Chapter 87

The next day, early morning.

Lu Zhangsheng directly controlled the ant swarm, killing its way toward the bottom of the volcano crater in a mighty force.

Along the way, the ant swarm stretched for several miles, scaring the surrounding exotic beasts into fleeing in panic.

Before long, Lu Zhangsheng arrived at the top of the volcano crater.

He did not hesitate anymore and immediately rushed toward the bottom.

"Zzz..."

A large number of ant swarms followed closely behind; on the way, they encountered some stray Fire Toads, all of which were easily submerged by the ant swarm.

Half a cup of tea later.

Lu Zhangsheng arrived at the edge of that lava river again.

"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle..."

Scorching heat waves rolled on the lava, the air was very choking, and the surroundings presented a red, fiery color.

"Quack, quack..."

Just at this moment, a group of Fire Toads sensed the movement and immediately killed their way out.

The leading Fire Toad was more than twice as large as an ordinary Fire Toad; it was exactly that Fourth-tier Beast King.

Seeing Lu Zhangsheng appear again, the Fire Toad King's eyes were filled with scarlet.

For this treasure thief, it had kept it in the bottom of its heart all along.

However, having not seen each other for only a few months, the other party's aura had surged, which made it quite puzzled.

"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle..."

The Fire Toad King did not hesitate, kicked its legs, leaped out of the lava river, and killed its way toward Lu Zhangsheng, its momentum quite fierce.

The army of Fire Toads was likewise mighty, killing its way toward Lu Zhangsheng.

Bringing up bursts of fiery baleful aura around them.

"Kill."

Lu Zhangsheng gave an order and led the ant swarm to kill their way up.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

The armies of both sides collided violently, stirring up layers of air waves.

The violent collision sounds resounded through the bottom of the cave, and even the surrounding rock walls had quite a lot of rubble shaken off.

"Gurgle, gurgle..."

The people of the two tribes were fighting to the death on the edge of the lava, and soon a large number of corpses fell.

Because the ant tribe had come out in full force, their numbers were even more massive, and for a time, they did not fall into a disadvantage.

Although the ant tribe was only a Second-tier exotic beast.

Lu Zhangsheng also met that Beast King.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

His entire body flashed, quickly arriving at the side of the Beast King, and he slapped his claw fiercely on the other party's back.

Under one strike, the Fire Toad King was directly slapped flying backward several meters away, its back scales still intact, evidently not having suffered any fatal wounds.

"Roar..."

The Fire Toad King roared repeatedly in pain, its eyes bloodshot.

It also couldn't understand why this treasure thief had suddenly become so much stronger.

"What hard armor."

Seeing the other party take his claw strike head-on without any major issues, Lu Zhangsheng couldn't help but exclaim.

The other party's body had been soaked in lava for a long time, and its scales had likely already undergone some magical transformation.

Lu Zhangsheng did not hesitate anymore and immediately activated the talent skill 【Soul Strike】.

"Hum..."

As a soul fluctuation came from his mind, it instantly turned into an invisible needle in the outside world, piercing toward the Fire Toad King's mind.

In the blink of an eye, it submerged into the other party's body.

"Ow..."

The Fire Toad King began to tremble all over in pain immediately, lying on the ground and curling up.

Lu Zhangsheng seized the opportunity and rushed up quickly.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

He wandered frantically around the other party, while simultaneously extending his sharp claws and slapping the Fire Toad's body fiercely.

Before long, this Beast King was tortured to the point of being on its last breath.

Taking this opportunity, Lu Zhangsheng sent out another talent skill 【Domination】.

A colorful light mark quickly submerged into the other party's mind.

"Hum..."

The Fire Toad King struggled desperately with its remaining life.

Lu Zhangsheng also felt great resistance.

A moment later.

"Ow..."

Following a shrill scream, the Fire Toad King lay directly on the gravel ground, its eyes closed tightly, not moving at all.

Seeing this, Lu Zhangsheng's eyes moved slightly.

