"Are you saying that you want me to join your ranks? I'm sorry, but I, Yuan Ming, am not one for great ambitions and prefer a life of freedom. I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you once again," Yuan Ming said, shaking his head and declining politely.

"Heh, I don't know how many Loose Cultivators wish to join Chang Chun Temple but get no chance, yet you have refused time and again. You truly are the renowned genius Foundation Establishment cultivator in Thunder Continent, not to mention Pu Zhengqing, Gu Qiulong, as well as Xu Changqing all died at your hand. They were not wronged," Zuo Qinghui said lightly, dropping a bombshell.

Upon hearing these words, Yuan Ming's mind was greatly shaken, but he quickly regained his composure.

However, that fleeting change in his demeanor did not escape Zuo Qinghui's notice.

"The things you do are covert, yet they always leave traces to follow. With careful investigation and a bit of conjecture, many clues can be unearthed at Zhenling Sect and within the Guangli Alliance," Zuo Qinghui said indifferently.

Yuan Ming's expression remained unchanged, but his heart had already sunk.

Since arriving in Little Lake City he had been extremely cautious, the only slip-ups being when he impersonated Xu Changqing's disciple to collect the breach of contract fee at the Guangli Alliance, and when he visited the Zhenling Sect to hatch the Winged Bird Egg. Zuo Qinghui had brought up these two places the moment he spoke, which meant he must have already investigated everything thoroughly.

"I'm not sure what Senior means by this. Pu Zhengqing was indeed killed by me, but I have never even heard of Xu Changqing and Gu Qiulong," Yuan Ming naturally denied everything.

If Zuo Qinghui was recording their conversation with a Magic Artifact, his guilt would be irrevocably nailed down.

Yuan Ming was also puzzled by Zuo Qinghui's intentions. With his Core Formation cultivation, if Zuo Qinghui had come to capture him, he would have done so by now. Why was he merely engaging in idle talk?

"Now that we've reached this point, there's no need for such pretenses, young friend. You don't need to worry, I have no ties with Xu Changqing. If you're willing to pay the price, I can cover this matter up for you," Zuo Qinghui said as he tapped the table beside him, moving his lips subtly to transmit his words through voice.

"I wonder, what exactly does Senior Zuo want me to do?" Yuan Ming pondered silently for a moment before replying with a transmission.

"I am in need of a large sum of Spirit Stones recently. You give me the profits from your Xuanhua Spirit Incense Shop for the past few years, along with Pu Zhengqing's bounty, and I will cover up this incident for you and pin Xu Changqing's death on Pu Zhengqing," Zuo Qinghui said straightforwardly, no longer beating around the bush.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming's heart somewhat eased.

Although the hundred thousand Spirit Stones he had acquired from Sha Hao were almost entirely used up, his shop had made some profits over the years. After accounting for the losses from Artifact Refining, there was still some left. If Zuo Qinghui only wanted Spirit Stones, Yuan Ming could grit his teeth and scrape together the amount, thereby making a deal.

"I've spent quite a bit on my cultivation these past years, and the business of the Spirit Incense Shop in Wangyue City is just average. Give me some time, and I should be able to gather thirty-five thousand Spirit Stones," Yuan Ming said.

"Within three days, fifty thousand Spirit Stones," Zuo Qinghui frowned and demanded in an uncompromising tone.

Yuan Ming weighed his options, intending to send Zuo Qinghui on his way and then leave Wangyue City at once.

At that moment, two beams of golden light shot out from across from him—it was Zuo Qinghui pointing casually.

Yuan Ming's face changed suddenly, and he swiftly dodged backward, but it was too late. A beam of golden light hit his right arm and disappeared without a trace.

Yuan Ming quickly examined his arm, which was unscathed—the golden light seemed to have fused into his body.

"Senior Zuo, what is the meaning of this?" Yuan Ming asked with a grave voice.

"Why are you so upset, my young friend? It's merely a Mana imprint I've placed within your body," Zuo Qinghui retracted his finger and said nonchalantly.

