The only one who could have beaten him to the Treasure Saber was probably this kid.

He had seen him as just a rich brat this whole time. He had truly misjudged him.

Sunx Fuping’s gaze swept across the ruins. ’How am I supposed to find someone in a place this big?’ Hee Lingchuan must have just left.

...

Hee Lingchuan sprinted through the ruins, happening to pass the abandoned Government Office. There was a very tall corner tower here that hadn’t been completely destroyed in the fires of war.

He was still clutching the saber with the Flood Dragon’s Mouth Swallowing Ring design.

That’s right. A short while ago, he had secretly slipped down from the side of the city wall, skirted the battlefield, and returned to the Official Residence. His sole purpose was to retrieve this saber from beside Zhong Shengguang’s bed.

When people of this era forged weapons, the rings on sabers and hilts on swords were often decorated with the image of a Vengeance, a creature with a jackal’s body and a dragon’s head. The remaining twenty to thirty percent were carved into various other monsters.

The ring on the pommel of this saber by Zhong Shengguang’s bed was a right-angled Flood Dragon Head. Hee Lingchuan had been here twice without giving it a second thought, his attention entirely focused on the other furnishings, especially the blue-flowered comb on the vanity.

But the Black Flood Dragon had appeared when the Official Residence was destroyed, which clearly meant it had a special connection to the Zhong Residence. And looking at the Black Flood Dragon’s massive head, those straight, unbranching horns... they weren’t just similar to the carved Flood Dragon Head on the saber’s pommel, they were absolutely identical!

Hee Lingchuan couldn’t help but admire his own powerful memory.

When he walked into the post-war Official Residence and saw the saber hanging safely on a ruined wall, without even a speck of soot on it, his suspicion was further confirmed.

There was something strange about this saber.

It should exist in the peacetime Official Residence, because that’s where Zhong Shengguang lived.

It shouldn’t exist in the post-war Official Residence. Zhong Shengguang had moved into the main residence long ago, so the saber’s appearance here was completely out of place.

Furthermore, it was as smooth as new, untouched by the fires of war. This showed that in real history, it wasn’t hanging on this wall when the fire broke out.

Although Hee Lingchuan couldn’t hear Nian Songyu telling Sunx Fuping about the "source of the Black Flood Dragon’s life," he keenly sensed that this saber held a special value for the beast.

With this saber in hand, he would have an extra layer of security when facing the Black Flood Dragon.

He drew his new prize and glanced at it. It was as bright as autumn waters, and the moment it left the scabbard, a biting chill emanated from it, dropping the surrounding temperature by at least a couple of degrees. The blade’s curve was perfect, its weight evenly balanced. Most importantly, it felt incredible in his grip. It was like an extension of his forearm, with none of the awkwardness of a new weapon. It felt more like reuniting with an old friend.

With a casual swing, a nearby pillar thicker than his head was silently severed.

A pity, then, that there was a crack on the blade. It ran from the spine toward the edge, vanishing about two-thirds of the way across.

Hee Lingchuan also smelled an intensely strong, metallic scent of blood, even though the blade and scabbard were both clean, without a single drop of fresh blood on them.

’Who knows how many people’s hot blood it has drunk from their necks.’

The young man flicked the edge of the blade. ’Can I take this thing out of the Illusion Realm?’

After a moment’s thought, he shamelessly strapped it to his waist.

’Now, I need to get back, and fast.’ He looked up at the growing flock of Demon Birds overhead. They seemed to have spotted him. ’I wonder if they’ll swoop down and try to snatch this.’

However, Hee Lingchuan immediately realized they were a secondary problem. The primary one had just emerged from a dark alley to block his path:

Sunx Fuping.

Hee Lingchuan froze in shock, then forced a laugh. "Grand State Master Sunx, what a coincidence!"

’What do I do? Where can I run?’ His mind raced.

Sunx Fuping’s expression was strange, a mix of ecstatic joy and venomous hatred. He held a hand out toward Hee Lingchuan. "Where is the saber?"

