Luoshui County Town.
A figure in plain clothes moved quickly through the streets.
His speed was extremely fast, causing chaos among the pedestrians on the road.
"Catch him, don't let him run..."
A series of low shouts sounded from behind, and constables in official attire rapidly approached him.
"A bunch of lackeys, you trash think you can catch me, Yunli Ying? Dreaming."
As the figure in plain clothes moved quickly, he occasionally let out mocking remarks.
These words fell into the ears of some Martial Artists on both sides of the street, causing them to be momentarily stunned.
"It's Yunli Ying Wu Fei, the seventh on the Black Rank. I didn't expect him to be hiding in our Luoshui County."
"Yeah, I really didn't expect it. But this Yunli Ying has excellent movement techniques and is good at concealment, so how did he get exposed?"
"Why bother thinking so much? This Yunli Ying has a bounty of eighty thousand taels of silver. If we can catch him, we'll be rich..."
"Eighty thousand taels of silver? Old Li, it seems you haven't been paying attention to the Black Rank bounties recently. The bounties have doubled during this period. Wu Fei's bounty is not eighty thousand taels now, but a full hundred and sixty thousand taels."
After recognizing the identity of the figure in plain clothes, some Jianghu who considered their strength not bad also chased after him, wanting to get a piece of the pie.
As Yunli Ying sped along, he had already reached the foot of the city wall. He did not choose to go through the city gate, but instead took a deep breath, his hands like hooks grasping directly onto the hard wall, climbing rapidly upwards. In a few leaps, he was over the city wall.
Seeing this scene, the pursuers behind him who had good strength also learned from him and climbed over the city wall. The weaker ones could only curse and take a detour through the city gate to chase after him.
"Hmph, damn it, I got exposed. These dog noses from the Yamen are getting sharper and sharper."
Wu Fei's figure emerged from a dense forest outside the city wall.
Looking at the tall city wall behind him, he couldn't help but curse.
"But luckily I was prepared. It's better to leave this place first."
Just as he was about to leave, not far ahead, over a dozen official soldiers were watching him with faint smiles.
"Not good!"
Seeing this scene, Wu Fei's heart tightened. His Cultivation Technique was light and good at concealing perception, much stronger than others at his level. He hadn't even noticed the presence of these people at such a close distance.
Clearly, the strength of these people was not weaker than his.
Without any hesitation, Wu Fei turned around and ran.
With his speed, he was confident he could shake these people off.
However, he hadn't gone far before several explosions sounded from behind.
Following that was the sound of rapidly approaching strong winds. The speed was so fast that Wu Fei had no time to react before clusters of blood bloomed on his body, and he fell heavily to the ground.
Before he could get up, several official soldiers had already captured him.
Wu Fei looked at the long cylindrical objects in the hands of these official soldiers, which were emitting pungent white smoke.
"This is... a firearm!!"
He naturally recognized firearms, but in his memory, firearms never had such power.
Soon, he was brought before a black-clothed constable.
"Lord Meng, the person has been captured."
The black-clothed constable, with a Silver Badge hanging from his waist, was clearly a Silver Badge Constable.
Meng Ke merely glanced at Wu Fei before withdrawing his gaze, clearly not interested in him, his attention falling on the firearms in the hands of these official soldiers.
"This thing developed by the Divine Craftsman Department has good power, but it's a pity it's not fully mature yet. If it could be used on a large scale on the battlefield, it would be a great weapon."
This thought flashed through his mind, and soon he sensed something on the official road outside the dense forest, a smile appearing on his face.
"Alright, the fish have taken the bait. Capture them all, remember, I want them alive."
"Yes, Lord Meng."
...
Twenty li outside Luoshui County.
A spacious, long-abandoned manor had undergone a drastic transformation.
There was no sign of its former desolation. Outside the entrance, several strong men stood guard, each with a river symbol embroidered on their chests, the emblem of the Haihe Gang.
The rooms inside the manor were quite empty, with faint, low beast roars emanating from within.
Lin Sheng stood in one of the rooms, his palm resting on an ape-like Spirit Beast.
The ape Spirit Beast looked quite strong, but at this moment, it appeared quite listless, restrained within a cage of green-gold. Looking at the person in front of it, a trace of fear flashed in its eyes.
Soon, Lin Sheng withdrew his hand.
He glanced at the activation progress of the fourth imprint on the panel, a look of disappointment on his face.
"Even with so many Spirit Beasts prepared, the activation progress is only 7%? It seems the activation of this fourth imprint requires much more than I imagined."
It must be known that in this month, the number of Spirit Beasts he had either bought or captured amounted to seventeen, yet absorbing them one by one only resulted in 7% progress.
Although he didn't completely drain the blood from these Spirit Beasts, the proportion absorbed was definitely over half.
"It seems that activating the fourth imprint will take quite some time."
