n

n

n

n

n

nLi Yuanqing opened his eyes, which shone brightly. He suddenly raised his leg and turned into a rainbow that disappeared into the horizon.

n

nNot long after, a group of red-robed Divine Fire Sect disciples rose into the air and arrived at the place where Li Yuanqing was hiding.

n

n“Heavenly Master Wang is right. Someone has been here!”

n

n“Hurry up and report to the Sect Master. The rest of you, follow me!”

n

nThey tacitly split into two teams. Two of them left the team and flew north. The others identified the direction and chased after Li Yuanqing.

n

nIn the small room in the tunnel, Heavenly Master Wang stood in front of the platform with many people gathered around him. On the platform in front of them was a thumb-sized puppet. The puppet had already shattered into two, and there was a large area of burns in the middle.

n

n“Heavenly Master, don’t be anxious. They’ve already caught up. They’ll definitely bring that person back unscathed!”

n

n“This person is so bold to barge into our Divine Fire Sect’s territory. Could it be that they have already obtained some evidence?”

n

n“How is that possible? So far, we haven’t received any news of any large sects making a move against us. They haven’t reacted at all.”

n

n“But if those large sects didn’t discover anything, how could today’s matter be explained?”

n

n“That’s true. However, we’ve always been well-informed about those large sects. If they want to take action, they’ll definitely leak the news. There’s no need to be so flustered.”

n

nThey all looked a little nervous and their brows were together as they spoke.

n

n“That’s true. Those large sects’ situation is mostly exaggerated. By the time they realize, we’ve already completed our mission.”

n

nHeavenly Master Wang remained silent the entire time. Some of the people beside him were dressed similarly to him. They were dressed in casual Daoist robes, and some were wearing the cloaks of the Divine Fire Sect. They were disciples.

n

nThese heavenly masters stood in the inner circle while the disciples guarded outside and listened respectfully to the arrangements.

n

n“In any case, they’ve already gone to report to the Sect Master. There’s no need for me to focus on these things. I should quickly refine more puppets and complete the refinement of ten thousand puppets as soon as possible.”

n

nThey seemed to have come to a conclusion. After chatting for a while more, they dispersed. The damaged puppet was left here.

n

nHeavenly Master Wang stared at the little puppet and sized it up carefully in his heart. No one knew what he was thinking. After a long time, he raised his hand and put away the broken little fellow.

n

nLi Yuanqing’s escape speed was already very fast. The moment the puppet was exposed, he immediately ran away. However, even though his reaction was so sharp, he could still feel a force constantly searching behind him.

n

nLi Yuanqing looked around carefully. As he ran forward, he suddenly took out a jade pendant.

n

nThis jade pendant was given to him by Wang Lan that day. This alchemist had left him such a way to contact each other.

n

nLi Yuanqing gently pinched the jade pendant and a very three-dimensional map appeared in his mind. Wang Lan’s residence was not too far from here.

n

nSensing that the pursuer was getting closer and closer behind him, Li Yuanqing identified the direction and stretched out his wings to increase his speed. This was a continuous mountain range. A few high and low mountains were located here, forming a very orderly terrain.

n

nIn the middle of the mountain peak, there were large amounts of medicinal herbs that emitted a dense fragrance. Even from afar, one could clearly smell the dense fragrance.

n

nLi Yuanqing ran for a long time before finally arriving. This Yin Wind Mountain Range was Wang Lan’s dojo.

n

nWang Lan was also a famous alchemist within a thousand miles. Although his temper was usually a little bad, he had a very superb alchemy technique. He did not usually have many enemies.

n

nMoreover, he was quite famous. That was why he could plant so many herbs alone in a large area without being plundered.

n

nJust as Li Yuanqing was about to enter the mountain range, a transparent barrier suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking him.

n

n“Senior! Please see me for a moment!”

n

nLi Yuanqing had already returned to his original appearance. He stood in front of the mountain gate and looked inside uneasily.

n

nAfter a while, Wang Lan came out with his hair down. He looked at Li Yuanqing in surprise, as if he did not expect Li Yuanqing to take the initiative to look for him.

n

n“Little friend, could it be that you have that huge spirit fruit again?”

