The Soul Gathering Lamp fell onto the pebbles and shattered instantly.
Yingde Kangchen's hand froze in midair. He stared at the broken Soul Gathering Lamp on the ground. The shock in his eyes slowly turned into anger.
"You ungrateful son! You did that on purpose!"
With a furious shout, Yingde Kangchen summoned the long halberd in his hand and struck forward, sending Li Minghan flying several meters away.
"Heh. Father's skills are still as strong as they were in the past. It seems I do not need to worry too much about your health."
Li Minghan knelt on one knee on the ground. He raised his head, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and stood up unsteadily, showing no intention of fighting back.
Yingde Kangchen's eyes burned with anger. He spun the halberd and thrust it toward Li Minghan.
But in Li Minghan's eyes, this attack caused not the slightest ripple. He pressed one hand downward and instantly awakened the Moon Shadow Core inside his body. With only two fingers he lightly caught the halberd that had already reached him. He looked up at the Dragon King and smiled mischievously.
Seeing frost slowly forming along the halberd, Yingde Kangchen quickly pulled back and leapt away.
"Father should stop wasting your strength here. With my current cultivation, you cannot harm me in the slightest."
Li Minghan left behind only those words before turning into a wisp of black smoke and disappearing.
Meanwhile, Situ Fanzhi looked at the remaining trace of the Medicine King's soul before him.
The door behind him slowly opened, and a man dressed in white walked in.
"You really had the heart to do it."
Situ Fanzhi spoke coldly, as if he had already guessed who had come.
"He simply saw something he should not have seen. Only the dead can keep secrets forever."
Oushi Nan's calm and refined voice sounded from behind him.
"He raised you after all. You were willing to cut off your own arm for my plan? If he had remained alive to shield you, many matters would never have been traced back to you."
Situ Fanzhi finally turned around to look at him.
"Since childhood he never liked me. In the beginning he only adopted me because he had no choice. Was it not simply to maintain the reputation of the Medicine King as a kind and charitable man? When I was bullied and pushed aside by others, when did he ever fulfill the duty of a father?"
Oushi Nan spoke casually.
"And you are not afraid of being discovered?" Situ Fanzhi asked.
"This matter will never be known by a third person. Only you and I know it. Why would I not trust the Immortal Sovereign?"
"What do you plan to do next? You know what I want."
"Immortal Sovereign need not worry. I naturally know what you want. However, since you fear that golden core so much, perhaps..."
Oushi Nan deliberately paused and looked at Situ Fanzhi with a scheming expression before continuing,
"A golden core must be willingly removed from the body to survive."
"Voluntarily removing the core?" Situ Fanzhi chuckled. "Li Luoning is known for being disciplined and proud. Do you truly have a way?"
Oushi Nan smiled strangely and leaned closer, whispering into Situ Fanzhi's ear.
At midnight in Pingyan Land, Nan Zhe's residence was unusually quiet.
Yun Qingyi had been left outside by Li Luoning. It had already been an hour since his master entered Nan Zhe's residence. Yun Qingyi waited anxiously, but he dared not leave the meeting place and could only pace back and forth.
Just as he was thinking, he saw a figure drifting down from a rooftop not far away. After recognizing who it was, Yun Qingyi quickly stepped forward.
"Master, did you find anything?"
Li Luoning shook his head. He had thought that inside Nan Zhe's residence he might find some clues about Nian'er or Wuming Demon Mountain. However, this time the entire residence had been cleaned completely. He did not even see the shadow of a single ghost servant.
Only in the rear courtyard was there a barrier that seemed to seal something inside. But in order not to alert the enemy, he did not break it.
"Does that mean Nian'nian is not here?" Yun Qingyi asked.
"Nan Zhe's residence is empty. However, there is a tightly sealed barrier in the rear courtyard," Li Luoning said.
"Master means Nian'nian might be trapped inside that barrier?" Yun Qingyi quickly asked.
"Strangely, that barrier was created using immortal magic. Yet the energy inside it is demonic," Li Luoning said thoughtfully.
"An immortal barrier? It would not be strange for demonic energy to exist in Nan Zhe's residence, but why would the barrier itself be made with immortal magic?" Yun Qingyi said in confusion.
"That is exactly what I cannot understand. But if the barrier truly contains demonic energy, then Nian'er is not there. Still, the fact that the residence was cleaned so thoroughly is suspicious."
