Minglong

Chapter 264 Bloodhound
A nine-zhang stone gate stands tall beneath the mountains, and a ball of white light appears and disappears beside the lotus platform.

Zhao Ling placed her sword on the ground, cupped the ball of light in her hands to collect the scattered golden sand, and asked in a low voice with a hint of curiosity in her almond-shaped eyes:
"Qingmo, was Xie Jinhuan talking to himself just now?"

Linghu Qingmo lent a helping hand. Since Xie Jinhuan had gone inside to investigate, she had told the two of them to wait at the entrance, and she hadn't heard anything. However, she did notice Xie Jinhuan either crossing her arms or putting her hands on her hips, seemingly muttering something to the round hole on the lotus platform. After thinking for a moment, she said:

"He's probably analyzing it; he's done this occasionally before..."

"Oh, I thought he had opened his third eye and saw something..."

This was Zhao Ling's first time visiting such an ancient ruin. Although it was empty and there was nothing unusual about it, she was still a little nervous.

Outside the stone gate.

A disheveled, armored monster lay unconscious on the ground.

Xie Jinhuan squatted down beside him, trying to study the physical structure of this half-demon.

Although he had encountered several similar beings, they were all modified and killed on the spot. The Imperial Observatory could dissect the body structure, but they could not study the flow of Qi.

At this moment, Xie Jinhuan placed his hand on the strange man's brow to examine his physique. He discovered that the details of his physique were quite different from those of a human, making him look somewhat like a grafted product, with divine beast genes mixed into human genes, resulting in him possessing some bloodline supernatural abilities.

This mutation is overt, resulting in obvious changes to the limbs and appearance. However, the Underworld Cult, through some unknown means, has turned this bloodline talent into a latent one, thus preventing any noticeable changes to the limbs. If he is not mistaken, this modification should still go through an 'awakening' stage before the talent can be fully awakened.

Xie Jinhuan wasn't a doctor, so he couldn't see much. This strange man had it tough; his father had hidden him in the deserted area his whole life, and he never had the chance to harm outsiders. So, he tried to seal the remaining Mingjin Sand in the man's body to prevent him from becoming a guardian beast and being killed again when the next opportunity came.

However, he didn't know how to do that, so he looked at the ghost beside him:
"What should we do?"

“Your soul is still a bit weak, and you can’t separate the power of heaven and earth too finely. Let me do it.”

As Ye Hongshang spoke, his figure gradually faded away.

Xie Jinhuan then felt a squeezing sensation, as if something was merging into his soul. Then, the energy within his body began to circulate uncontrollably, starting to peel away the Mingjin Sand from the monster's body.

The process should have been smooth sailing, without any unexpected incidents.

But just as the three were busy at work, a voice suddenly came from outside the dark cave:
Boom——

A faint rumble of thunder.

Although the distance was extremely far, the thunder seemed to explode right at the entrance, so much so that it traveled directly through the tunnel into the underground cavern and could be heard clearly.

Zhao Ling and Linghu Qingmo, who were collecting the "Sounding Gold Sand," stopped abruptly upon hearing the sound and looked around at the rock wall above:
"Is it thundering outside?"

"It seems to be thunder magic..."

As an expert in thunder magic, Linghu Qingmo heard the commotion and recognized it as something similar to his own techniques. He immediately drew his sword and stood up.

"Is someone outside?"

Xie Jinhuan was also puzzled. He got up and listened carefully, while the ghost wife, inside his body, was also sensing the changes in the world:
"It seems like Bing Tuozi has arrived and encountered someone outside."

Ice cubes...

Xie Jinhuan frowned, realizing something was wrong. He told Momo to quickly collect all the Mingjin Sand and hurried out of the mountain...
-
Huhu~
A biting wind swept across the valley, and two figures stood beside the crater created by the force of the punches.

The monk Xuyin, holding a nine-ringed staff and wrapped in a cloak, with a gloomy expression of being forced to go to work, carefully examined two stones in the valley:

"The three people should be Xie Jinhuan and his two female companions."

Beside him, Shen Jinyu, one of the seven heroes of martial arts, had also changed into his night-clothes for traveling the martial world. However, his large belly made him look like a wealthy landowner, and his posture with his hands behind his back also carried a hint of shrewdness.
"Judging from the footprints, his cultivation level isn't very high. However, there are remnants of the Golden Sand here, so it's likely that he possesses the Divine Gift of the Guardian, which has attracted the attention of others. Xie Jinhuan himself possesses the Divine Gift of the Lingguang, so if things go well, this trip will be quite rewarding."

Before the monk Xuyin arrived, he was actually unsure of himself, after all, he was Fachen's subordinate, not a loyal follower of the Underworld God Sect, and the Underworld God Sect had the leverage to hold him accountable for colluding with demons.

If he doesn't help with the matter, he will definitely be targeted by the other party. Even if he does help, he may be exploited by the evil Taoist priest until all his value is squeezed out.

But even the monk Xuyin had no choice, after all, he had family!
Although he was the abbot of Jing'an Temple, he was extremely wealthy and, being a non-eunuch, inevitably had many wives, concubines, and children in secret.

He kept these things very secret, but the Underworld Cult is all-powerful and has spies everywhere, so it's very likely they know.

Having already entered the secular world, how easy is it to sever ties with worldly affairs and escape to a distant land? After much hesitation, Monk Xuyin still followed He Tianqi's orders and came. He had made it clear beforehand that he would not risk his life if he was not confident.