This Beast King had such a fierce temper; it would rather have its soul collapse than submit to him.

It seems that when he successfully contracted the Blazing Fire Ants back then, there was also a certain element of luck.

Generally speaking, the king of a race is extremely difficult to enslave.

However, this failed contract was no big deal.

Cultivating an ant swarm required massive resources, and adding a Fire Toad group, he couldn't afford it either.

This Fourth-tier flesh was also just right for waste utilization; cultivating an ant queen was also not bad.

Lu Zhangsheng scanned the whole scene.

The two tribes were still fighting a great battle.

The scene was filled with rolling baleful aura, and all kinds of corpses were scattered on the ground.

Seeing their own king fall, the Fire Toad group fled toward the surroundings one after another.

The ant swarm followed closely behind and began to chase and kill; the entire battlefield was a mess.

Lu Zhangsheng also rushed up quickly.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

Every time he struck with his claw, a Fire Toad died.

"Shoo..."

He traveled through the battlefield as fast as lightning.

Before long, a large number of corpses were left on the ground.

With his own strength as a Fourth-tier Mountain Spirit, dealing with these Third-tier ordinary exotic beasts was simply a one-sided slaughter.

Time flowed slowly, half an hour later.

Lu Zhangsheng stopped and stood on a giant rock.

Everywhere around were Fire Toad corpses, dense and numerous, quite creepy.

Even the surrounding gravel had been stained red with blood.

Then he ordered the ant swarm to clean up the battlefield, drag away all these exotic beast corpses, and use them to feed the ant swarm.

This Third-tier exotic beast meat was good stuff.

With it, the evolution speed of the ant swarm would be greatly accelerated.

There was also no small hope for the ant queen to break through to the Fourth-tier in the future.

After cleaning up the battlefield, Lu Zhangsheng did not forget his own plan and immediately began to take action.

Countless ant tribes searched toward the surroundings in a mighty force, which was quite spectacular.

Lu Zhangsheng did not leave either, lying quietly on the giant rock and waiting.

One hour later.

One ant tribe after another returned to the edge of the lava, arrived in front of Lu Zhangsheng, and were still holding a large number of Fire Crystal Stones in their mouths.

"Source Energy Points plus 1."

"Source Energy Points plus 5."

"Source Energy Points plus 5."

……

Watching the Source Energy Points on the panel rise rapidly made Lu Zhangsheng quite happy.

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

Now was the moment for the harvest.

Next, he prepared to stay here until all the treasures were dug up.

…………

A few days later.

Changping County.

Inside a study, Lu Zhangsheng sat upright on a chair.

Open the panel.

Source Energy Points: 480.

After a few days of collection, the resources in his hands once again met the upgrade requirements.

These past few days, he had been extremely low-key, and even his patrols had decreased a lot.

Today, he finally gathered enough Source Energy Points.

He did not hesitate anymore and immediately clicked toward the plus sign behind the step technique.

"Hum..."

As the Source Energy Points decreased by four hundred.

A fluctuation from the netherworld instantly descended into the depths of his mind.

It was as if a peerless strongman was practicing step techniques in his mind.

【After years of hard practice, the Cloud Mist Step has finally reached Great Completion...】 A moment later.

Lu Zhangsheng slowly opened his eyes and restrained the Qi and Blood in his body.

He began to verify it immediately.

Only to see his footsteps move slightly, and his entire body seemed to turn into a wisp of cloud and smoke, moving rapidly through the room.

Countless residual shadows appeared in the room, and the speed was extremely terrifying.

"Shoo..."

At this moment, he stopped immediately, and the massive amount of residual shadows around him returned to his main body from all directions instantly.

After this step technique reached Great Completion, his speed increased by another twenty percent.

Even some Blood Exchange Perfection experts would find it difficult to catch up with him.

For him, the safety of the patrol tasks that followed would be greatly improved.

However, Lu Zhangsheng did not immediately go out of the city to patrol, but still stayed at home, waiting for the Source Energy Points to arrive.

