Ling Xiao was quite intrigued by puppetry techniques. The thought that Black Spirit City might hold the Black Spirit Clan’s puppetry secrets genuinely tempted him.
“What’s your decision, then?”
The clone, Wang Nan, asked.
“No problem.”
Ling Xiao nodded.
“Excellent. Who would’ve thought the day would come when I, the original, would collaborate with you? It’s quite感慨, isn’t it?”
Wang Nan, the clone of Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign, felt a tinge of emotion.
When Ling Xiao first joined Yuehua Sect, he was merely an insignificant ant, not even worth a glance.
Yet, here he was today, forced to cooperate with this ant. Many of Ling Xiao’s abilities were beyond his reach, requiring reliance.
Would he sincerely work with Ling Xiao?
Of course not!
This was merely mutual exploitation.
Neither Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign, Bai Feifei, nor Ling Xiao would let the others take their share of the benefits.
Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign planned to use Ling Xiao.
Meanwhile, Ling Xiao intended to leverage Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign’s experience here.
Once the exploitation was over, Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign would naturally burn the bridge, aiming to kill Ling Xiao!
He was still unaware of the Dragon Land matter. If he knew, he’d likely want to eliminate Ling Xiao even faster.
As for Ling Xiao, he had made his decision.
He would eliminate Bai Feifei here, preventing this foolish woman from growing stronger.
Additionally, he aimed to destroy Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign’s clone, completely thwarting his schemes.
He could even imagine the furious expression on Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign’s face when his plans were ruined.
The thought was exhilarating.
Bai Feifei was undoubtedly aligned with Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign. This foolish woman had inherited her foster father’s ruthlessness and arrogance but not his cunning.
Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign likely planned to outwit not only Ling Xiao but Bai Feifei as well.
As for Ling Xiao, he had grudges against both, naturally viewing them as rivals, even enemies.
The three, with unspoken understanding and feigned unity, entered Black Spirit City together.
Wang Nan, Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign’s clone, led the way.
Ling Xiao walked in the middle.
Bai Feifei trailed behind, keeping an eye on Ling Xiao.
This foolish woman was probably worried Ling Xiao might harm Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign’s clone, intending to monitor him.
But Ling Xiao merely sneered disdainfully. Whatever he planned, Bai Feifei couldn’t stop him, even if she tried.
Along the way, though many monsters appeared, there were none of the mechanical puppets Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign’s clone had mentioned.
These monsters, generally around the eighth level of the Mortal Realm, posed no threat. With Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign’s clone’s power, he didn’t even need to act; his black flames alone scared the monsters away.
Thus, the journey was rather leisurely.
“That ahead should be the most noteworthy part of Black Spirit City, the city lord’s mansion. Long ago, it likely saw a battle, filled with corpses and scattered divine weapons.”
About an hour later, Wang Nan, Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign’s clone, stopped and pointed to a building shrouded in red light.
That glaring red light was, astonishingly, a terrifying aura of killing intent and resentment.
Ten thousand years ago, a horrific war must have erupted here, claiming many lives.
“From here, I can’t manage alone. I’ll need both of your help. The mechanical puppets there range from early ninth-level Mortal Realm at their weakest to possibly half-step Heavenly Sovereign at their strongest.”
Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign glanced at Ling Xiao and Bai Feifei, explaining.
Ling Xiao, however, was skeptical of his words.
Activating his Mountain River Martial Soul, his pupils turned profound, glinting with strange inscriptions in the darkness.
He wanted to personally analyze the city lord’s mansion; Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign was surely up to no good.
In an instant, the entire mansion’s map appeared on the Mountain River Diagram, clearly showing the mechanical puppets’ positions and approximate strengths.
This Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign was indeed cunning. He mentioned the mechanical puppets but omitted another creature: the Haze Demon.
Haze Demons, brought by the Black Spirit from another world, had no fixed form, appearing like a cloud of smog. Yet, when they attacked, they were nearly impossible to defend against.
The Haze Demons in the mansion were generally one or two realms weaker than the mechanical puppets but still formidable.
Coupled with their stealth attack specialty, entering unprepared would surely lead to trouble.
Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign likely fell to a Haze Demon attack before, which is why he didn’t mention them now, clearly intending to sabotage Ling Xiao.
As the three proceeded into the city lord’s mansion, they saw corpses on the ground.
These corpses, decayed over time, held mostly ruined divine weapons, shattered in battle, leaving Ling Xiao pained at the sight.
The mansion’s mechanical puppets were divided into two tiers.
Black Iron Puppets, mostly early to late ninth-level Mortal Realm, were numerous.
Bronze Puppets, ranging from peak ninth-level Mortal Realm to one-tenth the power of a half-step Heavenly Sovereign, were far fewer.
If it were only mechanical puppets, Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign might not have needed Ling Xiao’s help, given their enmity.
The key was likely the hidden Haze Demons.
Some even hid within the mechanical puppets, ready to ambush.
“Ling Xiao, you and Feifei distract those mechanical puppets. I’ll grab the item, then we’ll leave together!”
Wang Nan, Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign’s clone, suddenly said.
“Want me to die? Even at the cost of your foster daughter?”
Ling Xiao sneered inwardly.
But it made sense. Bai Feifei was originally Master Baiyun’s daughter; Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign never saw her as his own.
This foolish woman treated him as her father, which was both pitiful and tragic.
Yet, pitiful people often bring it upon themselves. Bai Feifei, siding with a villain, deserved her fate.
With this in mind, Ling Xiao smiled, “Fine, Heavenly Sovereign, your strength is greatest. You handle the retrieval, and I absolutely trust you.”
Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign expected to argue more, but Ling Xiao’s immediate agreement sparked unease.
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll take the item and run?”
He asked.
“Hahaha, you won’t escape, I’m certain.”
Ling Xiao laughed, charging into the city lord’s mansion.
Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign’s face darkened. He couldn’t fathom Ling Xiao’s intentions. Was this bravado, or did he truly have a way to keep him here?
“Hmph, a mere seventh-level Mortal Realm warrior. When have I ever feared this brat?”
In a flash, his expression turned confident and arrogant. He, the mighty Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign, feared a mere Ling Xiao?
