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“You were clearly imprisoned in an underground iron cell; how did you send out a call for help?”

Due to her cultivation of the "Immortal Zombie Life Creation Method," Han Ming’s head could still survive for a while, even after being severed.

Her face was filled with panic. “Don’t kill me! I’m a disciple of the Soul-Devouring Sect. If you kill me, a soul mark will be planted on you, and the Soul-Devouring Sect will never let you go!”

Sun Lingtong sneered, his killing intent evident. “You and I are already mortal enemies; do you think I fear a mere soul mark?”

Han Ming screamed, “No, don’t kill me.”

“I’ll tell you.”

“But you can’t kill me! I… I have value; I can help you enhance your soul’s essence!”

“Speak!” Sun Lingtong felt inexplicably irritated. He shouted impatiently.

“I can tell you.” Suddenly, a voice emerged from behind Sun Lingtong.

In an instant, without thinking, he attempted to use the Space-Piercing Technique.

But his body remained stationary, unmoving.

“Why can I see my body from a distance?” The bizarre perspective filled Sun Lingtong with horror.

Once he realized, he was shocked to find that his soul had been forcibly pulled from his body and was being held by the throat, lifted in mid-air by a mysterious cultivator!

Sun Lingtong turned his head and saw a tall, slender man with long black hair smiling at him.

The man wore a black robe with his hair disheveled. His eyes were all white, without pupils.

Sun Lingtong shuddered as he recalled a piece of intelligence from his memory and blurted out the man\'s identity: “‘Blind Judge’ Qi Bai?”

The black-robed man, Qi Bai, smiled lightly, his breath cold and eerie. “You know me? That saves me some trouble.”

“Outer disciple Han Ming pays respects to the True Inheritor!” Han Ming was overjoyed, not expecting the rescue to arrive so quickly.

She had thought death was imminent, only to find hope in the face of despair!

Sun Lingtong’s physical body stood still, head bowed and motionless.

His soul, gripped by Qi Bai, had become a captive. “Qi Bai, you\'re a dignified Golden Core cultivator, a true disciple of the Soul-Devouring Sect. You’ve been eyeing Huoshi Immortal City for some time, haven’t you? That’s why you appeared just in time.”

Qi Bai smiled again. “You’re clever; that’s good. I enjoy conversing with intelligent people.”

“Correct.”

“Our Soul-Devouring Sect has been secretly observing Mount Huoshi for a long time.”

“Mount Huoshi used to be a land of calamity, where countless volcanic eruptions buried innumerable lives. The spiritual energy and geothermal treasures resulting from these eruptions, along with the fertile soil, gradually attracted living beings to settle here. Then, one day, the volcano would erupt again, creating a slaughterhouse of mass death.”

“Would you not say this is a meticulously planned murder of all living things by nature itself?”

Qi Bai paused, then continued, “From ancient times to now, how many lives have perished within Mount Huoshi? Even if their souls were scattered, the remaining soul essences have accumulated, forming an immeasurable soul reservoir.”

“Why do Red Flame Demons within Mount Huoshi appear endlessly? It’s because souls are smelted by the earth flames, transforming into new seeds, once again blooming as demon beasts.”

“This should have been the blessed land of our Soul-Devouring Sect, the perfect station for a branch.”

“Unfortunately, three prominent sects left the Lava Immortal Palace here, and the Southern Dou Court built an Immortal City here.”

“Most people focus on the Lava Immortal Palace, but our sect is more interested in the immeasurable soul reservoir hidden deep within Mount Huoshi.”

As Qi Bai spoke, he gazed up at the mountain peak, displaying a mix of greed, curiosity, and desire.

Han Ming couldn’t help but cry for help. “Lord Qi Bai, save me!”

“Be patient.” Qi Bai extended a finger and casually pulled the souls of the three defeated Soul-Devouring Sect members into his grasp.

Seeing him do this so effortlessly, Sun Lingtong couldn’t help but remark, “As expected of the Blind Judge, you’ve truly mastered the Soul Capturing Technique, wielding a divine ability seed even at the Golden Core stage.”

Against ordinary spells, Sun Lingtong might have had a slim chance to evade Qi Bai’s sneak attack using the Space-Piercing Technique.

But with the divine ability seed-level Soul Capturing Technique, Sun Lingtong became a prisoner without resistance.