Yuan Ming's expression turned grim in an instant. He activated his Divine Sense, hastily scanning his right arm and the rest of his body, but found nothing.

"I've already agreed to give you the Spirit Stones. Why did you still have to do this?" He knew that Zuo Qinghui wasn't easy to fend off. Suppressing the anger in his heart, he asked.

"Yuan, you're playing dumb now. We are now one and the same. I did it to solidify our relationship and to make it more convenient for us to get along in the future," Zuo Qinghui chuckled.

"Get along in the future?" Yuan Ming furrowed his brow.

"Of course, you don't think you're the only one in Chang Chun Temple investigating Xu Changqing's death, do you? Many people are paying attention to this matter. If we want to keep it hidden long-term, I need to manage things at every level. How about this: from now on, you and I will split the income from this Spirit Incense Shop thirty to seventy, and I will take care of any issues with Chang Chun Temple so that you remain safe and sound," Zuo Qinghui said proudly.

Yuan Ming was almost fuming with rage as he looked at Zuo Qinghui's smug face, resisting the urge to punch him.

Xu Changqing was just an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator from Chang Chun Temple. To dispatch Zuo Qinghui, a Core Formation cultivator, to investigate his death was already making a big deal out of it, so how could there be others involved?

Clearly, Zuo Qinghui was interested in the profits of the Spirit Incense Shop. Greedy and never satisfied, he found fifty thousand Spirit Stones insufficient, and now he wanted to continue milking the future profits of the Xuanhua Spirit Incense Shop, obviously planning to extort Yuan Ming over the long term.

"Additionally, the two people in your shop are too weak to ensure its safety. I will send two disciples over in a few days to assist. There's no need to thank me; helping you is also helping myself," Zuo Qinghui got up, his hands behind his back as he walked around the inner hall as if inspecting his own property.

Yuan Ming, with his back to Zuo Qinghui, had a momentary look of sheer ruthlessness in his eyes.

He had backed off again and again, only for Zuo Qinghui to relentlessly press on, now even planning to have people directly supervise him!

Yuan Ming exhaled slowly, his gaze quickly returning to calm, without a hint of a ripple.

"Alright then, but Senior Zuo will need to swear by his Heart Demon that he won't tell a third person about Xu Changqing's affair," he sighed, sounding resigned.

Zuo Qinghui saw Yuan Ming yield and felt a secret triumph, promptly raising his hand to swear.

"Now that we've reached an agreement, please wait here for a moment, Senior. I'll be right back," Yuan Ming said.

"Didn't I give you three days? How is it that you can produce the Spirit Stones now?" Zuo Qinghui asked with a frown.

"Senior, since you urgently need Spirit Stones, I've just calculated that I still have some in my Cave Mansion," Yuan Ming said. "The rest are materials, magic artifacts, and other items. I'll go fetch them for you to review. If you wish to exchange them for Spirit Stones, I can immediately find a place to make the exchange."

"From what that kid named Hu Tu said, you've been living and cultivating in the Wangyue Mountain Range outside the city. I'll go with you. I happen to have a powerful Formation at hand, which we can set up around your Cave Mansion to strengthen its defenses," Zuo Qinghui said, giving Yuan Ming a noncommittal glance as he rose to his feet.

Yuan Ming didn't speak and walked towards the outside.

Soon, the two of them left Wangyue City and arrived at Yuan Ming's Cave Mansion.

Yuan Ming had already stopped the Five Elements Illusion Destruction Array and set it to a dormant state. The gates of the Cave Mansion revealed themselves, and he pushed the door open and walked in.

Zuo Qinghui released his Divine Sense, sensing only faint traces of an array around the Cave Mansion, which allowed him to enter with reassurance.

"Your Cave Mansion looks quite good, but the Array setup is too rudimentary. Let me lend you a hand," Zuo Qinghui said as he started to move around the Cave Mansion.

Yuan Ming didn't speak but silently walked toward the cultivation chamber, passing outside the Medicine Garden.

