Nine Nether Dragon Emperor

The next moment, he seemed to witness something unbelievable as his body stiffened in place. He remained frozen for only a moment before being enveloped in mist. The mist did not linger, quickly dissipating from where Lin Changsheng had been. He had vanished, and in his place was nothing but a skeleton!

From a distance, Zang Peng's eyes contracted sharply. He knew that skeleton was Lin Changsheng's! In such a short time, the creature within the mist had completely devoured a powerful Holy Realm expert. This was absolute, boundless horror!

"Damn it, what the hell is this?!" Even though Zang Peng wasn't human and his own methods were somewhat similar, he still felt a shiver of fear.

"Lucky I was quick! But I hope Ning Xuan is okay!" Zang Peng was relieved, but also worried about Ning Xuan. He had a sinking feeling that the creature that had devoured Lin Changsheng in an instant might not be the most terrifying thing in the area ahead.

Within the thick mist, the hunchbacked old man sent a transmission to Fang Hao. "Young Master, we can't go any further! There are more and more Mist Devouring Demon Ants surrounding us!"

To an ordinary person, the mist was just mist. But the old man knew exactly what it concealed. They were Mist Devouring Demon Ants, which took the form of mist to consume flesh and devour souls. Even more horrifying was that Mist Devouring Demon Ants were colonial creatures. They were minuscule; a small patch of mist was actually a teeming mass of millions of them woven together. The sheer density of the mist hinted at the unimaginable number of them lurking within.

"If he can do it, then I, Fang Hao, certainly can too!" Fang Hao replied, not breaking his stride as he pressed forward.

The hunchbacked old man hesitated for a moment but ultimately said nothing more. They had Magical Treasures and could still resist. If the Young Master wanted to push on, then push on they would. He did not believe that Ning Xuan could go further than they could.

As expected, the two soon saw Ning Xuan, who had stopped ahead of them.

"Well, well, why have you stopped?" Fang Hao taunted the moment he saw him, not forgetting to shoot a pointed glance at the hunchbacked old man.

The latter immediately lowered his head in shame.

However, just then—

BOOM!

The Ning Xuan in front of them suddenly exploded. While the pair were still stunned, a laugh echoed from the dense mist. It was unmistakably Ning Xuan's voice.

"A Dao Body!"

"You little beast, how dare you trick us!"

Amid the furious shouts, the master and servant resumed the chase.

Not long after they left, a head suddenly popped out of the ground where Ning Xuan's Dao Body had exploded. After a quick look around, a pair of hands emerged, and pushing off the ground, the real Ning Xuan appeared, completely intact.

Glancing in the direction the master and servant had gone, Ning Xuan raised his middle finger. Then, he turned and went back the way he came.

「An incense stick's time later.」

Zang Peng, who was waiting at the edge of the mist, saw Ning Xuan emerge. He showed no surprise, instead smiling. "I knew you'd make it out!"

Ning Xuan didn't find it strange either. He walked over and said, "Let's go. They'll be stuck in there for a while. We can go take care of some important business."

"No way! I'm not cut out for that kind of stuff. You go if you want," Zang Peng refused without a second thought.

"Alright then. You figure out how to deal with them. When the time comes, just tell me what to do," Ning Xuan said before vanishing.

Zang Peng could only offer a wry smile. He was clearly Ning Xuan's enemy, yet now he had to join forces with him. If they didn't deal with Fang Hao and his servant, he wouldn't just fail to capture Ning Xuan; he himself would become their prey. He had a chance of winning against Ning Xuan, but against that master and servant duo, he stood no chance at all. The choice was obvious.

"Damn it. It's true what they say: your enemy always knows you best," Zang Peng murmured, staring in the direction Ning Xuan had disappeared.

Then he gave another wry smile. Then again, that saying is only half right. It applies to Ning Xuan, but not necessarily to me. That bastard Ning Xuan is always full of surprises and has tricked me many times already. I wouldn't dare claim to understand him. I wonder what that scoundrel is planning for the Lin Family this time?

Zang Peng felt a stir of anticipation. With that, he too disappeared. Although Fang Hao and his servant were stronger, he still found it far more entertaining to watch Ning Xuan in action.

The moment he stepped out of the Trial Mountain Range, he saw flames soaring into the sky from the direction of the Lin Family's estate.

"Good heavens! That's certainly direct and brutal!"

He soon realized this was just the beginning. Not long after, another pillar of fire erupted skyward, this time from the Lu Family's location.

"That guy really refuses to suffer the slightest loss, doesn't he?" Zang Peng shook his head, speechless. At the same time, he felt a flicker of relief. Good thing I'm from the Tianyang Realm and don't have a family. With Ning Xuan's vindictive nature, my clan would have been burned to ashes long ago!

「Realm Capital, True Servant Society Headquarters.」

Lu Feng spoke in a low voice, "Gentlemen, have you heard? A young man named Fang Hao has arrived in the Realm Capital. His old servant possesses the strength to easily obliterate a top-tier Holy Realm expert!"

"I heard. He seems to be from Chi Ming Imperial City," Zhang Boyuan replied.

Lu Feng immediately shook his head. "No, I think it's highly likely he is the True Saint we've been searching for!"

"What?!" the other elders exclaimed in unison.

"Elder Lu, do you have any proof?"

"The priority right now isn't proving if he's the True Saint, but figuring out how to remedy this situation!"

"What do you mean?"

"Ning Xuan! That little bastard angered him! If he decides to take his anger out on us, we're finished!"

Hearing Lu Feng's words, everyone's expression grew grim. Lu Feng saw this, a hint of mirth flashing in his eyes. I couldn't care less if Fang Hao is the True Saint. My only goal here is to deal with Ning Xuan! I hadn't planned on going to such lengths, but after learning what happened to the He and Lin Families, I can no longer afford to be complacent.

"Elder Lu, isn't that your family's estate?" one of the elders suddenly asked, looking outside.

Lu Feng turned his head.

Immediately, his expression changed dramatically. Without a word of farewell, he vanished on the spot.

The remaining elders looked at each other in dismay but didn't move.

With Lu Feng gone, Zhang Boyuan naturally became the one to lead the conversation. "Our True Servant Society has already lost several members, all because of Ning Xuan. If this Mr. Fang is just from Chi Ming, that's one thing. But if he really is the True Saint, then we're in for some serious trouble!"

"Aren't you afraid your own estate will catch fire?" one of the two elders aligned with Jiang Ding suddenly quipped.

Zhang Boyuan's face fell. He instinctively glanced toward his own family's compound. Thankfully, all was calm.

"Old Gu, that joke is not the least bit funny!" Zhang Boyuan snapped, while shooting a look at Yan Qiang, who was on good terms with Lu Feng.

Yan Qiang immediately stated his position. "Ning Xuan is a liability. Perhaps we should just expel him from the Dali Realm?"