Qin Ming stood in mid-air with his hands behind his back.

Upon hearing Linghu Yang's words, his expression remained impassive, showing little reaction, as he calmly said:

"I don't need you to hold back."

Upon hearing this, Linghu Yang was momentarily stunned, then coldly replied:

"Hmph! You certainly seem arrogant. Do you truly believe you can contend with Golden Core power?"

Qin Ming replied calmly, "I'm just concerned that after the duel, your state of mind might become more unsettled."

Linghu Yang, hearing this, became enraged, clearly feeling disrespected by this attitude.

"Fine!"

"Then I won't hold back. Let's see if Fellow Daoist Long is truly as formidable as you claim."

"If I fail to control my power and accidentally kill you, don't blame me!"

With that said, Linghu Yang unleashed the aura of his mana.

Qin Ming then raised his hand, and a mouse demon with gray fur appeared between the two.

"First, try defeating my spirit pet."

Soon after, the body of the Heaven-Devouring Rat suddenly expanded, growing to several dozen meters in an instant, and an overwhelming Demon King pressure descended mightily!

The immense spiritual pressure turned Linghu Yang ashen-faced, nearly suffocating him.

Even at the same tier, the Demon Race's strength far surpasses that of the Human Race.

Moreover, Linghu Yang had just recently broken through to the Golden Core Stage.

"Hehe! Kid!"

"I heard you want to challenge my master?!"

"Tell me, how do you want to die?"

The Heaven-Devouring Rat taunted Linghu Yang arrogantly, baring its chilling fangs.

"Peak of Tier Three Early Stage Demon King!!"

"How... how is this possible?"

Linghu Yang was visibly frightened, unable to comprehend how Fellow Daoist Long, a Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivator, could possess such a powerful spirit pet.

If this were the case, what about Fellow Daoist Long's own strength?

Confusion, fear, and doubt were all apparent on Linghu Yang's face.

The next moment, he managed to force a strained smile, cupping his hands apologetically toward Qin Ming:

"So, Fellow Daoist Long is this powerful. Please forgive my impudence, I meant no offense."

Without another word, Linghu Yang transformed into a golden escape light and fled hurriedly.

He ran away faster than when he came.

"Hehe! Trying to run?"

The Heaven-Devouring Rat eagerly poised for action, impatient to test its abilities again.

The massive demon body mysteriously vanished into the void, disappearing instantly.

Qin Ming's figure also flickered, disappearing from where he stood.

...

On the other side.

Linghu Yang escaped at full speed, using a secret technique to travel thousands of miles in one breath.

He was drenched in sweat, continuously scanning behind him with his Divine Thought.

Only after confirming that 'Fellow Daoist Long' and his terrifying Demon King spirit pet weren't in pursuit, did he finally breathe a long sigh of relief.

"As long as I reach Moyuan Immortal City, I'll be safe."

"There's always someone stronger. Every mountain has its peak!"

"This Fellow Daoist Long... he's truly unfathomable! There must be great secrets about him!"

"It seems my temperament is still too impetuous. I should refrain from competition with others in the future."

"This behavior was simply self-humiliating!"

"I thought breaking through to the Golden Core Stage would erase past shames... Forget it, I should retreat to the mountains for secluded cultivation."

"I won't emerge until reaching the late stages of cultivation!"

Just then.

"Thinking of retreating to secluded cultivation only now; isn't it a bit too late?"

A faint voice suddenly echoed by his side!

Startled, Linghu Yang hastily summoned an artifact, a three-foot-long sword filled with Golden Sharp Qi.

Whoosh!

An attack came silently.

The hair on the back of Linghu Yang's neck stood up; he immediately dodged several dozen meters away.

He quickly formed a sword technique with his hands, slashing into the void before him!

The golden artifact sword emitted an unparalleled sword force, instantly splitting into thirty-six golden flying swords, striking an invisible object in the air.

Clang!

Swoosh!

Several giant black earth spikes suddenly emerged, clashing with the numerous golden flying swords.

Linghu Yang's artifact golden sword was sent reeling back by the Heaven-Devouring Rat's strike, its spirituality greatly damaged.

With his Lifebound Artifact damaged, Linghu Yang appeared debilitated and coughed up a large mouthful of blood.

The Heaven-Devouring Rat's single attack nearly cost Linghu Yang half his life.

Clearly, the difference in strength between the two was vast.

Qin Ming's gaze turned cold; he originally wanted to settle peacefully, but Linghu Yang persistently pursued him.

He couldn't be blamed.

Besides, he wanted to see just how formidable the Heaven-Devouring Rat Demon King was now that it had surpassed its peak.

The Heaven-Devouring Rat flitted through the void unpredictably, making it impossible for Linghu Yang to lock onto its movements.

Suddenly!

He was caught off guard as the rat's tail struck him, sending him flying like a sandbag.

Linghu Yang got up in a sorry state, holding his chest and coughing violently. He realized escape was futile.

Especially with Fellow Daoist Long watching intently from the side.

A crazed expression appeared on his face as he prepared to make a desperate last stand.

Linghu Yang once again wielded the golden artifact flying sword in his hand, pouring his mana into it without reserve.

"Rise! Golden Sun Sword Array!"

Buzz!

Swish! Swish! Swish!

In an instant, the artifact flying sword in Linghu Yang's hand flew out, transforming into a rain of swords in the sky, totaling seventy-two swords, each with a golden sword aura several tens of feet in size.

Linghu Yang unleashed all his skills, and the Golden Sun Sword Array exhibited an earth-shattering momentum.

The golden sword aura intertwined, enveloping all the void nearby.

In the next moment.