"Master, should we head to Wuming Demon Mountain then?" Yun Qingyi asked.
"If Nian is truly not in Pingyan Land, then he was most likely taken back to Wuming Demon Mountain."
Meanwhile, inside the Demon Lord Hall at Wuming Demon Mountain, a demon soldier came to report.
"My lord, they have arrived."
"They came quite quickly."
Li Minghan smiled slightly.
"Qiuyuan, go and meet them. Test their strength a little, but do not prolong the fight."
Li Minghan waved his hand, dismissing the soldier, and gave instructions to Hua Qiuyuan.
"Yes, my lord."
"The play can begin now."
Li Minghan stared ahead with an almost feverish excitement. His hands pressed together and rubbed slowly. Anticipation shone in his eyes, and a chilling smile appeared on his lips.
When he opened his left hand, a black mist appeared. Within it, the dark iron bell used to control the Qianmo spell slowly emerged.
After night fell, Li Luoning and Yun Qingyi arrived at the foot of Wuming Demon Mountain.
"Qingyi, the night fog is thick and the mountain road is difficult to see. We will rest here for now and continue after the hour of Yin."
Li Luoning looked at the dark mountain path ahead.
"Master, I will gather some branches for a fire and look around the area."
Li Luoning nodded and sat down on the ground, adjusting the energy within his body.
The earlier Blazing Hundred Blade technique had consumed a great deal of power. Although he had received help from Mu Han afterward, he had not yet fully recovered.
His master Liao Yin once warned him that although the technique could destroy the enemy, it also harmed the user greatly and should only be used in desperate situations.
Within a few days it was impossible to fully recover his power, but fortunately they had not encountered any other demons along the way. He had now regained about seventy or eighty percent of his strength.
While gathering branches, Yun Qingyi could not stop worrying about Mi Xingzhe.
"I wonder how Nian'nian is doing now. Why does the Demon Lord keep targeting Master again and again?"
Suddenly Yun Qingyi realized something.
"Wait. So taking Nian'nian away was because... Could it be? He intentionally lured us to Wuming Demon Mountain."
Just as he thought this, he heard the sound of weapons flying toward him. He quickly turned sideways to dodge as several hidden arrows passed right by his nose.
"Who is there?"
Yun Qingyi summoned his sword and shouted.
A dark figure rushed toward him and kicked toward his face. Yun Qingyi spread his arms and used his inner strength to push himself backward, bending back as Hua Qiuyuan passed over him.
Hua Qiuyuan landed on one foot and instantly flipped upward again, hooking one foot onto a tree branch. With his free hand he threw another hidden weapon toward Yun Qingyi.
Yun Qingyi tried to leap away again, but Hua Qiuyuan's leg struck downward toward his head.
Yun Qingyi instinctively raised his sword between them, but Hua Qiuyuan attacked from above and held the advantage in strength. Yun Qingyi was forced down onto one knee.
Their powers clashed against each other. Before Yun Qingyi could react further, he saw Hua Qiuyuan spin the Zhusha Spike in his hand and stab toward him.
"Not good," Yun Qingyi thought.
His body was completely restrained by the pressure of power. Just as the spike was about to reach his throat, a loud clang sounded as weapons collided. The pressure disappeared instantly.
Yun Qingyi quickly stood up. From behind him he heard someone call his name.
"Qingyi."
Li Luoning stood there holding a sword in one hand.
"Master."
Yun Qingyi hurried to stand beside him.
Seeing that Yun Qingyi was unharmed, Li Luoning looked back at Hua Qiuyuan.
"You again?"
"Master, you know him?"
Li Luoning nodded slightly and said quietly,
"He is the Demon Lord's shadow guard. I fought him once before at Wuming Demon Mountain. Since he is here again, it means the Demon Lord already knows we have arrived."
"If he came to stop us, then Nian'nian must be in their hands."
Li Luoning stood straight and greeted him politely.
"Are you Hua Qiuyuan, brother of Miss Ruoying?"
When Hua Ruoying was mentioned, Hua Qiuyuan was visibly surprised. He had searched for news of her for a long time but had found nothing.
Seeing his hesitation, Li Luoning continued,
"I know that you and your sister are poisoned by the Crystal Orchid parasite and have been forced to act against your will. If you are willing, I can help the two of you remove the poison and escape their control."
Hearing that Li Luoning not only saved Hua Ruoying before but also knew about the Crystal Orchid poison, Hua Qiuyuan's killing intent weakened slightly.
