The moment the Eighteenth Prince went to pick the Returning Origin Pure Heart Grass, Lu Ming took Big Yellow and bolted!
The martial world is treacherous; if things look bad, just bail!
Looking back, he saw the Eighteenth Prince being swallowed whole by a Unity-stage Ink-Scale Flood Dragon!
The Ink-Scale Flood Dragon was over a hundred feet long, its thick body covered in pitch-black scales. It had a hideous single horn and eyes that glinted with ferocious light.
Lu Ming offered a silent prayer for the Eighteenth Prince. Geez, how tragic!
Emperor Tianqi was also shocked. He hadn't expected there to be a guardian spirit beast.
Hadn't the demon beasts here been corrupted by the slaughterous aura and lost their consciousness?
Wasn't the ancestor of the Tiansheng Sect just trying to screw people over?
He said they had no consciousness!
The moment he caught the scent of the Returning Origin Pure Heart Grass, Emperor Tianqi understood.
The dragon must have been guarding the grass all this time, using it to keep its mind clear.
Seeing the cultivation level of the Ink-Scale Flood Dragon, Emperor Tianqi also turned and ran without hesitation.
And he was even faster than Lu Ming and Big Yellow!
“Damn... he’s running so fast...”
“He’s not even human; he’s faster than a dog...”
Seeing Emperor Tianqi streak past them, Lu Ming and Big Yellow couldn't help but curse.
At the same time, the man and dog quickly picked up their pace.
They didn't want to stay and fight this big guy only for Emperor Tianqi to reap the rewards!
But feeling the commotion behind them and the overwhelming aura of the Unity-stage demon beast...
Lu Ming knew the Ink-Scale Flood Dragon was about to catch up.
Helpless, Lu Ming shouted, “Big Yellow, prepare for battle!”
“Alright!”
Big Yellow agreed, and the mace appeared in its hand.
The man and dog were ready to fight at any moment.
“Roar...”
Just then, the Ink-Scale Flood Dragon roared and charged past Lu Ming and Big Yellow, pouncing directly toward Emperor Tianqi.
As it passed them, the Ink-Scale Flood Dragon didn't even give them a single glance.
Lu Ming and Big Yellow were stunned. The man and dog looked at each other.
“Hey, hey... what’s his deal?” Big Yellow tilted its head and asked in confusion.
Lu Ming shook his head.
“I don't know... but the way he looked right through us, it’s like he thinks we’re beneath him!”
As if to confirm Lu Ming’s words...
The Ink-Scale Flood Dragon, having caught up to Emperor Tianqi, spoke in human tongue: “I haven't tasted emperor meat yet!”
With that, the Ink-Scale Flood Dragon and Emperor Tianqi began to clash.
Lu Ming’s mouth twitched. He had considered a thousand possibilities, but he never expected it would be because of food.
The question was, did wearing a dragon robe really make the meat taste better?
“Go... let’s go...”
Worried that their presence might distract the two combatants, Lu Ming immediately led Big Yellow away from the area!
Once they were far enough, Lu Ming’s eyes flickered.
“Big Yellow, go wait in the secret realm for a bit!”
“Okay!”
Big Yellow didn't need further explanation to know what he was up to.
After Big Yellow entered the secret realm, Lu Ming put on his cloak of invisibility and quietly sneaked back to the vicinity of the Returning Origin Pure Heart Grass.
When he returned, the man and the dragon were still fighting.
Perhaps due to the suppression, Emperor Tianqi was currently at a disadvantage.
Ignoring their fight, Lu Ming stealthily approached the two stalks of Returning Origin Pure Heart Grass.
He looked up just as the Ink-Scale Flood Dragon’s claw sent Emperor Tianqi flying.
The moment Emperor Tianqi was sent airborne, he also threw out a handful of attack talismans.
“Boom...”
Both the man and the dragon were injured and crashed to the ground.
The timing was perfect.
“Swish...”
Lu Ming grabbed the two stalks of Returning Origin Pure Heart Grass, tossed them into his storage bag, and took off at top speed.
The Ink-Scale Flood Dragon and Emperor Tianqi, who hadn't even climbed back up yet, suddenly lost the scent of the Returning Origin Pure Heart Grass.
They both snapped their heads toward where the grass had been.
The Returning Origin Pure Heart Grass was gone!
“Roar! Roar!”
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
The Ink-Scale Flood Dragon unleashed a barrage of attacks along Lu Ming’s escape route.
It felt an unnatural wind moving in that direction.
Lu Ming dodged left and right in a panic, barely escaping the Ink-Scale Flood Dragon’s attacks.