Looking at the ape beast in front of him, he shook his head slightly.
"It's a pity these Spirit Beasts are only Elementary Level Spirit Beasts. If they were High-Level Spirit Beasts, the efficiency should increase significantly."
As more imprints were activated, even the blood of Elementary Level Spirit Beasts was now much less efficient.
However, the value of High-Level Spirit Beasts was much higher than Elementary Level Spirit Beasts, and they were often hard to find even if one had the money. Even if he wanted to buy them, it would be difficult.
"Forget it, I can accumulate progress using Elementary Level Spirit Beasts, it's just slower. These Spirit Beasts can recover quite a bit after a period of rest, and then I can absorb from them again in a new round."
"Furthermore, I can go for a walk in the Congyun Mountains when the time comes. Perhaps I can encounter a few High-Level Spirit Beasts."
With a treasure trove like the Congyun Mountains nearby, he wasn't in a hurry to activate the fourth imprint.
Walking out of the room, the Leader of the Red Mountain Six Ghosts was waiting outside the courtyard.
This manor, housing a large number of Spirit Beasts, was naturally extremely important, so he entrusted it to three of the Red Mountain Six Ghosts to guard.
The strength of the Red Mountain Six Ghosts was not weak, especially the Leader, whose strength was comparable to the late Bones Transformation Realm. In this Luoshui County Town, they were basically sufficient to handle any trouble.
Seeing Lin Sheng come out, the Leader immediately spoke respectfully.
"Gongzi."
"Mm, keep a close watch here and don't let these Spirit Beasts run out. Also, double the food for these Spirit Beasts."
"This subordinate understands."
...
Returning to Luoshui County Town, Lin Sheng first went to check on Lin Hong and Xie Guilan.
With the nourishment from abundant Spirit Beast meat, their complexions were significantly better than when they were in Lin'an County, and even their originally graying hair had regained some blackness.
Although both were old, Lin Sheng still prepared a gentle martial art for the two elders. Although its power wasn't great, it had a good effect on nourishing the body.
In the courtyard, Lin Hong and Cao Luan, one old and one young, were practicing the martial art together.
Cao Ying and Xie Guilan sat together chatting happily, finding each other quite compatible. It was unclear what they were talking about, but Cao Ying's cheeks were slightly flushed.
Noticing Lin Sheng's return, Cao Ying's cheeks flushed even more, and she quickly lowered her head.
Xie Guilan, however, looked at Lin Sheng with a smile on her face.
With his five senses, he naturally knew the content of their conversation just now.
Glancing at the lowered Cao Ying, he could sense her meaning.
However, he didn't have any thoughts on these matters at the moment.
After chatting with a few people, he returned to his own courtyard.
In the quiet room, his eyes were closed, his muscles constantly wriggling. A faint, almost imperceptible white light faintly appeared on his body surface, but it was extremely weak.
This was the Qi energy of the Bai Xiang Zhen Yue Gong (White Elephant Mountain-Suppressing Skill).
Although his Bai Xiang Zhen Yue Gong (White Elephant Mountain-Suppressing Skill) had not yet broken through the fifth layer.
But the augmentation from the two elephant-type Spirit Beasts and the boost from his high Physique allowed him to faintly condense a trace of Qi energy at the Forging Tendons Completion Realm. This situation indicated that he was not far from the fifth layer of the Bai Xiang Zhen Yue Gong (White Elephant Mountain-Suppressing Skill).
Half an hour later, the white light on his body surface dissipated, and his eyes opened.
"Cultivating the Bai Xiang Zhen Yue Gong (White Elephant Mountain-Suppressing Skill) is a bit faster than when I cultivated the Qingniao Chasing Star Finger, even excluding the augmentation from the beast essences incorporated into my body. It seems this Cultivation Technique might be more compatible with me than the Qingniao Chasing Star Finger."
This thought flashed through his mind, but he quickly smiled wryly.
"Even if it's compatible, the difference between the two isn't significant. After all, my innate talent and root bone aren't that great."
Suddenly, as if sensing something, he turned his head to look outside the courtyard. The next moment, his figure disappeared from the quiet room and appeared in the courtyard.
His gaze fell on the roof of a room to the side, where a tall figure was standing.
Seeing the figure, a smile appeared on his face.
"Senior Qi Ning."
"I knew you would recognize me."
The figure on the eaves at this time shook her head slightly, a hint of helplessness on her face.
"Tell me, how did you recognize me?"
At this moment, Qi Ning's appearance was completely different from when they met in the Congyun Mountains last time.
Her figure was tall, her skin fair, and her features had a soft and delicate beauty that made one want to cherish her. It would be hard for anyone to associate her with a God-Form Martial Artist.
