It was a dark and windy night. After leaving the Chen family, Song Changming rushed towards the Holy Altar in a hurry, carrying the bell he had taken from the Chen family's underground storage room.
I must make it in time! I must make it in time!
As he hurried on his way, he kept urging himself. Hidden in one of his hands under the black cloak, there was a faint aura of spiritual energy, and a faint fragrance wafted from it.
In the pitch - black and silent night, the yet - untransformed beasts lurking in the darkness opened their eyes and eyed this strange man menacingly.
"Why won't this thing stop making a fuss?" Song Changming anxiously wiped the sweat from his forehead and nervously tightened his cloak, as if trying to hide something in this way.
"Stop shining! Stop! I'll feed you blood when I get back! Can't you hear me? Stop now!"
However, his warning had no effect. The little sapling he was holding became even more unruly.
Finally, the waiting hunters couldn't wait any longer.
Soon, an owl swooped down towards Song Changming. Its sharp claws grazed the corner of Song Changming's eye, but he managed to dodge.
"Get out of here!" Song Changming struck out and killed the owl, scolding angrily, "Even a beast without spiritual intelligence wants to snatch my things!"
Seeing what had happened to the owl, the other beasts were a bit intimidated and didn't dare to act rashly for a moment. But their animal pupils were still firmly fixed on what was in Song Changming's arms.
That aura was too alluring. Whether human or beast, no one could resist coveting it.
The stalemate lasted only a moment. Finally, when Song Changming took another step, a group of beasts rushed towards him.
The number was truly terrifying.
Song Changming struggled to fend them off. If it weren't for the sapling in his hand, he would have been torn to pieces long ago.
However, this fight was far from simple. Many ghostly spirits came from nowhere and slowly gathered.
Looking at all this, Song Changming urgently roared at the sapling, "Get rid of these things for me! Hurry! Hurry up! What are you waiting for?!"
But the sapling remained unmoved. Instead, in an instant, it suddenly grew much bigger, and a small vine shot out.
The vine of the sapling whipped Song Changming's hand. He winced in pain and let go.
"Hahaha, Daoist Song, how did you end up in such a mess?" A young man's voice rang out, bringing with it a cold chill.
The sapling floated into the young man's hand, and the newly - grown vine gently wrapped around his index finger.
Song Changming stared at this scene in astonishment. Suddenly, he seemed to realize something, "You tricked me?! You used me!"
"Now, now, that's not how you should put it," the young man soothed the angry sapling and looked at Song Changming without a trace of warmth in his eyes. "You got what you wanted. You didn't lose anything. How can this be called using you?"
"I let my guard down." After dealing with a poisonous snake, Song Changming glared at the young man sitting in the tree watching the show, his eyes bloodshot, "I can overlook the fact that you used me to test that girl's strength. As long as you let me get back to the Holy Altar safely now."
The young man propped his chin up and said disinterestedly, "Whether you overlook it or not means nothing to me. If you die here, I'll have one less trouble. Why do you think I'll help you?"
"Hehe, because I know how to make the fake in your hand look more like the real one. Is that enough?"
Snap!
Hearing the word "fake", the sapling flew into a rage. It whipped Song Changming to the ground with a vine and seemed ready to kill him.
"Alright, alright, calm down." The young man grabbed the unruly sapling. "How could you be a fake? You're stronger than her. You're the most powerful."
After he comforted it for a while, the sapling's anger subsided.
"It seems that you, scumbag, really won't die easily." The young man sighed regretfully and saved Song Changming from the beasts.
However, not long after they left the city, they faintly saw two figures in the night ahead.
"Tsk, it seems there's really no saving you this time."
This was... the Chongming Divine Bird?! The Chongming Bird showing its evil appearance!
When Chongming's eyes fell on what the young man was holding, he squinted and a mocking smile curled up on his lips.
Something that couldn't be put on the table was so disgusting. Did they think they could replicate and forge everything with just a few small tricks?
In their dreams!
"I've long heard that there's a fairy mountain called Wutong Mountain, and there's a divine bird named Chongming on it. Chongming never comes into the mortal world. May I ask, Divine Bird, why are you blocking my way?" The young man bowed with a respectful look.
However, Chongming wasn't impressed. He casually waved his hand, and the young man and Song Changming were instantly sent flying more than ten meters away. They fell to the ground, spitting out fresh blood.
"My little disciple is innocent and naive. She doesn't understand the despicable means of you gutter rats, which gave you a chance to hurt her. She may be naive, but her master is no fool."
The young man was seriously injured by that blow. It took him a long time to get up. However, the next second, Chongming kicked him.
Yun Ze behind Chongming stepped forward expressionlessly. He unsheathed his spiritual sword and pressed it against Song Changming's half - dead neck.
"Those who bully little junior sister deserve to die."
"No... no, you can't kill me!" Song Changming begged tremblingly, completely losing the arrogance he had in the Chen family.
"Yun Ze, stop." Chongming suddenly felt a breath of dragon. "It's too easy for him to die. Feed him your junior brother's medicine. Let him experience ten times the pain that Zhaozhao suffered."
That feeling of being unable to live or die was the most torturous.
Yun Ze still had no expression on his face. He just did as his master said.
In a moment, Song Changming's wails echoed through the night sky.
"As for you, don't covet things that don't belong to you." Chongming reached out and took away the spiritual power from the young man. The aura of that spiritual power was actually the same as Zhaozhao's.
Moreover, the little sapling also ended up in Chongming's hands.
Looking at Chongming's face, the sapling shook its few leaves, imitating the way it had seen in the memories instilled in it, expecting the same reaction from Chongming as in the memory.
However, Chongming just calmly averted his eyes. A flame ignited in his palm, burning the little sapling.
"A fake. A clumsy imitation."
The sapling struggled unwillingly in Chongming's hand, but it was all in vain. Finally, it could only turn into ashes and disappear.
The young man watched all this and mocked unwillingly, "But you, don't you even have a chance to find a fake?"
Chongming sneered, and the fire instantly spread to the young man's body.
"You sneaky thing. Go back and tell your master that the moment he tried to kill the real one, his countdown to death began."
The young man turned into a stone under the burning of the fire, leaving a last words, "Then just wait and see. Divine Bird, do you really think what you're doing is so noble?"
"Master, what should we do now?" Yun Ze stepped forward and asked.
"Go and pick up Zhaozhao."
"What about Song Changming?"
Chongming looked at the sky and said calmly, "The dragon is coming. He's more capable than I am."