txolops Chapter 62 Uncle Cao
Chapter 62 Uncle Cao
The market was already showing signs of chaos. The middle-aged cultivator grabbed the girl beside him and rushed towards the outer perimeter with all his might. However, they had only taken less than a hundred feet when a gale carrying sand and gravel suddenly swept in from the side. The sharp wind almost tore their flesh apart.
He cried out in surprise and hastily summoned a small bronze shield. With a muffled thud, the shield trembled violently, and spiritual energy ripples spread out, forcefully blocking the gale. However, this pause also stopped the two of them.
From the shadows, a fat figure slowly emerged, its overwhelming aura of perfected Qi cultivation washing over them like a tidal wave. Its triangular eyes were fixed on the two, finally settling on the girl, filled with greed and lust. "Be smart and hand over your storage bag, or I'll spare you..."
Before the words were even finished, a streak of blood-red light flashed past like a shooting star, so fast that no one could react in time.
"Pfft!"
With a soft thud, the black-robed cultivator's head rolled to the ground, blood gushing from his neck, staining the earth beneath his feet. The one who struck was none other than the elderly man surnamed Bai, who had just escaped from the underground stone chamber.
At this moment, he had exhausted most of his magic power and was pale. He had just emerged from underground when he encountered someone blocking his way. In his eagerness to escape, he dealt with the person as easily as stepping on an ant.
The old man glanced at the trembling father and daughter beside him, checked the direction, and then piloted his magical artifact westward.
The middle-aged cultivator stared intently at the storage bag at the waist of the cultivator on the ground, his breathing becoming heavy. Just as he lifted his foot, he saw another figure fly out from it.
As soon as Luo Ming appeared, he was momentarily stunned by the chaotic scene before him. The earthly fiery energy was still raging, with crimson pillars of fire shooting straight into the sky, accompanied by billowing smoke. Such a tremendous commotion could probably be clearly perceived by cultivators a hundred miles away.
"Leave this place quickly." Luo Ming reminded the two people beside him. Not daring to delay for even a moment, he summoned the Wind Spirit Veil to wrap his body, transforming into a pale blue phantom, and silently swept towards the east of the market, without causing any fluctuation of spiritual power around him.
"Ah! It's that senior." The girl exclaimed softly, but was immediately pulled back by the middle-aged cultivator who had realized what was happening. Before leaving, the cultivator took the storage bag that the senior had forgotten to put away.
No more than ten breaths after the two left, a deafening explosion suddenly came from underground, and a terrifying aura burst through the ground, shooting straight into the sky like smoke.
Lu Xuan hovered in mid-air, his gray beard and hair standing on end with rage. His powerful divine sense swept across the surroundings like a spider web, and his hands moved rapidly, forming hand seals, with a faint crimson spiritual light swirling around his fingertips.
"Hmph, I have already planted my divine imprint on you all. How can you run away so easily?" His chest heaved violently; he had just used a secret technique to escape from the eerie blood-red spider web at such a speed. "And that brat Luo Ming, daring to covet my Profound Fire Mirror, he's courting death!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Xuan followed his divine sense and transformed into a streak of crimson fire, rushing westward toward the target he sensed.
At this moment, Luo Ming had already traveled ten miles. The concealment effect of the Wind Spirit Veil was maximized, and his figure was like a ghost, leaving very little spiritual energy fluctuation in the air.
"With the Wind Spirit Veil providing cover, Lu Xuan should have a hard time pinpointing my location." Just as a sense of security rose in his heart, a heavy, mountain-like pressure suddenly descended from above, instantly choking him.
"How could it be so fast? No... this aura... it's not Lu Xuan!"
Luo Ming froze, his spiritual energy circulation became sluggish. This pressure was far stronger than Lu Xuan's fake core aura, carrying the unique pressure of heaven and earth of a core cultivator, making it extremely difficult for him to even lift his head.
He forced himself to look up and saw a streak of light descend suddenly from the clouds, hovering steadily in mid-air. The newcomer wore a black Daoist robe, had an ancient and simple face, and possessed an ethereal and unpredictable aura—a genuine Core Formation cultivator!
