Chapter 1449: Tempering Wang Mengbin

On Green Carp Island, within the Red Moon Sea.

On Wuchen Peak, Lin Yuzong was speaking with Zhang Wuchen, whose expression was grim.

All the clan members Zhang Wuchen sent into the Flying Immortal Ruins had died in battle, with no survivors. She had held onto a sliver of hope, but upon returning to Green Carp Island, Lin Yuzong informed her that the life-bound soul lamps of those clan members had extinguished, confirming their deaths.

"I told you so!" Lin Yuzong sighed with deep regret. "The Flying Immortal Ruins are so dangerous, yet you still sent them in. Now look, they're all dead. We've lost a Nascent Soul cultivator. With Hongwu's capabilities, if she had advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, she would have been a significant asset."

Zhang Wuchen's face was like frost. She glared at Lin Yuzong and said coldly, "Enough. What's done is done; more talk is useless. Who could have imagined that Nascent Soul stage foreign creatures would appear in the Flying Immortal Ruins?"

She was seething with anger internally. She had intended to use this opportunity to acquire rare spiritual fruits and exotic treasures to help her advance to the late Nascent Soul stage. Who would have thought she would suffer such a double loss? Not only did she fail to obtain the rare treasures, but Zhang Hongwu and the others also died in the Flying Immortal Ruins.

"It's strange that Fellow Daoist Wang's clan members managed to retreat completely unharmed," Lin Yuzong remarked, a peculiar expression on his face. All the major factions suffered significant casualties, yet only the Wang family departed the Flying Immortal Ruins completely intact, without a single loss.

"The Wang family has a Tier 4 puppet beast and a Nascent Soul stage ghostly creature," Zhang Wuchen said irritably. "Otherwise, how could they have escaped so easily? Even the Sun Moon Palace doesn't possess a single Tier 4 puppet beast." She was also very curious why Wang Qingqing and the other four had left the Flying Immortal Ruins safely. When she pressed Wang Changsheng for details, he revealed they had also encountered foreign creatures but managed to escape. Wang Changsheng was evasive and didn't elaborate on the specific circumstances, clearly unwilling to say more. Having personally witnessed Fairy Ziyue control a Tier 4 puppet beast, Zhang Wuchen naturally assumed Wang Qingqing and the other four had brought Tier 4 puppet beasts into the Flying Immortal Ruins, along with the Nascent Soul stage ghostly creature; otherwise, their escape wouldn't have been so straightforward.

"No Tier 4 puppet beasts? No way! The Sun Moon Palace is, after all, a top-ranking cultivation sect. Not even they have Tier 4 puppet beasts?" Lin Yuzong exclaimed in surprise.

"What I mean is, to my knowledge, they did have one previously, but it was damaged," Zhang Wuchen clarified. "Perhaps Senior Martial Sister Fang has acquired another Tier 4 puppet beast by now; it's hard to say. Never mind that. I'm going to travel through Northern Xinjiang to find some rare materials. Do you want to come along?"

"Northern Xinjiang? I have nothing better to do, so I'll join you on this trip!" Lin Yuzong replied. "But if we obtain any spiritual treasures this time, they must be mine."

"No problem, as you wish," Zhang Wuchen agreed.

In Northern Xinjiang, the Sacred Talisman Palace was founded over a hundred thousand years ago. Tracing its origins, the founding patriarch of the Sacred Talisman Palace was also a disciple of the Puppet Emperor. Unfortunately, the founding patriarch of the Sacred Talisman Palace inherited the path of talismans. Relying on its three secret talismans, the Sacred Talisman Palace had dominated Northern Xinjiang for tens of thousands of years. However, its success also lay in talismans, as did its decline. The materials required for high-tier talismans were rare, and their creation was exceedingly difficult. The Sacred Talisman Palace had been in decline year by year, but even a dying camel is bigger than a horse; it still remained one of the ten major sects in Northern Xinjiang.

On a hundred-mu bluestone square, a colossal thundercloud hovered high above. The thundercloud roiled violently like a surging tide, with flashes of lightning and rumbling thunder. Countless thick silver lightning snakes writhed continuously within the cloud.