Although there were some rumors outside, many noble martial artists spread words that Lu Zhangsheng was hiding at home for a long time and not performing tasks because he was afraid of death.

Regarding this, Lu Zhangsheng ignored it completely.

Even his direct superior, Qin Ruobing, had no opinion; the thoughts of some people were evidently quite sinister.

The martial artists of several major noble families were all looking forward to his downfall.

For the next few days, Lu Zhangsheng strolled around the city during the day, and when he got tired of strolling, he drank at the Yuelai Jiu Lou, sitting for a whole day at a time, quite leisurely.

Watching his Source Energy Points rise every day made him very satisfied.

As long as a few more days passed, he would be able to upgrade again.

Naturally, he would not choose to go out of the city to patrol at this moment.

This day, early morning.

Yuelai Jiu Lou.

Lu Zhangsheng sat in a corner by the window on the second floor, drinking small amounts of wine, his face full of contentment.

As the most luxurious restaurant in the inner city, this building was located in a bustling area, and it seemed to be two different worlds from outside the city.

He watched the flow of people outside the window quietly, tasting the prosperity of the bustling city with a cup of wine; even his restless soul seemed to have been purified quite a bit.

Long-term fighting and killing had made it inevitable for him to be stained with a hint of tyrannical aura.

After these days of rest, his soul gradually calmed down.

The path of martial arts lies in relaxation and tension; a short rest is also extremely beneficial for martial arts.

Just at this moment.

"Dong, dong, dong..."

Bursts of footsteps rang out, and a figure walked quickly toward the second floor.

Soon, they arrived in front of Lu Zhangsheng.

Revealing a beautiful woman, it was exactly this woman, Yue Shulan.

The other party wore a pink long dress, and her figure was proud.

"Brother Lu, go to the Demon-Suppressing Division Yamen quickly..."

Yue Shulan's expression was quite anxious.

These past few days, she had also often come to find Lu Zhangsheng, naturally knowing that the other party was drinking here.

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

He had been practicing martial arts and collecting spiritual objects all along, and had not paid too much attention to outside information.

Soon, the two left the restaurant and walked quickly toward the Demon-Suppressing Division Yamen.

But when the two arrived at the Demon-Suppressing Division Yamen, the scene was already crowded with people.

The three Deputy Hall Masters were prominently among them, standing on the platform with livid faces.

Everyone at the scene was not in agreement, and the atmosphere was extremely oppressive.

Lu Zhangsheng followed everyone's gaze and saw a headless corpse lying quietly on the ground.

The corpse was wearing the official robes of the Demon-Suppressing Division, and there was a gold trim on the cuffs; the other party was evidently a Mysterious-Rank Demon-Suppressing Envoy.

At this moment, Xiao Tianci spoke in an icy tone:

"This person was a Patrol Envoy under my command, beheaded by heretic cultists outside the city, and the corpse was sent into the city today."

"It is said that it was the First Soul Envoy of the other party who made the move to kill them."

He was incomparably angry in his heart; a few months ago, after a Patrol Envoy under his command was beheaded, another one was promoted up.

Unexpectedly, in just a few months, they were beheaded again.

Why was it always him who got hurt?

The two Patrol Envoys with the weakest strength under Qin Ruobing, on the contrary, had always been safe and sound, which made him quite puzzled.

Upon hearing this, everyone at the scene had extremely angry expressions.

The other party killed someone and even sent the corpse back; it was simply a naked provocation.

Lu Zhangsheng also mourned for the other party for a few breaths.

This person was likely stepping on a mine for him.

After he killed Liao Jinping, this Soul Envoy, the other party would definitely retaliate frantically.

As a result, he had been staying at home mining during this period, and the Patrol Envoy under Xiao Tianci just happened to run into it.

"In the future, as long as you can behead a Soul Envoy, besides points, you will also receive an additional Great Merit."

At this moment, Qin Ruobing spoke in a grim tone, her eyes scanning the whole scene, full of pressure.