n

nLi Yuanqing replied, “Senior, I’ve encountered some trouble. I wonder if you can take me in for half a day?”

n

nWang Lan did not pay much attention to his appearance just now. After calming down, he immediately sensed the pursuers behind him. He glanced at Li Yuanqing a few times. After weighing the pros and cons, he generously gave way.

n

n“Don’t walk around. I don’t like others touching my things.”

n

n“Thank you, Senior!”

n

nLi Yuanqing entered the mountain range behind in a flash. Not long after, the pair of pursuers from the Divine Fire Sect also found this place. They circled the mountain range silently.

n

n“Senior Brother, that person’s aura disappeared here just now. In my opinion, he must have crawled in here!”

n

n“But this is the dojo of that Madman Wang Lan. That old fellow is not a good person. If we provoke him, we won’t be able to bear the consequences.”

n

n“Can we still care so much at this time? What if Lunatic Wang discovers the secrets of the sect?”

n

nThe lackeys at the back muttered and wanted to go in to search again. However, because of Wang Lan’s identity, they did not dare to attack openly.

n

nJust as they were hesitating, a huge crack suddenly appeared in front of them. An old man in tattered clothes and reeking of alcohol walked out.

n

nThe moment they saw Wang Lan, they were all shocked and subconsciously took a step back.

n

nWang Lan’s drunken eyes swept across them before he raised his head and took a big gulp of wine. He said impatiently, “I was wondering why it’s so noisy outside. There’s actually a group of flies.”

n

nThe disciples of the Divine Flame Sect did not dare to lose their temper after being insulted by Wang Lan. Their faces turned red, but they did not dare to refute.

n

nThe senior brother in the lead closed his mouth and took a deep breath. He took a step forward and landed in front of Wang Lan.

n

n“Apothecary Wang!”

n

nAs soon as he spoke, Wang Lan’s mouth greeted him. A strong smell of alcohol almost knocked him out.

n

n“What do you want to do? If you have something to say, say it. Don’t stay at my place.”

n

nThat person was a little angry from embarrassment after being taken a notch down by Wang Lan. He gritted his teeth and said, “Apothecary Wang, our Sect Master respected you as a genius. That’s why we brothers respect you so much. Don’t push your luck. If you dare to protect a criminal, you will be making an enemy of our Divine Fire Sect!”

n

nWang Lan put on a fearless expression and sneered as he looked at these Divine Fire Sect disciples.

n

n“Your Sect Master calls me senior respectfully when he’s out adventuring. How is it your turn to put on airs in front of me? If you’re really certain of what I’ve done, call Zi Ling over himself.”

n

n“We saw that guy enter your mountain range with our own eyes. How can you quibble? If not for the Sect Master’s orders, we would have gone in and investigated on our own. Old man, don’t be ungrateful!”

n

nThe atmosphere froze when a disciple behind him said this in anger.

n

nWang Lan’s relaxed appearance just now had also disappeared without a trace. An incomparably cold aura suddenly rose from his body.

n

nThis aura was too powerful, suppressing the disciples of the Divine Fire Sect until they did not dare to move.

n

n“Apothecary Wang, what do you want to do? We’re just here to search you routinely, but you’re blocking us like this. Do you really want to make an enemy of our Divine Fire Sect?”

n

nApothecary Wang suddenly stretched out his hand and disappeared like a ghost. When he reappeared, he had a row of teeth on his hand.

n

nThese disciples looked at the guy standing in the middle in panic.

n

nIt was this fellow who had said those words just now. At this moment, he was standing there with his mouth covered in blood and his face was swollen like a pig’s head.

n

n“Apothecary Wang, you really dare to attack us?”

n

nThe senior brother took out a black triangular flag and stood in front of him. His cloak fluttered in the wind.

n

nWang Lan looked at the flag and his nose twitched slightly, revealing a puzzled expression.

n

n“If you don’t get lost, I’ll pull out all your teeth!”

n

nAs Apothecary Wang spoke, he flipped the dozen or so teeth in his hand and they fell one by one.

n

n“My teeth!”

n

nThe person with the swollen face still knew to chase down and catch all the broken teeth.

