Meanwhile,

In the northern part of Rain Ruins Swamp, Hua Zhi was engaged in a fierce battle.

In midair, a large red bird with wingspan of about ten feet fluttered its wings vigorously, shaking off numerous crimson feathers like flames. The feathers ignited in midair, transforming into fist-sized fireballs and plummeting towards Hua Zhi below.

Realizing there was nowhere to hide, Hua Zhi suddenly plunged his hands into the ground. Instantly, dozens of vines shot out from the soil, intertwining and coiling around him, forming a dark purple vine cage above and around him.

The next instant, the fireballs collided with the vine cage, each bursting upon impact. The scattering flames landed on the vines, instantly turning them into a fiery inferno.

However, thanks to the "True Water Ring" given by Yuan Ming, a protective artifact on Hua Zhi, the flames did not actually ignite the vines. Even so, Hua Zhi dared not let the flames crawl back onto his body. He quickly flung the vine cage aside, withdrew his hands, and severed the connection with the vines.

Once detached from Hua Zhi, the vine cage, lacking the fire resistance effect of the "True Water Ring," burst violently under the blaze. The flaming fragments of vines shattered across the ground, and a plume of white smoke arose—swamp water vaporized into mist by the intense heat of the flames.

Amid the rising steam, Hua Zhi heard a sharp phoenix cry. Looking up, he saw the red bird circling half a round in the sky before it sharply dove towards him.

Hua Zhi immediately dodged backwards, swinging his hands forward at the same time. Instantly, a burst of blue light flickered, and dozens of wooden flying swords materialized, shooting simultaneously at the red bird.

However, the red bird did not dodge or evade, but instead charged straight into the flying swords.

The flying swords pierced the body of the red bird, as if entering an illusion, passing through without any hindrance, only carrying away sparks, and turning the flying swords to ashes.

Seeing no escape, Hua Zhi immediately tried to burrow into the ground, but as he moved, he saw a talisman shot from afar and land not far from him.

In an instant, the ground within several meters around Hua Zhi, originally soft and moist, became as hard as rock, making it impossible for him to dig in.

Left with no other choice, at the last moment, Hua Zhi crossed his arms in front of him, forming a wooden shield, hoping to withstand the charge of the red bird.

But just at the moment of impact, the red bird completely dispersed from head to tail, transforming into several crimson chains of flames that tightly bound Hua Zhi.

Hua Zhi immediately struggled, but the more he did, the tighter the chains bound him. However, for some unknown reason, although the chains were made of flames, they did not spread onto his body.

"I didn't expect you, a demon beast, to have some tricks. If I hadn't had an Earth Binding Talisman on me, you might have actually escaped," a voice said.

From the nearby woods, a young man clad in a long robe with red flame patterns and a gold-trimmed warm jade belt appeared.

The man was quite handsome, with a high nose bridge and pale skin, and his eyes shone as bright as dancing flames. Especially striking was his hair—black with hints of red, adding a somewhat bewitching charm to his appearance.

"Today, you're in luck. I happen to need a spirit pet by my side. From now on, you will follow me," the man said with a smile.

"I already have a master!" Hua Zhi cried inwardly, his body twisting incessantly.

However, the man couldn't hear Hua Zhi's voice and continued, "Heh, look at you, you must be thrilled, right? After all, to follow me, Di Chen, is the fortune of eight lifetimes for you."

Just then, a White Jade Shuttle suddenly flew from afar and landed nearby.

Yuan Ming stepped down from the shuttle, seeing Hua Zhi bound by the chains of flames, his brow furrowed. But upon realizing Hua Zhi seemed unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Fellow Daoist, this is the spirit beast I raise here. I do not know what has upset you, but I kindly ask you to show mercy and let him go," Yuan Ming bowed slightly and spoke courteously to Di Chen.

"Your spirit beast? Do you have proof?" Di Chen looked at Yuan Ming and frowned.

"Have you noticed the Jade Ring on his body? That's the fire resistance magical tool I left with him," Yuan Ming explained.

Hearing this, Di Chen performed a series of Magic Formulas. The chains of flames coiled around Hua Zhi like snakes, quickly removing the True Water Ring from his body.

"Tsk, to give a spirit beast a top-grade magical tool for protection, it seems you truly care for this spirit beast. However, I've quite taken a liking to him as well. How about this, name a price in spirit stones for selling him to me?" Di Chen looked at the True Water Ring and proposed.

Yuan Ming shook his head: "I'm sorry, for me, Hua Zhi is not just a spirit beast, but also a partner, not something to be priced in spirit stones."

"Heh, no hurry. Think it over—are you sure you won't sell?" Di Chen narrowed his eyes, his aura surging with Spiritual Power.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming sighed. He raised his right hand, and a green Flying Sword manifested out of thin air, its tip pointing directly at Di Chen.

A glint flashed in Di Chen's eyes. With a single hand gesture, he suddenly spat out a small red bird from his mouth. With a flap of its wings, it swelled to about ten feet in length.

Without hesitation, Yuan Ming silently controlled the green Flying Sword with one hand to stab at Di Chen, while his other hand also performed a spell, pointing towards Di Chen's feet.