"We obey the order."

Everyone at the scene only felt their bodies tighten and cupped their hands in a salute one after another.

Chen Zhanpeng in the center of the scene looked confident.

Next was his moment; as long as he could behead a few more Soul Envoys, promotion to Deputy Hall Master would be just around the corner.

Zhu Houyu on the side had a glint flash across his eyes.

He was also a Blood Exchange combatant, and had always hidden his thoughts quite deeply.

Soon, everyone at the scene left one after another.

For the next few days, the matter of the Patrol Envoy being killed and the corpse being sent back to the Demon-Suppressing Division also spread throughout the entire county city.

A large number of martial artists were furious; that group of heretic cultists was truly too rampant, killing people and still wanting to punish their hearts.

At the same time, many martial artists began to call out from afar, hoping that the mysterious strongman in the city would make a move again, behead the Soul Envoys, and teach the other party a lesson.

However, after a few days passed, no news had been released, and many martial artists were quite disappointed.

Lu Zhangsheng also knew about some of the disturbances in the city, but he did not pay attention to them; instead, he became even calmer and began to wait quietly for the opportunity.

If he were to attack rashly and fall into a trap, it would be troublesome.

Prey and hunter are often just a thought away.

…………

Four Great Families, Zhu Family Courtyard.

"Do you have any confidence in this promotion to Deputy Hall Master?"

"Father, don't worry. Chen Zhanpeng is always high-profile, and I also know some of his general strength."

"With my strength, I will definitely be able to surpass this person by a notch. When the other party is defeated by the First Soul Envoy, I will then turn the tide, and naturally, I will be able to harvest a large amount of prestige and supporters..."

Zhu Houyu smiled faintly, a hint of inexplicable meaning appearing in his eyes; he had simulated this plan many times in his mind.

He had always been low-key; although he had long reached Blood Exchange strength, he had always kept himself slightly weaker than Chen Zhanpeng.

He was determined to obtain this position of Deputy Hall Master candidate.

"The spiritual objects of the old ghost of the Chen family are likely going to be wasted."

An old man smiled slightly, quite self-satisfied.

The Four Great Families were also in a competitive relationship; as long as his child could become a Deputy Hall Master, the entire family would have huge benefits.

…………

Seven days later.

Late at night, it was as silent as water.

Lu Zhangsheng sat quietly in the study and opened the panel.

Source Energy Points: 520.

After several days, with the ant swarm digging day and night, he was finally able to upgrade his skills again.

After this upgrade, he would be able to start charging toward Bone-Forging Perfection.

With his perfect-grade breakthrough, by then he would definitely have the strength of someone who had just entered the Blood Exchange Realm.

He did not hesitate anymore and immediately clicked toward 【Giant Cauldron Art】.

"Hum..."

The fluctuation in his mind descended again, and a figure was practicing martial arts day and night, as if it would never stop.

【After years of hard practice, you have finally cultivated the Giant Cauldron Art to Great Completion.】

As bursts of crisp prompt sounds came, this upgrade officially ended.

Lu Zhangsheng immediately walked toward the outside of the courtyard, preparing to start verifying it.

Outside the courtyard, the pure white moonlight scattered down, as if covering the surrounding houses with a layer of silver gauze.

Lu Zhangsheng stood in the courtyard and immediately activated the defensive cultivation method.

"Zzz..."

A giant cauldron instantly appeared above his head, covering him firmly, and there was still light flickering on the giant cauldron.

He took out the slaughtering knife and slashed quickly toward the giant cauldron.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

The violent rumbling sound resounded through the entire courtyard, and the giant cauldron was still rotating above his head, without any trace of being broken.

"What strong defensive power."

Lu Zhangsheng was quite satisfied.

In this test, he used thirty percent of his strength, but he could not shake this Qi and Blood giant cauldron at all.

After breaking through to Great Completion, the defensive power increased by nearly thirty percent again.

(End of chapter)