n

n“Does that mean you really want to make an enemy of our Divine Fire Sect?”

n

n“So much nonsense.”

n

n“Alright! Old man, just you wait!”

n

nAfter saying that, he waved his sleeve and put away the triangular flag. He turned around and led his brothers in another direction. In a short while, they disappeared.

n

nAfter sending away these uninvited guests, Wang Lan returned to her straw hut where Li Yuanqing was waiting.

n

n“Thank you for saving me, Senior!”

n

nWang Lan looked up at Li Yuanqing and did not answer. He walked to the table and poured two cups of spiritual tea before taking one himself.

n

n“How did you get involved with the people from the Divine Fire Sect?”

n

nAlthough Wang Lan did not expose him, he had probably guessed it from the recent rumors and Li Yuanqing’s actions.

n

nLi Yuanqing picked up his tea and took a sip. He replied, “I’m new here, so I wanted to walk around and understand more. I happened to hear that the Divine Fire Sect was purchasing materials and it was very lively, so I came to take a look.”

n

n“Just one look?”

n

nLi Yuanqing’s eyes shifted. He suddenly stood up and walked behind Wang Lan.

n

n“Senior, we have a question. Can you answer it?”

n

nWang Lan added the tea in the teacup and drank it in one gulp. The teacup disappeared in his hand.

n

n“Tell me what you found on those guys from the Divine Fire Sect.”

n

nLi Yuanqing looked at Wang Lan in surprise. He did not expect Wang Lan to know quite a lot about the outside world despite being so unrestrained usually.

n

n“I was curious when I saw them dragging people away from the Divine Fire Sect’s market just now. I let a puppet follow them to the cave. In the end, I realized that behind the market was a wide passageway. There were countless rooms inside, and some abnormal actions seemed to be happening in those rooms.”

n

n“You know the puppet technique?”

n

nWang Lan raised his eyebrows and turned to look at Li Yuanqing.

n

n“I only know a little!”

n

nWang Lan pursed his lips noncommittally and walked to the table to sit down.

n

n“What happened after that? What did you see?”

n

n“They lied that those people were selling fake fire spirit fruits and forcefully controlled them. However, when those people reached the tunnel, their souls had already dissipated. Then they placed them on a large stone platform. There was also the so-called Heavenly Master refining their corpses.”

n

n“What?”

n

nWhen Wang Lan heard this, he suddenly glared at Li Yuanqing.

n

n“What did you say?”

n

n“What I said is true. I saw it with my own eyes. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have chased after me so anxiously.”

n

nWang Lan took out the cup again in surprise and poured a cup of tea into it.

n

n“You’re saying that someone tricked those itinerant cultivators into trading and actually harmed their lives and refined their corpses?”

n

n“Indeed.”

n

n“What else did you see?”

n

n“Other than that, there’s nothing else. When I was about to continue watching, I was discovered and the puppet was destroyed.”

n

n“Your puppet has seen enough.”

n

nWang Lan’s gaze landed on Li Yuanqing.

n

n“If it’s really as you said, and they’re refining corpses, then their Heavenly Masters are all top puppet masters. They actually let you peek at them for so long.”

n

nLi Yuanqing’s heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to explain, Wang Lan suddenly shifted his gaze.

n

n“However, I’ve been very puzzled recently. The Divine Fire Sect has suddenly become very high-profile and is purchasing Fire Spirit Fruits and other fire-attribute materials wantonly. They seem to have a very urgent need for fire-attribute spiritual energy.”

n

n“Then does Senior have evidence now?”

n

nWang Lan shook his head slightly and replied, “I don’t have any evidence. Initially, I was only puzzled and didn’t really want to doubt them. However, if what you said is true, then they have committed a huge taboo.”

n

n“Then why don’t we just tell these things to those large sects?”

n

n“That won’t be of any use.”

n

n“Then are we going to do nothing? Watch as those itinerant cultivators are tricked into a fire pit?”

n

n“It’s not impossible.”

n

nWang Lan suddenly reached out and brushed his hand across the table. A wooden box appeared on the small wooden table.

n

n“I wonder if you’re willing to come with me to meet an old friend?”

n

n