The moment he discovered the Treasure Saber was stolen, he had started a frantic search. With the saber in his possession, the kid surnamed Hee couldn’t just hide in the ruins and vanish like last time. Otherwise, there would be no point in finding the saber.

He would definitely try to bring this important bargaining chip back to the South City Gate. All Sunx Fuping had to do was intercept him.

The Official Residence and the Sub-prefecture Yamen were both by the lake. There weren’t many paths Hee Lingchuan could take. And now, he’d finally been caught.

Hee Lingchuan placed a hand on the saber at his waist, conveniently covering the ring on its pommel, a look of bewilderment on his face. "What saber? What are you talking about, National Preceptor?"

Sunx Fuping chuckled dryly. Not bothering to waste words, he casually threw out a set of Silk Ropes.

This treasure was usually wrapped around his wrist, disguised as a red cord. When thrown, it grew in the wind, automatically pursued its target, and finally enveloped the enemy like a cast net. Not even an elephant could break free—provided the master could hold on.

Furthermore, Hook Claws could be attached to the mesh, adding injury to imprisonment and preventing escape.

Hee Lingchuan had only taken a few steps before a large net descended from the sky, snaring him completely. Sunx Fuping gave a hard tug, and the Hook Claws on the mesh sprang open. If Hee Lingchuan hadn’t raised his arms to protect his face in time, his eyes might have been gouged out.

Even so, his exposed skin was raked with bloody gashes. Some of the barbs tore out chunks of flesh, making him grimace in pain.

Sunx Fuping flipped his palm, and three streams of True Flame shot along the main lines of the Silk Rope. WHOOSH! Like pouring oil on a fire, the entire net was engulfed in raging flames.

The flames were golden-red with a hint of white, their temperature unnaturally high. Burning bone to ash in an instant would be a simple task for them.

Sunx Fuping’s intentions on this trip to the Panlong Desert were now laid bare; he no longer needed to keep Hee Lingchuan as a sacrifice. Boundless killing intent surged within him.

But to his surprise, Hee Lingchuan only let out a yelp—"OW!"—from the pain of the Hook Claws. He was perfectly fine amidst the inferno.

At the same time, a blue halo of light burst from his body.

Sunx Fuping knew at a glance that the boy had a Magical Artifact that protected against fire, one that triggered automatically in high heat. But his True Flame was powerful enough to melt an ordinary Fire-Controlling Spiritual Artifact. The fact that not a single strand of Hee Lingchuan’s hair was singed showed this was no ordinary treasure.

In the midst of the chaos, Hee Lingchuan looked down and saw that the glowing treasure was none other than the Divine Bone Necklace!

’It’s finally come in handy!’ Otherwise, he would have been burnt to a crisp in seconds.

Sunx Fuping drew his sword, intending to step forward and cut him down with a single strike.

Unexpectedly, a shadow fell over him. A massive Demon Bird swooped down from the sky, its two claws aimed straight for his face.

These things were not easy to deal with. Their sharp talons could disembowel a person in a careless moment. Moreover, their wrinkled, loose-looking skin was actually exceptionally tough; you could scrape at it with a small knife all day and not leave a mark.

Sunx Fuping had no choice but to defend himself, but not without flinging two volleys of Dark Darts at Hee Lingchuan.

Hee Lingchuan cried out, failing to notice several black insects slide off the darts. With suckers on their heads and maggot-like bodies, they burrowed into his wounds.

Sunx Fuping had collected these things as spoils of war after killing a Gu Master while suppressing a southern rebellion with the army. The Gu Master’s signature killing move, the Flying Head Gu, was said to be formless and invisible, capable of taking a life from a hundred paces. In reality, it used these Gu Insects to burrow into a person’s body, chew through their heart and brain, and absorb their essence.

Sunx Fuping despised the methods of Gu magic, but he was very interested in the efficacy of the Gu Insects.

After gorging themselves on the blood and essence of humans or Demons, these Gu Insects would curl into a ball and spend two months digesting. This was a process of refinement. After repeating it three or four times, the Gu Insects could no longer absorb any more blood and essence. They themselves would then become a potent tonic that could be consumed, exceptionally fast at restoring vitality and blood, far surpassing any medicine.