The Fengdu soldier was still questioning the ghost cultivator at the escape route. Due to the effects of soul scouring, he suspected the ghost cultivator to be one of the spies from Luofu itself.

Unlike what people on the outside thought, the Luofu Group was a massive corporation involved in many different industries, encompassing factions that didn't always share the same goals. The headquarters of Luofu was far off in Grandvoid Grotto, a peaceful place for the elites to focus on their cultivation instead of digging into miscellaneous matters. The various industries and companies underneath the Luofu umbrella, however, had their own agendas.

The True Talisman was a mystical treasure discovered in the ruins of the Dao Sect by the Zhengyi Action Development Company and the factions behind it, such as Vermillion Palace and the Skywatch Bureau. Due to its unique properties, [possessing it could increase the influence of those factions at the headquarters of Luofu.

That item was just like a delicious pie. Vermillion Palace, the Skywatch Bureau and the rest all wanted a slice. Clearly, someone was dissatisfied with whatever arrangement they had between them. They were far more vigilant against internal competitors than external enemies.

"Speak! Are you from Deepdark Palace or Trueradiance Hall?!" The Fengdu Guard soldier intensified the ghostfire and tried to scorch the ghost cultivator's soul even more.

The ghost cultivator's trigram mask glowed red from the heat. The spiritual glow behind the mask wavered unstably as his mind was slowly being eroded by the soul-burning ghostfire. Right before the mask shattered, a seal buried deep within him came apart, causing his entire ethereal body to flash brightly. Then, he summoned far more energy than what seemed possible and struggled free from the soldier's grip.

The next instant, deathly aura intensified around the ghostly figure. He howled like a madman as he rose into the air before charging at the face of the Fengdu soldier. In response, a transparent shield appeared around the soldier, gray-black circuit pathways pulsing with deathly power.

However, the ghost cultivator's power had been enhanced far beyond his usual strength, allowing him to shatter the spirit-artifact shield, armor and helmet of the soldier. The soldier had no choice but to raise his arms and block the rest of the momentum with his own spirit qi.

At that moment, a spirit beam came shooting through the air, striking the cracking shield's scales. The soldier staggered when the scales near his shoulder exploded, leaving a bloody cavity underneath. Behind him, he saw the martial cultivator who had been knocked out with a spirit-beam gun in his right hand, about to fire another shot with blood still pouring out of his shoulder.

The Fengdu soldier raised his other free hand and pointed at the spirit-beam gun, causing it to explode with a black shade. Then, chthonic poison entered the body of the martial cultivator, causing him to spit out blood and lose all ability to resist.

Alas, no matter how well equipped or trained the soldier had been, he wasn't able to face off against two foes at once. The ghostly shade managed to burst through the spirit-qi barrier of the soldier and entered his flesh!

"Aaaaaaagh!" A deathly chill began to spread all throughout the body of the soldier, causing him to howl wildly as the frost corrupted him. He slumped to the ground in a frenzy, causing the blood and stone fragments around him to spill all over the place. Thick white mist scattered in all directions.

The martial cultivator had already lost an arm and suffered from chthonic poison. The Fengdu soldier, on the other hand, was struggling to suppress the ghostly shade that entered his body. Whether the shade managed to take control or not, the martial cultivator was sure to be reduced to meat paste by whoever emerged victorious. His forbidden trump card would do him no good. Right that instant, a hand grabbed him by the collar and pulled him away. He was moved a few streets over into the gap between collapsed rubble.

"Who are you?!" the martial cultivator said, stunned and panicked. Though he was weak enough to be dragged away, he still managed to sit up and turn around cautiously. "You are..."

"I'm someone who desperately wants to drive a blade down you any Fengdu Guard soldier's throats," An Jing said. "You were the one who brought all this trouble here, right? Let's not waste words. We'll wait for a chance. You shall work with me to get rid of the soldier. Once we're done, I'll ask you what's going on. If you didn't intentionally sacrifice everyone in the black market just to hide yourself here, I'll spare you."

"Spare me? What kind of sentimental bullshit—" The martial cultivator relaxed when he observed An Jing more closely. "Ah, a badlander. Don't complain about being wrapped up in this. Even if I didn't come to the black market, the Skywatch Bureau would've found a chance to strike it anyway. They simply can't tolerate the fact that Deepdark Palace is collecting profits that don't belong to them. These cursed corporations were bound to make their move either way."

He turned to the soldier's direction and continued, "This has nothing to do with you, so you don't need to fight. Once I die, the soldier will no doubt collect me to claim credit. Once he leaves, you should leave from the secret escape route. The Fengdu soldier shouldn't have any time to waste on chasing you down. Deepdark Palace's troops should be able to resist for another half a day in the lower floors."

"How do you know that I'm a badlander?" An Jing asked, brow furrowed.

"I tried to ping you with two types of chips earlier, but you didn't react at all. That must mean that you don't have a chip, in other words, a badlander. Kid, you're far too young, so you probably haven't heard of the Justice Restoration Army." The man softened up when he noticed An Jing's actual age, relaxing his wrinkled forehead slightly. "We hide ourselves in the badlands and resist the megacorps and cultivation sects. We are a rebel force. You don't have to worry about me. In the name of compassion, I swear I will not harm you."

"Compassion?" An Jing was quite surprised. While he didn't know anything about Deepdark Palace or the Justice Restoration Army, he could guess that the former was probably a subsidiary of the Xuandu Group. However, An Jing's memories from his past life seemed to resonate with the Justice Restoration Army.

"Is this a group that descends from the legacy of the Ink Saint of Lone Bamboo Mountain?" Yvelbane caught on to something. "I see. The Ink Saint, huh? That explains their rebellious nature." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"My death is already set in stone. Just... don't let them get their hands on this." The martial cultivator seemed to have made his resolve and smiled at An Jing. "You will be able to get out of here. You're a badlander and they can't trace you. I will create a chance for you to escape, but you must promise me somethi—"

"No, there are no more chances!" a voice interrupted. The next moment, a pitch-black hand of metal reached around the corner of the wall and crushed the concrete along with the reinforced steel rods within with only its grip. A dark, ghostly figure with crimson eyes emerged from the shadows. Black tendrils wriggled from the bloody hole beneath the crushed shoulder pad, emanating fiendish power.

The Fengdu soldier roared with a voice from the depths of his soul. "All you insects shall perish!"