The souls of the three defeated cultivators floated in the air. The hooked-nosed and triangular-eyed cultivators, upon realizing their situation, were overjoyed and bowed to Qi Bai.

Qi Bai said, “Our sect is a grand demonic sect. The fact that the three of you joined forces and still lost to one person, if word got out, would surely damage our sect’s reputation.”

“If I hadn’t intervened in time, your deaths would have been certain.”

“Now, tell me why you failed this time. If your reasoning is sound, I’ll save your lives.”

“If not, I will stand aside. Should you die at the hands of others, the sect’s rules won’t trouble me.”

“I’ll speak! I’ll speak!” The hooked-nosed cultivator was the first to respond, “I was careless and didn’t expect that this Sun scoundrel had the ability to tap into the power of the Immortal City’s formation.”

“The formation he set up in his courtyard, I had already seen; it seemed unremarkable.”

“But perhaps that was his deliberate disguise. In truth, this small courtyard formation could connect with the Immortal City’s formation.”

“That’s right. As I set up my formation in the courtyard, time dragged on, gradually triggering the small formation, which indirectly activated the larger formation. The Immortal City’s formation, with its vast power, broke my spell from the outside in, causing a severe backlash.”

“Indeed,” Qi Bai nodded. “You may return.”

With just a simple remark, the hooked-nosed cultivator’s soul flew back into his body, and he woke up in an instant.

“I’ll go next,” the triangular-eyed cultivator quickly replied, “We lost because of internal strife.”

“If the three of us had acted with unity and cooperation from the start, we could have taken down Sun Lingtong.”

“But the two of us were resentful of Han Ming’s arrogance, and we held back, which allowed the enemy a chance to breathe.”

Qi Bai nodded, “You did not see the latter part of the battle and still underestimated Sun Lingtong’s strength. However, what you said is also a reason for your defeat. You may return.”

“Thank you, Lord!” The triangular-eyed cultivator was overjoyed, and in the next moment, his soul returned to his body, and he got up.

“Han Ming, what are your thoughts?” Qi Bai looked at Han Ming’s soul.

“Damn it!” Han Ming’s soul seethed with hidden rage. “This Qi Bai is just trying to use this to pressure me into submission!”

Han Ming saw through Qi Bai’s intent.

She was a proud individual.

But also a pragmatic one.

If she hadn’t been rescued, she would have submitted to the young puppet master. Now that she was saved, her first thought was to settle the score with the young puppet master!

The luck field of watching tigers fight from the mountain fully triggered Han Ming’s vengeful mindset, making her disregard the risks involved.

Now, being questioned by Qi Bai, she suddenly realized that she had been used as a tool, reduced to a mere pawn probing the path ahead.

Qi Bai aimed to coerce her into submission, making her serve his purposes.

“In essence, how is this different from how the young puppet master treated me?”

“Let them fight amongst themselves!”

“One’s a celestial talent, the other’s a Golden Core cultivator, hehe!”

Thinking this, Han Ming pretended to answer, “I lost because I was too eager for revenge, which caused my mindset to become unbalanced…”

“Isn’t it simply because of your lack of strength?” Qi Bai interrupted.

“Yes.” Han Ming gritted her teeth, admitting this before proactively suggesting that if Qi Bai helped her get revenge on the young puppet master, she would be willing to serve him for a hundred years and sign a soul contract.

Qi Bai smiled, “You’re still quite clever.”

Indeed, he valued Han Ming. Though her talents were lower tier, taking her in as a subordinate still held some value.

Afterward, he returned Han Ming’s soul, reassembled her body, and provided some minor healing.

Han Ming finally regained some freedom of movement.

Qi Bai turned to Sun Lingtong. “Now, tell me, where is the young puppet master?”

Sun Lingtong tried to stall for time. “You just said you would tell me how Han Ming managed to send out a call for help.”

“Oh, you still remember,” Qi Bai chuckled and explained.

The issue lay with a batch of materials.

Han Ming had proactively mentioned the soul contract to Ning Zhuo, which required many key materials for crafting.

Among these materials, there were some rare items that were secretly

monopolized by the Soul-Devouring Sect.