On the bluestone square, Wang Mengbin stood in an open space. A fierce wind blew, his hair fluttering in the gale, and countless silver electrical arcs surged around his body.

Opposite him stood a pretty young woman in a green dress. She had a youthful, doll-like face, which was marked with a serious expression.

On a distant peak, a red stone pavilion stood at the summit. Wang Qingshan and a scholarly-looking middle-aged man were sipping tea together, their gaze fixed on the bluestone square.

Wang Mengbin had encountered a bottleneck in his cultivation. Wang Qingshan had brought him to visit various sects, engaging in friendly combat to help him break through. By having Wang Mengbin spar with Core Formation cultivators from different sects and resolve his bottleneck during these duels, this method had proven somewhat effective.

Ye Haitang and the other two had already ascertained that the culprits who attacked the Wang family's three strongholds were from the Nine Underworld Sect.

The cautionary tale of Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan was still fresh in his mind, so Wang Qingshan would not act recklessly.

Engaging in friendly combat was not only to help Wang Mengbin overcome his bottleneck but also to forge new friendships and expand the family's influence in Northern Xinjiang.

Wang Mengbin cultivated the Earth-grade technique, "Purple Cloud Heavenly Thunder Art," and was proficient in lightning-elemental dao arts. Ordinary Core Formation cultivators were no match for him. In recent years, he had sparred with dozens of Core Formation cultivators from prominent backgrounds. Wang Mengbin had more victories than losses, and the name "True Lord Zixiao" gradually spread throughout the Northern Xinjiang cultivation world.

"Boom!"

A deafening roar of thunder echoed from high above. Over a hundred bolts of silver lightning, as thick as bowls, shot out from the dark clouds, striking down towards the young woman in the green dress below.

The young woman in the green dress formed a hand seal, manifesting seven shimmering green talismans. Countless runes emerged, swirling in the air before transforming into a monster over a hundred zhang tall. The monster had a human head, a dog's body, a tiger's tail, and a pair of wolf claws.

The monster opened its gaping maw, letting out a skyward roar. A strange, eerie howl abruptly reverberated, causing the void to twist and deform violently, as if on the verge of collapse. The hundred bolts of silver lightning suddenly dissipated, as though they had never appeared.

Wang Mengbin snorted lightly, just as he was about to make another move. A fierce gust of wind swept past, and a colossal blue butterfly, over a hundred zhang in size, abruptly materialized before him.

The silver electrical arcs on his body surged, flying off him and striking the blue butterfly.

After a thunderous roar, the blue butterfly was enveloped by a sheet of silver lightning.

A gigantic wolf claw shot out from the silver lightning, striking Wang Mengbin's body like a bolt of lightning. Wang Mengbin immediately flew backward, spitting out a large mouthful of blood, his face turning pale.

Before he even landed, countless sharp earthen spears suddenly sprouted from the ground, looking as if they would impale him like a hedgehog.

Wang Mengbin reacted swiftly. With a flick of his right hand, a large swath of silver electrical arcs flew out, transforming into hundreds of silver lightning blades that shattered the yellow earthen spears.

A dull thud came from the ground as the monster appeared before him, raising its massive foot and kicking towards him.

Wang Mengbin had no time to dodge. Countless silver lightning bolts shot from his body, striking the monster.

With a "thump," Wang Mengbin spat out a large mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward. The monster was also engulfed by the silver lightning.

"Stop! Fairy Lin, I surrender," Wang Mengbin immediately conceded upon landing. "Fairy Lin's dao arts are profound; I am truly impressed."

Although he had lost, Wang Mengbin didn't mind. He felt that the bottleneck that had plagued him for years had significantly loosened. Upon returning, he intended to enter secluded cultivation and attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

Over the past few years of sparring with Core Formation cultivators from various sects, Wang Mengbin had benefited greatly. His arrogance had diminished considerably, and he had become more mature and adaptable than before.

The monster let out a strange roar, then transformed into seven shimmering green talismans that flew back into the young woman's sleeve and vanished.