The figure of the Heaven-Devouring Rat reappeared, positioned at the center of the sword array, yet utterly fearless.

It opened its mouth and spat out a black mysterious light, which swiftly expanded in the air like a giant black web, instantly ensnaring Linghu Yang's Golden Sun Sword Array.

The moment the sword auras touched the black mysterious light, they shattered into countless illusions.

Some stray sword auras fell before Qin Ming.

He immediately activated his True Qi Blood Spirit, causing countless spirit patterns to flicker on his skin, revealing his True Extreme Body!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The artifact flying sword sent by Linghu Yang struck Qin Ming's body, only leaving a few white marks, almost unscathed!

"This..." Linghu Yang was shocked at the sight, not only by the destruction of his strongest sword array trump card.

For the first time in his life, he witnessed someone withstand an artifact attack with just their physical body...

This completely overturned his understanding as a Golden Core Master!

Before he could regret it, he was engulfed by the black light sent by the Heaven-Devouring Rat.

"Ahhh!"

A series of tragic cries emanated from the black light.

Swoosh!

A soul body darted out of the black light, as Linghu Yang desperately abandoned his physical body to flee.

At this moment.

The Heaven-Devouring Rat sneered, and its sharp claws grasped at the void ahead.

An invisible force tore through the void, shredding the escaping soul body of Linghu Yang.

Thus, this newly ascended Golden Core Master didn't even have the chance to make a name for himself in the Cultivation Realm.

He was obliterated by the Heaven-Devouring Rat in swift moves, completely annihilated, with his soul dispersed.

This battle showcased the Heaven-Devouring Rat's strength as a Tier Three Early Peak Demon King.

After vanquishing Linghu Yang, the Heaven-Devouring Rat eagerly inhaled towards his corpse, then retrieved a gleaming golden core from his dantian!

Seeing this, it drooled all over the place.

"Don't swallow it yet!"

Qin Ming immediately stopped the Heaven-Devouring Rat. If this beast were to consume the Human Race's golden core, it would only be a step away from advancing further as a Tier Three Early Peak demon.

A demon king's demon pill at Tier Three, when given to a Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivator, could produce a Fake Pill cultivator.

Conversely, the Human Race's golden core is also a rare and nourishing item for demon beasts.

The golden core embodies the quintessence of a cultivator's lifelong cultivation.

If the Heaven-Devouring Rat devoured it, it would undoubtedly break through to the Tier Three mid-stage.

Even the Profound Water Crocodile and Silver-winged Frost Bee could reach the Tier Three Demon King level upon consuming it.

Not to mention, Linghu Yang's core was of high-grade level.

But if the Heaven-Devouring Rat were to digest this core, it would certainly take a long time to breakthrough.

Qin Ming still had matters to attend to, and at this critical juncture, he couldn't have his reliable general fall into slumber.

Though the Heaven-Devouring Rat longed for the golden core, it obeyed Qin Ming's command and handed it over.

"Now is not the time."

"Wait until I finish handling the artifact spirit search, then you can break through."

Qin Ming stored away the golden core and then extended his hand to seize Linghu Yang's storage pouch and that golden artifact flying sword.

He stored them without even glancing.

Then, casting a Thorn Technique on Linghu Yang's body, countless black vines emerged, entwining the corpse until it transformed into a fist-sized blood pearl.

Which Qin Ming absorbed into his hand.

Gazing at the Golden Core-level blood pearl, Qin Ming thought, now the Lifebound Spirit Plant Yin Yang Profound Vine will benefit, and this blood pearl will likely aid its growth significantly, and even his Lifebound Artifact Wood Emperor Nail might advance too?

Having finished all this.

Qin Ming then cast a Fireball Technique at the dry corpse, eradicating all traces before leaving.

...

Three days later.

Qin Ming rode the Silver-winged Frost Bee and arrived at Liang Country's Jingzhou, and his destination was the Xiao Family of Tai Lake.

According to the silk record, the artifact spirit of the Hook Jade Golden Light Mirror was hidden within the Xiao Family's ancestral hall.

After half a day.

A vast lake appeared within Qin Ming's sight, resembling a verdant treasure bead set in the earth.

The surface of Tai Lake spanned thousands of blue waves, the sky and water merging, the scenery picturesque with mountains and waters, unique in their charm.

Countless fishing boats drifted on the green waves, people circling the water, mountains moving with them, as if traveling within a painting, mountains seemed to float on water, leaving one feeling relaxed and joyful.

Surrounding Tai Lake, there are dozens of Cultivation Clans inheriting the area to this day.

And the Xiao Family is one of them.

Qin Ming couldn't understand how such an important artifact spirit could possibly be hidden in a small Qi Cultivation Clan like the Xiao Family.

However, that was a matter from the Ancient Era; times have changed, and the family originally guarding this place might not be the Xiao Family.

Qin Ming stored away the Silver-winged Frost Bee and used the True Demon Illusion to transform into a nondescript Loose Cultivator, descending near a small market nearby.

He intended to scout the area discreetly before making a decision.

The Cultivation Influences around Tai Lake mostly weren't of significant standing, with only two Foundation Establishment Clans, and the highest cultivation level among them was Early-stage Foundation Establishment.

The Xiao Family wasn't particularly prosperous, with the clan leader Xiao Zhongren only at Late-stage Qi Cultivation.

However, the Xiao Family did indeed have an ancient and elegant ancestral hall.

Despite this, Qin Ming remained highly vigilant, staying on full alert.

After all, it concerned the matter of a top-tier treasure artifact spirit.

By night, he infiltrated the vicinity of the Xiao Family, releasing the Heaven-Devouring Rat, and asked, "Have you discovered anything unusual?"

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