Unexpectedly, the helper He Tianqi found for him turned out to be Shen Jinyu. Shen Jinyu was one of the Seven Heroes of Martial Arts and the leader of the Blood Rain Pavilion. His status in the martial arts world was much higher than his, and like him, he was not a martial arts practitioner who engaged in fighting and killing, but a businessman!
Shen Jinyu's background as an assassin and his years of experience in the martial arts world meant that he was not a lackey of the Underworld God Cult, nor would he be easily fooled. The fact that he came in person meant that the Underworld God Cult had paid him a large sum of money to hire him.

This shows that the Underworld Cult did indeed want to kill Xie Jinhuan, and didn't even expect him to be their main force.

With such a powerful figure assisting him, Monk Xuyin felt that the matter was not too dangerous. His only concern was that Shen Jinyu might double-cross him and kill him after the deed was done.

At this point, the monk Xuyin also frankly offered his suggestion:

"Master Shen is the main force on this trip, so all the opportunities obtained will naturally belong to Master Shen. In addition, this humble monk also has a request. If we end up fighting, I hope Master Shen can lend a little effort as a reward. I will definitely repay you handsomely when we return."

Shen Jinyu turned and followed the escape tracks towards the snow-capped mountains:

“Master Xuyin is a smart man. Since he knows that this matter is very risky, why does he still want to get involved in this mess?”

"Alas, one is often caught up in the ways of the world. In the past, Fachen wanted to promote Buddhism, and I provided him with a lot of money and manpower. Who would have thought that Fachen would collude with the evil Taoists? Now that things have come to this, there is nothing I can do. I am content with spending money to buy peace."

At this point, the monk Xuyin added:
"Master Shen has a good reputation, so he shouldn't be stingy with money. We can discuss it if needed."

"Ha ha……"

Shen Jinyu paused for a moment before replying:
"As Shen said frankly, Master Xuyin has underestimated the Mingshen Sect. What they want may be more than just your vast wealth and your limited cultivation."

"Fortunately, Mr. Shen is kind-hearted and was able to help Master Xuyin escape, and also change the names of his family members and send them to a place where no one knows them."

"As for the price, you can't take your wealth with you when you die. With Master Xuyin's abilities, it won't be difficult for him to make a comeback even if he goes to a foreign land."

Upon hearing this, Monk Xuyin understood that Shen Jinyu knew some inside information, but he was still somewhat hesitant to ask him to donate all his private property to buy peace.
"Master Shen's appetite is only slightly smaller than that of the Underworld God Sect."

Shen Jinyu shook her head and said earnestly:
"The Blood Rain Pavilion's reputation is well-known. If you pay enough, they won't ruin their reputation over such a small matter. The Underworld God Sect is different. No matter what they promise you, their goal is to take advantage of you."

“It’s alright if Master Xuyin doesn’t want to do this business. The opportunity will come to me later. I will protect you if I have the ability. As for the rest, you can pray for good luck.”

"..."

Monk Xuyin knew he was on a sinking ship; as long as he couldn't give up his current status and position, he would never be able to escape the control of the Underworld God Cult.

In comparison, the Blood Rain Pavilion, which actually delivered on its promises after receiving payment, seemed more reliable. After a moment's consideration, he finally nodded slightly...
-
Meanwhile, on the snow-capped mountains.

He Tianqi, hiding behind the snow-capped mountains, observed the two figures leaping across the valley using his binoculars and asked:
"Who was Xie Jinhuan fighting just now?"

"I don't know, maybe it's a monster from the mountains."

Wei Jili stood to the side, his entire body covered up tightly, even his hair was braided into a style common in the Western Regions. Even if his son Wei Lu stood in front of him, it would be difficult to recognize him.

The reason for dressing up like this is that even with Shen Jinyu and the monk Xuyin working together like lions to hunt rabbits, it's still not safe to kill a wicked person like Xie Jinhuan. There needs to be a backup force so that a decisive blow can be delivered when necessary.

Because Xie Jinhuan was too wicked, he even wanted to bring in a stronger figure to bolster his forces. But the next level of combat power would be figures like Wei Wuyi and Sikong Laozu, who would be tantamount to openly defecting, making it difficult to conceal their actions.

Therefore, he was the only one who could take the risk to handle this matter.

After Xie Jinhuan left Fengshan, they urgently gathered manpower over a distance of 800 li and chased after Xirong. Although they could roughly deduce from his movements that Xie Jinhuan had come to find an opportunity like Bing Sheng Mountain, the area of ​​Xirong was too vast, making it difficult to pinpoint his location in the endless mountains.

Fortunately, someone had just made a move in the mountains, and the disturbance was quite significant. In the dead of winter, in an uninhabited area, there was no way anyone else could be there, so the four of them quickly chased after them here.

Seeing Shen Jinyu and the other person heading into the depths of the snow-capped mountains, Wei Jili followed behind, analyzing the possibility of success along the way.

With three Super Grade cultivators on their side, plus the powerful ghost cultivator He Tianqi, they could handle even Duan Yuechou. Xie Jinhuan, on the other hand, had just entered the Super Grade realm and was carrying two burdens with him; there was no way he could survive.

Therefore, Wei Jili and He Tianqi felt that the matter was almost certain to be resolved, and that they could kill Xie Jinhuan as soon as they found him.

Even though he had considered all the possible changes, he never imagined how many women Xie Jinhuan, who was known as the king of male prostitutes in Luoyang, had seduced!
Moreover, this woman is incredibly pretentious. She can't let go of the man and insists on following him around, while secretly hiding herself along the way so that the man won't find out.

If it were an ordinary young girl, doing this kind of silly, love-struck thing would be understandable, but these are two top-tier sect leaders!

Then, unsurprisingly, an accident happened...

(End of this chapter)