After Han Ming was captured, Ning Zhuo began gathering these essential items for the soul contract. The purchase requests for these items spread, immediately alerting and drawing the attention of the Soul-Devouring Sect’s hidden forces.

Combined with Han Ming’s sudden disappearance, it was easy to deduce that she had been captured and urgently needed rescue.

And don’t forget, Qi Bai had been keeping a close eye on Huoshi Immortal City all along.

“So it was that simple.” Sun Lingtong sighed deeply.

“Often, simple and straightforward setups are more reliable than spells or magical artifacts,” Qi Bai said. “Now it’s your turn to clear my doubts.”

Sun Lingtong shook his head and spread his hands. “We never agreed on that.”

“You’re refusing to cooperate?” Qi Bai felt slightly puzzled. “You know who I am. I have a title—the Blind Judge. You’re well aware of this.”

Sun Lingtong replied, “Then go ahead.”

“The pain of soul searching is something you may not have experienced; it’s beyond what ordinary people can imagine.” Qi Bai sneered coldly. “Since you wish to try, I’ll oblige you!”

He clutched Sun Lingtong’s soul and entered the house.

He took out a seal, infused it with mana, and tossed it into the air.

The seal floated, suspended.

Qi Bai performed a ritual, bowing before the seal. “I humbly request the presence of the Judge!”

The seal burst forth with overwhelming ghostly energy, swiftly forming a towering figure.

Spirit Summoning Technique—Judge of Investigation!

The ghostly judge was a fearsome figure, resembling a temple deity seated in meditation, gazing down at Sun Lingtong.

The judge’s eyes radiated lightning, piercing through Sun Lingtong’s soul, ravaging every inch of his memory.

Sun Lingtong couldn’t resist, plunging into a realm of darkness.

When he, as a child, opened his eyes, he saw his master.

His master looked at him with a face full of affection and pity, saying, “Ah, you greedy child. After eating the Rejuvenation Pill, you can only cultivate the Child’s Technique now.”

Memories were abruptly stirred, as if an invisible hand was forcibly rewinding Sun Lingtong’s memories.

Sun Lingtong found himself in the Red Flame Demon Molten Cave, staring anxiously at a corner of the Lava Immortal Palace.

“Master, Master, why haven’t you come out yet?”

The memory shifted again.

The scene changed from within Mount Huoshi to a secluded alley in the Immortal City.

Sun Lingtong, gravely wounded and on the brink of death, lay on the ground, ignored by everyone.

A two-year-old child discovered him, cautiously approached, and then, with all his might, dragged Sun Lingtong into his home.

The memory flashed once more.

Sun Lingtong was lying on a bed, weakly gazing at his savior.

The two-year-old child held a bowl, offering it to Sun Lingtong.

“You’re finally awake.”

“Drink up!”

“I made this medicine for you; it’ll help you recover.”

Sun Lingtong stared blankly, still processing the situation.

“Little brother, what’s your name?”

“I’m Ning Zhuo.”

“Where do you live? Do you remember your parents\' names?”

Touched by the child’s questions, Sun Lingtong murmured instinctively, “Master…”

The two-year-old Ning Zhuo immediately nodded. “Yes, yes, when you were unconscious, you kept calling for your master. Where is your master?”

Sun Lingtong’s eyes reddened. “My master didn’t come out… I have to find him!”

With that, he tried to get up.

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

The two-year-old Ning Zhuo hurriedly helped him up, his voice soft and comforting. “Don’t worry, don’t worry. If you need to find your master, you can ask your family to help. For now, you should focus on recovering.”

Sun Lingtong said anxiously, “Master is my only family in this world! Besides him, I have no other relatives.”

The two-year-old Ning Zhuo froze, deeply moved, and felt a surge of sympathy from the depths of his heart!

He choked up slightly and said, “I… I don’t have any family either. My father died in battle before I was even born.”

“My mother also passed away not long ago.”

“Um… although I still have an uncle, he’s very fierce, and I’ve never felt like he’s family.”

As he spoke, the two-year-old Ning Zhuo’s eyes quickly reddened, and his lips began to quiver.

Sun Lingtong was stunned, sensing something was amiss. “Don’t cry now…”

“Waaah!” The next moment, thinking about his sorrows, the two-year-old Ning Zhuo burst into tears.

Sun Lingtong stared, helpless.

He had been saved, but this savior… was rather unique.