“Roar!”
Having lost the Returning Origin Pure Heart Grass, the Ink-Scale Flood Dragon became even more furious and violent, chasing after the fleeing Emperor Tianqi once again.
Damn it, it must have something to do with this wretched human!
At this moment, Emperor Tianqi was also beyond livid. This time, he had suffered a loss so massive it was practically a tragedy!
Not only did he fail to get the Returning Origin Pure Heart Grass, but he also lost a good-for-nothing son.
Most importantly, he had been severely injured by that damned Ink-Scale Flood Dragon.
Seeing the Ink-Scale Flood Dragon chasing him from behind, Emperor Tianqi cursed inwardly while also speeding up his escape.
Although he hadn't seen Lu Ming, he still suspected that Lu Ming had stolen the grass.
After all, they were the only ones who had been there!
Only after running a great distance did Lu Ming take off the cloak of invisibility and release Big Yellow.
“Boss, did you get it?”
“Of course! You can use it when you break through later...”
“By the way, what was your heart demon when you broke through to Soul Transformation?” Lu Ming asked curiously. He had never asked about Big Yellow’s heart demon before.
Big Yellow looked blank. “What’s a heart demon? What do they look like?”
Lu Ming was stunned. “You didn't encounter one when you broke through?”
“Nope!” Big Yellow’s dog face was full of confusion.
“No?” Lu Ming couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
“Huh? Is that not allowed?” Big Yellow looked up at Lu Ming.
Lu Ming’s mouth twitched. “Well... as expected of my protagonist brother, you’re just built different...”
Big Yellow nodded in agreement.
Since he started cultivating with his boss, he had basically never encountered any difficulties!
It must be the power of his boss’s protagonist halo!
Then, Lu Ming took out a sound transmission talisman.
“Hello, hello... Old Man Wang, where are you guys?”
He hadn't contacted Wang Defa and the others before because Emperor Tianqi had been around.
“Pfft...”
The sound transmission talisman shattered immediately, unable to send anything out.
Lu Ming was startled, but then he realized.
No wonder Emperor Tianqi was alone; it turned out that sound transmission talismans didn't work in this secret realm.
“Let’s go... let’s go find Wang Defa and the others.”
Following that, Lu Ming and Big Yellow began searching for Wang Defa’s group within the secret realm, picking any spiritual herbs they encountered along the way.
...
“Put it down!”
One day, just as Big Yellow was about to pick a thousand-year-old spiritual herb, a cold shout rang out.
Big Yellow didn't even look up and continued to pick the herb.
Zheng!!
A precious sword carrying a cold glint suddenly slashed toward Big Yellow.
Clang!
Lu Ming, standing nearby, casually struck out an attack that collided with the sword.
The man who had attacked turned pale with shock and retreated violently.
He only managed to neutralize Lu Ming’s attack after retreating ten thousand feet.
“Lu Ming, you’re bullying the weak!” the man roared.
His rapid and erratic breathing revealed the terror in his heart.
This person was a genius disciple of the Artifact Forging Sect who had just broken through to the early Soul Transformation stage.
Back in the Nascent Soul stage, he had been a top-tier talent with exceptional potential.
He had always believed himself to be extraordinarily gifted and possessing superior combat strength.
He thought he could even challenge cultivators at the late Soul Transformation stage!
Even if he couldn't win, he should at least be able to last ten or so moves.
As it turned out, Lu Ming’s casual strike just now had nearly taken his life!
His self-confidence suffered a massive blow at that moment!
Lu Ming’s mouth twitched. Did the cultivators of the Artifact Forging Sect have rocks in their heads?
A mere early Soul Transformation stage practitioner dared to try and rob him and Big Yellow of their herbs.
“You’re from the Artifact Forging Sect, aren't you? If you’re not satisfied, go ahead and call for help!”
“Just you wait!”
Saying that, the man fired a whistling arrow into the sky.
Lu Ming was stunned. Holy crap, he’s actually calling for backup!
A moment later, there was a commotion. Lu Ming and Big Yellow looked up.
Over a dozen Soul Transformation cultivators from the Artifact Forging Sect and the Beast Taming Sect had actually arrived!
The genius disciple of the early Soul Transformation stage immediately spoke up: “Senior Brother Song Zhong, I was bullied by Lu Ming! Quick, avenge me! Kill him!”
After saying that, he turned to look at Lu Ming. “Lu Ming, you’re dead! My Senior Brother Song Zhong will crush you with one hand!”
Lu Ming and Big Yellow looked at each other, their eyes shining with an inexplicable excitement.
Rate on N.U.