"Although Senior concealed her cultivation Realm, this Junior could still feel a trace of danger from you. After thinking it over, besides Senior Qi Ning, there should be no one else who would come looking for me at this time."
Lin Sheng said with a smile.
Qi Ning's method of concealing and even changing her aura was extremely profound, and he indeed couldn't sense anything specific.
But with his current perception, he could feel a hint of threat from her. Those who could make him feel this way were basically only Martial Artists in the Divine Transformation Realm. At this time, there was indeed no one else besides Qi Ning who would seek him out.
"Alright."
Hearing this, Qi Ning didn't dwell on the point, but instead sized up Lin Sheng, a look of surprise in her beautiful eyes.
"Tsk tsk, you've broken through... I really didn't expect it. How long has it been, and you've actually entered the Bones Transformation Realm."
"It was just good luck."
Lin Sheng smiled and shook his head.
"There's not that much good luck. You brat, stop being so wishy-washy. If your talent is good, it's good, what's there to be afraid to admit?"
Qi Ning pouted.
"Speaking of which, I'm a little envious of the potential of your Ancestral Awakener Bloodline. However, even after entering the Bones Transformation Realm, it doesn't mean you can awaken your ancestry at will. At the very least, you have to wait until you enter the late Bones Transformation Realm. Otherwise, your Foundation is shallow now. Although each awakening gives you explosive strength, it consumes your potential, which is not worth it."
"This Junior understands."
Lin Sheng immediately replied.
He was not an Ancestral Awakener, nor did he have this restriction, but he still had to agree verbally.
Seeing Lin Sheng agree, Qi Ning seemed to think of something else.
"As for Linjiang Prefecture, you don't need to worry too much for now. Neither the Prefecture Yamen nor the Tianxiang Sword Sect have time to trouble you. The Demonic Beast lurking beneath the Yunshui Mountains has not been dealt with yet, leaving them quite troubled."
Hearing this, Lin Sheng's heart stirred, and he immediately asked.
"May I ask what kind of Demonic Beast is causing trouble in Linjiang Prefecture?"
"Well, I didn't pay too much attention to that, but this Demonic Beast is quite strong. Even General Long Zilu and that old fellow with the blood demon fang didn't gain any advantage. Suppressing that Demonic Beast will likely require Linjiang Prefecture to expend considerable effort."
Speaking of this, Qi Ning had no intention of staying any longer, and waved her hand.
"Alright, I just came to take a look. It's not bad for you here in Luoshui County. Keep a low profile during this time and don't cause any more big trouble in Linjiang Prefecture. Tiannan Prefecture is not like Linjiang. Remember to stay away from the Shock Beast Army."
"This Junior understands."
Hearing this, Lin Sheng's expression became serious, and he immediately agreed.
When he looked up again, Qi Ning's figure had already disappeared.
"Shock Beast Army..."
He chewed on this name in his mouth. These days, the recruitment notices for the Shock Beast Army in the city were increasing, and many of the rogue Martial Artists in the city had already joined.
He even learned from Mei Sanniang and Tie He that even some low-level Martial Artists from the Haihe Gang and Red Flower House had chosen to leave their Gangs and join the Shock Beast Army.
This showed how generous the treatment of the Shock Beast Army was, making many people unable to sit still.
Time flew by, and soon three days had passed.
In the hall.
"Gongzi, two Spirit Beasts have arrived this time and will be delivered to the manor this afternoon," Tie He reported respectfully from below the hall.
"Very good. The collection of Spirit Beasts cannot stop. It doesn't matter if the price is a bit higher."
"Yes, Gongzi," Tie He quickly replied.
Lin Sheng's gaze then fell on Mei Sanniang, who was standing to the side.
The latter immediately stepped forward.
"Reporting to Gongzi, the Wind Cloud Gang and Medicine Gang will also be sending two Spirit Beasts in the next two days. Additionally, Gang Leader Sun specifically sent back a message that they have discovered the tracks of an Ink Scale Black Bear, but with their strength, it is difficult to subdue this beast, and many people were injured instead."
"Ink Scale Black Bear."
Hearing this name, Lin Sheng raised an eyebrow.
The Ink Scale Black Bear is a very strong bear-type Spirit Beast, usually a High-Level Spirit Beast. With the strength of Sun Hai and others, it was indeed difficult to deal with a Spirit Beast of this level.
"Send them a message. I will handle this Ink Scale Black Bear."
"Yes, Gongzi."
After speaking, Lin Sheng waved his hand and dismissed the two.
"I've been cultivating continuously for over half a month, it's time to stretch my muscles and bones. If I'm lucky in the Congyun Mountains, besides this Ink Scale Black Bear, I might be able to find other High-Level Spirit Beasts."
Since he had already found a target, he had no intention of delaying. After instructing the remaining three of the Red Mountain Six Ghosts to guard the house, he headed towards the Congyun Mountains.