Zuo Qinghui paused upon seeing the various Spirit Grasses in the Medicine Garden.

He didn't care about other Spirit Grasses but his eyes lit up when he saw the Wind Orchid, and his attention shifted away from Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming immediately activated his mana, channeled it into the Storage Ring, and spurred the command flags of the Five Elements Illusion Destruction Array.

A rumbling noise erupted!

Red, green, yellow, blue, and golden lights burst forth suddenly in the Cave Mansion, rapidly thickening.

Zuo Qinghui was startled and looked behind him sharply.

There was nothing behind him, as Yuan Ming's figure had already shot out, heading straight for the Cave Mansion's entrance.

"You brat, you're seeking death!" Zuo Qinghui bellowed in anger, flicking his sleeve.

A golden ruler more than two feet long shot out, dotted with silver points like stars, emitting astonishing spiritual power fluctuations, far surpassing any top-grade magical tool.

The Golden Ruler Treasure flew out like lightning, heading for Yuan Ming's back, reaching him in the blink of an eye.

Magic Treasure! Yuan Ming's pupils shrank sharply as he immediately raised his hands behind him.

The Dragon Scale Shield and a turtle shell-like black shield flew out, positioned behind him.

Over the past five years, Yuan Ming's artifact refining skills had advanced considerably, and he could occasionally produce top-grade magical tools. The black shield was one of his best artifact refining results. Its defensive power, although not as strong as the Dragon Scale Shield, wasn't far behind.

Nevertheless, he knew that relying solely on two top-grade magical tools was unlikely to withstand the magic treasure's attack. He stretched out his arms behind him, and a golden inner armor also flew out of his body, advancing toward the golden ruler treasure from behind.

Yuan Ming didn't stop there. The Silver Light Pearl, a green toxin-infused flying sword, the black short sword he acquired from Sha Hao, the Cold Star Sword, and other magical artifacts also flew out of his sleeves, striking at Zuo Qinghui from all directions.

"An ant trying to shake a tree, utterly ridiculous!" Zuo Qinghui's face showed a grim color as he performed a spell with his hand.

Suddenly, the Golden Ruler Treasure divided into seven or eight shadows, charging at the Silver Light Pearl and the like.

With a "crack," a shadow split the Silver Light Pearl in two, dispersing all its spiritual power.

The other magical artifacts were no different, shattering upon contact with the golden ruler's shadows, like eggs striking stones.

The main body of the Golden Ruler Treasure also hit the two shields, piercing through them readily, and striking the Golden Light Inner Armor.

The inner armor was "pierced" with a sound, but being a top-grade magical tool, it managed to slightly slow down the speed of the Golden Ruler Treasure.

As for the destruction of his magical artifacts, Yuan Ming felt no regret. He slapped his hand on the Spiritual Beast Bag at his waist.

A white shadow flashed by, and the White Ape appeared, already transformed into its four-armed state. It wielded the Earth Burying Mallet, radiating a bright yellow light, and struck the Golden Ruler Treasure fiercely, causing a fan-shaped yellow ripple.

With a loud "clang," the Earth Burying Mallet exploded into countless fragments.

The Golden Ruler Treasure was slightly deflected, piercing into one of the White Ape's arms, easily penetrating its armor, and then running through its limb.

The White Ape's eyes turned bloody as it let out a berserk roar. Its two regrown arms reached out like lightning, filled with afterimages, and struck the Golden Ruler Treasure.

Its fists had turned completely golden, the void rumbling with a thunderous noise wherever they passed, and they hit the Golden Ruler Treasure hard.

A louder roar erupted, and finally, the Golden Ruler Treasure was knocked away. The White Ape's fists shattered, and its towering body was flung backward.

Yuan Ming swayed, his sleeve casting a green light, wrapping around the White Ape, and pulling it back into the Spiritual Beast Bag.

Meanwhile, the surrounding multicolored light suddenly intensified. Countless flames, enormous trees, rocks, and various illusions appeared, engulfing everything.

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