Chapter 817: Encounter with Huang Fugui

Northern Border, Fire Crow Market City.

In a secret chamber, Wang Mingren sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, his expression grim. Two disciples from the Grand Void Sect stood respectfully before him.

"Qinglian Villa, Taoshan of the Monster Control Nation, and Sea Cucumber Island have all been destroyed?" Wang Mingren asked, somewhat disbelievingly. The support his family could provide him had indeed dwindled, but regardless, it was the family that raised him, and its destruction still deeply saddened him.

Wang Mingren was born into the Wang family. After his family's destruction, the Grand Unity Immortal Sect also sent someone to inform him. Beyond his anger, Wang Mingren also felt a sense of dread.

What kind of enemy had his family provoked? According to the intelligence hall of the Grand Unity Immortal Sect, it was likely the work of a Nascent Soul cultivator. A Nascent Soul cultivator who dared to destroy the Wang family would also dare to eliminate Wang Mingren.

To be honest, Wang Mingren spent most of his time in the sect and was not very familiar with his family's situation. The last time Wang Changsheng sought his help was because Wang Mingjiang, blinded by greed, had ambushed and killed a disciple of the Grand Unity Immortal Sect. Wang Mingren had investigated afterward; the victim had many enemies, including descendants of some high-ranking figures, and the victim's reputation was also poor. Consequently, the matter had been dropped and became an unresolved case. Now, his family had actually provoked a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Wang Mingren felt unsettled and panicked. The thought of a Nascent Soul cultivator lurking in the shadows sent a shiver down his spine. Fortunately, he rarely mentioned his origins from Qinglian Villa to others, but to be safe, he still needed to be cautious.

"Try your best to contact my nephew, Wang Changsheng, and ask him if he knows who the culprit is." Wang Mingren felt that Wang Changsheng should know about this, but he wasn't sure if Wang Changsheng was even alive. If he was, where was he?

"Yes, Uncle-Master Wang," the two disciples agreed and turned to leave.

"Who could have done this? Changsheng is truly troublesome, actually provoking a Nascent Soul cultivator," Wang Mingren frowned deeply, muttering to himself.

Suddenly, a sharp screeching sound rang out. Wang Mingren took out a communication plate, cast a spell, and soon, a somewhat aged male voice abruptly spoke: "Junior Brother Wang, according to reliable intelligence, a third-order Fire Crow has appeared in the Fire Crow Mountain Range, which could easily trigger a beast tide. Come with me to eliminate that third-order Fire Crow. I'll be waiting for you at the market city's exit."

The Fire Crow Mountain Range was rich in demonic beast resources, home to a large number of Fire Crows. A third-order demonic beast could easily trigger a beast tide, posing a potential threat. Wang Mingren had been stationed at Fire Crow Market City for many years, enjoying abundant cultivation resources and a suitable cultivation environment. He had already reached the fourth layer of Core Formation. This was the advantage of being in a major sect: serving the sect provided cultivation resources.

"Alright, Senior Brother Xu, I'll be right there."

Not long after, Wang Mingren appeared at the market city's exit, where a red-robed elder in his early fifties and a young woman in a green dress, around thirty years old, had already been waiting. The red-robed elder was at the sixth layer of Core Formation, and the young woman in green was at the fourth layer. With Wang Mingren, three Core Formation cultivators going to eliminate a single third-order Fire Crow made success almost guaranteed.

Leaving the market city, the red-robed elder summoned a cloud-shaped flying magical artifact, carrying the three of them high into the sky.

A day later, they appeared above a massive valley. There was an abandoned Red Flame Crystal mine here; the vein had been completely excavated, leaving behind numerous mine shafts. Fire Crows had nested in these shafts, and the intricate network of tunnels made it easy for them to hide. If a Grand Unity Immortal Sect disciple hadn't been chasing a Fire Fox and unexpectedly seen a third-order Fire Crow fly into a mine shaft, the Grand Unity Immortal Sect would not have discovered its existence.

"According to the disciple's account, the third-order Fire Crow is inside, but he doesn't know its exact location. The mine shafts are interconnected, so he couldn't pinpoint the Fire Crow's precise whereabouts," the red-robed elder pointed to the mine shafts below, speaking in a deep voice.

"Junior Brother Wang, we need to be careful. There might be more than one third-order Fire Crow inside," the young woman in green advised with a solemn expression.

Wang Mingren nodded in agreement.

They activated a protective barrier on themselves and stepped inside. The stone walls were rough and uneven, with clear signs of excavation. After walking over a hundred zhang, they encountered more than a dozen nearly identical tunnels ahead, leading to unknown destinations.

The red-robed elder released a completely red fox with golden eyes. This was a second-order, top-grade Golden-Eyed Fire Fox, known for its keen sense of smell. He took out a dead Fire Crow and let the Golden-Eyed Fire Fox sniff it. The fox then ran into one of the mine shafts, with Wang Mingren and the other two following closely.

Just then, a deafening roar suddenly erupted, causing the entire mine shaft to shake violently. The three of them exchanged glances, their faces filled with caution.

"Oh no, something is charging towards us!" the red-robed elder warned, taking out a red, shimmering flying dagger with a flick of his wrist. Wang Mingren and the young woman in green also retrieved their magical artifacts, ready for a fight.

Not long after, a red light appeared in their sight—it was a massive Fire Crow. The Fire Crow had four wings on its back, some black downy feathers on its head, its right leg was missing, and most of the feathers on its left wing had fallen off. This was a mid-grade third-order Fire Crow, but its aura was weak, and it appeared heavily wounded.

The sound of rushing air grew loud as a white light pursued it from behind, instantly striking the Fire Crow. An astonishing sight unfolded: the Fire Crow froze at a visible rate, turning into a massive ice sculpture. The white light was, in fact, a massive white net several zhang wide, emanating wisps of chilling air.

A yellow light and a white light flew in from ahead, landing before them. As the streaks of light faded, a man in yellow robes and a woman in a white dress were revealed. The man in yellow robes was corpulent, his face covered in pockmarks, giving him a somewhat vulgar appearance. The woman in the white dress had snow-white skin, a fiery figure, and a cold expression. Her clothes bore a pattern of three flames of different colors.

"Oh, it's you, Huang Fugui! What brings you to the Northern Border?" the young woman in green uttered a soft exclamation of surprise.

Wang Mingren had also heard of Huang Fugui. This man was a rogue cultivator, timid and afraid of trouble, but his escape techniques were very fast. Because he frequently hunted low-level demonic beasts, almost wiping out the local population, Huang Fugui had been driven away by multiple forces. Huang Fugui was timid and afraid of trouble, bullying the weak but fearing the strong. However, he had his limits; he never provoked major powers, so other forces mostly ignored him.

What surprised Wang Mingren was the woman in the white dress accompanying Huang Fugui. The woman in the white dress was a cultivator from the Three Flames Palace, one of the ten major sects in the Northern Border. She possessed a cultivation of the seventh layer of Core Formation. Why would she be with Huang Fugui? Had Huang Fugui joined the Three Flames Palace?

"Ah, fellow Daoists from the Grand Unity Immortal Sect, what a coincidence," Huang Fugui rubbed his hands, his tone slightly fawning. Coupled with his pockmarked face, it made it hard to truly dislike him.

Huang Fugui was already at the seventh layer of Core Formation, and Wang Mingren and his two companions had lower cultivation levels than him. Yet, he still spoke in a flattering tone. Wang Mingren now understood why his fellow sect members wore expressions of disdain when discussing Huang Fugui.