It turned out that the eruption of the Earthly Fiend Fire was so astonishing, far exceeding the scale of ordinary cultivators' battles, that it happened to alert this person who was patrolling nearby.
The Core Formation cultivator's gaze was as sharp as a hawk's, piercing through the concealment of the Wind Spirit Veil and landing precisely on Luo Ming. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: "It's you, kid? What are you doing here?"
"Junior Luo Ming greets Martial Uncle Cao!" The huge rock hanging over Luo Ming suddenly fell to the ground. As long as he wasn't a Core Formation cultivator from the demonic path, he was fine. He then quickly bowed and paid his respects.
The man before them was none other than Grandmaster Cao, who had led them into the Crimson Forbidden Land back then. Now that he had advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage, his seniority had naturally increased by one level.
Faced with Uncle Cao's questioning, Luo Ming dared not tell the truth at all—he could not say that he deliberately stayed outside and was unwilling to return to the sect.
He then embellished the story of the attack on the spirit stone mine, and said with a bitter expression, "Uncle-Master, back then, demonic cultivators launched a surprise attack on the spirit stone mine. I was unfortunately seriously injured and managed to escape. After that, I have been recuperating in the nearby market under an assumed name. Now that my injuries have just healed, I am preparing to return to the sect to report."
Uncle Cao listened quietly, his gaze lingering on Luo Ming for a moment. Back then, this kid had performed remarkably well in the Crimson Forbidden Land, bringing out many rare spiritual herbs. Unexpectedly, in just a few years, he had already advanced to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. His aptitude and comprehension were both excellent. With a little more training in the future, he could be cultivated as a core disciple.
He silently watched Luo Ming until Luo Ming's forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat and his body trembled slightly, before slowly speaking: "It's good that your injuries have healed. Come with me; there's something strange going on ahead, let's go check it out together."
After saying that, he raised his hand and waved it. A gentle spiritual energy enveloped Luo Ming, and he rode the escape light towards the market, his speed several times faster than Luo Ming's previous flight.
On the other side, Lu Xuan had just dealt with the old man surnamed Bai and was burning with anger because he couldn't sense Luo Ming's location.
The Xuanhuo Mirror was a precious treasure he had painstakingly crafted over several years, capable of evolving into a magic weapon. Now that it had fallen into Luo Ming's hands, it was tantamount to severing half of his foundation. Just then, a powerful divine sense suddenly swept across, ultimately locking onto him precisely.
"A Core Formation cultivator?" Lu Xuan's pupils contracted slightly, and he was startled, but he didn't panic because he sensed that the divine sense didn't have the sinister feeling of a demonic cultivator.
At present, the seven sects of Yue Kingdom are in need of manpower. For a pseudo-core cultivator like him, as long as he is not from the demonic path, most of them will try to win him over. After all, the combat power of a pseudo-core cultivator is a great help to the seven sects at present.
But as the other party slowly approached, and sensed Luo Ming beside the Core Formation cultivator, his face instantly turned deathly pale.
What's going on? Is this Core Formation cultivator an elder of Luo Ming?
Luo Ming's heart was in his throat, and he secretly groaned. He had just escaped from the wolf's den, only to be dragged back. If Uncle Cao and Lu Xuan confronted each other, his lies would surely be exposed.
He knew that a cultivator at the Core Formation level might not be willing to fight a fake Core Formation cultivator for the sake of an ordinary Foundation Establishment disciple. If his previous lies were exposed, he would be in deep trouble, and he would definitely lose the Xuanhuo Mirror.
To their surprise, after Lu Xuan saw the figures of Uncle Cao and Luo Ming clearly, he almost hesitated for a moment and suddenly crushed a blood-red talisman.
With a loud "boom," flames erupted around him, and his figure transformed into a crimson fire shadow. He fled into the distance at a speed far exceeding that of ordinary escape techniques. The speed was so fast that even Uncle Cao showed a look of surprise.
"Hmph! Running away at the sight of me, he must be a spy from the demonic path." Uncle Cao frowned, let out a low shout, and without thinking too much, transformed into a black rainbow and chased after him, leaving Luo Ming alone, floating in mid-air, somewhat bewildered.