Li Luoning signaled Yun Qingyi to lower his weapon.
Hua Qiuyuan remained silent, simply standing there and watching him.
Seeing his hesitation, Li Luoning summoned two herbs and slowly pushed them forward.
"This herb is called purple flower violet. It can help Miss Ruoying expel the burning poison within her body."
He pointed to the herb with pale purple petals.
"This one is fireweed. It can help ease the cold poison in your body."
He pointed to the white flower beside it.
"Why should I trust you?" Hua Qiuyuan asked coldly.
"You do not need to trust me. But if you truly wish to escape control, why not try? Everything I said can be verified in medical texts."
Li Luoning knew that with Hua Qiuyuan's skill, the fact that Yun Qingyi was unharmed already showed restraint.
If Hua Qiuyuan accepted the herbs, it would prove that Mi Xingzhe was indeed in Wuming Demon Mountain. If he refused, then his purpose here must be something else.
Hua Qiuyuan lowered his head in thought.
After a moment he spoke four words.
"It does not matter."
He raised his hand, took the herbs, and turned away.
"Hey, you—"
Yun Qingyi wanted to chase after him, but Li Luoning stopped him.
"No need to chase."
"Master, why not?"
"Nian'er is in their hands."
Inside the Demon Lord Hall, Li Minghan sat quietly, playing with a fragment of the shattered Soul Gathering Lamp.
The clear crystal fragment brought back memories from long ago.
"Boss Ou, Young Master Li has arrived."
The manager of Yuqing Treasure House announced from outside the private room.
Li Minghan looked at the shelves inside the shop filled with various goods. They were not exactly priceless treasures, but it was obvious many of them were expensive.
"No wonder Brother Ou spends money so freely," Li Minghan said with a sigh.
"Brother Li."
Soon Ouxian Zhang came out from inside and welcomed him warmly.
"I did not expect Brother Ou to have such a large business."
Li Minghan was invited to sit and looked around the room.
"They are just small businesses that do not earn much money. Occasionally I make a little profit."
Ouxian Zhang waved his hand modestly.
"May I ask why Brother Ou invited me here?" Li Minghan asked.
"Brother Li, have you enjoyed yourself these past few days?" Ouxian Zhang asked.
Thinking about how he had just arrived in the city and had been taken to entertainment houses by Ouxian Zhang for three days of drinking and pleasure, Li Minghan smiled awkwardly.
"Thanks to Brother Ou's hospitality, it was truly..."
He felt embarrassed and did not continue.
Ouxian Zhang laughed as well.
"I feel we are very compatible. If Brother Li does not mind, I have a vacant courtyard in my residence that you may use for a while."
Li Minghan suddenly remembered Shentu Zhuojia's warning earlier and hesitated.
Seeing his hesitation, Ouxian Zhang smiled.
"Brother Li came to travel in the human world. It is always easier with companions of the same kind."
Hearing this, Li Minghan became alert.
"What do you mean? I do not quite understand."
Ouxian Zhang did not answer. He waved his hand and the door closed.
He tapped the table with two fingers. The wall behind him rotated open, revealing shelves filled with glowing magical artifacts.
Only then did Li Minghan realize that Ouxian Zhang had already discovered his identity.
He lowered his head and laughed bitterly.
"You already knew who I was?"
"I never deliberately tested you. The thing that revealed you was this."
Ouxian Zhang pointed to the drunken demon shield hanging at Li Minghan's waist. Although it had been disguised as a jade pendant, its demonic aura was obvious to anyone with cultivation.
"This?"
"That jade pendant is quite special. I have always loved magical artifacts. May I ask where Brother Li obtained it?"
"This... was a gift from a friend," Li Minghan answered vaguely.
"That friend must be very close to you to give such a valuable gift."
Ouxian Zhang stared at the pendant, then looked meaningfully at Li Minghan.
Li Minghan became uneasy under his gaze and held the pendant tightly.
Seeing his tension, Ouxian Zhang changed the subject.
"I do not care for elegance. I simply enjoy collecting things that are different from others."
As he spoke, he pointed at Li Minghan with a smiling gaze.
"Brother Ou, this pendant..."
Li Minghan thought Ouxian Zhang wanted the pendant and tried to explain, but Ouxian Zhang interrupted him.
"Brother Li need not worry. I was not referring to the pendant."
"Not the pendant? Then what do you mean?"
"The thing that is different... is you."