In an instant, four or five green wooden dragons burst from the ground, lunging towards Di Chen.

Yet, Di Chen showed no fear. With a change of hand gestures, the large red bird in the sky suddenly exploded, transforming into dozens of flaming long swords that whistled down from the sky, pinning the wooden dragons to the ground.

At the same time, another red long saber appeared in Di Chen's other hand, tangling with the flying sword in combat.

Yuan Ming saw his attack easily blocked and his face instantly darkened. Seeing this, Di Chen's face showed a hint of smugness. Just as he was about to mock Yuan Ming, he suddenly felt alarmed.

A chill inexplicably crept up Di Chen's back. Without thinking, he flipped his right hand and slapped a talisman onto his body.

The next instant, a red light suddenly flared up around him, and a wave of scorching heat spread out like ripples, blowing away the Black Needle that was attacking him from behind.

If his reaction had been a step slower, he would have been pierced by that Black Needle.

Di Chen, still shaken, looked towards Yuan Ming and said, "Nice move."

Yuan Ming didn't respond but raised his hand to release Vajra and was about to use another magic.

At that moment, Di Chen's expression drastically changed. He immediately recalled his crimson long sword and unlocked the chain that bound Hua Zhi.

"Consider yourself lucky today. We'll fight another day." Di Chen dropped a harsh line and then pulled out a Flying Artifact, fleeing towards the east.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming suspected a trick and did not pursue. He remained on alert.

However, after a long while, he saw no sign of Di Chen returning or launching a surprise attack.

As Yuan Ming puzzled over this, he was about to ask Hua Zhi about the situation, but suddenly, another red light descended from the sky, landing in front of Yuan Ming.

From the red light, a woman in a gold-edged, fire-patterned long robe, with a ponytail, stepped forward.

Her skin was as flawless and white as jade. Her slender willow eyebrows sat above deep eyes sparkling like stars, and her red lips seemed as vibrant as blooming lotuses.

Her hair color, similar to Di Chen's—black with hints of red—didn't appear flamboyant but added an aura of brisk valor.

She scanned her surroundings, noticed the traces of the fight between Di Chen and Yuan Ming, and lightly knitted her brows. She then clasped her hands towards Yuan Ming.

"May I ask you, Fellow Daoist, were you just now in combat with a man whose hair resembles mine?"

"Indeed. He abruptly ran off to the east in the middle of our battle," Yuan Ming nodded and replied.

"As I thought. My younger brother has caused you trouble. If you hold any grudges, you may leave a message at the Five Elements Inn in Little Lake City, saying you're looking for Di Yue from the Fire Sparrow Sect. Once I catch him, I will surely bring him to apologize." Before Di Yue could finish speaking, she had already boarded a Flying Artifact and, as the word "apologize" dropped, she had flown dozens of feet towards the direction Di Chen had escaped.

Yuan Ming watched as the red light quickly disappeared, inwardly cursing.

Fighting senselessly with someone—which did not genuinely vent any anger—felt absurdly stifling, especially how this 'sister' acted as though in a rush, speaking as if running a relay.

It was only that the Fire Sparrow Sect was located to the east of Da Jin. What were they doing near Little Lake City now?

As thoughts flickered through Yuan Ming's mind, he turned to Hua Zhi and said, "It seems your injuries have mostly healed. You'd better stay close to me for now to avoid being caught by other cultivators thinking you're a demon beast."

Hua Zhi wanted to object that she wasn't that weak, but having been nearly captured recently, she found no words to argue and could only nod sullenly in agreement.

At that moment, from a nearby tree, Vajra leaped down, patted his chest towards Hua Zhi, and unashamedly let out a laugh:

"Dou Ya, you almost turned into kindling this time."

"Monkey, if you're so capable, come fight me!" Hua Zhi burst into rage, flailing her teeth and claws.

"Alright, alright, let's head back," Yuan Ming said, and without waiting for their responses, he slapped his Storage Bag, collecting Hua Zhi and Vajra inside.

He then shook his head, boarded his Magic Artifact, and flew towards Little Lake City.

...

Several months later.

Outside Little Lake City, a constant drizzle soaked the earth, and thunder rumbled across the sky like waves.

As ever, the weather was gloomy. However, today, apart from the dark clouds, Magic Artifacts streaked through the sky, landing at the city gates like falling stars, each transforming into one cultivator after another in various garments.

Under the azure protective shield, Little Lake City appeared exceptionally lively today.

The streets were bustling with more cultivators than usual. Amidst the crowds, many cultivators in light blue robes with high towers painted on the back regulated the flow of people, maintaining order within the city.

They were the City Lord's personal guards, usually only responsible for guarding the City Lord Mansion and seldom seen by the residents. However, on such important days they would appear on the streets to fill in for the city guards and to display the majesty and order of the City Lord Mansion.

Along the streets, various shops decorated their fronts with blooming flowers and simultaneously issued discount signs—half price here, forty percent off there—with each appearing exceptionally generous. However, few noticed that the original price listed above their discounted rates seemed significantly higher than usual.

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