking of this, two-year-old Ning Zhuo's eyes quickly turned red, and his lips trembled.

Sun Lingtong was stunned, feeling something was wrong: "Don't cry..."

"Waa!" The next moment, thinking of his sad situation, two-year-old Ning Zhuo wailed loudly.

Sun Lingtong stared, at a loss for what to do.

He had been saved, but this savior... was a bit special.